Church Culture

Women were there. For centuries, discussions of early Christianity have focused on male leaders in the church. But there is ample evidence right in the New Testament that women were actively involved in ministry, at the frontier of the gospel mission, and as respected leaders. Nijay Gupta calls us to bring these women out of the shadows by shining light on their many inspiring contributions to the planting, growth, and health of the first Christian churches.

In a world where values shift like sands in the wind, how can Christians stand firm in their faith and make a meaningful impact on the culture around them? "Counter Culture: Living by Faith in a Secular World" is your indispensable roadmap for not just resisting the currents of secularism but transforming them. Drawing wisdom from the timeless words of the Apostle Paul's letter to Titus, this eBook explores the art of countering culture with unwavering faith, grace, and a commitment to Christian values. Scott, a pastor, author, and devoted family man, provides a profound and practical guide...

From a peak in church attendance in the mid-20th century, Christianity has been on a trajectory of decline in the United States. Today Christianity is viewed negatively, and Christian morality is openly repudiated and viewed as a threat to the new moral order. In Life in the Negative World, author Aaron M. Renn looks at the lessons from Christian cultural engagement over the past 70 years and suggests specific strategies for churches, institutions, and individuals to live faithfully in the "negative" world—a culture opposed to Christian values and teachings.

Though they may seem to be dividing the country irreparably, today's heated cultural and political battles between right and left, progressives and the Tea Party, religious and secular are far from unprecedented. In this engaging and important work, Stephen Prothero reframes the current debate, viewing it as the latest in a number of flashpoints that have shaped our national identity.

Church leaders who focus on programs, strategy, and curriculum can easily miss what ties them all together: culture. Cultivating culture is the difference between churches who flourish and those who flounder at disciple-making. Leaders must cultivate a healthy disciple-making culture. But how? Brandon Guindon's book Disciple-Making Culture provides a how-to guide for cultivating a healthy disciple-making culture throughout your church.

Western civilization and the Christian church stand at a moment of great danger. Facing them both is a hurricane-force battle of ideas that will determine the future of Western civilization and the soul of the Christian church. The forces arrayed against the West and the church are destructive ideologies, policies, and worldviews deeply established among intellectual elites, the political class, and our schools. More menacingly, these forces have also invaded the Christian church.

Many Christians struggle with the idea of church membership. This means that they do not join their local church as members. They then miss out on a huge range of spiritual and practical benefits. This booklet explains why church membership is both biblical and beneficial, and how it results in ‘righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit’ (Romans 14:17), blessings for believers, and glory for God. It gives biblical, cultural and practical encouragement for Christians to join their local church as members. Christians must believe Jesus, who said, “It is more blessed to give than ...

Two Cultures. One God. Who Do You Serve? Today’s church is struggling. We attend services on Sunday and live our busy lives the rest of the week. We praise God with our words, yet our hearts are far from him. Unfortunately, it shows in our strained relationship with Jesus and with others. Jealousy. Vanity. Pride. Gluttony. Exclusion. Criticalness. Gossip. The church has become so blessed and accustomed to the good life that our fervor for the things of God has diminished, and we have let sin slip into our lives and onto our church pews. In Worldly Culture in a Holy Church, author Janice ...

Unlock the Mysteries of Africa’s Sacred Christian Legacy For centuries, two of the world’s most fascinating Christian traditions have quietly preserved their ancient roots, vibrant rituals, and unwavering faith. Christianity’s African Treasures: The Coptic Orthodox and Ethiopian Catholic Churches delivers two captivating journeys in one essential volume. Travel Back in Time: Walk through the sands of Egypt, where the Coptic Orthodox Church was born, and ascend the Ethiopian highlands, home to a Catholic tradition as unique as it is enduring. Witness Ancient Practices: Experience the ...

Cultural Christians in the Early Church, which aims to be both historical and practical, argues that cultural Christians were the rule, rather than the exception, in the early church. Using different categories of sins as its organizing principle, the book considers the challenge of culture to the earliest converts to Christianity, as they struggled to live on mission in the Greco-Roman cultural milieu of the Roman Empire.

