Chasing Down A Rumor

Are the denominations really dying? Two experienced church "watchers" who have lived the question on a daily basis provide statistics, insights, and hope that the rumor is premature.

This book calls Protestant churches, and the ELCA in particular, to a church-wide conversation about racism. It is a response to the 2019 book Dear Church by Lenny Duncan, a former Lutheran pastor who is Black and who, among other reparations, calls for changing the church’s worship in order to address segregated Sundays. Changes in worship affect theological foundations. Informed consideration is essential. Because entering into life-changing conversations requires vulnerability and commitment, this book includes several narratives: my life as a White woman and pastor, the history of the Black church as defined by Black theologians, the development of the liturgical renewal movement, and my experiences as a professor navigating worship conflicts as my seminary struggled with financial constraints and a changing student body. The seminary conflicts offered me a window into how better to address racism inspired by the example of post-WWII German truth-telling and how some US Southern states have come to grips with the history of the Jim Crow South (described in Susan Neiman’s Learning from the Germans). This book outlines a way forward for churches in responding to racism by encouraging healthy engagement with contentious relationships as a necessity for healing.

The Missional Church and Denominations utilizes the missional church conversation as a lens for engaging an important dimension of church life in the United States -- denominations and denominationalism. Denominations have been studied from a wide variety of perspectives, including historical, sociological, and theological, but they have yet to be engaged in light of a missional church understanding. Here each essay helps to bring further clarity to the word "missional" and contributes to the ever-widening conversation. Contributors: Daniel R. Anderson Marion Wyvetta Bullock David G. Forney Wesley Granberg-Michaelson Todd Hobart Alan J. Roxburgh Kyle J. A. Small Craig Van Gelder Dwight Zscheile

This timely guide examines the influence of social media in private, public, and professional settings, particularly the ethical implications of the cultural changes and trends created by their use. In the quest for quick dissemination of information, web users and content providers find both opportunity and liability in digital broadcasts. Examples abound: Twitter members tap into news reports well in advance of traditional print media, but stories are prone to inaccuracies and misinformation; Facebook shares useful data mined from member profiles, but this sharing often compromises privacy. It is no surprise that use of social media gives rise to a host of moral dilemmas never before encountered. This book sheds light on the effects of this new medium on the individual and society. Through two volumes chock full of topics found in news headlines everyday, the authors look at evolving trends in social media and their impact on privacy, politics, and journalism. The first volume explores the role of this technology on national and international security. Volume 2 focuses on the individual as both a producer and consumer of internet content, showing how the media itself is changing notions of self-identity, relationships, and popular culture. The book's content covers such topics as individual and community psychology, citizen journalism, and corporate technology.

When Jesus betrayed Jesus he was paid thrity pieces of silver. When he tried to return the money the chief priests said, This money was paid to have a man killed. We can't put it in the temple treasury. They could pay, we learn, for Jesus' murder with the silver, but they couldn't put it back in the church's bank account. That's the murderous spirit of religion that is still lurking about actively seeking to destroy His Church and your life. The religious spirit did not disappear after the resurrection of Jesus.

Russian Odyssey is the story of a seeker whose quest leads her back to the unfinished business of a previous lifetime. Unaware of her soul's "hidden agenda," she first visits the Soviet Union as a citizen diplomat. While there, she is inspired to write a book about the Soul of Russia. Through the ensuing interplay between her own soul and the Russian soul, during the 1990s, she ultimately discovers the purpose of her life's journey. Russian Odyssey is the outcome of her decade-long struggle. It is an honest book about the challenges faced by seekers of Truth on the threshold of the Aquarian Age.

The keys for handling and dealing with seasons of betrayal, disappointment, discouragement, and unforgiveness--especially from those we love most

A bold and ghostly stand-alone from New York Times bestselling author Colleen Houck, with all the moodiness of Sleepy Hollow and all the romance her fans love. Welcome to a world where nightmarish creatures reign supreme. Five hundred years ago, Jack made a deal with the devil. It's difficult for him to remember much about his mortal days. So he focuses on fulfilling his sentence as a Lantern--one of the watchmen who guard the portals to the Otherworld, a realm crawling with every nightmarish creature imaginable. Jack has spent centuries jumping from town to town, ensuring that nary a mortal--or not-so-mortal--soul slips past him. That is, until he meets beautiful Ember O'Dare. Seventeen, stubborn, and a natural-born witch, Ember feels a strong pull to the Otherworld. Undeterred by Jack's warnings, she crosses into the forbidden plane with the help of a mysterious and debonair vampire--and the chase through a dazzling, dangerous world is on. Jack must do everything in his power to get Ember back where she belongs before both the earthly and unearthly worlds descend into chaos. Colleen Houck, the New York Times bestselling author of the Tiger's Curse series and the Reawakened series, breathes new life into classic folklore in this wild, twisting adventure propelled by the spirit of Halloween. "[Houck] offers a fresh spin on The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." --Kirkus Reviews "A wild and seductive adventure. . . . A must-have for YA collections." --SLJ "The Lantern's Ember has something for everyone. From an old-timey village to ghost stories to pirates to steampunk influences, nobody is left unsatisfied." --TeenReads.com