Reddit mentions: The best christian spiritual growth books

We found 944 Reddit comments discussing the best christian spiritual growth books. We ran sentiment analysis on each of these comments to determine how redditors feel about different products. We found 363 products and ranked them based on the amount of positive reactions they received. Here are the top 20.

1. The Cost of Discipleship

    Features:
  • Touchstone Books
The Cost of Discipleship
Specs:
ColorCream
Height8.4375 Inches
Length5.5 Inches
Number of items1
Release dateSeptember 1995
Weight0.61 Pounds
Width0.8 Inches
▼ Read Reddit mentions

2. The Great Divorce

    Features:
  • HarperOne
The Great Divorce
Specs:
ColorColor Cover
Height8 Inches
Length5.31 Inches
Number of items1
Release dateApril 2015
Size0.44" H x 8.0" L x 5.38" W (0.32 lbs) 160 pages
Weight0.3086471668 Pounds
Width0.36 Inches
▼ Read Reddit mentions

3. Crossing the Tiber: Evangelical Protestants Discover the Historical Church

Crossing the Tiber: Evangelical Protestants Discover the Historical Church
Specs:
Height8 Inches
Length5.2 Inches
Number of items1
Weight0.78043640748 Pounds
Width1 Inches
▼ Read Reddit mentions

4. Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense

HarperOne
Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense
Specs:
Height9.26 Inches
Length0.9 Inches
Number of items1
Release dateFebruary 2010
Weight0.89 Pounds
Width6.56 Inches
▼ Read Reddit mentions

5. Desiring God, Revised Edition: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist

    Features:
  • Multnomah Books
Desiring God, Revised Edition: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist
Specs:
ColorBlack
Height8.96 Inches
Length5.99 Inches
Number of items1
Release dateJanuary 2011
Weight0.7495716908 Pounds
Width0.76 Inches
▼ Read Reddit mentions

6. On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision

On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision
Specs:
Height8.9 Inches
Length7 Inches
Number of items1
Release dateMarch 2010
Weight0.9 Pounds
Width0.72 Inches
▼ Read Reddit mentions

7. More Than a Carpenter

    Features:
  • Living Books
More Than a Carpenter
Specs:
Height6.7 Inches
Length4.1 Inches
Number of items1
Release dateJune 2009
Weight0.2 Pounds
Width0.8 Inches
▼ Read Reddit mentions

8. Becoming Orthodox: A Journey to the Ancient Christian Faith

Becoming Orthodox: A Journey to the Ancient Christian Faith
Specs:
Height8.25 Inches
Length4.75 Inches
Number of items1
Release dateJanuary 2010
Weight0.6503636729 Pounds
Width0.25 Inches
▼ Read Reddit mentions

9. Delighting in the Trinity: An Introduction to the Christian Faith

Delighting in the Trinity: An Introduction to the Christian Faith
Specs:
Height8.25 inches
Length5.5 inches
Number of items1
Weight0.45 Pounds
Width0.5 inches
▼ Read Reddit mentions

10. New Seeds of Contemplation

    Features:
  • New Directions
New Seeds of Contemplation
Specs:
Height8.1 Inches
Length5.2 Inches
Number of items1
Release dateNovember 2007
Weight0.67 Pounds
Width0.9 Inches
▼ Read Reddit mentions

11. Bible Doctrine: Essential Teachings of the Christian Faith

Zondervan
Bible Doctrine: Essential Teachings of the Christian Faith
Specs:
Height9.5 Inches
Length6.38 Inches
Number of items1
Release dateJuly 1999
Weight1.89818007582 Pounds
Width1.63 Inches
▼ Read Reddit mentions

12. Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life

Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life
Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life
Specs:
Height8.1 Inches
Length5.5 Inches
Number of items1
Release dateJuly 2014
Weight0.79 Pounds
Width0.9 Inches
▼ Read Reddit mentions

13. Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time: The Historical Jesus and the Heart of Contemporary Faith

    Features:
  • DVD
  • Multiple Formats, AC-3, Color
  • French (Dubbed), English (Original Language)
  • 1
  • 148
Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time: The Historical Jesus and the Heart of Contemporary Faith
Specs:
ColorMulticolor
Height0.45 Inches
Length8.24 Inches
Number of items1
Release dateApril 2015
Weight0.330693393 pounds
Width5.52 Inches
▼ Read Reddit mentions

14. Celebration of Discipline: The path to Spiritual Growth

Great product!
Celebration of Discipline: The path to Spiritual Growth
Specs:
ColorRed
Height8.5 Inches
Length0.75 Inches
Number of items1
Release dateOctober 1988
Weight0.89507678372 Pounds
Width5.5 Inches
▼ Read Reddit mentions

16. Chosen by God

    Features:
  • Great product!
Chosen by God
Specs:
Height8.1 Inches
Length5.3 Inches
Number of items1
Release dateApril 2021
Weight0.54895103238 Pounds
Width0.5 Inches
▼ Read Reddit mentions

17. Victory Over the Darkness: Realize The Power Of Your Identity In Christ

Victory Over the Darkness Realize the Power of Your Identity in Christ
Victory Over the Darkness: Realize The Power Of Your Identity In Christ
Specs:
Height8.39 Inches
Length5.51 Inches
Number of items1
Release dateJuly 2000
Weight0.67020527648 Pounds
Width0.57 Inches
▼ Read Reddit mentions

18. The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life In God

    Features:
  • Rediscovering our hidden life in God.
The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life In God
Specs:
ColorMulticolor
Height1.5 Inches
Length8.3 Inches
Number of items1
Release dateMarch 1998
Weight1.3889122506 Pounds
Width5.9 Inches
▼ Read Reddit mentions

19. Bread & Water, Wine & Oil: An Orthodox Christian Experience of God

Used Book in Good Condition
Bread & Water, Wine & Oil: An Orthodox Christian Experience of God
Specs:
Height9 Inches
Length6 Inches
Number of items1
Release dateNovember 2007
Weight0.63 Pounds
Width0.46 Inches
▼ Read Reddit mentions

20. Simply Jesus: A New Vision of Who He Was, What He Did, and Why He Matters

HarperOne
Simply Jesus: A New Vision of Who He Was, What He Did, and Why He Matters
Specs:
Height7.9 Inches
Length0.8 Inches
Number of items1
Release dateOctober 2011
Weight0.91 Pounds
Width5.2 Inches
▼ Read Reddit mentions

🎓 Reddit experts on christian spiritual growth books

The comments and opinions expressed on this page are written exclusively by redditors. To provide you with the most relevant data, we sourced opinions from the most knowledgeable Reddit users based the total number of upvotes and downvotes received across comments on subreddits where christian spiritual growth books are discussed. For your reference and for the sake of transparency, here are the specialists whose opinions mattered the most in our ranking.
Total score: 205
Number of comments: 26
Relevant subreddits: 2
Total score: 153
Number of comments: 58
Relevant subreddits: 7
Total score: 83
Number of comments: 25
Relevant subreddits: 6
Total score: 51
Number of comments: 10
Relevant subreddits: 1
Total score: 30
Number of comments: 14
Relevant subreddits: 2
Total score: 25
Number of comments: 9
Relevant subreddits: 3
Total score: 23
Number of comments: 14
Relevant subreddits: 2
Total score: 19
Number of comments: 9
Relevant subreddits: 3
Total score: 11
Number of comments: 9
Relevant subreddits: 3
Total score: 0
Number of comments: 10
Relevant subreddits: 3

idea-bulb Interested in what Redditors like? Check out our Shuffle feature

Shuffle: random products popular on Reddit

Top Reddit comments about Christian Spiritual Growth:

u/muddyfootprints · 1 pointr/NoFapChristians

> How would you suggest I go about striving to live a Christ-like life while at the same time remembering that my salvation is through grace?

How would you suggest I go about striving to live a Christ-like life while at the same time remembering that my salvation is through grace?

Trying to earn God's love is THE problem. EVERY Christian I have ever known has had to struggle with this, and I do everyday. It was the problem of the pharisees, and according to Spurgeon, popery. Christianity is all about the heart. As your heart has already been changed and is sensitive to the things of God thus your desire to be Christ-like and Christ pleasing the following is for you. For those who are not in a saving relationship with Jesus, the following will not apply.

There is a Martin Luther quote that I can't find right now (ugh!) that goes something like this: "What makes us so arrogant as to think there is something we can do to add to the sufficiency of the blood of God's own Son!"

There are a few different fronts to the war. One is that you have to get a working definition of what Christian freedom means, and specifically what it means to you and what it looks like in your life. Hint: Do you have the freedom to sin and still be loved? Does God’s grace cover first degree, premeditated sin, or not?

I firmly believe until one understands grace and forgiveness in the forensic (law language) sense, you can’t get a whole lot better. It’s the doctrines of freedom that become the places you can stand when it gets dark. Dark, like when you have blown it so bad that you begin to doubt your salvation.This, as an aside, is an excellent reason to get baptized. It gives us another place to stand.

I find that if we obsess about our sin we sin more. If we obsess about Jesus and His UNCONDITIONAL love for us we may or may not get better... but we will find out getting better wasn’t the point... EVER. Being His is the point.

Front Two: I suggest studying your identity in Christ. These guys are really good at this

https://www.ficm.org/

“Victory over the Darkness” is from them and is very helpful in obtaining freedom from all sorts of spiritual bondage, but for me it is only part of the equation. It gave me some of the the keys to understanding myself and even my relationship with God, but it didn’t explain God as well as I needed. Some, probably most of my issues with trying to earn God’s love are rooted in the conditional nature of the love I received from my dad growing up. I came from a fairly dysfunctional background. Therefore, the ideas and concepts I projected on God were from my relationship with my dad and it messed up my relationship with my Heavenly Father.

I found this book to give me great insights into who God really is. Check it out and tell me what you think.
(In case the embedded link is inop.
http://www.amazon.com/Delighting-Trinity-Introduction-Christian-Faith/dp/0830839836)

Front Three: For me is learning to recognize and accept God’s love.

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Christianity-Christian-Living-1401/accept-Gods-love.htm
The worksheet referenced in that article is available at https://www.ficm.org/ also under “free stuff”.

Once again, for me, I found that I really needed to understand love. I had to learn what love was, what it looked like, what being loved felt like... pretty much everything. I had walled off my emotional self so far, in an effort at self protection, that I was pretty much isolated. The isolation causes pain and numbing agents abound. Alcohol. porn, false persona(s) etc. Anything to keep me from having to spend time with myself as I fell into the trap of rejection made worse by self rejection. Enter another of my favorite quotes,

“I never liked jazz music because jazz music doesn't resolve. But I was outside the Bagdad Theater in Portland one night when I saw a man playing the saxophone. I stood there for fifteen minutes, and he never opened his eyes.

After that I liked jazz music.

Sometimes you have to watch somebody love something before you can love it yourself. It is as if they are showing you the way.

I used to not like God because God didn't resolve. But that was before any of this happened.”
― Donald Miller
Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality

I had to look at the cross and see God love me. I had to watch others love and affirm me, because I didn’t know how to love myself. I had to read about what a loving relationship with Jesus looks like (see Brennan Manning’s Abba’s Child and Ragamuffin Gospel, Henri Nouwen's Life of the Beloved).

I also had to find out what a man is supposed to be and be about. I’m sure you are familiar with John Eldredge. While Wild at Heart is a classic, his, Way of the Wild Heart really helped me and still does.

So, that’s it really. Run to Jesus! Get loved, in real and meaningful ways and then take that into the world and just be who you are... a wounded healer. Your walk will be in freedom and you will be like Christ. In more ways than you can possibly imagine now. Your wounds even when healed will be a place of strength though now they are a weakness. Gee, I wonder where we heard that before? Oh, and don’t worry, when your story is one of recovery.. it keeps you humble.

Numbers 6:24-26
New King James Version (NKJV)
24 “The Lord bless you and keep you;
25 The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
26 The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.”’


Blessings to you my Brother

u/onemanandhishat · 1 pointr/TrueChristian

Bible Reading:

Most important thing when choosing a Bible: pick the one you'll read. It doesn't matter if you prefer it because of how the cover makes you feel, if that will make you read it, then that's fine.

Most issues with translations only kick in when you find passages that are hard to understand and you want a sense of what the original writer was saying. Then something like the NLT may be less useful, because it paraphrases more. The one thing I'd say is that I wouldn't recommend a full paraphrase version like The Message, because it has a lot of the writer's own interpretation. It has its value, but not for regular study.

If you want an easy to access but still good for Bible study translation, then the NIV is a widely used version. With your background in mind, howevr, the ESV might be usable for you. It's a widely respected translation that is considered good for serious study because it gets closer to the original language than the NIV, with some sacrifice for ease of reading. It's not something I'd necessarily recommend for someone new to Christianity, but given that you grew up in a Christian family, you might not find the vocabulary as daunting.

Regarding annotations: feel free to skip them. They are intended to aid understanding, but are not part of God's word. Therefore they are not essential reading, although if you want help understanding a passage they may be useful. If you find the length of the Bible challenging, you may want to consider a Bible reading plan - it will give you a structured approach that just makes it all feel a bit more manageable. If you want to manage the whole thing in a year (4 chapters a day), then try For The Love of God by Don Carson. If that's too much you could give one of these a try. One popular approach is to just alternate reading Old Testament and New Testament books (e.g. read through Matthew, then Genesis, then Mark, then Exodus etc), and then, because the New Testament is shorter, starting over while you go through the 2nd half of the Old Testament. That one's good because it doesn't matter how much you read each day to fit the plan. But reading plans are just a tool, if you want to just sit and read, that's also great, reading whole books in one go has its benefits even. Whatever works for you.

Other resources:

There are many, many Christian books available. But if you want a couple of easy recommendations try:

  • The Cross-Centered Life by CJ Mahaney, it's super short but nails the essentials of the Christian life. Likewise Humility: True Greatness by the same author, also short.

  • Mere Christianity by CS Lewis - it's a good one for the atheist mindset, as CS Lewis was very talented at explaining Christian ideas in a way that makes logical and philosophical sense.

  • Delighting in the Trinity: An Introduction to the Christian Faith by Mike Reeves - I confess I haven't read this one myself, but I love the author and I've heard him speak on this topic, and it really opened my eyes to explain the Trinity, which is one of the most mind-bending Christian teachings, yet it changes everything in an amazing way. Really worth checking out. Can also send you a link to his talks on it, if you prefer an audio option. He does some great church history stuff that warms my heart as well. We can learn a lot from those who came before us, and can shed light on our struggles and encourage us with their wisdom.
u/OmegaPraetor · 6 pointsr/Catholicism

First of all, welcome back, brother. I am especially touched that your fiancée would even suggest to find a Catholic Church. (As an aside, you're not a convert; you're a revert since you're already baptized into the Church. I thought maybe you'd appreciate that factoid.)

​

>I am looking for information about your Church, whatever you think is important to know.

There is a lot to know and many here would recommend a million and one things to study, especially since it sounds like you enjoy a good intellectual pursuit. I'm not going to discount others' recommendations, but I do want to highlight one thing: learn more about Jesus first. Find out what He taught, who He is, what His disciples and closest friends said about Him, what the Old Testament said about Him, etc. To that end...

​

>I am looking for recommendations for a Catholic-approved version of the Bible, geared towards someone who appreciates philosophy and prefers something close to the original translations, or the most accepted by the Church.

First thing to note, all Catholic Bibles have 72 books. Protestants have 66. If you can't get a hold of a Catholic Bible, a Protestant one will do for now until you do get around to buying a Catholic one. Now, as for Catholic Bibles, if you speak/read Latin you can't go wrong with the Vulgate Bible. It's a Bible that was translated by St. Jerome who was fluent in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin; he had the original manuscripts -- some of which are lost to us today -- so his translations are widely accepted as authentic and faithful.

There's also the English version of the Vulgate Bible known as the Douay-Rheims. It's an almost word-for-word translation of the Latin so the English will sound archaic to our modern ears. It's not as frustrating as, say, reading Shakespeare but it's pretty close. I personally prefer (and currently use) a Douay-Rheims Bible that has the Clementina Vulgata beside it. It's essentially Latin and English side by side. You can find one here.

If want one with plain English, the New American Bible Revised Edition would suffice. (If you use this website, let me know. I have a discount code from my last purchase.)

​

>I know nothing of the culture or norms of the Church, or what to expect as a new member.

One major rule to remember is that you can't receive Holy Communion until after you've gone to Confession. Given your situation, I would recommend setting up an appointment with a parish priest so he can give his full attention to you and your needs.

​

>I do not know how to introduce myself to the congregation

There's usually no need to introduce yourself to the congregation since parishes tend to be big. If you would like to formally introduce yourself, however, give the parish priest a call and set up a meeting with him. It would also be a great chance to speak with him about your situation and get some pastoral guidance.

​

>or tell a good Catholic church from a lesser one

Many here would recommend a more traditional parish. If that's not available, I'd say any Catholic church would do. If you're unsure about a particular church's standing, just give us the details on this sub. I'm sure someone here would be able to double check for you.

