Believing Faith

Are You a Believer? Then Start Believing! Faith is like having a bicycle. You can talk about how far it can take you, but until you actually use it, you won't go anywhere! The same is true of your faith. Though you receive it when you first accept Christ, only by using faith can you get to the places and promises God has for you. And...

Does our available evidence show that some particular religion is correct? It seems unlikely, given the great diversity of religious - and non-religious - views of the world. But if no religious beliefs can be shown true on the evidence, can it be right to make a religious commitment? Should people make 'leaps of faith'? Or would we all be better off avoiding commitments that outrun our evidence? And, if leaps of faith can be acceptable, how do we tell the difference between goodand bad ones - between sound religion and dogmatic ideology or fundamentalist fanaticism? Believing by Faith offers answers to these questions, inspired by a famous attempt to justify faith made by William James in 1896. In doing so, it engages critically with much recent discussion in the philosophyof religion, and, especially, the epistemology of religious belief.

Faith Beyond Belief gives a much-needed voice to the “good” people who have left their church but whose spirituality continues to mature. Johnston uses first-person stories as well as known spiritual authorities in describing various stages of religious growth. Some of these real-life accounts are by nonbelievers; others are by those among the growing numbers of the “spiritual but not religious.” All are thoughtful people with too much integrity to live what they consider a lie. The stories of the nonbelievers-including an ex-Catholic, a former Mormon, and a clandestine Muslim apostate who left his community after the attacks of 9/11-show how complete confidence in human reason can lead away from literal religious interpretation. But, while that step is a necessary one on the spiritual path, it is only intermediate. Her second set of stories are of people at the “mystic” level who can tolerate paradox and see truth and reality as multidimensional. Johnston’s book will help doubters to see things in a new light as well as those who are struggling to clarify their own spiritual vision. It also points beyond the atheist/believer controversy wrecking such divisive havoc in our culture today.

“Is it working? Your belief system, that is. Is it really working? God’s intention all along has been for the believer’s life to work. From divine perspective toward terrestrial turf, God meant for his children to succeed. . . Are our Christian lives successful? Are they achieving and experiencing what Scripture said they would? In a recent sermon my son-in-law preached, Curt told us the only way we were going to impact the world and the next generation is to prove that our faith in Christ is real and that it works. For countless Christians I’m convinced it’s real. My concern is whether or not we have the fruit to suggest it works.”—Beth Moore; Believing God

He put your feet on a wonderful road that took you straight to a good place to live (Psalm 107:7, The Message). Theres no place like home! Philippians 4:19 (The Amplified Bible) tells us, My God will liberally supply (fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. This liberal supply includes your beautiful, debt-free house. It is important to God that you live in a place where you can rest, refresh and receive. In Isaiah 32:18 (New International Version), God says, My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest. Consider the Garden of Eden! It was the original intent for our earthly dwellings. Begin your journey with this series by Pastor George Pearsons and Gloria Copeland as they teach you How to Believe God for a House. Dig into the Word and start feeding your faith today! Includes Bonus Teaching: How to Believe God for a House: Our Personal Journey with Pastors George and Terri Pearsons; Also includes a chapter excerpt from Gloria Copeland's "God's Will Is Prosperity" and "Faith Scriptures for Your New Home."

The public university classroom is a place where socialization still occurs: it's where students learn to be citizens of the world. Having attended to political correctness and multi-culturalism, universities are now facing the issue of spirituality in their quest to educate the whole person. In this book, Chris Anderson takes up this task by carefully exploring how a professor of faith can help a public university accomplish its pluralistic mission. Anderson illustrates how the study of secular literature throws fresh light on the ways in which the Bible can be read. He also deftly shows how a sympathetic study of the Bible trains secular readers for understanding the abiding significance of the Western literary canon as a kind of scripture. Anderson thus gives readers a book that is as much about the experience of a faithful teacher and the proper ends of education as it is about discovering the right ways to read texts--be they sacred or secular.

"Reclaims through the sermons of Augustine the sense of "belief" as relational and participatory to offer a holistic vision of Christian spirituality and practice"--.

“A brilliant, wide ranging and powerful series of readings on the possibilities, problems and mysteries of faith. This book belongs on the shelf of every believer—and every serious skeptic.” — Rabbi David Wolpe, author of Why Faith Matters “This life-giving, faith-filled and hard-nosed collection reveals why, as St. Anselm wrote, true faith always seeks to understand.” — Rev. James Martin, author of My Life with the Saints From Dr. Francis Collins, New York Times bestselling author of The Language of God, comes the definitive reader on the rationality of faith.