Christian Life

This collection of 18 undated reflections draws comfort and encouragement from the Bible and from the author’s own experience for those going through life-limiting illness and for their family and carers. With moving vulnerability and without denying the difficult reality of the situation, Rachel Boulding suggests a way to confront terminal illness with faith and hope in a loving God. Facing Death grew out of the overwhelming response to Rachel’s Bible notes in New Daylight (May–August 2016). Readers recognised in her comments her courage to be authentic in the face of terminal illness, her appropriate vulnerability and her faith.

'For all those who have understood that doubt and free thinking are failings of your faith, Brian's book will help you live fuller and breathe easier.' Glennon Doyle Sixty-five million adults in the US have dropped out of active church attendance and about 2.7 million more are leaving every year. In the UK, surveys indicate that religious belief is also declining - and yet a surprising number of people still pray. Faith After Doubt is for all those who feel that their faith is falling apart. Using his own story and the stories of a diverse group of struggling believers, Brian D. McLaren, a former pastor and now an author, speaker, and activist shows how old assumptions are being challenged in nearly every area of human life, not just theology and spirituality. He proposes a four-stage model of faith development in which questions and doubt are not the enemy of faith, but rather a portal to a more mature and fruitful kind of faith. The four stages - simplicity, complexity, perplexity and harmony - offer a path forward that can help sincere and thoughtful people leave behind unnecessary baggage and increase their commitment to what matters most. 'In this important book, my friend and colleague Brian McLaren helps you find a deeper and wiser faith that is enriched by doubt instead of threatened by it.' Fr Richard Rohr

For anyone struggling with belief Jeff Lucas shows how to hold onto faith in times of doubt and uncertainty You'll gain a new certainty and hope Believing in what you cannot see Jeff interweaves the story of his early years, becoming a Christian and being called to ministry with the biblical account of Jesus meeting with the disciples on the beach at Galilee after His resurrection. In his unique insightful way, Jeff reflects on elements of that encounter that readers might not have considered before, such as why didn’t Jesus help out the fishermen earlier, what was the significance of catching 153 fish and how having breakfast together was beneficial for the body and soul. Along the way, Jeff also relates his own experiences of depression and how he identifies with Peter who frequently failed as a follower of Jesus. Although an experienced pastor, speaker and writer, Jeff openly shares about times when he found it difficult to understand what God wanted for his life when God Himself seemed to be silent, and times when he felt a failure for having doubts. This books is surprisingly uplifting and gives the reader permission to doubt, to make mistakes and to question – after all that is what Peter did. Most Christians live out their faith in times of fog but Jesus is the light that we can focus on. Themes: • How to keep on believing when we cannot see clearly. • Why some Christians still struggle with shame when the Bible tells us of the good news of forgiveness. • The importance of comforting others without resorting to unhelpful clichés. • Recognising that the Christian life might not always be an exciting adventure. Previously published in the USA by Zondervan – Updated and re-edited for the UK