​

>I know nothing of the Saints or the miracles, or what has been confirmed by the Church and what hasn't.

These are things you can learn later on. Focus on Jesus first. Rebuild your relationship with Him. Start with the basics; if you don't, you might burn yourself out. There is A LOT to learn about the Faith. Some say it's a lifelong endeavour. :P

​

>I am also looking for a reading list to explore Catholic philosophy beyond those you typically encounter in standard philosophical reading, such as Aquinas or Pascal.

Hmmm... this depends on what sorts of things interest you. A good one that lightly touches on philosophy is Socrates Meets Jesus by Peter Kreeft (anything by this guy is pretty good, by the way).

A book that may be more pressing to your current situation is Why Be Catholic? by Patrick Madrid and Abraham Skorka, Why We're Catholic by Trent Horn, as well as Why I am a Catholic by Brandon Vogt. (They might need to work on a more original title, though :P) Since you have an Evangelical background, Crossing the Tiber by Steve Ray might be helpful (although it can be a bit dry; also, it mostly deals with the Church's teaching on Baptism and the Eucharist) as well as Rome Sweet Home by Scott and Kimberly Hahn.

You can never go wrong with classics such as a collection of C. S. Lewis' works, The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri, The Seven Story Mountain by Thomas Merton, and Confessions by St. Augustine.

If you want a historical examination of Jesus and the Early Church, a good place to start is The Case for Christ by Brant Pitre, The History of the Church: From Christ to Constantine by St. Eusebius, and The Fathers Know Best by Jimmy Akin. I'd like to thrown in Jesus, Peter, and the Keys by Scott Butler, Norman Dahlgren, and David J. Hess. This last one pertains to the Catholic claim regarding the papacy (and which I think is one of the strongest arguments in favour of the Catholic Church being the original one that the Lord founded).

Finally, there are YouTube channels you can follow/binge watch such as Bishop Robert Barron and Ascension Presents. Also, an amazing video about the Catholic Faith is a series made by Bishop Barron when he was "just" a priest called Catholicism.

I'm sorry if that's overwhelming but you raised some good questions. :P Anyway, I imagine it may be a lot right now so take it slowly, don't dive in through all of it at once. Find a local Catholic church, call up the priest, set up a meeting, then take it from there. And remember, you can always pray; God's always willing to talk with you.

u/davidjricardo · 28 pointsr/Reformed

Hi /u/iwillyes, I'm glad you're here! Let me start by talking a bit about what the Reformed tradition of Christianity is.

The Reformed Tradition is a branch of Protestant Christianity that developed during the Reformation in Switzerland, Scotland, France and the low countries. John Calvin was (and is) the most influential theologian in the Reformed tradition. While we share many similarities with Anglicans, Baptists and Lutherans we are usually seen as a distinct strand. We disagree on the meaning of both Baptism and the Eucharist, for example (in both regards Lutherans are closer to Catholics). Pentecostals and Anabaptist are quite different.

In terms of what makes the Reformed different from other Protestant groups, I love this quote by Cornelius Plantinga:

>>Our accents lie more on the sovereignty of God, on the authority of Scripture, on the need for disciplined holiness in personal Christian life, and finally, on Christianity as a religion of the Kingdom.

That emphasis on the sovereignty of God over all things is in my mind what most clearly distinguishes the reformed tradition. Part of that is understanding God to be sovereign in salvation - what is commonly known as the five points of Calvinism. Basically we believe that because of we are dead in our sin, man is utterly unable to do anything to save himself - even unable to turn to God. It is only through God's grace of drawing us to him that we are able to have the faith that saves us. This means that we contribute nothing to our own salvation - it is entirely a work of God.

In the U.S. there are two main groups of Reformed churches: Presbyterians (the Scottish Reformed) and the Dutch Reformed. Historically Scottish Reformed have put a bit more emphasis on personal piety (the Puritans are part of this group) while the Dutch Reformed have put slightly more emphasis on declaring the Lordship of Christ over all creation. But, we are very, very similar. The Reformed tradition is a deeply confessional one. We hold to historic documents that describe what we understand scripture to teach on a wide range of matters. The Presbyterians hold to the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Dutch Reformed hold to the Three Forms of Unity. While different documents, the two sets of confessions essentially teach the same doctrine.

In terms of churches the large (100k+ members) Presbyterian denominations in the US are the Presbyterian Church (USA), the Presbyterian Chrurch in America. the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, and ECO: A Covenant Order of Presbyterians. The PC(USA) is a more "liberal" church while the others are more "conservative" to varying degrees. The two large Dutch Reformed denominations are the Reformed Church in America and the Christian Reformed Church. There are also many smaller Presbyterian and Reformed denominations. Many of them are part of the North American Presbyterian and Reformed Council.

What complicates things a bit is that in recent years, many Christians in other traditions have started using "reformed" to mean they have a Calvinistic view of salvation, even if they don't fit into the broader reformed tradition in other ways. You will find a lot of Baptists who have a Calvinistic view of salvation, but not of the sacraments or the church, for example. This sub tends to attract both the more conservative branch of the Reformed tradition as well as those who just have a Calvinistic view of salvation.

In terms of books, my number one recommendation for you is Letters to a Young Calvinist: An Invitation to the Reformed Tradition by Jamie Smith. It's a quick easy read best digested in small parts. It does a great job of providing an overview of the Reformed tradition that is accessible, theological, and pastoral. It's aimed at those who have a 'come-to-Calvin' moment from within other theological traditions (Smith was pentecostal), but would benefit everyone.

Also read through some of the Reformed Confessions. The best place to start is with the Heidelberg Catechim and the Belgic Confession. If you want a more modern approach, I'd encourage you to also read the Christian Reformed Church's Contemporary Testimony Our World Belongs To God, too.

Other good "intro" level books:


  • Reformed: What It Means, Why It Matters by Bob DeMoor. This is more of a booklet that a full book. It'd be a great option for a newcomers class at church.

  • Deep Down Faith by Cornelius Plantinga. This one is a devotional aimed at young adults, but an excellent explanation of Reformed Faith.

  • Chosen by God by R.C. Sproul. This is the book that made me a Calvinist. Best explanation and defense of TULIP out there. Sproul's The Holiness of God is anothe excellent choice, as are all of his books.

  • Calvinism in the Las Vegas Airport: Making Connections in Today's World by Richard Mouw. Another book focused on TULIP. This one's goal is to show how the doctrines of Grace affect the way we live out our lives and correcting common misunderstandings about Calvinism.


    Once you feel ready for higher level stuff, I recommend:

  • Reformed Theology by Michael Allen. If you want a book that covers the breadth of Reformed Theology at a deep level than Smith or DeMoor, this is for you (think intro college level).

  • Reformed Catholicity: The Promise of Retrieval for Theology and Biblical Interpretation by Michael Allen and Scott Swain. This book is a clarion call: “to be Reformed means to go deeper into true catholicity, not to move away from catholicity.” A must read.

  • Reformed Dogmatics (Abridged) by Herman Bavink. My appreciation for Bavink grows every time I read him. This abridged version is much cheaper and more accessible than the full four volume edition.

  • Calvin: Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin. This one needs no explanation. Get this one if you want to splurge for a nice reference edition, the Beveridge Translation is available for much less (and free online).
u/NDAugustine · 2 pointsr/Christianity

It's normal to have questions. It's good you're thinking about your religion.

>1 I heard the Bible has been altered (esp. the New Testament) by people so that they can eat pork, drink occasionally, not be circumcised, etc. However, the Quran hasn't. This is why my Muslim friends are all circumcised, don't eat pork, drink, etc. Like the stuff in the Old Testament. Is there any proof that the Bible is unaltered?

The dietary laws found in the OT are strictly for the nation of Israel. Most of them come as a sort of national penance for the idolatry at Sinai and were never meant to followed by the Gentiles. God elected Israel to prepare the world to see what election is grounded in (His gratuitous love). He choose a people who were of no account to demonstrate that when He elects, He does so freely and not because we bring anything to the table. He gave Israel the law to train them so that they would learn to grow accustomed to delighting in following God.

>2 Why did Jesus die for our sins, if anything is possible?

God did not have to become man and dwell among us (John 1.14) and be crucified for our sins. It was nevertheless fitting that He did so. Why? One reason is because it shows us what sort of love God has for us. He's fully invested in His creation. He knew from eternity that when He created this place, He was going to come down here and show His love in the Incarnation and crucifixion.

The Crucifix also inverts the world's expectations about power. Adam and Eve sinned because of pride, preferring themselves to God. So Jesus comes and shows us what true humility looks like (cf. Phil. 2). He doesn't "win" by power (though He could have), but shows His creatures what it looks like to love humbly.

>3 Why does God send us, who He created, to Hell to be eternally tortured if we don't believe (believe in me or I'll torture you)? I'm trying my hardest to believe and be a good Christian, but I have so many unanswered questions and doubts that are getting in the way.

Wouldn't Heaven for someone who does not love God actually be Hell? If they don't love Him now on earth, what makes you think they would enjoy Him in Heaven? It's not a safe assumption that the person who stood before God would automatically enjoy it. God has created creatures with a will because to love Him without being able to will it would be meaningless. It would be a sort of farce on God's part. However, that means some will freely choose to reject Him. If our wills mean anything, then God respects that and doesn't force those people to love Him for eternity (which is what Heaven is). I would read CS Lewis' The Great Divorce.

>4 Will God send those people who are raised in another religion, such as in Thailand (Buddhism), who don't have any external way of being informed of Christianity (like missionaries), to be tortured forever in Hell?

Some Christians believe this is so - that you're just out of luck if you happen not to be exposed to the Gospel. Catholics are not one of those sorts and I can only speak as a Catholic. For us, we follow St. Paul's thinking in Romans 2.14-15. Paul there talks about the natural law which is imprinted on our hearts by virtue of being created in the image of God. The Catechism says that the man who searches for God in another religion and does so earnestly is somehow being prepared for the Gospel (CCC 843) because all truth and goodness come from God. We trust those souls to God's mercy and justice, knowing that He is both.

>5 Why did God put a tree of knowledge if no one could eat from it? Like He purposely put the temptation there, knowing that at least some of us will be tempted to sin, and from there, be eternally damned.

Obedience which comes from love is the mark of the Christian life. CS Lewis' Perelandra does a good job at thinking about this. Basically Lewis says that there are sometimes rules which God gives which do not have a rationale on their own except that God has asked us to follow them. So in Perelandra, the woman is not allowed to live on the fixed land simply because God has asked her not to. By following this rule, however, she grows in love for God. She grows up, understanding what obedience is.

>6 Why does sin and the possibility of being sent to Hell for eternal torture exist, if God loves us more than anything? Doesn't He know that with creating humans, a lot of them will sin?

He does, but He hasn't remained aloof from the situation. Hebrews 4.15 tells us, "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin." That's beautiful. Think on the Incarnation and the sheer gratuity of God's love in that act. Also see my above answer about hell.

>7 How would He judge agnostics? Like there are so many religions, and uncertainties, that some people will just gather from every religion that there is indeed a God who created us. Like people who follow basic morals like treating others well, but still do sins like, greed, lust (without rape or cheating), sodomy?

We don't know about any particular person who goes to hell. We simply trust God's goodness, His mercy, His justice, etc.

>8 Lust, masturbation, greed - why do those traits seem natural to humans, if they are sins? Like of course it's natural to look at the opposite sex and lust after them, especially when our hormones are raging.

Sin is the distortion of something good. Some women are beautiful. Recognizing their beauty isn't wrong. But sin warps our wills and desires, it warps our inclinations. Adam's and Eve's wills were in accord with their reason, but sin distorts this unity. This is why we do things (like sin) that we wish we did not (cf. Rom. 7). Neither lust, masturbation, nor greed are natural to man - they do not accord with the end for which God has created them (beatitude). Lust is an unhealthy fixation and a distortion of the natural goodness of human sexuality, which is given as a gift. Masturbation is the same - masturbation takes a gift meant for the sake of another (i.e. one's spouse) and misuses it for oneself. It takes something which is meant to be outward looking and makes it isolated. That's not what God created us for. Greed likewise is a disordered desire of goods. Any good thing we see on earth should point us to God, but greed terminates solely in created things and forgets the Creator.

I hope some of that helps.

u/[deleted] · 2 pointsr/Christianity

For me, a relationship with Jesus means a few things:

  1. I believe he died to save me from hell and redeem me.
  2. I believe he brought God's kingdom to earth and it is here now. (Different from saying Jesus has returned to earth, btw.)
  3. Because of Jesus' mercy and grace toward me, I am eternally grateful to him and want to serve him.
  4. I make an effort to speak to him in prayer and throughout the day.
  5. I consciously choose to give him control of my life.
  6. I make an effort to praise him and thank him for the love and joy with which he has filled my heart.
  7. I make an effort to follow his example of loving God and loving people.

    From your description, OP, it sounds like you're pretty much in the same boat. You apparently believe the same things as I do and you make the same efforts I do. (Not saying my life is the standard, of course; only that I feel I have a relationship with Jesus and therefor can offer my experiences.) I would say you're definitely a Christian.

    If you're concerned that you don't feel like you have a relationship with Jesus, try talking to him more and ask him to show you the areas of your life in which you're holding onto control. I know that in my life, I couldn't come to a meaningful relationship with Christ until I was absolutely broken and understood my need to give up control. For me, that relinquishment and submission was the key. I had always been a Christian, but I didn't understand what it meant to have a relationship with Christ until I had nothing else to stand on.

    I feel the biggest indicator of my relationship with Jesus is the otherwise unexplainable love, joy and peace that he pours into me and that consequently pours out of me. If you have the love, joy and peace of Christ, I'd say it's pretty likely you have that relationship.

    One more thing: you might benefit from reading a couple of books:

    The Me I Want to Be: Becoming God's Best Version of You - http://www.amazon.com/The-Me-Want-Be-Becoming/dp/031027592X

    This book changed the way I approach my walk with Christ, giving me more confidence in God's love and mercy and ultimately his plan for my life.

    The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God - http://www.amazon.com/The-Divine-Conspiracy-Rediscovering-Hidden/dp/0060693339

    This book, which I'm still reading, challenges me to examine my life and my faith. It convicts me of things like anger and malice, and shows me the power of God's message and his plan. It literally brings tears of joy to my eyes almost every time I start reading it.

    Hope this is helpful! I'll pray for you. :)
u/jaccarmac · 5 pointsr/OrthodoxChristianity

Recent (this Pascha) Protestant convert here. I can attempt to answer each of your questions, though my answers about more complex issues of doctrine/Catholicism will probably be worse than those about contrasts with Protestantism.

  1. I think this is really two issues, though you focus on one here more than the other.

    a)

    > lack of evangelism/out-reach within the Orthodox church

    The Evangelical type of outreach is definitely lacking, in terms of going door to door, consciously trying to evangelize acquaintances, tracts, etc. Since becoming Orthodox I've come to see this as largely a good thing, but that's my opinion, so let me focus on the outreach that the Orthodox actually do.

    There are still Orthodox missions throughout the world, youth groups still go on trips to Mexican orphanages like my Protestant YA group back in California, etc. Orthodox laity tend to focus more on personal/family spiritual growth, but don't take that to mean that there are no opportunities for evangelism if you are so called.

    Keep in mind two related issues as well. First, the Orthodox church in America is small and has less resources to leverage than America's Protestant denominations. Also, it has a rich tradition of monasticism which the Protestant tradition tends to lack and which fills in some gaps you might observe "in church".

    b)

    > some congregations felt more like ethnic clubs

    I was extremely blessed to find a parish full of converts. More ethnic congregations certainly exist, but largely this seems to be a myth/outdated truth about Orthodoxy. My own experience would indicate that the Greeks/Russians tend to have strong friendships with one another and language/culture barriers which can make it difficult to form relationships. That said, the times where that extends to hostility to outsiders is rare, in my experience.

    The parish I'm at is Antiochian. If you can find a similar church near you, you may find a surprising number of converts as well!

  2. My historical knowledge is a bit fuzzy, but as far as I know papal primacy was something which was accepted by all the churches up until the Schism. During the period of the split, the Eastern bishops rejected papal supremacy as a new doctrine. And the mutual excommunication was the end of any debate as such.

    This is definitely a question that someone more knowledgeable can elaborate on!

  3. There was a good article on this here a few days ago: http://www.pravmir.com/what-is-not-church/. When I first started attending my parish and began to become concerned about my salvation as a Protestant, it was explained thus: Because some of the image of God exists in every person and in all creation (the Orthodox view of the Fall is more nuanced than the one I grew up with), there are pieces of the Truth everywhere. However, the fullness of the Truth only exists where the fullness of Christ exists, in the Eucharist.

    Or, as my priest likes to say: The Orthodox are maximalists, not minimalists. We are not so concerned with what we must do to be saved but what we can do to live as if we are in the Kingdom of Heaven now.

