Flawed Institution—Flawless Church

Flawed Institution—Flawless Church
Author: Paul Ungar
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Total Pages: 190
Release: 2014-09-26
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1443867578

Contemporary news headlines, as well as the history of the Church, are replete with scandals, unholy acts, and abuses of power. Such a disappointing trend has shaken the faith of many, and made it fashionable to decry the hypocrisy of “organized religion.” Yet despite these massive stumbling blocks, the Church has always insisted, and continues to maintain, that it is none other than the Holy Body of Christ. How can these polarities be reconciled? How can the world’s trust in the Church be renewed in this postmodern era of religious indifference and apathy? How can an obviously flawed institution become the genuine Church, as intended by Jesus Christ? Responding to these questions, the author calls for a critical self-evaluation of the Church in her quest for renewal, presents a much-needed modern interdisciplinary approach to apologetics, and powerfully promotes ecumenism. This scholarly and passionately written book substantiates Christian optimism, and provides a thoughtful and convincing response to the challenges posed by skeptics such as Nietzsche, Freud, Dawkins, and their contemporary intellectual heirs.

Sin and Mental Ailments

Sin and Mental Ailments
Author: Paul Ungar
Publisher: Elm Hill
Total Pages: 568
Release: 2020-03-31
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1400327288

In Romans 7:15, St. Paul expressed frustration with something all of us can relate to, saying, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” Despite our best efforts to live our lives as we ought to, we repeatedly fall into the trap of “not understanding what we do,” and constantly perpetrating the same missteps we have previously vowed never to take again. What is the reason of our deeply ingrained fallibility? Christians do what they hate either because they consciously, deliberately and sinfully transgress Jesus’ commands, or because they are experiencing unintended and often unconscious symptoms of mental ailments. The interconnectedness of sinful and psychologically disordered behaviors is undeniable. Malignant selfishness, which we recognize as sin, is often linked to narcissistic character features. Repeated belligerent acting out may be rooted in a paranoid mindset. Emotional cruelty may be not freely chosen but tied to antisocial personality traits; sinning against the sixth commandment can be driven by the illness of pedophilia. The reverse is also true: most mentally disordered behaviors involve some form of intentional and sinful violation of Jesus’ command. Though the boundary between sin and sickness may appear fuzzy at times, a thorough understanding of their interplay is of utmost importance when faced with matters of freedom of choice, conscience, responsibility and, most of all, pastoral care. This comprehensive handbook on pastoral care successfully integrates the biblical and medical/scientific perspectives on human anthropology, mental illness and sin. It expounds on the signs of all major mental ailments and provides recommendations for their pastoral and medical treatment. Problems from psychoses to mood disorders, suicide to sexual disturbances, anxiety to addictive behaviors, and ailments in between are explained. Readers will find new insights on the ways in which various personality disorders interfere with spiritual functioning. Developmental stages in life are also discussed, together with the spiritual challenges they pose, and the pastoral answers they call for. This work does not shy away from controversial topics, such as post-abortion syndrome, euthanasia, gender ideology, or the psychological aspects of atheism. Soundly faith-based, yet well-grounded in contemporary psychiatric knowledge, this handbook captures a lifetime of learning and healing by practicing psychologist who holds an MD, PhD, and a graduate theology degree. It is an indispensable practical reference for all pastoral workers.

Slightly Bad Girls of the Bible

Slightly Bad Girls of the Bible
Author: Liz Curtis Higgs
Publisher: WaterBrook
Total Pages: 290
Release: 2018-07-24
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0735291705

Good Women Behaving Badly A spiteful boss, a defiant employee, a manipulative mother, a desperate housewife, an envious sister…honey, we know these women. We’ve lived with them, worked with them, or caught a glimpse of them in our mirrors. Now let’s take a look at their ancient counterparts in Scripture: Sarah mistreated her maidservant, Hagar despised her mistress, Rebekah manipulated her son, Leah claimed her sister’s husband, and Rachel envied her fertile sister. They were far from evil, but hardly perfect. Mostly good, yet slightly bad. In other words, these matriarchal mamas look a lot like us. “A Slightly Bad Girl is simply this: a woman unwilling to fully submit to God. We love him, serve him, and worship him, yet we find it difficult to trust him completely, to accept his plan for our lives, to rest in his sovereignty.” —from Slightly Bad Girls of the Bible

Reclaiming Religion from the Church

Reclaiming Religion from the Church
Author: Frank Canatella
Publisher: Trafford Publishing
Total Pages: 594
Release: 2003-02
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1553954300

