Archive for the ‘Literature’ Category

A Case for the Existence of God

Wednesday, November 19th, 2008 |

Some of the brightest scientific minds of our time, from Albert Einstein to Stephen Hawking, have made incredible insights into the earliest origins of the universe, but have failed to ultimately discover why there is something rather than nothing–why we exist. In “A Case for the Existence of God”, Dean L. Overman examines the latest theories about the origins of the universe and explains why even the most sophisticated science can only take us so far. Ultimately we must make a leap of faith to understand the world, and Overman argues that a leap into theism provides the most satisfying conclusions.

Overman explores fundamental questions about why our world exists and how it functions, using principles of logic, physics, and theology. In a time when religion and science are often portrayed as diametrically opposed, “A Case for the Existence of God” presents a refreshing view of the interplay between science and religion and makes a compelling case for the existence of God and his role in our world.
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New Book, The Lennon Prophecy, Asks The Question - Did John Lennon Sell His Soul To The Devil?

Tuesday, November 18th, 2008 |

Did John Lennon sell his soul to the devil in exchange for his worldly musical success with The Beatles and beyond? That’s the theory set forth by Joseph Niezgoda in his soon-to-be released book The Lennon Prophecy, A New Examination of the Death Clues of the Beatles.

The Lennon Prophecy offers a new interpretation of the hidden messages and symbols that have ornamented Beatles mythology for years and offers the view that Lennon joined historical figures such as Mississippi “Crossroads” blues guitarist Robert Johnson, Dr. Johann Faust, Pope Sylvester II among others who entered into a pact with the devil to exchange their souls for earthly successes. Niezgoda dissects and examines the Beatles’ and Lennon’s recordings and album artwork and follows a fascinating and unique trail of sorcery, mysticism, numerology, backward masking, anagrams and literary and theological writings to explain his conclusions.
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Q&A with Ann Dunagan, author of The Mission Minded Family

Wednesday, November 12th, 2008 |

According to the latest Barna survey, only 11 percent of all churchgoers have been on a short-term missions trip. That’s only 2 percent higher than the overall percentage of Americans who have been on any kind of brief service trip. To make matters worse, the majority of those who have gone on a missions trip did so more than five years ago—which amounts to 8 million adults out of the 228 million living in the United States. Among the most active short-term missionaries are evangelical Christians, 23 percent of whom have ventured out to share the gospel. Interestingly enough, only 1 percent of Americans have taken a missions trip as a family.

Q: How would you describe a mission-minded family?
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Exposing the True Cost of the New Sexual Tolerance

Tuesday, November 11th, 2008 |

The last few decades have produced some dramatic changes in the national discourse about all things sexual. With elementary school children being introduced to “family diversity” curriculum, reports of promiscuity in homes for the aged, the raging debate over gay marriage, and the mainstreaming of pornography through advertising and entertainment, there seems to be virtually no part of the culture that is not dealing with sexuality in one way or another—and often with significant controversy. In this age of moral relativism, the politically correct opinion states that what happens between consenting adults is nobody’s business but theirs. After all, in the end, it’s just sex, right?

What do the mainstreaming of pornography, the homosexual agenda, and the philosophy of sexual liberation have in common? Implicit in each is an attack on the institution of heterosexual marriage. According to Dr. Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, when the traditional plan for marriage is attacked, an entire civilization may pay the price. Dr. Mohler’s latest book, Desire and Deceit: The Real Cost of the New Sexual Tolerance, examines many of today’s most controversial and troubling issues concerning sexuality.
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It’s Your Call: 7 Sure Ways to Fulfill Your Life’s Purpose

Tuesday, November 11th, 2008 |

Are you struggling with fear and uncertainty about life and your future? Have you discovered that no matter what you do, you can’t find contentment, peace, or happiness? Are you ready for a change?

In It’s Your Call: 7 Sure Ways to Fulfill Your Life’s Purpose (Victory Publishing, 2008) author Lawrence Powell outlines life-changing practical steps that will unlock the chains of self-doubt and insecurity that are keeping you separated from your dreams and set you free to live the life God called you to live.
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Internet Addiction? Millions of Americans Admit to Compulsive Internet Use

Thursday, November 6th, 2008 |

To many people, constant Internet use is the “new normal,” but author Jan Kern challenges this, asserting that too much Internet use is an addiction just like many others. While affirming that “God isn’t anti-Internet,” Kern argues that God wants more for us, wants us to have a real life and relationships, not just virtual ones.

“The Internet can offer a really great experience, and for many people, this is not a problem. Most of us use the Internet for research, news, communication–and fun,” said author Jan Kern.
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Africana Worship Book Year C is Now Available

Friday, October 31st, 2008 |

The United Methodist General Board of Discipleship Wednesday announced the publication of the Africana Worship Book: Year C, published by Discipleship Resources.

The Rev. Marilyn Thornton, lead editor of African-American Resources at the United Methodist Publishing House and pastor of Emery United Methodist Church in Murfreesboro, Tenn., preached during the All Saints Day and dedication service October 29, celebrating The Africana Worship Book: Year C, published by Discipleship Resources, one of GBOD’s three book imprints.
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Special Telecast on Sikh Gurta Gaddi Diwas

Wednesday, October 29th, 2008 |

Guru Nanak Daata Baksh Lai Mission, Chandigarh, has released a new Video on the 300th Sacred Akal Gaman (SachKhand Gaman) Diwas of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Sahib. The video titled “Nanak Runna Baba Janiye Je Rove Lai Piaro” is available on the “300 Saal Guru De Naal” website set up by the mission solely for this most sacred event of this century. This event follows soon after the 300th Gur Ta Gaddi Diwas of Sri Guru Granth Sahib being celebrated as “300 Saal Guru De Naal” at Takhat SachKhand Sri Hazur Abchal Nagar Sahib.

