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Strangers and Friends at the Welcome Table: Contemporary Christianities in the American South
by James Hudnut-BeumlerIn this fresh and fascinating chronicle of Christianity in the contemporary South, historian and minister James Hudnut-Beumler draws on extensive interviews and his own personal journeys throughout the region over the past decade to present a comprehensive portrait of the South's long-dominant religion. Hudnut-Beumler traveled to both rural and urban communities, listening to the faithful talk about their lives and beliefs. What he heard pushes hard against prevailing notions of southern Christianity as an evangelical Protestant monolith so predominant as to be unremarkable. True, outside of a few spots, no non-Christian group forms more than six-tenths of one percent of a state's population in what Hudnut-Beumler calls the Now South. Drilling deeper, however, he discovers an unexpected, blossoming diversity in theology, practice, and outlook among southern Christians. He finds, alongside traditional Baptists, black and white, growing numbers of Christians exemplifying changes that no one could have predicted even just forty years ago, from congregations of LGBT-supportive evangelicals and Spanish-language church services to a Christian homeschooling movement so robust in some places that it may rival public education in terms of acceptance. He also finds sharp struggles and political divisions among those trying to reconcile such Christian values as morality and forgiveness—the aftermath of the mass shooting at Charleston's Emanuel A.M.E. Church in 2015 forming just one example. This book makes clear that understanding the twenty-first-century South means recognizing many kinds of southern Christianities.
Strangers and Pilgrims (Homestead #1)
by Stephen A. BlyThe Bowers are not your typical, late-nineteenth-century homesteading family. They did not move west to farm Nebraska; they moved east. Matthew Bowers won't be working the land; his wife Lissa will--despite her diminutive size. And while Papa is dreaming of new ideas and Mama is farming, it will be 17-year-old Jolie who runs the household and mothers her three younger siblings. It's unusual, but the Bowers are determined to make this plan--unlike all of Matthew's others--work. That is, if Mama can get the team of horses to settle down and plow. If they can conquer the challenges of floods, grasshoppers and cash flow that keep them on the edge of survival. And if Jolie can keep every young man in the state from fighting over her. The Bowers are a family of faith in a land where everyone is a stranger and pilgrim... at least for a few days. People of warmth, love and hospitality who don't hesitate to defy convention. A family no one ever forgets or wants to lose as a friend. A family readers will want to get to know for themselves.
Strangers and Pilgrims Once More: Being Disciples of Jesus in a Post-Christendom World
by Addison Hodges HartIn this book Addison Hodges Hart articulates some crucial questions for contemporary Christians: What sort of church must we become in today's post-Christendom world, where we can no longer count on society to support Christian ideals? What can we salvage from our Christendom past that is of real value, and what can we properly leave behind? How do we become "strangers and pilgrims" once more, after being "at home" in Christendom for so long?Summoning readers to wise and faithful discipleship in our post-Christendom age, Hart suggests both how Christ's disciples can say "yes" to much that was preserved during the age of Christendom and why they should say "no" to some of the cherished accretions of that passing epoch.
Strangers and Sojourners: A Novel (Children of the Last Days)
by Michael O'Brien<p>An epic novel set in the rugged interior of British Columbia, the first volume of a trilogy which traces the lives of four generations of a family of exiles. Beginning in 1900, and concluding with the climactic events leading up to the Millennium, the series follows Anne and Stephen Delaney and their descendants as they live through the tumultuous events of this century. <p>Anne is a highly educated Englishwoman who arrives in British Columbia at the end of the First World War. Raised in a family of spiritualists and Fabian socialists, she has fled civilization in search of adventure. She meets and eventually marries a trapper-homesteader, an Irish immigrant who is fleeing the "troubles" in his own violent past. This is a story about the gradual movement of souls from despair and unbelief to faith, hope, and love, about the psychology of perception, and about the ultimate questions of life, death and the mystery of being. <p>Interwoven with scenes from Ireland, England, Poland, Russia, and Belgium during the War, Strangers and Sojourners is a tale of the extraordinary hidden within the ordinary. It is about courage and fear, and the triumph of the human spirit.</p>
Strangers at Home: Amish and Mennonite Women in History (Center Books in Anabaptist Studies)
by Kimberly D. Schmidt Diane Zimmerman Umble Steven D. ReschlyThis collection of original essays focuses on the rich, historically diverse, and often misunderstood experiences of Amish, Mennonite, and other women of Anabaptist traditions across 400 years. Equal parts sociology, religious history, and gender studies, the book explores the changing roles and issues surrounding Anabaptist women in communities ranging from sixteenth-century Europe to contemporary North America. Gathered under the overarching theme of the insider/outsider distinction, the essays discuss, among other topics: •How womanhood was defined in early Anabaptist societies of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and how women served as central figures by convening meetings across class boundaries or becoming religious leaders •How nineteenth-century Amish tightened the connections among the individual, the family, the household, and the community by linking them into a shared framework with the father figure at the helm •The changing work world and domestic life of Mennonite women in the three decades following World War II •The recent ascendency of antimodernism and plain dress among the Amish •The special difficulties faced by scholars who try to apply a historical or sociological method to the very same cultural subgroups from which they derive The essays in this collection follow a fascinating journey through time and place to give voice to women who are often characterized as the "quiet in the land." Their voices and their experiences demonstrate the power of religion to shape identity and social practice.
