Breaking Bread with the Dead

Breaking Bread with the Dead
Author: Alan Jacobs
Publisher: Profile Books
Total Pages:
Release: 2020-09-10
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 1782835849

A Spectator Book of the Year It's fashionable to think of the writers of the past as irredeemably tarnished by prejudice. Aristotle despised women. John Milton, the great champion of free speech, wouldn't have granted it to Catholics. Edith Wharton's imaginative sympathies stopped short of her Jewish characters. But what if it is only through the works of such individuals that we can achieve a necessary perspective on the troubles of the present? Join literary scholar Alan Jacobs for a truly nourishing feast of learning. Discover what Homer can teach us about force, what Machiavelli has to say about reading and what Charlotte Brontë reveals about race. Not all the guests are people you might want to invite into your home, but they all bring something precious to the table. In Breaking Bread with the Dead, an omnivorous reader draws us into close and sympathetic engagement with minds across the ages, from Horace to Donna Haraway.

Talking about Race

Talking about Race
Author: Isaac Adams
Publisher: Zondervan
Total Pages: 230
Release: 2022-01-04
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0310124433

Conversations about racism are as important as they are hard for American Christians. Yet the conversation often gets so ugly, even among the faithful who claim unity in Jesus. Why is that the case? Why does it matter? Can things get better, or are we permanently divided? In this honest and hopeful book, pastor Isaac Adams doesn't just show you how to have the race conversation, he begins it for you. By offering a fictional, racially charged tragedy in order to understand varying perspectives and responses, he examines what is at stake if we ignore this conversation, and why there's just as much at stake in how we have that discussion, especially across color lines--that is, with people of another ethnicity. This unique approach offers insight into how to listen to one another well and seek unity in Christ. Looking to God's Word, Christians can find wisdom to speak gracefully and truthfully about racism for the glory of God, the good of their neighbors, and the building up of the church. Some feel that the time for talking is over, and that we've heard all this before. But given how polarized American society is becoming--its churches not exempt--fresh attention on the dysfunctional communication between ethnicities is more than warranted. Adams offers an invitation to faithfully combat the racism so many of us say we hate and maintain the unity so many of us say we want. Together we can learn to speak in such a way that we show a divided world a different world. Talking About Race points to the starting line, not the finish line, when it comes to following Jesus amid race relations. It’s high time to begin running.

Hate is the Sin

Hate is the Sin
Author: John S. Munday
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 172
Release: 2010-11-01
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1135695466

Arguments based in doctrine and scripture over the inclusion of homosexual people within Christian congregations and sacraments have done little to persuade the faithful on either side of this debate. Hate is the Sin: Putting Faces on the Debate over Human Sexuality approaches this divisive subject through portraits of the faith of gay and lesbian persons, presents both sides of the controversy, revealing how preformed opinions shape widely divergent interpretations of biblical and theological issues. Included are the true stories of Mary Albing, serving as a pastor while in a lesbian relationship; Jay Wiesner, whose congregation defied the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America by ordaining and installing him in an Extraordinary Candidacy Project ceremony; David Glesne, who sought to heal relationships with gays and lesbians and yet deny them ordination and cohabitation; and other accounts of the ways that many congregations have struggled to welcome homosexual people and to realize the Christian message within their own churches. Hate is the Sin: Putting Faces on the Debate over Human Sexuality is an insightful and detailed account of this contemporary debate and required reading for any person hoping to understand Christianity and the spiritual lives of contemporary Christian people.

Radical

Radical
Author: David Platt
Publisher: Multnomah
Total Pages: 242
Release: 2010-05-04
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1601422210

New York Times bestseller What is Jesus worth to you? It's easy for American Christians to forget how Jesus said his followers would actually live, what their new lifestyle would actually look like. They would, he said, leave behind security, money, convenience, even family for him. They would abandon everything for the gospel. They would take up their crosses daily... But who do you know who lives like that? Do you? In Radical, David Platt challenges you to consider with an open heart how we have manipulated the gospel to fit our cultural preferences. He shows what Jesus actually said about being his disciple--then invites you to believe and obey what you have heard. And he tells the dramatic story of what is happening as a "successful" suburban church decides to get serious about the gospel according to Jesus. Finally, he urges you to join in The Radical Experiment -- a one-year journey in authentic discipleship that will transform how you live in a world that desperately needs the Good News Jesus came to bring.

