What does it mean to move beyond the boundaries of what we believe? The apostle Paul led the Galatians through a massive cultural shift in which they had to radically expand their ideas of who God is, who they were, and God's mission for the church. He was able to lead them through this time of great change because of his encounter with the risen Christ on the Damascus road, an experience in which his view of God was completely upended. Today Christianity is undergoing a cultural shift just as challenging as the situation confronting Paul and the Galatians. As many churches decline, congregations and pastors feel uncertain and anxious about how to continue their mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ. Elaine Heath extends an invitation to broaden our view of God by moving beyond the walls of buildings and programs to become a more diverse church than we have ever imagined. While deeply honoring tradition, she calls the church to boldly follow the Holy Spirit's leadership into the future. Ideal for a 6- to 9-week small-group study.

This book is an exploration into the shortcomings of the traditional evangelical view of the character of God from an evangelical perspective. Questions asked within include: 1. Does our view of God come from the Bible or from the cultural norms during the era in which the Bible was written? 2. Is God a God of free will or has He chosen a system of determinism? Do traditional responses to the deterministic world view adequately address its issues? 3. What is the correct response to the ""problem of pain""? 4. Is eternal suffering in hell the final destination of non-believers? 5. Are the ideas of Darwinian evolution really contradictory to the teachings of the Bible? 6. Does the Bible have to be inerrant in order to be inspired?

Theology, says Brian McLaren, is at its best when it is in conversation with the wild world that flourishes beyond our walls and outside our windows and cities. In God Unbound, McLaren follows his love of nature all the way to the Galapagos Islands. There, he pays close attention to the flora and fauna around him but also to what is happening within him, how the natural world awakens his soul in a way that organized religion cannot. The result is a sparkling and engrossing theology which refuses to remain indoors.

"I was and I am an ordinary theologian, who does not have the Word of God at his disposal, but, at best, a 'Doctrine of the Word of God,'" writes Karl Barth in the preface of Die christliche Dogmatik im Emtwurf. Properly appreciating the complex career of Barth's characterization of what Scripture is theologically can open up constructive lines of inquiry regarding his self-description as a theologian and reader of the Bible. By mining Barth's published and posthumous theological and exegetical writings and sermons, both well-known materials and understudied writings such as the significant "Das Schriftprinzip der reformierten Kirche" lecture, Alfred H. Yuen offers a unique reading of Barth's thoughts on the person and work of the biblical writers by mapping his theological career as a university student, a pastor, a writer, a young professor, and, above all, a "child of God" (CD I/1, 464-65).

How to change your thought forms and avoid both physical and spiritual illness. You are what you believe.

The swelling ranks of religious "nones"—those who do not identify with any particular religious tradition—have demonstrated that traditional Christian apologetics set on delivering a universally accepted, objectively verifiable system that proves the truth and superiority of Christian belief has failed. Turned off by organized Christianity’s hypocrisy and politics of intolerance, millennials and Generation Z have rejected such domineering forms of reasoning aimed at winning converts through logical argument. Not only is this misguided missional strategy, argues Rubén Rosario Rodríguez, but it’s grounded in bad theology as well. The propositional truth claims imply that if you accept the argument, you must accept the Christian faith too. Instead of this triumphalist understanding of Christian truth, Rosario argues for a broken and contrite Christian theology that can help make sense of a fractured world. Realizing that fragments of truth are often all we have, he points out that the search for the truth of God and the self will most often be found while engaged in the struggle for justice. Theological Fragments is not another set of strategies for how to win back millennials. Rather, it provides a foundational theological vision necessary to the work of inviting the "nones" to hear the gospel afresh.

With facts and information, insightful commentary, and even a few flights of fantasy, The Story Behind the Bible weaves a magnetic journey through the most ancient texts of the Bible for believers and non-believers alike. It’s a journey that could draw you into a universe that is larger and more incredible than you ever thought possible. Rather than creating a typical Bible study, J.K. Alexander shares his unique perspectives on how and why events in the Bible occurred from Genesis to Deuteronomy. Whether you’re a longtime Christian or a skeptic, you’re sure to glean thought-provoking information from this intriguing read.