LITMIR.BIZ

While process philosophers and theologians have written numerous essays on Buddhist-Christian dialogue, few have sought to expand the current Buddhist-Christian dialogue into a «trilogue» by bringing the natural sciences into the discussion as a third partner. This was the topic of Paul O. Ingram's previous book, Buddhist-Christian Dialogue in an Age of Science. The thesis of the present work is that Buddhist-Christian dialogue in all three of its forms–conceptual, social engagement, and interior–are interdependent processes of creative transformation. Ingram appropriates the categories of Whitehead's process metaphysics as a means of clarifying how dialogue is now mutually and creatively transforming both Buddhism and Christianity.

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"Why do we have to learn this?" For as long as there have been students, teachers have been answering this question, but we haven't always answered it very well–for our students or for ourselves. We sometimes forget that everything we teach, whether «sacred» or «secular,» has value because it is part of God's truth, and integrating that truth across the curriculum is what makes an education Christian. This book from a father-and-daughter team of seasoned Christian educators offers a comprehensive, biblically based presentation of integration. Its goal is to help readers view all aspects of the curriculum within the framework of God's story as told from Genesis to Revelation. By organizing subject areas under five broad categories–nature, people, communication, beauty, and ultimate issues–the authors demonstrate that each subject area flows from the biblical story. Each chapter concludes with a summary of the truths presented, a set of teacher tips, and a list of additional resources.

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Can Christian belief be warranted? Can someone hold to Christian exclusivism even in the face of mutually exclusive religious belief systems? In contemporary philosophy of religion there has been much debate about whether the diversity of mutually exclusive religious beliefs is a good reason to give up any form of religious exclusivism. Amidst this discussion, the Christian exclusivist claims that the tenets of Christianity are true, and mutually exclusive religious views are false. Opponents of Christian belief argue, however, that the diversity of mutually exclusive religious beliefs is a good reason to give up one's Christian exclusivism. This is the problem of religious diversity for Christian exclusivism. In this book, Joseph Kim defends Christian belief in conversation with the problem of religious diversity and argues that mutually exclusive religious beliefs do not serve as defeaters for Christian belief.
Kim engages Alvin Plantinga's proper function account of warrant and argues that the Christian exclusivist need not give up her Christian belief when faced with the problem of religious diversity even when she is unable to give an argument for the truth of Christian belief to those that disagree. This book also explores the areas surrounding the problem of religious diversity and serves as a good introduction to the central issues that intersect contemporary epistemology and the philosophy of religion.

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To what degree does culture facilitate or distort the Christian faith, the gospel of Jesus, and the life of the church? In America, the distortion is enormous. Gospel Without Borders carefully examines the complex intersection of culture and faith in America, providing insights that allow for better understanding and a more genuine experience of biblical and historic Christianity.
Gospel Without Borders analyzes the formative and interactive roles that human nature and cultural history play in contemporary expressions of Christianity in America. It outlines their profound but little appreciated influence upon the shape and scope of Christian faith within society-at-large, the church, and the lives of individuals. The study illuminates the dimensions of a largely unheralded gospel message characterized by unimpeded faith that fully accords with the kingdom Jesus stridently proclaimed. It outlines the dimensions of faith freed from the disappointing forms of «culturalized» Christianity that always prove insufficient on a personal level and woefully inadequate to the demands of contemporary life within our globalizing world.
Today's world can only be effectively impacted through a «gospel without borders»–a compelling gospel most Americans have yet to hear, and too many Christians–of every cultural and denominational background–have yet to fully embrace.

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In this collection of non-fiction narratives Steve Doughty offers an evocative exploration of contemporary spiritual seeking. The figures in these stories are as varied as a Muslim woman and Christian couple meeting at a peace vigil, a minister dazzled by photos from the Hubble telescope, a Native American stone carver, a miner receiving his last communion, and two attorneys risking their lives to defend victims of political violence in Colombia. A number of the main figures live on society's margins. They contend with issues of life and faith in arenas ranging from social justice to science, prayer, mental illness, sexuality, interfaith encounter, and the humdrum of daily life. The author notes that the main characters have attracted him as a pastor and seeker because «they offer images to ponder. Images of real people. Images of the wonderings and affirmations that take shape within our deepest selves. And, finally, images of the living God at work within us, among us, and through us. As with all such images, these challenge us at least as much as they comfort and reassure.» An appendix offers questions for personal reflection, group study, and retreats.

