The context of Christianity is ever-changing, but the durability and relevance of the message of Jesus has been proven over time. Imagine life and the very different practice of Christianity in the days of the Early Church… the Dark Ages…the Industrial Revolution…the Great Depression …and the Digital Age. The relevant, vibrant, and effective church of today will always ask, “Where has God placed us? In what time and what cultural context?” Cultural changes can seem to diminish the gospel’s value as outdated styles and forms create barriers between contemporary people and a timeless God. Dan Collison provides insights into ministry that will help shrink the cultural walls that people must scale to experience Jesus. Jesus’ Church is a living entity that beautifully fits every context in every century. But it does take work. This “fitting in” is not pandering or caving in to culture; it is a recognition that we exist not in 1950, 1492, 1060, or 33 A.D. We exist now, today, at a time and place that God designed.

Auszug. � Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

Church in Translation

Vibrant Christianity in Your Time and Place

By Dan Collison, Shelly Barsuhn

Abingdon Press

Foreword by David Olson, 
Introduction, 
Chapter 1—Biblically Inspired: Living the Book with Humility, 
Chapter 2—Prayer Designed: Relying on the Supernatural, 
Chapter 3—Intellectually Informed: Staying Curious, 
Chapter 4—Communally Formed: Transforming through Relationships, 
Chapter 5—Collaboratively Led: Rethinking Church Leadership, 
Chapter 6—Artistically Infused: Joining God's Creative Impulse, 
Chapter 7—Mission Minded: Risking Love, 
Chapter 8—Socially Aware: Seeking Justice for Everyone, 
Chapter 9—Culturally Engaged: Building Bridges of Identification, 
Chapter 10—Grace-Filled: Reflecting the Lavish Love of God, 
Conclusion, 
Appendix: Suggested Reading, 
Notes,

CHAPTER 1

BIBLICALLY INSPIRED

Living the Book with Humility

"You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life."

(John 5:39-40)

The Bible is a supernatural, mysterious, simple, complex, and beautiful message to inform and transform the lives of believers, the church, and—ultimately—culture. Christians and the church, however, have not lately been known for thoughtful handling of God's word. Rather than viewing it with awe and humility, some Christians have, in their defensiveness, reduced Scripture to a personal tool belt of judgment. Instead of grace, they have shown a penchant for using the Bible for their own purposes—quoting verses out of context, extracting Scripture to support a position on a given topic, or hijacking biblical texts to judge others' behavior. This tendency has led to a sad unraveling of the Bible's reputation as the transformative word of God. No wonder non-Christians feel attacked and embittered. No wonder churches have difficulty drawing people to God merely by asserting, "We are Bible based." To people outside the church, this statement now sounds like a door slamming shut in their faces.

But Jesus clearly delineated the correct application of Scripture, and his manner of handling God's word was instructive for believers in every century since. Today he confronts the church, reminding us that the body must be built on him, not on dogma—on insight and mercy, not on condemnation. He is asking us to understand that when we value tight philosophical systems over the genuine message of the gospel, we become a stumbling block that injures the church and wounds those we are sent to serve. In our culture and context, it is imperative that people of faith return to an understanding and practice of biblical truth as modeled by Jesus.

One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him, "Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?"

He answered, "Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions."

Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath." (Mark 2:23-28)

The day of Sabbath was originally designated by God to benefit people by setting one day a week aside for rest, community, and joy. The teachers of the law selfishly grabbed it for their own purposes and personal benefit. Adding one Sabbath law and regulation after another, they attempted to use the Sabbath day of rest as a means to direct everyone's attention and money to their religious systems and institutions. In the end everyone was forced to serve a legalistic notion of Sabbath rather than actually experience God's Sabbath rest. Jesus, using scripture, warned the Pharisees about manipulating scripture to serve them selves. Furthermore, he clarified that Scripture points to himself, the Lord of the Sabbath, and not their legalistic institutions. God's church must realign itself with this healthy, holy, and holistic view of the Bible to honor God and once again allow people to experience his word as irresistible and life changing.

Seeing the Sacredness of Scripture

Christians believe that God is the origin of Scripture. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). We are told in 2 Timothy 3:16 that "all Scripture is God-breathed." Some translations of this verse use the word inspired, alluding to the Holy Spirit guiding a multitude of writers.

There is a mystery here. If you believe that the words in John 1:1 are inspired, what does it mean to your life, the life of the church, and the practice of faith? God is the word. When we approach the Bible we are approaching God—not something to be glibly done. We must view God's word on those terms and in totality, not in bits and pieces that suit our view of the world. Only by looking at Scripture in total do we approach understanding. This is a lifelong quest. The word is immense—not visible all at once. We pull back the petals one by one to find infinite layers beneath.

Christians approaching the Bible will gain insight from the art of seeing the thirty thousand-foot view of God's word. It is only from this vantage point that we see the epic nature of the Bible. We then read the Scripture in total and apply it holistically.

