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Science and Faith at Odds?
Alister McGrath | Theologian and Author If you believe the “new atheists,” science has proven that the idea of God is simply a delusion, and religion is the main obstacle to the advancement of civilization. Some Christians respond by suggesting that science itself is somehow anti-faith. After all, doesn’t the idea of evolution threaten the very tenets of Christianity? Doesn’t the creation debate highlight the enmity between science and faith? In this short, Alister McGrath — a world-class scientist and theologian — sets us straight. Topic: Worldview, Trends, Culture, Future Add to Cart | |
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Renewing Cities Through Missional Tribes
Jon Tyson | Pastor, Trinity Grace Church All of us need significant, authentic relationships in our lives. But developing genuine community is especially challenging in our fast-paced, individualistic culture—particularly in an urban context. The church doesn’t always help either. We have good intentions, but our programmed efforts at facilitating community often fail. In this short, Jon Tyson explores the way people relate in the city and how we should begin looking at social networks differently. Topic: Community, Church, Culture, Future Add to Cart | |
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Veneer: A Commentary on Culture and the Church
Jason Locy | Designer; Tim Willard | Writer Something is plaguing us as individuals, as a culture, and as the body of Christ. A consumeristic mentality has taken root that, if left unexcavated, threatens the very nature of meaning and purpose and beauty in life. In this short, Locy and Willard sound the alarm on our disease. Like sober doctors or visionary prophets, they diagnose a thick coat of veneer that covers all that we are and everything we do. Their message will provoke us, but we are wise to let it penetrate our thinking and transform our perspective. Topic: Worldview, Culture, Trends, Church Add to Cart | |
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God Help Us
David Kuo | Entrepreneur and Author Something about politics makes us either cynical or idealistic. We come to believe that candidates, elections, and party platforms are altogether evil or the answers to our greatest problems. Amid these polarizing emotions, how is a Christian to find a grounded perspective on politics? David Kuo should know. He served as a special assistant to a recent president. He also stepped away from the political scene for a season of reflection. In light of his experience and faith, he offers helpful insights regarding the tenuous relationship of Christians and politics. Topic: Worldview, Culture, Trends, Justice Add to Cart | |
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The Thread: When Church Happens Online
Cathleen Falsani | Journalist and Author Funny how much we talk about a value that we rarely experience. Yes, genuine community is elusive, and we’ve all learned that it’s not something we can manufacture or create on our own terms. But just when we least expect it, community can emerge in the most surprising ways. Cathleen Falsani discovered this truth recently when online, of all places, she found the community and church she had been longing for. Topic: Future, Globalization, Trends, Community Add to Cart | |
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Reframing the Gospel
Tim Keel | Pastor, Jacob’s Well The way we share the story of God’s work in history and God’s work in our lives reveals the kind of gospel we believe in. Tim Keel is convinced that many of us have come to believe in a gospel that is limited. And then we go out and pitch our limited gospel to others in ways that devalue the holistic nature of the message itself. In this Q Short, Tim Keel challenges us to return to the Bible, and specifically to the Old Testament that shaped Jesus’ worldview, to get a better picture of the story, or more accurately, the stories that Jesus used to frame God’s gospel message. Topic: Gospel, Worldview, Trends, Community Add to Cart | |
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Immigration Matters
M. Daniel Carroll R. | Professor, Denver Seminary Each year, Hispanics from Mexico, Central America, and South America cross the border into the United States. As a result, emotions run high about the perceived threats (and benefits) these immigrants pose to our culture and economy. And, sadly, our emotions often translate into unfruitful rhetoric and overly simplistic political positions. As Christians, perhaps we should survey the immigration question from a different perspective. Daniel Carroll poses the paramount question the church must ask: what does the Bible say about immigration? Topic: Trends, Worldview, Commuity, Justice Add to Cart | |
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The End of Suffering
