Economic Empowerment Through the Church


Book Description

This practical book shows churches how to become a forge for revitalization in the community by means of "economic empowerment"--by becoming involved in the everyday economic life of their communities.




Fashioned to Reign


Book Description

It's Time for a Revolution In the Garden, woman was taken out of man to stand by his side and co-reign with him. But Satan's schemes have robbed women of their rightful identity, disempowering and defacing them. The world aches for God's original partnership to be brought into balance once more--and it can be. Join Kris Vallotton for an extraordinary journey of eye-opening insight, including • God's true plan and purpose for women • Jesus' radical teachings and care for women • men's important role in restoring women • the true meaning of difficult Bible passages about women • examples of women in leadership as God intended God fashioned women to reign alongside men. Jesus set women free to be beautiful and powerful. It's time for us, as daughters and sons of the King, to rule together in glory again. Will you join the revolution? "We have failed to realize that Jesus founded the women's liberation movement more than two thousand years ago. Isn't it high time His Church led the revolution?"--Kris Vallotton "Off the charts. Worthy to be read and studied by all. You won't be able to put it down."--Patricia King, founder, XP Ministries "Read, weigh and embrace the spirit, truth and heartbeat of this book. This biblical approach rightly addresses unright arguments of strained interpretations. Such balance and beauty make sense and offer wisdom. I say, 'Amen!'"--Pastor Jack Hayford, chancellor, The King's University, Dallas/Los Angeles "This profound work is a must-read for men and women alike; it has the potential to instill courage in the hearts of men and give women permission to dream again."--Bill Johnson, senior leader, Bethel Church, Redding, California; author, The Essential Guide to Healing and When Heaven Invades Earth "Finally, a biblical perspective that encourages women to remain themselves and still take their God-given places of leadership."--Stacey Campbell, author, Praying the Bible; co-founding pastor, New Life Church, Kelowna, British Columbia "This compelling work will elevate your awareness, challenge some presuppositions and invite you to grow in the grace of the Lord Jesus."--Dr. Mark J. Chironna, Church On The Living Edge, Mark Chironna Ministries, Orlando, Florida "This must-read will empower you to regain your identity that Satan stole and live the life God created you to live."--Cynthia Brazelton, pastor, Victory Christian Ministries International "I deeply enjoyed diving into the Bible with Kris as my guide to find out what God really says about men and women. It has enhanced my understanding of who I am as a woman and inspires me to instill that in the young women around me. This book is about truth and therefore would be great written by anyone. However, I realized that the fact that it was written by a man, and it is a man calling me into my divine design, brought a deeper level of healing than I'd anticipated and sent me on a journey digging deeper into God's heart. I recommend it for all!" --Revival Magazine "Fashioned to Reign considers the everlasting deception Christians face regarding women's role and purpose: a deception fostered by evil and which is not of God's plan. The disempowerment of women was the devil's idea - and God's true plan for women is very different. Woman was, in fact, designed to stand by man's side and reign with him, not under him - and Fashioned to Reign covers God's ultimate intention for women. Packed with scripture and information throughout, Fashioned to Reign is a powerful analysis perfect for any Christian collection." --Midwest Book Review




Economics in Christian Perspective


Book Description

Victor Claar and Robin Klay introduce students to the basic principles of economics and then evaluate the principles and issues as seen from a Christian perspective. This textbook places the economic life in the context of Christian discipleship and stewardship. This text is for use in any course needing a survey of the principles of economics.




Financial Empowerment in the African American Church


Book Description

This work captures the historical and cultural context for financial literacy in the twenty-first century in view of the Great Recession of 2008 to 2009.




A Spirit-Empowered Church


Book Description

In A Spirit-Empowered Church, Alton Garrison points us to the heart of dynamic church growth: creating Spirit-empowered disciples who are involved in five activities--connect, grow, serve, go, and worship--to change individuals, families, and communities with the love and power of God's mighty Spirit.




Jesus on Main Street


Book Description

God loves just economies, but sadly the invisible hand of the market has chiseled huge cracks in our communities. Fortunately, Jesus announced freedom for the poor and oppressed, and by taking on his mantle we have a role to play in helping establish just economies here and now! Jesus on Main Street provides church leaders and church planters with a broad overview of Community Economic Development (CED), with practical steps to lead your church in following Jesus into those cracks. You’ll be equipped with the CED “toolkit” including microbusinesses, makerspaces, business incubators, worker cooperatives, workforce development, commercial district revitalization, locality development, anchor institutions, and accountable development. A robust assessment and planning guide specifically for churches will help you create a collaborative CED strategy rooted in God’s love for people and justice. For churches looking to bring healing to their local economies, CED builds capacity for long-term equitable economic growth, catalyzing a movement of business creation, employment, and job creation that does not leave anybody behind. This is the promise and challenge of CED as we follow Jesus down Main Street and explore what good news for local economies looks like!




