Changed By Faith

International evangelist and speaker Palau offers a gritty, up-close look at the broken world around us, the true redemptive power of the Gospel and what it means for your life today.

More than anywhere else in the Western world, religious attachments in America are quite flexible, with over 40 percent of U.S. citizens shifting their religious identification at least once in their lives. In Changing Faith, Darren E. Sherkat draws on empirical data from large-scale national studies to provide a comprehensive portrait of religious change and its consequences in the United States. With analysis spanning across generations and ethnic groups, the volume traces the evolution of the experience of Protestantism and Catholicism in the United States, the dramatic growth of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam, and the rise of non-identification, now the second most common religious affiliation in the country. Drawing on that wealth of data, it details the impact of religious commitments on broad arenas of American social life, including family and sexuality, economic well-being, political commitments, and social values. Exploring religious change among those of European heritage as well as of Eastern and Western European immigrants, African Americans, Asians, Latin Americans, and Native Americans, Changing Faith not only provides a comprehensive and ethnically inclusive demographic overview of the juncture between religion and ethnicity within both the private and public sphere, but also brings empirical analysis back to the sociology of religion.

How many people do you know who say they believe in God . . . but you’d never know it from looking at their lives? Despite good intentions, their faith isn’t life-changing or world-shaking; they may go to church on Sundays, but God doesn’t seem to make much difference the other six days. Maybe this describes you, and you’re starting to realize that the “before” of your life looks a lot like the “after.” Is that really the best life that faith in Jesus has to offer? International evangelist and speaker Luis Palau has encountered people from all walks of life who believe in God but have never experienced real, life-defining transformation. In Changed by Faith, he offers a gritty, up-close look at the broken world around us, the true redemptive power of the Gospel—and what it means for your life today. Through dramatic personal stories and solid Scriptural perspective, Luis looks at the practical changes that come when you begin to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and shows how God can take the ashes of your life and transform them into something beautiful.

At various times, some within the Protestant community have compromised core Christian principles to "fit the times". Challenging these truths, many members of the evangelical community have stood up for the key doctrines that, in their view, remain essential to the Christian faith. In Foundational Faith, John Koessler, a professor at Moody Bible Institute, joins several of his colleagues in introducing fundamental truths of the Christian faith to a generation increasingly unfamiliar with the original and true essence of Christianity.

Western culture has changed radically in the last fifty years. Death seems less dreadful, sexuality less sacred, and humanity less dignified. Reason has yielded to passion, and science often to political bias. Philosophically and culturally, the West has slowly moved from modernism to postmodernism. It’s not surprising that this shift has also radically affected the Christian church. The doctrinal confidence of the past 350 years has given way to greater levels of theological confusion. But while the new era thrives on religious pluralism, a refreshing desire has arisen among many Christians to experience and share the unchanging good news of Jesus more authentically, accurately, and passionately. This book is written to help ordinary people understand the nature of the transition that has occurred, and to inspire them to allow the gospel itself to shape life and church ministry in the midst of this great change. Each chapter ends with important questions for reflection or discussion.

Over two dozen Christian leaders describe how they changed their minds about evolution Perhaps no topic appears as potentially threatening to evangelicals as evolution. The very idea seems to exclude God from the creation the book of Genesis celebrates. Yet many evangelicals have come to accept the conclusions of science while still holding to a vigorous belief in God and the Bible. How did they make this journey? How did they come to embrace both evolution and faith? Here are stories from a community of people who love Jesus and honor the authority of the Bible, but who also agree with what science says about the cosmos, our planet and the life that so abundantly fills it. Among the contributors are Scientists such as: Francis Collins Deborah Haarsma Denis Lamoureux Theologians and philosophers such as: James K. A. Smith Amos Yong Oliver Crisp Biblical scholars such as: N. T. Wright Scot McKnight Tremper Longman III Pastors such as: John Ortberg Ken Fong Laura Truax

However long we've been Christians, we all have areas of our lives that need transforming. This six-session course helps churches and Christian groups pursue biblical, heart-focused change. Based on CCEF's, "Dynamics of Biblical Change," Real Change is ideal for anyone who wants to grow to be more like Jesus.

For Matthew Paul Turner, a spiritual drought was stretching into a desert. From his upbringing in a traditional church, to his stint as the editor of CCM Magazine, to his successful career as an author, Turner had long figured God out. Yet despite his faith-based bona fides, Turner was now facing a sobering reality: He couldn't seem to connect with the Jesus who had always seemed so available. In his desperation, Turner revisited Christ's most provocative message, the Beatitudes. What he discovered led him to relearn his faith, his life, and his God. Join popular author and humorist Matthew Paul Turner on a quest to discover just who Jesus is. Here Turner applies his x-ray insights and biting wit to cut through don't-ask-questions dogma, revealing authentic, transformative truths. More than one man's spiritual manifesto, Relearning Jesus is a dialogue, a shared journey, and a reintroduction to our Savior.

Do you have the "The Courage to Change" ? Jesus said, "If any man is to come after me, let him, deny himself, take up his cross and follow me" (Matthew 16:24). God designed you to dwell in His presence to understand His heart and to experience His divine power, love, and peace. The closer you get to God, the more you mirror the "image" of who He created you to be, and that's to be like Him. The only way to get there is through His Son, Jesus Christ. He is the way, the truth, and the life that you seek. But you got to do something first. You have got to have "the courage to change." Whatever you're doing, whatever circumstances you may be in right now, you must first deny yourself. Trust your struggle (Cross) and follow Him. Through these insights, Dr. Sax Guthery Jr. presents The Courage to Change. You can learn how to personally ... o deny yourself o break the chains of iniquity o break soul ties in your life o take up your cross o follow God What does it profit you to gain the whole world and lose your soul, or what will you give in exchange for your soul? You, too, can find the love of God in a way that you have never experienced before, but first you must have The Courage to Change! Sr. Pastor Dr. Sax Guthery Jr., with insight and a divine Word from the Lord, has witnessed the power of God in His life and others to bring about a positive change for God. You, too, can deny yourself and witness the power of God to change your life.

The world is changing so drastically - by the day, by the hour, by the minute - that sometimes you hardly recognize it. You face more and more challenges to your Christian convictions but have less and less support to stand up for your faith. You wonder if it is still possible to be ready to give a defense for what you believe. From the evolution revolution to revolutionary politics, from Western humanism to Eastern mysticism, from feminism to gay rights, An Unchanging Faith in a Changing World will help you understand not only this world but your role in changing it with God'smessage of love, forgiveness, and salvation.