Caught in the Pulpit

Caught in the Pulpit
Author: Daniel C. Dennett
Publisher: Pitchstone Publishing (US&CA)
Total Pages: 297
Release: 2015-05-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1634310225

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What is it like to be a preacher or rabbi who no longer believes in God? In this expanded and updated edition of their groundbreaking study, Daniel C. Dennett and Linda LaScola comprehensively and sensitively expose an inconvenient truth that religious institutions face in the new transparency of the information age—the phenomenon of clergy who no longer believe what they publicly preach. In confidential interviews, clergy from across the ministerial spectrum—from liberal to literal—reveal how their lives of religious service and study have led them to a truth inimical to their professed beliefs and profession. Although their personal stories are as varied as the denominations they once represented, or continue to represent—whether Catholic, Baptist, Episcopalian, Methodist, Mormon, Pentecostal, or any of numerous others—they give voice not only to their own struggles but also to those who similarly suffer in tender and lonely silence. As this study poignantly and vividly reveals, their common journey has far-reaching implications not only for their families, their congregations, and their communities—but also for the very future of religion.

Caught in the Pulpit

Caught in the Pulpit
Author: Daniel Clement Dennett
Publisher:
Total Pages: 269
Release: 2013-12
Genre: Atheism
ISBN: 9780615927909

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What is it like to be a preacher who can no longer believe the creed? In confidential interviews, clergy reveal how their lives of service are overshadowed by hypocrisy, as they contemplate taking a leap from their faith. As religious leaders struggle to adapt to the new transparency of the information age, the phenomenon of non-believing clergy portends surprising developments in the future of religious belief.

Hope after Faith

Hope after Faith
Author: Jerry DeWitt
Publisher: Da Capo Press
Total Pages: 253
Release: 2013-06-25
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0306822504

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Atheism's leading lights have long been intellectuals raised in the secular and academic worlds: Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and the late Christopher Hitchens. By contrast, Jerry DeWitt was born and bred into the church and was in fact a Pentecostal preacher before arriving at atheism through an extraordinary dialogue with faith that spanned more than a quarter of a century. Hope After Faith is his account of that journey. DeWitt was a pastor in the town of DeRidder, Louisiana, and was a fixture of the community. In private, however, he'd begun to question his faith. Late one night in May 2011, a member of his flock called seeking prayer for her brother who had been in a serious accident. As DeWitt searched for the right words to console her, speech failed him, and he found that the faith which once had formed the cornerstone of his life had finally crumbled to dust. When it became public knowledge that DeWitt was now an atheist, he found himself shunned by much of DeRidder's highly religious community, losing nearly everything he'd known. DeWitt's struggle for identity and meaning mirrors the one currently facing millions of people around the world. With both agnosticism and atheism entering the mainstream—one in five Americans now claim no religious affiliation, according to a recent study—the moment has arrived for a new atheist voice, one that is respectful of faith and religious traditions yet warmly embraces a life free of religion, finding not skepticism and cold doubt but rather profound meaning and hope. Hope After Faith is the story of one man's evolution toward a committed and considered atheism, one driven by humanism, a profound moral dimension, and a happiness and self-confidence obtained through living free of fear.

From Apostle to Apostate

From Apostle to Apostate
Author: Catherine Dunphy
Publisher: Pitchstone Publishing (US&CA)
Total Pages: 165
Release: 2015-07-21
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1634310187

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What happens when your entire life and career are constructed around a religious faith that you no longer possess? Do you continue to promote a gospel that you have intellectually and emotionally rejected to maintain your livelihood and the support and respect you receive from your community? Or do you renounce your faith to your congregation and the public at large, putting yourself and your family at risk? From Apostle to Apostate offers a comprehensive introduction to the Clergy Project, established in 2011 to provide a safe space where clergy who have lost their faith can connect with others facing the exact same questions—often alone and in isolation. Charting the origins, growth, and goals of the project, the book draws on the author's own experience as a founding project member and on interviews with its founders. It also reveals the troubles and triumphs experienced by many of its members, whose numbers have grown from just over 50 to more than 500 in a few short years. As the book movingly demonstrates, despite the substantial personal and professional challenges nonbelieving clergy face, for many, a loss of faith has turned out not to be a loss at all—but a gain of newfound community, self-respect, and honesty with themselves and others.

My Turn at the Bully Pulpit

My Turn at the Bully Pulpit
Author: Greta Van Susteren
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
Total Pages: 246
Release: 2003
Genre: Law
ISBN:

