Foreword by Donald Miller Afterword by John M. Perkins Many Americans think that race problems are a thing of the past because we no longer live under the Jim Crow laws that once sustained overt structures of segregation. Unfortunately, says Paul Louis Metzger, today we live under an updated version of segregation, through the subtle power of unchallenged norms of consumer preference. Consumerism affects and infects the church, reinforcing race and class divisions in society. Intentionally or unintentionally, many churches have set up structures of church growth that foster segregation, such as appealing to consumer appetites. Metzger here argues that the evangelical Christian church needs to admit this fault and intentionally move away from race, class, and consumer segregation. Challenging the consumerism that fosters ethnic and economic divisions and distorts evangelical Christianity, Consuming Jesus puts forth a theologically grounded call to restructure the church's passions and practices, transforming the evangelical imagination around a nobler, all-consuming vision of the Christian faith. Visit the Consuming Jesus blog created by the The Institute for the Theology of Culture: New Wine, New Wineskins at: http://consumingjesus.org/

Consuming Jesus: Beyond Race and Class Divisions in a Consumer Church

Politics & Social Sciences

Metzger, Paul Louis

Sociology

Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

We live in a culture of commodification. People are too often defined by what they do or own; they're treated as means to an end or cogs in a machine. What goes missing is a deep sense of personhood--the belief that all humans are unique subjects with inherent worth and the right to self-determination in authentic communion with others. In a world dominated by things, Paul Louis Metzger argues, we must work hard to account for one another's personhood. We need to cultivate relational structures that honor every human's dignity in vital interpersonal community. The theological and philosophical framework known as personalism can help guide us toward such a culture. Drawing from a wide range of thought leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr. and Pope John Paul II, Metzger presents a personalist moral vision founded on the Christian ideals of faith, hope, and love. He demonstrates how this moral compass can help us navigate a pluralistic world by applying it to a variety of pressing ethical issues, including abortion, genetic engineering, immigration, drone warfare, and more. Ultimately human personhood begins with the personal, triune God, who invites us to live more fully as human beings. When we refuse to reduce our fellow humans--and ourselves--to mere abstractions or objects, we follow the example of Jesus in honoring the value of every person and of creaturely life as a whole.

More Than Things: A Personalist Ethics for a Throwaway Culture

Philosophy

IVP Academic

We live in a multifaith society: an ever-growing, diverse cultural climate, where no religion is viewed as having a monopoly on truth. It is important when that Christ-followers not only share the Word of God but also listen and learn how to interact meaningfully with those of diverse perspectives as we engage in life’s most important conversations. Connecting Christ encourages believers to be not only better communicators and witnesses but also listeners to people of other worldviews and traditions―skills that are crucial in defending against today’s negative connotations and ineffective approaches associated with Christian evangelism. With extensive commentary from leaders of various walks of faith and life ― from Judaism to Islam and Buddhism to atheism ―theologian and author Dr. Paul Louis Metzger offers a spiritual compass to help navigate the intimidating yet critical dialogue of conveying our faith in Christ. Filled with practical guidance and insight into controversial topics, such as hell, fascism, and homosexuality, Connecting Christ reveals that there is a way of evangelizing that is neither disengaging monologue nor silent, lifestyle ministry but is, instead, an approach for evangelism and dialogue to go hand-in-hand. We must remove ourselves as the stumbling block to salvation for others and embrace a way to proclaim the uncommon, compassionate God revealed in Jesus Christ―the Savior this world is dying to know.

