Religion England

Insights from Philip Yancey's personal pilgrimage away from and back to the church. Why are there so many more professing Christians than churchgoing Christians? Is it because something is wrong with the church? In his candid, thought-provoking manner, award-winning author Philip Yancey reveals the reasons behind his own journey back from skepticism to wholehearted participation in the church, and weighs the church's human failings against its compelling worth as the body of Christ.

At the time of his death, Christopher Hitchens was the most notorious atheist in the world. And yet, all was not as it seemed. "Nobody is not a divided self, of course," he once told an interviewer, "but I think it's rather strong in my case." Hitchens was a man of many contradictions: a Marxist in youth who longed for acceptance among the social elites; a peacenik who revered the military; a champion of the Left who was nonetheless pro-life, pro-war-on-terror; and, after 9/11, something of a neocon.

Is successful leadership measured simply by the outcomes a leader achieves, or is there another - more essential - yardstick for measuring success? In Redefining Leadership, author, pastor, and college president Joe Stowell shows us that the best leaders are driven by Christ-formed character, and that truly successful leadership is not defined by the standards of this world but by the counter-intuitive practices and perspectives of the Kingdom of Christ.

Nearly all churches and ministries consider themselves dedicated to evangelism, and many explicitly include outreach in their mission statements. But few are actually bearing fruit. Kevin Harney diagnoses this problem and offers guidance for multiplying the outreach impact of churches. Organic Outreach for Churches provides direction for local congregations to weave evangelism into the fabric of the church. Commitment to the Great Commission is not simply about sending money and prayers to missions or holding occasional events to reach out (although these things are good).

Dr. Robert Jeffress has an encouraging message for people looking for something more. God not only wants us to enjoy an extraordinary life, he has provided a roadmap for doing so. In this inspiring and motivating book, Dr. Jeffress reveals seven secrets from Elijah that result in a life marked by significance, satisfaction, and success, including discovering your unique purpose in life; waiting on God's timing; learning how to handle bad days; and more.

Since the release of Strange Sheffield Adrian Finney found himself as the host of the Strange Sheffield Ghost Tours under his Strange Britain brand. In this role he quickly found himself deluged with stories sent to him from the people of Sheffield and he began researching. Those stories are what are at the core of Stranger Sheffield.

The parish, the lowest level of hierarchy in the medieval church, was the shared responsibility of the laity and the clergy. Most Christians were baptized, went to confession, were married, and were buried in the parish church or churchyard; in addition, business, legal settlements, sociability, and entertainment brought people to the church, uniting secular and sacred concerns.

In Sticky Church, author and pastor Larry Osborne makes the case that closing the back door of your church is even more important than opening the front door wider. He offers a time-tested strategy for doing so: sermon-based small groups that dig deeper into the weekend message and tightly velcro members to the ministry. It’s a strategy that enabled Osborne’s congregation to grow from a handful of people to one of the larger churches in the nation - without any marketing or special programming.

There have been times when you've felt that if there isn't a God, there ought to be. Swept up in the mystery of the night sky, you've felt the closeness of its designer. Nature's extravagant diversity, unfolding in living color, has made you long to know the artist who dreamed it all up. Imagine what that might be like - to actually know God in a way that fills your heart and whispers tremendous value and purpose to something deep within you. But how can you experience a being you're not even sure exists?

The Church is very good at saying all the right things about racial equality. But the reality is that the institution has utterly failed to back up these good intentions with demonstrable efforts to reform. It is a long way from being a place of Black flourishing.

Es gibt wohl keinen anderen Autoren, der nach wie vor so omnipräsent ist wie Oscar Wilde. Seine Zitate begegnen uns auf Werbeplakaten, verzieren Kaffeetassen, Geschenkartikel, Postkarten, Sofakissen, Bierdeckel und sonstige bedruckbare Gegenstände. Lifestyle-, Mode- und Gesellschaftsmagazine schmücken sich damit und Kneipen, Restaurants, Hotels und Unternehmen verwenden diese als Motto.

Finances are the number-one cause of disagreements in marriages, leading many couples to divorce. Dr. Gary Chapman has counseled couples for over 30 years on relationship issues - money being at the top of the list. In his audiobook Profit Sharing, Dr. Chapman provides practical advice on how to make money an asset - as opposed to a headache - in your marriage. His straightforward conversational style will help you and your spouse quickly identify weak areas and reframe the way you view your finances.

Remember when you were first married? Your spouse did or said something constantly that you thought was endearing. Now, that same habit has turned into a major irritation, and a barrier to your relationship. The Chapman Guide to Negotiating Change with Your Spouse provides a simple three-step process for negotiating change without resorting to manipulation or arguing.

It began with a key. One afternoon in 1956, in the home of the Hitchings family in Battersea, south London, a small silver key appeared on Shirley Hitchings's bed. This seemingly insignificant event heralded the beginning of one of the most terrifying, incredible and mysterious hauntings in British history. The spirit, who quickly became known as 'Donald', began to communicate, initially via tapping sounds, but over time - and with the encouragement of psychical researcher Harold Chibbett, whose case-files appear here - by learning to write.

The Loch Ness monster: a creature that should have died out with the dinosaurs or a legend built on hoaxes and wishful thinking? Sir Peter Scott, internationally renowned naturalist and president of the World Wildlife Fund, was convinced that the monster existed. So were senior scientists at London's Natural History Museum and Chicago University; they lost their jobs because they refused to renounce their belief in the creature.

A concise guide to understanding how and why the ancient Christian faith makes sense for today and a blueprint for communicating truth to a "truthless" and cynical generation. The book is centered around six key principles: objectivity, rationality, veracity, authority, incompatibility, and integrity. In the ultimate apologetic, John MacArthur presents a case for Christianity that serves as a logical explanation as much as a solid defense.

THE RIGHT OF SANCTUARY IN THE ENGLISH TRADITION takes the listener on a historical, criminal, and legal odyssey through the ancient practice of sanctuary, which was granted to fugitives fleeing from justice, by Catholic churches in England, during the Middle Ages. The book begins with a discussion of the origin of sanctuary, being rooted in the six Levitical cities of the Old Testament, and continuing through the Middle Ages and beyond.

In 1144 the mutilated body of William of Norwich, a young apprentice leatherworker, was found abandoned outside the city's walls. The boy bore disturbing signs of torture, and a story spread that it was a ritual murder, performed by Jews, in imitation of the Crucifixion as a mockery of Christianity. The outline of William's tale eventually gained currency far beyond Norwich, and the idea that Jews engaged in ritual murder became firmly rooted in the European imagination.

Following the execution of the king in 1649, the new Commonwealth and then Oliver Cromwell set out to drive forward a puritan reformation of manners. They wanted to reform the church and its services, enforce the Sabbath, suppress Christmas, and spread the gospel. They sought to impose a stern moral discipline to regulate and reform sexual behaviour, drinking practices, language, dress, and leisure activities ranging from music and plays to football.

Found: God’s Will explores a question vital to every believer: How can I discover God’s plan for my life? Packaged in an easy-to-understand format, this guide shares six powerful principles that will give you direction, fill you with purpose, and give you the confidence to live out His plan for you.