[PDF] Rethinking Christendom eBook

Author : Jonathan Luxmoore
Publisher : Gracewing Publishing
Page : 260 pages
File Size : 22,62 MB
Release : 2005
Category : History
ISBN : 9780852446478

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"The failure of the European Union's Constitutional Treaty has raised serious questions about the Continent's future. Christian churches are active in this debate, as social and cultural forces with influence and outreach. But questions are also being asked about the future of Christianity itself, in a region now deeply divided between competing outlooks and visions. Why has Christianity caused such passion? And what does the controversy say about the new Europe now being created - a secular, technocratic Europe, or a Europe more deeply united by shared norms and values?" "Rethinking Christendom explores the background to today's discussions, drawing on views and perspectives from East and West. It shows how Christianity became the essential badge of European-ness, and the universal reference point for societies drawn together by external threats and internal aspirations. It also demonstrates how, by asserting the individual's moral value, Christianity planted the seeds of democracy and human rights, pluralism and equality, and was fated, over time, to subvert and undermine unjust, dictatorial systems of rule." "While some Europeans see Christianity as a means of liberation, others view it as a barmier to freedom. This book is a plea for a realistic and informed understanding of Christianity's past, present and future role - in a region where all faiths, worldviews and philosophies can and should coexist in a mutual creative harmony."--BOOK JACKET.

Author : Craig A. Carter
Publisher : Brazos Press
Page : 224 pages
File Size : 47,83 MB
Release : 2007-01-01
Category : Religion
ISBN : 144120122X

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In 1951, theologian H. Richard Niebuhr published Christ and Culture, a hugely influential book that set the agenda for the church and cultural engagement for the next several decades. But Niebuhr's model was devised in and for a predominantly Christian cultural setting. How do we best understand the church and its writers in a world that is less and less Christian? Craig Carter critiques Niebuhr's still pervasive models and proposes a typology better suited to mission after Christendom.

Author : James Emery White
Publisher : Baker Books
Page : 192 pages
File Size : 27,43 MB
Release : 2003-07-01
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1585580406

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Why is it important to rethink the church? Today many leaders focus on how their ministries can be run more efficiently. But the foundational question, according to James Emery White, should be Why do we have this ministry? and then, Why do we do this ministry the way we do? Is it effective? Rethinking the Church helps pastors and lay leaders work through questions that must be answered if a church is to rethink evangelism, discipleship, ministry, worship, community, and the structure of the church. Break old molds, check assumptions, and be sensitive, says White. He uses the language and aims of "seeker-targeted" churches but urges readers not to tie themselves to any model without understanding the individual purpose of their church. Now thoroughly revised and expanded, Rethinking the Church contains more emphasis and key material on how to move from rethinking to transition. White blends biblical reflection and hands-on experience and uses the early church as described in the Book of Acts as the ultimate example.

Author : Medi Ann Volpe
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
Page : 285 pages
File Size : 30,83 MB
Release : 2013-01-04
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1405195118

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Recent decades have seen major shifts in our understanding of Christian identity. This timely book explores contemporary theological theory in asking what makes a Christian in the twenty-first century. Engages with developments in contemporary theological thought, assessing the work of leading figures Rowan Williams, John Milbank, and Kathryn Tanner Challenges accepted ideas of Christian identity by revealing largely unexplored perspectives on how sin affects its formation Contributes to vexed debates about Christian identity at a time when Christianity is expanding in some regions, yet in decline in many parts of the Western world

Author : Keith Ward
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 240 pages
File Size : 37,31 MB
Release : 2013-10-01
Category : Religion
ISBN : 178074465X

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The Christian faith is often charged with being outmoded and anachronistic. A monolithic institution rooted in the past, many critics have claimed that it lacks the resources to adapt to modern society's needs and advances. In "Rethinking Christianity", Keith Ward argues persuasively that this view is not only uncharitable, but refuted by historical evidence. Mapping the evolution of six major beliefs, from the Hellenistic restatement to the challenged of evolutionary theory, Ward demonstrates that Christianity has always been expressed in constantly changing ways in response to new knowledge and understandings of the world. Controversial, liberal, and confronting the principal questions facing Christianity today, Ward uses this basis to support the construction of his own ground-breaking theology: a 'systematic theology' for the post-scientific age.

