Reclaiming Church


Book Description

In Reclaiming Church, J.J. Warren continues his call to reaffirm the Church be welcoming to all, including young people like those he led at Sarah Lawrence College who “didn’t know God could love them because their churches said God didn’t.” The book addresses three points of importance to young people looking to be part of a church community, and a call: 1. The identity and nature of God 2. The role of Scripture in discerning God’s call 3. The author’s own experience of God, church, and identity In the final chapter, “We Are the Church,” Warren focuses on practical and positive steps for joining voices, being heard, building bridges, and working together for young people to reclaim Church in their lives. Key Features • Affirms to the LGBTQ community and those who love them that the Church is for all. • Inspires younger progressive people to stay within the Church and work to renew the call of ministry. • Explores the Church’s beginnings and emphasis on community. • Calls readers to focus on practical and positive steps to reclaim Church in their lives.




Reclaiming the Church


Book Description

What has happened to the once robust mainline church in the United States? Decrying the professionalization of theological education, Cobb calls for the church to return to its theological vocation so that its members can in turn resume their passionate commitment to faith.




Reclaiming God's Original Intent for the Church


Book Description

If you want a more vital union with God, a richer relationship with others, and a deeper sense of personal wholeness, learn how to look inside yourself and discover how God works real, liberating change when you live from the inside out. Includes a 12-week study guide.




Essential Church?


Book Description

Why do so many young adults (18 to 22) leave the church, and what will it take to bring them back? This important question is examined and duly answered in Essential Church?, a follow-up to Thom S. Rainer’s best-selling Simple Church cowritten this time with his son, research expert Sam Rainer. The book is based on a study of one-thousand so-called "church dropouts" who were interviewed about why they left. Their answers are quite surprising, having less to do with "losing their religion" and more about the desire for a community that isn’t made stale by simply maintaining the status quo. In turn, the Rainers offer churches four concrete solutions toward making their worship community an essential part these young people’s lives again: Simplify - develop a clear structure and process for making disciples. Deepen - provide strong biblical teaching and preaching. Expect - let members know the need for commitment to the congregation. Multiply - emphasize evangelism, outward focus, and starting new churches.




Reclaiming the Bible for the Church


Book Description

Front-ranking theologians speak out on the crisis of biblical authority and interpretation in the church, focusing in particular on the adequacy of the historical-critical method of hermeneutics. The essays in this volume address from various perspectives the notorious gap between the historical­ critical approach to the study of the Bible and the church's liturgical and dogmatic transmission of biblical faith. The authors, following the central theme suggested by Brevard S. Childs's "canonical method" of biblical interpretation, argue that the historical-critical method does not suffice of itself apart from faith and the church.




Reclaiming Christianity


Book Description

In a world hungry for the hope of Jesus, Episcopal Bishop Claude E. Payne offers a roadmap for individuals and churches to seek and establish rich spiritual lives and to connect deeply with God and our neighbors. Too often, spirituality is privatized and kept under wraps, not to be talked about in public circles. But Payne encourages us to reclaim our faith in the public square, in our communities, and with our family and friends. After nearly five decades in ordained ministry, Payne writes that he has never been more optimistic about the future of Christianity. Across the country, Payne has witnessed people and congregations full of energy and compassion, committed to a life-giving, dynamic faith. In Reclaiming Christianity, Payne presents a practical and comprehensive model for sharing this faith with our neighbors and communities and encouraging all to seek a deeper connection with each other and with the Divine.




Reclaiming Christianity


Book Description

Does the church use words that have lost their meaning? Are there Christian words and phrases that have lost their power to convict the human spirit and bring transformation to the world? One of the twentieth century's most renowned prophetic thinkers, A.W. Tozer, saw a dangerous trend gaining momentum even before his death--a trend that has become commonplace now in the twenty-first century. In this never-before-published book, Tozer sounds his alarm for the modern church: We must stop parroting words carelessly and instead allow the meaning that these words convey to empower, shape, and direct the work of the church. Yet Reclaiming Christianity is not just a warning; it is a spiritual guidebook for reconnecting to the deepest meaning of Christianity's sacred messages.




Women in the Church


Book Description

Radical feminism and patriarchalism fail to survive biblical and sociological analysis. Egalitarianism and hierarchal complementarianism must be critiqued in terms of their biblical basis and sociological viability...




The Underground Church


Book Description

A new way to follow Jesus that draws on old ways of following him. Prominent progressive writer, speaker, and minister Robin Meyers proposes that the best way for the faithful to recapture the spirit of the early Christian church is to recognize that Jesus-following was - and must be again - subversive in the best sense of the word because the gospel taken seriously turns the world upside down. No matter how the church may organize itself or worship, the defining characteristic of the church of the future will be its Jesus-inspired countercultural witness.




Reclaiming Our Forgotten Heritage


Book Description

"A timely and groundbreaking take on the roots of the Christian church and its place in the entirety of God's kingdom. . . . There is no better time than now to learn about and become firmly grounded within your spiritual heritage." —from the foreword by Perry Stone The early church was made up of Jewish and Gentile followers of Jesus, and the church's culture was rooted in Judaism and a Jewish understanding of God's relationship to His people. Over time, however, Christianity became increasingly more Roman than Jewish, and the church lost its identity. Rabbi Curt Landry's personal story is remarkably similar. Born to a Jewish mother and a Catholic father, Landry was put up for adoption, and for more than thirty years he had no understanding of his heritage, his roots, or who his parents were. But when he discovered the truth of his story, his life changed completely. The key to a life of power and purpose is understanding who you are. In this revelatory book, Curt Landry helps Christians discover their roots in Judaism, empowering them to walk in the revelation of who they really are and who they are born to be. Reclaiming Our Forgotten Heritage reveals the mysteries of the church, letting Christians grasp the power that comes from connecting with their true identity.