  4. This (and Mary, which I'll address in a minute) was one of my biggest discomforts when I began to attend an Orthodox parish. Eventually, I came to view that discomfort as culturally-motivated rather than theologically-motivated. I won't speculate on your motivation and assume your knowledge is as shallow as mine was, but I would encourage you to attend services even if you are uncomfortable. No one should judge you for not venerating icons. If you are still deeply theologically uncomfortable, I would take the time to carefully consider what you think about the councils, since icon veneration was maintained as valid in them.

  5. I was never a Catholic, so again I'll leave the bulk of this question to those who know better. That said, here's what I do know about Orthodox Mariology: Mary was ever-virgin, she was the most important woman in Church history, we venerate her icon and pray for her to intercede with her Son for us, we love her, and we do not believe in the Immaculate Conception.

    Hope that's helpful! I don't know based on your post whether you've attended any services, so I'll exhort you to as if you have not. Orthodoxy isn't "real" until it's lived, and you can't live Orthodoxy outside the liturgy. The beauty of the services was the first step in my conversion, and I think everyone considering the Church for its theology should also visit a parish and let their whole person experience Orthodoxy before making up their mind.

    EDIT: Skimmed your previous posts. No idea where you are physically, but on the off chance you're in the Salt Lake City area, I'd love to meet you in person as the journey from Protestantism to Orthodoxy is near and dear to me. In either case, if you ever want to know more about my conversion experience don't hesitate to reach out on Reddit or elsewhere.

    TL;DR Wall of text has my rough thoughts. I highly recommend Becoming Orthodox; It's where my deeper exploration started.
u/RazzleDazzleForThree · 2 pointsr/Reformed

I think you are absolutely right in your assessment of the situation and linking the events of childhood to the beliefs of now. It seems to me that you've precisely identified both the cause and the problem which is impacting your prayer life - even though you understand intellectually that God is good, there's a wall that comes up preventing this truth from entering your heart.

Through this author, I have broken through a wall very similar to what you are expressing here. This book is particularly focused on how to break through this wall into the truth of Scripture:

https://www.amazon.com/Victory-Over-Darkness-Realize-Identity/dp/0764213768/

The backstory of this book is very relevant to the situation, I believe. The author came into the ministry out of a burden: he saw that in Scripture Jesus came to set us free and transform us, but when he looked around, he didn't see many Christians who were living as though what the Bible says were truth for today. So he became a professor at Talbot seminary and ran a graduate course for 10 years in which he worked with Christians who are struggling to believe the Gospel and live a transformed life. This book is what he has discovered as part of personally counselling 2,000 Christians and leading a ministry that has impacted millions.

After going through this author's work I was able to move into persistent prayer. At times I was able to experience uninterrupted prayer that would stretch for hours. It became a delight rather than a burden because I fell in love with God and just wanted to lay at His feet and praise Him. The "switch" for me was allowing the love of God to move from my head to my heart and that changed everything. This book gives super practical guidance and help for doing just this.

Here's a few quotes that capture the heart of the book:

  • "I believe that your hope for growth, meaning and fulfillment as a Christian is based on understanding who you are - specifically, your identity in Christ as a child of God. Your understanding of who God is and who you are in relationship to Him is the critical foundation for your belief system and your behavior patterns as a Christian."

  • "We must have a true knowledge of God and know who we are as children of God. If we really knew God, our behavior would change radically and instantly."

  • "We don't serve God to gain His acceptance; we are accepted, so we serve God. We don't follow Him to be loved; we are loved, so we follow Him. It is not what we do that determines who we are; it is who we are that determines what we do."


    It helped me in a very similar situation that you are in. I'd highly recommend it! (I own it on Kindle and can send it to any email address for two weeks - if you want to read it but don't want to buy it, just PM me an email [throwaway is fine] and I'll shoot you my copy)
u/love-your-enemies · 30 pointsr/Catholicism

There is a person in the Bible who says to Jesus, "I believe. Help my unbelief!" (you can find that story and the context of the phrase in Mark chapter 9). I always thought that was a profound sentiment, and it's a phrase I think about whenever I experience doubts.

I would say that most or all Catholics probably experience doubts about the faith at some point in their lives. I wouldn't let concerns about whether you could believe in God hold you back from Catholicism if you really thought you wanted to join the Church.

There is a somewhat famous Catholic, Blaise Pascal, who even said that unbelievers should basically "fake it till they make it"; they should basically try living as a faithful Catholic and see what it does to them and their thoughts. He thought that if someone regularly went to Church and tried praying to God, that they might start to feel a connection with God, and that would make it easier to believe, and that they might actually start believing it all. After all, why should we expect someone to believe in God and find it convincing if they never give it a shot? The only other way to acquire any amount of belief at all, that I can think of, would be through some kind of convincing argument.

I think that idea from Pascal makes sense. If God really does exist, then it would make sense that trying to reach out to God in some way would probably do something. God has not promised everyone a miraculous sign or proof of His existence, but you also never know how God will choose to react to people's prayers and inquiries. All you can do is try and not expect too much since we know that even for the best Catholic saints in history, a lot of them only got vague visions at best (edit: after thinking about this more, I realize in the bible it does say to pray expectantly. so maybe "don't expect much" is wrong, too. i still need to understand all this stuff better myself, it seems). I am Catholic and I can say I've never even experienced anything like that. I pretty much believe because I have studied some Catholic apologetics and I was convinced by the arguments, but also because I was raised Catholic and I have practiced the religion for a while now, and I have sometimes felt a connection to God in a kind of esoteric or abstract way. I think more proof about this stuff would be great. But we are not entitled to proof.

Maybe apologetics would help you to believe. Since you studied science, maybe those kinds of logical arguments would help you. There are plenty of options. One option that comes to my mind is this book by Ed Feser. I know a lot of people here like Peter Kreeft; I did a quick search on Amazon and found this book by him. I know Kreeft has talked about the beauty of Catholicism before so maybe his writings will appeal to you. Some other names you could look into would be C. S. Lewis and G. K. Chesterton.

I actually fell away from Catholicism for a bit in my college days, and came back through Protestantism and some Protestant philosophers. I was very influenced by William Lane Craig, who has a lot of great apologetics works. You could check out writings and podcasts on his website or one of these two books: 1, 2.

I probably don't have any good advice to offer about the situation with your boyfriend. I have very little relationship experience myself. Maybe if one day you do really get into Catholicism, and learn more about it, you could debate theology with him and see if you can convert him. I think that Church history is a good way to try to convert people. In my experience, a lot of Protestants never even think about the fact that the Catholic Church claims to be the Church established by Christ, and that the Bishops today have been ordained by previous Bishops, going all the way back to the original disciples of Christ through a process known as Apostolic Succession. In addition to stuff like that, there is also the fact that the transubstantiation of the Eucharist is a concept that existed in the very early Church as well, and the Catholic Church is the only Christian Church which has preserved this tradition.

I ended up writing a novel too. Anyway, good luck to you. Feel free to reply and ask questions if you want any more info from me. I was happy to read your story.

u/forgotmyusernamek · 2 pointsr/TrueChristian

There’s a lot of good responses here already but I wanted to offer some resources and ideas that have helped me.
First of all, despite what the new atheists say, you don’t need faith to believe in God, which is why there are so many deists in academia. The weight of the scientific evidence alone is enough to conclude that there must be some kind of intelligence behind reality. This includes the fine-tuning argument, a variation of which convinced Antony Flew, a life long atheist academic and strong critic of religion to change his mind about God and embrace deism, and quantum mechanics, which doesn’t prove God’s existence but rather undermines materialist assumptions about the fundamental nature of reality. These findings have convinced others in the scientific community such as lifelong atheist, Richard Conn Henry, a professor of theoretical physics at MIT to embrace deism.
So just based on what’s happening with physics, it’s reasonable to believe that there’s some kind of intelligence behind reality. However, this in no way proves the existence of the God of the Bible.
To support the Christian view of God you can look at the evidence for the reliability of New Testament accounts. This is where faith comes in. You have to decide whether or not you believe that Jesus actually rose from the dead. Obviously, there isn’t a scientific way to definitively prove whether or not an historical event happened. But if you want support for the idea that miracles happen and are relatively common, even today, I’d recommend Craig S Keeners magisterial 2 volume work “Miracles” which details hundreds of modern day miracle accounts.

Other reading:
The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard who was a professor of philosophy for many years at USC, helped me to understand my faith at a deeper level, which has helped immensely. It turns out it’s much easier to believe in something when it actually makes sense to you.

On Guard by William Lane Craig explains many of the logical proofs that other commenters have offered here, which are great but can be really difficult to understand without spending a good amount of time with them.

Atheist Delusions by David Bentley Hart: Hart is a leading Orthodox theologian and philosopher who spends a lot of time talking about the logical incoherence of materialism. All his stuff is great but it’s difficult.

This is just a small sample of what’s out there in terms of apologetics but it’s a start. There’s enough that you could spend your entire life reading compelling arguments for the God’s existence. However, the most effective way to strengthen your faith, in my opinion, is to see how effective the teachings of Jesus are for yourself, to ACTUALLY DO what he says and see how it transforms your life first hand. This is how you make your faith unshakable. Nothing beats personal experience.

u/Delk133 · 1 pointr/Christianity

My friend, the Gospel of Jesus is such great news. If you have accepted Jesus into your heart, then you can never be separated from His great love. He is with you. He will never forsake you. He will comfort you when you mourn and meet you when you cry out to Him. You are a masterpiece and a wonderful creation. God is working all things for your good and His glory.

I pray that God Himself would comfort you with the peace and presence of His Holy Spirit. I pray that right now you would experience the closeness and joy that comes from Jesus. He loves you very much friend.

If you'd like a practical book on "how to" do the Christian life, this is one of the best books I've ever read on the topic. I own this on Kindle and can shoot you my copy if you PM me an email address (it can be throwaway email address, doesn't matter). You can read it on phone, browser, or anything.

https://www.amazon.com/Victory-Over-Darkness-Realize-Identity/dp/0764213768/

Also, these verses have never failed to comfort me in hard times. God spoke these over you before you were born and He will be singing them over you for eternity.

  • "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." - Jeremiah 29:13

  • "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength," - Isaiah 30:15a

  • "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness." - Jeremiah 31:3b

  • "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." - Matthew 28:20b

  • "I will never leave you nor forsake you.” - Hebrews 13:5b
u/love_unknown · 7 pointsr/DebateReligion

I have a couple of things to say. Nothing philosophical, really—you've looked at the philosophical disputes already, and ultimately I think what you need to make up your mind is time, contemplation, and journeying. Don't think this is something that you need to determine instantly; if there is a God (as, I think, the best evidence indicates there is), then he must be compassionate and certainly is not displeased by someone who deliberately takes the time to figure things out and pursue truth with an open heart.

You're 17. Do you have any plans to go to college? If so, do the institutions you're looking at offer any philosophy of religion courses? Self-study is great, but sometimes coming at an issue in an explicitly academic context helps people really determine and refine what they think.

I, for one, cannot imagine the God in whom I believe sending such a sincere seeker of the truth to hell. Christians believe that God is love, that love is God's very essence (and indeed, if they are correct, the philosophical arguments over at /r/ThroughAGlassDarkly should establish that one of God's characteristics is being all-loving). If you have the time, I'd recommend picking up the book The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis, a marvelous exposition into contemporary Christian thought regarding heaven and hell. In short, heaven is the condition of living in love, and hell is the condition of living without love—those who live in love presently on earth are already in an 'anticipated heaven,' as it were, while those who have surrendered to their own selfishness have already descended into a hell of their own making, a prison of their own subjectivity. I can't say for sure, obviously, but from this and other posts you don't strike me as someone whose concern for the satiation of subjective urges outweighs the longing for objective truth.

God is just, loving, and merciful. If you love others and act according to your conscience, I don't think you have reason to fear. Yet by no means cease from exploring. Read widely. If you're at all interested in Christianity I would recommend picking up C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity, any popular-level work by N. T. Wright, and perhaps Ratzinger's God and the World or any papal encyclical issued since 2005. If for now you're just trying to wrap your head around the question of whether God exists, I would suggest that you continue to study independently, and plunge headfirst into life, being open to ideas, to people, to new experiences. The reality of God is apprehended not just in philosophical argumentation but also experientially; if in your journeying it becomes evident to you that there is something more, something greater than the hum-drum of everyday life or the experience of material satisfaction and transient happiness, then perhaps you will understand that God is out there, and that he loves you.

u/Chautauqua2020 · 0 pointsr/Christianity

The freedom to be good is the true nature of the kind of freedom God intended for us, the freedom to be good, and to love as we are loved. It does not have to involve a duality of good and evil.

C.S. Lewis is pretty good, but his theology pales in comparison to Deitrich Bonheoffer's "The Cost of Discipleship".

We ought to consider the nature of the fall (and the provision for it's resolution in time and history), as trying to be like God (when that was already our true state of being to begin with ie: made in God's image and walking hand in hand with God in paradise), and eating of the tree of the duality of the knowledge of good and evil or standing as if in judgement of it. This threw us out of paradise and out of childlike obedience to the goodness of God.

Now what is the cross of Jesus Christ if it is not also the Tree of Life, as the resolution to the age old problem of evil?

This doesn't make us perfect or free from sin, but it invites us to become ever more involved in a childlike obedience to the law of life and love, and that's true life as we were meant and created to live it. There's no trying to be good in order not to be bad, in it.

There is no evil in Christ or any necessity or justification for it.

Freedom then has nothing to do with choosing between good and evil. That's a lie.

There's a paradox here involving free will, in so far as we are meant to be under the control of the Spirit which is radically free, but for which there is no inclination towards sin or evil.

LOSS of freedom occurs when we buy into the lie that freedom is a choice between good and evil. That's the tempter's first and last lie, that and the idea of trying to be God (as judge of good and evil), or to try to edge God out of the equation when we were created, by God, to be in relationship with God who is forever transcedent, although innerent.

I think it's poor theology on Lewis' part to see it like this, which retains the duality.

The weeds that were sown in the field will eventually be bundled up and throw away or burned up. To reach that point is the work and Word of the Church as the Body of Christ and the Tabernacle of God. We must get the world out of the Church and move the Church into the world until the lie has nowhere left to hide. This is the new Creation, one person at a time, which carries with it the capacity to redeem the whole of the Creation due to man's place in it as observer and participant made in God's own image. It's God's plan and purpose to redeem the world from the fall, which Jesus as the new Adam and first born from the dead was God-sent, to bring about.

I suppose then that movies will need a new plot-line when we get to that place, eventually, although they could show the myriad ways looking back in hindsight that the end, and the new beginning that saved the world, was brought about. Most of them would therefore be tragic comedies as we cry and laugh at who we once were or took ourselves to be. Then, when there is no more suffering, and no more starvation, and no more sickness, and no more unnecessary tears, and NO MORE WAR, and we've realized heaven on Earth by the work and word of Jesus Christ ("thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven"), we'll take to the stars, or the stars will come to us like a Bridegroom prepared for Earth as the Bride (who knows, anything's possible).

Sounds crazy i realize, but this is the work and purpose of the Church in the world because Jesus came, not to condemn the world, but so that, through Him, the world might be saved (and preserved for all generations from age to age).

"God has no wish for any other means of perfecting his creation than by our help. He will not reveal his Kingdom until we have laid its foundations" ~ Martin Buber

thoughts on a participatory eschatology: http://realitysandwich.com/167830/ecodoom_redemption_mad_movement/

P.S. Of course it is by God's Sovereign Grace that all the work is done, if we'll allow it.. It's a partnership. It's the way God made it to be, for the sake of love and freedom, and maybe even fun and enjoyment.. "so do not fear little ones, nor let your hearts be troubled, for it pleased our Father to share His kingdom with all His children." (maybe paraphrased slightly, sorry)

Will the evil continue to do evil and will we still need police and a legal system? of course. Even the happy ending of Revelation says as much, that after the judgement passes over the earth, the good will continue to do good and the evil, evil, but the world will never be the same once God receives His Bride and and comes to co-habitate with her, in perpetuity.

u/jssdvdmcgrady · 1 pointr/DebateAChristian

You have reached the very foundational elements of the faith that are a very large part of why I am a christian, or at least remained a christian once i sought out what the bible had to say about these exact questions.

So philosophically or more so existentially, the truth of why or what it all means has to be an open playing field so to speak. Fatalism, Nihilism or forms of Pessimistic thought have some implications that seem unpleasant or off putting to some, but ultimately hold water within their own logical frame work. Just because an idea is initially off putting does not make it wrong. The difference between those schools of thought vs. Christianity is that they are not built on a foundation upward, but rather a foundation is kind of the conclusion drawn out from an evolving argument. Christianity has a much higher burden in terms of it's foundational consistency.

Instead of being the product of reasoning, Christianity is a product of ancient documents ranging in literary style from history, poetry, theology, personal letters, and prophesy. Out of those documents a cohesive understanding of the universe and the existential impact of that understanding form the religion. That means the documents have to be the source and need to have not changed over the years to support new philosophies. (at least if you're rational)

So if Christianity is true, then the best way to test it would be to examine the most accurate understanding of these ancient manuscripts alone. That's everything from fields of archeology, historical and textual criticism to (what we are touching on in this thread) doctrinal and theological cohesiveness. Do these ancient manuscripts actually form a cohesive philosophy, without the aid of reasoning from a foundation outside of the documents? Also the documents examined have to be the most original copies of these documents along with the most accurate understanding of the way the original authors and readers would have understood them?


