The Death Of The Church And Spirituality Reborn

A controversial book which some followers of Christianity, Wicca or New Age Philosophies may find challenging, The Death of the Church and Spirituality Reborn attempts to clarify trends that are leading to the death of the Church and a desire for a more spiritual approach to the pastoral care of the nation.

What if true church growth begins by allowing the church to die? In The Death and Resurrection of the Church, Jeremy Myers proposes that most modern church growth practices are built on faulty premises. Some of these are even rooted in the false promises that Satan offered to Jesus in the wilderness temptations. If we want the church to grow and thrive, it first needs to die to these false promises. The church must stop striving after strength, power, fame, riches, and glory, and instead follow Jesus into death. Only then will we become the church that Jesus wants. Since there can be no resurrection without death, the church must die so that it can rise again. This revised and updated book now includes discussion questions, perfect for a small group setting. Books in the “Close Your Church for Good” series: Preface: Skeleton Church Volume 1: The Death and Resurrection of the Church Volume 2: Put Service Back into the Church Service Volume 3: Dying to Religion and Empire Volume 4: Church is More than Bodies, Bucks, & Bricks Volume 5: Cruciform Pastoral Leadership

"In this fascinating study of antiquity, Thomas Finn explores the role of ritual and conversion in Judaism, Christianity, Greco-Roman Paganism, and the philosophical schools. Finn makes history come alive both by carefully delineating the historical, cultural, and social factors at work in conversion and by drawing on the stories and firsthand accounts of conversion in ancient times."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

The Christian life is actually a kind of death. We die to ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus. Dying in Christ, however, is an opportunity—to experience the comforting presence of the Holy Spirit as we spread the Good News of a God who loves us enough to save us and remake us in his image. Efrem Smith helps us see that Christian discipleship is a counterintuitive life. In a world turned upside down by sin, God carefully and lovingly strips us of worldly values and turns us right-side up as good citizens and ambassadors of his Kingdom.

The primal role of art in awakening and liberating the soul of humanity • Presents a seven-stage journey of transformation moving from the darkened soul to the light of spiritual illumination • Provides a meditation practice to experience the spiritual energy embedded within art • Includes artists Alex Grey, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Walter Gaudnek, and others Art and Spiritual Transformation presents a seven-stage journey from the darkened soul to the light of spiritual illumination that is possible through the world of art. Finley Eversole introduces a meditation practice that moves beyond the visual content of an art form in order to connect with its embedded spiritual energy, allowing the viewer to tap in to the deeper consciousness inherent in the artwork and awaken dormant powers in the depths of the viewer’s soul. Examining modern and postmodern artwork from 1945 onward, Eversole reveals the influences of ancient Egypt, India, China, and alchemy on this art. He draws extensively on philosophy, myth and symbolism, literature, and metaphysics to explain the seven stages of spiritual death and rebirth of the soul possible through art: the experience of self-loss, the journey into the underworld, the experience of the dark night of the soul, the conflict with and triumph over evil, the awakening of new life in the depths of being, and the return and reintegration of consciousness on a higher plane of being, resulting finally in ecstasy, transfiguration, illumination, and liberation. To illustrate these stages, Eversole includes works by abstract expressionists Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, and Mark Rothko and modern visionary artists Alex Grey and Ernst Fuchs, among others, to reveal the powerful and liberating forces art contributes to the transformation and evolution of human consciousness.

An illumination of the difference between "belief alone or water baptism" and "spiritual baptism". The author asks the reader "have you been born again? Have you received the Holy Spirit? How do you know you have been spiritually reborn? Can the spiritual rebirth of Christians today be authenticated by the bible. Are Christians today being "born again" as those believers in the new testament; or are today's Christians following a counterfeit pagan gospel introduced by the Roman emperor Constantine? The author shows how spiritual rebirth can be observed and authenticated just as the birth of a human baby is manifested and observed the a hospital paternity room.The author asks the reader have you received the "biblical" infilling of the Holy Spirit or merely a counterfeit pagan version of spiritual rebirth introduced by Constantine? The difference is a matter of spiritual life and spiritual death. No man shall enter the kingdom of heaven that is not born again. To be born again means to receive infilling of the Holy Spirit. Receipt of the Holy Spirit is spiritual rebirth. Why do today's Christians not receive spiritual baptisms as those believers experienced in the new testament? Why do Christians not speak in tongues upon receipt of the Holy Spirit today as those disciples did in the upper room and throughout the new testament? It is shown that contemporary Christians are not following the same spiritual gospel taught by Jesus Christ and not receiving spiritual baptisms required to enter the kingdom of heaven.Can a believer enter the kingdom of heaven merely because he or she believes Jesus Christ is the son of God, pays tithes and attends church? This is a book for both congregation members and preachers. This book raises serious theological issues that must be resolved before death in the flesh to assure everlasting life in the kingdom of God. The author explains that believers must not only believe in Christ but receive the biblical infilling of the Holy Spirit evidenced by speaking in tongues. It is shown how Constantine's Roman Christianity "aborted" the Holy Spirit and discontinued Christ's spiritual gospel and receipt of the Holy Spirit. What exactly is the Holy Spirit and how do men know when they have been filled with the Holy Spirit is examined in detail.

The search to uncover the hidden origins of Christianity and discover its true message has become a current topic of fascination for many readers. People are eager to know the truths behind the biblical legends and the mysteries that created Christian rites, ceremonies, and codes of behavior. Kuhn argues that the sacred scriptures of Judaism and Christianity do not portray historical truths, but symbolic and mystical metaphors. The spiritual truth encoded in scripture, says Kuhn, is far more important than its literal narrative. Kuhn’s research provides a clear understanding of the allegorical interpretations of the scriptures and their significance to a deeper, more profound Christianity. He traces the historical and philosophical origins of Christian thought to illustrate that Jesus was one of many incarnations of an enduring archetype that has surfaced in many religions. In fact, those who wrote the scriptures may have never even intended the focus to be on Jesus, the man. Moreover, Kuhn investigates the problems (psychological, spiritual, and otherwise) that result from a purely historical interpretation of Jesus. In doing so, Kuhn reclaims the mystical power at the core of Christianity's message, which has to do with the "birth" of the inner Christ and the emergence of divine consciousness in humanity.