This book shows how both sports and religions reflect realities far beyond the boundaries of stadiums and churches. Chapters explore how sports and religions are intertwined with American cultural elements including capitalism, race relations, gender norms, and nationalism. These explorations encourage readers to apply critical inquiry to deeply embedded facets of American culture.Each chapter contains:- A summary of existing scholarship- Case studie...

When sports ministry first emerged in the 1950s and 1960s, its founders imagined male celebrity athletes as powerful salespeople who could deliver a message of Christian strength: “If athletes can endorse shaving cream, razor blades, and cigarettes, surely they can endorse the Lord, too,” reasoned Fellowship of Christian Athletes founder Don McClanen. But combining evangelicalism and sport did much more than serve as an advertisement for religion: it gave athletes the opportunity to think ...

The sports world’s attention was focused on Japan for the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics. The years-long buildup to and aftermath of the games occurred in the midst of the global pandemic, which delayed the event until 2021. Given all of this, there is perhaps no better time to delve into an often overlooked but critical facet of sport in Japan: religion.Religion has long been a part of the Japanese sport tradition—from Shugendō practitioners offering sumo bouts to the ...

A New York Times bestseller people can believe in—by "a pioneer of the new urban Christians" (Christianity Today) and the "C.S. Lewis for the 21st century" (Newsweek).Timothy Keller, the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, addresses the frequent doubts that skeptics, and even ardent believers, have about religion. Using literature, philosophy, real-life conversations, and potent reasoning, Keller explains how...

Why do 9 out of 10 children raised in Christian homes leave the Church? Why do many professing Christians show little or no evidence for their faith? Why do 80-90% of those making decisions for Christ fall away from the faith? For decades, the world’s most popular gospel message has been drawing the lost by promising God’s wonderful plan for their life. But behind the facade of the “wonderful plan” message is the reality of the trials, temptation, and persecution that Jesus promised. How c...

Many people today, especially among emerging generations, don’t resonate with the church and organized Christianity. Some are leaving the church and others were never part of the church in the first place. Sometimes it’s because of misperceptions about the church. Yet often they are still spiritually open and fascinated with Jesus. This is a ministry resource book exploring six of the most common objects and misunderstandings emerging generations have about the church and Christianity. The...

"Good News!" is an investigation into the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This journey begins in the book of Genesis and ends in the book of Revelation. Many people have heard of the "Gospel", but so many really don't understand what it is all about. This book will address the questions: What is sin? What is death? What happens when a person dies? Why did Jesus have to come? Why did Jesus have to die? What is all this talk about "the blood"? Can a person really be forgiven of their sins and change...

An honest, fair, and thorough discussion of the issues raised in Jewish Christian apologetics, covering thirty-five objections on general and historical themes.

Who cares pastorally for the pastor? This unique book addresses the mentoring needs of today's pastors by exploring the New Testament office of 'apostle'. The result is a biblical blueprint for giving church leaders the support they need to develop their gifts and practical ministry skills.

Learn the “Big Picture” approach that will aim your congregation at the mission field in your back yard, or around the world.Many churches want to make the transition from an inward to an outward focus, from catering to the needs of members to reaching out into the world to make disciples of Jesus Christ. Too often they try to accomplish this radical change by taking half steps and partial measures, initiating a new program here or adding a new staff members there....

Witnessing used to involve laying out the truth and guiding a person to understand and accept it. But the awareness of basic Christian principles has changed and so have the needs of pre-believers. With a passion for people, authors David and Norman Geisler share an engaging, conversational approach to evangelism as they address:What makes old models of witnessing ineffective in today's cultureWhy evangelism must start with relational pre-evangelismHow to ...

While the Hindu population is growing rapidly in the United States, most American Christians don't know enough about Hinduism to effectively present Christ to this group. The author, an Indian now living and teaching in a Bible college in the United States, helps readers understand the types of Hinduism they're likely to encounter, tips and methods to reach out to Hindu friends, and suggests answers to Hindu concerns about Christianity. The book also can be used by missionaries in India an...