Churches and the Crisis of Decline
A Hopeful, Practical Ecclesiology for a Secular Age (Ministry in a Secular Age Series, Book 4)
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Churches and the Crisis of Decline
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Narrated by:
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Mike Lenz
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By:
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Andrew Root
About this listen
Congregations often seek to combat the crisis of decline by using innovation to produce new resources. But leading practical theologian Andrew Root shows that the church's crisis is not in the loss of resources; it's in the loss of life—and that life can only return when we remain open to God's encountering presence.
This new book, related to Root's critically acclaimed Ministry in a Secular Age project, addresses the practical form the church must take in a secular age. Root uses two stories to frame the book: one about a church whose building becomes a pub and the other about Karl Barth. Root argues that Barth should be understood as a pastor with a deep practical theology that can help church leaders today.
This book pushes the church to be a waiting community that recognizes that the only way for it to find life is to stop seeing the church as the star of its own story. Instead of resisting decline, congregations must remain open to divine action. Root offers a rich vision for the church's future that moves away from an obsession with relevance and resources and toward the living God.
©2022 Andrew Root (P)2023 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 26
Many Christians today tend to view the story of medieval faith as a cautionary tale. Too often, they dismiss the Middle Ages as a period of corruption and decay in the church. They seem to assume that the church apostatized from true Christianity after it gained cultural influence in the time of Constantine, and that the faith was only later recovered by the 16th-century Reformers or even the 18th-century revivalists. As a result, the riches and wisdom of the medieval period have remained largely inaccessible to modern Protestants.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A splendid introduction to Medieval faith from an Evangelical perspective
- By Daniel on 03-07-20
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Eager to Love
- The Alternative Way of Francis of Assisi
- By: Richard Rohr
- Narrated by: John Quigley O.F.M.
- Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 311
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 263
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Story5 out of 5 stars 260
Francis of Assisi is one of the most beloved of all saints. Both traditional and entirely revolutionary, he was a paradox. He was at once down-to-earth and reaching toward heaven, grounded in the rich history of the Church while moving toward a new understanding of the world beyond. Franciscan Father Richard Rohr helps us look beyond the birdbath image of the saint to remind us of the long tradition founded on Francis' revolutionary, radical, and life-changing embrace of the teachings of Jesus.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Richard Rohr Should Read Richard Rohr
- By Cloud Captain on 10-18-14
By: Richard Rohr
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The Wisdom Pattern
- Order, Disorder, Reorder
- By: Richard Rohr O.F.M.
- Narrated by: Dean Gallagher
- Length: 7 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 205
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 176
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Story5 out of 5 stars 175
A universal pattern can be found in all societies and in fact in all of creation. We see it in the seasons of the year; the stories of Scripture; the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus; the rise and fall of civilizations; and even in our own lives. In this new version of one of his earlier books, Father Richard Rohr illuminates the way understanding and embracing this pattern can give us hope in difficult times and the courage to push through messiness and even great chaos to find a new way of being in the world.
