Forgiving Judas

In this critical assessment of the modern day Church, William Harmening deconstructs many of its longest held beliefs and practices against the backdrop of our contemporary social milieu. He approaches the subject head-on, peeling away the layers of archaic dogma to rediscover the core teachings of Jesus that have been lost through the centuries in the fog of institutionalized religion and ceremonial worship. No area of the modern Church escapes his critique; the clergy, the Bible, the structure and practice of the Church, and even our popular conceptions of the Holy Trinity. He ends with a final chapter in which he offers a model for a new kind of Church; one that is socially relevant, passionately ecumenical, and empowered by the simple message of love and tolerance found in the story of the Cross. Not since the writings of the radical theologians who came to the forefront during the 1960s has such an honest and thought-provoking critique of the contemporary Church been offered.

Judas: Images of the Lost Discipletraces the development of the stories about the most famous traitor in the history of Western Civilization. Its purpose is not to find the Judas of history, but rather to provide readers with a map that shows the similarities and connections between generations of Judas's story. Judas has been portrayed as an effete intellectual, a jealous lover, a greedy scoundrel, a misguided patriot, a doomed hero, a man destroyed by despair, or God's special, misunderstood messenger and agent. Judas means as many different things to us as does Jesus or God. The enigma of Judas's story in the Gospels left later literature and legend with a creative challenge they richly answered, and which is presented here: to write the real story of the worst villain of all time.

Turn Betrayal into Blessing! There are few pains that cut deeper than a betrayal. Betrayals hurt, they can be difficult to process, and they often don’t make sense. Betrayals, whether big or small, are a part of life. And perhaps nothing in life is more painful than when someone close to you treats you like an enemy. Jesus knew this pain well, for He suffered the most horrific betrayal in human history at the hands of Judas. But then He did what only God could do: He showed us the way to turn betrayal into blessing. In Thank You, Judas: How to Beat Betrayal, you will explore Judas’s betrayal of Jesus and learn: • The five behaviors of betrayal: pride, jealousy, operating within an inverted value system, selfishness, and being fake • How to walk in healing and victory after suffering a betrayal • Steps for turning a betrayal into an unforgettable blessing “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28, NIV). Turn your most difficult test into a dynamic story, your greatest loss into your greatest gain, and your most painful heartbreak into your most powerful breakthrough with Thank You, Judas. www.HopeCityMKE.com Twitter: @tylrebutler @hopecitymke Instagram: @tylrebutler @hopecitymke

Exploring U2: Is This Rock 'n' Roll? features new writing in the growing field of U2 studies. Edited by Scott Calhoun, with a foreword by Anthony DeCurtis, Exploring U2 contains selections from the 2009 inaugural gathering of "The Hype and The Feedback: A Conference Exploring The Music, Work and Influence of U2." In keeping with U2's own efforts to remove barriers that have long prevented dialogue for understanding and improving the human experience, this collection of essays examines U2 from perspectives ranging from the personal to the academic and is accessible to curious music fans, students, teachers, and scholars alike. Four sections organize sixteen essays from leading academics, music critics, clergy, and fans. From the academic disciplines of literature, music, philosophy, and theology, essays study U2's evolving use of source material in live performances, the layering of vocal effects in signature songs, the crafting of a spiritual community at live concerts, U2's success as a business brand, Bono's rhetorical presentation of Africa to the Western consumer, and readings of U2's work for irony, personhood, hope, conservatism, and cosmic-time. Official band biographer Neil McCormick considers U2 as a Dublin-shaped band, and Danielle Rhéaume tells how discovering and returning Bono's lost briefcase of lyrics for the album October propelled her along her own artistic journey. This thoughtful and timely collection recognizes U2's music both as art and commentary on personal journeys and cultural dialogues about contemporary issues. It offers insights and critical assessments that will appeal not only to scholars and students of popular music and culture studies but to those in the fields of theology, philosophy, the performing arts, literature, and all intellectually curious fans of U2.

When we live with unresolved anger or hurt, the result is nearly always bitterness, broken relationships, and unhealthy behaviors. Unforgiveness not only sabotages our interactions with those around us, it impedes our own spiritual growth and inner peace. And it can happen to anyone. In her most vulnerable writing yet, Ruth Graham reveals how a visit to Angola Prison inspired her to release the unforgiveness lurking in her own heart--toward others, herself, and even her heavenly Father and her earthly father, evangelist Billy Graham. In this encouraging book, she weaves her own personal experiences with biblical examples to explore what holds us back from forgiving others and ourselves--and what we gain when we finally discover the power to forgive. Along the way, she guides us into our own deeply personal experiences of forgiveness that will penetrate our protective walls and unleash true transformation in our lives.