Chris Heuertz | Executive Director, Word Made Flesh Chris Heuertz makes an audacious claim: we should work for an end to suffering in our world. Most of us would hesitate to even whisper such a statement. But if the gospel we believe is truly good news for all, not only for eternity, but also for here and now, then shouldn’t we dare to dream? For Chris, the issue isn’t philosophical, but very personal. He works with an organization that serves to alleviate the suffering of the most vulnerable of the world’s poor. And those who are poor are not merely objects of his compassion, but indeed his friends. Be challenged as he describes the sources of poverty in our world and how believers can embrace their role to become the beginning to the end of suffering. Topic: Influence, Worldview, Future, Globalization Add to Cart | |
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From Purchases to Practices
Andy Crouch | Journalist and Author Many things have changed in America over the last 100 years. One thing in particular, though, has altered the identities of Americans perhaps more than anything else: the proliferation of products to buy and consume. And, unfortunately, this has resulted in devastating consequences, especially for those of us who follow Christ and seek to be creators and cultivators of culture. Andy Crouch explains why this is the case, how our purchases lack the ability to satisfy us, and what a new understanding of practices offers to consumer addicts. Topic: Trends, Worldview, Future, Culture Add to Cart | |
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The Relevance of Our Irrelevance (And Vice Versa)
Chris Haw | Author and Theologian We all believe that the church should be relevant. After all, this is how we can make a difference in the world for the sake of God's kingdom. But what if our concept of "relevance" is grossly mistaken? Is it possible that the movement of the church should be away from the dominant structures and systems in our world instead of complying with them? We need to look no further than the examples of Israel and Jesus to see that in becoming irrelevant, we will become the movement of God's people that he intended us to be all along. Topic: Church, Worldview, Influence, Culture Add to Cart | |
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Our Nomadic Existence: How Electronic Culture Shapes Community
Shane Hipps | Author and Pastor, Trinity Mennonite Church New technologies and forms of media are transforming our world every day. Little do we realize, however, that these "advances" in the way we communicate and interact are detrimentally shaping the nature of our relationships with one another. In our search to find genuine community, we've become wandering nomads. How did we get here and what should we do about it? Topic: Trends, Future, Influence, Community Add to Cart | |
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Project Love: Restoring a Bridge with the Gay Community
Andrew Marin | Founder, The Marin Foundation What would you do if your three best friends told you they were gay? Would you run away or be moved to action? Would you listen to them or tell them your opinions? Read one man's story and his extraordinary response. Discover new paths toward educating and equipping both the religious and gay communities with a better understanding of one another. Topic: Worldview, Gospel, Church, Community Add to Cart | |
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Postmodern Wells: Creating a Third Place
Mark Batterson | Pastor and Founder, Ebenezer's Coffee House The church is no longer the center of community life. Rather than admit defeat, Mark Batterson believes the church has an obligation to create new ways to engage our communities. We can't afford to do church the way it's always been done. Hear the story of one church that understands the culture of their city and has created new places for their community to connect not only with each other but also with God. Topic: Worldview, Gospel, Calling, Community Add to Cart | |
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Living the Gospel in Culture
Michael Metzger | Founder, Clapham Institute In recent years, Christian societal engagement has been negatively influenced by a truncated view of the gospel. In this interview by Gabe Lyons, Mike Metzger discusses the importance of recapturing a historic view of the gospel, the difference between being provoked or offended by culture and how your worldview expands when you work together in community. Topic: Trends, Gospel, Influence, Community Add to Cart | |
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Signs of Life: Finding the Good, True & Beautiful in Popular Culture (and Why You Should Bother)
Josh Jackson & Nick Purdy | Founders, Paste Magazine We live in a fallen world -- ruled at times by commercialism, vulgarity, violence, cynicism, vapidity and celebrity-worship -- but goodness, truth and beauty always make their way to the surface. These qualities can be seen in music, books, movies, art and video games, regardless of the spiritual condition or worldview of the author. Become a connoisseur of the good and find, celebrate and cultivate this kind of expression in your community. Topic: Culture, Influence, Worldview, Future Add to Cart | |
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The Next One Thousand Years of Christianity