Hating God

Hating God
Author: Bernard Schweizer
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 258
Release: 2010-11-04
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0199780013

While atheists such as Richard Dawkins have now become public figures, there is another and perhaps darker strain of religious rebellion that has remained out of sight--people who hate God. In this revealing book, Bernard Schweizer looks at men and women who do not question God's existence, but deny that He is merciful, competent, or good. Sifting through a wide range of literary and historical works, Schweizer finds that people hate God for a variety of reasons. Some are motivated by social injustice, human suffering, or natural catastrophes that God does not prevent. Some blame God for their personal tragedies. Schweizer concludes that, despite their blasphemous thoughts, these people tend to be creative and moral individuals, and include such literary lights as Friedrich Nietzsche, Mark Twain, Zora Neale Hurston, Rebecca West, Elie Wiesel, and Philip Pullman. Schweizer shows that literature is a fertile ground for God haters. Many authors, who dare not voice their negative attitude to God openly, turn to fiction to give vent to it. Indeed, Schweizer provides many new and startling readings of literary masterpieces, highlighting the undercurrent of hatred for God. Moreover, by probing the deeper mainsprings that cause sensible, rational, and moral beings to turn against God, Schweizer offers answers to some of the most vexing questions that beset human relationships with the divine.

What Does God Want of Us Anyway?

What Does God Want of Us Anyway?
Author: Mark Dever
Publisher: Crossway
Total Pages: 130
Release: 2010-03-09
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1433524007

Originally delivered as sermons by pastor Mark Dever at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington DC, these three studies are now available in one hardcover volume. Dever guides readers to take a step back and look at the Bible from a broader perspective. As we notice new features of an object when viewed from a distance, so too the major themes of Scripture become more apparent when we take in the Bible as a whole. Part of the IXMarks series, this book considers the central messages of the Bible as seen in the promises of God. Dever examines the general narrative of God's Word to answer the question, "What does God wants of us anyway?" Readers looking for a panoramic view of Scripture will be reminded of the faithful, persistent love of God and find themselves drawn into a broader, but deeper, understanding of the maker and keeper of promises.

Love the Sin

Love the Sin
Author: Janet R. Jakobsen
Publisher: NYU Press
Total Pages: 189
Release: 2003-02
Genre: Law
ISBN: 0814742645

A timely study of the troubling links between religion, morality, and sex and the tendancies of secular institutions to use religion to regulate sexual life.

God Loves People, But He Hates Sin

God Loves People, But He Hates Sin
Author: Mark Allen
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2022-09-09
Genre:
ISBN: 9781958876305

In God Loves People, But He Hates Sin, Mark Allen examines the most important questions that define a spiritual life, from "What is sin?" to "Does eternity exist?" to "Is there a heaven?" Each essay is accompanied by Bible verses that answer the questions the author poses in each of the sections. As a witness to God's love, he is focused on insuring that the information provided thoroughly examines each topic, encouraging all to explore God's place in their lives. Those who are not certain about what sin is will be able to delve deeply into what it is and how it affects our lives and our personal relationships with both others and God. How do we approach our lives? There are daily events that we see and ignore, but should we? If we are not intimately involved in passing God's love to others, then how can we avoid sin? As believers, living in God's love is to be conscious of what we do and who we are in his love. God Loves People, But He Hates Sin answers the spiritual questions that face believers every day while encouraging them to embrace their relationships with God to conquer sin through love and understanding. "You will find in reading this book that God's love is unconditional, but He does not have to love what we do." "You are what God designed you to be - a man or a woman."

A Rabbi and a Preacher Go to a Pride Parade

A Rabbi and a Preacher Go to a Pride Parade
Author: Bert Montgomery
Publisher: Smyth & Helwys Publishing, Incorporated
Total Pages: 124
Release: 2019
Genre: Homosexuality
ISBN: 9781641730709

Here, finally assembled together in one collection, are Bert Montgomery's LGBTQ-related musings, columns, and sermons. Bert uses humor, stories, and the Holy Scriptures to challenge the heresy of homophobia within the church and to call for full inclusion and affirmation-in both church and civic life-of our LGBTQ family members, friends, and neighbors. And yes, a rabbi and a preacher really did go to a Pride parade!Bert Montgomery lives in Starkville, Mississippi, cheers for the Mississippi State Bulldogs, writes, teaches, and is even called "pastor" by a few hearty souls. His previous books include Going Back to New Orleans, Psychic Pancakes & Communion Pizza, and Elvis, Willie, Jesus & Me.