In 1517, Martin Luther took a stand for justification by faith alone in the finished work of Christ upon Calvary. As a result of his position, he suffered persecution for adhering to the Scriptures alone and not to traditions. This book traces my spiritual journey from legalism to freedom in Christ. In sixteen chapters, I map out my heritage within the Churches of Christ and the motivations that eventually led me out of bondage to liberty. One of the lengthiest chapters in this book is "Where the Scriptures Speak." One objective of this chapter is to help individuals to understand that one may speak where the Bible speaks and not necessarily speak as the Bible speaks. Chapters 11, 12, and 13 represent the very heart of my escape from authoritarianism to my dependence upon God's righteousness, a righteousness from God through faith in Jesus. Chapter 14 focuses on preaching in the early church. Without an understanding of the Gospel that the apostles proclaimed, Christians will never learn the spirit of toleration for differences within the Christian community. Chapters 8, 15, and 16 give attention to the Last Supper. The communion should be a constant reminder of the Cross and true unity among God's children. Chapter 1, 2, and 3 outline my original journey of faith. Dallas Burdette has been a serious student, teacher and preacher of the Bible for fifty-eight years, supporting himself for many years as an agent for AFLAC. He has written numerous articles for religious journals, as well as many essays and sermons which are available on his website. He has developed a keen interest in promoting unity among God's people through a more accurate reading of the Word. He has degrees from Amridge University (formerly Southern Christian University) where he also was Director of Extended Learning for five years. He holds the Doctor of Ministry degree (1999) from Erskine Theological Seminary.

From a decade lived deeply in the chokehold of a legalistic community, Kendra Fletcher emerged to find healing, grace for herself, and a renewed faith that stood apart from the religious confines of her previous life in a rigid church community. Are you there, too, finding yourself leaving a legalistic or cult-like church and wondering what it all meant? Gasping for breath, hoping to find peace, looking to find your way after years of spiritual abuse and religion-driven shame? If it's your time to find freedom and healing, Leaving Legalism will serve as a guide to help you learn not only to separate religious behavior from true faith in Christ, but to emerge confident in the knowledge that you're already loved and accepted far beyond your wildest dreams. Begin your journey to healing as Kendra discusses: - Swinging the pendulum from law to grace - Why rules make us feel safe - How we all end up evangelizing a lifestyle - Our identity in Christ - How to let go of the past - How to learn to rest in what God has done for us - How to move forward (including how to apologize to your children) "I can

Neil Anderson (author of the bestselling "The Bondage Breaker(TM)") and his coauthors expose the trauma of legalism--and show how Christ liberates us from trying to be "good enough for God." According to a recent poll, 57 percent of Christians strongly agree the Christian life is well summed-up as "trying hard to do what God commands." But biblically, making laws our "lord" estranges us from Christ! The authors reveal... "the chains of legalism: " shame, guilt, pride "the keys to liberty: " knowing who we are in Christ, resting in the Father's love "the life of freedom: " joyful friendship with God, obedience viewed properly Here's encouragement for defeated believers--and an appeal to the church to be free in Christ.

A positive, redemptive-historical treatment of justification using a biblical theological framework. Justification reorients us to Gods purpose for us in creation: that we should live freely, yet in absolute dependence on him.

This book is a frontal assault on all law based, obedience oriented religion. Most Christians carry a load of spiritual bondage, condemnation, guilt and shame. Some are deeply despondent and depressed because this load is too heavy for them to bear. Few Christians are truly confident in their personal relationship with God. This situation exists because: 1) Christians are generally unable to distinguish between actual sin versus mere human opinion about sin; 2) Christians do not understand that Jesus set them free from obedience based religion; 3) Christians do not know how to decide for themselves what is truly moral; 4) Christians have no real experience of "Christian Liberty." These issues are examined in sufficient detail to enable one to understand the radical nature of the "freedom for which Christ set us free," (Gal. 5:1). The author's goal is to destroy the roots of religious legalism so Christian believers can live the life of freedom which is their spiritual "blood-right." Beginning with a development of the "Master Key" to Biblical morality, the nature and implications of Christ's "Law of Love" are thoroughly explored. Next, the author discusses the true nature of morality, answering the question, "What exactly makes a thing sinful?" Careful attention is given to the concept of "defilement" or "uncleanness," with a bold look at Paul's revolutionary statement that "nothing is unclean of itself," (Rom. 14:14, 20). In Part Three, Legalism is exposed in all its ugliness. This section details the Biblical method for determining what is truly sin, and what is merely human opinion. Part Four destroys the bitter root of Legalism with persistent emphasis on the fact that Jesus Christ ended the rule of law by His life, death and resurrection. Part Five looks at the theology of Galatians, the Christian's "Emancipation Proclamation," closing with pointed illustration of how this all affects a Christian's liberty to exercise personal choice in what (s)he will or won't do. Five appendices explore several specific issues raised by the preceding study. These include: Conclusions About Christian Liberty "Contradictory" Scriptures? Christian Liberty and Sexual Issues The Necessity Of Experiencing Freedom The Non-Negotiables of Bible Study This is the only book on Christian Freedom written by an ex Fundamentalist. The author was raised in an atmosphere of extreme legalism. The first half of his Christian ministry was spent preaching, defending and even debating the concepts that he now seeks to destroy. The author lived in legalism forty years. He understands legalism. He therefore knows how to attack its vulnerable spots. His goal was not to write a book, but to give to anyone who is interested, information that will set them free from bondage to legalism and open the pathway to self-government under the rule of love. For more information on spiritual freedom visit the author's website, www.freedomguide.net

Every person follows a script for living, a life guide that directs our behavior and shapes our choices. As believers, we find the original script for living woven throughout the Bible. Yet while the Christian message is simple, it can become complicated by our environment, our culture, and our religious ideas and traditions. For this reason, we are all in constant need of revising the scripts by which we live. Author Frank Viola believes we need to revisit and revise what it means to live the Christian life. Drawing from his rich background in ministry, Viola examines ten key areas that impact every believer and explores fresh ways to revise them. Conversational, insightful, and practical, Revise Us Again encourages us to examine those religious habits that we unconsciously pick up from others and rescript them with new habits that line up with our new nature in Christ.

After spending twenty-five years as a devout member of the United Pentecostal Church, the author shares her experience of leaving the community she once called "family". This debut memoire dives into the core legalistic doctrines of the United Pentecostal Church and shares scripture references along with Biblical revelations of God's grace. The author goes into personal details exploring the oppression and low self-esteem women especially face in the grips of this kind of organization. Follow her on her journey as she overcomes the feelings of inadequacy and low self-worth as she discovers who she truly is as a child of her Creator and breaks free from the bondage of religious traditions.