Strangers at My Door: A True Story of Finding Jesus in Unexpected Guests
by Jonathan Wilson-HartgroveJesus Told Us Where to Find Him. Just Look for an Outcast. His first followers knew that Jesus could be found with the fatherless, the widows, and the hungry and homeless. He said that he himself was a stranger, and commended those who welcomed him. If he really meant these things, what would happen if you opened your door to every person who came with a need? Jonathan and Leah Wilson-Hartgrove decided to find out. The author and his wife moved to the Walltown neighborhood in Durham, North Carolina, where they have been answering the door to anyone who knocks. When they began, they had little idea what might happen, but they counted on God to show up. In Strangers at My Door, Wilson-Hartgrove tells of risks and occasional disappointments. But far more often there is joy, surprise, and excitement as strangers become friends, mentors, and helpers. Immerse yourself in these inspiring, eye-opening accounts of people who arrive with real needs, but ask only for an invitation to come in. You will never view Jesus and the people he cares about the same way again.From the Trade Paperback edition.
Strangers in a Strange Land: Living the Catholic Faith in a Post-Christian World
by Charles J. ChaputA vivid critique of American life today and a guide to how Christians—and particularly Catholics--can live their faith vigorously, and even with hope, in a post-Christian public square. From Charles J. Chaput, author of Living the Catholic Faith and Render unto Caesar comes Strangers in a Strange Land, a fresh, urgent, and ultimately hopeful treatise on the state of Catholicism and Christianity in the United States. America today is different in kind, not just in degree, from the past. And this new reality is unlikely to be reversed. The reasons include, but aren't limited to, economic changes that widen the gulf between rich and poor; problems in the content and execution of the education system; the decline of traditional religious belief among young people; the shift from organized religion among adults to unbelief or individualized spiritualities; changes in legal theory and erosion in respect for civil and natural law; significant demographic shifts; profound new patterns in sexual behavior and identity; the growth of federal power and its disregard for religious rights; the growing isolation and elitism of the leadership classes; and the decline of a sustaining sense of family and community.
Strangers inTheir Midst (Mystery and the Minister's Wife #27)
by Patricia H. RushfordDOWN AND OUT. The economic downturn has finally affected Copper Mill. Kate has seen evidence of it in small ways, but it's not until she learns that there is an entire group of homeless people living in Ash Grove Campground that she realizes she has to do something. Disappointed that the majority of the community opposes her plans to help their struggling neighbors, Kate throws herself into doing what she can. She meets Troy Eaton, a man facing hard times, and a strange and confused elderly woman who calls herself the Countess. When Troy is implicated in more than one crime, Kate is convinced of his innocence, even contrary to circumstantial evidence. Yet as she investigates, she begins to wonder if the several mysteries she's juggling are linked--and it appears that none of her new friends are quite who they seem. Can Kate clear Troy's name when she hardly knows him or will getting involved put her in danger?
Strangest of All
by Frank EdwardsOriginally published in 1956, this is a collection of chilling true stories of occurrences that have baffled the best minds of the world.They include:--The bullet that lay imbedded in a man and waited twenty years to kill him!--The thief who was in two places at the same time: hypnotized on a vaudeville stage and at the scene of his own crime.--The defenseless, besieged town that won a great victory without firing a single shot.--The man who was horribly murdered by a clock!--The woman who proved she was buried alive by giving evidence after her death....AND MANY, MANY MORE
Strategic Disciple Making: A Practical Tool For Successful Ministry
by Aubrey MalphursFor many people, church is there to meet their needs--with programs designed with them in mind. Strategic Disciple Making teaches these churchgoers to develop a servant's heart. Readers will discover that they control the destiny of their church. If they seek personal contentment, they must grow as disciples, and church expert Aubrey Malphurs explains the true meaning of the word. This refreshing resource offers a radical "how-to" for renewing faltering faith. It is perfect for burned-out ministers and downcast church leaders who want a more authentic discipleship experience.
