Christless Christianity

Christless Christianity
Author: Michael Horton
Publisher: Baker Books
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2008-11-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 144120203X

Is it possible that we have left Christ out of Christianity? Is the faith and practice of American Christians today more American than Christian? These are the provocative questions Michael Horton addresses in this thoughtful, insightful book. He argues that while we invoke the name of Christ, too often Christ and the Christ-centered gospel are pushed aside. The result is a message and a faith that are, in Horton's words, "trivial, sentimental, affirming, and irrelevant." This alternative "gospel" is a message of moralism, personal comfort, self-help, self-improvement, and individualistic religion. It trivializes God, making him a means to our selfish ends. Horton skillfully diagnoses the problem and points to the solution: a return to the unadulterated gospel of salvation.

Sexual Morality in a Christless World

Sexual Morality in a Christless World
Author: Matthew Rueger
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2016
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9780758656384

Like in St. Paul's day, the Church around the world-and particularly in the United States-now frequently faces hostility at the first mention of homosexuality in casual conversations or public-square debates. Author Matthew Rueger openly embraces this hot topic, giving you a framework for defending your beliefs by first exploring the relationship between sexual sin in ancient history and twenty-first-century tangles of the same flavor. Topics such as temptation, promiscuity, marriage, homosexuality, natural law, and the church's role in it all then swirl together to reveal our unifying need for a Savior. Rueger writes compassionately with a father's heart and adamantly with a determination to outline the truth about sexual morality from a reasoned Christian perspective. We need to expect the unpleasant from our opponents, arm ourselves with answers to common objections, and speak in clarity and love. And let's not lose sight of the church as a place of refuge for those who are battered down by their desires. Real people with real struggles are being lost. Find Your Voice. Book jacket.

Mere Churchianity

Mere Churchianity
Author: Michael Spencer
Publisher: WaterBrook
Total Pages: 242
Release: 2010-06-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0307459187

Have you left the church in search of Jesus? Studies show that one in four young adults claim no formal religious affiliation, and church leaders have long known that this generation is largely missing on Sunday morning. Hundreds of thousands of “church leavers” have had a mentor and pastor, however, in Michael Spencer, known to blog readers as the Internet Monk. Spencer guided a vast online congregation in its search for a more honest and more immediate practice of Christian faith. Spencer discovered the truth that church officials often miss, which is that many who leave the church do so in an attempt to find Jesus. For years on his blog Spencer showed de-churched readers how to practice their faith without the distractions of religious institutions. Sadly, he died in 2010. But now that his last message is available in Mere Churchianity, you can benefit from the biblical wisdom and compassionate teaching that always have been hallmarks of his ministry. With Mere Churchianity, Spencer’s writing will continue to point the disenchanted and dispossessed to a Jesus-shaped spirituality. And along the way, his teachings show how you can find others who will go with you on the journey.

Ordinary

Ordinary
Author: Michael Horton
Publisher: Zondervan
Total Pages: 193
Release: 2014-10-07
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0310517389

Radical. Crazy. Transformative and restless. Every word we read these days seems to suggest there’s a “next-best-thing,” if only we would change our comfortable, compromising lives. In fact, the greatest fear most Christians have is boredom—the sense that they are missing out on the radical life Jesus promised. One thing is certain. No one wants to be “ordinary.” Yet pastor and author Michael Horton believes that our attempts to measure our spiritual growth by our experiences, constantly seeking after the next big breakthrough, have left many Christians disillusioned and disappointed. There’s nothing wrong with an energetic faith; the danger is that we can burn ourselves out on restless anxieties and unrealistic expectations. What’s needed is not another program or a fresh approach to spiritual growth; it’s a renewed appreciation for the commonplace. Far from a call to low expectations and passivity, Horton invites readers to recover their sense of joy in the ordinary. He provides a guide to a sustainable discipleship that happens over the long haul—not a quick fix that leaves readers empty with unfulfilled promises. Convicting and ultimately empowering, Ordinary is not a call to do less; it’s an invitation to experience the elusive joy of the ordinary Christian life.