It's no easy task and definitely not something to exhaust on reedit. I hope i've given you a better understanding of some deep theological ramifications of biblical christianity and the kind of philosophical impact they have on hypothetical questions. I will now answer your questions, and the answers will no doubt seem trite and unhelpful. But i think i've reached the end of what i can say to a stranger on the internet, having no clue what background you have in biblical study and no idea where to start:

>So the point of Christianity is to glorify God? And if you fail to do this you suffer in hell for an eternity? This seems like a rather conceited concept does it not?

yes it does seem like that within the framework of human interaction and affections. So the way this idea works is not something to understand within the framework of human interaction and affections. God is not human and so again, it's an open playing field. The question is, does the answers the bible gives make any sense?

>So god is willing to punish those who have absolutely no control over whether they survive long enough to reach an age where they could even possibly understand Christianity? Or do you mean he will only punish the babies that would have never become christian?

I have no idea if either of those are true but the plausibility that they remotely could be is built off the theology (a study of the nature and character of god) in the bible. The biblical documents do not flinch in their explanations of seemingly paradoxical ideas. Paradoxical ideas crop up everywhere in the search for understanding meaning, morals, or truth in reality, it's up to you to judge what you think about the answers the bible gives.

>So god is responsible for saving you from a punishment he himself created? The way you depict it makes it sound like what you do is irrelevant in regards to being saved, by this reasoning, is there even a point to try and do ethical actions, since regardless of what you do, you are already saved or damned.

I can defiantly say "trying to do ethical actions" has nothing to do with being saved or dammed. And as far as the seeming paradox of god creating the punishment (what exactly this punishment is is debated between christians) that he himself saves you from? The ultimate purpose is that he gets more glory if he did it this way then just created beings already perfect and ready for eternity with him.





_

Some book ideas about what I talking about.

Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist answers how God's Glory works for our benefit from the bible.

The Reason for God answers some of the seemingly off-puting or paradoxical ramifications of biblical theology.

u/CaptLeibniz · 2 pointsr/TrueChristian

Well, I actually grew up in the Pentecostal tradition. I converted to Southern Baptist about two years ago, and made the switch to reformed theology about one year ago.

It really depends on the church with Baptists; they're highly variable. Some groups, like free-will baptists, are emphatically opposed to Calvin and the like. Others, like self-proclaimed reformed baptists, welcome and celebrate Calvin and his contemporaries' contributions to Protestantism. I've never attended a baptist church that wasn't at least implicitly Calvinist, though I only recently started attending a properly reformed Church that observed the 2nd London Baptist Confession. Hence, it's kind of difficult to give much advice, as I've always been in friendly territory.

If you just want to get a better feel for reformed theology in-general, there are a couple of routes. Depending on your reading comprehension and Biblical competence, I would recommend a few books.

Novice: Bible Doctrine, Grudem.

This is a decent, modern introduction to systematic theology in-general. Grudem is not what many would call reformed, but he leans that way. Whatever the case, it is a helpful look into the terminology that theologians have utilized over the years. Good place to get your feet wet.

Adept: Systematic Theology, Grudem

Reformed Dogmatics, Bavinck

These ones are a bit more academically oriented, so if you're not used to reading this sort of thing, they might be difficult to read. Bavinck's work is highly recommended, and is properly reformed, though it takes a greater reading comprehension than Grudem.

Advanced: Institutes of the Christian Religion, Calvin

Anything else earlier than the 20th Century (Jonathan Edwards, John Owen, etc.)

This is the bedrock of reformed theology, which I'm sure you're probably aware of. The only problem is that it can be very difficult to read. In some cases, much more than the content of modern academia. This is really a very very distilled list. There is literally so much good material out there, but these are some of the big names that I hear often.

As regards general advice, two things come to mind:

  1. I would keep in mind the primacy of the text of Scripture itself. This might seem obvious, but one of the pitfalls of the reformation is the romance with systematic theology. Though ST is a wonderful thing, some reformed guys do it at the expense of the textual significance of the Scriptures themselves. We must always ask ourselves if we, in our exposition, are doing justice to what the Scriptures themselves are saying. Again, this seems obvious, but it is rarely borne out the praxis of our theology and exegesis.

  2. Do not make Calvinism or Reformed theology the locus of your Christianity or your identity. Though reformed soteriology is seminal to our faith and practice, we must ultimately identify ourselves as the covenant people of God; those united to Christ through faith in His death and resurrection. Rest in the substance of your faith, not in its explanation.

    I'll be praying that you heed the Scriptures in all things, and that your life coheres with the will of God. Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions or concerns as relates the reformation, theology, Scripture, or anything!

    Soli deo Gloria
u/trees916 · 24 pointsr/Catholicism

> I want to start going again, but dealing with his anti Catholicism and New Atheist Facebook posts, etc as a practicing Catholic just sounds emotionally exhausting. Plus I'd have to attend church alone with our toddler, who tries to make a break for the altar every time she's set loose.

Going to mass without your husband is better than not going at all. Moreover, other people should not inhibit your ability to practice the Faith. Concerning the New Atheist Facebook posts, if your husband finds that kind of material even remotely convincing, I would recommend he read Edward Feser's The Last Superstition: A Refutation of the New Atheism.

> Then I start wondering what the point even is because she will probably just end up being an atheist because of his example.

Set a better example than your husband and make an effort to show your child that there are good reasons to be a Catholic. Read and study apologetic books like William Lane Craig's On Guard and/or Trent Horn's Why We're Catholic: Our Reasons for Faith, Hope, and Love so that you are better equipped to defend the Faith. When your daughter is old enough, she can read these books and other apologetics books for herself. Also, it wouldn't be a bad idea for your husband to read these same books. Although, William Lane Craig's On Guard for Students was written specifically for non-Christians; so it might be a better option than On Guard, which is intended for Christians.

> You can only pray for the same thing over and over so many times with no change before it starts feeling hopeless.

Keep praying. If you are not already doing so, pray the Rosary. Even if God is not granting you the request(s) made in your prayers, know that there is a good reason for doing so. The reason(s) may never be known during your time on earth, but do not allow this to damage your relationship with God.

> The prospect of returning just feels so lonely. Our parish is huge and no one ever says a word to me. Does anyone have any advice or encouragement?

Many parishes have bible studies or meetups of some kind that would give you the opportunity to meet other Catholics. It is better to feel lonely and do what is right than not feel lonely and fail to do what is right.

u/Treesforrests · 1 pointr/Christianity

Maybe I'm crazy, but Simply Christian by N.T. Wright is, in my opinion, a beautifully composed book explaining the Christian faith. It's in the same vein as C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity in that Wright doesn't deal with anything denominational. He merely explains why we Christians have become so and the beauty of the beliefs that comprise the core of our faith.

Here's a link to it on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Simply-Christian-Christianity-Makes-Sense/dp/0061920622/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374349814&sr=8-1&keywords=simply+christian

It's a pretty short read, especially because the language and style are simple.

I hope that all works out for you and your girlfriend for the glory of God's Kingdom, man.

P.S. He also expounds on three different lenses through which to view God's relation to the world. The first two he is trying to refute, them being pantheism/panentheism and dualism. The third, which he propones as more accurate to the Christian/Judaic faiths, is that Heaven and Earth are not the same, as the pantheist might posit, or that they are completey separate (so says the dualist), but that they are somehow closely intertwined. Anyways, I like this book. You should check it out even for yourself.

u/Amator · 1 pointr/JordanPeterson

Hello, I'm a bit late to this parade (I just heard Dr. Peterson's podcast with Joe Rogan yesterday) but I wanted to weigh in here.

There are a lot of good sources from a variety of Christian viewpoints. Many of the ones already listed are very good, but I don't see anything from my own particular version of Christianity (Eastern Orthodoxy), so I wanted to suggest two resource for you from that perspective as well as another from C.S. Lewis whose words are held dear by most Christians.



The first is a lecture by Fr. John Behr, the current dean of St Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary. He holds Masters of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy from Oxford University. This one is on YouTube and is 1.5 hours in length. It is called Death, the Final Frontier.There are a couple of minutes of fluff at the beginning but it starts to really roll into something I think Jordan Peterson fans would enjoy at the 3-minute mark. It is ostensibly about death, but it is a great critique of modern western culture viewed through the lens of liturgical Christianity.

This second is a recording of a lecture provided by a former dean of the same seminary that I think cuts to the heart of what Christianity actually means. It is called "The Word of the Cross" by Rev. Dr. Thomas Hopko and is around two hours total and has been broken into four individual sections by an Orthodox podcast publisher:
Part 1
[Part 2] (http://www.ancientfaith.com/specials/hopko_lectures/the_word_of_the_cross_part_2)
Part 3
Part 4

Lastly, I would direct you toward the writings of C.S. Lewis. When I was a young teenage atheist, his arguments were very persuasive for me and have been very popular amongst most Christians. I know many Protestants, Orthodox, and Catholics who have all found their first theological footing in Lewis' work. Mere Christianity is probably the best source to steer you toward, but I think his best ideas can be found in The Abolition of Man, The Great Divorce, and Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold. Since you've professed a preference for audio content, I will point you toward a YouTube playlist of the series of BBC radio broadcast lectures that C.S. Lewis gave during WWII that were the core of what later became Mere Christianity.

I'm tempted to also suggest that you read Thomas Merton, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Kirkegaard, Dostoyevsky, St. John Chrysostom, St. Thomas Aquinas, and many, many others. Enjoy your journey!

u/ronaldsteed · 3 pointsr/Christianity

First, I think it would be an excellent idea to contact your chaplain friend about what you are thinking. It starts with relationships, and you have one there ready-made to leverage.

Second, start perhaps just by "belonging" to a place. Find a Anglican community nearby and just start going. Then, DO something with them. If they have a ministry in the community somewhere, just pitch in. Belief is the work of a lifetime, and it is the consequence of relationships and doing... belief is the LAST thing to come... not the first. If that sounds a little strange, here's an article at my Parish's website titled "I've never even BEEN in a church..." that might clarify what I mean by this: http://www.stjamesnl.org/ I know that's not your particular case, but you ARE approaching faith for the first time as an adult... and it will seem like you are starting right from the beginning.

One of the exciting things I discovered in my own, very similar journey, was that God turns out to be "fractal", rich, and immensely interesting... so very different than the God I thought I understood as a child.

A book I would recommend for you is Simply Christian by NT Wright. Wright is the author of dozens of scholarly and popular books on Christianity (and is a CoE Bishop (ret)). His work is immanently readable. It may help you to frame things up. http://www.amazon.com/Simply-Christian-Christianity-Makes-Sense/dp/0061920622

Happy to help if I can...

Ron

u/encouragethestorm · 2 pointsr/DebateReligion

> Do you consider a fear of Hell do be an adequate reason to believe in/have a relationship with God?

Fear is never really an ideal reason to do something of moral consequence, but it can serve as something of a starting point to real growth and progress. The example is somewhat trite, but let's say that you hate your Intro to Microeconomics class and only crack open the textbook because you're scared of failing. Poring over the pages, you find that you actually love the subject and want to major in it (if so: congrats! You'll end up employed!). Fear might serve as the initial impetus, but it can't (or at least shouldn't) propel you towards further progress in the field.

The only truly valid reason to persist in Christian faith is the love of God.

>I just feel like no matter what I do, I will go to Hell if there actually is one.

Never despair of God's mercy.

>where I want to believe in God but I can't

As Thomas Merton said in prayer, "the desire to please you [i.e. God] does in fact please you." Wanting to believe, even when unable to actually do it, is not something that God will hold against you.

>I would go to Hell because of my selfishness to feel happy and safer

If heaven were closed off to people who on earth experienced some degree of selfishness and of desire to feel happy and safer, it would be empty.

>foolishly trying to sell my soul to people when I was 12.

God doesn't punish people for stupid things they do when they're 12. In any case, one's soul belongs to God alone.

Have a chat with your therapist about the anxiety and if you're still interested in the theological side of things, I'd recommend checking out C.S. Lewis' The Great Divorce.

u/pseudokapi · 2 pointsr/Christianity

I think Pope Francis is sincere, but I also think that it is more complicated than merely "doing what is needed to heal the breach." The Schism is as much about people as it is about theology. Human beings and the relationships between them are complicated at the best of times. The self-understanding of these two communities has been distinct for so long that it is easier to argue than to find common ground. There are currently "Byzantine" Churches in communion with Rome and it hasn't worked out terribly well for a lot of them (though there have been bright spots).

If I might be so bold, the "liberal" people (I don't like that word, but I don't have another one) in both camps can hardly see the point in being separate, though they would like to change things in both their Churches in other ways that would make them unrecognizable. The challenge is to have the "conservative" people satisfied with the process and expected result of re-approachment, enough to establish common cause between them. A traditional Catholic has to see that the Orthodox showing up won't force them to budge on things that they are fighting with progressives in their own Church about. The same with the Orthodox. The famous resistor of "false union" Bishop Mark of Ephesus doesn't just appeal to those seeking to preserve the Orthodox faith, but also traditionally committed Catholics.

And what happens if the Catholics are willing to compromise on a great many things, but the Orthodox get difficult on some point? Would not the Catholics feel abused? "We've come all this way and it hurts us and you still won't give up on point 9?" This has been the problem with the Miaphysites. It looks like all the theological issues have been resolved, but we seem to be left with Saints and Anathemas on both sides that have rooted the problem beyond reconciliation. We seem to be "right there" except we have beloved saints on both sides that effectively said, "you can never go there." What do we do with these saints? How do we understand them?

As for something to read. There are several books depending on your interest in using big words. :)

Lossky would be the heavy weight: http://www.amazon.com/The-Mystical-Theology-Eastern-Church/dp/0913836311/

Though I much prefer Zizioulas, more approachable and puts apophatic theology in balance: http://www.amazon.com/Being-Communion-Personhood-Contemporary-Theologians/dp/0881410292/

Of course Bishop Timothy Ware's book is the usual "internet standard recommendation: http://www.amazon.com/The-Orthodox-Way-Kallistos-Ware/dp/0913836583/

If you want something very approachable (almost no technical terms) and a little more "what does this mean" you might try an introduction to sacramental theology in general: http://www.amazon.com/For-Life-World-Sacraments-Orthodoxy/dp/0913836087/

And probably the least "theological" but I think this is both my wife and my favorite: http://www.amazon.com/Bread-Water-Wine-Oil-Experience/dp/1888212918/

u/jaimedieuetilmaime · 3 pointsr/TrueChristian

I’m going to post a comment I’ve written in another thread:

It sounds to me like you’re trying to jump over some steps. You cannot have a mature, Christlike romantic relationship with someone until you are following Him completely. Granted, you’re still going to sin as long as you live, but trying to jump from your current lifestyle to one where you’re involved with someone in a wholesome and godly manner isn’t possible, and will lead to frustration on both ends.

Both my fiancé and I have struggled with this same issue of pursuing the easy life compared to the godly one, and it was only when each of us surrendered our desires to be in a relationship/ live the way we wanted that we were brought together.

I recommend praying about taking a break from all romantic relationships for a while, finding a mentor you trust and can meet with regularly, and attempt to form habits of seeking God. If you pursue Him wholeheartedly (or even halfheartedly) I firmly believe He will take you on a journey to maturity you’d never have expected. Some habits I recommend are the Spiritual Disciplines (ie Bible intake, prayer, silence, etc). I’ve found this book so helpful— I decided to reread it to annotate, pray, and attempt to implement it as I go through it a second time.

This isn’t something you can do on your own, but God has the power, and He has placed you in community that can support you on the journey ahead.

You need to start being involved in community. You’ll never find a church that agrees with your theology 100% (and if you do, you should run: that raises serious flags to me). But it is a command from the Bible to meet together with other Christians. So try some churches. If their “heresies” contradict foundations of the faith (ie. they don’t believe what the Bible says regarding salvation-significant issues), look for another church. If the church seems to be mostly Biblical, start listening to see if God is calling you there, or calling you away from there. If they don’t have heresies on salvation-significant issues, assume God has called you to that church for the time being. You need community—the only healthy way to find a spouse is within community, so start there.

u/JustToLurkArt · 1 pointr/Christianity

To feel God's presence: faith = action. If you want to move forward in your spiritual journey then move forward. That's the scripturally supported way to feel God's presence. This modern notion of going to a building 1-hour a week with the expectation of a Matrix-esque instant download of peace, comfort, safety and happiness is what is called "cheap grace".


Saving faith is inextricably tied to action and discipleship is engagement. I suggest reading The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. If you don't want to buy it then I'm sure your town Library has a copy.


