Living The Questions

Ministers David Felten and Jeff Procter-Murphy, along with an all-star cast of Bible scholars and top church teachers, provide a primer to a church movement that encourages every Christian to “live the questions” instead of “forcing the answers.” Based on the bestselling DVD course of the same name, Living the Questions: The Wisdom of Progressive Christianity includes commentary from such bestselling authors as Diana Butler Bass, John Shelby Spong, Marcus Borg, John Dominic Crossan, Brian McLaren, and others. Tackling issues of faith and controversial subjects such as the church’s position on homosexuality, Living the Questions is the most comprehensive, indeed the only survey of progressive Christianity in existence today.

Essential reading for scholars, poetry lovers, and anyone with an interest in Rainer Maria Rilke, German poetry, or the creative impulse, these ten letters of correspondence between Rilke and a young aspiring poet reveal elements from the inner workings of his own poetic identity. The letters coincided with an important stage of his artistic development and readers can trace many of the themes that later emerge in his best works to these messages—Rilke himself stated these letters contained part of his creative genius.

Teacher research is an extension of good teaching, observing students closely, analyzing their needs, and adjusting the curriculum to fit the needs of all. In this completely updated second edition of their definitive work, Ruth Shagoury and Brenda Miller Power present a framework for teacher research along with an extensive collection of narratives from teachers engaged in the process of designing and carrying out research projects to inform their instruction. This edition includes a greater variety of short contributions from a wide range of teacher-researchers -- novices and veterans from all backgrounds and parts of the country -- who speak to the growing diversity in today' s classrooms. Threaded throughout the chapters and narratives is a discussion of the emergence of digital tools and their effect on both teaching and the research process, along with an expanded number of research designs. The book has three primary components: 1.Chapters written by the authors explaining key elements of the research process: finding questions, designing projects, data collection and analysis, and more 2.Research activities that enable readers to try out the featured strategies and techniques 3.Teacher-researcher essays in which teachers share details of completed projects and discuss the impact they have had in their classrooms. Living the Questions, Second Edition: A Guide for Teacher-Researchers will take you step-by-step through the process of designing, implementing, and publishing your research. Along the way, it will introduce you to dozens of kindred spirits who are finding new passion for teaching by living the questions every day in their classrooms. You will be reminded of why you became a teacher yourself.

Who is God? Who is the Creator? Who is the Christ? What is Salvation? Who is God the Spirit? What is the Church? What is Baptism? What is our future? Loving the Questions is a series of reflections on the questions raised by the Nicene Creed, a fourth-century statement of the Christian faith still used regularly in worship in churches around the world. Taking us through the creed step-by-step, Marianne Micks not only poses the questions most asked by contemporary Christians, but also teaches us to delight in the questions themselves. Faith accompanied by doubt, she believes, is far healthier that faith that never asks "why?" In short, accessible chapters Micks informs us of the historical background of the Nicene Creed and reminds us of the creed's theological, communal, and personal relevance today.

A sociology professor examines the demographic shift that has led more Americans than ever before to embrace a nonreligious life and highlights the inspirational stories and beliefs that empower modern-day secular culture.

When her 30-year marriage broke up, Hubbell retreated to the country where she found solace in the natural world.

Parker J. Palmer--who for forty years has written and spoken about subjects ranging from contemplation to community, the inner life to public life, education to social change--is known as one of the nation’s most thoughtful voices, calling us all to ways of being in the world that honor the human heart and promote a humane society. Living the Questions, a celebration of Palmer’s long and distinguished career, explores the dynamic interplay between the inner life of spirit and the outer life of work. The equally distinguished contributors, who come from a wide range of professions--university presidents, scientists, physicians, religious leaders, business consultants, public school educators, philanthropists, and community organizers--bear witness to the depth, breadth, and reach of Palmer’s work. All of them have been personally touched by his courage and determination to live a life congruent with the ideas and principles he writes about and by his candor in acknowledging his own flaws.

"Living by faith" is much more than a general Christian precept; it is the fundamental posture of believers in a world rife with suffering and injustice. In this penetrating reflection on the meaning of "justification," Oswald Bayer shows how this key religious term provides a comprehensive horizon for discussing every aspect of Christian theology, from creation to the end times. Inspired by and interacting with Martin Luther, the great Christian thinker who grappled most intensely with the concept of justification, Bayer explores anew the full range of traditional dogmatics (sin, redemption, eschatology, and others), placing otherwise complex theological terms squarely within their proper milieu -- everyday life. In the course of his discussion, Bayer touches on such deep questions as the hidden nature of God, the hope for universal justice, the problem of evil, and -- one of the book's most engaging motifs -- Job's daring lawsuit with God.

Christianity receives a lot of attention in the media, but the most frequently discussed version represents a type of Christianity that sometimes turns people away from the Church. Kissing Fish presents a postmodern systematic theology of progressive Christianity, a growing movement that reclaims the radical message of the Gospel. This informative, contemplative, and entertaining book will guide you through the beliefs that inspire us to love one another in the transformative way that Jesus proclaimed, including practices that will take your faith to a new level. Kissing Fish is a scholarly yet thoroughly accessible introduction to progressive Christianity. While the intended target audience for this work would seem to be those who have either left the Christian faith or never adopted it at all; the work is filled with pearls of wisdom for all of us, whether associated with Christianity or not. Kissing Fish is a truly remarkable work, serving both as a reminder of the beauty and grace that form the central tenets of the faith, while offering a graceful yet prophetic rebuttal to its more exclusionary tendencies. Kissing Fish is part theological text and part tell-all personal spiritual journey. Imagine a down-to-earth combination of the works of Marcus Borg, Anne Lamott, Jim Wallis, Rob Bell, Shane Claiborne, Diana Butler-Bass, Brian McLaren, Walter Wink, Wes Howard-Brook, and Donald Miller. A profound romp that informs and inspires.

Since life is a journey, feel free to stop and ask for directions. Previously released as the bestselling The Glorious Journey, this practical volume by Charles Stanley shows readers how to put God's Word to work in their daily lives with this easy-to-apply handbook. As believers, our desire is to follow the Lord more closely and to utilize His Word for maximum impact in our lives. Occasionally, however, we find ourselves not even knowing the questions to ask, or the best way to approach Scripture in search of answers. Charles F. Stanley's Handbook for Christian Living is not a lofty theological work, nor is it an academic commentary. Instead, Dr. Stanley has prepared a friendly, easy-to-use help system for every believer. In this collection, he speaks with authority on such issues as: the real purpose of baptism how to treat others at work a proper view of those in government how grace saves us and how worry robs us what freedom reallly is He also shares biblical insight into relationships, children, parenting, loneliness, sexual pressures, as well as strategies for personal growth. From the thorny issues of daily life to a framework for the end times (and everything in between), Charles F. Stanley's Handbook for Christian brings Scripture to life, makes sense of the hard questions, and enhances your understanding of the way life was meant to be lived.