[PDF] Human Relationships And The Experience Of God eBook

Author : Michael St. Clair
Publisher : Wipf and Stock Publishers
Page : 111 pages
File Size : 25,5 MB
Release : 2004-09-15
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1592448666

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When people are interested in the spiritual life they are, 'de facto', saying: I deeply value relationships - relationships with themselves, others, and God. Spirituality and an appreciation of the relationships they have go hand in hand.Given this, when we turn to contemporary psychology, the school of thought which seems so naturally relevant and supportive to those interested in spiritual maturity is object relations theory. However, since this sophisticated approach to understanding the human person is quite complex in that it stands on the psychological shoulders of a great deal of previous psychoanalytic thought and practice, to mine this theoretical jewel and apply it to further the appreciation of one's own or someone else's spiritual life has been quite difficult for most people. And so, the development of a basic work on object relations theory and the spiritual life has been sorely needed.With this in mind, Michael St. Clair, the author of the widely-read and respected book 'Object Relations and Self Psychology', and a person possessing extensive theological background as well as graduate-level teaching and clinical experience in pastoral counseling and the integration of psychology and religion, was asked to prepare a book on the topic.The result is a volume that presents not only principles that are understandable and enlightening, but also psychological illustrations that offer a clear connection with religious experience. In addition, although St. Clair doesn't skirt the issues and controversies or subtle nuances that are open to question when one attempts an integration of psychology and spirituality from a particular vantage point, first and foremost this book is a practical work. In this regard it serves to be stimulating in one's reflection about the spiritual life: one's own and that of those persons who come to us for guidance.This volume provides a real service to those of us who wish to see in an intelligent way what contributions modern psychology from an object relations perspective can make to our efforts to walk honestly and faithfully with God as we walk with others.

Author : Anne Robertson
Publisher : Church Publishing, Inc.
Page : 159 pages
File Size : 46,33 MB
Release : 2009-04
Category : Family & Relationships
ISBN : 0819223115

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Robertson suggests that Christians may be the only Jesus some people ever meet. She draws correlations between a mother's response to a crying child and how that teaches the infant that God's provision can be trusted.

Author : Wesley Hill
Publisher : Zondervan
Page : 151 pages
File Size : 15,69 MB
Release : 2010-09-21
Category : Religion
ISBN : 0310591813

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This is a book written primarily for gay Christians and those who love them. Part memoir, part pastoral-theological reflection, this book wrestles with three main areas of struggle that many gay Christians face: (1) What is God’s will for sexuality? (2) If the historic Christian tradition is right and same-sex behavior is ruled out, how should gay Christians deal with their resulting loneliness? (3) How can gay Christians come to an experience of grace that rescues them from crippling feelings of shame and guilt? Author Wesley Hill is not advocating that it is possible for every gay Christian to become straight, nor is he saying that God affirms homosexuality. Instead, Hill comes alongside gay Christians and says, “You are not alone. Here is my experience; it’s like yours. And God is with us. We can share in God’s grace.” While some authors profess a deep faith in Christ and claim a powerful experience of the Holy Spirit precisely in and through their homosexual practice, Hill’s own story, by contrast, is a story of feeling spiritually hindered, rather than helped, by his homosexuality. His story testifies that homosexuality was not God’s original creative intention for humanity—that it is, on the contrary, a tragic sign of human nature and relationships being fractured by sin—and therefore that homosexual practice goes against God’s express will for all human beings, especially those who trust in Christ. This book is written mainly for those homosexual Christians who are trying to walk the narrow path of celibacy and are convinced that their discipleship to Jesus necessarily commits them to the demanding, costly obedience of choosing not to nurture their homosexual desires. With reflections from the lives of Henri Nouwen and Gerard Manley Hopkins, Wesley Hill encourages and challenges Christians with homosexual desires to live faithful to God’s plan for human sexuality.

Author : Paul K. Moser
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 361 pages
File Size : 41,54 MB
Release : 2017-04-07
Category : History
ISBN : 1107195349

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Paul K. Moser proposes a new approach to inquiry about God, including a new discipline of the ethics for such inquiry.

Author : Drew Hunter
Publisher : Crossway
Page : 156 pages
File Size : 42,37 MB
Release : 2018-09-20
Category : Religion
ISBN : 143355822X

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God made you for friendship. Friendship is one of the deepest pleasures of life. But in our busy, fast-paced, mobile world, we've lost this rich view of friendship and instead settled for shallow acquaintances based on little more than similar tastes or shared interests. Helping us recapture a vision of true friendship, pastor Drew Hunter explores God's design for friendship and what it really looks like in practice—giving us practical advice to cultivate the kinds of true friendships that lead to true and life-giving joy.

