Advocacy organizations and collective action
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Item INTRODUCTION TO CHRIS TIAN EDUCATION AND FORMATION(Zondervan, 2009-09-19) RONALD T. HABERMASA prominent feature of this book is its Christocentric emphasis. Jesus is shown to be all that he is, which is much more than our glorious Savior. With his many roles, such as that of Great Physician, Jesus provides us with a comprehensive earthly example to follow. Jesus, the Center of Our Life Plan Of Jesus’ many titles, Son of Man is the one he most often chose for himself. Son of Man means simply that Christ was totally human. For thirty-three years he lived a fully human life so that we might literally follow his example. No, we don’t need to ride donkeys and wear robes. Yes, we are to emulate him in every major aspect of our lives — how to pray, how to get away for a while, how to relate to difficult individuals, and how to constructively express emotions. This text is deliberately constructed on this Christ-centered design. All that Jesus did, does, and will do directly shapes our lives as we obey him. And that’s why Jesus’ life will be studied in great detail. He has been, is now, and will always be the one who desires our total well-being. That’s why Jesus was often linked with the Bible, the inspired manual for holistic restoration.Item INTERPERSONAL CONFLICT(McGraw-Hill Education, 2018-08-08) Joyce L. Hocker; William W. WilmotRevising this, the tenth of edition of Interpersonal Conflict, brought me the opportunity to reflect on how the field has changed since I first began to research the field for my disserta tion at the University of Texas in 1973. Since our first edition in 1978, conflict resolution has transformed into many subfields: peacemaking, third-party intervention, prevention of conflict, and the integration of personal transformation with interpersonal communication choices. This edition reflects many of the recent changes in the field. All chapters reflect recent research on interpersonal conflict. As has been our practice, I have removed earlier citations that are so foundational that they need not be specifically cited. All chapters have been revised and in some cases, reorganized and rewritten for read ability and clarity. New additions of “How would this sound?” give examples of dialogue the students may use to enlarge their conflict communication. Clearer organization and subheadings guide the reader through the text. The book still contains the 10 chapters in the same order. Chapter One, “The Nature of Conflict,” retains the resilient definition of conflict that has gained acceptance and use for more than three decades. This definition is now where it belongs, at the beginning of the chapter. Added emphasis on transforming the elements of conflict, with a special focus on perception, reflects the trend in the wider field to view elements as capable of transformation. The chapter includes activities on intrapersonal conflict, introducing the student to self-reflection as a basic first step. Examples and cases referring to same-sex relationships are added throughout. The chapter presents a persua sive case for studying conflict.Item HERMENEUTICS Principles and Processes of Biblical Interpretation(Baker Academic, 2007-07-07) HENRY A. VIRKLER; KARELYNNE GERBER AYAYOIn the study of any subject there are four identifiable but overlapping developmental stages. The first stage involves the recognition of an area that is important and relevant but unexplored. Initial exploration involves identifying what is there. In the area of hermeneutics the primary question is, How do we understand the meaning of someone else’s words? In the second stage attempts are made to articulate certain broad principles characterizing the area of investigation. One set of conceptual categories is advanced, then others, as investigators try to develop conceptual systems that organize or explain the data cogently and coherently. For example, is the meaning of a text solely what the author intended it to mean, or does the meaning of a text change depending on what it means to each reader or hearer? During the third stage the focus shifts from elucidation of broad principles to the investigation of more specific principles. Investigators with various theoretical orientations pursue the study of specific principles, although they may start with different presuppositions and may disagree about which set of broad principles yields the most accurate conceptual system.Item Greek An Essential Grammar of the Modern Language(Routledge, 2004-04-04) David Holton; Peter Mackridge and Irene Philippaki-WarburtonThe aim of this book is to provide a concise, but sufficiently detailed, description of the Greek language as spoken and written in Greece today. Greek is a highly inflected language, and consequently we have had to devote considerable space to the basic patterns of declension and conjuga tion which learners need to master. However, we also give close attention to the structure of phrases and sentences, i.e. to the syntax of the language, which other grammars have tended to treat rather cursorily. Throughout the book, our intention is to provide a reliable guide to Greek grammar and usage, up to date in terms of both its linguistic approach and the linguistic material we use to exemplify the various aspects of the language.Item Reasonable Faith