Hopeful Influence

The Church by its very nature is called to be hope filled and future orientated – it exists as a sign, instrument and foretaste of the coming Kingdom of God. Christian leadership, therefore, is at heart all about eschatological influence. Engaging with the work of influential theological voices such as Lesslie Newbigin, Tom Wright and Martyn Percy, "Hopeful Influence" argues that it is in the process of helping others to see, participate in or experience the world to come that Christian leadership becomes manifest. With contributions from influential leaders in different spheres of life, including Dr Eve Poole, Stephen Timms, MP, along with theologian and activist Selina Stone, Jude Padfield explores how this eschatatologically-fuelled vision might lead us towards a new manifesto for future leadership in the church, in politics, in business and the third sector, and in the home. With foreword from Paul Bayes, Bishop of Liverpool.

What, pray tell, does a faithful urban ministry require if not a triadic relationship of prayer, justice, and hope? Could such a theologically conjunctive relationship of prayer, justice, and hope fortify urban ministry and challenge students and practitioners to ponder and practice beyond the box? Frequently, justice is collapsed to charity, hope into wishful thinking or temporarily arrested despair, and prayer a grasp at quick-fix interventions. An urban ministry's steadfast public and prophetic witness longs for the depth and width of this triad. Via three countries' decades of endeavors, one chapter brainstorms urban ministry practices while another's literature survey signals crucial convictions. Amid many, seminal theologians are summoned to ground urban ministry intimations and implications: Niebuhr on justice, Moltmann on hope, and Merton on contemplative prayer. Evident is passion that fuels compassion in the service of justice, hope that engages despair, and prayer that draws from the contemplative center of it all--thankful resources for long haul ministry. The triad presses to illumine a concrete ministry's engagement of relentless, forced option issues yet with significant networks resourcing. Contrast-awareness animates endurance. The summary exegetes the original grace-based serenity prayer. Hence, hope vitally balances realism's temptation to cynicism. Realism saves hope from irrelevancy.

During Maleah’s pregnancy, she and her husband, Scott, received news no parent expects—a congenital heart defect diagnosis for their son that rocked their world. Without medical intervention, the condition would cost their son his life. Scott and Maleah found themselves at a crossroads: choose fear or faith. In Ridiculously Hopeful, Maleah illustrates the benefits available to you in choosing to walk by faith. She offers hope, encouragement, wisdom, and insight into deepening your relationship with Jesus Christ. She offers testimony to the power of prayer, unity found within the body of Christ, and an awareness that miracles—both big and small—occur today. She illuminates the transformative nature behind the Biblical truths of believing, seeking, and receiving even when answers and explanations don’t exist. Ridiculously Hopeful challenges the world’s way, which often breeds fear and anxiety. Maleah suggests a better approach: holding fast to hope and a confident expectation of good found in Jesus Christ during a period of uncertainty. She provides practical applications you can apply to transform your outlook and strengthen your relationship with Jesus amidst any difficult situation in your life.

This book provides a survey and critical assessment of the doctrine of universal salvation in contemporary western theology within the context of the historic development of the doctrine.