Strategic Islamic Business and Management: Solutions for Sustainability (Contributions to Management Science)
by Sutan Emir Hidayat Léo-Paul Dana Veland Ramadani Ahmad RafikiIn the contemporary global market, this book underscores the significance of Islamic institutions and companies to employ effective business and management strategies for sustained success. It provides a thorough examination of diverse facets of Islamic business and finance, including organizational aspects, strategic planning, marketing, entrepreneurship, and innovation. Rooted in the principles of Islamic religious law, the text presents a range of concepts, models, and frameworks to enhance the performance of Islamic organizations. From historical insights to contemporary adaptations, the book highlights the crucial role of a just system in ensuring sustainability within the banking sector and broader business context. The emphasis on ethical practices, stakeholder considerations, and technology integration advocates for strategic approaches that enhance competitiveness while adhering to values of sustainability. With a specific focus on topics such as digital marketing, the book navigates the utilization of technology for optimized customer reach and campaign performance. A pertinent resource for entrepreneurs, practitioners, policymakers, academicians, and students interested in formulating effective strategies in Islamic business, management, and digital marketing to promote sustainability and ethical practices.
Strategic Islamic Marketing: A Roadmap for Engaging Muslim Consumers (Contributions to Management Science)
by Léo-Paul Dana Veland Ramadani Baker Ahmad Alserhan Jusuf ZeqiriMarketing in the emerging Islamic markets is a challenging business function since international companies must contend with unfamiliar customs, cultural differences, and legal challenges. This book provides marketers who want to reach this emerging and very lucrative consumer base with essential, research-based insights on these aspects and how to deal with them. This book redefines marketing practice and conduct and challenges conventional marketing wisdom by introducing a religious-based ethical framework to the practice of marketing. The framework opens a whole new array of marketing opportunities and describes the behavior of the consumer, community, and companies using a different approach than conventional marketing thought.
Strategic Pastoral Counseling: A Short-term Structured Model
by David G. BennerTherapeutic counseling in a Christian context can be highly effective when it maintains narrowly focused goals in a time-limited setting. The details of this proven model of pastoral counseling are described in this practical guide. This second edition of Strategic Pastoral Counseling has been thoroughly revised and includes two new chapters. Benner includes helpful case studies, a new appendix on contemporary ethical issues, and updated chapter bibliographies. His study will continue to serve clergy and students well as a valued practical handbook on pastoral care and counseling.
Strategic Thinking: How to Sustain Effective Ministry
by Thomas G. BandyLearn to set priorities and have the courage to take reasonable risks.Church leaders know how to think reactively. They know how to recognize their strengths and weaknesses and identify their opportunities and threats. They react to any number of emerging situations. What they don't do is think ahead to sustain effective ministries.They know how to plan strategically. They know how to choose new curricula, tap new sources of funding, recruit committees, and manage time. Church leaders often do not know how to think strategically, looking around and ahead to keep pace with society. Five year plans become irrelevant after five weeks. Strategies generated from leadership retreats collect dust in closets. In Strategic Thinking, Tom Bandy provides step-by-step plans to guide church leaders to set boundaries, align resources to visions, and hold church leaders and members accountable for integrity and purpose. In this book, you will learn how to reliably and regularly research the community surrounding your church, discern divine presence, and assess effectiveness. You'll find tools to help you set priorities and have the courage to take reasonable risks.It is possible for church leaders to think strategically. Do not unnecessarily throw up your hands in despair, react to whatever happens next, or surrender to some authority (individual or institutional) that will tell you what to do. The methods in this book provide a way to make good decisions and timely adjustments to get measurable results.
Strategies For Deliverance Course: Bs106 Student Workbook
by Robin DinnanauthThis course presents guidelines for ministering to those affected by demonic powers. In order to receive the Gospel these captives must first be delivered from bondage. (RDM Institute of Spiritual Development offers a course entitled "Spiritual Strategies: A Manual Of Spiritual Warfare" which details the activities of Satan and his demonic forces. If you are not familiar with spiritual warfare, you should obtain this course before you begin the ministry of deliverance.)