Getting Over Yourself

Getting Over Yourself
Author: Dean Inserra
Publisher: Moody Publishers
Total Pages: 133
Release: 2021-05-04
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0802499473

Is trying to be “the best you” actually ruining you? From “living your best life” to “self-actualizing,” “finding your destiny,” and “waiting on the best to come,” the contemporary messages of the world exhort us to believe that we are promised and entitled the biggest and best life can possibly offer. But is that actually what Jesus promises? Is that even close to the message of the gospel? Getting Over Yourself is a call for Christians to reject these hollow messages of personal prosperity and to return to the humble truths of the gospel. You’ll learn how to identify this insidious, popular theology in culture and churches and examine its devastating effects. And, perhaps most importantly, you’ll learn how to combat it with gospel truth that leads to the abundant life Jesus actually desires for His people. Discover the beauty in losing yourself—and ultimately in gaining Him.

Suffering

Suffering
Author: Paul David Tripp
Publisher: Crossway
Total Pages: 190
Release: 2018-09-20
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1433556804

Sometimes life just hurts. Out of nowhere, death, illness, unemployment, or a difficult relationship can change our lives and challenge everything we thought we knew—leaving us feeling unable to cope. But, in the midst if all this pain and confusion, we are not alone. Weaving together his personal story, pastoral ministry experience, and biblical insights, best-selling author Paul David Tripp helps us trust God in the midst of suffering. He identifies traps to avoid in our suffering and points us instead to comforts to embrace. This raw yet hope-filled book will help you cling to God's promises when trials come and move forward with the hope of the gospel.

Blue Like Jazz

Blue Like Jazz
Author: Donald Miller
Publisher: Thomas Nelson Inc
Total Pages: 258
Release: 2012-04
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1400204585

This contemporary classic gets a limited edition makeover with movie art and a new preface from Donald Miller. In print for nearly a decade, Blue Like Jazz has earned a coveted spot on readers' shelves and in their hearts. Many have said that Donald Miller expressed exactly what they were feeling but couldn't find the words to say themselves. In this landmark book that changed what people expected from Christian writers, that changed what people needed for their spiritual journeys, Donald Miller takes readers through a real life striving to understand relationship with God. Heartwarming and hilarious, poignant and unexpected, Blue Like Jazz has become a contemporary classic. For anyone wondering if the Christian faith is still relevant in a postmodern culture, thirsting for a genuine encounter with a God who is real, or yearning for a renewed sense of passion in life . . . Blue Like Jazz is a fresh and original perspective on life, love, and redemption.

One Faith No Longer

One Faith No Longer
Author: George Yancey
Publisher: NYU Press
Total Pages: 304
Release: 2021-07-06
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1479808660

Irreconcilable differences drive the division between progressive and conservative Christians—is there a divorce coming? Much attention has been paid to political polarization in America, but far less to the growing schism between progressive and conservative Christians. In this groundbreaking new book, George Yancey and Ashlee Quosigk offer the provocative contention that progressive and conservative Christianities have diverged so much in their core values that they ought to be thought of as two separate religions. The authors draw on both quantitative data and interviews to uncover how progressive and conservative Christians determine with whom they align themselves religiously, and how they distinguish themselves from each other. They find that progressive Christians emphasize political agreement relating to social justice issues as they determine who is part of their in-group, and focus less on theological agreement. Among conservative Christians, on the other hand, the major concern is whether one agrees with them on core theological points. Progressive and conservative Christians thus use entirely different factors in determining their social identity and moral values. In a time when religion and politics have never seemed so intertwined, One Faith No Longer offers a timely and compelling reframing of an age-old conflict.

The Explicit Gospel

The Explicit Gospel
Author: Matt Chandler
Publisher: Crossway
Total Pages: 242
Release: 2012
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1433530031

Popular pastor and worldwide speaker Matt Chandler writes his first book to remind the church of what is of first and utmost importance--the gospel.

The Gospel Commission

The Gospel Commission
Author: Michael Horton
Publisher: Baker Books
Total Pages: 320
Release: 2011-04-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 144123215X

Many churches in America today want to be powerful, relevant, and influential in personal and social transformation. But whose kingdom are we building? God's? Or our own? A plethora of programs for outreach, discipleship, and spiritual disciplines are available at any bookstore and on countless websites. Yet what we need most is a renewed understanding of and commitment to the Great Commission. We assume that we already know the nature of this commission and the appropriate methods of carrying it out. But Michael Horton contends that it too often becomes our mission instead of God's. At a time when churches are zealously engaged in writing up mission statements and strategic plans, he argues that we must ask ourselves anew whether we are ambassadors, following the script we've been given, or building our own kingdoms with our own blueprint. Pastors, church leaders, and readers of Horton's Christless Christianity and The Gospel-Driven Life will value this frank and hopeful exploration of the Great Commission as a call to understanding and good practice.