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Welcome to the bully pulpit where opinions fly but common sense rules. Here's where you'll find straight talk about the most pressing issues of the day, all delivered in the trademark commonsense style of one of America's most popular and admired television news anchors. Always resisting the political label that attempts to place people in one ideological camp or another, Greta Van Susteren speaks from the mind and the heart, not as a liberal or a conservative, but as a right-thinking, sensible citizen. "Our country is at a critical juncture," she writes, and "too many of us are caught up in old definitions of left and right that no longer apply. If I favor the death penalty in some cases, does that make me right-wing? If I think hate crimes legislation is stupid, does that make me a conservative? If I happen to like and enjoy Ozzy Osbourne and have him on my show, does that make me a liberal? And if I believe that corporations should be held accountable if their products harm citizens and they should be subject to the rulings of a jury--ditto for doctors who commit medical malpractice--does that make me a lefty trial lawyer?" Here's more of Greta in her own words: On the military: Liberty isn't free. As a nation, we must provide for the men and women who put their lives on the line for us. That means good pay, adequate funding for defense, and our heartfelt support. Vietnam was a very long time ago. We Baby Boomers have to wake up and realize that today's military is a different military from the one we grew up with, and we are fighting a very different war. Patriotism is not a conservative or a liberal thing. Patriotism, as far as I am concerned, is the duty and obligation ofevery American. On the Supreme Court: There should be a litmus test for Supreme Court and federal court judges, and that test should be their opinion about allowing public access to court proceedings. Let cameras inside the courthouse, or at least allow an audio feed to radio. What are they hiding? On the death penalty: It should be legal and available to courts and juries . . . but it should be used extremely rarely, and only when we are absolutely certain that a fair trial has taken place. On how you look: It's your business and nobody else's. Your looks and your life are not a democracy--not everybody gets a vote. Make your appearance and your choices a totalitarian regime--you are the boss. On fun: It isn't a curse word. It's actually quite serious business, as it makes the hard times livable and the sad times bearable. Fun should be part of a work environment, too. Stuffed shirts and snobs who can't stop and laugh at themselves should be banished! In Greta's company you're guaranteed to get a fresh dose of common sense and a good hearty rant on many of the most important issues we face today. One more guarantee: you'll have some good fun while you're at it.

Pastoral Preaching

Pastoral Preaching
Author: Conrad Mbewe
Publisher: Langham Preaching Resources
Total Pages: 208
Release: 2017-03-03
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1783681802

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More and more pulpits are occupied by motivational speakers rather than preachers. Church congregations are not being given a comprehensive, biblical understanding of the faith. Drawing on his own experience as a pastor in Zambia, Conrad Mbewe tackles issues such as the content of pastoral preaching, how pastoral preaching relates to church life, finding the time to prepare pastoral sermons, and dealing with discouragement. Throughout the book, it is clear that the author’s conviction is to see preachers grow strong churches, to build a people for God.

Agony in the Pulpit

Agony in the Pulpit
Author: Marc Saperstein
Publisher: Hebrew Union College Press
Total Pages: 1197
Release: 2018-06-15
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0822983087

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Many scholars have focused on contemporary sources pertaining to the Nazi persecution and mass murder of Jews between 1933 and 1945--citing dated documents, newspapers, diaries, and letters--but the sermons delivered by rabbis describing and protesting against the ever-growing oppression of European Jews have been largely neglected. Agony in the Pulpit is a response to this neglect, and to the accusations made by respected figures that Jewish leaders remained silent in the wake of catastrophe. The passages from sermons reproduced in this volume--delivered by 135 rabbis in fifteen countries, mainly from the United States and England--provide important evidence of how these rabbis communicated the ever-worsening news to their congregants, especially on important religious occasions when they had peak attendance and peak receptivity. A central theme is how the preachers related the contemporary horrors to ancient examples of persecution. Did they present what was occurring under Hitler as a reenactment of the murderous oppressions by Pharaoh, Amalek, Haman, Ahasuerus, the Crusaders, the Spanish Inquisition, the Russian Pogroms? When did they begin to recognize and articulate from their pulpits an awareness that current events were fundamentally unprecedented? Was the developing cataclysm consistent with traditional beliefs about God's control of what happened on earth? No other book-length study has presented such abundant evidence of rabbis in all streams of Jewish religious life seeking to rouse and inspire their congregants to full awareness of the catastrophic realities that were taking shape in the world beyond their synagogues.

Blessed Trinity

Blessed Trinity
Author: Vanessa Davis Griggs
Publisher: Dafina Books
Total Pages: 469
Release: 2009-11
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0758249705

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Part Terry MacMillan, part Jan Karon, Blessed Trinity is the first book in an exciting trilogy from bestselling author Vanessa Davis Griggs. Faith Alexandria Morrell, the oldest of a mysterious trio of sisters, lives a troubled life and guards a horrifying secret. Yet few, least of all her new church family, would believe this always impeccably dressed woman is so utterly lost. But what lies beneath the surface of Faith's carefully constructed veneer could completely destroy her. Needing help, Faith and her sisters, Hope and Charity, join Followers of Jesus Faith Worship Center. This new mega church, led by the dreadlock-wearing, Holy Ghost-filled Pastor George Landris, just may offer the solace she needs. But Faith soon discovers that all is not well in her new church home. Vanessa Davis Griggs offers an incisive and affecting look at the inner-workings of mega churches and the transformative power of faith ...

Pulpit Gangster

Pulpit Gangster
Author: Mathias Hardeman
Publisher: Createspace Independent Pub
Total Pages: 44
Release: 2012-10-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9781478340560

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Based on a true story. This book is written to expose a church that elicits wrongful acts among its congregation: the House of Prayer in Atlanta, Georgia. It gives graphic and horrifying details of the realities of life inside a cult. The House of Prayer made headline news in 2001. Several networks, stations and people got involved which included but not limited to Dateline NBC, CNN, Fox News, Atlanta Journal Constitution, BBC, People Magazine, Bryant Gumbel, Bill O'Reilly, Sally Jessy Raphael and Nancy Grace.

The Literary Digest

The Literary Digest
Author: Edward Jewitt Wheeler
Publisher:
Total Pages: 1498
Release: 1919
Genre: Literature
ISBN:

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