Kevin Kelly | Founding Editor, Wired Magazine Given the accelerating rate of change at work in our culture today it seems reasonable and responsible to expect tremendous shift in the Christian church in the next 1000 years. Yet who in the church is preparing for this great shift? Where in the church is the needed long-term perspective? If Jesus doesn't return tomorrow, then what is the scenario for the next 1,000 years of Christianity? Kevin Kelly's plausible scenarios are guaranteed to expand, challenge, and even boggle your mind. Topic: Future, Globalization, Trends, Religions Add to Cart | |
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Glocalization: Engaging a Flat Word
Dr. Bob Roberts, Jr. | Author and Pastor, Northwood Church In the past 150 years, decades of growth and development have culminated along specific lines of knowledge. They have begun to converge with one another in groundbreaking ways. The world is getting smaller. What does this mean for the future of the global church and Christians desiring to engage in society? Topic: Globalization, Future, Influence, Community Add to Cart | |
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Cultural Elites: The Next Unreached People Group
Eric Metaxas | Author, Amazing Grace Can anyone really change the world? Take a moment to reflect on and learn from the community approach of William Wilberforce and the Clapham Circle. Their story not only inspires us to work for change but gives us a model of how to leverage cultural influence to bring solutions to the greatest needs of society. Topic: Culture, Influence, Wilberforce, History Add to Cart | |
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Picture Justice: Embracing Our Global Neighborhood
Bethany Hoang | International Justice Mission Take a journey into the redemptive story of Kunthy and Chanda and discover the place of justice in the biblical narrative of salvation. When the church finally understands and embraces a theology of justice, we can actively engage in matters of global concern that are also close to the heart of God. Topic: Church, Justice, Slavery, Poverty Add to Cart | |
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Spiritual Conversations: Understanding the Cultural Language
Ron Martoia | Author, Static Finding spiritual conversations in American culture is not hard, but conversations about the Christian God can be a different story. People are not nearly as open to Christianity. Why the distinction? Yes to spiritual conversation, no to Christian conversation. Why is spirituality a raging interest, but the Christian version so marginalized? Consider the Gospel as a 4-part story and be introduced new language that can bring Christianity back into the spiritual conversations of our day. Topic: Gospel, Worldview, Religions, Culture Add to Cart | |
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My Friend of Another Religion Doesn't Want to Become a Christian: Now What?
Brian D. McLaren | Author, Speaker, Christian Activist What is my duty to my neighbor who is not a follower of Christ? What do I owe him? What does faithfulness to God and my neighbor demand of me? Christ calls us to love our neighbor, not to condemn, persecute, or ignore him. So, what does it mean to love my neighbor who practices another religion? Learn ten basic commandments that help put the one great commandment into practice. Topic: Culture, Religions, Evangelism, Gospel Add to Cart | |
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The Green Church: Shaping Culture Through Creation Care
Tri Robinson | Senior Pastor and Author, Vineyard Christian Fellowship of Boise Tithing trash is one way Tri Robinson has redefined what stewardship means in his church. This ecologist turned pastor provides a biblical perspective on the creation mandate and raises the question, "What could happen culturally if churches began to tend the garden?" In Idaho, they have turned from just another church to a defining influence on their state, shaping the environmental conversation in their community and beyond. Topic: Church, Environment, Justice, Sustainability Add to Cart | |
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The Problem of Good
Scott Kauffmann | Consultant, Coach, and Author We all consider why the world is so bad, but we rarely ask why there is so much good. At the personal level, why do I know so many unbelievers who are more honest, more sacrificial, more joyful, more committed to other people? Why can artists, filmmakers and musicians who seem personally unredeemable create paintings, films, music and books that are so unmistakably transcendent? Explore God¹s second greatest gift: common grace. Topic: Gospel, Grace, Evangelism, Theology Add to Cart | |
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Influencing Culture: An Opportunity for the Church
Gabe Lyons | Founder, Fermi Project A unique opportunity for the church to once again shape future culture exists today. Throughout history, Christianity has displayed a rich heritage of cultural influence when it embraced the cultural mandate and supported the callings of leaders within her care. Explore a compelling vision for how the church can once again be a force for good in creating, sustaining and celebrating good culture. Topic: Culture, Future, Church, Gospel Add to Cart | |



