Amending The Christian Story

Why has Christianity been around for a mere 2,000 years when Earth life has abounded for 3.8 billion years and even humans for nearly 300,000 years? What was God doing all this time? And what if humans are not the center of God’s universe? In Amending the Christian Story, Ron Rude asserts that current versions of the Christian faith are inadequate, and more than this, are fueling humanity’s assault on Earth’s biosphere. Through the window of nature’s natural sciences—especially astronomy, geology, evolutionary biology, paleoanthropology—Rude provides a fuller and more expansive view of God’s story of life and God’s story of Jesus. Can humans continue the lived-out assumption that we are separate from, superior to, the reason for, and the rulers of everything? With new perspectives into ancient stories and current narratives, Rude compels us to urgently shift Christianity’s claim and conduct in order to unite with God’s more sustainable and just world.

Why has Christianity been around for a mere 2,000 years when Earth life has abounded for 3.8 billion years and even humans for nearly 300,000 years? What was God doing all this time? And what if humans are not the center of God's universe? In Amending the Christian Story, Ron Rude asserts that current versions of the Christian faith are inadequate, and more than this, are fueling humanity's assault on Earth's biosphere. Through the window of nature's natural sciences--especially astronomy, geology, evolutionary biology, paleoanthropology--Rude provides a fuller and more expansive view of God's story of life and God's story of Jesus. Can humans continue the lived-out assumption that we are separate from, superior to, the reason for, and the rulers of everything? With new perspectives into ancient stories and current narratives, Rude compels us to urgently shift Christianity's claim and conduct in order to unite with God's more sustainable and just world.

How Jesus Changes Our Story with His Story Each person's life tells a story. These stories have happy chapters, sad chapters, boring chapters, and exciting chapters. Some people seem to author their own stories, while others have the pens snatched from their hands. Some stories feel hopeless. Can our stories ever be rewritten? Will they have a happy ending? David Murray introduces readers to the StoryChanger, Jesus Christ—the only one who can rewrite human stories with his better Story. Both Christians and non-Christians will discover how God's Story can transform their own messy stories into stories worth telling. Brief and Accessible: Easy to recommend to both non-Christians and new Christians Biblical: Tells the first story of God's good and beautiful creation, how sin and Satan—the StoryShredder—ruined human stories, and how Jesus rewrites and redeems those stories. Personal: Shares Murray's testimony of how God changed his story and points readers toward specific ways Jesus can change their stories as well For Individual or Group Study: Includes questions for further reflection or discussion at the end of each chapter

Do you want to be close to God? The answer to a question like this is wrapped up in knowing what God is like, understanding the reasons for why God acts as he does, and learning how to promote God's goals for creation. In this short book, readers will explore issues about the nature of God, consider why God would create anything at all, and why God would create this particular universe. Through a mixture of devotional insight and philosophical analysis, one will come to a better understanding of the majesty of God.

This volume examines the 'counter-narratives' of the core Christian story, proposed by texts from Nag Hammadi and elsewhere. A noteworthy body of highly respected scholars examine material that is sometimes difficult and often overlooked, contributing to the ongoing effort to integrate Nag Hammadi and related literature into the mainstream of New Testament and early Christian studies. By retracing the major elements of the Christian story in sequence, they are able to discuss how and why each aspect was disputed on inner-Christian grounds, and to reflect on the different accounts of Christian identity underlying these disputes. Together the essays in this book address a central issue: towards the end of the second century, Irenaeus could claim that the overwhelming majority of Christians throughout the world were agreed on a version of the core Christian story which is still recognisable today. Yet, as Irenaeus concedes and as the Nag Hammadi texts have confirmed, there were many who wished to tell the core Christian story differently. Those who criticized and rejected the standard story did so not because they were adherents of another religion, 'Gnosticism', but because they were Christians who believed that the standard account was wrong at point after point. Ranging from the Gospels of Judas and Mary to Galatians and Ptolemy's Letter to Flora, this volume provides a fascinating analysis of how the Christian story as we know it today developed against counter-readings from other early Christian traditions.

This book offers the most extensive exploration of divine temporality to date. It focuses on five main questions. First, what is time? Second, how is God responsible for the existence of time? Third, what does it mean to say that God is temporal? Fourth, what kind of structure might God give to a time series? Fifth, what are the implications for theological doctrines such as the Trinity, creation, providence, and life after death? The author offers a deep, critical engagement with the Christian tradition but also goes beyond to build analytic bridges to Jewish, Islamic, Hindu, and Jainist philosophical theology. The book provides an up-to-date discussion of issues within analytic metaphysics, philosophy of time, and philosophy of religion and draws on the resources of contemporary systematic, historical, and biblical theology.

This book examines how Lincoln's opposition to amending the Constitution evolved during his political career, shaped his policies leading up to his election as president, and culminated in his support for the Thirteenth Amendment in 1864-65. It also places into context Lincoln's support of the Amendment for moral, political, and wartime reasons and shows how Lincoln helped shape the constitutional debate about slavery.

Written by a leading scholar of the constitutional amending process, this two-volume encyclopedia, now in its fifth edition, is an indispensable resource for students, legal historians, and high school and college librarians. This authoritative reference resource provides a history and analysis of all 27 ratified amendments to the Constitution, as well as insights and information on thousands of other amendments that have been proposed but never ratified from America's birth until the present day. The set also includes a rich bibliography of informative books, articles, and other media related to constitutional amendments and the amending process.

"Every one of these stories is about YOU." --Anthony de Mello Everyone loves stories; and in this book the bestselling author of Sadhana: A Way to God shares 124 stories and parables from a variety of traditions both ancient and modern. Each story resonates with life lessons that can teach us inescapable truths about ourselves and our world. De Mello's international acclaim rests on his unique approach to contemplation and ability to heighten self-awareness and self-discovery. His is a holistic approach, and in the words of one reviewer: "his mysticism cuts across all times and peoples and is truly a universal invitation." The Song of the Bird uses the familiar yet enduring medium of the story to illustrate profound realities that bring us in touch with the problems and concerns of daily life, as well as with our common spiritual quest. The aim is to develop the art of tasting and feeling the message of each story to the point that we are transformed. "Let the story speak to your heart, not to your brain," the author directs. "This may make something of a mystic out of you." Enhanced by lovely ink drawings, this is indeed a volume to treasure, to share, and to read many times over, for it is everyone's best companion on the road to spiritual growth.

In this six week video study, Adam Hamilton explores the key points in his new book, Making Sense of the Bible. With the help of this Leader Guide, groups learn from Hamilton as his video presentations lead groups through the book, focusing on the most important questions we ask about the Bible, its origins and meaning.