Stanley Grenz, a Christian thinker of the twenty-first century, reflects:

Our world is more than a collection of incompatible and competing local narratives.... We firmly believe that the local narratives of the many human communities do fit together into a single grand narrative, the story of humankind.... As Christians we claim to know what that grand narrative is. It is the story of God's action in history for the salvation of fallen humankind and the completion of God's intentions for creation. We boldly proclaim that the focus of this metanarrative is the story of Jesus.

Not Always Literal

In a congregational meeting there was a vote to convert the historic church chapel into a gymnasium for outreach purposes. One church member stood up. "I don't see any mention of gymnasiums in the Bible." Another church member promptly responded, "I don't see any mention of urinals in the Bible either, but they sure are a good idea." The vote went in favor of transforming the chapel into a gym.

Postmodern Americans are accustomed to looking at a world of mystery. They understand incongruity, difficulty, and struggle. Faith deals with all of those elements of life. What they find hard to swallow is an insistence on the literal reading of Bible passages that are clearly meant to be understood another way. Churches hoping to speak to people in the twenty-first century must acknowledge that doggedly literal interpretations of the Bible can hold people at arm's length and keep them from the richness of the text. The Bible contains hyperbole, song, metaphor, poetry, allegory, and other forms of writing that bring God's word to life.

By the word of the LORD were the heavens made,
their starry host by the breath of his mouth....
Let all the...

��ber diesen Titel� kann sich auf eine andere Ausgabe dieses Titels beziehen.

Anbieterinformationen

Founded in 2002, World of Books is a leading online destination for buying and selling both preloved and new books, committed to making sustainable reading accessible to all. With a mission to help people read more and waste less, World of Books offers a huge range of affordable, high-quality books ? giving both new and preloved titles a second life. The company also operates World of Books ? Sell Your Books, an easy-to-use platform that allows customers to trade in unwanted books for cash, helping to keep books in circulation while promoting sustainability. As a Certified B Corp, World of Books is driven by a vision to become the world?s largest and most sustainable dedicated online bookstore. The company measures its success through the positive environmental impact it creates, the value it provides to customers, and its ability to operate profitably while supporting its sustainable mission

Zur Homepage des Verk�ufers

Unternehmensdaten des Verk�ufers

SBYB, Inc.
900 Knell Rd, Montgomery, IL, 60538, U.S.A.

Gesch�ftsbedingungen und Versandinformationen

Verkaufsbedingungen

We guarantee the condition of every book as it's described on the Abebooks web sites. If you're dissatisfied with your purchase (Incorrect Book/Not as Described/Damaged) or if the order hasn't arrived, you're eligible for a refund within 30 days of the estimated delivery date. If you've changed your mind about a book that you've ordered, please use the Ask bookseller a question link to contact us and we'll respond within 2 business days.

Widerrufsbelehrung

Wenn Sie Verbraucher sind, steht Ihnen ein Widerrufsrecht nach folgender Ma�gabe zu. Verbraucher ist jede nat�rliche Person, die ein Rechtsgesch�ft zu Zwecken abschlie�t, die �berwiegend weder ihrer gewerblichen noch ihrer selbst�ndigen beruflichen T�tigkeit zugerechnet werden k�nnen.

WIDERRUFSBELEHRUNG

Widerrufsrecht

Sie haben das Recht, binnen vierzehn Tagen ohne Angabe von Gr�nden diesen Vertrag zu widerrufen.

Die Widerrufsfrist betr�gt vierzehn Tage ab dem Tag, an dem Sie oder ein von Ihnen benannter Dritter, der nicht der Bef�rderer ist, die letzte Ware oder die letzte Teilsendung bzw. das letzte St�ck in Besitz genommen haben bzw. hat.

Um Ihr Widerrufsrecht auszu�ben, m�ssen Sie uns, glenthebookseller, 625 S Railroad St, Bldg 11, 60538, Montgomery, Illinois, U.S.A., +1 6308001491, mittels einer eindeutigen Erkl�rung (z.B. ein mit der Post versandter Brief, Telefax oder E-Mail) �ber Ihren Entschluss, diesen Vertrag zu widerrufen, informieren. Sie k�nnen daf�r das beigef�gte Muster-Widerrufsformular verwenden, das jedoch nicht vorgeschrieben ist. Sie k�nnen auch eine andere eindeutige Erkl�rung auf der Webseite "Meine Bestellungen" in Ihrem "Nutzerkonto" elektronisch ausf�llen und �bermitteln. Machen Sie von dieser M�glichkeit Gebrauch, so werden wir Ihnen unverz�glich (z. B. per E-Mail) eine Best�tigung �ber den Eingang eines solchen Widerrufs �bermitteln. Zur Wahrung der Widerrufsfrist reicht es aus, dass Sie die Mitteilung �ber die Aus�bung des Widerrufsrechts vor Ablauf der Widerrufsfrist absenden.