The first rule of life is "survive." And since we are necessarily social we must add the corollary, "together." All "oughts" derive from this two-part rule. Most of us understand this intuitively if not explicitly. The only issue to be resolved is how inclusive is our togetherness. Is it just our tribe, our nation, the northern hemisphere? Or, must we include the whole human family? These are the moral issues we must answer and they are empirical questions. Behavior has consequences. We have to ask ourselves, "Will such and such behaviors promote survival?" The answer can only come from the experience of the community. Present demographics will not allow us to elude the question much longer. Church rules can be faulted on a number of counts, not the least of which is that God gave us the rules so they can't change, even when experience indicates that they should. Also, the church leaders think the purpose of the rules is to save our souls and so our life here has been seriously neglected in many respects especially for the poor and the underclass because everything is supposed to be made right in the hereafter. This I regard as backward. It affirms those who oppress the poor. Scientists make inferences from empirical data and the results are always subject to revision. Church officials make inferences from myths and they are set in stone. A good example is the doctrine of Original Sin that is presented as an occult event that causes all our problems and about which we can do nothing. The church approved of slavery for the better part of two millennia because it was in place when the church was created and St. Augustine justified it as one of the punishments resulting from Original Sin. Clearly, our problem is ignorance, the kind we are born with and the kind we acquire through learning falsely. I call this Ignorance II after Gregory Bateson's Learning II (learning how to learn). Ignorance II is a learning dead end, learning how not to learn. We very obviously do not always know how to act in our own best interests. Our best chance of breaking out of this mold is through sharing the best of our communal experience to discover how to act in our own best inerests in the long run. This is how to develop a proper morality, one we can all live with. With a superior organization in place the church is positioned to unite us in the task of developing a proper morality. However, the church as presently structured can only evolve by backing into the future. It claims to already know everything that is necessary to know so it has difficulty learning, thus denying it's human origin and makeup. To change, the church requires a "spin" on history that demonstrates a development and continuity with the past instead of just saying, "We have been wrong." The People of God, the true Church, show signs of reclaiming religion through various dissident groups. These groups do not yet recognize the intimate connection between morality and survival. My hope is that this book will guide them toward that recognition.

The Joy of the Gospel

The Joy of the Gospel
Author: Pope Francis
Publisher: Image
Total Pages: 164
Release: 2014-10-07
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0553419544

The perfect gift! A specially priced, beautifully designed hardcover edition of The Joy of the Gospel with a foreword by Robert Barron and an afterword by James Martin, SJ. “The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus… In this Exhortation I wish to encourage the Christian faithful to embark upon a new chapter of evangelization marked by this joy, while pointing out new paths for the Church’s journey in years to come.” – Pope Francis This special edition of Pope Francis's popular message of hope explores themes that are important for believers in the 21st century. Examining the many obstacles to faith and what can be done to overcome those hurdles, he emphasizes the importance of service to God and all his creation. Advocating for “the homeless, the addicted, refugees, indigenous peoples, the elderly who are increasingly isolated and abandoned,” the Holy Father shows us how to respond to poverty and current economic challenges that affect us locally and globally. Ultimately, Pope Francis demonstrates how to develop a more personal relationship with Jesus Christ, “to recognize the traces of God’s Spirit in events great and small.” Profound in its insight, yet warm and accessible in its tone, The Joy of the Gospel is a call to action to live a life motivated by divine love and, in turn, to experience heaven on earth. Includes a foreword by Robert Barron, author of Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith and James Martin, SJ, author of Jesus: A Pilgrimage

God’S Set-Apart People

God’S Set-Apart People
Author: Mike Morra
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Total Pages: 433
Release: 2014-05-21
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1496906942

This book is about the origin and expansion of the Judeo/Christian belief. The neo/technologies and ideo/evolution facing the 21st century have set the stage for a revised current and relevant history of the moral and intellectual journeys of the human species. These were Eras that became the spiritual, theological, and ideational marvels of enlightenment that occurred over millennia, always set within the context of Divine freedom. This reworked history can be best told in two parts. Part I tells us that God chose to make use of set-apart people to accomplish His Divine plan for Planet Earth; first, as Ancient Hebrews, then as Caucasian Alpha-Males, and finally as Evangelical Christians. Part II of this unique account involved all about Jesus, the incarnate God, sent by the Father to help humanity understand His nature and intentions. Jesus became the visible expression of the invisible Deity. Accordingly, set-apart people were needed: (a) to counteract the all-encompassing, moral depravity of the Ancient World; (b) to set up the means of worship that pleases, not offends, Gods essential righteosness; and (c) to reveal the organic, scientific and mathematical truths of our physical reality. In Part II, Jesus becomes the focus of salvation, sanctification, resurrection, and eternal glorification for each soul. Thus, Gods Intelligent Design of Planet Earth

Introduction to Christian Theology

Introduction to Christian Theology
Author: Bradley Hanson
Publisher: Fortress Press
Total Pages: 390
Release:
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9781451404463

Students often find introductions to systematic theology too daunting or boring to wade through. Here author and teacher Bradley Hanson offers an attractive, accessible alternative for undergraduates. Hanson draws on 16 years of successful teaching to create exciting and pertinent presentations of major topics, illuminate options on key issues, and nudge students to formulate a personal stance.