How to Read a Church PDF Download

Author: Richard Taylor
Publisher: Hidden Spring
ISBN: 9781587680304
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 268

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Book Description
A practical overview and explanation of different things one would find in a church: architecture, design, artifacts, symbolism. Useful for anyone of any religious background who visits a church or cathedral.

Author: Tim C. Leedom
Publisher: Eworld
ISBN: 9781617590894
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
An enlightening anthology by world-renowned theologians, historians and researchers that exposes and challenges misrepresentations and age-old beliefs. With an introduction by ABC Radio Talk Show Host Bill Jenkins.

Author: Morwenna Ludlow
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 0567185818
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 224

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Book Description
Reading the corpus of texts written by the Fathers of the Church has always been a core area in Christian theology. However, scholars and academics are by no means united in the question how these important but difficult authors should be read and interpreted. Many of them are divided by implicit (but often unquestioned) assumptions about the best way to approach the texts or by underlying hermeneutical questions about the norms, limits and opportunities of reading Ancient Christian writers. This book will raise profound hermeneutical questions surrounding the reading of the Fathers with greater clarity than it has been done before. The contributors to this volume are theologians and historians who have used contemporary post-modern approaches to illuminate the Ancien corpus of texts. The chapters discuss issues such as What makes a 'good' reading of a church Father? What constitutes a 'responsible' reading? Is the reading of the Fathers limited to a specialist audience? What can modern thinkers contribute to our reading of the Fathers?

Author: Denis R. McNamara
Publisher: Rizzoli Publications
ISBN: 0847835987
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 258

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Book Description
Small enough to fit in a pocket yet serious enough to provide real answers, this primer is a must-have for architecture and history buffs, tourists, and churchgoers interested in decoding the styles and symbols of religious buildings. Every building contains clues embedded in its design that identify not only its architectural style but also who designed it, what kind of congregation it was built for, and why. This practical yet charming handbook is the key to decoding the style, history, evolution, and social significance of religious buildings. Not strictly limited to churches, it also covers abbeys, chapels, and monasteries, among other structures. Organized according to architectural element (windows, domes, arches, etc.), each element is presented in chronological order. Additional chapters explore the architectural influence of geography, history, and various creeds, along with an illustrated timeline showing how, where, and in many cases why certain church features evolved through the centuries. There is also a useful introduction to naming each component of a church, from vaults to buttresses and transepts to apses. All entries are illustrated with period engravings and line drawings. This book will be invaluable for architecture buffs and anyone who has ever wondered why classic New England churches are white with little ornament, why Quaker meetinghouses have no altars, or why Episcopalians traditionally favored the Gothic style.

Author: Chris Sonksen
Publisher: Baker Books
ISBN: 1493407791
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 160

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Book Description
Let's face it. Church isn't working. We hear sermons about the abundant life Jesus promised, but how many of us are actually living it? How many of our churches are thriving? How many people in our congregations are experiencing God's blessings? Maybe it's time to call it quits. Quit church? Well, not exactly. Drawing from his experience coaching hundreds of churches toward true growth, Chris Sonksen calls on us to quit our casual, cultural commitment to church as we know it. No more half-hearted attempts to win the favor of God and other people by doing the right thing. No more doing things out of a sense of duty. Instead, Sonksen reveals the spiritual habits that release the blessings of God, both on each individual and on the church. He explains why we struggle to put these practices into action and gives practical solutions to move us forward into health, growth, and maturity.

Author: Keith Getty
Publisher: B&H Publishing Group
ISBN: 146274267X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 111

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Book Description
Sing! has grown from Keith and Kristyn Getty’s passion for congregational singing; it’s been formed by their traveling and playing and listening and discussing and learning and teaching all over the world. And in writing it, they have five key aims: • to discover why we sing and the overwhelming joy and holy privilege that comes with singing • to consider how singing impacts our hearts and minds and all of our lives • to cultivate a culture of family singing in our daily home life • to equip our churches for wholeheartedly singing to the Lord and one another as an expression of unity • to inspire us to see congregational singing as a radical witness to the world They have also added a few “bonus tracks” at the end with some more practical suggestions for different groups who are more deeply involved with church singing. God intends for this compelling vision of His people singing—a people joyfully joining together in song with brothers and sisters around the world and around his heavenly throne—to include you. He wants you,he wants us, to sing.