Special programmes on the 300th Gurta Gaddi Divas and the 300th Akal Gaman Diwas prepared by Guru Nanak Daata Baksh Lai Mission will be telecast on the reputed Punjabi Channel “PTC News” for 4 days starting from November 1st till November 4th. It will be shown on November 1 and 2 (Saturday and Sunday) from 10:30 am to 11:00 am (IST) and on November 3 and 4 (Monday and Tuesday) from 9:30 am to 10:00 am (IST).
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Short Stories Delve into Mysterious, Unexplained Portions of Scripture

Tuesday, October 28th, 2008 |

Imagine yourself as a Roman soldier, ordered to crucify a man named Jesus. What thoughts would course through your mind as you carried out your grisly duties?

Author L.E. Azer explores one soldier’s inner turmoil in “The Crucifier,” one of two short stories in his new book, “The Crucifier & In The Beginning.”
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Obama Sex Policies Ignite Pastors, Rabbis, According to The Judeo-Christian View

Monday, October 27th, 2008 |

Barack Obama’s policies on sexuality have ignited passionate response from hundreds of pastors and rabbis who are urging their peers — over 325,000 of them — to pray for Obama’s repentance and show a graphic “video sermon” so American congregations have “full disclosure and informed consent” on the senator’s plans.

The inaugural issue of The Judeo-Christian View , a “multimedia journal” for Jewish and Christian clerics signed by hundreds of the same, includes a 7-minute DVD sermon that challenges Obama’s policies on same-sex unions, integration of open gays into the U.S. military, and tax-subsidized partial birth abortion. The signatories also decry Obama’s support for teenage abortion without parental notice and his call for repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, which shields states from forced recognition of same-sex marriages originating elsewhere.
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Are economic forces good or evil?

Friday, October 24th, 2008 |

In his new book, Charting the Course, Bruce Howard grapples with the dilemma of reconciling fixed, transcendent moral values with an economic system based on relative value. Howard insists there is a way to move forward, that we can influence the economy in a way that will bring positive change to the world. “While it is true that markets have no values, they are wonderful mirrors for reflecting the values that people bring to the marketplace each and every day,” he states.

Q: What factors led you to tackle the topic of markets in Charting the Course?
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Is your church a true safe place?

Friday, October 24th, 2008 |

While stories of sexual abuse by priests or others in authority make headlines, many instances of abusive behavior in the church occur unnoticed, and the abused rarely feel free to speak out about their suffering. In their new book, Church as a Safe Place, authors Peter R. Holmes and Susan B. Williams expose the truth about abuse in the church, challenging churches to be the safe places God has created them to be. People come to church looking for a haven from this abuse. Unfortunately, they often discover that the church isn’t so different from the rest of the world, after all.

Q: When we hear the word “abuse,” most of us immediately think of physical or sexual abuse. What are some other forms of abuse you have identified in the church?
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Is God Inadequate, Immoral, or Just Misunderstood?

Thursday, October 23rd, 2008 |

A dangerous rift has opened up between society and the Christian church—a moral friction between the Bible’s message and the current culture’s sense of right and wrong. Questions about God that used to center around His existence are now aimed at His morality. How moral is the God who permits diseases and natural disasters that kill innocent people or the God who allows brutal dictators to rule with an iron fist? At best this God is aloof and uncaring. At worst He is primitive and cruel.

Many in this contemporary culture have concluded that we are actually morally superior to God and that He is less than adequate. Even some in the church have begun to suspect this same thing, that God just may not be that great. But, as people of faith, we have an understanding that helps us bridge the reality of what we see with those realities we do not see. But how are we to communicate this understanding to a skeptical generation?
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In Search of Gold

Thursday, October 23rd, 2008 |

Pam Davis was the seemingly perfect woman. She was gorgeous and godly. A former model with a renowned agency, Davis spent time on the mission field demonstrating her devotion to the gospel. Yet she was secretly miserable. In spite of all her hard work for the Kingdom, she felt hopelessly inadequate and far from God. Even her body wasn’t good enough, as evidenced by her eating disorder. In her quest for spiritual and physical excellence, Davis had missed one vital detail—grace.

In her new book, Pure Gold: Embracing God’s Grace, Davis leads readers to discover how the priceless commodity of grace will transform every aspect of their lives. However, Davis believes that, for most of us, our fundamental misunderstanding of grace keeps us from the life-giving choice to pursue it. Although we realize that salvation is a gift that we could never earn, we continue to live each day as though God’s spiritual blessings are dependent on our good works—and lots of them. This failure to seek the spiritual gold of God’s grace results in spiritual bankruptcy evidenced by a lack of joy and peace, worry, feelings of being overwhelmed, and a lost passion for life.
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America in Prophecy: The Beginning of the End

Thursday, October 23rd, 2008 |

Remnant Publications releases America in Prophecy: The Beginning of the End by inspired Christian writer E. G. White. More than 150 years ago, E. G. White penned her first book concerning the great battle between good and evil with remarkable insights into what is being reported daily in today’s headlines around the world. Over a period of 70 years and through some 2,000 visions and dreams, she claimed that God was revealing to her a warning message to be proclaimed worldwide at the end of time. America in Prophecy captures her firsthand experience regarding the spiritual revival in the nineteenth century.

According to the Ellen G. White Estate, Inc., she has some rather remarkable credentials. She is the most translated woman writer in the entire history of literature, and the most translated American author of either gender. Some believe that Mrs. White was more than a gifted writer; they believe she was appointed by God as a special messenger to draw the world’s attention to the Holy Scriptures and help prepare people for Christ’s second advent.
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