Church Culture

Renewable Wellbeing reveals how re-discovering the Jesus way of wellbeing is our best hope for a tired church in a broken world. Examining episodes from Jesus’ life as seen in John’s Gospel, Ruth Rice unpacks the five culture shifts she believes the church needs today to renew wellbeing in our churches: connecting with our identity, learning the new economy of the kingdom, getting active in community, taking notice of simplicity in our habits, and giving in renewable ways and sensing our call to serve.

Why are clocks in Germany always correct while those in Brazil are frequently wrong? Why are Singaporeans jailed for selling gum? Why do women in New Zealand have three times the sex of females worldwide? Why was the Daimler-Chrysler merger ill-fated from the start? And why does each generation of Americans give their kids weirder and weirder names?

Each chapter focuses on roughly one century in the life of the Christian church, providing an even-handed view of Catholicism, Orthodox Christianity, and Protestant denominations. Discussion questions at the end of each chapter offer opportunities to reflect on parallels in contemporary Christian church life, considerations from a relevant Bible passage, and opportunities for application. This is an excellent text for a half-year study group.

The Prevailing Church: Confronting the Five Giants of Culture is a challenge to today’s American church to declare the kindness of God and call our community and culture to repentance and humility before the person and work of Jesus Christ. Dr. John Jackson believes God is calling forth a generation of spirit-filled and spirit-empowered followers of Jesus Christ to live and walk in heavenly ambassadorships where they extend the kingdom of heaven on earth. God is calling us to:

In feisty prose Donohue explores our nation where a college student is threatened with expulsion because she prayed on campus, a civil rights organization protests a statue of Jesus found on the ocean floor and a housewife sues a school district to stop the singing of Rudolph The Red-nosed Reindeer at a school choral production. These are just a few examples cited that demonstrate a culture descending into madness.

IT'S TIME TO IMPACT PEOPLE FOR CHRIST EACH AND EVERY DAY! I often say, "It's going to take everyone to reach everyone!" Over the centuries, many in the church transitioned from being the church to simply going to church. But God is mobilizing the church once again to impact all people. Reading God's Team-Unleashing the Full Power of the Church will encourage every Christ follower to: See themselves as part of God's powerful team Embrace the responsibility of impacting lives and society Mobilize people to impact others outside the church walls seven days a week Reading God's Team-Unleashing ...

Dive into the captivating world of "The Last Romans: A Brief History of the Byzantine Empire," where the echoes of ancient Rome blend seamlessly with the dawn of the modern world. This enthralling book invites readers on a journey through the corridors of history to explore an empire that stood resiliently at the crossroads of civilizations for over a thousand years. "The Last Romans" presents a distilled narrative that captures the essence of Byzantine history—from its inception in 330 AD, when Constantine the Great christened Constantinople as the new capital of the Roman Empire, to its...

When Brian Bradford's teenage daughter starts undergoing a strange transformation, it begins a journey for the both of them as Brian not only meets God and the devil, but also learns who he is and why his daughter is changing. What happens will change their lives forever. He also realizes that if you truly love someone, maybe the best thing that you can do is to let them go.

Religious traditions in the United States are characterized by ongoing tension between assimilation to the broader culture and defiant rejection of cultural incursions. However, legal theorist and Catholic theologian Cathleen Kaveny contends there is a third possibility - a culture of engagement - that accommodates and respects tradition. It also recognizes the need to interact with culture to remain relevant and to offer critiques of social, political, legal, and economic practices.

Many people today think the most effective means to reach this postmodern world for Christ is for the church to become more attractive and relevant to the culture. It must reinvent itself, adjust its gospel message, be less dogmatic, more therapeutic, tolerant, and entertaining. It must pander to the culture, take up its social causes, even conform to it - but never oppose it. Yet such a position is totally foreign to scripture and therefore mitigates the power and blessing of God.