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A classic theology and a contemporary school of preaching come together in this new work. Glenn Monson, an active Lutheran preacher, has taken the substantial concerns of Law and Gospel theologians and combined them with the insights of the New Homiletic School to come up with a guide to sermon development that helps any preacher deliver Law and Gospel sermons in a contemporary way. The author leads the reader through a step-by-step process in thinking about Law and Gospel preaching from exegesis through sermon design to manuscript writing. Multiple examples from assigned lectionary texts are included, and several sermons are analyzed in detail. This book will be an invaluable friend of any lectionary preacher for whom Sunday is always coming and who longs to preach classic Law and Gospel sermons in a new and fresh way.

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The well known Austrian poet and spiritual writer, Rainer Maria Rilke encouraged his young friend not to be a «waster of sorrows,» but to use them in a positive way as a means to help him grow in holiness.
And isn't this the challenge for all of us? Everyone has sorrows in life. The important question is: what can we do with them so that we don't waste them? Whether our sorrows are personal or communal, how can we share our mutual vulnerability so that we can connect with others in a way that leads to growth?
For over thirty years as a psychotherapist and spiritual director, Peter C. Wilcox has listened to people's stories about their lives. Often, parts of their stories involve sorrows of one kind or another. Some people become overwhelmed by their sorrows while others have learned how to integrate them into their lives in a positive way.
This book is an invitation to discover how we can learn to integrate our sorrows into our own lives so that we can grow psychologically and spiritually. It suggests nine ways that we can reflect on our sorrows to deepen our spiritual lives, so that as Rilke wrote to his friend, we don't «waste them.»

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On the edge of medieval maps, monsters roam. In the west, pilgrims take well-traveled roads to Rome and Compostela. In the east, Old Testament history unfolds. And at the center, in the city of Jerusalem, Jesus saves the world.
In A World Transformed, Lisa Deam takes us on an incredible journey through medieval maps. Despite their curious appearance, these maps, as Deam shows, are surprisingly modern. In their monstrous, marvelous sights lie treasure troves of wisdom to guide twenty-first-century Christians on their walk with God. Each chapter in this geographical journey links medieval maps to biblical concepts and spiritual practices that transform our faith and our world.

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In this project, Baiyu Andrew Song explores the mentorship of China's first ordained indigenous evangelist, Liang Fa (1789-1855), by Scottish Presbyterian missionary William Milne (1785-1822) in the early nineteenth century. The biblically and contextually informed model of mentorship Milne employed is examined in detail, which is placed in the historical setting of Milne and Liang's time. This project is particularly important in that it pioneers historical study in the area of the early protestant church history in China, specifically in regard to William Milne.

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Travel through the back roads and country lanes of the British Isles with a pastor and his wife celebrating their thirtieth wedding anniversary. Journey to London and witness the special blessing experienced by Barry and Coleen Blackstone as they take their very first 'alone' vacation since starting into the pastorate. Visit the famous sites of England's fabled capital, including a night on the town with the human animals of the musical «The Lion King.» Your stops will include Hampton Court, Salisbury Cathedral, the city of Bath, the chimes of Chester, Strafford-upon-Avon, Edinburgh Castle, the ancient walls of York, the colleges of Cambridge, and many more famous British sites. Ride with the honeymooners on a narrowboat ride through the canals of Wales; eat the best meal of your life at the George in Scotland; ride through the rain in the midlands of England, and tour the Britannia, once the queen of England's private ocean liner. Walk the streets of London town and ride its famous underground after a shopping spree at Harrods, the world's most famous department store. Window shop in Stamford, listen to Scottish bagpipe music under the Firth of Forth railroad bridge, buy jewelry in Jedburgh, sweaters in Scotland, and walk under the shadow of the stones at Stonehenge. Learn what it means to rekindle an old love, the simple joy of being two people alone on an island in the North Sea for ten days, and the spiritual lessons one can learn on a journey to Scotland!

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