Strategies For Healing Course: BS105 Student Workbook
by Robin DinnanauthIn this course, the battle for the body intensifies as you learn how to minister healing. In Chapter Eighteen you will learn how to minister deliverance. PRELIMINARY PREPARATIONS: There are some important preparations before you begin to minister healing. These include preparing yourself as the channel of God's healing power and the person to whom you are the minister healing. PREPARING YOURSELF: Faith comes by hearing the Word of God about healing. To increase your own faith, study everything in the Bible on the healing. Read the New Testament through with a new attitude. Whatever Jesus told His followers to do, you begin to do. Whatever He said He would do, expect Him to do it.
Strategies of the Silent in Medieval English Literature
by Edwin D. CraunSilence, like speech, is a mode of communication that can be used strategically. In Strategies of the Silent in Medieval English Literature, Edwin D. Craun investigates the silences in public life that punctuate talk in late Middle English literature.Centering his study on readings of canonical texts, including the works of Thomas Hoccleve, the anonymous Mum and the Sothsegger, William Langland’s Piers Plowman, John Lydgate’s translation of Guillaume de Deguileville’s Pelerinage de vie humaine, The Testimony of William Thorpe, a selection of the York cycle of passion plays, and The Book of Margery Kempes, Craun recovers the widespread moral discourse on silence developed by late medieval secular and clerical writers, who compiled materials from Roman popular morality and Stoic texts as well as Jewish wisdom books and Christian texts. These texts model how silence could play a role in effective government, respond to violent and angry antagonists, or in some cases to entirely obviate a good outcome. Through this nuanced exploration of the ethics of communication in medieval moral, narrative, and dramatic literature, Craun shows us that public silences, then as now, have strategies and consequences, dimensions that medieval imaginative writers explore subtly yet analytically in order to provoke ethical reflection and pragmatic action. Strategies of the Silent in Medieval English Literature offers original thematical and rhetorical insights into the written history of silence. It will appeal to scholars, graduate students, and advanced undergraduates interested in Middle English literature, history, and political thought.
Stratification in Israel: Class, Ethnicity, and Gender (Schnitzer Studies In Israel Society Ser. #Vol. 10)
by Moshe SemyonovUntil recently, issues surrounding ethnic-linked inequality, whether between Jews and Arabs or between Jewish ethnic groups, have dominated research on stratification in Israel to the exclusion of other dimensions. Rapidly growing inequality in Israeli society, and its intergenerational persistence, however, have generated several new trends in research. The chapters included in this volume represent the range and depth of recent developments in the study of social stratification, mobility, and inequality. Although they address a variety of issues, they have in common a focus on the institutional mechanisms that govern the allocation of rewards.
Strawberry Mansion: The Jewish Community of North Philadelphia (Images of America)
by Allen MeyersA section of North Philadelphia, Strawberry Mansionis nestled high on the banks of the Schuylkill River,adjacent to the large expanses of Fairmount Park, with many wonderful venues such as Woodside Park. The area became the setting for America's premiere Jewish Community in the 20th century, with over 50,000 inhabitants. Strawberry Mansion was the first Jewish suburb within an urban setting. Affectionately known as "the Mansion," it was only a trolley car ride away from the South Philadelphiaimmigrant district. Jewish families migrated from oneneighborhood to another as they advanced economically in American society during the early 1900s. By the mid-1950s, the decision to discontinue the once heavily traveled route #9 trolley car marked the decline and eventual demise of Strawberry Mansion as a Jewish enclave.
Stray Affections: A Novel
by Charlene Ann BaumbichThe last thing that Cassandra Higgins expects out of her Sunday is to be mesmerized at a collectors’ convention by a snowglobe. She’s enjoying some mommy time, with husband Ken at home tending their brood of four young boys, when she’s utterly charmed by the one-of-a kind globe containing figures of three dogs and a little girl with hair the color of her own. She can’t resist taking the unique globe home– even if means wrestling another shopper for it! The beautiful snowglobe sparks long-dormant memories for Cassie, of her beloved Grandpa Wonky, the stray she rescued as a child, and the painful roots of her combative relationship with her mother, “Bad Betty” Kamrowski. Life in Wanonishaw, Minnesota is never dull, though, and Cassie keeps the recollections at bay, busy balancing her boys, her home daycare operation, and being a good friend to best pal Margret. But after a strange–flurrious,as Cassie deems it–moment happens with the remarkable snowglobe, Cassie and the people she loves are swirled into a tumultuous, yet grace-filled, and life-changing journey. With the quirky, close-knit Midwestern small-town feel that made Charlene Ann Baumbich’s acclaimed Dearest Dorothy novels so popular,Stray Affectionsinvites you to experience the laughter and the healing of second chances.
