Contents: Preface I. Introduction: In Search of the Church II. Mark: An Alternative Community III. Matthew: Households of Justice IV. Luke: Signs of the Kingdom V. Paul: Communities of Reconciliation VI. 1 Peter: Homes for the Homeless VII. The Apocalypse of John: Communities of Resistance VIII. In Search of the Church: An Invitation

What did Jesus intend church to be? Whether you are a seasoned veteran of doing church or a postmodern seeker of spirituality, In Search of the Church will inspire you to settle for nothing less than an authentic experience of church the way Jesus intended it to be. Filled with humorous and sometimes heart-rending stories that will help you rethink the meaning of church. Asks foundational questions about how we have historically done church to cause you to refocus on answering the "why" question. Offers specific ideals of what church could be, to exhort you to reconsider how you might reform church in the future. Presents an honest examination of the affects of church on the author's journey, to encourage you to re-examine your own pilgrimage into the church. In Search of the Church will revive your hope for the church Jesus intended. Douglas A. Hagey studied at Eastern Pentecostal Bible College, Peterborough, Ontario; Central Bible College, Springfield, Missouri; and Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California. For forty years he has sought practical answers to the question, "What is the church?" He planted his first church in Hanover, Ontario in 1968, developed a youth ministry in Fresno, California during the Jesus People Revolution, and started Wellspring Christian Center in Dinuba, California in 1980. He participated in missions with YWAM in Europe, directed practical projects in Mexico, taught pastors' conferences in India and helped establish YWAM's Gleanings For The Hungry in California. For seven years he has taught the ecclesiology course, Concepts of the Church, at Pacific Life Bible College in Surrey, British Columbia. Doug and his wife, Ellie, have been involved in the Emergent Church movement with a house/café church in Canada. They are currently participating in an incarnational-missional faith community in Shoreline, Washington.

When John Smyth organized the first Baptist church, he wanted to establish the New Testament church; believer's baptism was the missing link. Baptists of subsequent eras often continued the search to embody New Testament Christianity. Alongside the quest for the New Testament church (and congregational community), Weaver especially highlights the Baptist commitment to religious liberty and the individual conscience. Both chronological and thematic, this book addresses such themes as the role of women, the social gospel, ecumenism, charismatic influences, and theological emphases in Baptist life.

A deeply informed look at the intensifying struggle over the future of the Catholic Church. Robert Blair Kaiser examines the most important and divisive issues confronting the Church: the sex abuse scandal, a shortage of priests due to the insistence upon celibacy, the ban on contraception, the roles of women in the Church, the increased participation of laypeople in Church affairs. He gives us an in-depth and behind-the-scenes view of six of the cardinals who gathered in Rome in April 2005 to choose a new pope and through them makes clear why Catholics worldwide are increasingly leaving the Church or defying Church doctrine. With passion and heartfelt concern, Robert Blair Kaiser brilliantly illuminates the issues and the combatants in the battle for the soul of the Catholic world.

In this book I will take you on a very emotional and sometimes dark journey. I will share what my life was like before I drank and used drugs. What I became like when I was using and more importantly the road to my recovery. For many years I failed to stay sober until one day I woke up and didn’t want to be alive anymore. I was spiritually lost and broken; I was a very lonely man when I took my last alcoholic beverage. Although I had much to live for, I welcomed an end to the pain and suffering I was causing myself and family. The people in ‘Alcoholics Anonymous’ were patient and tolerant. They loved me when I had no love to give, and held me as I picked up the pieces of my life. On my search I found a higher power, a spiritual home and just as important I found freedom from self. I enjoy sobriety today because I keep my recovery simple. I refrain from taking the first drink of alcohol, simple, yet very effective. It is a wonderful gift to help others recover from this insidious dis-ease called alcoholism.

The wide-ranging story of Mennonite migration, theological diversity, and interaction with other Christian streams is distilled in this engaging volume, which tracks the history of Ontario Mennonites. Author Samuel J. Steiner writes that Ontario Mennonites and Amish are among the most diverse in the world—in their historical migrations and cultural roots, in their theological responses to the world around them, and in the various ways they have pursued their personal and communal salvation. In Search of Promised Lands describes the emergence and evolution of today’s 30-plus streams of Ontarians who have identified themselves as Mennonite or Amish from their arrival in Canada to the last decade. In Search of Promised Lands also considers how various Mennonite groups have adapted to or resisted evangelical fundamentalism and mainline Protestantism, and it identifies the nineteenth- and twentieth-century shifts toward personal salvation and away from submission to the church community. Volume 48 in the Studies in Anabaptist and Mennonite History series. Find out more about Ontario Mennonite and Amish history at the author’s blog.

"Upon this rock I will build my church." What Bible student has not encountered Jesus' powerful words? What group of Christians can really be considered the church that Jesus promised to build? How does God view a divided Christianity? What group is really in the narrow way? In Search of the Narrow Way is an easy-to-read overview of the quest to be the church of the Bible. Dr. Brown captures major shifts in Church History from the ancient church to the Churches of Christ of the Stone-Campbell Movement. Readers will be informed, challenged, and encouraged by this insightful work. Come and take the fascinating journey of seeking to find the narrow way. Dr. Michael A. Brown has researched and written an illuminating historical work on the Churches of Christ. In Search of the Narrow Way is presented in clear, readable style that a layman can understand. This work will help church members strengthen and share their faith. Sylvia Brown-Roberts Author of Behind Church Doors This is a beautifully written work. I am inspired by Dr. Brown's boldness and dedication to the pursuit of truth! Eric Brown - Editor

Within these pages are the last two previously unpublished works from notable American evangelical theologian, Donald. G. Bloesch. In his spiritual autobiography, Faith in Search of Obedience, Bloesch describes the foundation upon which own theology is based, namely, "a faith in search of obedience." This honest and challenging work reveals and reminds how we are justified by faith alone, but that faith drives us to obey and delight in God's law as we strive to perfect love through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Paradox of Holiness presents the theology of spiritual life as it is shaped and defined by the Word of God. Through this theological exposition, Bloesch presents and explores the paradox that exists in the pursuit of holiness for those who believe. For the theologian, pastor or lay person who is seeking to combine Word and Spirit, doctrine and life, into an active theology, this two-in-one volume by Donald Bloesch provides an honest and sober account of the challenges that may arise throughout the Christian pilgrimage, while pointing toward the hope, encouragement and new life that comes through the triumph of Christ on the cross.

This book explores today's man being responsible and accountable in every area of life. Show up, stand up, man up! It explores certain truths, our spiritual relationship with God, our challenges within society and our quest to fulfill our destiny. As you read this book, hopefully we will realize that it is time to assume a position of leadership allowing God's purpose to be realized in US.