The Altars where We Worship

The Altars where We Worship
Author: Juan Marcial Floyd-Thomas
Publisher: Presbyterian Publishing Corp
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2016-01-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0664235158

Body and sex -- Big business -- Entertainment -- Politics -- Sports -- Science and technology

The Altars Where We Worship

The Altars Where We Worship
Author: Juan M. Floyd-Thomas
Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
Total Pages: 225
Release: 2016-12-02
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1611647800

While a large percentage of Americans claim religious identity, the number of Americans attending traditional worship services has significantly declined in recent decades. Where, then, are Americans finding meaning in their lives, if not in the context of traditional religion? In this provocative study, the authors argue that the objects of our attention have become our god and fulfilling our desires has become our religion. They examine the religious dimensions of six specific aspects of American culturebody and sex, big business, entertainment, politics, sports, and science and technologythat function as “altars†where Americans gather to worship and produce meaning for their lives. The Altars Where We Worship shows how these secular altars provide resources for understanding the self, others, and the world itself. “For better or worse,†the authors write, “we are faced with the reality that human experiences before these altars contain religious characteristics in common with experiences before more traditional altars.†Readers will come away with a clearer understanding of what religion is after exploring the thoroughly religious aspects of popular culture in the United States.

Touching the Altar

Touching the Altar
Author: Carol M. Bechtel
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Total Pages: 236
Release: 2008-01-14
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0802828485

What does it mean to be in the presence of God's holiness? How can it affect us whether we seek it out or stumble upon it? Can it truly change our very reality to encounter it? The essayists in this volume explore these questions at the heart of Christian worship, considering the oft-neglected Old Testament as essential to understand our purpose in worship. Following the structure of the Hebrew canon -- beginning with the Pentateuch, moving through to the Psalms, then wisdom literature -- each chapter considers a separate aspect of worship, from theater to the Sabbath to sacred space, offering new inspiration. In the final essay Carol Bechtel "rereads the book of Job through the lens of our human limitations (as opposed to the usual theme of theodicy)," with compelling applications for both life and worship. Each of these essays concludes with two appropriately themed hymns and a "For Further Reading" list. Five of the seven contain sidebars that illustrate and enrich key points. Evocative woodcut artwork by Margaret Adams Parker provides a striking backdrop to the text. Taken together, these essays testify powerfully to the belief that the Old Testament is not only valuable but also essential to "whole" and fully foundational preaching and worship. Written primarily by Old Testament professors, Touching the Altar will make an engaging supplemental text for introductory or elective Old Testament courses and will also go far toward providing deeper worship for any Christian. Contributors: Carol M. Bechtel Thomas A. Boogaart Corrine L. Carvalho Ellen F. Davis J. Clinton McCann Jr. Dennis T. Olson Margaret Adams Parker John D. Witvliet

Altars of the Heart

Altars of the Heart
Author: April Minger
Publisher: Warrior for Christ Publishing
Total Pages: 104
Release: 2014-05-27
Genre:
ISBN: 9780990339502

Do events from your past continue to play over and over in your mind? Do you feel like your relationship with God is not where it should be? Are you looking for a deeper worship experience? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then I have some good news for you. The answer may seem far away, but it's actually much closer than you think. Altars of the Heart will take you on a journey to rediscover who you are and give you authentic tools to help you connect back to walking hand-in-hand with God through deeper worship. The knowledge and insight that you will gain from reading this book will take you to a life of newfound liberation from insecurities, fear, doubt, shame, and un-forgiveness. You will be encouraged to do an internal "heart" examination, to re-evaluate how you interact with others, make choices and worship the Lord. The Word of God specifically states in the book of Hosea 4:6, that my people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge. I issue a challenge to you to open this book, and allow your life to experience freedom from bondage and finally discover your path to deeper worship. Open this book, and let's have a heart to heart conversation!