Bonhoeffer coined the phrase "cheap grace" which he said was grace without discipleship. The most powerful times I feel God's presence, when it literally overflows within me, is when I'm being a good steward – putting faith into action by serving.

u/rainer511 · 9 pointsr/Christianity

An introduction to Christian doctrine and what Christians believe is completely different than an introduction to the Bible.

For a free, online, scholarly introduction to the Bible I suggest OpenYale's courses on the New Testament and Hebrew Scriptures available here. Both Christine Hayes and Dale B. Martin are excellent. Biblical Literacy by Timothy Beal is an excellent accessible and mostly moderate[1] introduction to the the Bible for someone who's never read it before.

As far as both doctrine and the basis for doctrine go, that'll differ drastically from denomination to denomination. Most Protestant denominations claim that they believe in "sola scriptura" or "scripture alone", but perhaps the biggest blow to this statement may be the fact that you can't read the Bible and instantly divine everything there is to know about Protestants. Understanding the history of Protestantism is necessary. Even within the realm of Protestantism you'll find a diverse spectrum of beliefs. I personally have more in common theologically with some Muslims than I do with fundamentalist Protestant Christians.

Catholic and Orthodox traditions both explicitly state the importance of the church and church tradition, and so simply "understanding the Bible" won't get you very far there.

I'm tempted to offer Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense by N.T. Wright or the famous Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, but I cannot overstate the fact that even given their wide acceptance among the vast spectrum of Christian traditions, they are speaking out of a very particular perspective (they're both Anglican). A fair question, asked by Lamin Sanneh, is, "Whose religion is Christianity?" There are completely separate articulations of Christianity that have nothing to do with the Western culture it is so much associated with today. In his book he explores Christianity beyond the west. C.S. Song's book Jesus, the Crucified People: The Cross in the Lotus World covers specifically ways in which Christianity has risen across Asia.

I've got to run, but last I want to suggest Houston Smith's The World's Religions. He does a great job of highlighting the best of each of the world's major religious traditions.

__

[1] When people say "moderate" they don't mean "I believe in it moderately" but rather "In the spectrum from conservative to liberal interpretations of the Bible I fall somewhere in the middle".

u/ThaneToblerone · 3 pointsr/Christianity

I've been reading Dr. William Lane Craig's Reasonable Faith and finding it to be pretty stimulating so if you want something on the more academic end then that could be good.

CS Lewis's The Great Divorce is a good, quick read with an interesting take on the natures of Heaven and Hell.

Rev. Dr. Mary Kathleen Cunningham is a very good scholar who I studied under during undergrad and who has put together a very nice reader which surveys the spectrum of belief in the creationism/evolution debate called God and Evolution which is good if you're interested in that kind of thing.

Dr. Craig Keener has a good, cohesive commentary on the New Testament which you can buy as a single volume called The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament.

So there's a few to start out with. Let me know if you're looking for anything more specific and I can try to help (I have a budding theological library in my apartment).

u/gr3yh47 · 1 pointr/TrueChristian

I am sorry you are going through this. I don't know your situation beyond what you described but I would encourage you to do your best to shine where you are. find close community of solid Christian roots and be the light and salt your family needs. However, if God is leading you elsewhere, certainly do not let me stand in the way

I think there's a book (or video if you prefer) that might really help you navigate your conversations with your family in a way that will help them see the folly of their thinking.

It's called "tactics" by Greg Koukl and it's about how to use questions to understand people better and then using more questions to help them see the issues

book

video part 1
video part 2

u/keystone84 · 3 pointsr/Christianity

I would suggest two things:

  1. Read. Read your bible. If Christ is true this is the way you will gain faith, just like it says in the NT faith comes from hearing the word. Also try reading some apologetics, an easy and quick one is "more than a carpenter" you can find it on amazon here.

  2. Get out and actually do what Jesus would want you to. Go give money to homeless people, talk to them about life, show them you care. Go out of your way to do things that inconvenience you to help others. Actually doing what god wants is the only way to mature beyond simple faith.

    You can PM me if you want more book suggestions, some good ones are free on amazon if you have prime.
u/Aerom_Xundes · 1 pointr/ChristianApologetics

Infinite regress is a problem because you just keep pushing the problem one level further. Take for example, the World Turtle of Hinduism. The World rests on the World Turtle. What does the World Turtle rest on? An even larger Turtle. What does that even larger Turtle rest on? Another even larger Turtle. And on it continues. What holds up these Turtles?

Circular reasoning is when you make two statements that depend on one another for their veracity. It is similar to infinite regress in that what was sought (justification of the first statement) is ultimately grounded in the first statement (which was never justified, so no justification was ever actually done).

  1. X is true because Y.
  2. Y is true because X.

    It usually isn't quite as obvious as this and is hidden with a few steps.

    A common example in Christianity is:

    The Bible is true because God says so. How do we know God says the Bible is true? God said it in the Bible!

    (This is a bad argument. The Bible is true, but not because of this argument.)

    We've moved well past your original question and are now in the realm of general philosophy and structure of sound argumentation. While I am glad to answer your questions, you would be better served if you seek out some introductory books or courses in philosophy or logic. If you have questions about Christianity, you are always welcome to post them here in the subreddit. (After doing some homework! A well-researched question always garners better answers.)

  • "On Guard" by William Lane Craig is an intro book in philosophical arguments for Christianity. Craig discusses infinite regress quite a bit in the chapter on the Kalam argument.
  • /r/philosophy/wiki/readinglist has a good list of introductory resources.

    While there is a wealth of good resources online, I would highly recommend finding a class or philosophy group to discuss things face-to-face. Philosophy gets deep very quick and when you are face-to-face with someone, you can simply ask "What do you mean by that?" and get further explanation right then. With a book, you don't get that luxury. (Not saying to avoid books, but merely augment books with real conversation.)
u/bobo_brizinski · 5 pointsr/Christianity

Join a Christian community and read the Bible. You do not need to read the Bible from beginning to end, it's okay to start in the middle because the Bible is an anthology. Most Christians recommend starting at the Gospels in the New Testament because those witness to the significance of Jesus' identity. The Bible is best read with others, in conversation and community.

Oh yeah, and Jesus. If there is anything at the center of Christianity, it is that Jesus shows us what God is like. We believe God's character is marked by a terribly deep and unfathomable love. Christians believe that God wishes to transform the world and human relationships through Jesus' life, death, and resurrection.

Two accessible introductions to Christianity I really enjoy are by Rowan Williams: Being Christian and Tokens of Trust. The first book introduces Christianity through four key practices of Christians, and the second book introduces Christianity through an popular statement of belief called the Apostles' Creed. So I think they're complementary because one focuses on practices and the other focuses on beliefs.

John Stott's Basic Christianity and NT Wright's Simply Christian are also very good.

Sorry that I'm throwing a billion books at you. Best of luck in this journey.

u/JustYeshua · 1 pointr/Christianity

A trusted source I go to daily is John Piper's ministry, Desiring God. (www.desiringgod.org.) Mr. Piper is theologically sound in my opinion and clearly loves the Lord. He maintains a heaviness about him, almost as if he carries a burden to help others love Christ more dearly.

He and his team reassure me, edify me, provoke me to think deeper, follow more closely, and in general help me cultivate a stronger love for the Lord, daily.

I am currently reading Desiring God by Mr. Piper

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1601423101/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481574814&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=desiring+god&dpPl=1&dpID=41JpAZeSpAL&ref=plSrch

But another one that might be just as applicable would be When I Don't Desire God by the same author.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1433543176/ref=pd_aw_fbt_14_img_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=WYJ2YRD6WW39FQ3SXD0J

"Ask... seek... and knock. And all things will be given to you as well." (Matthew 7:7-12 and Matthew 6:33.)

God bless!

u/wolfgangofratisbon · 2 pointsr/Christianity

I grew up Baptist but became an atheist when I was 17. After 20 years I came back this summer. One thing that really helped me was the new Testament scholar N.T. Wright, he has a book, Simply Christian which I will recommend:
https://www.amazon.com/Simply-Christian-Christianity-Makes-Sense/dp/0061920622

He has a lot of lectures on youtube and the like, easy to google and also commentaries on various books of the New Testament. If you aren't used to reading the Bible it might help to have a commentary to help with the many things that can seem unfamiliar or strange to a modern reader.

I agree with the earlier poster who warned about the King James. The King James is a beautiful translation and a foundational work of english literature but might be a poor choice for a modern reader seeking to understand content. For that I might go with one of the various 'RSV' translations like RSV, NRSV, ESV, RSV-CE, RSV-2CE etc.

Another thing that is helpful is what is called the 'lectionary' which is basically the Bible broken up into readings throughout the church year on a three year cycle. It is easy to follow along on a daily basis and helps get you into sort of a pattern. The lectionary is used by many churches, Roman Catholic, Episcopal/Anglican, Lutheran, some Methodist and Presbyterian, etc.
Daily reading: http://www.dailylectio.net
Full lectionary: http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/
There are also lectionary apps for your phone.
Also if you decide toattend mass/service at a church that uses the lectionary you will basically be following along.

I find reading the Bible every day and praying does change you, maybe in ways you won't expect.

u/SeaRegion · 11 pointsr/Christianmarriage

> What’s hard is that I don’t know what to do.

Just an observation friend, but it appears that you're measuring your spirituality by what you do rather than by who you are. In other words, you feel that you're a good Christian on the days when you read the Bible and pray but you feel like a bad Christian on the days when you don't.

It would seem to me that the cure here is to make an internal switch into a deeper acceptance of the Gospel. When Jesus died for our sins, he freed us forever from condemnation and performance. You're just as much a child of God on the days when you don't measure up to your internal standards as on the days when you do good deeds.

If this resonates, a book I'd recommend is this: Victory over the Darkness by Neil Anderson. The message is simple and powerful - if we try to act from a mindset of, "I have to do these things so I'll be a good Christian" we will burn out. If instead we change our mindset to, "I am a child of God seated with Christ in the heavens. Jesus paid for all of my failures and He loves me very much, regardless of if I have good or bad days." - then we will change how we live simply because it's who we are.

Regardless - praying for God's wisdom and guidance for you in this hard season.

u/Pastoredbtwo · 3 pointsr/Christianity

I was in youth ministry for 25 years, and take it from me: there is no other book that will serve you in greater stead than the Word of God. Psalm 119 says, How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to Your Word. Your Word I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against You.

SO... set up a consistent systematic habit of reading, study, and memorization of Scripture. Hide it away in your heart, and you will find that the Spirit will bring the Word to your mind as you need it. And you'll need it a lot!

OTHER Books I'd recommend for ministry:
Celebration of Discipline - teaches the spiritual practices that will keep you from burning out, and enable you to make DISCIPLES of Jesus, and not just talk about Him.
(http://www.amazon.com/Celebration-Discipline-Path-Spiritual-Growth/dp/0060628391/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1408074973&sr=8-1)

Becoming a Dynamic Youth Leader - teaches a lot of the nuts and bolts of how to actually run a youth ministry in a church setting. Written from a conservative perspective, these practices will translate well into many different church contexts.
(http://www.churchgrowth.org/product/becoming-a-dynamic-youth-leader/)

Planning Youth Ministry From Boot Up to Exit -this is a very practical resource if you can find it. (It's out of print; you'll have to find someone with a used copy. Check the Southern Baptists in your area, since that's the author's ministry background.)

I'd also recommend reading theology instead of current best-selling Christian books, as you'll get more use out of building a solid foundation than you will reading about the latest techniques for what happens to be popular.

God bless you as you serve Him!

u/DKowalsky2 · 2 pointsr/Catholicism

Some of these have been mentioned in this thread, but I wanted to make a thorough list, so here goes:

u/riskmgmt · 3 pointsr/Christianity

The easiest way to get Christianity is to read the Bible. But to supplement that, I would encourage you to read books by these two German authors: Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Jurgen Moltmann

Bonhoeffer was a prominent leader of the confessing church (the church that resisted Hitler) and was a prominent member of the German resistance and a part of the Valkyrie plot. If you want to know more about him and his life, Eric Metaxas wrote an excellent Biography about him. Bonhoeffer's most famous works are "Life Together" about living a life in Christian community, and "The Cost of Discipleship" which is about Grace and how we must not live in a place of cheap Grace. Bonhoeffer was executed a t Flossenburg concentration camp a few months before VE day, and there are some nice memorials to him there (about 1.5 hours east of Nurnberg).

Jurgen Moltmann was drafted into Hitler's army in like 1944 and was taken prisoner. He found God in a Scottish POW camp. Moltmann writes a lot about Hope and spends a lot of time exploring what Christ's sacrifices mean to believers. Some of his most famous works are "The Crucified God", "Theology of Hope", "Trinity and the Kingdom" and "The Way of Jesus Christ." Moltmann also comments on more social issues which arose in the post-war era and has a more social theology, which adds a unique depth to his writing.

u/mlbontbs87 · 0 pointsr/Christianity

I understand the objection. But I would say that God's self love is not like our self love, for two reasons. One, is that God deserves it far more than we do, and more importantly, God's self love shares that satisfaction with others in a way that we cannot.

I would encourage you to check out John Piper's The Pleasures of God, or even his Desiring God. Dr. Piper explains the concept far better than I ever could.

u/chefranden · 1 pointr/Christianity

>My prayer is constant, throughout the entire day, as I walk and talk and eat and move through my day.

Sounds like the sort of stuff that I did. I practically had this book memorized I read it so often to trying to figure out what I was doing wrong.

This was another inspired desperate read. I was so excited by it that I gave classes on it. I expected something to break loose any day for years, kind of like Camping waiting for the end.

You mention the heart. That's what hurts when the relationship is one sided. Imagine if I pursued my wife for 38 years while she ignored me to see if I really meant it. I think I'd be considered foolish, and maybe even put in jail for stalking or something.

>he'd more appreciate you yelling your frustrations at him than learning languages or planting churches, as though that would somehow earn you a chance to sit down for 15 minutes with the founder and CEO of Heaven/Earth Ltd.

So why would he hang out with anyone? That was the point of the OP. You think you have a personal relationship, but why? What makes you special enough to hang out with "the founder of Heaven/Earth Ltd.? What was the difference between Jacob and Esau that God hated one and loved the other, especially given that Jacob was a scheming bastard?

You haven't made a biblical case for your specialness. Maybe it is because you belong to the right denomination -- something pentecostal, am I right?

It is interesting that you seem to disparage head knowledge. I had always thought that knowing the bible inside and out was a good thing. I read it devotionally twice a year for 20 years and that doesn't include studying it for school, bible study classes, sermons, and papers. The devotional reading was for giving God an opportunity to speak to me via the word. I couldn't tell if any insights I gained were from him or just from me. The only voice in my head sounded like me.

u/Bakeshot · 2 pointsr/Christianity

People aren't going to be perfect, ever. We're called to be in community, and it's even made mention of the fact that when we gather in Christ's name, He is there with us. Do you not see the irony in judging "98%" of Christians as judgmental, unloving, and mean?

You're always going to have people you don't get along with. You're always going to encounter expectations that are unmet in any relationship; particularly when you're holding them up to the standard Christ has given us. It's your responsibility, as a Christian, to love these people anyways. Love them, even though their love may seem conditional. Serve them, even though their service may seem disingenuous. Worship with them, even though you think their worship is an act.

This is a matter of fact in Christian life and fellowship. It's something that we all have to work on if we're going to successfully live together as communities for the Kingdom of God. Withdrawing into seclusion isn't a very practical option, and certainly doesn't have a whole lot of precedent for success in our religion's history. We were intended to live, love, learn, and serve with each other; withdrawing only serves to further separate yourself from the life God created you to have.

I will definitely be praying for you, but I would also recommend a couple books by Dietrich Bonhoeffer (if you're so inclined):

u/GeneralJConnor · 1 pointr/Christianity

I recommend the following book on sharing your faith by Gregory Koukl: Tactics by Gregory Koukl

It teaches you tactics on how to have conversations that will as he puts it "get a rock in their shoe" aka give them something to think about.

One of the things I had to realize is that God is the one who changes the heart, all I have to do is talk/converse on a subject of their choosing. This takes a huge mental/spiritual weight off every encounter God blesses me with.

More often than not things can be diverted in profitable directions just by listening, thinking, and responding in a conversational manner.

u/thephotoman · 6 pointsr/Catacombs

Thank you.

Now that I'm back home, here are some recommendations. First, I might note that while /u/johnnytoomuch's post has some good links in it, the truth is that for someone new to the whole Orthodoxy thing, that's all going to be hitting the ground too hard and fast.

So here are my recommendations, geared towards somebody totally new to Orthodoxy (I'd say beginner, but we're all beginners, even the likes of St. Theophon the Recluse).