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5 out of 5 stars
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For those who question what they have believed…
- By Jim H. on 06-15-21
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The Thrill of Orthodoxy
- Rediscovering the Adventure of Christian Faith
- By: Trevin Wax
- Narrated by: Trevin Wax
- Length: 6 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 33
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 30
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 30
Every generation faces the temptation to wander from orthodoxy—to seek out the jolt that comes with false teaching, and to drift with cultural currents. And so every generation must be awakened again to the thrill of orthodoxy, and experience the astonishment that comes from stumbling afresh upon the electrifying paradoxes at the heart of the Christian faith. In The Thrill of Orthodoxy, Trevin Wax turns the tables on those who believe Christian teaching is narrow and outdated.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Obviously biased
- By Jamie on 05-14-24
By: Trevin Wax
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Forming Intentional Disciples
- The Path to Knowing and Following Jesus
- By: Sherry A. Weddell
- Narrated by: Nan McNamara
- Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 78
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 71
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Story5 out of 5 stars 71
Learn about the five thresholds of postmodern conversion; how to open a conversation about faith and belief; how to ask thought-provoking questions and establish an atmosphere of trust, when to tell the great story of Jesus; how to help someone respond to God's call to intentional discipleship; and much more. And be prepared for conversion because when life at the parish level changes, the life of the whole Church will change.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Valuable resource, required reading
- By Andrew Havens on 01-03-19
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Stay Salt
- The World Has Changed: Our Message Must Not
- By: Rebecca Manley Pippert
- Narrated by: Sarah Zimmerman
- Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 59
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 49
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Story5 out of 5 stars 49
The world has changed in so many ways, and many of us no longer feel confident when it comes to evangelism, especially with the rise of hostility toward Christian points of view. Keeping quiet is becoming our default position. Yet the world has not changed in one way: It still needs Jesus. Renowned evangelist Becky Pippert draws on decades of conversations about Christianity around the world to call and equip ordinary Christians to share Jesus through their ordinary day-to-day conversations.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Best book on relational evangelism I’ve read
- By Mike on 07-08-20
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The Great Spiritual Migration
- How the World's Largest Religion Is Seeking a Better Way to Be Christian
- By: Brian McLaren
- Narrated by: Brian McLaren
- Length: 7 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 239
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 204
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 204
With his trademark brilliance, generosity of spirit, and clear pastoral calling, Brian McLaren synthesizes an accessible and inviting understanding of what it means to follow Jesus.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A must-read for Christian thinkers
- By Amazon Customer on 10-26-16
By: Brian McLaren
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To Light a Fire on the Earth
- Proclaiming the Gospel in a Secular Age
- By: Bishop Robert Barron, John L. Allen Jr. - contributor
- Narrated by: Adam Verner
- Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 455
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 403
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 403
In this compelling new book - drawn from conversations with and narrated by award-winning Vatican journalist John L. Allen Jr. - Barron, founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries, proclaims in vivid language the goodness and truth of the Catholic tradition. Through Barron's smart, practical, artistic, and theological observations - as well as through personal anecdotes about everything from engaging atheists on YouTube to his days as a young die-hard baseball fan from Chicago - To Light a Fire on the Earth covers prodigious ground.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Not by Bishop Barron
- By M. Waters on 05-22-18
By: Bishop Robert Barron, and others
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Things Worth Dying For
- Thoughts on a Life Worth Living
- By: Charles J. Chaput
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 6 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 135
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 119
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Story5 out of 5 stars 116
With a balance of wisdom, candor, and scholarly rigor, the beloved archbishop emeritus of Philadelphia, Charles J. Chaput, traces the human experience from ancient times to today to find threads of connection in our yearning for God, love, honor, beauty, truth, and immortality. He looks at our modern appetite for consumption and individualism and offers a penetrating analysis of how we got here and how we can look to our roots and our faith to find purpose each day amid the noise of competing desires.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Low score for modernism
- By Joey on 05-17-21
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Good Without God
- What a Billion Nonreligious People Do Believe
- By: Greg Epstein
- Narrated by: David Marantz
- Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 57
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 49
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 49
A provocative and positive response to Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and other New Atheists, Good Without God makes a bold claim for what nonbelievers do share and believe. Epstein's Good Without God provides a constructive, challenging response to these manifestos by getting to the heart of Humanism and its positive belief in tolerance, community, morality, and good without having to rely on the guidance of a higher being.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Speaker sounds too robotic
- By Lisa S. on 08-27-21
By: Greg Epstein
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Rings of Fire
- Walking in Faith Through a Volcanic Future
- By: Leonard Sweet, Mark Chironna - contributor
- Narrated by: Jon Gauger
- Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 21
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 19
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 19
If you follow the works of best-selling authors Malcolm Gladwell, Faith Popcorn, Daniel Pink, and other trend forecasters, you’ll appreciate learning about over 25 rings of fire that lie ahead for Christians around the world. Len Sweet once again maps the future for the church in this sweeping survey of the 21st century. In the face of eruptive and disruptive culture changes from economics and communications to bioethics and beyond, how do we fight fire with fire, not only catching up to our culture but leading our friends and neighbors toward the feet of Christ?