Christian Truth and Apologetics(Crossway Books, 2008-08-08) WILLIAM LANE CRAIGWhat is apologetics? Apologetics (from the Greek apologia: a defense) is that branch of Christian theology which seeks to provide a rational justification for the truth claims of the Christian faith. Apologetics is thus primarily a theoretical discipline, though it has a practical application. In addition to serving, like the rest of theology in general, as an expression of loving God with all our minds, apolo getics specifically serves to show to unbelievers the truth of the Christian faith, to confirm that faith to believers, and to reveal and explore the connections between Christian doctrine and other truths. As a theoretical discipline, then, apologet ics is not training in the art of answering questions, or debating, or evangelism, though all of these draw upon the science of apologetics and apply it practically. T his implies that a course in apologetics is not for the purpose of teaching you, “If he says so-and-so, then you say such-and-such back.” Apologetics, to repeat, is a theoretical discipline that tries to answer the question, What rational warrant can be given for the Christian faith? Therefore, most of our time must be spent in trying to answer this question. Now this is bound to be disappointing to some. They’re just not interested in the rational justification of Christianity. They want to know, “If someone says, ‘Look at all the hypocrites in the church!’ what do I say?” There’s nothing wrong with that question; but the fact remains that such practical matters are logically secondary to the theoretical issues and cannot in our limited space occupy the center of our attention. The use of apologetics in practice ought rather to be an integral part of courses and books on evangelism.Item African Hermeneutics(Langham Publisher, 2019-09-09) Elizabeth Mburu|| Seco the Bible is always a challenging task. To be more precise, interpreting the Bible accurately is a challenging task. And yet the Bible is meant to be understood and applied in the daily lives of believers if it is to be a guide for faith and practice. African readers of the Bible face the additional challenge that most of the models and methods of Bible interpretation, or hermeneutics, are rooted in a Western context. This is not surprising given that Christianity came to Africa from the West, the churches and theological institutions that were founded were missionary led, and most of the theological resources are produced by Western writers. Millions of Africans therefore use “foreign” approaches to the interpretation of the Bible. This may be one of the reasons why many African Christians experience a dichotomy in their Christian lives. While the content of Christianity may be known and perhaps even understood, practice is not often consistent with this knowledge. This book is an attempt to address this problem by providing the reader with a contextualized, African intercultural approach to the study of the Bible. Part I provides a foundation for this intercultural approach by outlining principles that address the issue of this dichotomy and provide a solution through a contextualized hermeneutic. Since Bible interpretation can never be done in a vacuum, this contextualized hermeneutic begins with an exploration of African worldviews. Part I also presents a four-legged stool model that guides the reader in examining the text using four interrelated steps. Specific application of the biblical text to the African context is viewed as the logical endpoint of this process. The review questions at the end of each chapter in Part I are intended to help the reader think more critically about the African contextual issues that affect accurate interpretation of the Bible.Item Grasping God’s Word A Hands-On Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible(Zondervan, 2012-12-22) J. Scott DuvallThis is a wonderful user-friendly book for serious readers who desire to journey into the world of the Bible in order better to understand and to live faithfully in today’s world. J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays have chosen an apt title: Grasping God’s Word. The metaphor of grasping is a useful one for thinking through what is involved in biblical interpretation. As you embark on that lifelong journey, as well as the shorter one of studying the present work, it may be useful to keep four senses of the term in mind. To begin with, “grasping” is an act of violence: “to seize greedily.” This is not what the present authors intended! It is, however, what many so-called “postmodern” readers think about the process of interpretation. In our disenchanted, disbelieving age, many no longer believe that there is a “meaning” in texts. Interpretation is more like a power struggle in which the reader imposes or forces his or her will on the text: This is what it means to me. In the opinion of many contemporary readers, we can never see beyond ourselves so as to attain an “objective” meaning. For these postmodern readers, there is no such thing as “correct” interpretation. Grasping God’s Word lays great emphasis on the importance of observing the small details and the overall design of biblical texts. Yet Duvall and Hays are not unaware of the current skeptical trend. They well know that the observer-reader is not an impersonal recording device, but rather a person with