Adventures in Missing the Point: How the Culture-Controlled Church Neutered the Gospel

Adventures in Missing the Point: How the Culture-Controlled Church Neutered the Gospel - by Brian D. McLaren & Tony Campolo

Book Description

There is a stirring among churchgoers. Many are looking at how the Christian faith is being played out, wondering if somehow we’re missing the point. What if there is more to our faith than just getting our souls into heaven? What if there is a power in the gospel that’s been kept under lock and key because of our culture-controlled church? If we placed our beliefs and their origins under the microscope, what would we see?

From the Back Cover

How the Culture-Controlled Church Neutered the GospelIf you’re brave enough to take an honest look at the issues facing the culture–controlled church—and the issues in your own life—read on. Do you ever look at how the Christian faith is being lived out in the new millennium and wonder if we’re not doing what we’re supposed to be doing? That we still haven’t quite “gotten it”? That we’ve missed the point regarding many important issues? It’s understandable if we’ve relied on what we’ve been told to believe or what’s widely accepted by the Christian community. But if we truly turned a constructive, critical eye toward our beliefs and vigorously questioned them and their origins, where would we find ourselves? Best-selling authors Brian McLaren and Tony Campolo invite you to do just that. Join them on an adventure—one that’s about uncovering and naming faultyconclusions, suppositions, and assumptions about the Christian faith. In Adventures in Missing the Point, the authors take turns addressing how we’ve missed the point on crucial topics such as: salvation, the Bible, being postmodern, worship, homosexuality, truth, and many more.

A Generous Orthodoxy:...

A Generous Orthodoxy: Why I Am a Missional, Evangelical, Post/Protestant, Liberal/Conservative, Mystical/Poetic, Biblical, Charismatic/Contemplative, Fundamentalist/Calvinist, Anabaptist/Anglican, Methodist, Catholic, Green, Incarnational, Depressed-yet-Hopeful, Emergent, Unfinished CHRISTIAN - by Brian D. McLaren

Review

YouthWorker : …this book will make you think. In a time when wee seem to be preaching intolerance in the name of God, McLaren's book is a voice of reason.

Book Description

By celebrating strengths of many traditions in the church (and beyond), this book will seek to communicate a “generous orthodoxy.”

Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality

Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality - by Donald Miller

From Publishers Weekly:

Miller (Prayer and the Art of Volkswagen Maintenance) is a young writer, speaker and campus ministry leader. An earnest evangelical who nearly lost his faith, he went on a spiritual journey, found some progressive politics and most importantly, discovered Jesus' relevance for everyday life. This book, in its own elliptical way, tells the tale of that journey. But the narrative is episodic rather than linear, Miller's style evocative rather than rational and his analysis personally revealing rather than profoundly insightful. As such, it offers a postmodern riff on the classic evangelical presentation of the Gospel, complete with a concluding call to commitment. Written as a series of short essays on vaguely theological topics (faith, grace, belief, confession, church), and disguised theological topics (magic, romance, shifts, money), it is at times plodding or simplistic (how to go to church and not get angry? "pray... and go to the church God shows you"), and sometimes falls into merely self-indulgent musing. But more often Miller is enjoyably clever, and his story is telling and beautiful, even poignant. (The story of the reverse confession booth is worth the price of the book.) The title is meant to be evocative, and the subtitle-"Non-Religious" thoughts about "Christian Spirituality"-indicates Miller's distrust of the institutional church and his desire to appeal to those experimenting with other flavors of spirituality.Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Book Description:
"I never liked jazz music because jazz music doesn't resolve. . . . I used to not like God because God didn't resolve. But that was before any of this happened." In Donald Miller's early years, he was vaguely familiar with a distant God. But when he came to know Jesus Christ, he pursued the Christian life with great zeal. Within a few years he had a successful ministry that ultimately left him feeling empty, burned out, and, once again, far away from God. In this intimate, soul-searching account, Miller describes his remarkable journey back to a culturally relevant, infinitely loving God.

How to Stop the Pain

Book Description

We all experience pain! Every day millions of people live in a world of heartache. We're forced to smile and pretend that everything is all right. You've been wounded, and you just can't seem to heal. You try to get on with your life, but you just can't move on. You forgive, but you can't forget! Every day exhumes the pain you try to bury. It cripples your relationships with people, God, and life itself. It destroys your ability to pursue your dreams.
This paradigm-shattering book will free you from the forces that would turn you into a victim. It will lead you step-by-step through a simple process that will free you from the pain of the past and protect you from the pain of the future.

We all experience pain! Every day millions of people live in a world of heartache. We're forced to smile and pretend that everything is all right. You've been wounded, and you just can't seem to heal. You try to get on with your life, but you just can't move on. You forgive, but you can't forget! Every day exhumes the pain you try to bury. It cripples your relationships with people, God, and life itself. It destroys your ability to pursue your dreams. This paradigm-shattering book will free you from the forces that would turn you into a victim. It will lead you step-by-step through a simple process that will free you from the pain of the past and protect you from the pain of the future. -Break the secret link to the pain of the past -Identify the number one source of suffering -Never be hurt by another insult -Learn the only biblical way to prevent pain -Free yourself from the need to judge others -Experience freedom from criticism

Grace: The Power to Change

Book Description
Christians everywhere have been missing the truth about grace-and living in defeat as a result. Grace is God’s ability working in you to do what you cannot. It is the power to change. Take to heart the principles in this book, and discover the dimension of Christian living that Jesus called “easy and light.” Jesus has finished the work, so relax and let His grace change your heart!

About the Author
As president and founder of Impact Ministries, Dr. James Richards reaches thousands around the world with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Dr. Richards is a worldwide conference speaker as well as the author of several books that have challenged believers to new levels of power and service. With doctorates in theology, human behavior, and alternative medicine, and an honorary doctorate in world evangelism, Dr. Richards has pioneered Bible-based approaches to meeting the needs of today's world. Brother Jim and his wife, Brenda, have five daughters and nine grandchildren, and reside in Huntsville, Alabama.