[PDF] Following Jesus In A Culture Of Fear eBook

Author : Scott Bader-Saye
Publisher : Brazos Press
Page : 208 pages
File Size : 14,82 MB
Release : 2020-11-03
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1493427504

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Fear has taken on an outsized role in our current cultural and political context. Manufactured threats are advanced with little to no evidence of danger, while real threats are exaggerated for self-interested gain. This steady diet of fear produces unhealthy moral lives, leading many Christians to focus more on the dangers we wish to avoid than the goods we wish to pursue. As a fearful people, we are tempted to make safety our highest good and to make virtues of suspicion, preemption, and accumulation. But this leaves the church ill-equipped to welcome the stranger, love the enemy, or give to those in need. This timely resource brings together cultural analysis and theological insight to explore a Christian response to the culture of fear. Laying out a path from fear to faithfulness, theologian Scott Bader-Saye explores practices that embody Jesus's call to place our trust in him, inviting Christian communities to take the risks of hospitality, peacemaking, and generosity. This book has been revised throughout, updated to connect with today's readers, and includes new discussion questions.

Author : Scott Bader-Saye
Publisher : Brazos Press
Page : 176 pages
File Size : 30,21 MB
Release : 2007-06-01
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1585589403

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Through politics, marketing, news programming, and popular culture we are taught to fear, often in ways that profit others. But what does all this fear do to our moral lives as it forms (or deforms) our character and our judgment? Drawing on Christian scripture and tradition, Following Jesus in a Culture of Fear articulates a response to fear that resists an ethic of security in favor of fostering an ethic of risk. The Christian virtues of hospitality, peacefulness, and generosity are presented as the way to defeat the counter-virtues of suspicion, preemption, and control. Pastors, students, and lay people will find this unique book both accessible and intriguing. EXCERPT Do not be afraid. We live in a time when this biblical refrain cannot be repeated too often. Both John Paul II in 1978 and his successor, Benedict XVI, in 2005 used these words to begin their papacies. Among all the things the church has to say to the world today, this may be the most important. No one has to be convinced that we live in fearful times, though we are not always sure what we should be afraid of and why. We suspect that our fears make us vulnerable to manipulation, but we find it hard to quell the fear long enough to analyze how it is being produced and directed for the benefit of others. One reason we are a more fearful culture today, despite the fact that the dangers are not objectively greater than in the past, is because some people have incentives and means to heighten, manipulate, and exploit our fears. Fear is a strong motivator, and so those who want and need to motivate others--politicians, advertisers, media executives, advocacy groups, even the church--turn to fear to bolster their message. I call this the "fear for profit" syndrome, and it is rampant. We have become preoccupied with unlikely dangers that take on the status of imminent threats, producing a culture where fear determines a disproportionate number of our personal and communal decisions. The sense of ever-increasing threats can overwhelm our ability to evaluate and respond proportionately to each new risk, thus we allow fear to overdetermine our actions.

Author : Jason Thacker
Publisher : B&H Publishing Group
Page : 105 pages
File Size : 24,71 MB
Release : 2022-08-30
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1087754607

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We were told technology would make our lives easier and more convenient, but technology just seems to have made it more complicated and confusing. As Christians, what does our faith have to do with these pressing issues of life in a digital age? In Following Jesus in a Digital Age, you will not only be challenged on how technology is shaping your walk with Christ, but you will also be equipped with biblical wisdom to navigate the most difficult aspects of our digital culture—including the rise of misinformation, conspiracy theories, social media, digital privacy, and polarization. God calls his people to step into the challenges of the digital age from a place of hope and discernment, grounded in His Word. How will you follow Him in the digital age?

Author : Eric Kampmann
Publisher : Beaufort Books
Page : 569 pages
File Size : 29,39 MB
Release : 2016-01-26
Category : Religion
ISBN : 0825307198

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**Winner of the 2017 CSPA Book of the Year Award in Devotionals** Getting to Know Jesus is the perfect devotional for the person who knows some but wants to know much more about the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. This award winning book is designed follow the life of Jesus Christ chronologically based on the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The origins of this book were a series of podcasts that author Eric Kampmann and Dr. Chuck Davis, Senior Pastor at Stanwich Church, recorded over the course of one full year. For this book, Kampmann used the content of the podcasts to build a commentary on the passage that provides a deeper look into the accounts of Jesus' life, ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection. In addition to the book, Kampmann has provided an index that lists 31 bible or individual studies. The studies include an in depth look at the Sermon on the Mount, the Parable of the Prodigal Son, Raising Lazarus, the Seven Words of the Cross, the High Priestly Prayer, and much more.

Author : Michael Kinnamon
Publisher : Westminster John Knox Press
Page : 120 pages
File Size : 12,83 MB
Release : 2017-03-10
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1611648025

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We live in a world driven by fear. But should we allow fear to play such a large role in our lives? According to the religions of the world, the answer is no. In this helpful and illuminating book, Michael Kinnamon challenges readers to consider why we find ourselves in this age of fear and what we can do about it. Drawing on support from a diversity of religious traditions and teachers, Kinnamon argues that religious faith is the best way to combat a culture of fear. He explores fear in relation to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the American political scene, and he shares courageous examples of individuals from different religions working for peace. Perfect for individuals or group study, this book helps readers understand the manipulative power of fear and how religious beliefs call us to reject fear at all costs. A study guide is included.