A Book of Women's Altars

A Book of Women's Altars
Author: Nancy Brady Cunningham
Publisher: Red Wheel
Total Pages: 152
Release: 2002-09-15
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1609252799

Altar (noun): an elevated surface upon which one displays meaningful objects. Any surface can become an altar. Geddes and Cunningham, with beautiful, inspirational photos and text that's both instructive and poetic, show us how. For women, they say, an altar can become a sacred space upon which to place symbols of her true self. Whether indoors or out, permanent or fleeting, an altar helps you to quickly focus on the spirituality inherent in common things -- the flicker of a candle flame, the heady scent of freshly picked lilacs. Part One of A Book of Women's Altars explains the cultural and historical background of the altar and why to create one. Making and using an altar literally clears a path for a woman through the clutter of her world. She creates a place where she is free to make her inner journey, where healing is abundant. Cunningham describes the process of selecting a theme, choosing a place, finding the right objects, and knowing when to change the altar. Part Two focuses on what to do with altars on special occasions. The author and photographer have created and illustrated -- with photographs and stories -- sixteen special altars. There are altars for the seasons of the year and the seasons of our lives -- including loss, remembrance, celebration of new life, and many more. Each has its own purpose, story, and ritual.

Altars Restored

Altars Restored
Author: Kenneth Fincham
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Total Pages: 440
Release: 2007-11-29
Genre: History
ISBN: 0191518719

Altars are powerful symbols, fraught with meaning, but during the early modern period they became a religious battleground. Attacked by reformers in the mid-sixteenth century because of their allegedly idolatrous associations with the Catholic sacrifice of the mass, a hundred years later they served to divide Protestants due to their re-introduction by Archbishop Laud and his associates as part of a counter-reforming programme. Moreover, having subsequently been removed by the victorious puritans, they gradually came back after the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. This book explores these developments, over a 150 year period, and recaptures the experience of the ordinary parishioner in this crucial period of religious change. Far from being the passive recipients of changes imposed from above, the laity are revealed as actively engaged from the early days of the Reformation, as zealous iconoclasts or their Catholic opponents - a division later translated into competing protestant views. Altars Restored integrates the worlds of theological debate, church politics and government, and parish practice and belief, which are often studied in isolation from one another. It draws from hitherto largely untapped sources, notably the surviving artefactual evidence comprising communion tables and rails, fonts, images in stained glass, paintings and plates, and examines the riches of local parish records - especially churchwardens' accounts. The result is a richly textured study of religious change at both local and national level.

The Book of Altars and Sacred Spaces

The Book of Altars and Sacred Spaces
Author: Anjou Kiernan
Publisher: Fair Winds Press
Total Pages: 179
Release: 2020-06-16
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN: 1631598740

Learn to create altars and sacred spaces to bring magic into your daily life with The Book of Altars and Sacred Spaces.

Hebridean Altars

Hebridean Altars
Author: Alistair Maclean
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 171
Release: 2013-01-07
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1620328631

This book is a beautiful and dramatic collection of Celtic praise, compiled by Church of Scotland minister and Gaelic scholar Alistair Maclean, which was first published in 1937. It comprises over one hundred prayers, poems, sayings, and praises from the Christian tradition of the author's native Hebrides.

Rumors of God

Rumors of God
Author: Darren Whitehead
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Total Pages: 209
Release: 2011-07-18
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1595553649

Discover a faith that goes beyond doubt and reveals how God continues to fulfill his promises today just as he did in biblical times, unlocking true purpose and fulfillment in our busy, modern lives. Where is the life God promised us? In the midst of our fast-paced schedules and endless distractions, we often push God to the background, struggling to believe that his promises are still relevant. He seems distant, and the abundant life Jesus spoke about doesn't seem possible. When we hear that God wants to give, say, and show us more, we assume it's just a rumor. But what if God really is calling us to something more--a life of deeper purpose, fulfillment, and peace today and right now? In Rumors of God, Jon Tyson and Darren Whitehead challenge us to reimagine what it means to live a life shaped by faith. They invite us to close the gap between the promises we've heard and the reality we experience, helping us see how God's presence and power are at work even in our modern, everyday lives. This book is more than a reminder--it's a call to rediscover a God who is active, present, and moving among us. For those feeling weary, jaded, or uncertain about how faith fits into today's world, Rumors of God offers a fresh perspective on God's timeless promises.

Dancing on My Ashes

Dancing on My Ashes
Author: Heather Gilion
Publisher: Tate Publishing
Total Pages: 312
Release: 2010-05
Genre: Bereavement
ISBN: 1607998718

Holly and Heather share their story and help to walk the reader through the painful yet necessary healing process for when life deals us its harshest blows. Dancing on my ashes soothes and empathizes with the broken heart, while sharing the truth of scripture, and the hope that comes from the heart of God.