Deriving insights from the life of Jesus in the Gospels, Klaus Issler uncovers the dynamics involved in truly becoming more Christlike. He shows how you can forge much deeper connections with Jesus. The result is a closer alignment between what you want to do as a follower of Jesus, what you actually do and who you are becoming in him.

From the author of the acclaimed Simply Christian and Surprised by Hope comes a book that addresses the question that has plagued humans for centuries—what is our purpose? As Christians, what are we to do with that ambiguous time between baptism and the funeral? It's easy to become preoccupied with who gets into heaven; the real challenge is how we are going to live in the here and now. Wright dispels the common misconception that Christian living is nothing more than a checklist of dos and don'ts. Nor is it a prescription to "follow your heart" wherever it may lead. Instead, After You Believe reveals the Bible's call for a revolution—a transformation of character that takes us beyond our earthly pursuit of money, sex, and power into a virtuous state of living that allows us to reflect God and live more worshipful, fulfilling lives. We are all spiritual seekers, intuitively knowing there is more to life than we suspect. This is a book for anyone who is hoping there is something more while we're here on Earth. There is. We are being called to join the revolution, and Wright insightfully encourages readers to find new purpose and clarity by taking us on an eye-opening journey through key biblical passages that promise to radically alter the work of the church and the direction of our lives.

The Psychology of Christian Character Formation offers clergy and those preparing for ministry some of the potential riches provided by rapidly developing branches of contemporary scientific psychology of which they might otherwise be unaware. Joanna Collicutt, an experienced psychologist and theological educator, focuses on the psychology of character, virtue and spirituality. Furthermore, the psychology is not used to support training in pastoral ministry to others, but rather to support the reader’s own self-awareness and spiritual growth. Joanna Collicutt understands Christian formation as Christian communities and their members growing up into conformity with the character of Christ through the action of the Holy Spirit. This is explored in the three parts of the book: first, an exploration of the process of Christian formation that includes a detailed analysis of the character of Jesus of Nazareth; secondly some focused psychology aimed at supporting an informed self-awareness in the reader; finally – and the most lengthy section – a series of chapters devoted to using psychological insights to help cultivate the Christ-like characteristics identified in the first section.

This book shows that theology is both integrally related to formation in Jesus Christ and shapes our understanding of the world. Christian formation is incomplete and impossible without theological formation, because Christ transforms our hearts and minds, attuning them to the reality of God. As the authors explore the deep connections between theology and the life of the Christian, they emphasize Christian formation as a defining feature of the church, arguing that theology must be integrally connected to the church's traditions and practices.

A Christian Education in the Virtues examines the connection between human nature and human flourishing. It draws on ancient and medieval sources to explore the formation of the person based on a Christian anthropology, emphasising the communal nature of the virtuous life and provides a richer approach to the question of contemporary character education. The book argues that the only way to understand and construct our character virtues is to have a clear picture of what is the purpose and meaning of human life. It highlights the importance of engaging with moral issues and makes the case that, for Christian educators, human flourishing is inseparable from God’s active relationship to human beings. The book also explores a teleological approach to character education goals. To educate the whole person in the light of an all-embracing Christian worldview is challenged by secular and liberal ideology and is often seen as irrational to the modern mind. Overall, the text seeks to demonstrate that many aspects of a Neo-Aristotelian-Thomist theoretical underpinning for Christian character education holds out a viable option for Christians. It therefore argues the case for the educational potential of Christian character education. This important book will be essential reading for academics, researchers and students in the fields of character and virtue education, religious education and the philosophy of education. The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com/books/oa-mono/10.4324/9781003141877, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.

Compassion, humility, faith, perseverance. We long for the beauty of Christ to be reflected in our lives. Such character comes only as the Spirit of God transforms us through the Word of God. These Bible studies will help you become the person God created you to be.

We like to think of ourselves and our friends and families as pretty good people. The more we put our characters to the test, however, the more we see that we are decidedly a mixed bag. Fortunately there are some promising strategies - both secular and religious - for developing better characters.

The Formation of Christian Character, G. Simon Harak, S.J. Suggests that morality is best approached from a discussion of human passions -- what moves us, draws us, engages our fascination and interest.

Rev. B.F. Morris's magnum opus, the Christian Life and Character of the Civil Institutions of the United States, published in 1864, is nearly impossible to find. The debate over America's Christian heritage ends with this book. Morris leaves no historical document unturned in discovering America's rich Christian heritage, and he accomplished all of his detailed research 140 years ago before there were computers! No other work compares to it. We've never seen an original copy of this massive work. A few years ago, a well-known conservative publishing company considered printing the imposing book. For undisclosed reasons, the publisher declined. Two factors probably contributed to the decision: the overtly Christian character of the material and the exorbitant cost that would go into its production. American Vision is the exclusive distributor of an expertly scanned copy all 831 pages and 26 chapters of Christian Life and Character of the Civil Institutions of the United States. The format is PDF. If you like, the book can be printed in its entirety or one page at a time. The choice is yours.