  1. Bread and Water, Wine and Oil by Archimandrite Meletios (Webber) is actually a relatively solid introduction to both Orthodox theology, practice, and language. It's also a fairly short read. My copy is well dog-eared. If you're a digital guy, there's also a Kindle version.
  2. Beginning to Pray by Metropolitan Anthony (Bloom) of Sourozh touches on prayer specifically. What's more, this book will be of use to you regardless of your background.
  3. Check your bookstore for a prayer book. Study the prayers in there. They're actually rather dense. The notes in the one published by Holy Trinity Monastery (ROCOR) in Jordanville, New York, commonly just called the Jordanville Prayerbook, has some excellent note sections, though I would not attempt that full prayer rule without some advising from a spiritual father, particularly for someone new. That book also contains the text of the Divine Liturgy and a few other services, so you can use it to follow along (except for the hymns that are prescribed by the day or week). That said, it does have a few glaring typos in the prayers themselves--they work on revising it regularly, though.
  4. If you really want to get in to how the Divine Liturgy (and the rest of the services) are put together, get yourself a copy of the horologion. This one is also by Holy Trinity Monastery, and is in common use at many English speaking Orthodox parishes in North America. I warn you, though: that rabbit hole is very deep. There are 13 different books we pull from*.

    I'd also ask the priest what book he uses for his inquirers class.

    * For a layman, the horologion and psalter (if you have a Bible, you have the psalter) are the core of it. You do not need and should probably not purchase your own copy of the Menaion (the books that give the hymns for feasts and saints) or the Ochtoechos (the books that give the hymns for the tone of the week). I'm also not mentioning the Triodion (the book of Lent) or Pentecostarion (the book of Pascha). The other 7 books are generally clergy books or books for specific occasions.
u/fadebeyondstars · 6 pointsr/religion

I admire the way you're going about this! It's really wonderful to see people critically exploring belief systems. As a Christian, I have admittedly not done as much research on other faiths as I can, but I have enjoyed learning what I have. It's really incredible to see the similarities and nuances among them!

So to the point, I believe that the Christian Gospel is so simplistic and selfless that no human or demon could have imagined it.

That a perfect being was born as a human, exposed to diseases and hard labor, and endured the full human experience is absolutely mind-blowing to me. He didn't just walk among us and laugh and be divine; he wept and felt pain with us. The death he suffered was completely selfless and was entirely for us. It's beautiful and simple.

I'm sure other Christians can explain this far better than I. I'm still learning my own faith, so I'd love to hear what others have to say, too.

As far as reading material, More Than a Carpenter is great. It's only about 100 pages, but it packs a punch and is one of the go-to Christian 101 type books.

u/Frankfusion · 1 pointr/Christianity

I think a lot of the advice here is great. If I can recommend a great little book to get you oriented, I'd recommend Christ's Call To Discipleship It's short, to the point, and very helpful. I'd also throw in a book that helped me out, Desiring God The christian life is about joy, this book will explain why. It will also make you think.

u/OcioliMicca · 10 pointsr/Catholicism

Welcome! I appreciate your genuine curiosity to learn more about Catholicism from Catholics.

I would recommend Crossing the Tiber by Steve Ray. Steve has a Baptist background as well and wrote that book to explain why he was converting to Catholicism. I really enjoyed it and it combines Scripture and Early Christian's writings to support his reasons.

​

God bless!

u/cleansedbytheblood · 5 pointsr/Christianity

Hello,

This book is a robust examination of the Christian faith, looking not only at doctrine but the evidence for the truth claims of scripture.

https://www.amazon.com/Cold-Case-Christianity-Homicide-Detective-Investigates/dp/1434704696

I greatly respect your attitude towards your husbands faith. The fact that you're here asking this speaks volumes.

edit: bonus recommdations

https://www.amazon.com/More-Than-Carpenter-Josh-McDowell/dp/1414326270/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

https://www.amazon.com/New-Evidence-That-Demands-Verdict/dp/0785242198/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

u/internetiseverywhere · 2 pointsr/OrthodoxChristianity

We're not kidding around when we say that the Orthodox Church is the one, true Church founded by Jesus Christ himself. A traditional way of putting that would be to say that we believe that the Orthodox Church is the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. It kind of boggles the mind, when you think about it.

If you're interested, I'll include a link to a book by a Protestant who went in search of this Church (and found it, imo). If you're familiar with Campus Crusade for Christ, he actually helped found it back in the 70's. The title is a spoiler alert -- when he went on a quest to find the Church, he found the Orthodox Church. Link.

As an aside, his son is also a priest (and also named Peter Gilquist). And Fr. Peter Gilquist (Jr.) is the priest who received me into the Church. I'm not at his parish any more but I sure miss him -- God bless that family.

Anyway, good luck in your quest. Let us know if you have any questions.

u/DesertPilgrim · 2 pointsr/latterdaysaints

I'm trying to do Lent for realz this year and letting it carry me through the liturgical year, based primarily on the work being done at BCC but also using this site to craft my private worship. I'm hoping school and class allow me enough flexibility to attend services at SLC's mother cathedral. I plan on attending a six PM service tonight.

I'm giving up meat, as well as fast food in general, during Lent, as well as a moratorium on buying new apps for my iPhone. Besides the readings from the scriptures and the above sites, I'm reading Celebration of Discipline to deepen my thinking about what things I do as a part of my spiritual practice.

I'm really looking forward to this.

u/cybersaint2k · 4 pointsr/TrueChristian

It's not dangerous per se, but merely understand that it is quite untrue. Yes, there are bound to be some truths somewhere in it, but reading untruth to understand truth is tricky.

If I were in your shoes, I'd study the Trinity. According to John Frame, that's the basis for understanding the consciousness.

Here's one article written to discuss some of his thoughts on this:

http://www.proginosko.com/docs/Frame_Festschrift_Essay.pdf

Read John Frame on epistemology and Michael Reeves Delighting in the Trinity https://www.amazon.com/Delighting-Trinity-Introduction-Christian-Faith/dp/0830839836/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1499447945&sr=1-1&keywords=michael+trinity and you'll make significant progress in your search, I think.

I think the Trinity explains everything.

u/bb1432 · 10 pointsr/Catholicism

Personally, I think there's a lot of garbage, namby-pamby advice in this thread.

As Venerable Fulton Sheen said, "There are not over a hundred people in the United States who hate the Catholic Church. There are millions, however, who hate what they wrongly believe to be the Catholic Church — which is, of course, quite a different thing."

If you believe the Catholic Faith is true, then presumably your end goal is their conversion. If it's not, it should be.

Perhaps the initial explanation won't go well. That's fine. Whatever happens, don't burn any bridges. Unfortunately, since it's today there's not much more prep you can do.

The best advice I can give is to come armed with what they think they know. Beyond the initial, emotional reaction, they will have arguments. Maybe not today, but they'll come. They already know what they're going to say. They already have their "Catholicism is the Whore of Babylon Talking Points" on a 3x5 index card (even if it's just a mental index card.) So what do you do? Surprise them. Steal their lines. Ask questions that they aren't expecting. Since you already know all of the anti-Catholic talking points, you are (hopefully) well prepared to counter them with clarity and charity, using Holy Scripture as your guide.

Also, remember you're not alone in this. LOTS of fantastic people have made this conversion. Here are a few book recs that are relevant.

Catholicism and Fundamentalism

Rome Sweet Home

Born Fundamentalist, Born Again Catholic

Crossing the Tiber: Evangelical Protestants Discover the Historical Church

I haven't read this one yet, but it also looks awesome. Dr. Brant Pitre also writes on this topic:

The Fourth Cup: Unveiling the Mystery of the Last Supper and the Cross

u/acerthorn · -5 pointsr/MurderedByWords

Josh McDowell's book "More Than a Carpenter" documents all the archeological evidence he found when he researched in Europe. Chapter 10 is dedicated to proving that the Resurrection happened, although I recommend reading all the other chapters before it, otherwise some things in Chapter 10 won't make sense.

You can get a used copy of that book for as little as five bucks on amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/1414326270/ref=tmm_pap_used_olp_0?ie=UTF8&condition=used&qid=&sr=

To wet your appetite, here's the prologue of that book in PDF format: https://files.tyndale.com/thpdata/firstChapters/978-1-4143-2627-6.pdf

Pages 15-17 state in pertinent part...

> I knew that if I could uncover indisputable evidence that the Bible is an unreliable record, the whole of Christianity would crumble... I spent months in research. I even dropped out of school for a time to study in the historically rich libraries of Europe. And I found evidence. Evidence in abundance. Evidence I would not have believed had I not seen it with my own eyes. Finally I could come to only one conclusion: If I were to remain intellectually honest, I had to admit that the Old and New Testament documents were some of the most reliable writings in all of antiquity... I want to share with you the core of what I learned in my months of research so that you, too, may see that Christianity is not a myth, not the fantasy of wishful dreamers, not a hoax played on the simpleminded. It is rock-solid truth.

u/this_also_was_vanity · 3 pointsr/Christianity

Can I recommend a short book that I've found really helpful in explaining the Trinity, how it's essential to Christianity, and why it's a doctrine full of great delight?

It's known as either 'The Good God' by Michael Reeves or 'Delighting in the Trinity

u/Paisleyfrog · 2 pointsr/Christianity

Another book recommendation...

Check out Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time by Marcus Borg. This description from one of the reviews introduces the book pretty well:

>His essential premise involves the importance, even primacy, of our personal image of Jesus. Is Jesus the savior who requires faith? Or, is Jesus a great teacher of moral ideals? Borg rejects both in chapter one. Borg imagines Jesus as one to whom spirit, and the experience of spirit, was foundational. Accordingly, Borg does not understand the Christian life to be "about believing or about being good .... It is about a relationship with God that involves us in a journey of transformation."

u/terevos2 · 2 pointsr/Reformed

Honestly Bible Doctrine is one of the easiest Systematics to understand. (I might be a bit biased since Jeff Purswell is our dean of our Pastors College and I have great affection for the man.)

EDIT: Bonus: John Frame's Systematic is also pretty readable.

u/pilgrimboy · 1 pointr/Christianity

Simply Christian by NT Wright.

From the back cover:
Why is justice fair? Why are so many people pursuing spirituality? Why do we crave relationship? And why is beauty so beautiful? N. T. Wright argues that each of these questions takes us into the mystery of who God is and what he wants from us. For two thousand years Christianity has claimed to answer these mysteries, and this renowned biblical scholar and Anglican bishop shows that it still does today. Like C. S. Lewis did in his classic Mere Christianity, Wright makes the case for Christian faith from the ground up, assuming that the reader is starting from ground zero with no predisposition to and perhaps even some negativity toward religion in general and Christianity in particular. His goal is to describe Christianity in as simple and accessible, yet hopefully attractive and exciting, a way as possible, both to say to outsides You might want to look at this further, and to say to insiders You may not have quite understood this bit clearly yet.

Edited to add: I see that someone else suggested this. I guess I should have read through suggestions first before suggesting a book.

2nd edit: If you do read this, I would love to hear an atheist's perspective on it.

u/superlewis · 11 pointsr/Reformed
  1. YouVersion has some great Bible reading plans. I would suggest McCheyne's
  2. A great companion for reading in a McCheyne plan is D.A. Carson's For the Love of God Part 1 Part 2
  3. One of the best pieces of advice I can give you as you read scripture is to look at the big picture. Try to see where the passage you are reading fits into the grand storyline of the Bible.
  4. May I also suggest picking up a book that will cover Bible doctrines? It's really helpful to have a grasp on what the Bible says about God and how He interacts with His creation. On the layman's level I would suggest Christian Beliefs by Wayne Grudem. If you feel like going a little deeper, check out Grudem's bigger book Bible Doctrine. If you feel like really digging in, go with Grudem's massive Systematic Theology, which I believe is the most readable systematic theology available.
  5. I'm a Baptist so I think getting rebaptized is great, assuming you are a genuine believer at this point, which I have no cause to doubt. In fact, if I was being a cranky Baptist I would tell you you're not getting rebaptized, you were just a wet sinner the first time. However, I'm only occasionally a cranky Baptist, and have nothing against my paedobaptist brothers (other than thinking they're wrong on this one).
  6. Get into a good church. I know you mentioned you're following Christ and not a church, but the local church is one of the primary means of doing so. Maybe you already have done this, and I am misinterpreting what you were trying to say. Lone ranger Christians are unhealthy Christians. If you are looking for a good church check with 9Marks and The Gospel Coalition.

    I hope this helps.

    edit: spelling
u/lanemik · 2 pointsr/DebateReligion

You're right to an extent. My view is that your husband is spouting the typical atheist mumbo jumbo that you find too much in here (and elsewhere). The atheist position does incur the burden of proof despite what the "weak" atheists would like to believe.

But that doesn't mean that one cannot come to a rational reason to accept that God doesn't exist (or most likely doesn't exist). Here is one such method:

  1. There exist instances of intense suffering which an omnipotent, omniscient being could have prevented without thereby losing some greater good or permitting some evil equally bad or worse.
  2. An omniscient, wholly good being would prevent the occurrence of any intense suffering it could, unless it could not do so without thereby losing some greater good or permitting some evil equally bad or worse.
  3. (Therefore) There does not exist an omnipotent, omniscient, wholly good being.

    This is called the Evidential Problem of Evil by the atheist philosopher of religion William Rowe. This is not a rock solid proof of God's non-existence and there are other philosophical proofs that come to the same conclusions from different directions. However, you'll note that there are also no rock solid proofs of God's existence (though there are very strong arguments for God's existence). From my point of view, it seems things are at an impasse and one can find perfectly rational reasons to accept that God does exist and perfectly rational reasons to accept that God does not exist (and, further, perfectly rational reasons why we cannot have any rational reason to believe in the existence or non existence of God, to boot!). Confused? I know I am and I suspect a lot of other folks are far more confused than they either know or will admit.

    I'm a bit concerned that your husband has bitten off on the /r/atheism style of thought that are proudly (sadly?) on display in many responses to you in this very post. That would be a shame, but it's very common. I can tell you this if your husband has gone down that rabbit hole, there is no amount of arguing with him about God's existence that is going to change his mind. It'll only make him resent you and it will make him consider you stupid and he'll be able to make your life quite miserable. That's the fact of the matter, the typical internet atheist has a massive superiority complex and considers even the slightest wavering from the atheist dogma to be an indication of mental retardation.

    So how would I approach it? That's a tough one. NOT through anger or guilt trips (a la "you committed to a Christian relationship and are backing out without my consent") or debates. Maybe try a simple discussion. Hear him out with a willingness to really listen and absorb all of his thoughts on the subject. Just hear what he is saying and try to understand where he is coming from. That, at least, is a good start and it generally is worthwhile for any time your marriage gets a bit rocky. If you're lucky and if your husband is truly a good person, he'll come around to being open to listening to why you believe what you believe. So now would be a good time to start brushing up on that. From the sounds of it, your days of lackadaisical acceptance of Christianity are behind you. There are plenty of resources for you to learn about how a belief in God is rationally justified. Here are a few books and websites that you might want to start reading:

u/AgentSmithRadio · 5 pointsr/Christianity

I've read two books which were recommended to me by this subreddit.

The first book I read was The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis. I was already a Lewis fan, but I had ignored this book. It is now by and far in my top 3 books, and it's still an emotional roller-coaster just thinking about it. That man had an absurd talent for offering theological insight through allegory. I was able to read it in two sittings.

The other book was Surprised by Hope by N.T. Wright. On top of me enjoying his insight, this book really cleaned up what I thought about death and the Christian afterlife, pre and post-resurrection. It was the theological insight I needed the hear on the topic, and it was very impactful on me.

Both are solid reads, and I'd recommend them to anyone.

u/JxE · 2 pointsr/Christianity

If you're a reader, I strongly suggest The Divine Conspiracy

You can't expect to get answers to all of your questions in a couple of paragraphs on reddit, but Willard address this topic directly. What does it look like to be a Christian today, what is our role and calling? Great book, highly recommend it.

u/gamegyro56 · 2 pointsr/AcademicBiblical

You might like John Shelby Spong or Marcus Borg. All of their books are pretty good, but these books are the last ones I read of them, and they are pretty good, and seem like what you are looking for.

u/Sparky0457 · 6 pointsr/AskAPriest

Tell your story. Narrate the role that Jesus has in your life and how important He is to you.

Then, when they might be ready, invite them to allow you to introduce them to Jesus.

When that moment comes then you tell them Jesus' story. Don't give them rules, regulations, nor theology. Tell them Jesus' story, just the story.

Here's a great book to help you better express the story of Jesus

u/McFrenchington · 4 pointsr/Christianity

Washed and Waiting by Wesley Hill. Written by a "Gay Celibate Christian" and I think provides a pretty good counterpoint to the emerging understanding of homosexuality and Christianity.

Chosen by God by R.C. Sproul. For those wanting to learn a bit more about Calvinism/Reformed theology, Chosen by God is an easy primer that walks readers through the TULIP of Calvinism. At the end of the day, whether you agree with Sproul's conclusions or not, you will at least have a better understanding of why Reformed Christians believe what we believe.

u/anna_in_indiana · 3 pointsr/Reformed

Have you ever read Donald Whitney's Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life? He keeps the gospel in the forefront as he writes simply and practically about disciplining ourselves for godliness, and makes each discipline seem so very possible - if you're not practicing it at all, to get started; and if you are practicing it, to improve out of love for God and desire to know him better.

u/sharpsight2 · 1 pointr/IAmA

>I don't really know if there's a god

A really excellent little book I can recommend is More Than a Carpenter, by Josh & Sean McDowell. On that Amazon link, the first review is by someone who was raised as a Catholic, which you might relate with. I hope you find this helpful in reconnecting with God; having Him as your anchor helps when your life is a stormy sea.

u/5upralapsarian · 2 pointsr/Reformed

RC Sproul has a lot of excellent books for the layman.