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5 out of 5 stars
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A prophetic, food for thought book.
- By SDT on 07-27-22
By: Leonard Sweet, and others
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A New Kind of Christianity
- Ten Questions That Are Transforming the Faith
- By: Brian D. McLaren
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 11 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 143
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 113
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 110
We are in the midst of a paradigm shift in the church. Not since the Reformation five centuries ago have so many Christians come together to ask whether the church is in sync with their deepest beliefs and commitments. These believers range from evangelicals to mainline Protestants to Catholics, and the person who best represents them is author and pastor Brian McLaren. In this much anticipated book, McLaren examines ten questions facing today's church - questions about how to articulate the faith itself, the nature of its authority, who God is....
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5 out of 5 stars
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Clear, Careful, Considerate Confrontation
- By Celia on 09-10-12
By: Brian D. McLaren
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Eternal Life
- A New Vision
- By: John Shelby Spong
- Narrated by: John Morgan
- Length: 7 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 91
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 67
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 66
Bishop John Shelby Spong, author of Jesus for the Non-Religious, Why Christianity Must Change or Die, Sins of Scripture, and many other books, is known for his controversial ideas and fighting for minority rights. In Eternal Life: A New Vision, a remarkable spiritual journey about his lifelong struggle with the questions of God and death, he reveals how he came to a new conviction about eternal life.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Excellent questions... wishy-washy answers
- By cynthia on 10-17-09
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The Heart of Christianity
- Rediscovering a Life of Faith
- By: Marcus J. Borg
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 7 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 203
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 169
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 168
World-renowned Jesus scholar Marcus J. Borg shows how we can live passionately as Christians in today's world by practicing the vital elements of Christian faith. For the millions of people who have turned away from many traditional beliefs about God, Jesus, and the Bible, but still long for a relevant, nourishing faith, Borg shows why the Christian life can remain a transforming relationship with God. Emphasizing the critical role of daily practice in living the Christian life, he explores how prayer, worship, Sabbath, pilgrimage, and more can be experienced as authentically life-giving practices.
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5 out of 5 stars
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book worth rediscovering for both head and heart
- By connie on 06-30-12
By: Marcus J. Borg
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Preparing for Heaven
- What Dallas Willard Taught Me About Living, Dying, and Eternal Life
- By: Gary Black Jr., Richard J. Foster - foreword
- Narrated by: Jim Denison
- Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 38
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 37
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Story5 out of 5 stars 37
In his acclaimed books, renowned writer, speaker, and philosophy professor Dallas Willard explored the nature of Christian life in God's Kingdom. Yet one topic remained undisclosed: Willard's understanding of heaven and eternal life. In the months before his death, Willard engaged in moving and insightful conversations about the meaning of life and the life to come with close friend and theologian Gary Black, Jr. These inspiring dialogues were steeped in biblical theology as well as practical wisdom grounded in the here-and-now.
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5 out of 5 stars
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preparing fir heaven
- By Colin C. on 09-21-21
By: Gary Black Jr., and others
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Emotionally Healthy Discipleship
- Moving from Shallow Christianity to Deep Transformation
- By: Peter Scazzero
- Narrated by: Peter Scazzero
- Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 301
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 257
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Story5 out of 5 stars 257
In Emotionally Healthy Discipleship, best-selling author Pete Scazzero combines three decades of wisdom with hard lessons from his own ministry journey. He lays out what is required for church leaders to multiply deeply changed people who are growing in relationship with God, themselves, and others. Scazzero begins with four beneath-the-surface, systemic gaps that undermine serious discipleship. He provides a clear vision for a church culture that deeply changes lives and then practically unpacks the seven biblical marks of emotionally healthy discipleship.
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5 out of 5 stars
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New Work
- By Daniel on 06-30-21
By: Peter Scazzero