Connecting Christ: How to Discuss Jesus in a World of Diverse Paths

Religion & Spirituality

Christian Books & Bibles

Thomas Nelson

We live in a multifaith society: an ever-growing, diverse cultural climate, where no religion is viewed as having a monopoly on truth. It is important then that Christ-followers not only share the Word of God but also listen and learn how to interact meaningfully with those of diverse perspectives as we engage in life’s most important conversations.Connecting Christ encourages believers to be not only better communicators and witnesses but also listeners to people of other worldviews and traditions—skills that are crucial in defending against today’s negative connotations and ineffective approaches associated with Christian evangelism.With extensive commentary from leaders of various walks of faith and life—from Judaism to Islam and Buddhism to atheism—theologian and author Dr. Paul Louis Metzger offers a spiritual compass to help navigate the intimidating yet critical dialogue of conveying our faith in Christ. Filled with practical guidance and insight into controversial topics, such as hell, fascism, and homosexuality, Connecting Christ reveals that there is a way of evangelizing that is neither disengaging monologue nor silent, lifestyle ministry but is, instead, an approach for evangelism and dialogue to go hand-in-hand.We must remove ourselves as the stumbling block to salvation for others and embrace a way to proclaim the uncommon, compassionate God revealed in Jesus Christ—the Savior this world is dying to know.“This is the best book available for instructing us all in how to talk about Jesus to people of other religious traditions. Christian witnesses must read it.” —Terry Muck, dean, E. Stanley Jones School of World Mission & Evangelism, Asbury Theological Seminary“This is the manual for evangelism and apologetics for the next decade.” —Rick James, publisher, Campus Crusade for Christ; author, Jesus Without Religion“Dr. Metzger allows us to eavesdrop on some profound conversations, giving us a glimpse into the mind-set of others from differing faiths and a better understanding of how to share with those who have yet to respond in faith to Jesus Christ.” —Luis Palau, world evangelist

BRILLIANCE AUDIO ^

Grace Communion International sponsors a video program called "You're Included," in which we interview various theologians about the practical aspects of Trinitarian theology. These interviews are transcribed and many are available in e-books. In this volume, we compile the conversations we've had with 15 theologians, in 53 interviews.

Trinitarian Conversations, Volume 2: Interviews With 15 Theologians (You're Included)

Fee, Gordon D.

McVey, Steve

Hart, Trevor

Nordling, Cherith Fee

Hunsinger, George

Campbell, Douglas A.

International, Grace Communion

Molnar, Paul

Deddo, Cathy

Religious Studies

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

New Wine Tastings: Theological Essays of Cultural Engagement

This collection of essays provides samplings of a theological engagement of culture that Paul Louis Metzger has been developing over the years in his work as founder and director of The Institute for the Theology of Culture: New Wine, New Wineskins at Multnomah Biblical Seminary of Multnomah University. Metzger espouses an incarnational over against a predominantly worldview-oriented or market-driven theological approach to engaging culture, and situates his work in Trinitarian communal and co-missional thought forms. This volume of biblically and theologically framed and compassion-driven essays addresses such themes as postmodernity, structural evil, cultural genocide, sexuality, HIV/AIDS, the prison system, the global slave trade, and the arts. It will be welcomed by those analyzing and developing theological-cultural paradigms and engaging key issues in the contemporary setting. ""No single specimen--or vintage--of evangelical cultural engagement more ably and deliciously demonstrates itself than the profoundly theological cultural criticism of Paul Louis Metzger. His work occasions a hearty toast, and is worth the repeated tastings this volume so richly invites."" --Rodney Clapp author Johnny Cash and the Great American Contradiction ""New Wine Tasting enables us to lift our heads and, with eyes wide open, learn how to engage our culture as we are called to do. Cutting-edge theology for our times. We need this volume."" --Michael O. Emerson author of Divided by Faith, United by Faith, People of the Dream ""The Institute for the Theology of Culture: New Wine, New Wineskins, from which this volume of essays emerges, is at the cutting edge of today's wholistic ministry movement. And because it's connected to a university and seminary, it's in a great position to challenge future leaders. I am highly impressed."" --John M. Perkins author of Let Justice Roll Down: ""This bottling collects a decade's worth of Metzger's distinctive engagement with the Bible, the Church, and our culture. You won't find the dreary arcanum of the academy in New Wine Tastings; these essays bristle with biblical and practical perspective on the most pressing issues of our times. They reveal the heart and mind of a passionate, insightful and often humorous theologian who shows us all how to live into our calling as witnesses to the Gospel. The perfect compliment to your favorite beverage!"" --Robb Redman author of The Great Worship Awakening: Singing a New Song in the Postmodern Church ""Paul Metzger's robust Trinitarian theology, shaped through Barth and the Church Fathers, is the engine that drives his insightful and provocative cultural criticism, allowing him to explore with equal confidence Native American missions and Johnny Cash. Metzger's confident yet winsome approach to culture charts a new path for a Christian witness in and for culture in the twenty-first century. His is a voice to which I will listen closely."" --Daniel Siedell author of God in the Gallery: A Christian Embrace of Modern Art ""Paul Metzger, and his New Wine, New Wineskins project in theology and culture, have gathered together here a collection of occasional essays that are indeed 'tastings'-suggestive samples of what a Trinitarian and incarnational theology of cultural engagement might look like. Some brief and anecdotal, and others longer and more theoretically developed, they all bear witness to a form of cultural engagement deeply rooted in the theological tradition of the Church and attuned to the currents of contemporary culture. Though I prefer fermented grain to grapes, this is good drink!"" --Eric G. Flett author of Persons, Powers, and Pluralities: Toward a Trinitarian Theology of Culture Paul Louis Metzger is Professor of Christian Theology and Theology of Culture at Multnomah Biblical Seminary and Multnomah University. He is the author of Consuming Jesus (2007) and coauthor of Exploring Ecclesiology (2009).