Recommended reads would be:

The Holiness of God - Free copy from Ligonier

Chosen by God

What is Reformed Theology?

I also recommend Knowing God by JI Packer

u/macrobite · 4 pointsr/ChristianApologetics

You may not know at all what he's going to ask until he asks it. Best you can do is be prepared for anything 1 Pet. 3:15, be gentle, be loving, be understanding, be very aware that what he's going though is different than you and that you may not (in his mind) have the right to talk to him about grief and loss, much less God.

If you haven't already, grab a copy of Tactics, it a great nuts-and-bolts book.

u/Panta-rhei · 2 pointsr/Christianity

Any of Bonhoeffer's works would be good. His Cost of Discipleship is excellent.

If you're up for some listening, Philip Cary's Luther: Law, Gospel, and Reformation lecture series is an excellent introduction to Lutheran thought and practice. Every once in a while it's on sale, and well worth picking up.

u/TasteTasteTaste · 1 pointr/Reformed

Do you have time to read a book? The message in this changed my life and it sounds very relevant to the difficulties you're going through.

https://www.amazon.com/Victory-Over-Darkness-Realize-Identity/dp/0764213768/

The book is basically a huge dose of comfort, hope, and peace. It digs into the truth of who we are in Christ and shows that all things are possible through Jesus. Very comforting and hope-filled resource.

u/_sacrosanct · 2 pointsr/OpenChristian

It's a big question you're asking. Lots of people have dedicated their lives to studying it and unfortunately the answer won't ever be known unless God decides to break His silence or the mystery is revealed after we die. The simplified answer though is what you say, the split between Judaism and Christianity is the interpretation of Jesus. A central theme of the Old Testament is a prophesy of a redeeming king to lead the Jewish people. The debate is whether or not Jesus was the fulfillment of the prophesy or just another teacher. The Christian faith requires one coming to the conclusion that Jesus is the messiah the Old Testament prophets spoke of and accepting Him as such. Rob Bell is great but if you're looking for a more academic approach to the Christian faith and its interpretation of Jesus, I would recommend reading NT Wright. He has a book on Jesus that has been very fundamental to my understanding of Him and I think would serve a good way to understand what the Christian religion says claims about Him.

https://www.amazon.com/Simply-Jesus-Vision-What-Matters/dp/0062084399/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1504703893&sr=1-1&keywords=simply+jesus+n.t.+wright

u/boomerangrock · 1 pointr/Catholicism

Steve Ray was formerly this type of Evangelical/baptist. He is now a devout apologist for the Catholic church. He wrote a book entitled "Crossing the Tiber." If you read this then you will learn the points that likely can get your type of Christian friend thinking outside of his very comfortable and judgmental box. Have fun.

A link to a used book sales summary on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0898705770/ref=tmm_pap_used_olp_sr?ie=UTF8&condition=used&qid=&sr=

u/WertFig · 2 pointsr/Christianity

>Which means that whether you are a person who leans toward discipline or a person who leans toward spontaneity, you are just as liable to trust in your own righteousness—your righteousness of discipline, or your righteousness of spontaneity—rather than Christ’s righteousness.

This is an excellent point. I'm also reminded of Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster. Many Christians turn their noses up at discipline to avoid being legalistic, but certainly, there is freedom in discipline as long as we're depending on the righteousness of Christ to get us through.

u/Pyrallis · 1 pointr/Catholicism

[Crossing the Tiber](http://www.amazon.com/Crossing-Tiber-Evangelical-Protestants-Historical/dp/0898705770 "Also available for Kindle!"), by Stephen K. Ray. It's very well researched; sometimes the footnotes and references take up most of the page!

dessinemoiunmouton referenced this elsewhere in the thread, and I agree: [Faith of the Early Fathers](http://www.amazon.com/Faith-Early-Fathers-Three--Set/dp/0814610250/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1320271030&sr=1-1 "Also available for Kindle!"), by Jurgens. It's a three-volume set, and best used as a reference, instead of a straight-read. Of immense value is the doctrinal index, which lists various elements of theology, and then points you to the relevant historical writings!

u/cmanthony · 0 pointsr/Christianity

Along side the bible, why not try reading something like the celebration of discipline by Richard J. Foster.

It's a really great read and practicing spiritual disciplines can help open us more to the Holy Spirits work in our lives (making us more like Christ).

u/Yantu · 4 pointsr/Reformed

In the same vein, check out The Holiness of God.

Also, recently coming to terms with the sovereignty of God leads me to believe that you haven't read much Piper. John Piper is one of the greatest Bible teachers alive. His book Desiring God changed my life. Please read it.

Also, Desiring God's website is worth checking every day. Always edifying, soul-nurturing, God-glorifying stuff.

u/turlockmike · 2 pointsr/Christianity

This is why it is called Grace. Grace is something that is given, not earned. It is not deserved or it would be called a reward. I highly recommend reading this book from John Piper called Desiring God. It really dives into this concept.

u/Im_just_saying · 9 pointsr/Christianity

In addition to the other books posted here, there's a very interesting read about a group of Campus Crusade for Christ (Evangelical parachurch ministry) folk who agreed together to explore the early church and embrace whatever they found there. They assumed they would discover a house church kind of thing, with free style worship and not much structure, liturgy, or hierarchy. What they found instead led them to become orthodox. One of their leaders, Fr. Peter Gillquist, wrote about their journey in Becoming Orthodox.

u/Rex130 · 1 pointr/TrueChristian

I would highly suggest The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer Its an awesome book. Aside from the Bible its one of two books I like best.

u/Matt_da_Penguin · 2 pointsr/Christianity

I really want to read The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions now. I just finished reading Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time: The Historical Jesus and the Heart of Contemporary Faith which was written by one of the authors of the book you suggested, Marcus J. Borg. I highly recommend it as well.

u/revparadox · 2 pointsr/Anarchism

Anything by Thomas Merton is excellent. Contemplative Prayer and New Seeds of Contemplation can be good starts.

Richard Rohr, Henri Nouwen and Thomas Keating will also be good readings.

u/RyanTDaniels · 1 pointr/Christianity
  1. Because the Bible isn't a theology textbook. It's an epic narrative. I highly recommend The Bible Project for help in understanding this.
  2. Sounds like your definition of "Hell" is more influenced by the Middle Ages than the Bible. I recommend doing a word study on the words "hell (Gehenna)", "hades", and "the grave (Sheol)" in the Bible. You might be surprised by what you find. I also recommend reading The Great Divorce, by C.S. Lewis.
  3. You're judged by your actions, not your ability to understand the universe. God is fully aware of our lack of awareness, and will take that into account.
  4. Ah, the Election debate. This is where the "Bible is an epic narrative" thing becomes very important. Election/Predestination in the Bible is about Israel's role in God's plan. It's not about who gets to go to Heaven. God planned/elected/predestined/pre-purposed/chose Israel to have a particular role to play in His plan to save humanity from our slavery to sin. That role was fulfilled through Jesus (the climax of the epic narrative). God didn't predestine people for Heaven/Hell, rather He chose one people-group to be his instrument of redemption for the world. I recommend this video for help understanding the high-level epic narrative and Israel's purpose in it.
  5. Actually, I would argue the Bible has a pretty compelling answer: Humans.
  6. Having the Spirit residing in you doesn't guarantee intellectual agreement. It's not like you get an information download when you become a Christian. We still have to work through issues where we disagree, but if we have the Spirit in us, we will be able to do so in love.
u/theriverrat · 1 pointr/Christianity

I'd recommend reading the gospel of Mark, which you can do in a couple of hours. Some people still use bibles in old timey language, like the King James, so you may want to get a modern translation of the New Testament, like the Good News translation.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1585162337/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_6?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Also, check out Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time, by Martin Borg.

http://www.amazon.com/Meeting-Jesus-Again-First-Time/dp/0060609176

u/silouan · 5 pointsr/Catacombs

Bread & Water, Wine & Oil is specifically Eastern Christian mysticism, but the inner life it describes is common to all the Desert Fathers. (The author is now abbot of the Monastery of St John in Manton, California.)

> "In the East, on the other hand, a mystery is an area where the human mind cannot go, and where the heart alone makes sense, not by 'knowing, but by 'being.' The Greek word mysterion leads you into a sense of 'not-knowing' or 'not-understanding' and leaves you there. All a person can do is gaze and wonder; there is nothing to solve."

u/tbown · 5 pointsr/Christianity

Don't leave us!!!!!!

The Roman Catholic Catechism is a great tool to understand Catholic beliefs.

Return to Rome is a book about someone who came from being a Protestant to being a Catholic.

The Orthodox Way is a good intro to Orthodox understanding.

Becoming Orthodox is a book about a ton of Protestants converting to Orthodoxy.

u/terquey · 1 pointr/Christianity

> [I] regard Jesus as an enlightened (divine) being the same as a Bodhisattva. Can you make any suggestions for books that will help me to undertand more about Jesus' teachings from this perspective?

I think you'll struggle to understand Jesus from that perspective. A lot of his teachings just won't make sense. You'd be better off approaching him from the perspective of 2nd Temple Judaism, which NT Wright is quite good at explaining http://www.amazon.com/Simply-Christian-Christianity-Makes-Sense/dp/0061920622/

u/mking22 · 2 pointsr/Christianity

A Christian's faith in God is not of their own doing, it's a gift from God. One must be obedient before one can have faith. Some chapters of this book helped me to understand this concept.

u/dws689 · 1 pointr/Reformed

Have you read "Delighting in the Trinity" by Michael Reeves (link below)? If you say the *only* thing distinguishing them is one attribute, you sound like you are saying they have a single mind, in which case there is no possibility for relationship. Yet Reeves and many others would say that there is a loving relationship between the Father and Son and Spirit. In your formulation, how would you describe this loving relationship?

​

​

(https://www.amazon.com/Delighting-Trinity-Introduction-Christian-Faith/dp/0830839836/ref=sr_1_1?crid=30NFYTAK13Y5D&keywords=delighting+in+the+trinity+michael+reeves&qid=1562016286&s=books&sprefix=delighting+i%2Caps%2C115&sr=1-1)

u/weeglos · 10 pointsr/Christianity

The Catholic Church teaches that all religions have some level of Truth to them (capital T). God reveals himself to different peoples in different ways, the Catholics just think they're "more right" than the rest.

Denominations that say that could be right, they could be wrong. In the end, everyone has to decide their own way.

Personally, my view on heaven and hell are pretty close to what C.S. Lewis wrote in The Great Divorce - Christian, Muslim, Atheist, whatever - all people choose where they will wind up, either with God or apart from Him. Since God is love, then being apart from him for all eternity would be hell. Each person must choose, and if you choose not to believe, well, why would you want to spend eternity with something you don't believe exists?

u/Luo_Bo_Si · 8 pointsr/Reformed

Probably the best resource I know on this from a Reformed perspective is Donald Whitney's Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. This is a fantastic resource on spiritual disciplines and practice.

u/australiancatholic · 3 pointsr/Christianity

These are some of the books that I've enjoyed for spiritual reading (but it's hard to separate the books I've enjoyed as theology from spiritual readings some times!):

u/JahLife68 · 1 pointr/Christianity

We used Celebration of Discipline in my Spiritual Formation class. This book provides a foundation for spiritual growth based wholly on scripture. It isn't necessarily a light read but it can be extremely helpful in growing closer to Christ.

www.amazon.com/Celebration-Discipline-Path-Spiritual-Growth/dp/0060628391

u/riffraff98 · 0 pointsr/AskReddit

Well, complete and total separation from God, for one.

The Great Divorce Is a good, fictional look at how much that might suck.

u/MojoPin83 · 2 pointsr/Christianity

Part 3: Book recommendations:

If you want to dig deep into this topic, here are some book recommendations. Perhaps you would want to read N.T. Wright's Christian Origins and the Question of God series (this is very heavy, scholarly reading). N.T. Wright is the foremost scholar on the New Testament and this is possibly the most thorough literature on the historical Jesus, early Christianity and the Apostle Paul:

https://www.logos.com/product/37361/christian-origins-and-the-question-of-god-series

Anything by N.T. Wright is well worth reading (Simply Christian and Surprised by Hope would be good introductions). Likewise, anything by Ravi Zacharias.

The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus by Gary R. Habermas and Michael R. Licona: https://www.amazon.ca/Case-Resurrection-Jesus-Gary-Habermas/dp/0825427886

Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity by Nabeel Qureshi: https://www.amazon.com/Books-Nabeel-Qureshi/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3ANabeel%20Qureshi

No God But One: Allah or Jesus?: A Former Muslim Investigates the Evidence for Islam and Christianity by Nabeel Qureshi: https://www.amazon.com/God-but-One-Investigates-Christianity/dp/0310522552/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1517050609&sr=1-2&refinements=p_27%3ANabeel+Qureshi

On Guard by William Lane Craig: https://www.amazon.ca/Guard-William-Lane-Craig/dp/1434764885/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1526542104&sr=8-1&keywords=on+guard+william+lane+craig

The Case for Christ: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus by Lee Strobel: https://www.amazon.ca/Case-Christ-Journalists-Personal-Investigation/dp/0310339308

Bonus reading: Heaven by Randy Alcorn: https://www.amazon.ca/Heaven-Randy-Alcorn/dp/0842379428/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1526542237&sr=1-1&keywords=randy+alcorn+heaven

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis: https://www.amazon.ca/Mere-Christianity-C-S-Lewis/dp/0060652926

Read anything by G.K. Chesterton, especially, The Everlasting Man


Answers to Common Objections and Questions:

Jesus’ Resurrection and Christian Origins: http://ntwrightpage.com/2016/07/12/jesus-resurrection-and-christian-origins/

The Evidence for Jesus: https://www.reasonablefaith.org/writings/popular-writings/jesus-of-nazareth/the-evidence-for-jesus/

The Resurrection of Jesus: https://www.reasonablefaith.org/writings/popular-writings/jesus-of-nazareth/the-resurrection-of-jesus/

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ as Christianity's Centerpiece: http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/The_Resurrection_of_Jesus_Christ_as_Christianitys_Centerpiece_FullArticle?fbclid=IwAR0oE22vtBvR2u--R78tSyW-51OpIbWBfWDNH2Ep8miBc9W6uUJMwMsz0yk

Origin, Meaning, Morality and Destiny: http://rzim.org/just-thinking/think-again-deep-questions/

Accompanying video to the link above: Why is Christianity True?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5qJPZySo7A

How Do You Know Christianity Is the One True Way of Living? | Abdu Murray: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14ze_SVg-0E&app=desktop

What makes Christianity unique among the world’s religions? Verifiability is a Christian Distinctive: https://coldcasechristianity.com/writings/verifiability-is-a-christian-distinctive/

Is Jesus God? (Feat. Craig, Strobel, Habermas, Licona, Qureshi...): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dLoKCyDDAg&app=desktop

How Can Understanding Eyewitness Testimony Help Us Evaluate the Gospels?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tCDDsPXQSQ&app=desktop

Historical Evidence for the Resurrection - Can a Scientist Believe in the Resurrection? - Nabeel Qureshi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hD7w1Uja2o

‪Questioning Jesus: Critically Considering Christian Claims with Dr. Nabeel Qureshi‬: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UpuEDp4ObA

Did Jesus Rise From the Dead? | Yale 2014 | William Lane Craig: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NAOc6ctw1s&app=desktop

Historical Resurrection of Christ?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0Dc01HVlaM

‪Are The New Testament Documents Historically Credible?:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgdsIaqFAp4

Are the Gospels Accurate?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxrDy_G8h88

(Answer to the common objection: ‘the gospels are anonymous’)
Gospel Authorship—Who Cares?: https://www.reasonablefaith.org/question-answer/P40/gospel-authorshipwho-cares

What is the Evidence That Jesus Appeared Alive After His Death?: https://youtu.be/96WIa3pZISE

On Extra-Biblical Sources for Jesus' Post-Mortem Appearances: https://youtu.be/-Dbx7PPIIsQ

Did Jesus Rise From The Dead Or Was It A Hoax By His Followers?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aELRKdxV7Wk

Follow up to the previous video: ‪Did Jesus rise from the dead, or was it hallucinations by his followers?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29224I3x_M0&feature=youtu.be

Did the Disciples Invent the Resurrection?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOHUWsNDPZc

‬Facts to show the Resurrection is not fiction, by William Lane Craig: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AduPVkqbis

‬Did Paul actually see the risen Jesus, or did he simply have some sort of vision?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yNdynwqtWI&t

What Do You Mean By ‘Literal?’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxQpFosrTUk

