The Will to Believe" is a lecture by William James, first published in 1896, which defends, in certain cases, the adoption of a belief without prior evidence of its truth. In particular, James is concerned in this lecture about defending the rationality of religious faith even lacking sufficient evidence of religious truth. James states in his introduction: "I have brought with me tonight [...] an essay in justification of faith, a defense of our right to adopt a believing attitude in religious matters, in spite of the fact that our merely logical intellect may not have been coerced. 'The Will to Believe,' accordingly, is the title of my paper.
Leader guide for eight-week small group study to help you deepen your understanding of United Methodist core beliefs. This We Believe: The Core of Wesleyan Faith and Practice by William H. Willimon For John Wesley, the Bible is the joyfully consistent testimony of God's never-ending grace and ever-seeking love. Likewise, studying the Bible is more than merely knowing what Scripture says; it is also about living every day as a child of God. Beginning with the Core Terms found in The Wesley Study Bible, author Bishop William H. Willimon systematically lays out key Wesleyan tenets of faith so that you will have a fresh way to hear God's voice, share in God's grace, and become more like Jesus Christ. Let this book be your trusted companion to the NRSV version of The Wesley Study Bible as you grow to love God with a warmed heart and serve God with active hands. Order the separate book for each participant in a small group #9781426706899
For John Wesley, the Bible is the joyfully consistent testimony of God’s never-ending grace and ever-seeking love. Likewise, studying the Bible is more than merely knowing what Scripture says; it is also about living every day as a child of God. Beginning with the Core Terms found in the NRSV version of The Wesley Study Bible, Bishop Willimon systematically lays out key Wesleyan tenets of faith so that you will have a fresh way to hear God’s voice, share in God’s grace, and become more like Jesus Christ. This book can be used as an eight-week, small-group study. A Leader Guide is also available order #9781426708237 Let this book be your trusted companion to the NRSV version of The Wesley Study Bible as you grow to love God with a warmed heart and serve God with active hands.
A Private and Public Faith' is a heartfelt protest against the self-serving religiosity that characterizes so much of religion in contemporary American society, and which affects to such a large degree the life of the churches of American Protestantism. Stringfellow's protest is motivated by a passionate concern that the authentic life of the Word of God should operate freely in the church and in the world. His exposition of this life for individual, church, and society is profound yet simple. An excerpt on discerning God's presence: In other words, the most notorious, plain, and victorious truth of God is that God participates in our history -- even yours and mine. Our history -- all our anxieties -- have become the scene of His presence and the matter of His care. We are safe. We are free. Wherever we turn we shall discover that God is already there. Therefore, wherever it be, fear not, be thankful, rejoice, and boast of God.
After four years of college and six years in seminary, William Mills was ready for a parish--or so he thought. He didn't realize much of his time would be endless discussions about bagels and coffee, digging ditches, and parking lot condom patrols. For six years, community life was just humming along. Then disaster struck. Mills' life came crashing down when nearly a third of his congregation left in a public power play, causing him to question his faith in himself, in the church, and in God. Marva Dawn, a noted writer of spirituality and ministry, said that being a pastor is like being peppered with popcorn: after a while, you just get tired of it, pack your bags, and move on. However, as Mills himself says, "I was either too stubborn or stupid, so I stayed." Losing My Religion is about the ups and downs, ins and outs, choices and challenges of being a pastor in the twenty-first-century church. It's also about the redemptive power of community life and finding healing and wholeness in a broken world.
Do you wonder if God exists? Do you wonder if life even has any meaning at all? Do you wonder if Christian faith has answers to these and other difficult questions? An intelligent faith begins with hard questions. In On Guard for Students William Lane Craig tackles such questions with reason and precision. He invites you to join him on a quest for ultimate reality. This unique book takes you on an extraordinary journey of exploration as you probe for answers to life's deepest questions: why anything at all exists, the origin and fine-tuning of the universe, the nature of moral values and the reality of evil, the historical person of Jesus of Nazareth, and so on.
Faith lies at the heart of human life, and not just in religious contexts. But just what is faith? In this book William Lad Sessions ventures a new approach to this age-old problem. Viewing it in global terms, he provides an effective and insightful set of analytical tools for deepening our understanding of the ideas of belief.
