Christianity has lost control of its brand. That matters even for nonbelievers because Christian symbolism permeates Western culture. It shapes the source code for how we think about ourselves and what we expect from one another. If God is all-controlling, then human control is divinely sanctioned. Our efforts to control one another have cosmic legitimacy--the legitimacy claimed by fundamentalists pursuing a political agenda that has nothing to do with Jesus of Nazareth. But if God is defined as compassion and loving-kindness, then Christianity calls the faithful to compassion and radical hospitality. Wallace traces the backstory of this vitally important tension all the way back to competing translations of Moses's argument with the burning bush, arguing for a "Copernican turn" in which the spiritual encounter with compassionate Presence lies at the heart of Christianity. .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }

Hanson offers readers a plan for dealing with guilt, anger, and fear before those powerful emotions destroy them. (Christian)

Jesus did not die to save us from God. He died because the Romans did not tolerate charismatic teachers who attracted a lively following. Jesus attracted that following through his personal compassion, his confrontational inclusivity, and his skill in using laughter as a nonviolent weapon of mass disruption. The Gospel authors picked up Jesus' witty techniques. They adeptly parodied the literary conventions of heroic biography, laying out "the kingdom of God" in a point-for-point contrast with the empire of Caesar Augustus. Most of this contrast was Jewish Prophetic Rant, Standard Edition: the God of the Jews had always demanded justice for workers, food for the hungry, care for those unable to earn a living, and an end to monopolizing natural resources for private and imperial profit. Jesus added a fourth and telling point: God is nonviolent. God smites no one. God's loving-kindness and compassionate presence embraces all of humanity equally. We are all the children of God. Then and now, that's a revolutionary claim. It portrays our obligation to the common good as a sacred obligation. It's owed to God. In cultural terms, that's the most potent variety of obligation. This is the cultural heritage at risk from fundamentalism, which portrays God as both crazy-violent and vindictive.

If righteousness is right-standing with God, then self-righteousness must be it’s greatest enemy. In the story of Job, we find an interesting illustration of how self-righteousness evolves and opens the door to the enemy in our lives. Job had strong convictions and he wasn’t afraid to stand by them, yet his friend eventually...

Cox discusses the importance of scriptural authenticity and the integrity of the original biblical text. (Practical Life)

As children of God we have great expectations of our Father God, but are you aware his expectations of you are just as great? We have not been sent to the planet as spectators, but as participants. Father God has initiated an eternal plan for which we have a leading role in accomplishing. The incident in the Garden of Eden was not to be viewed as the “fall of man” but as the “becoming of the sons of God.” Our job is to help restore the righteous rule of our Father God back to the earth. We accomplish this by walking in the dominion stolen from mankind by the deceiver known as Satan. Satan may have started this fight, but we, the children of God under the direction of our Lord Jesus Christ, are here to finish it with a victorious end. Everything that was stolen from the children of God is now ready to be restored as we take our place in this mighty army of God and follow the lead of our majestic Savior Jesus Christ. In this book we will learn how to utilize every gift and tool given us by the Holy Spirit of God, and how to walk in the power of the Word. We cannot be fearful, but willing to face every obstacle set before us as we look to the Father God, whose expectations of us are great!

This book touches on why people worry and what to do instead of worry. It leads believers on the path of unshaken faith in the unchanging God who can turn obstacles into miracles, and pains into gains. (Practical Life)

This unique collection of writings by Verna Dozier, eloquent prophet and teacher of the Bible, features selections from all her available work, including The Authority of the Laity, Equipping the Saints, her unfinished manuscript on the Bible, sermons, and interviews. Many of these materials, designed to give the unique flavor of Verna Dozier's wit and wisdom, have never appeared before in print. Beginning with a short biography of Verna's life in order to place the writings in context, the book consists of six chapters organized both autobiographically and thematically. Beginning chapters cover her early life and family--her parents and sister, growing up African-American and Baptist in the segregated city of Washington DC, the influence of Howard Thurman and other theologians at Howard University, and her dual career, shaped by one set of values, teaching English literature and teaching the Bible. Subsequent chapters cover her approach and method of studying Scripture, teaching on Bible stories, her challenge to the church, and questions of ambiguity, morality, and faith.

“What am I going say? How do I do this?” I whispered. My shoulders went down. I looked at my blue dust-covered Bible; the pages were stuck to each other. My tears began to roll down once again. “I’m desperate for an answer, Lord, and I know You have it all. I need You, help me. Earlier, I heard about Your promises. And I know them to be true, because I have received them. I experienced Your promises, my family did, we felt them. You have filled me with so much joy even as I grieve. There is no doubt now that it was from You. But how? Why? Why me!” I started with my eyes closed. “Why would You give Your promises to me? To someone like me?” I honestly asked, face up, smiling. I am just expecting to receive an answer! I kept my eyes closed for a few more minutes. Then I opened my Bible.