Showing titles in Social Issues

Why just survive when you can thrive? The US has one of the highest rates of addiction, depression, anxiety, OCD, ADD, ADHD, obesity, and cancer in the world. We use more pharmaceuticals than any other nation. These statistics are not much different in the church, and yet, the Bible says it should not be so.

Hyper-individualism and consumerism are failing to satisfy our hunger for meaning. We face an identity crisis in which real community is increasingly hard to find. The culture wars have been painful and polarizing and have proved a poor way to agree any kind of moral standards. Is it even possible to find a vision for goodness that can bring us together? Rumors of a Better Country addresses our hunger for justice and a better way of living by awakening our moral imagination to the potential of a trusting community.

Many Catholics have either left the Church or been scandalized by the errors or immorality rampant in her clergy. We've watched aghast as faithful Catholics have been restricted or punished without just cause, while those who confuse, contradict, or undermine the Faith are elevated. In this bold and urgent book, the authors notice an apparent absurdity: those most disciplined by the Church at this time are often least deserving of correction. This protracted state of confusion and injustice, plain for all to see, has shaken the faith of millions.

Some things happening in the church these days should provoke our anger. It's racked with scandals of fraud, abuse, cover-up. It's embroiled in racism, misogyny, marginalization, and hatred. The truth is that we have to fight to love Christ's church. Many of us are left wondering what kind of hope can the church offer if its leaders will not care for its wounds, admit their complicity, and move toward true reconciliation with God's people.

Though it may seem distant from our modern lives, the drama playing out in the Middle East on the world stage has consequences beyond what we can imagine. And in the tumult of it all, one tiny nation will become the watershed of world events, affecting us all. In this accessible, behind-the-scenes guide, internationally renowned teacher and scholar Derek Prince goes beyond the headlines and immerses you in what the Bible has to say about Israel. Tracing her long, astonishing history, he offers insight into the mounting tension and exposes the destructive enemy now stalking this war-torn land.

The Bruised Reed walks Christians through Christ’s consistent and unconditional love for his children. Richard Sibbes elaborates on the metaphor of a humble reed that may be bent or bruised as a result of life’s errors and the consequences of sin.

The topic of divorce is a complicated one, even among Christians. The Bible provides some clear answers, but gray areas remain. In this short audio booklet, theologian Wayne Grudem offers a thought-provoking analysis of what the Bible says - and doesn’t say - about divorce and remarriage.

This volume in Biblical Theology for Life series dives deeply into the topic of human violence. Before exploring what the Bible says about violence, Old Testament scholar Helen Paynter sets out the contours for the study ahead by addressing the various definitions of violence and the theories of its origins, prevalence, and purpose.

Depression and suicide aren't just a worldwide epidemic, they also hit home. With over 350 million people suffering from depression and an estimated one million Americans attempting suicide each year, most of us have been affected by this terrible plague - or perhaps struggle with it ourselves. How can we help those who feel they have no hope? In this moving fictional account, a caring bystander tries to convince a suicidal young man that his life has value and he has much to live for. Through their conversation, you will discover why we all have great worth, everyone has a reason.

In her book, Fight Like Heaven! A Cultural Guide to Living on Guard, Drenda Keesee identifies the Seven Mountains of Influence that the Antichrist spirit has invaded—family, government, church, education, media, arts, and health—and shows you precisely how to fight like heaven, kick hell out, and take back these mountains for the Kingdom of God!

In Biblical Critical Theory, Christopher Watkin draws a winsome vision for biblical cultural engagement in which faithfulness to Scripture and sensitivity to culture walk hand in hand. If Christians want to speak with a fresh, engaging and constructive voice within our culture, we need to press deeper into the core truths of the Bible.

It isn't easy being a guy today. Maybe it never has been easy, but today the challenges to guys who want to be holy, who want to honor God with their minds and bodies, seem tougher than ever. You live at a time and in a culture that seems given over to sex. Perhaps you have only just begun looking at pornography or perhaps you've been doing so for many years. No matter your situation, this short guide will help you to discover God's plan for sex and sexuality.

Today’s follower of Jesus exists at a moment when our desires, longings, and wants are being weaponized against us by cultural, spiritual, and relational forces. “Follow your heart” and “You do you” have become our moment's mantras. The Gift of Thorns Audio Study addresses the core human problem: What in the world do I do with my desire?

I Am N reminds us that we are each "N", as radical Muslims in Iraq identify followers of Jesus the Nazarene. Wherever we live, we have camaraderie with those who are persecuted. So come meet their families. Listen to their stories. Deepen your faith in a God who gives us the courage to shine in a dark and hurting world.

Sexual abuse knows no religious or social boundaries. The Wounded Heart is an intensely personal and specific look at this form of abuse. Dr. Allender explores the secret lament of the soul damaged by sexual abuse and lays hold of the hope buried there by the one whose unstained image we all bear. Includes information about false memory issues.

In We Will Not Be Silenced, Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer prepares you to live out your convictions against a growing tide of hostility. Gain a better understanding of nonbelievers' legitimate hurts and concerns regarding issues like racism, sexism, and poverty - and identify the toxic responses secular culture disguises as solutions. In the process, you'll see how you can show compassion and gentleness to those outside of the faith without affirming their beliefs.

Evangelical elites and the progressive media complex want you to think that Christian nationalism is hopelessly racist, bigoted, and an idol for right-wing Christians. Is Christian nationalism the golden calf of the religious right—or is it the only way forward?

From a peak in church attendance in the mid-20th century, Christianity has been on a trajectory of decline in the United States. Today Christianity is viewed negatively, and Christian morality is openly repudiated and viewed as a threat to the new moral order. In Life in the Negative World, author Aaron M. Renn looks at the lessons from Christian cultural engagement over the past 70 years and suggests specific strategies for churches, institutions, and individuals to live faithfully in the "negative" world—a culture opposed to Christian values and teachings.

Jesus commands us to love our neighbors. So why are so many Christians taught to fear their neighbors? The American church is known as a people who are afraid, who have been nurtured through fear into hatred, and who have moved from hatred to violence - or at least to neglect. This fear, too often lived out boldly in the name of Jesus, is a false religion.

Gil Bailie wrote Violence Unveiled in the mid-1990s after learning of René Girard’s mimetic theory of human cultural origins. The mimetic theory posits that human interspecies violence posed an existential threat to the continuation of any early human community until the evolution/discovery of a particular kind of directed social violence – scapegoating violence - which in times of social crisis brought peace and harmony to the community at the expense of what would later be understood as a sacred victim or god who becomes a focus of religious awe.