Author : Kurt Bennett
Publisher : Enoch Media
Page : 183 pages
File Size : 38,81 MB
Release : 2020-02-11
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN : 0984189556

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Based on Kurt Bennett's popular-ish blog God Running, Love Like Jesus begins with the story of how after a life of regular church attendance and Bible study, Bennett was challenged by a pastor to study Jesus. That led to an obsessive seven-year deep dive. After pouring over Jesus' every interaction with another human being, he realized he was doing a much better job of studying Jesus' words than he was following Jesus' words and example. The honest and fearless revelations of Bennett's own moral failures affirm he wrote this book for himself as much as for others. Love Like Jesus examines a variety of stories, examples, and research, including: -Specific examples of how Jesus communicated God's love to others. -How Jesus demonstrated all five of Gary Chapman's love languages (and how you can too). -The story of how Billy Graham extended Christ's extraordinary love and grace toward a man who misrepresented Jesus to millions. -How to respond to critics the way Jesus did. -How to love unlovable people the way Jesus did. -How to survive a life of loving like Jesus (or how not to become a Christian doormat). -How Jesus didn't love everyone the same (and why you shouldn't either). -How Jesus guarded his heart by taking care of himself--he even napped--and why you should do the same.-How Jesus loved his betrayer Judas, even to the very end. With genuine unfiltered honesty, Love Like Jesus, shows you how to live a life according to God's definition of success: A life of loving God well, and loving the people around you well too. A life of loving like Jesus.

Author : Timothy Keller
Publisher : Penguin
Page : 272 pages
File Size : 34,7 MB
Release : 2021-03-09
Category : Religion
ISBN : 0525560807

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The Resurrection accounts of Jesus in the Gospels are the most dramatic and impactful stories ever told. One similarity unites each testimony--that none of his most loyal and steadfast followers could "see" it was him, back from the dead. The reason for this is at the very foundation of the Christian faith. She turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. (John 20:14) Hope in the Time of Fear is a book that unlocks the meaning of Jesus's resurrection for readers. Easter is considered the most solemn and important holiday for Christians. It is a time of spiritual rebirth and a time of celebrating the physical rebirth of Jesus after three days in the tomb. For his devoted followers, nothing could prepare them for the moment they met the resurrected Jesus. Each failed to recognize him. All of them physically saw him and yet did not spiritually truly see him. It was only when Jesus reached out and invited them to see who he truly was that their eyes were open. Here the central message of the Christian faith is revealed in a way only Timothy Keller could do it--filled with unshakable belief, piercing insight, and a profound new way to look at a story you think you know. After reading this book, the true meaning of Easter will no longer be unseen.

Author : Eric H. F. Law
Publisher : Chalice Press
Page : 160 pages
File Size : 21,8 MB
Release : 2020-02-04
Category : Religion
ISBN : 0827211341

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Learn how to face your fears and and live into courageous and faithful action with Fear Not. Americans live in a culture of fear, whether we know it or care to admit it. Who will attack us next? Who will steal our jobs? Whose relationship undermines the sanctity of mine? In an era when manipulative messaging is unavoidable, politicians, media, marketers, and even faith leaders play on our fears and use them to win elections, gain attention, sell products, and influence the way you view those around you — all in the name of claiming power. Fear Not subverts insidious fear-based messaging with the creation of courageous communities committed to truth-telling, grace, hope, and love. Drawing on decades as a community-building and church growth leader for churches and nonprofit organizations, Eric H.F. Law shares practical resources and processes for bringing diverse people together to build authentic relationships and share their truth. Each chapter includes suggested activities and questions for discussion and tips for creating small discussion groups.

Author : Paul G. Doerksen
Publisher : Wipf and Stock Publishers
Page : 273 pages
File Size : 46,95 MB
Release : 2016-09-22
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1498201504

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Take and Read is a collection of essays first presented as oral theological reflections on books, written to stimulate conversations among diverse groups of readers, which included farmers, physicians, teachers, poets, novelists, scientists, people involved in business, finance, relief work, and many other walks of life, ranging in age from twenty-something to eighty. These reflections introduce and offer samples of theological readings of a variety of books. The result is a collection of essays addressing a wide range of topics from food security to violence, from dementia to indigenous issues. Perhaps this book is best described as an invitation to joining a conversation about books, and more importantly, about God.

Author : Clare De Graaf
Publisher : Monarch Books
Page : 192 pages
File Size : 20,95 MB
Release : 2013-04-17
Category : Religion
ISBN : 085721425X

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The 10-Second Rule empowers readers to take simple -baby steps- of obedience, as God directs them to do the next thing they are reasonably certain Jesus wants them to do ' and to do it quickly before they change their minds. The simple rule is this: Just do the next thing you're reasonably certain Jesus wants you to do-and do it within the next 10 seconds. This is a memorable, simple way to be attentive and courageously obedient to the voice of God. The power of this concept is in its simplicity-and yet it gets straight to the heart of what it means to actually follow Jesus. The 10-Second Rule relates stories of ordinary men and women who are living by The Rule and how it has shaped and transformed their lives. It also shares practical tips for discerning God's will, recognizing his voice, and studying Scripture. Living by The Rule is a call to rediscover the revolutionary power of the simple message of Jesus.