Living into the Life of Jesus


Book Description

Deriving insights from the life of Jesus in the Gospels, Klaus Issler uncovers the dynamics involved in truly becoming more Christlike. He shows how you can forge much deeper connections with Jesus. The result is a closer alignment between what you want to do as a follower of Jesus, what you actually do and who you are becoming in him.




The Psychology of Christian Character Formation


Book Description

The Psychology of Christian Character Formation offers clergy and those preparing for ministry some of the potential riches provided by rapidly developing branches of contemporary scientific psychology of which they might otherwise be unaware. Joanna Collicutt, an experienced psychologist and theological educator, focuses on the psychology of character, virtue and spirituality. Furthermore, the psychology is not used to support training in pastoral ministry to others, but rather to support the reader’s own self-awareness and spiritual growth. Joanna Collicutt understands Christian formation as Christian communities and their members growing up into conformity with the character of Christ through the action of the Holy Spirit. This is explored in the three parts of the book: first, an exploration of the process of Christian formation that includes a detailed analysis of the character of Jesus of Nazareth; secondly some focused psychology aimed at supporting an informed self-awareness in the reader; finally – and the most lengthy section – a series of chapters devoted to using psychological insights to help cultivate the Christ-like characteristics identified in the first section.




The Character Gap


Book Description

We like to think of ourselves and our friends and families as pretty good people. The more we put our characters to the test, however, the more we see that we are decidedly a mixed bag. Fortunately there are some promising strategies - both secular and religious - for developing better characters.




After You Believe


Book Description

From the author of the acclaimed Simply Christian and Surprised by Hope comes a book that addresses the question that has plagued humans for centuries—what is our purpose? As Christians, what are we to do with that ambiguous time between baptism and the funeral? It's easy to become preoccupied with who gets into heaven; the real challenge is how we are going to live in the here and now. Wright dispels the common misconception that Christian living is nothing more than a checklist of dos and don'ts. Nor is it a prescription to "follow your heart" wherever it may lead. Instead, After You Believe reveals the Bible's call for a revolution—a transformation of character that takes us beyond our earthly pursuit of money, sex, and power into a virtuous state of living that allows us to reflect God and live more worshipful, fulfilling lives. We are all spiritual seekers, intuitively knowing there is more to life than we suspect. This is a book for anyone who is hoping there is something more while we're here on Earth. There is. We are being called to join the revolution, and Wright insightfully encourages readers to find new purpose and clarity by taking us on an eye-opening journey through key biblical passages that promise to radically alter the work of the church and the direction of our lives.




A Christian Education in the Virtues


Book Description

A Christian Education in the Virtues examines the connection between human nature and human flourishing. It draws on ancient and medieval sources to explore the formation of the person based on a Christian anthropology, emphasising the communal nature of the virtuous life and provides a richer approach to the question of contemporary character education. The book argues that the only way to understand and construct our character virtues is to have a clear picture of what is the purpose and meaning of human life. It highlights the importance of engaging with moral issues and makes the case that, for Christian educators, human flourishing is inseparable from God’s active relationship to human beings. The book also explores a teleological approach to character education goals. To educate the whole person in the light of an all-embracing Christian worldview is challenged by secular and liberal ideology and is often seen as irrational to the modern mind. Overall, the text seeks to demonstrate that many aspects of a Neo-Aristotelian-Thomist theoretical underpinning for Christian character education holds out a viable option for Christians. It therefore argues the case for the educational potential of Christian character education. This important book will be essential reading for academics, researchers and students in the fields of character and virtue education, religious education and the philosophy of education. The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com/books/oa-mono/10.4324/9781003141877, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.




Building Christian Character


Book Description

Promote Christian values through this collection of crafts, activities, stories, and Bible verses. Units include honoring God, respecting others, telling the truth, self-control, being kind, and more!




Building Christian Character


Book Description

Godly character stands as the most prized goal in Christian education. More than merely teaching a child or anyone else to do and to know about certain things, a God-centered education involves what a person is. It aims to bring forth a life at-one with God, consumed by His love, filled with His truth, submitted to His purpose, conformed to His image. Building Christian Character has been designed to help parents disciple children (and churches disciple believers); and for over 20years it has done just that, revolutionizing the lives of thousands of families and churches. It has done so by providing tools to help craft the different facets of the jewel of character as the child or disciple runs the course God has laid out for him. The book highlights 24 elements of character, pairing these elements according to contrasting positive and negative character traits (works of the Spirit versus works of the flesh). This book presents the meaning, importance and principles of each of the elements of character and then discusses how each unfolds in the individual's life and behavior.The content and form of this book encourages sharing these truths through living relationships, enabling mentors to gear the material to each mentee's level of understanding. The book presents hundreds of scriptures, organized around each topic, for study or memorization.Consistent and judicious use of this book will allow you to better bring within your reach the vast responsibility of parenting or pastoring as you enter into deeper relationship with children, disciples and God. The book assumes the approach that a life impresses and guides better than precepts alone, so it also speaks to parents and pastors, hoping they will also build their own Christian character as the main beacon for others to follow. As you minister through this book, you'll inevitably see it applying to your own life, helping you to become a more effective vessel to disciple those under your nurture and care. Many parents, teachers and pastors have testified that the changes in their own lives have been rewarding as those in the lives they've instructed.




Cultivating Christian Character


Book Description




The Expulsive Power of a New Affection


Book Description

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” — 1 John 2:15 Those who struggle with habitual sin are keenly aware of the despair and fatigue that comes from trying harder and harder to control the desire to do what is wrong in the eyes of God. For this person, there be times of limited success in overcoming sin, but eventually he/she falls back again into unhealthy patterns. In "The Expulsive Power of a New Affection", Thomas Chalmers argues that no matter how hard we may try, we’ll never overcome habitual sin in our lives unless we switch our affections from the world to Jesus Christ. Thankfully Christ loved us first and is more than willing to set us free if we’d only realize the true Gospel power that we can all have in our lives today.