How can we have an authentic faith when we no longer have well-defined, codified beliefs? Where do we turn to better understand our relationship with God when the messages of the Church seem simplistic? This book is for all those who are asking the tough questions and are not satisfied with the answers they are receiving.

The materials presented here are reflections on a variety of topics: a belief in God's suffering and the pastoral implications of this; Luther's theology of preaching; practical approaches to evangelistic preaching; pastoral advice on death and dying; apologetic preaching in a post-Christian culture on the model of Paul; effective living in the power of the Holy Spirit, striking a balance between enthusiastic service and fervent love; the image of God's love in the Old Testament; and personal exhortations. Although this book was written on the balcony of my own study where reflection and meditation are carried out, it is cognizant of ministry contexts where people's needs and struggles are most evident. With anecdotes and analyses, the readers will be enabled to discern the signs of divine transcendence in their lives, and to apprehend, or rather to be apprehended by, the beauty of God's grace--the abiding basis of our being and well-being. What has been written in this book reveals the heartbeat of a mentor who earnestly hungers for divine beauty and holiness, a mentor whose hunger God eagerly fulfills, just as he promises, and a mentor who wishes this same fulfillment to happen for readers. The basic assumption in this book is this: a faith that is worth believing is a faith that is worth living, and thus worth commending. The book is also an exercise of faith seeking understanding--understanding only God could supply. It is written with the hope that it will lead readers from knowing God to loving him, to enjoying him, and finally to proclaiming him so that others will be brought into the orbit of God's inestimable grace. Not until our hearts, which God's heart touches, touch the heart of others is our ministry complete and our life found pleasing to God.

A Christianity Worth Believing offers an engaging, 'come-with-me-on-a-journey-of-exploring-the-possibilities' approach to what it means to be a follower of Jesus in our day. Written by Doug Pagitt?a leading voice in the Emergent conversation—this beautifully written book weaves together theological reflections, Christian history, and his own story of faith transformation. Pagitt invites readers to follow him as he tells the story of his un-churched childhood, his life-altering conversion at age 16, his intense involvement in the church, and his growing sense of unease with the version of Christianity he was living. On page after page, Pagitt lays out his journey toward an authentic, passionate expression of a faith that feels alive, sustainable, and meaningful.

We live in an age of skepticism. Our society places such faith in empirical reason, historical progress, and heartfelt emotion that it’s easy to wonder: Why should anyone believe in Christianity? What role can faith and religion play in our modern lives? In this thoughtful and inspiring new book, pastor and New York Times bestselling author Timothy Keller invites skeptics to consider that Christianity is more relevant now than ever. As human beings, we cannot live without meaning, satisfaction, freedom, identity, justice, and hope. Christianity provides us with unsurpassed resources to meet these needs. Written for both the ardent believer and the skeptic, Making Sense of God shines a light on the profound value and importance of Christianity in our lives.

“A brilliant, wide ranging and powerful series of readings on the possibilities, problems and mysteries of faith. This book belongs on the shelf of every believer—and every serious skeptic.” — Rabbi David Wolpe, author of Why Faith Matters “This life-giving, faith-filled and hard-nosed collection reveals why, as St. Anselm wrote, true faith always seeks to understand.” — Rev. James Martin, author of My Life with the Saints From Dr. Francis Collins, New York Times bestselling author of The Language of God, comes the definitive reader on the rationality of faith.

"Reclaims through the sermons of Augustine the sense of "belief" as relational and participatory to offer a holistic vision of Christian spirituality and practice"--.

Jesus Christ did not die on the cross so you and I could have a nice day. Ministers and teachers who water down the gospel of Christ in order to make it more popular and appealing may be leading their fun-loving audiences down the road to eternal punishment. This book is John MacArthur's unflinching, unapologetic treatise on the modern tendency to alter the true message of Christianity in order to meet the whims and desires of a culture hoping for nonconfrontational messages, easy answers, and superficial commitments. Too many people just want a Madison Avenue Jesus to make them well, make them happy, and make them prosperous. But Jesus Christ isn't a personal genie. He is the Savior. He died in agony to satisfy the wrath of a holy God and to forgive the sins of humankind. Faith in Him demands a willingness to make any sacrifice He asks. The hard truth about Christianity is that the cost is high, but the rewards are priceless: abundant and eternal life that comes only from faithfully follwing Christ.

What does a Christianity constructed upon and pervaded by a theology of God's unconditional love look like? Aimed at a wide audience, A Faith Worth Living provides one portrait. Chuck Queen weaves together biblical interpretations, theological reflections, and spiritual observations drawn from stories, movies, literature, and common life experiences in his argument for an inclusive Christianity. In a simple, though scholarly informed style, he addresses Christians, students of religion, and spiritual seekers. Key elements of the presentation include: a transformative faith (holistic and non-dualistic), God's dream for the world (kingdom theology), Jesus' nonviolent atonement, the church as a kingdom community, universal salvation (judgment and the cosmic Christ), acceptance of other religious traditions, and the dynamics of a radical discipleship to the way of Jesus.

Examines the apparent contradictions in the world and explains how the invisible, natural, and supernatural worlds might interact and affect people's daily lives.