Author: Isabelle Hamley
Publisher: SPCK
ISBN: 0281086559
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 184

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Book Description
‘In a world where justice is too often about power, Isabelle Hamley shows that God’s justice brings transformation, healing and hope for all.’ JUSTIN WELBY What is justice? It’s a question we encounter everywhere in life and that over the last years has increasingly demanded an answer. In Embracing Justice, Isabelle Hamley invites us on an exhilarating journey through Scripture to discover how we, as churches, communities and individual Christians, can seek and practice justice even when enmeshed in such a fractured world. Full of practical encouragement, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lent Book for 2022 brilliantly weaves together biblical texts, diverse voices, contemporary stories, and personal and group meditations to reveal liberating and imaginative ways in which me may grow in discipleship – and more fully reflect the justice, mercy and compassion of Christ in our lives. With six chapters to take you from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday, this Lent devotional for 2022 is essential reading for anyone interested in the issues of justice – from climate and economic justice to gender and racial equality – that are increasingly at the forefront of global consciousness, and the role that Christians and the Church must play in them. Suitable for use both as a single study for individuals and for small groups to prepare for Easter, Embracing Justice will encourage, inform and motivate anyone looking for Christian books about justice. It will help you understand justice from a biblical perspective, and inspire you to seek it in every aspect of your life. Although the world is broken, unequal and violent, the call to reflect God’s own justice and mercy continues to sound like a steady drumbeat, impossible to ignore. Company with Isabelle Hamley this Lent, and discover that we can all join God’s mission of transformation and embrace his justice.

Author: Matthew Y. Emerson
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 0830870539
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 277

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Book Description
Christianity Today Book Award The Gospel Coalition Book Award "I believe he descended to the dead." The descent of Jesus Christ to the dead has been a fundamental tenet of the Christian faith, as indicated by its inclusion in both the Apostles' and Athanasian Creeds. Falling between remembrance of Christ's death on Good Friday and of his resurrection on Easter Sunday, this affirmation has been a cause for Christian worship and reflection on Holy Saturday through the centuries. At the same time, the descent has been the subject of suspicion and scrutiny, perhaps especially from evangelicals, some of whom do not find support for it within Scripture and have even called for it to be excised from the creeds. Against this conflicted landscape, Matthew Emerson offers an exploration of the biblical, historical, theological, and practical implications of the descent. Led by the mystery and wonder of Holy Saturday, he encourages those who profess faith in Christ to consider the whole work of our Savior.

Author: Anthony B. Robinson
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
ISBN: 9780802860651
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 308

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Book Description
Biblical scholar Robert Wall and pastoral leader Anthony Robinson here join forces to bring the Acts of the Apostles forward to our time as a resource for congregational renewal and transformation.Featuring both careful exegetical study and exciting contemporary exposition, the fifteen chapters of Called to Be Church each first interpret the text of Acts as Scripture and then engage Acts for today's church. The book dives into many of the most vexing issues faced by the church then and now -- such issues as conflict resolution, pluralism and multiculturalism, sexuality, money, church and state, the role of the Holy Spirit, and more.Enhanced by study questions at the end of each chapter, Called to Be Church will lend itself especially well to small-group study within congregations. Pastors, lay readers, students, and ordinary believers alike will find the book helpful and inspiring.

Author: Ben Arment
Publisher: B&H Publishing Group
ISBN: 1433671093
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 210

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Book Description
Nearly eighty percent of all new churches fail, leaving countless discouraged church planters wondering why. Ben Arment answers their question with Church in the Making by identifying and expanding on three God ordained conditions that make for a successful church plant even before the doors open: Good Ground – just as Jesus based his ministry on the openness of people’s hearts, we must gauge the spiritual receptivity of our community before planting a church. If the people are not yet open to the Gospel, the first step is to cultivate their hearts. Rolling Rocks – momentum is also key to the success of new churches. If God truly builds his church, then our job is not to start from scratch, but rather to identify where he is already bringing people, funds, and other resources together for his purposes. Deep Roots – wherever there’s a church in the making, God provides a group of leaders who can align people and resources in order to achieve and sustain the church’s mission. Lone planters have a much less hope of succeeding, let alone surviving.