The Story of Faith, Hope and Love is a book about discovering God's nature, character, love, justice, forgiveness, and truth. The Bible answers these questions and offers people hope for eternal life. This book answers important questions that inquiring minds might wonder about. For example: where did people come from? What is the purpose of their existance? What happens to them when they die? Does their spirit live forever? What happens to the spirit of people when the body dies? This book gives an answer to all these questions and offers people hope for eternal life. If this book is read without prejudice, it will have the intended effect of producing faith in God. Faith will lead to a desire to obey God and except Jesus Christ as the Son of God, which can lead to eternal life. The story of faith, hope and love would be a great help to anyone in the missionary field as well as being an aid for Bible School teachers or anyone wanting to know more about the teachings of the Bible and their own personal salvation.
Writings of William S. Plumer, Three Books on Faith includes three of Plumer's works: Assurance of Grace and Salvation, Balm for Wounded Spirits, False Doctrines and False Teachers. William Plumer was an American lawyer, Baptist lay preacher and represented New Hampshire as a Federalist in the United States Senate. He later served as a Governor of New Hampshire.
In this book, Elder William D. Holmes talks about the importance of having faith in God. It is necessary to live a life to please God in true holiness and righteousness. He uses real-life testimonies and experiences of sanctified, Holy Ghost-filled believers he grew up with in the HolinessPentecostal Church. It is through these powerful, real-life testimonies and his own life experiences that cause him to speak with boldness that Jesus truly is a healer, miracle worker, and savior. He also uses Bible accounts of the miracle-working power of God through our lord and savior, Jesus Christ. He explains about the different tactics of Satan and how he will try to hinder a person from getting their deliverance from God, how we can defeat Satan and get our blessing, why it takes so long for God to answer prayers, the difference between healing being made whole, and what divine healing is and how God can work with medical profession to bring about healing. He talks about the different levels of the Spirit a believer can climb in God. This book gives a clear statement that, without holiness, no person shall see the Lord. Jesus came into the world, not only to forgive us of our sins, but to take sin out of us. Jesus also comes to deliver us from all sickness and disease. Through the stripes of Jesus, we can be healed. Take the limit off of God! This is a very powerful book to increase the faith of a believer to trust God through his only begotten son, Jesus Christ, to meet your every need.
There is not much published by William Perkins. Puritan Publications is working to publish more of Perkins, and this wonderful treatise covers the main points of the Christian religion so that the foundational truths of the Bible are understood clearly. Perkins says he wrote this in order to, “bring you to true knowledge, unfeigned faith and sound repentance, [in] the principal points of Christian Religion in six plain and easy Rules, even such as the simplest may easily learn; and hereunto is adjoined an Exposition of them word by word.” Perkins covers aspects of the Catechism, the Ten Commandments, the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the institution of the two Sacraments so that they may be more easily understood. This is not a scan or facsimile, has been updated in modern English type for easy reading and has an active table of contents for electronic versions.
Talk the talk and walk the walk. The challenge of the Christian life is learning to talk Christian. Somebody has got to tell us, give us the words that open the door to the faith called Christian. Each of us is due the delight of discovery that in submitting to God’s talk to us. God Turned Toward Us: The ABCs of Christian Faith is organized by the words the church teaches us to use to talk about ordinary life apprehended by a God who is Jesus Christ–short, meditative reflections upon key concepts that guide Christians, new or longstanding. Praise for God Turned Towards Us “Reading God Turned Towards Us is like walking through a diamond mine. The opening segment on “Abortion” is itself worth the price of the book! Consider these gems: On the Cross: “The cross is a mirror that reflects who we really are as well as a window where we are given a privileged look into the heart of who God is.” On Sanctification: “The Gospels depict the disciples on a continual road trip. They journey, not only step-by-step closer to Jerusalem but also day-by day closer to Christ, that is, sanctification.” --Mike Lowry, Resident Bishop of the Central Texas Conference of The United Methodist Church God Turned Toward Us: The ABCs of Christian Faith is no ordinary book about Christian beliefs and practices. Rather, it is a sometimes jarring, always interesting, consistently insightful, and persistently provocative invitation to “talk the talk and walk the walk” of Christian discipleship. Addressing topics from A (Abortion) to Z (Zaccheus), Bishop Willimon prods us to listen more attentively to the God who continues to speak amid the confusion and turmoil of our times. This is a valuable resource for individuals and groups who genuinely want to hear a word from the Lord. --Kenneth Carder, Retired Bishop of The United Methodist Church
What is faith? William R. Miller answers: “It is a way of looking at the world, at other people, and at ourselves. It is a vision not given so much as chosen. It is that by which we understand our past, live in the present, and create our future. It is Living as If, even and especially when we are not sure, and in so doing releasing a power that can transform ourselves and those we touch.” Miller’s fresh understanding of the meaning of faith—Living as If—and how it works can lead to a new approach to life and the fashioning of a more positive and hope-filled future. In this book he takes into account pertinent psychological findings, case histories, personal stories, and profound religious thought. As he explores the role of “as if” processes, he looks at self-concept, change, influence on others, healing, religious belief, and social change. Writing sensitively and sensibly, Miller sets an undeniably optimistic tone, emphasizing that within certain limits each person can design a course for the present and future as well.