When Helping Hurts


Book Description

With more than 450,000 copies in print, When Helping Hurts is a paradigm-forming contemporary classic on the subject of poverty alleviation. Poverty is much more than simply a lack of material resources, and it takes much more than donations and handouts to solve it. When Helping Hurts shows how some alleviation efforts, failing to consider the complexities of poverty, have actually (and unintentionally) done more harm than good. But it looks ahead. It encourages us to see the dignity in everyone, to empower the materially poor, and to know that we are all uniquely needy—and that God in the gospel is reconciling all things to himself. Focusing on both North American and Majority World contexts, When Helping Hurts provides proven strategies for effective poverty alleviation, catalyzing the idea that sustainable change comes not from the outside in, but from the inside out.




Ingenuity


Book Description

Ingenuity introduces a theology and practice of preaching that emerges from the faith and wisdom of black women. Preaching has been resourced and taught from a narrow field of cultural or gendered experiences, historically. Without much support from established channels, black women are left to “figure it out” on their own, and others discern how to preach from a limiting scope. The best preachers understand their own voices and the voices of others. They stretch and grow, and this enables them to preach more effectively. Ingenuity equips readers to negotiate tradition, life experiences, and theological conviction in the creative work that makes way for sacred speech. With Ingenuity, Lisa Thompson offers deep insights for anyone seeking to enlarge their understanding, their language, and their sense of lived experiences, and offers practical help through “In Practice” segments for those who preach. "Written from the deep well of the spirituality of Black women, Thompson has given us a remarkable guide for what preaching should be and must be for the times we are in. Accessible, thoughtful, probing, pastoral, prophetic—all come together in this text. A must read for anyone committed to faithful excellence in proclaiming the word." -Emilie M. Townes, Dean and E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Professor of Womanist Ethics and Society, Vanderbilt University Divinity School




The Zimbabwe Council of Churches and Development in Zimbabwe


Book Description

There is a growing realization that religion plays a major role in development, particularly in the Global South. Whereas theories of secularization assumed that religion would disappear, the reality is that religion has demonstrated its tenacity. In the specific case of Zimbabwe, religion has remained a positive social force and has made a significant contribution to development, particularly through the Zimbabwe Council of Churches. This has been through political activism, contribution to health, education, women’s emancipation, and ethical reconstruction. This volume analyzes the contribution of the Zimbabwe Council of Churches to development in the country.




Marcos Against the Church


Book Description

The election of Ferdinand Marcos to the presidency of the Republic of the Philippines coincided with the conclusion of the work of Vatican II in 1965; and Marcos's dictatorial policies would inevitably clash with the Vatican's call for the clergy to advocate greater social justice for the poor. In this authoritative account of the role of the Catholic Church in the recent history of the Philippines, Robert L. Youngblood traces the political engagement of the Church over the twenty years between Marcos's election and his ouster from power in 1986. Drawing upon extensive research, Youngblood explains how, although church and state professed to share the goal of improving the welfare of the poor, Marcos's economic development policies and oppressive rule created church opposition which helped accelerate the collapse of his regime. Youngblood considers the evolution of church programs from social action projects, such as the organization of cooperatives and credit unions, to the development of social justice programs that emphasized the creation of more democratic and caring communities. He examines the dynamics by which the leaders of the Philippine Roman Catholic and Protestant churches moved from a brief period of goodwill toward the Marcos dictatorship to considerable opposition by the late 1970s, as church-sponsored work among the poor was increasingly viewed by the regime as subversive. Youngblood shows that after the assassination of Benigno Aquino, Jr., in 1983, the deterioration of the standard of living of average Filipinos, along with Marcos's repressive policies toward the churches and other abuses in the name of national security, were factors which impelled powerful church figures to actively oppose the dictatorship. Tracing the internal deliberations of the Philippine churches as they came to take the lead in opposing human rights abuses, Marcos against the Church deepens our understanding of problematic relations between church and state. Historians and social scientists interested in the Philippines and modern Southeast Asia, historians of religion, political scientists working in comparative politics and political development, and others concerned with issues of human rights will want to read it.