First CRC Library
Category:
Church
Rome’s bloody anti-Christian persecutions now reached their worst stage ever, first under Decius and then Diocletian. Then a new and very different emperor emerged. Before the key battle that brought him to power, Constantine had seen the sign of a cross in the sky, and received the message “By this sign, conquer.” He imposed peace and religious tolerance across the empire. No longer subversives, Christians suddenly became the new establishment. This opened very different and dangerous challenges for the church. The first was an influx of opportunistic converts seeking not salvation but worldly power. Even worse was a growing controversy over whether Jesus is God, and if so, in what sense? It came to a head, but not to resolution, at the great Council of Nicea.
| Author | Christian History Project |
| Year Published | 2003 |
| Series Name | The Christians #3: Their first two thousand years |
Category:
Christian Perspectives
Christian communities have often been divided over the value of art. Some have seen the arts as unimportant—a luxury, but certainly not a necessity. Others have contended that art is a vital expression of what it means to be a human being created in the image of God. For Calvin Seerveld, engaging the arts is part of living faithfully as a Christian. In Bearing Fresh Olive Leaves (Piquant Books, 2000), he calls us to practice redemptive artistry—art that brings hope and healing to our troubled world.
| Author | Seerveld, Calvin |
| Year Published | 2000 |
Category:
Christian Perspectives
This book challenges Christians to think. Committed lay Christians, says Cobb, are already theologians; he wants them to realize this and then to become good theologians.
Laypersons are just as capable as professional theologians of intellectual hard work, but they no longer expect the church to ask this of them. Cobb discusses why it is important for Christians to think about their own beliefs and assumptions. He encourages readers to find and become conversation partners. He also suggests steps a Christian's thinking may take; sources the individual can draw on, including how professionals can help; and where this thinking may lead. Cobb asserts that if there is a renewal of thinking in the church, there will be church renewal. The goal is to focus and sharpen one's thinking so that it is one's own, and to apply that thinking to one's being and acting. Each chapter ends with a section "Doing Your Theology" which is a list of questions for reflection and discussion.
Chapter titles include: On Becoming What You Are: A Theologian; Ethics and Theology; Shaping Up; Biblical Authority; Christians and Jews; Professionals: Help and Hindrance; Christian Counterattack; A Critique of Economics; A Critique of the University; An Afterword on Church Theology
Laypersons are just as capable as professional theologians of intellectual hard work, but they no longer expect the church to ask this of them. Cobb discusses why it is important for Christians to think about their own beliefs and assumptions. He encourages readers to find and become conversation partners. He also suggests steps a Christian's thinking may take; sources the individual can draw on, including how professionals can help; and where this thinking may lead. Cobb asserts that if there is a renewal of thinking in the church, there will be church renewal. The goal is to focus and sharpen one's thinking so that it is one's own, and to apply that thinking to one's being and acting. Each chapter ends with a section "Doing Your Theology" which is a list of questions for reflection and discussion.
Chapter titles include: On Becoming What You Are: A Theologian; Ethics and Theology; Shaping Up; Biblical Authority; Christians and Jews; Professionals: Help and Hindrance; Christian Counterattack; A Critique of Economics; A Critique of the University; An Afterword on Church Theology
| Author | Cobb Jr., John B. |
| Year Published | 1993 |
Category:
Biography
An Insider's Compelling View of Life in a Muslim Country
When Audra Grace Shelby and her husband felt God calling them to minister in the Middle East, she was fearful--how would she raise her children in the heart of conservative Islam?
Armed with prayers and a faith that always seemed too small, the family made the move to Yemen, enduring deadly illness, uncertainty, and the unnerving experience of being Christians in an Islamic culture.
Yet God was at work, and Audra was invited to see what few Christian women have seen: behind the veils of Muslim women. Here she shares about the friendships she forged, about the opportunities to minister when her new friends' hopes shriveled and their own religion faltered--and how the grace of God touched lives in the midst of an enemy stronghold. With humor, passion, and honesty, she shows readers glimpses of life deep in the heart of Islam and the yearning heart of our loving God.
When Audra Grace Shelby and her husband felt God calling them to minister in the Middle East, she was fearful--how would she raise her children in the heart of conservative Islam?
Armed with prayers and a faith that always seemed too small, the family made the move to Yemen, enduring deadly illness, uncertainty, and the unnerving experience of being Christians in an Islamic culture.
Yet God was at work, and Audra was invited to see what few Christian women have seen: behind the veils of Muslim women. Here she shares about the friendships she forged, about the opportunities to minister when her new friends' hopes shriveled and their own religion faltered--and how the grace of God touched lives in the midst of an enemy stronghold. With humor, passion, and honesty, she shows readers glimpses of life deep in the heart of Islam and the yearning heart of our loving God.
| Author | Shelby, Audra Grace |
| Year Published | 2011 |
Category:
Biography
"Why am I here?" It's an inevitable question, one accompanied by a restless, nagging feeling that you should be getting more out of life or putting more into it. The search for something more -- something beyond your own self -- begins when your spirit cries out for its Maker and refuses to be satisfied with anything less. At that point, how do you go about finding God? How does an ordinary person gain intimacy with Him?
Beyond Our Selves tells Catherine Marshall's spiritual adventure as she searched for such answers on her quest for a meaningful life, a practical faith, and a closer relationship with God. She shares significant moments of her life, using deeply inspiring thoughts and offering guidance on topics such as forgiveness, suffering, miracles, unanswered prayer, and healing. Both inspiring and practical, this book has touched more than two million people around the world, challenging them to stretch their beliefs, deepen their faith, and revitalize their purpose. It will do the same for you as you search for greater meaning in your life.
Beyond Our Selves tells Catherine Marshall's spiritual adventure as she searched for such answers on her quest for a meaningful life, a practical faith, and a closer relationship with God. She shares significant moments of her life, using deeply inspiring thoughts and offering guidance on topics such as forgiveness, suffering, miracles, unanswered prayer, and healing. Both inspiring and practical, this book has touched more than two million people around the world, challenging them to stretch their beliefs, deepen their faith, and revitalize their purpose. It will do the same for you as you search for greater meaning in your life.
| Author | Marshall, Catherine |
| Year Published | 1961 |