Author : Gordon T. Smith
Publisher : Baker Academic
Page : 224 pages
File Size : 29,48 MB
Release : 2010-08-01
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1441212388

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This volume offers much-needed theological reflection on the phenomenon of conversion and transformation. Gordon Smith provides a robust evaluation that covers the broad range of thinking about conversion across Christian traditions and addresses global contexts. Smith contends that both in the church and in discussions about contemporary mission, the language of conversion inherited from revivalism is inadequate in helping to navigate the questions that shape how we do church, how we approach faith formation, how evangelism is integrated into congregational life, and how we witness to the faith in non-Christian environments. We must rethink the nature of the church in light of how people actually come to faith in Christ. After drawing on ancient and pre-revivalist wisdom on conversion, Smith delineates the contours of conversion and Christian initiation for today's church. He concludes by discussing the art of spiritual autobiography and what it means to be a congregation.

Author : G. Douglas Hammack
Publisher : Wipf and Stock Publishers
Page : 247 pages
File Size : 36,30 MB
Release : 2014-01-13
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1625642911

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"If it ain't broke, don't fix it." But it's no secret that the Christian church is "broke," and does need fixing. Despite great effort, things are going badly for us. We've tried trendy and tech-savvy, entrepreneurial and coffee-house gritty. They're not helping. Our problem is deeper than that. Our problem is our instincts--instincts informed by our story. There was a time when the Christian church was a powerfully transformative presence in society. It can be again--but it will require radical rethinking of the story that informs our instincts. And it's time! It's been five hundred years since the Reformation, our last major update. Today is a pivotal moment in history. With our worldview upended by quantum physics, history is demanding we renew the Christian story for our times. Rethinking Our Story reframes the elements of the Christian narrative for the new era. It explores "quantum" ways of thinking about God, human nature, Jesus, salvation, and the afterlife. The future of the church and the health of our society depend on our willingness to rethink, retell, and live out a better story. We will either update our instincts and contribute to the earth's well-being--or disappear into oblivion.

Author : Frans Jozef Servaas Wijsen
Publisher : Rodopi
Page : 233 pages
File Size : 14,8 MB
Release : 2007
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9042021926

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In 2002 Philip Jenkins wrote The Next Christendom. Over the past half century the centre of gravity of the Christian world has moved decisively to the global South, says Jenkins. Within a few decades European and Euro-American Christians will have become a small fragment of world Christianity. By that time Christianity in Europe and North America will to a large extent consist of Southern-derived immigrant communities. Southern churches will fulfil neither the Liberation Dream nor the Conservative Dream of the North, but will seek their own solutions to their particular problems. Jenkins' book evoked strong reactions, a bit to his own surprise, as the book contained little new. In the United States of America, the prospect of a more biblical Christianity caused reactions of alarm in liberal circles. In contrast, conservatives were delighted by the same prospect. In Europe the book landed in the middle of the debate on Europe as an exceptional case. It was detested by those who stick to the theory of ongoing and irreversible secularisation and welcomed by those who see a resurgence of religion, also in Europe. In the present volume, scholars of religion and theologians assess the global trends in World Christianity as described in Philip Jenkins' book. It is the outcome of an international conference on Southern Christianity and its relation to Christianity in the North, held in the Conference Centre of Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands.

Author : Scott Munger
Publisher : Living Ink Books
Page : 214 pages
File Size : 46,5 MB
Release : 2007
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780899570389

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"An eye-opening analysis of why Christianity is struggling to have a solid impact upon the world. It unmasks Evangelical misrepresentations and challenges non-Christians to reconsider humanity's only hope. It delves into areas that most often damage God's reputation: Church leadership, political involvement, distorted theology, and the problem of evil"--Provided by publisher.