Folgen des Widerrufs

Wenn Sie diesen Vertrag widerrufen, haben wir Ihnen alle Zahlungen, die wir von Ihnen erhalten haben, einschlie�lich der Lieferkosten (mit Ausnahme der zus�tzlichen Kosten, die sich daraus ergeben, dass Sie eine andere Art der Lieferung als die von uns angebotene, g�nstigste Standardlieferung gew�hlt haben), unverz�glich und sp�testens binnen vierzehn Tagen ab dem Tag zur�ckzuzahlen, an dem die Mitteilung �ber Ihren Widerruf dieses Vertrags bei uns eingegangen ist. F�r diese R�ckzahlung verwenden wir dasselbe Zahlungsmittel, das Sie bei der urspr�nglichen Transaktion eingesetzt haben, es sei denn, mit Ihnen wurde ausdr�cklich etwas anderes vereinbart; in keinem Fall werden Ihnen wegen dieser R�ckzahlung Entgelte berechnet. Wir k�nnen die R�ckzahlung verweigern, bis wir die Waren wieder zur�ckerhalten haben oder bis Sie den Nachweis erbracht haben, dass Sie die Waren zur�ckgesandt haben, je nachdem, welches der fr�here Zeitpunkt ist. Sie haben die Waren unverz�glich und in jedem Fall sp�testens binnen vierzehn Tagen ab dem Tag, an dem Sie uns �ber den Widerruf dieses Vertrags unterrichten, an glenthebookseller, PO BOX 4816, 60507, Aurora, Illinois, U.S.A., +1 6308001491, zur�ckzusenden oder zu �bergeben. Die Frist ist gewahrt, wenn Sie die Waren vor Ablauf der Frist von vierzehn Tagen absenden.

Sie tragen die unmittelbaren Kosten der R�cksendung der Waren. Sie m�ssen f�r einen etwaigen Wertverlust der Waren nur aufkommen, wenn dieser Wertverlust auf einen zur Pr�fung der Beschaffenheit, Eigenschaften und Funktionsweise der Waren nicht notwendigen Umgang mit ihnen zur�ckzuf�hren ist.

Ausnahmen vom Widerrufsrecht

Das Widerrufsrecht besteht nicht bzw. erlischt bei folgenden Vertr�gen:

Zur Lieferung von Zeitungen und Zeitschriften oder Illustrierten, mit Ausnahme von Abonnement Vertr�gen;
Bei der Lieferung digitaler Inhalte, die nicht auf einem k�rperlichen Datentr�ger (z.B. einer CD oder DVD) geliefert werden, wenn Sie dem Beginn der Ausf�hrung vor der Bestellung ausdr�cklich zugestimmt und zur selben Zeit best�tigt haben, dass mit der Ausf�hrung begonnen werden kann und Sie Ihr Widerrufsrecht verlieren, sobald die Ausf�hrung begonnen hat.

ENDE DER WIDERRUFSBELEHRUNG

Muster-Widerrufsformular

(Wenn Sie den Vertrag widerrufen wollen, dann f�llen Sie bitte dieses Formular aus und senden Sie es zur�ck)

An: (glenthebookseller, 625 S Railroad St, Bldg 11, 60538, Montgomery, Illinois, U.S.A., +1 6308001491)

Hiermit widerrufe(n) ich/wir* den von mir/uns* abgeschlossenen Vertrag �ber den Kauf der folgenden Waren*/ die Erbringung der folgenden Dienstleistung*

Bestellt am*/erhalten am*:

Name des/der Verbraucher(s):

Anschrift des/der Verbraucher(s):

Unterschrift des/der Verbraucher(s) (nur bei Mitteilung auf Papier):

Datum:

* Unzutreffendes streichen.

Versandbedingungen

Shipping costs are based on books weighing 2.2 LB, or 1 KG. If your book order is heavy or oversized, we may contact you to let you know extra shipping is required.

Versandkosten innerhalb von USA

Versandkosten innerhalb von USA
Bestellmenge	4 bis 12�Werktage	3 bis 6�Werktage
Erster Artikel	EUR 0.00	EUR 9.50

Die Versandzeiten werden von den Verk�uferinnen und Verk�ufern festgelegt. Sie variieren je nach Versanddienstleister und Standort. Sendungen, die den Zoll passieren, k�nnen Verz�gerungen unterliegen. Eventuell anfallende Abgaben oder Geb�hren sind von der K�uferin bzw. dem K�ufer zu tragen. Die Verk�uferin bzw. der Verk�ufer kann Sie bez�glich zus�tzlicher Versandkosten kontaktieren, um einen m�glichen Anstieg der Versandkosten f�r Ihre Artikel auszugleichen.