Enhancing Christian Life

Enhancing Christian Life PDF Author: Brad D. Strawn
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 0830828400
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 179

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Book Description
2020 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Finalist - Science and Technology No one is really Christian on their own. But often the religious life is seen as individual, private, and internal—resulting in a truncated, consumeristic faith. And what if that kind of individualistic Christianity is built on a fundamental misunderstanding of human nature? According to psychologists Brad Strawn and Warren Brown, it's time to rethink the Christian life in light of current research on the human mind, particularly with a deeper understanding of the process called "extended cognition." Using insights from neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy, they argue in Enhancing Christian Life that persons must be understood as not only embodied and embedded within particular contexts, but also extended beyond the body to encompass aspects of the physical and social world. Embracing a vision of the Christian life as extended into interactions with a local network of believers, they help us discover a fuller, more effective way to be Christian. After exploring the psychological dynamics of extended cognition, including how the mind is "supersized" by the incorporation of physical tools and social networks, Strawn and Brown consider implications for spiritual practices, congregational life, and religious language and traditions, which they describe as mental "wikis." The formation of robust Christian life, they show, is a process that takes place within a larger mesh of embodiment and mind—broader, deeper, and richer than we could ever be on our own.

Enhancing Christian Life

Enhancing Christian Life PDF Author: Brad D. Strawn
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 0830828400
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 179

Get Book

Book Description
2020 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Finalist - Science and Technology No one is really Christian on their own. But often the religious life is seen as individual, private, and internal—resulting in a truncated, consumeristic faith. And what if that kind of individualistic Christianity is built on a fundamental misunderstanding of human nature? According to psychologists Brad Strawn and Warren Brown, it's time to rethink the Christian life in light of current research on the human mind, particularly with a deeper understanding of the process called "extended cognition." Using insights from neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy, they argue in Enhancing Christian Life that persons must be understood as not only embodied and embedded within particular contexts, but also extended beyond the body to encompass aspects of the physical and social world. Embracing a vision of the Christian life as extended into interactions with a local network of believers, they help us discover a fuller, more effective way to be Christian. After exploring the psychological dynamics of extended cognition, including how the mind is "supersized" by the incorporation of physical tools and social networks, Strawn and Brown consider implications for spiritual practices, congregational life, and religious language and traditions, which they describe as mental "wikis." The formation of robust Christian life, they show, is a process that takes place within a larger mesh of embodiment and mind—broader, deeper, and richer than we could ever be on our own.

Living into Community

Living into Community PDF Author: Christine D. Pohl
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
ISBN: 1467431869
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 220

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Book Description
Every church, every organization, has experienced them: betrayal, deception, grumbling, envy, exclusion. They make life together difficult and prevent congregations from developing the skills, virtues, and practices they need to nurture sturdy, life-giving communities. In Living into Community Christine Pohl explores four specific Christian practices -- gratitude, promise-keeping, truth-telling, and hospitality -- that can counteract those destructive forces and help churches and individuals build and sustain vibrant communities. Drawing on a wealth of personal and professional experience and interacting with the biblical, historical, and moral traditions, Pohl thoughtfully discusses each practice, including its possible complications and deformations, and points to how these essential practices can be better cultivated within communities and families.

Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership

Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership PDF Author: Ruth Haley Barton
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 0830874178
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 261

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Book Description
"I'm tired of helping others enjoy God—I just want to enjoy God for myself." With this painful admission, Ruth Haley Barton invites us to an honest exploration of what happens when spiritual leaders lose track of their souls. Weaving together contemporary illustrations with penetrating insight from the life of Moses, Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership explores topics such as responding to the dynamics of calling facing the loneliness of leadership leading from your authentic self cultivating spiritual community reenvisioning the promised land discerning God's will together Each chapter includes a spiritual practice to ensure your soul gets the nourishment it needs. Forging and maintaining a life-giving connection with God is the best choice you can make for yourself and for those you lead. This expanded edition includes the popular "How Is It with Your Soul?” assessment for leaders and a flexible six- or twelve-week guided experience for groups.

Good to Great in God's Eyes

Good to Great in God's Eyes PDF Author: Chip Ingram
Publisher: Baker Books
ISBN: 0801012937
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
Bestselling author Ingram shows how Christians can honor God with lives of great faith and excellent work. Using Scripture, personal stories, and examples from Christians who have left a lasting legacy, Ingram offers practical steps for becoming great in all areas of life.