The Passion of the Christ, Mel Gibson's spectacular film about the death of Jesus, has quickly become one of the most widely-viewed movies of all time—and one of the most fiercely vilified. It is more loved and simultaneously more loathed than any previous work of cinematographic art. Some maintain that this film has brought them to a new faith in Christ or a deeper understanding of the faith they already had. Others criticize the work for its supposedly gratuitous gore, alleged historical inaccuracy, or its debatable theological assumptions. In Mel Gibson's Passion and Philosophy, twenty philosophers with widely varying religious and philosophical backgrounds examine all the most important issues raised by the movie, without ridicule or rancor. How can we decide what God intended to tell us? Why do Christians and Jews apparently report seeing two very different Mel Gibson movies? Was Christ a pacifist? Does the film truly follow the gospels? How can we blame Judas for doing what God wanted him to do? Did George Hegel answer Mel Gibson 200 years ahead of time?

Imagine living life knowing that you are doing all your best to do the will of God who is the life giver, ultimate supreme power, the magnificent, and the master of the day of judgment. You have faith in God and believe that God is the one in control of our life and he has the authority over everything. This is what the book is about. Our main goal is to help other Christians grow and mature in their Christian lifestyle and to help others who want to change their lives to be a Christian.In the beginning of this book, we discuss Christianity as a religion and who we are as a Christian. What is the sense of our identity in life, which means who we are and what is the sense of our purpose, the reason why we're here. We mention in the book that God created heaven, earth, ocean, and everything. God himself said that "I have shown myself to them through what I created and do for them."Majority of what is written in this book deals directly with the topic of this book. It's written to let the Christians know more about their duties and responsibilities in life. It covers all things we are dealing with in our everyday life. It also illustrates all the necessary things we need to know to have a successful marriage.The book is written to help people know how they can deal with all the principalities of life that causes us problems. Principalities are unclean spirits. One of the most important things we need to know is to how to deal with people. Christians are expected to use their power to do good to people instead of using their power to manipulate others. If you want to be blessed, you have to be ready to serve. When you serve others, you are serving God. Our jobs in life is to make other people's lives better. Always be a blessing to others is something we should all practice. It is very important to give God his glory because of what God has done for us in our lives. The only way our heart is alive and pumping is because we have a wonderful God.Advice was giving to the young people to continue their education, if not they will assassinate their future. Christians are kind, loving people. God himself said that "My sheep knows my voice." Above all, this book will help you gain knowledge about wisdom you need to grow and mature in your Christian lifestyle and spirituality. Therefore, you need to practice the steps mentioned in this book to successfully better your Christian life.

We think that on one hand there is our mind and on the other hand there is what seems separate from the mind: physical body and the world. Taking for granted that our perception is an objective tool for examining the “outside” reality, we end up in conflict with everything around us and with ourselves. Our sickness and unhappiness is the proof that our mind is at war, yet we are doing this onto ourselves. When we realize that we are always in control, we can disregard our false interpretation the senses are reporting us. We will then realize what is of valuable and let go of valueless. We need to question our habitual responses based on fears from the past and start fresh and learn to make new decisions based on the desire for inner peace and equality with everyone. Everyone is aware of the same “I” as I am. “I” is not divided. All Power in it is the same and maximal; it is one. There is no other Power than this. It has no parts. It is perfectly united and at our disposal. It is our “daily bread.” Yet because we rather focus our attention on the “outside” body and the world, we perceive ourselves split instead of united with all Creation. When we change our focus and look at each fragment of conflict, we chose to perceive and decide to let the division go and become aware of Oneness of “I” instead. This is the decision for healing. In the book I have described fragmentation of our thinking in many practical situations and how I dealt with them. This process of “undoing” will heal the mind that will also reflect upon the body. At first it was easier for me to practice undoing with children rather than adults. I ran my own gymnastic school for twenty-three years, and by deciding to let it be a place of fun, it became our mutual learning ground. The school was completely transformed and provided many programs for joyous socializing. In an open-structure and noncompetitive environment, the children learn the best. The “teacher” can choose to be neutral (peaceful) and let children learn how to make their own decisions. In the forgiveness process of letting go, everyone needs be included, because everyone is innocent. The book does concentrate on clarifying the two thought systems that govern our thinking. The choice is always ours. In order to focus on the fundamental distinction between them, I repeat the concepts, illustrate them in practical situations, and summarize the approach of “changing of mind.” By completing the manuscript, I have realized that all information I need is now at my disposal, and I will receive more as I apply it more. It is only the application that opens the door to understanding of what is the next step to take. The purpose of all situations is our healing. The sooner we respond to them in the peaceful way, the faster our mind heals. Yet we can take as long as we want to take. The basic premise is that Power of God is within, and how I feel is the direct result of what I think. If I have problems, I do not need to change the world in order to have Peace, but to change what I think. This is done through relationships. People that are assigned to learn with us are constantly appearing in our lives. I can assure you that you would not choose them yourself. However, you called them, and they responded. You are ready for them. They present rather than an illusion of love. They will bring more harmony and joy to your life than you could ever imagine. Forgive them and you will see them truly. Opening the door to everyone is the key to restoration of your true Self. Welcome on board.