Author : Paul K. Moser
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 361 pages
File Size : 50,46 MB
Release : 2017-04-07
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1108170994

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In this book, Paul K. Moser proposes a new approach to inquiry about God, including a new discipline of the ethics for inquiry about God. It is an ethics for human attitudes and relationships as well as actions in inquiry, and it includes human responsibility for seeking evidence that involves a moral priority for humans. Such ethics includes an ongoing test, a trial, for human receptivity to goodness, including morally good relationships, as a priority in human inquiry and life. Moser also defends an approach to the evidence for God that makes sense of the elusiveness and occasional absence of God in human experience. His book will be of interest to those interested in inquiry about God, with special relevance to scholars and advanced students in religious studies, philosophy, theology, and biblical studies.

Author : Wesley Hill
Publisher : ReadHowYouWant.com
Page : 206 pages
File Size : 27,86 MB
Release : 2010-11-29
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1458723941

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Yet many who sit next to us in the pew at church fit that description, says author Wesley Hill. As a celibate gay Christian, Hill gives us a glimpse of what it looks like to wrestle firsthand with God's ''No'' to same-sex relationships. What does it mean for gay Christians to live faithful to God while struggling with the challenge of their homosexuality? What is God's will for believers who experience same-sex desires? Those who choose celibacy are often left to deal with loneliness and the hunger for relationships. How can gay Christians experience God's favor and blessing in the midst of a struggle that for many brings a crippling sense of shame and guilt? Weaving together reflections from his own life and the lives of other Christians, such as Henri Nouwen and Gerard Manley Hopkins, Hill offers a fresh perspective on these questions. He advocates neither unqualified ''healing'' for those who struggle, nor their accommodation to temptation, but rather faithfulness in the midst of brokenness. ''I hope this book may encourage other homosexual Christians to take the risky step of opening up their lives to others in the body of Christ,'' Hill writes. ''In so doing, they may find, as I have, by grace, that being known is spiritually healthier than remaining behind closed doors, that the light is better than the darkness.

Author : Henry Yoder
Publisher : Tate Publishing
Page : 196 pages
File Size : 32,66 MB
Release : 2010-08
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1616636823

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Most of us recognize intuitively and by observation that we are broken. We enter adulthood carrying emotional scars from our childhood that directly affect our ability to live healthy adult lives and invariably get passed on to our own children, continuing the vicious cycle-a cycle author Henry Yoder dates back to the garden of Eden. But most of us also have the intuition deep within ourselves that life was meant to be more than our experience of brokenness, that this brokenness was not originally intended. Where does that intuition come from? Is it purely wishful thinking you haven't been able to put away, even through all your pain? Or is it possible that God has pressed His image into you so deeply that even after all you've experienced, the Longing for Eden is still in your soul? Join Henry Yoder as he describes God's original intention for you as a creature formed in God's image and likeness, invites you to examine the cause of your brokenness, and offers a way forward toward the wholeness you long for.

Author : John Pavlovitz
Publisher : Westminster John Knox Press
Page : 266 pages
File Size : 19,30 MB
Release : 2021-09-28
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1646982134

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Thou Shalt Not Be Horrible. Imagine for a moment what the world might look like if we as people of faith, morality, and conscience actually aspired to this mantra. What if we were fully burdened to create a world that was more loving and equitable than when we arrived? What if we invited one another to share in wide-open, fearless, spiritual communities truly marked by compassion and interdependence? What if we daily challenged ourselves to live a faith that simply made us better humans? John Pavlovitz explores how we can embody this kinder kind of spirituality where we humbly examine our belief system to understand how it might compel us to act in less-than-loving ways toward others. This simple phrase, "Thou Shalt Not Be Horrible," could help us practice what we preach by creating a world where: spiritual community provides a sense of belonging where all people are received as we are; the most important question we ask of a religious belief is not Is it true? but rather, is it helpful? it is morally impossible to pledge complete allegiance to both Jesus and America simultaneously; the way we treat others is the most tangible and meaningful expression of our belief system. In If God Is Love, Don't Be a Jerk, John Pavlovitz examines the bedrock ideas of our religion: the existence of hell, the utility of prayer, the way we treat LGBTQ people, the value of anger, and other doctrines to help all of us take a good, honest look at how the beliefs we hold can shape our relationships with God and our fellow humans—and to make sure that love has the last, loudest word.