House Church

Blurring the boundaries of righteous and irreverent, Red Lip Theology invites us to discover freedom in a progressive Christian faith that incorporates activism, feminism, and radical authenticity. Essayist and theologian Candice Marie Benbow’s essays explore universal themes like heartache, loss, forgiveness, and sexuality, and she unflinchingly empowers women who struggle with feeling loved and nurtured by church culture.

A cosmic war is a religious war. It is a battle not between armies or nations, but between the forces of good and evil, a war in which God is believed to be directly engaged on behalf of one side against the other. The hijackers who attacked the United States on September 11, 2001, thought they were fighting a cosmic war. According to award-winning writer and scholar of religions Reza Aslan, by infusing the United States War on Terror with the same kind of religiously polarizing rhetoric and Manichean worldview, is also fighting a cosmic war - a war that can’t be won.

We often view authority as something oppressive, stifling, even fearful. And sometimes—perhaps too often—those impressions bear out in reality. We live in an era of overstepped boundaries and abuse in many fields of life, so that authority has become the enemy.

The reputation of the people of God isn’t healthy. You can’t scroll down a newsfeed without seeing someone post something negative about the church—a scandal, church hurt, foolish words from the pulpit, and more. People don’t respect Christians anymore. If God’s glory is supposed to be shown through his people, something is very wrong. We need major rebranding. Rather than claiming that this low reputation is spiritual warfare, we need to own our role. In Rebranding the Church, Dr. Mason invites followers of Jesus to join God in the work of restoring dignity in the church.

In light of the heartbreaking ethnic division rending America today, A House Without Walls seeks to foster multiethnic harmony in evangelical congregations by bringing Biblical clarity to current racial and ethnic conversations. It attempts to realign discussions about race under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, focusing on Biblical understanding and applications. It also includes extra-Biblical research explaining the language and logic of current conversations about race, with an aim toward confidence in engaging the prevalent cultural discourse on race.

No one has ever been in a position to see the presidents, and the presidency, so intimately, over so many years. They called him in for photo opportunities. They called for comfort. They asked about death and salvation; about sin and forgiveness. At a time when the nation is increasingly split over the place of religion in public life, The Preacher and the Presidents reveals how the world's most powerful men and world's most famous evangelist, Billy Graham, knit faith and politics together.

Letters from Jesus: Studies from the Seven Churches of Revelation explores Christ’s warnings to the seven most prominent churches in Asia Minor in the book of Revelation. These letters date back to 95 AD, but they help us make a fascinating discovery about civilization: Life hasn’t changed that much over the last two millennia. Author Chris Palmer illustrates the truths contained in the Letters from Jesus using modern, everyday examples.

In this insightful, nonpartisan roadmap toward faithful political engagement and ultimate allegiance to Jesus, pastor Joshua Ryan Butler diagnoses the roots of political conflict tearing apart the church and prescribes a practical and prophetic way forward.

1914: Anticipating a long summer of freedom at her friend's family estate in Cambridge, Grace Villiers is disappointed by an unexpected addition to their party. Then the new arrival offers to teach Grace to swim, and she is forced to see there is more to Algernon Lake than his reputation. But, with war brewing across Europe, this will be a summer that changes everything.

The most dramatic Church growth in history in ancient and in modern times has occurred where there were no church buildings - just believers multiplying from house to house. This book looks at the philosophy and practicality of “home church” for today.

In this groundbreaking, inspiring book, Robin R. Meyers, the senior minister of Oklahoma City’s Mayflower Congregational United Church of Christ, shows how listeners can move from a theology of obedience to one of consequence. He argues that we need to stop seeing our actions as a means for pleasing a distant God and rediscover how God has empowered us to care for ourselves and the world. Drawing on stories from his decades of active ministry, Meyers captures how the struggles of ordinary people hint at how we can approach faith as a radical act of trust in a God who is all around us.

When a young writer accepts a job at a university in the remote English countryside, it's meant to be a fresh start, away from the bustle of London and the scene of a violent assault she is desperate to forget. But a vicious debate about violence against women inflames the tensions and mounting rivalries in her creative-writing class. When a troubled student starts turning in chapters that blur the lines between fiction and reality, the professor recognizes herself as the main character in his book - and he has written her a horrific fate.

Sometimes we get stuck in life, doing the same thing day in and day out. We can become unmotivated and unfulfilled, longing for a change. But every day presents the chance to begin anew, to see circumstances and situations differently, and to choose the path that leads to a life that's better than ever. With personal stories and her signature humor, April Osteen Simons reminds us that we have a choice every day to embrace the positive and turn away from the negative.

"I thought the nation was coming to an end", wrote Khushwant Singh, looking back on the violence of Partition that he was witness to over half a century ago. He believed then that he had seen the worst that India could do to herself. But after the violence in Gujarat in 2002, he felt that the worst, perhaps, is still to come. Analysing the anti-Sikh riots of 1984, the burning of Graham Staines and his children, the targeted killings by terrorists in Punjab and Kashmir, Singh confronts the absolute corruption of religion that has made us among the most brutal people on earth.

David was not allowed to build the temple, but Yahweh told him that he would build a house for him. David was a man of war and had blood on his hands, so he was not qualified to build the temple. Solomon was allowed to build the temple and the house of David, but he was warned about keeping his heart right and being a man of integrity like his father before him. Neither of them was qualified to build the Father's house because that responsibility was reserved for Yahshua the Messiah.

Some people believe that porn can be helpful in a relationship. However, the majority of research claims there are very few cases where pornography has actually been helpful in a marriage. This is because porn is not designed to help you feel content with your marriage partner. Instead, it is designed to make you feel dissatisfied. This is exactly why something as simple as watching porn almost always turns into a negative consequence.

Yassmin Abdel-Magied started out a dynamic, optimistic, naïve, youthful grass-roots organiser and oil rig worker before she found herself taking on the heft of the Australian political and media establishment, unintentionally. From her new home in Europe she brings her characteristic warmth, clarity and inquisitive nature to the concepts of 'the private and public self' and 'systems and society' that structure this collection. In 'The Private and Public Self', Yassmin shares her passions for cars and cryptocurrency as well as the personal challenges around her activism and leaving Australia.

Christmas is one of the most joyful times of year, and it can also be one of the most stressful. It comes laden with expectations and, for many, overshadowed by difficult memories and emotions. If every other day of the year has us running in different directions, driven by the bleeping demands of our phones and devices, Christmas makes us run faster still.

A sweeping history of one of the nation’s most important African American churches and a profound story of grace and perseverance amidst the fight for racial justice—from Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Kevin Sack.

Discover how every member of the body of Christ is affected and empowered for ministry when elders give healthy oversight to the church. This biblical model communicates the family character of the church as teams of servant-leaders equip, protect, and love the local church. Complete with evaluation questionnaires, sabbatical guidelines, sample church by-laws, keys to developing a vision statement, biblical steps to make godly decisions, maintaining a leader’s health, and much more.