Evidence For Jesus' Resurrection: https://youtu.be/4iyxR8uE9GQ?t=1s

Death, Resurrection and Afterlife: https://youtu.be/HXAc_x_egk4?t=1s

Did Jesus Really Rise From The Dead?: https://youtu.be/KnkNKIJ_dnw?t=1s

4 Historical Facts That Prove Jesus Really Did Rise From The Dead: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmKg62GDqF4

‪What About Pre-Christ Resurrection Myths?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrCYVk6xrXg

Jesus and Pagan Mythology: Is Jesus A Copied Myth or Real Person?: https://www.reasonablefaith.org/writings/question-answer/jesus-and-pagan-mythology/

Zeitgeist - Is Jesus A Myth: https://alwaysbeready.com/zeitgeist-the-movie

Did Greco-Roman myths influence the Gospel accounts of the resurrection of Jesus?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pt9rlG7ABo&app=desktop

‪Does the Resurrection Require Extraordinary Evidence?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLN30A0vmlo

Moral Argument For God’s Existence: How Can A Good God Allow Evil? Does Life Have Meaning?: https://youtu.be/it7mhQ8fEq0

‪Are there Inconsistencies Between the Four Gospels?: https://youtu.be/sgdsIaqFAp4

‪Why Are There Differences in the Resurrection Accounts?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtz2lVGmXFI

Don't the Gospels Contradict One Another?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gt9kCwttVY

Why Differences Between the Gospels Demonstrate Their Reliability: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zimP8m3_hCk

Why the Gospels Can Differ, Yet Still Be Reliable: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=An5wU2hxIfM

Four Reasons the New Testament Gospels Are Reliable: http://coldcasechristianity.com/2015/four-reasons-the-new-testament-gospels-are-reliable/

Find Contradictions in the Bible All You Want: https://www.thepoachedegg.net/2019/05/apologetics-find-contradictions-in-the-bible-all-you-want.html

The Case for the Historicity and Deity of Jesus: https://coldcasechristianity.com/writings/the-case-for-the-historicity-and-deity-of-jesus/

Bart Ehrman is one of the world's most renowned ancient historians/New Testament scholars, and he is an atheist. Listen to what he has to say on the matter of Jesus' existence: ‪The Historical Jesus DID Exist - Bart Ehrman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43mDuIN5-ww

Bart D Ehrman About the Historical Jesus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6U6TJ4cwSo

Extra-Biblical evidence: In addition to the gospel accounts and the letters from the Apostle Paul, we have sources outside the New Testament with references to Jesus in the writings of Josephus, Tacitus, Thallus, the Jewish Talmud, etc:

http://coldcasechristianity.com/2017/is-there-any-evidence-for-jesus-outside-the-bible/

Is There Extrabiblical Evidence About Jesus' Life?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzP0Kz9eT_U&app=desktop

How do we know Jesus was really who he said he was?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ksvhHEoMLM&app=desktop


YouTube Channels to browse:

William Lane Craig - ReasonableFaithOrg: https://www.youtube.com/user/ReasonableFaithOrg?app=desktop

drcraigvideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/drcraigvideos?app=desktop

Ravi Zacharias - Ravi Zacharias International Ministries: https://www.youtube.com/user/rzimmedia?app=desktop

J. Warner Wallace - Cold-Case Christianity with J. Warner Wallace: https://www.youtube.com/user/pleaseconvinceme/featured?disable_polymer=1

The Bible Project: https://www.youtube.com/user/jointhebibleproject

Unbelievable?: https://www.youtube.com/user/PremierUnbelievable

David Wood - Acts17Apologetics: https://www.youtube.com/user/Acts17Apologetics

Nabeel Qureshi - NQMinistries: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCepxnLs6GWAxAyI8m2U9s7A/featured?disable_polymer=1

Randy Alcorn - Eternal Perspective Ministries with Randy Alcorn: https://www.youtube.com/user/eternalperspectives?app=desktop

Frank Turek - Cross Examined: https://www.youtube.com/user/TurekVideo

Brian Holdsworth: https://www.youtube.com/user/holdsworthdesign

u/toastert1 · 1 pointr/Catholicism

If you really want to learn a lot about the differences, go to YouTube and start listening to Steve Ray and read his book Crossing the Tiber. I have a friend who grew up in the Church of the Bible and they switched the Catholicism. He said this book along with listening to Steve Ray, and another book called Catholicism and Fundamentalism by Karl Keating really helped him understand Catholicism when he was still surrounded by Protestant friends.

u/theching14 · 2 pointsr/Reformed

haha I did it despite Steve Ray trying to convince me not to.

Your 3 purposes for sexuality make a lot of sense - especially in light of proverbs and song of solomon. Thank you very much!

As to your point about the Roman Catholic Church having too narrow a view of sexuality, do you think that is somewhat a result of the influences of gnostic thinking? Throughout my upbringing in studying the saints and R.C.C. teaching, gnosticism seems to pop up over and over again. For example, Augustine's view of sexuality.

u/JESUSonlyWAYtoHEAVEN · 1 pointr/Christianmarriage

Cool, I didn't know there was a resources page

I highly recommend Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald Whitney for the Personal Spiritual Growth section

u/iwanttheblanketback · 8 pointsr/Christianity

New Evidence that Demands a Verdict

More Than a Carpenter

Cold Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels On my to read list.

Faith on Trial: An Attorney Analyzes the Evidence for the Death and Resurrection of Jesus

The Case for Christ

The Case for Faith

The Case for a Creator

The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus On my to read list.

The Historical Jesus: Ancient Evidence for the Life of Christ On my to read list.

Besides the apologetics books, you can watch John Lennox on YouTube. He is a very well-spoken and kind (doesn't attack the other debater) debater. Very well thought out responses. The Dawkins vs Lennox debate was awesome! Ditto Gary Habermas as well.

u/WeAreAllBroken · 1 pointr/Christianity

Been there. But I honestly came to a point where I decided that I wanted truth more than comfort. The kind of "faith" you are describing—one afraid of evidence—is not the kind described in the scriptures anyway. If it's just blind faith or hopeful wishing, it needs to be abandoned. The Christian faith has been a belief based on evidence from the very beginning.

The moment you admit to yourself that this could all be false is terrifying and disorienting, but it it the beginning of biblical faith. The truth claims of Christianity have stood up to two thousand years of criticism. Every argument against it has been answered many times over.

Before you deciding what to think about the issue, I strongly encourage you to learn how to think. I mean no offense, it's just that critical thinking and logic skills are hardly taught in schools anymore and are not valued by many in the church. There are arguments for both views, atheism and theism, but you need to have the skills to determine which arguments are sound and which are poor. Honestly, at least 90% of the arguments I have heard offered against belief in God are terribly poor arguments—or not even real arguments at all, and it pains me to see people swayed by rhetoric rather than argument.

So before you start getting into the arguments pro and con, make sure you have the tools to find the truth—whatever it may be. Learn the difference between inductive and deductive arguments, learn about what makes an argument valid and sound, learn about the informal logical fallacies and how they are different than formal fallacies, learn about how to fit complex arguments together and how to identify hidden assumptions.

Once you have a basic understanding of how to reason well, start looking into some good apologetic resources and seeing how those tools are used to answer objections to belief. Once you have some practical experience using reason, then you will be much better prepared to explore refutations and rebuttals to apologetics. By that point, I think you will see that the refutations aren't always sound, and that there are answers to the refutations as well. One more thing to keep in mind is an opponents may be able to provide an alternative explanation, but that is not at all the same as showing that you he has the most reasonable position.

Here are some resources I found useful:

Thinking About God by Greg Ganssle can get you started in the right direction as far as explaining the basics of how and why logical argument works.

The argument tutorials provided by AusThink are the best I have found for evaluating and forming more complex arguments—pay special attention to learning and understanding the "holding hands" and "rabbit" rules. They have been invaluable to me when it has come time to face very tough arguments. Using those tools I have seen that many of them are not at all as well formed as they seem.

Tactics by Greg Koukl is an excellent book for learning how to talk with those who disagree with you in a gracious and productive way.

u/EcclesiaFidelis · 2 pointsr/Catholicism

It's not a video, but if you're open to reading something, NT Wright's Simply Jesus for an thorough examination of how Jesus fulfilled the Old Covenant and created the New Covenant around his person.

u/AmoDman · 4 pointsr/Christianity

The heart of Christianity is, of course, Jesus Christ. If you feel like you've been dwelling on a lot of abstract, philosophical-theological arguments for awhile I strongly reccomend meditating upon Simply Jesus. That one's by NT Wright.

u/laserfire · 1 pointr/Christianity

I'm taking this out of my copy of Bible Doctrine:


Out of all the creatures God made, only one creature, man, is said to be made "in the image of God."

What does that mean?

We may use the following definition: The fact that man is in the image of God means that man is like God and represents God.

When God says, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness" (Gen 1:26), the meaning is that God plans to make a creature similar to himself. Both the Hebrew word for "image" (tselem) and the Hebrew word for "likeness" (demut) refer to something that is simlar but not identical to the thing it represents or is an "image" of. The word image can also be used of something that represents something else.

...

Which leads us to the fall, which distorts God's image on us but not completely.


There's more to all this, if you want me to type it up as well.

u/CiroFlexo · 2 pointsr/Reformed

I'd recommend two versions of essentially the same resource by R. C. Sproul:

  1. Chosen by God - This is the book version. It's a fairly short, accessible read, and it'll probably answer a lot of your questions. I can't recommend this enough.


  2. Chosen by God - If you want to watch a series of sermons/lectures which covers much of the same ground, Ligonier has Sproul's video series up for free.
u/stebrepar · 3 pointsr/OrthodoxChristianity

For reference: Becoming Orthodox by Fr Peter Gilquist, formerly a leader of Campus Crusade, recently reposed.

Also, it's been a long while, but I recall also enjoying a book called Common Ground.

u/jakeallen · 3 pointsr/SouthernBaptist

Bible Doctrine is an easier and shorter version of Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology. You could also go for the full version. It's very popular.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0310222338

u/bgoode85 · 2 pointsr/Christianity

You're very welcome!

I think a problem you may encounter is that a philosophy-based discussion will take a lot of time, research and effort by all participants and so it will be hard to have good interchanges online. It may be a good idea to focus on scouring debating apologists who are adept at giving arguments in small periods of time. I'd start with William Lane Craig. Perhaps here or with his podcast here

u/mnhr · 2 pointsr/DebateReligion

The best example of contemplation that I've seen is Thomas Merton

u/Zyracksis · 3 pointsr/DebateReligion

Desiring God is, in my opinion, is one of the best modern theology books. Doesn't have any apologetics though, don't know if you're looking more for that or not.

u/RomanCatechist · 2 pointsr/Catholicism

If you like to read, please check out

Upon this Rock This book is about the Papacy. & Crossing the Tiber, a Protestant conversion story, which includes a lot of Church history, and quotes from the early Church.

u/newBreed · 3 pointsr/Christianity

If you have any questions about the Sermon on the Mount, this book is a great place to start.

u/rapscalian · 6 pointsr/TrueChristian

Dietrich Bonhoeffer - The Cost of Discipleship

EDIT: Just saw that someone else already said this. I won't change mine though because it's a great book.

u/PhilthePenguin · 2 pointsr/Christianity

The Disciplined Life by Richard S Taylor

Celebration of Discipline by Richard J Foster

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R Covey

u/Majorobviousphd · 3 pointsr/TrueChristian

In case you want to read up more on your question, you may be interested in Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s struggle with the same thing. Give Ethics or The Cost of Discipleship a try. TLDR; he was a pastor in the end who decided it was biblical to conspire against Hitler and it cost him his life. Really smart, well-reasoned man who had a biblical basis for what he wrote. Found myself challenged by his books.

u/manaNinja · 3 pointsr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

Star Trek Collection, a watch and this book which brings you in at about $72 :)

u/Prof_Acorn · 7 pointsr/Christianity

Check out the writings of the Trappist monk Thomas Merton if you haven't yet. Thich Nhat Hanh called him a living Buddha.

This is a very accessible introduction to Christian mysticism.

If you want to read more, I've heard good things about Christ the Eternal Tao written by an Eastern Orthodox priest-monk.

u/kaelis · 1 pointr/AskReddit

My fiance's father is a former pastor from a conservative area of the country who, in the last decade, has undergone a transformation in his belief. Whereas he was once orthodox, doctrinaire, and "institutional," today he is "dealing" with the notion that Jesu, the bible, and changes in Christian doctrine by the Church are historical represent figures produced by human beings as responses to various social, economic, political and cultural circumstances. For many of us, including myself, this has been our position for a long time (disclosure: If theism implies a belief in a supernatural being, I am atheist). He's been reading http://www.amazon.com/Meeting-Jesus-Again-First-Time/dp/0060609176 by Marcus Borg book, which has accelerated his reflections in the direction of possibly atheism. He still works for Youth For Christ, however, and remains a "believer" and follower of Jesus (as he describes himself).

I raise this example because, as it turns out, when I last saw him last month he was confronted by question similar to justjim73, albeit from a different perspective: he's been asked by other pastors to write a sermon that answers: "who is Jesus" and "what is the role of the Church" today. He doesn't know what to do.

Shall he write a sermon rich in fundamental beliefs and orthodox positions? He doesn't believe that anymore. Shall he describe the struggles he's had with both "Jesus" as a transcendental figure and the Church as the worldly institution committed to spreading the gospel? He fears reprimand and excommunication (remember, this is a small community where his colleagues believe he is also a true believer). His "break" with the Church (happened a few years ago; afterwards he went into non-profit, albeit still with YFC) came precisely because he could no longer live with the bookkeeping and recruiting efforts of the Church that sought only to produce converts and not guide spiritual life.

My own view is that the problem is less what the non-religious think of Christianity, about which there are many and varied experiences and opinions, and more about the difficulties of sustaining a conversation when the existence of "religious" groups implies, in today's discourse, the existence of "non-religious" groups. The presupposition here is that both are apparently, completely at odds with each other.

This is the basic presupposition of the topic question, right? If so, it's a false assumption.

My answer to your question is: my views of Jesus and the contemporary Church in the US are generally not pertinent when it comes to trying to start a dialogue with the "religious." Certainly, it is a topic of conversation. But it's not how I build a conversation. Yet it seems that the confrontation of the "religious" with the "non-religious" today has to start there. Why? Why can't we start with economic inequality, for example? Or shared ideals of living a good life? Why begin a conversation with the non-religious by asking them their opinion of Jesus and the Church? Isn't that already, or at least usually, to foreclose how people can have conversations with each other about worldly issues?

u/Redemption888 · 0 pointsr/AskAChristian

https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Orthodox-Journey-Ancient-Christian/dp/1936270005

https://www.amazon.com/Mystical-Theology-Eastern-Church/dp/0913836311/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1522778316&sr=1-8&keywords=orthodox+eastern

Essentially the Orthodox don't believe that we can know for sure why and how we are saved, unlike the Catholics and Protestants. The Orthodox don't claim that certain actions are guaranteed to send us to hell, nor even that hell involves eternal fire. They emphasize more of an approach of constant prayer and empathy towards fellow man, as the best way to evangelize.

u/SwordsToPlowshares · 2 pointsr/TrueAtheism

How about something by N.T. Wright, like Simply Christian?

u/The_Covenanter · 4 pointsr/Reformed

i found this book to be helpful

u/Stari_tradicionalist · 8 pointsr/Catholicism

On this sub yes. There is a book titled like that written by former evangelical 18 years ago .

http://www.amazon.com/Crossing-Tiber-Evangelical-Protestants-Historical/dp/0898705770

u/aletheia · 2 pointsr/OrthodoxChristianity

I like this book from the sidebar.

u/lddebatorman · 3 pointsr/Christianity

I think you need more time before weighing in on stuff like this from an Orthodox perspective. The theology does smack of protestant legalism. The journey to become Orthodox is a long one and it's not merely about adopting a certain set of principles. It's a mindset and takes participation in the Mysteries and acquiring the Holy Spirit. We never give up hope on someone's salvation, even after they die. Through God, all things are possible.

As for books, here's a great book that begins to deconstruct protestant legalistic theologies on sin and heaven/hell. https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Orthodox-Journey-Ancient-Christian/dp/1936270005

u/AdOrientem · 3 pointsr/Christianity

Yeah, Anglicans generally believe in some sort of Real Presence.

The book I had in mind was Bread and Water, Wine and Oil by Meletios Webber. It goes through the hows and whys of prayer and fasting, and the seven sacraments, from an Orthodox perspective. It's also written for the layperson, so it's easy to read.

u/bayofbelfalas · 1 pointr/Christianity

Grudem teaches with care for Christ and the Word, and it comes off as more than just a cold exegesis. I would recommend his "Bible Doctrine" if you don't want to delve into the big bad boy thick textbook that SysTheo is. It's a concise, shorter version of the same book.

http://www.amazon.com/Bible-Doctrine-Wayne-Grudem/dp/0310222338/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319825069&sr=8-1

u/DivineMaster · 4 pointsr/Christianity

This. Also, if you want a kick in the pants (re: laziness), pick up a copy of Bonhoeffer's Cost of Discipleship.