Showing results for "Secular Spirituality" in Ministry & Evangelism

Post-Christian life and society do not eliminate a desire for the transcendent; rather, they create an environment for new and divergent spiritual communities and practices to flourish. We are flooded with spiritualities that appeal to human desires for nonreligious personal transformation. But many fail to deliver because they fall into the trap of the self. In the last book of the Ministry in a Secular Age series, leading practical theologian Andrew Root shows the differences between these spiritualities and authentic Christian transformation.

The loss or disaffiliation of young adults is a much-discussed topic in churches today. Many faith-formation programs focus on keeping the young, believing the youthful spirit will save the church. But do these programs have more to do with an obsession with youthfulness than with helping young people encounter the living God?

Churches often realize they need to change. But if they're not careful, the way they change can hurt more than help. Leading practical theologian Andrew Root offers a new paradigm for understanding the congregation in contemporary ministry. He articulates why congregations feel pressured by the speed of change in modern life and encourages an approach that doesn't fall into the negative traps of our secular age.

In Faith Formation in a Secular Age, the first book in his Ministry in a Secular Age trilogy, Andrew Root offered an alternative take on the issue of youth drifting away from the church and articulated how faith can be formed in our secular age. In The Pastor in a Secular Age, Root explores how this secular age has impacted the identity and practice of the pastor, obscuring his or her core vocation: to call and assist others into the experience of ministry.

Probably no book published in the last decade has been so ambitious as Charles Taylor’s A Secular Age. He seeks nothing less than to account for the spread of secularism and decline of faith in the last 500 years. Now a remarkable roster of writers - including Carl Trueman, Michael Horton, and Jen Pollock Michel - considers Taylor’s insights for the church’s life and mission, covering everything from healthcare to liturgy to pop culture and politics. Nothing is easy about faith today. But endurance produces character, and character produces hope, even in our secular age.

"In this house we believe that: Black Lives Matter, Love Is Love, Gay Rights Are Civil Rights, Women’s Rights Are Human Rights, Transgender Women Are Women". You may have seen signs with some of these messages in your neighborhood. They offer us an all-or-nothing package deal - in short, a secular creed. In this provocative audiobook, Rebecca McLaughlin helps us disentangle the beliefs Christians gladly affirm from those they cannot embrace, and invites us to talk with our neighbors about the things that matter most.

Congregations often seek to combat the crisis of decline by using innovation to produce new resources. But leading practical theologian Andrew Root shows that the church's crisis is not in the loss of resources; it's in the loss of life—and that life can only return when we remain open to God's encountering presence. This new book, related to Root's critically acclaimed Ministry in a Secular Age project, addresses the practical form the church must take in a secular age.

Gordon Smith is passionate about the need for capable, mature leaders to navigate and respond to a changing society. In this book, he draws on his extensive experience as a university president, pastor, and international speaker to open a multidisciplinary conversation about the competencies and capacities essential for today's leaders.

Churches and their leaders have innovation fever. Innovation seems exciting—a way to enliven tired institutions, embrace creativity, and be proactive—and is a superstar of the business world. But this focus on innovation may be caused by an obsession with contemporary relevance, creativity, and entrepreneurship that inflates the self, lacks theological depth, and promises burnout. In this follow-up to Churches and the Crisis of Decline, leading practical theologian Andrew Root delves into the problems of innovation.

Few Christian thinkers have brought such an array of intellectual, scientific, spiritual, and religious resources to bear on faith and society as Bernard Lonergan (1904-1984). A Jesuit philosopher and theologian, Lonergan worked to integrate faith with the promotion of justice. Taught by one of the world’s leading experts on Lonergan, this 12-lecture course introduces you to the breadth of Lonergan’s thought. You will focus on his method of better knowing yourself through your web of natural, social, and religious “ecologies”.

What if all the bad news you've been hearing about Christians isn't true? Here are some facts that may surprise you: Evangelicals are more respected by society today than they were 20 years ago. Divorce rates of Christian couples are lower than those of nonbelievers. The percentage of young people who attend church has held steady over the past 20 years. All these statements are true, yet we’ve been told the opposite time and time again. Why is the church being misled?

We live in a world where the idea of being glorified is either viewed through the lens of something that will eventually come, but has little importance now, or has an overfocused importance where believers only focus on their entry into heaven. Both are wrongfooted. Pastor and Theologian Jason Alligood communicates the hope of glory that transcends the fears and frustrations of a secular age that not only points to the hope for the future glorification, but that this hope is one that can be enjoyed and appreciated today.

Acknowledge that God owns everything

Canadian Philosophy and Theology professor and former Catholic Monk Dr. Sean J. McGrath examines how to practice contemplative Christianity in the secular age and what we can learn from the mystical tradition. In conversation with Jungian Analyst Jakob Lusensky. Subscribe on Substack. https://centerofthecross.substack.com/

O Além do Secular é um podcast da IPB do Jardim Alvorada de Maringá voltado a trazer temas contemporâneos para debate, desde cinema, esporte, teologia e a nossa vida comum, sempre com a cosmovisão cristã como centro do assunto.

Part book-club, history lesson, philosophical pondering, sisterly conversation, launchpad for reflection, our hope beyond anything else is that Contemplating Culture blesses you. A Secular Age by Charles Taylor is a big fat book full of good stuff that most of the world's population will never read. So we're doing it for you. Kathryn is reading through the book and cartooning as she goes, taking these into conversations with Katherine. Together, we explore the state of contemporary culture, how we got here, and what this all means for us as missionaries in the world today.

The Going Deeper podcast engages cultures with humility, grace, and a Christ-centered perspective. No condescension. No compromise. We discuss topics spanning the entire spiritual-secular spectrum, from social media and individualism to fasting and scripture memory. Come burdened by the noise and pressure of a 'have-it-all' world---leave refreshed and encouraged to go deeper in your relationship with God!