a speci c identity, history, and cultural background — all of which a ect what one sees. Readers are not godlike, hovering in disembodied fashion over literary creations; no, readers, like authors, are rooted in particular historical situations — in what our authors call “towns.”Item Fighting for Your Marriage Positive Steps for Preventing Divorce and Preserving a Lasting Love(JOSSEY-BASS, 2001-01-11) Howard J. MarkmanThings change. Because of that simple fact, we’ve updated our work in order to bring you what we consider to be an even more practi- cal and potent version of Fighting for Your Marriage. What you hold in your hand is a major revision of the book we published in 1994. We wrote the original version to help couples build and nurture happy and strong marriages. This book is based on PREP®, which stands for the Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program. PREP is based on over twenty years of research at the University of Denver as well as on research from universities around the world. PREP is a program we developed to help couples beat the odds. PREP workshops use specific steps and exercises to teach couples the skills and attitudes associated with good relationships. Because of its roots in solid research and its straightforward approach, PREP has received a great deal of attention from couples across the coun- try, professionals in the field of marital counseling, and the media. PREP is one of the most extensively researched programs for cou- ples ever developed. The strategies in PREP are based on our study of the key risks couples face as well as the most promising avenues for helping couples lower the risks. Marriage in our culture is risky business, and the costs of marital failure are staggering. The good news is that there are proven strategies that can help you preserve a lasting love. Whether or not you ever take a PREP workshop, this book presents the core of our thinking and strategies for couples.Item Faith-Based Organizations and Legislative Advocacy: A Qualitative Inquiry(M. Lori Thomas, 2008-08-08) Marye LorelleA dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2008 Major Director: F. Ellen Netting, Professor, School of Social Work Since the early 1990s, religion and matters of faith and spirituality have become a focal point in numerous arenas beyond the individual and traditionally sacred. With President George W. Bush’s White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives of 2001, the Charitable Choice provision of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act that preceded it in 1996, and the myriad of legal challenges that followed, matters of religion have become paramount in political discourse regarding social welfare. The viability of faith-based social service provision and the organizations providing the direct services have been the focus of speculation, debate, and a growing amount of research. Few studies, however, have explored the role of faith-based advocacy or lobbying organizations in shifting the social welfare climate, in proposing or opposing policy changes in the social welfare system, or in defining social welfare. Little is empirically known about the organizational dynamics of religious advocacy groups whose attempts at structural influence are, in part, affected by theological positions and religiously-informed values.Item Fervent: A Woman's Battle Plan for Serious Specific, and Stategic Prayer(B&H Publishing Group Nashville, Tennessee, 2015-05-05) Priscilla ShirerCouple of things to mention here, though, before we start to develop some intentional strategies of devil-busting prayer, designed to counteract his specific strategies against us. Whenever the conversation of demonic activity comes up in a book like this, most people scatter to one of two extremes. Either they overestimate Satan’s influence and power, living with an inflated, erroneous perspective of his abilities. Or they underestimate him. They don’t assign him any credit at all for the difficulties he’s stirring up beneath the surface of their lives. One extreme leaves you saddled with undue fear and anxiety; the other just makes you stupid—(too blunt to say it like that? sorry)—unaware and completely open to every single attack. Which of these categories do you fall into or lean toward? Either? Let’s be clear, no matter which way you gravitate, Satan is not God. And he is not God’s counterpart or peer. They’re not even on the same playing field. His influence, authority, and power don’t even touch the fringe of what our Lord is capable of doing. Read ahead to Revelation 19 and 20 sometime, the so-called titanic clash of end-time foes in what’s commonly known as the battle of Armageddon. Know what it really is? More like the devil and his demons getting all dressed up with no place to go. It’s over before it even starts. The only thing that makes it a war is that he becomes a prisoner of war. Satan is nothing but a copycat, trying desperately to convince you he’s more powerful than he actually is. Because remember: he does have limitations—boundaries he cannot cross no matter how much he desires or how hard he tries. For instance . . . He can’t be everywhere at once (only God is omnipresent). He can’t read your mind (only God is omniscient). He is merely an illusionist, using cunning trickery to deceive and mislead (only God can work flat-out, unmistakable miracles).