As a pastor in Silicon Valley, Jay Kim has experienced the digital church in all its splendor. In Analog Church, he grapples with the ramifications of a digital church, from our worship and experience of Christian community to the way we engage Scripture and sacrament. Could it be that in our efforts to stay relevant in our digital age, we've begun to give away the very thing that our age most desperately needs: transcendence? Could it be that the best way to reach new generations is in fact found in a more timeless path?

When Anton LaVey burst onto the San Francisco scene right before the Summer of Love, he parlayed his eerie obsessions into a philosophy and lifestyle that capitalized on a New Age rage. With his signature cape, horn-studded hood, and Ming the Merciless beard, LaVey was a media-savvy provocateur who took what he did seriously, but was always in on the joke. From a spooky old Victorian house, he founded the Church of Satan, where young women squirmed nude on the mantel of his ritual chamber as he delivered a doctrine of self-deification and indulgence.

The Bible is the central book in Western culture, yet extraordinarily there is no proper history of it. This exceptional work, by one of the world's leading Biblical scholars, provides a full account of how the different parts of the Bible came to be written; how some writings which were regarded as holy became canonical and were included in the Bible, and others were not; what the relationship is of the different parts of the Bible to each other; and how, once it became a stable text, the Bible has been disseminated and interpreted around the world.

No matter your season of life as a woman, you long to be loved and appreciated. But perhaps most days you're left feeling unseen, unheard, or unknown. Though centuries apart from your life today, the women who knew Jesus faced similar fears and insecurities. Their names aren't etched onto the pages of Scripture, but they are etched into the heart of God. In this book, Paige Allen invites you to take a second look at the life-changing encounters of seven unnamed women who came face-to-face with Jesus in the Bible.

A primary barrier to revival is the church’s reluctance to honestly analyze the dark, negative condition of our culture. It is necessary to awaken men to a sense of guilt and danger. ~Charles Finney (Lectures on Revival of Religion) There is increasing pressure from the church in our nation to reject any negative analysis or any call to reformation that reveals what is out of order yet still valued by the people. The spirit of the age is quite brilliant and crafty, and the resulting seduction is overwhelming for many a Christian. The desire for positive, happy experiences is so strong ...

Following the example of John the Baptist and with a careful look at the teaching of Scripture, Tim Suttle dares church leaders to risk failure by chasing the vision God has given them - no matter how small it might seem - instead of pursuing the broad path of pragmatism that leads to fame and numerical success.

Has God abandoned Israel? Has the Church “replaced” Israel? What does the Bible say? As we watch the world events, it is clear that Israel is following her prophetic scenario, and a new chapter is about to be written - and there may be a big surprise on our near horizon!

These are troubling times. We live in a day which is marked by theological error and apostasy. Leaders are falling, truth is routinely maligned, and compromise is celebrated. A glance across the cultural milieu reveals an unfurled white flag. The white flag has been hoisted high and a diabolical deal has been struck. This flag reveals a horrifying reality which must be addressed, namely - final surrender in the church. The White Flag: When Compromise Cripples the Church diagnoses our current condition and offers biblical action steps for marching forward in a way that glorifies God. It is a...

It's not your imagination: civilized human society is collapsing. Communities no longer work toward a common good; children are no longer our first priority; businesses no longer value hard work; arts and skills have been lost; and gender is decided by the individual, not biology. We cannot reverse national and global trends, says professor Anthony Esolen, but we can build communities that live up to humanity's promise and responsibility.

Robert Henderson started to explore the question, "what would the seven mountains of culture look like in a reformed state?" There is much talk in the apostolic and prophetic community about reformation and transformation, but sometimes, we don't have a clear vision of what it would actually look like for these spheres of influence to be modeled, shaped, and impacted by believers who carry the kingdom of God into their everyday places of assignment.