'If you have lost your identity along life’s journey, know that the steps leading back to destiny’s path are illuminated by the Holy Spirit’s light and love. A Beautiful Kind of Broken addresses the pain caused by abusive churches and misguided ministry communities—an experience many have known but have never dealt with in a healthy-closure way. This book confronts, discusses, and provides healing answers to crucial life issues including: • Identity. • Spiritual abuse. • Rejection. • Forgiveness. Seeking and finding your identity in Christ and welcoming the Holy Spirit as ...

During the last three decades of the 20th century, evangelical leaders and conservative politicians developed a political agenda that thrust "family values" onto the nation's consciousness. The family values agenda created a bond between evangelicalism and political conservatism. Family Values and the Rise of the Christian Right chronicles how the family values agenda became so powerful in American political life and why it appealed to conservative evangelical Christians.

The viral upswing of the "spiritual but not religious" trend has cast religion as going rapidly out of style. Yet even in his own desert of deconstruction, Zach couldn't shake his desire for a spiritual home. His search ultimately led him to look behind the statistics, where Zach found an astonishing undercurrent subversively at work.

What happens when the shepherd stumbles? And who are we when the applause fades? In The Memoirs of Pastor Martinus Metgod, beloved preacher and seasoned servant of the Word, Martinus Metgod, finds himself at the center of a storm he never saw coming. Accused of misconduct after decades of faithful ministry, the once-revered “crown prince” of the Baptist pulpit must now confront not only public scrutiny—but the private demons he’s long kept hidden. As church elders launch a careful investigation, Martinus is unexpectedly paired with a bright-eyed intern, Case Parker. This young ...

The Denver Declaration is a concise yet dynamic statement on Commonwealth of Israel Theology (Commonwealth Theology). This Summer 2019 edition includes 150 supporting scriptural references. -- Live link to sign the Declaration at the end of the book -- Excerpt- Introduction to the Denver Declaration: [During the course of 2017-2019 a number of believers in Messiah – Jesus – realized from their doctrinal backgrounds that the major theological paradigms now prevalent primarily within evangelical circles were either inherited from Roman Catholicism and Reformational Churches and/or from ...

The audioguide tells the story, describes the architecture and reports interesting facts about the church of the Transfiguration on Elia Street, one of Novgorod's most significant monuments, directly and definitely linked to the Byzantine culture of the Paleologist era. The audioguide has been made by professionals in the field of history and art.

“Ron Highfield has made a significant contribution to the present-day discussion of LGBTQ+ claims by a tight focus on the work of Karen Keen. Highfield’s The Choice is a careful and erudite analysis of Keen’s work that uncovers a species of argument being offered from many quarters. First, he lays bare Keen’s postmodern substitution of feeling and rhetoric for Scripture and sound reasoning. “From the postmodern perspective,” he notes, “autobiography is argument.” In such a case, Scripture can be displaced by personal desire. Second, he skillfully explains the implications of...

When her mother dies, her father raises her alone in this 15th century tale of love and greed. Katheryn wants to marry for love but when her father mysteriously dies, she is forced to marry the viceroy to save her heritage. Now, how will the viceroy win her favor and still keep his secret? Enjoy this expanded outtake from the Mystery Along the Danube about life and marriage in the fifteenth century. Updated 4/29/23

What in the World? is a collection of 36 blog posts that unpack the biblical worldview regarding current events and cultural norms. America was founded on Judeo-Christian values, but recently alternative views that challenge our core beliefs have been exalted as the new norm. The question that plagues us all—is Christianity even relevant in a post-postmodern culture where facts are considered subjective and opinions are exalted above truth? Join Amy as she explores what in the world is happening.

We no longer need to be confused. We know what 666 is! We know what the Beast is! We know what the second Beast is! We know which countries will rise and which countries will fall! With knowledge of this information in hand, we can sit back and watch as everything unfolds. We can know that there is really no reason for us to fear anything. God's plan is beautiful! And the end is good!