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Today the American evangelical church is in a crisis. Evangelical Christians make up only 25% of the population and that number is dropping all the time. Movements like the "Exvangelical" are becoming more popular in what used to be the dominant vein of Christianity. Those outside the Evangelical church see us as judgmental, hypocritical, and angry and not without good reason. Many Christians can quote John 3:16 from memory, but few are as familiar with the rest of Jesus' life and teachings. Amidst an ever-growing political divide in the country and the church, we need to again ask ourselves, what does it mean to follow the Jesus revealed in the Gospels in this Empire? Join Chris on this journey through the life of Jesus in the first century. Uncover with him the responsibilities of modern Christians in America. Sit in the tension of life in the Empire and the Kingdom and laugh at the terrible jokes along the way. What you learn may just surprise you.
We love ragtag rebels who defeat the empire in films we watch and books we read. But living in centers of the world’s wealth and power, do we recognize that we are participants in today’s version of empire? Most of the Bible is written for and by people under threat or under the thumb of a variety of empires. The question faced by the children of Israel and the early followers of Jesus was how to live for the kingdom of God while powerful empires demanded full obedience. Does living with affluence and influence change the way we read and understand that story? Are we likely to miss the way the Bible critiques our use of wealth, weapons, and walls? What do Abraham, Moses, and Daniel teach us about living in the heart of the empire and reaching for something better? What can Paul teach us about using the resources of the empire to spread the message that Jesus is Lord, not Caesar? What do the birth and death of Jesus teach us about how God is redeeming the world of empires? Is our citizenship in the empire a temptation, or an opportunity?
The idea of the United States as a Christian nation is a powerful, seductive, and potentially destructive theme in American life, culture, and politics. And yet, as Richard T. Hughes reveals in this powerful book, the biblical vision of the "kingdom of God" stands at odds with the values and actions of an American empire that sanctions war instead of peace, promotes dominance and oppression instead of reconciliation, and exalts wealth and power instead of justice for the poor and needy. With extensive analysis of both Christian scripture and American history from the founding of the republic to the present day, Christian America and the Kingdom of God illuminates the devastating irony of a "Christian America" that so often behaves in unchristian ways.
A major advance in Jesus studies and a critique of oppression. Horsley focuses his attention on how Jesus' proclamation of the kingdom of God relates to Roman and Herodian power politics.
Before there were worshippers of Jesus, there were followers of Jesus. Before there were organized churches with creeds and doctrines, there were small communities of love, equality, and sharing dedicated to the practice of Jesus' teachings and committed to a wholly new way of living. Today, the churches of the Global North are in decline and younger generations no longer seek meaning there. Traditional "church Christianity" is gradually giving way to some new way of faithful living. From a Nazi prison cell, German pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer imagined a future "religionless Christianity" consisting of contemplative prayer and righteous action in the secular world. A Conspiracy of Love presents the contours of such a faith based on the "way" of Jesus. It calls us to become troublemakers, revolutionaries, seekers of change, and agents of transformation engaged in conspiracies of love to establish justice and peace in a postmodern world. It offers many different people--those who remain in the church, those who have left, and those who have never ventured near--with a life of faith that is meaningful, intelligent, and passionate.
Confused by "end of the world" readings or put off by the dense and mysterious imagery, many readers hesitate to explore the Book of Revelation. Unveiling Empire offers a new entree into this troubling and controversial book of the Bible by examining the roots and social purposes of apocalyptic literature and Revelations own use of traditional imagery. In this way the authors provide readers with the tools for deciphering the texts message--and its urgent applications for Christians today living amidst a new kind of "empire."
The bestselling author and prominent New Testament scholar draws parallels between 1st–century Roman Empire and 21st–century United States, showing how the radical messages of Jesus and Paul can lead us to peace today Using the tools of expert biblical scholarship and a keen eye for current events, bestselling author John Dominic Crossan deftly presents the tensions exhibited in the Bible between political power and God’s justice. Through the revolutionary messages of Jesus and Paul, Crossan reveals what the Bible has to say about land and economy, violence and retribution, justice and peace, and ultimately, redemption. He examines the meaning of “kingdom of God” prophesized by Jesus, and the equality recommended to Paul by his churches, contrasting these messages of peace against the misinterpreted apocalyptic vision from the book of Revelations, that has been co-opted by modern right-wing theologians and televangelists to justify the United State’s military actions in the Middle East.
The church is working with a shrunken Gospel, robbed of its power, limited in its scope, and unable to catch the interest of those it needs to reach. Who is responsible? More importantly, how can we reclaim the full content and the powerful nature of the Gospel itself? In this book, retired pastor Lee Wyatt looks at the crisis in the church, one he believes is caused by our loss of this full Gospel message. To rebuild our understanding he then revisits Jesus, helping us to become acquainted with Him and the meaning of his mission. Then, and only then, with this rebuilt picture of Jesus, does he revisit evangelism, and tell us how we can turn our efforts to reach around the world. Only when we have “unshrunk” our gospel can we successfully evangelize.
We love ragtag rebels who defeat the empire in films we watch and books we read. But living in centers of the world's wealth and power, do we recognize that we are participants in today's version of empire? Most of the Bible is written for and by people under threat or under the thumb of a variety of empires. The question faced by the children of Israel and the early followers of Jesus was how to live for the kingdom of God while powerful empires demanded full obedience. Does living with affluence and influence change the way we read and understand that story? Are we likely to miss the way the Bible critiques our use of wealth, weapons, and walls? What do Abraham, Moses, and Daniel teach us about living in the heart of the empire and reaching for something better? What can Paul teach us about using the resources of the empire to spread the message that Jesus is Lord, not Caesar? What do the birth and death of Jesus teach us about how God is redeeming the world of empires? Is our citizenship in the empire a temptation, or an opportunity?