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| Since when did believing in God and having moral values make you pro-war, pro-rich, and pro-Republican? And since when did promoting and pursuing a progressive social agenda with a concern for economic security, health care, and educational opportunity mean you had to put faith in God aside?While the Right in America has hijacked the language of faith to prop up its political agendaan agenda not all people of faith supportthe Left hasn't done much better, largely ignoring faith and continually separating moral discourse and personal ethics from public policy. While the Right argues that God's way is their way, the Left pursues an unrealistic separation of religious values from morally grounded political leadership. The consequence is a false choice between ideological religion and soulless politics.The effect of this dilemma was made clear in the 2004 presidential election. The Democrats' miscalculations have left them despairing and searching for a way forward. It has become clear that someone must challenge the Republicans' claim that they speak for God, or that they hold a monopoly on moral values in the nation's public life. Wallis argues that America's separation of church and state does not require banishing moral and religious values from the public square. In fact, the very survival of America's social fabric depends on such values and vision to shape our politicsa dependence the nation's founders recognized.God's Politics offers a clarion call to make both our religious communities and our government more accountable to key values of the prophetic religious traditionthat is, make them pro-justice, pro-peace, pro-environment, pro-equality, pro-consistent ethic of life (beyond single issue voting), and pro-family (without making scapegoats of single mothers or gays and lesbians). Our biblical faith and religious traditions simply do not allow us as a nation to continue to ignore the poor and marginalized, deny racial justice, tolerate the ravages of war, or turn away from the human rights of those made in the image of God. These are the values of love and justice, reconciliation, and community that Jesus taught and that are at the core of what many of us believe, Christian or not. In the tradition of prophets such as Martin Luther King Jr., Dorothy Day, and Desmond Tutu, Wallis inspires us to hold our political leaders and policies accountable by integrating our deepest moral convictions into our nation's public life. |
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| Pastoral ministry is an occupation in flux. In this comprehensive study Jackson Carroll considers the many factors changing roles among clergy and laypeople, the opening of ordination to women, an increasing shortage of clergy, and more that are shaping congregations and ministers today. Building on Paul's image of Christians as "clay jars," Carroll paints a portrait of "God's potters" pastors whose calling is to form their congregational jars so that they reveal rather than hide God's treasure.A veteran clergy watcher, Carroll uses data from what is likely the most representative survey of Protestant and Catholic clergy ever undertaken, as well as focus group interviews and congregational responses, to take a hard look at who is doing ministry today, what it involves, and how pastors are faring in leading their congregations. Significantly, his study covers clergy from a broad range of traditions Catholic, mainline Protestant, conservative Protestant, and historic black churches.Replete with pertinent tables and figures, God's Potters culminates with specific strategies for strengthening pastoral leadership and nurturing excellence in ministry. |
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| At some point, most Christians will experience feelings of rejection, depression, guilt, and grief in their lives---and wonder why! The Sandfords expose the reality of existing wounds and give simple principles for reaching, repairing, and restoring our spirits so that we can worship God in abandonment and relate to ourselves---and others---in wholeness! |
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| Most people can think of different areas in their lives they'd like to change. But actually changing them? That's the problem! The good news is, God is all about changing lives. In this book, Rick Warren gives you practical principles from God's Word for change and growth in ten areas of your life. |
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| If you were told that a program exists to invigorate your prayer life and it couldn't fail - would you take it? I guess that most of us would say 'yes'!Prayer is vitally important to the life of the Christian, and yet we struggle with it. We hear about different devices and schemes (8 ways to guarantee prayer success!) not recognizing that God has already provided us with a prayer program in the Psalms. They show and share in our deepest feelings of anger, longing, fear, joy, despair, loneliness etc. and are all wrapped up in a package that addresses God directly from our hearts.T.M. Moore encourages us to develop the psalms as a guide to our prayers using different approaches to praying the psalms, which reinforces their diversity and power. This will provide us with reliable reference points, equip us with the right words to use when we need them, and give us assurance that the words we use will be pleasing to God.Moore highlights to us the importance of discipline in prayer and reveals insights into why the psalms have been a source of prayer and worship for God's people throughout the ages.When we look to God's word we will find it an immense source of satisfaction, sustenance and blessing in our own prayer life. God said it would be sufficient for us. |
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| The Bible presents great themes that are universally relevant for the faith formation of all human beings in all times and places. As we reflect upon faith issues in our daily lives, we can engage these themes to learn more about God and what it means to live a life of faith. Covenant: God's ProjectEffective Christians looks at the theme of covenant and the beginnings and meaning of Christian life as Paul understood it. The book offers the following sessions: |
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| God has promised to love us, to help us, to care for us, and to answer our prayers. Teaching 4-8 year old children these promises is easy with over 48 reproducible coloring and activity sheets. The memory verse for each lesson is a simple way to reinforce these promises. |
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| God's promise and timing have intersected in our day. Witness the Jewish return to Israel, the rise of Messianic Jewish believers and the shifting of the Church's power center from the West to Asia, Africa and Latin America, the fastest growing segments of the Body of Christ in our day. This has brought about many questions as the Church comes to grips with these sweeping changes. What does Scripture say about the future of Israel? Where do the Arab nations fit into God's plan? How does all this affect the Church and its role in this end-time scenario? Don Finto explores these questions and shows how to navigate the new landscape in this illuminating book. |
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