Welcome to Your Place in a Worldview Minority In an increasingly secular society, those who have a biblical worldview are now a shrinking minority. As mainstream culture grows more hostile toward the Bible’s truths and those who embrace them, you’ll face mounting pressures—from family, friends, media, academia, and government—to change and even abandon your beliefs. But these challenges also create abundant opportunities to stand strong for Christ and shine light to those hurt by the darkness of our day. In Faithfully Different, author and apologist Natasha Crain shares how you can live out your faith with conviction, discernment, and courage. You’ll be equipped to identify and respond to today’s most significant worldview pressures, such as cancel culture, secular social justice, progressive Christianity, deconstruction, virtue signaling, and more engage effectively with a world that ridicules biblical truths defend your faith from misguided influences and live as a bold witness for the Lord As the standards of our day mutate and devolve, Faithfully Different will give you the insight and encouragement you need to believe, think, and live biblically no matter what you face in these turbulent times. Review "Faithfully Different is a timely wake-up call for Christians who want to live out their faith in our secular culture. This book is well researched, full of interesting stories, and grounded deeply in Scripture. I highly recommend it for Christians who want to know what it means practically to follow Jesus today." --Sean McDowell, PhD, professor of apologetics, Biola University; author or coauthor of nearly 20 books, including Chasing Love: Sex, Love, and Relationships in a Confused Culture "Are you being deceived? How would you know? The inherent problem with being deceived is that you don't know you're being deceived. Natasha Crain brilliantly exposes how our secular culture often deceives us about God, Jesus, the Bible, social justice, sex, love, and morality. She then points us back to truth so we can live faithfully different lives to achieve our most important mission--knowing God through Jesus Christ and building His kingdom. Read this now!" --Frank Turek, President, CrossExamined.org; coauthor of I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist "At Summit Ministries, we train tens of thousands of young adults every year in worldview and apologetics. I can tell you this: Natasha Crain gets it. She doesn't shy away from a biblical response to tough questions. Just as important, she has her finger on the pulse of the culture. She knows its language and how to speak truth into it. Faithfully Different makes a powerful and very readable case that if Christians will learn to think Christianly--that is, with a Christian worldview--they can have a powerful impact in our confusing times. A bracing and timely challenge for the church." --Jeff Myers, PhD, President, Summit Ministries "If ever there was a time to reaffirm biblical morality, revitalize our notions of biblical justice, and recommit to speaking the truth of the gospel, now is that time. Natasha Crain's new book, Faithfully Different, is the right book written at the right moment. It will help you understand the challenges we face as a community of believers and equip you with the skills necessary to rise to these challenges. It's a must-read book for a time such as ours. Get a copy for yourself and every Christian you care about." --J. Warner Wallace, Dateline-featured cold-case detective; author of Person of Interest and Cold-Case Christianity "In her earlier books, Natasha Crain has shown that she possesses a rare gift for unpacking complex ideas and making them clear and accessible. In Faithfully Different, she focuses on the struggles Christians face as society grows ever more secular. Those who follow Jesus are now a minority in Western culture, increasingly cast as extremists and treated as obstacles to social progress. Crain offers a reliable guide to navigating these new challenges." --Nancy Pearcey, author of Total Truth and Finding Truth "Natasha Crain's Faithfully Different offers a brilliant assessment of our current cultural moment--loaded with insight, yet perfectly practical--in prose that is lucid and crystal clear. Crain strikes a healthy balance between her native kindness and gentleness and her sharp biblical thinking, helping you discover, finally, how all the crazy cultural pieces fit together and what to do about it...In my opinion, Crain's latest work is a masterful achievement, her best yet. If you read just one book to help you understand the present-day secular assaults on Christianity--and the biblical answers to them--make it Faithfully Different." --Gregory Koukl, President, Stand to Reason (str.org); author of Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions "This book is faithfully different! Clearly written, relevant, and winsome, it is a fair-minded defense of the Christian worldview. Read it, and you will find it to be of great benefit in understanding how you can withstand the cultural pressures that are swirling around you. A great book to help Christians, but also a wonderful gift to those who are on the margins, dealing with doubts and wondering how Christianity compares with the secular answers of our culture. Read it. Share it. And live it!" --Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer, Pastor Emeritus, Moody Church, Chicago; author of We Will Not Be Silenced "Until recently, Christian ideals in America have gone largely unchallenged. But this is rapidly changing, which has left many Christians feeling opposed, silenced, and marginalized. How can we stand for biblical truth in a culture that views that truth to be bigoted, hateful, or harmful? Faithfully Different will give you the tools, resources, and inspiration to live out your Christian values in an increasingly secularized culture. This is the book every Christian needs in this cultural moment." --Alisa Childers, author of Another Gospel: A Lifelong Christian Seeks Truth in Response to Progressive Christianity; host of The Alisa Childers Podcast

What is God like? Does He really care for people today? In his work on three continents Floyd McClung has met many people who suffer from emotional scars and fears. Over and over again it has been the discovery of God as Father - perfectly reliable, unlike any human parent - that has brought freedom and healing. A classic introduction to God's love, written for those in need and for those who wish to share that love with others

This book goes back to the drawing board—the Bible—and answers the question: what is a father anyway? And the answer will give dads a whole new way to think about their role and what they are trying to do. But it's not a book of 'theory'. Drawing on his years of experience as a father of five, Tony Payne provides bucket loads of practical wisdom and advice. Fatherhood will, without doubt, become the classic book on the subject and is essential reading for all fathers, prospective fathers, and anyone who thinks fatherhood is important. * About the Author Tony Payne is the Publishing Director at Matthias Media, is married to Alison, and has five children. He is a graduate of Moore Theological College in Sydney, and the author of a number of other books including Guidance and the Voice of God, Pure Sex and the award-winning Islam in our backyard. * Reviews "Reading this short book is like walking into a secure and happy home. You find that your job as a father is more significant than you thought it was and there is opportunity to check the reasons and also the down to earth application. Best of all—with this godly wisdom—you don't get tempted to the house next door called "leave it to someone else" nor to the other side called "you've done a hopeless job". Read it to be a secure and happy home builder!" Simon Manchester, St Thomas' Church, North Sydney. Free Fatherhood seminar material available. Download this archive, which contains Leader's notes for running the seminar, and participants' handouts and Powerpoint presentations for each of the two sessions of the seminar.