Straying from the Straight Path: How Senses of Failure Invigorate Lived Religion
by David Kloos Daan BeekersIf piety, faith, and conviction constitute one side of the religious coin, then imperfection, uncertainty, and ambivalence constitute the other. Yet, scholars tend to separate these two domains and place experiences of inadequacy in everyday religious life – such as a wavering commitment, religious negligence or weakness in faith – outside the domain of religion 'proper.' Straying from the Straight Path breaks with this tendency by examining how self-perceived failure is, in many cases, part and parcel of religious practice and experience. Responding to the need for comparative approaches in the face of the largely separated fields of the anthropology of Islam and Christianity, this volume gives full attention to moral failure as a constitutive and potentially energizing force in the religious lives of both Muslims and Christians in different parts of the world.
Streams For Teens: Thoughts on Seeking God’s Will and Direction
by Jim ReimannIt's a noisy, confusing, sometimes scary world, and it's not always easy to know which way to turn. For anyone Streams for Teens is a great place to stop for directions. Using poems, reflections, and Scripture, this devotional guide challenges us to listen and watch for God's will for our lives and trust His guidance as we travel new paths and open new doors. Streams is easy to read, easy to understand, and easy to share with others. Open it up. See where it leads.
Streams in the Desert
by Mrs Charles E. Cowman"In 1925 the first edition of Streams in the Desert was released. In it were thoughts, quotations, and spiritual inspiration which had helped to sustain Mrs. Charles E. Cowman during her years of missionary work in Japan and China-particularly the six years she nursed her husband while he was dying. After two years and three thousand books in print it was suggested to Mrs. Cowman that since all her friends had copies, there was probably no need to print any more. From this humble beginning Streams in the Desert has become a daily devotional classic, a leader in its field for more than forty years. At various times it has appeared in more than a dozen languages, and at present is in four foreign language editions. Its ministry is worldwide, unhindered by national, political, or geographic boundaries. From a royal palace in North Africa and a presidential mansion in Asia to wartime concentration camps ... from primitive huts in remote corners of the world to elegantly furnished houses in cultural centers... to thousands of homes representing a cross section of the world today, Streams in the Desert continues to bring its spiritual refreshment, its words of encouragement and inspiration just suited for the moment's need. For the readers of the millions of copies now in print, Streams in the Desert is more than a book-it is a living word of confidence and assurance, God's message for the day." Taken from the Publisher's Forward
Streams in the Desert Morning and Evening: 365-Day Devotional
by L. B. CowmanStreams in the Desert is one of the most popular daily devotionals of all time. Now combined with Cowman's follow-up Springs in the Valley is an everyday morning and evening devotional. Readers will be encouraged by these short devotions that speak to the soul with the ageless truth of the Word of God.Streams in the Desert Morning and Evening includes:More than 900 pages of short, daily devotionsGuidance and hope that encourage a deeper faith walkWisdom and insight into God's characterScripture verses to strengthen the daily messagesBeautiful cover with foil and a ribbon marker Streams in the Desert Morning and Evening is a beautiful gift for readers who want to start their mornings and wind down during their evenings by connecting their hearts to the One who knows it best.
Streams in the Desert for Kids: 366 Devotions to Bring Comfort
by L. B. CowmanStreams in the Desert for Kids is a year-long devotional that speaks to kids where they are today, providing the same kind of wisdom and comfort for life found in the classic Streams in the Desert by Oswald Chambers, but with a modern and relatable twist kids eight to twelve will relate to.No one has to tell you life is sometimes hard. And for your kids, navigating the confusing, everyday feelings of sadness, fear, loneliness, and anxiety can be difficult. To help your child through those times, Streams in the Desert for Kids contains 365 daily devotions that provide comfort and advice centered on God&’s promises to protect us and always stay near. It also contains sports information, scientific facts, and interesting stories to keep your kids engaged, with timeless wisdom and biblical facts that provide a strong spiritual foundation as they grow.Streams in the Desert for Kids:contains NIV scripture that ties in all the time-tested insights from the original Streams in the Desert to help apply each day&’s reading to your child&’s lifehas devotions that take only minutes to read, allowing you to fit each day&’s reading into any scheduleis perfect for daily devotions in the morning, at mealtimes, or before bedcontains a sample prayer for each day to help make connecting with God easy and natural for your child