Perspective: Faith

On Being Liked

On Being Liked

Posted by | Sep 18, 2020 | |

On Being Liked is the transforming and joyful sequel to Faith Beyond Resentment, which established James Alison as one of the most striking, original, and intellectually irresistible voices in the church. In this book he invites us to let go of a commomnly-held account of salvation and takes us step-by-step through a bold adventure of re-imagining the central axis of the Christian story, not as ‘How does God deal with sin?’ but as ‘How do we take up God’s invitation to sharein the act of creation?’.

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Moral Tribes: Emotion, Reason and the Gap Between Us and Them

Moral Tribes: Emotion, Reason and the Gap Between Us and Them

Posted by | Sep 17, 2020 | |

Our brains were designed for tribal life, for getting along with a select group of others (Us), and for fighting off everyone else (Them). But modern life has thrust the world’s tribes into a shared space, creating conflicts of interest and clashes of values, along with unprecedented opportunities. As the world shrinks, the moral lines that divide us become more salient and more puzzling. We fight over everything from tax codes to gay marriage to global warming, and we wonder where, if at all, we can find our common ground.

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Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why

Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why

Posted by | Sep 17, 2020 | |

When world-class biblical scholar Bart Ehrman first began to study the texts of the Bible in their original languages he was startled to discover the multitude of mistakes and intentional alterations that had been made by earlier translators. In Misquoting Jesus, Ehrman tells the story behind the mistakes and changes that ancient scribes made to the New Testament and shows the great impact they had upon the Bible we use today. He frames his account with personal reflections on how his study of the Greek manuscripts made him abandon his once ultraconservative views of the Bible.

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Living in Praise: Worshipping and Knowing God

Living in Praise: Worshipping and Knowing God

Posted by | Sep 12, 2020 | |

This revised and updated edition of one of the most influential works of theology published in recent years takes a fresh and joyous approach to some central questions. It explores the connections between prayer and praise and our knowledge of God, between worship and doctrine, between responding to God with love and living with wisdom and intellectual integrity.

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Life at the End of Us vs Them: Cross Culture Stories

Life at the End of Us vs Them: Cross Culture Stories

Posted by | Sep 12, 2020 | |

Our present moment can no longer sustain a stable “us” defined against an alien “them.” So say René Girard and Ivan Illich, radical critics of both Christianity and culture. If they are right, this makes our time an endtime. The end of us against them can deteriorate into the chaos of each against each, or it can open outward into freely chosen communion. It is an expectant—and apocalyptic—time. How does one live in this strange, endtime world? As a wanderer in the odd, cross-culture country Girard and Illich have mapped, the author finds himself in a surprising new place in relation to those who are his other: women, queer folk, refugees, Muslims, atheists, and Indigenous people. In this collection of essays, he blinks, looks around, and makes some field notes.

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