Christian apologetics scholar William Lane Craig provides a powerful and practical guide for defending the Christian faith. This concise guide is filled with illustrations, sidebars, and memorizable steps to help Christians stand their ground and defend their faith with reason and precision. In his engaging style, Dr. Craig offers ways to equip Christians, including how to: Answer the difficult questions about your faith Overcome times of spiritual doubt Understand not just what you believe, but why you believe Paired with personal stories from Dr. Craig’s own life, this one-stop training manual will guide you in developing a biblical world view and will show you how being “on guard” with the truth has the power to change lives forever.
Across the Secular Abyss explains the cultural chasm we currently face, with a traditional religion-based society behind us, and an as-yet unknown secular society ahead. For over a century, scholars, social scientists, and policy makers have debated the apparent erosion of religious faith and wondered whether Western Civilization was turning its back on religion. Today, the issue has reached a crisis point. In the U.S., a new battle between faith and science has erupted within educational institutions, as political polarization progressively divides the country along religious lines. After a century-long truce in which religion and science implicitly agreed to leave each other alone, science is again invading the territory of religion, most obviously in cognitive science that is debunking religious notions of the human soul, and in the broad convergence of many branches of science into one that leaves few gaps where supernatural beliefs could survive. Religion, for its part, is resisting a range of emerging technologies that could transform human nature, namely human reproductive cloning and the kinds of transformative technologies advocated by the Transhumanist movement. Although pure Atheism has little to offer people, and Atheists tend to be people lacking in social obligations, entirely new possibilities are offered by emerging technologies such as computer emulation of human personalities.
In this insightful and look at the practical challenges and possibilities for Christian life in the global age, Schweiker investigates Christianity’s current relevance and discusses how the life of faith can be oriented. Explores the big religious themes of modern life, including religious identity in global times, the role of conscience, integrity, and versions of religious humanism Written by an author who is internationally recognized as one of the world’s leading theologians Draws on the work of some prominent contemporary philosophers and theologians to clarify the nature of faith Unique in its appreciation of the ambiguity of religion – in its representations of the highest human achievements as well as the very worst of human actions – using a balanced and engaged approach to discusses contentious theological and intellectual issues
Distrust of government is a natural response to a controlling and out-of-control bureaucracy. The motivation for protest and reform is not animosity towards government and its legitimate functions, but a love of America and a passionate desire to pass on to the next generation the innumerable blessings of liberty. Citizens are frightened by the governments relentless growth, unsustainable debt trajectory, culture of corruption, and encroachment of individual rights.... Critics of the tea party movement attempt to derail it with meritless claims of racism, extremism, bigotry, conspiracy, class-warfare and malice. The claims are ridiculous. Tea party participants include members of every party, social class, ethnicity, age and gender; they hold varying views on a number of issues, but share a deep appreciation for the limited, constitutional government established by Americas founders. They see Washingtons profligate spending, imperious unaccountability, and reprobate political environment as symptoms of a federal government that recognizes no limitations on its power. They feel a civic responsibility to speak out and to work toward a return to constitutional governance and sound fiscal policy. This is not a book about the tea party movement. It is a book about the political, economic and cultural upheavals fueling the movement: the insanely escalating national debt; the increasingly coercive and contemptuous political establishment; the arrogant failure of true political leadership; and the pervasive assault on the society-sustaining virtues of truth, trust, integrity, morality, freedom, and civility.
Barclay offers this collection of readings arranged to be read one per day for 31 days. The meditations focus on a variety of topics such as God's love and care of others.
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