Christlicher Stand

Christlicher Stand PDF Author: Adrienne von Speyr
Publisher: Ignatius Press
ISBN: 0898700442
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 186

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Book Description
The more popular, practical counterpart to Hans Urs von Balthasar's own book of the same title, this book plumbs the depths of what it means to be a Christian.

Flourishing in Faith

Flourishing in Faith PDF Author: Gillies Ambler
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1498296416
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 249

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Book Description
Flourishing in Faith: Theology Encountering Positive Psychology explores the fascinating dialogue between two scholarly traditions concerned with personal wellbeing, Christian theology and Positive Psychology, primarily from the perspective of theology. Although each works within different paradigms and brings different fundamental assumptions about the nature of the world, both are oriented toward that which leads to human flourishing and contentment. In such an encounter, can both disciplines learn from one another? Do they challenge each other? How can they enrich and or critique each other? With the widespread emergence of Positive Psychology in educational, church, and community settings across the world, many of which self-identify with the Christian tradition, many are wondering how this new branch of psychology integrates with traditional Christian belief and practice. This groundbreaking book explores this question from a diversity of perspectives: theology, biblical studies, education, psychology, social work, disability studies, and chaplaincy, from scholars and practitioners working in Australia and the United States.

Give God a Year, Change Your Life Forever

Give God a Year, Change Your Life Forever PDF Author: Carole Lewis
Publisher: ReadHowYouWant.com
ISBN: 145960671X
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 242

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Book Description
First Place 4 Health has helped tens of thousands of people lose weight and bring balance to the four core areas of their lives; physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. In this new title from Carole Lewis, First Place 4 Health's national director, readers are challenged to give God a year to change them from the inside out. Change will happen over the course of 12 months, but the right changes only happen when we set the right goals and take the right steps to achieve them. Written with Carole's signature warmth and humor, the book invites readers to dream big about the changes they long for in their lives and then offers practical, biblical, step-by-step guidance for how to see those dreams made into reality. In a culture of ''right now'' a year may seem like an eternity. A year in the hands of God, however, means change that will last eternally.

Handing Down the Faith

Handing Down the Faith PDF Author: Christian Smith
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0190093323
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 265

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Book Description
"This book is about how American religious parents approach the handing on of their religious practices and beliefs to their children. We know a lot about the importance of parents in faith transmission and factors that influence its effectiveness. But we know much less about the actual beliefs, feelings, and activities of the parents themselves when it comes to the intergenerational transmission of religious faith and practice"--

Religious Parenting

Religious Parenting PDF Author: Christian Smith
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691194963
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 312

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Book Description
The purpose and nature of life -- Religion's value and truth -- Children, parenting, and family -- The whys and hows of religious transmission -- Theorizing cultural models -- Conclusion.

Thriving with Stone Age Minds

Thriving with Stone Age Minds PDF Author: Justin L. Barrett
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 0830888497
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 205

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Book Description
What does God's creation of humanity through the process of evolution mean for human flourishing? The emerging field of evolutionary psychology remains controversial, perhaps especially among Christians. Yet according to Justin Barrett and Pamela Ebstyne King it can be a powerful tool for understanding human nature and our distinctively human purpose. Thriving with Stone Age Minds provides an introduction to evolutionary psychology, explaining key concepts like hyper-sociality, information gathering, and self-control. Combining insights from evolutionary psychology with resources from the Bible and Christian theology, Barrett and King focus fresh attention on the question, What is human flourishing? When we understand how humans still bear the marks of our evolutionary past, new light shines on some of the most puzzling features of our minds, relationships, and behaviors. One key insight of evolutionary psychology is how humans both adapt to and then alter our environments, or "niches." In fact, we change our world faster than our minds can adapt—and then gaps in our "fitness" emerge. In effect, humans are now attempting to thrive in modern contexts with Stone Age minds. By integrating scientific evidence with wisdom from theological anthropology, we can learn to close up nature-niche gaps and thrive, becoming more what God has created us to be. BioLogos Books on Science and Christianity invite us to see the harmony between the sciences and biblical faith on issues including cosmology, biology, paleontology, evolution, human origins, the environment, and more.