Wipf and Stock

Beatitudes, Not Platitudes shows that the Beatitudes are not overused, well-worn answers to the question, "What would Jesus do?" Rather, they are undervalued and hardly touched claims that transform our destinies. More than spiritual nuggets for personal devotion, practical advice, or propositions to be believed, the Beatitudes in Matthew 5 envision and entail a reorientation of the good life in view of Jesus' kingdom. Jesus' teachings reveal to us that living our best purpose-driven life now involves dying to self and the world system, and dying for our enemies. Ideal for group study, this series of meditations on each of the Beatitudes, followed by cultural reflections and study questions, helps to bridge the gaps between personal devotion and societal revolution, the academic and the practical, the ancient and the contemporary. All of us want to be happy, to be well and blessed, and esteemed with honor. However, we look for happiness, wellness, blessing, and honor in different places and with mixed results. This book helps us reimagine the good life by taking a fresh look at the Beatitudes as citizens of Jesus' ever-new kingdom order.

Beatitudes, Not Platitudes: Jesus’ Invitation to the Good Life

Cascade Books

Beatitudes, Not Platitudes shows that the Beatitudes are not overused, well-worn answers to the question, "What would Jesus do?" Rather, they are undervalued and hardly touched claims that transform our destinies. More than spiritual nuggets for personal devotion, practical advice, or propositions to be believed, the Beatitudes in Matthew 5 envision and entail a reorientation of the good life in view of Jesus' kingdom. Jesus' teachings reveal to us that living our best purpose-driven life now involves dying to self and the world system, and dying for our enemies. Ideal for group study, this series of meditations on each of the Beatitudes, followed by cultural reflections and study questions, helps to bridge the gaps between personal devotion and societal revolution, the academic and the practical, the ancient and the contemporary. All of us want to be happy, to be well and blessed, and esteemed with honor. However, we look for happiness, wellness, blessing, and honor in different places and with mixed results. This book helps us reimagine the good life by taking a fresh look at the Beatitudes as citizens of Jesus' ever-new kingdom order.

Beatitudes, Not Platitudes: Jesus' Invitation to the Good Life

The theological revolution that Karl Barth inspired was by no means a dismissive reaction to modern culture but, rather, was a dynamic and carefully nuanced encounter with the concerns of his day. This excellent new work by Paul Lewis Metzger provides an exposition and extension of Barth's engagement of culture in view of his doctrine of the Word.Metzger demonstrates that Barth endeavored to relate Christ to culture in inseparable terms while maintaining a distinction between them. Working from an intimate knowledge of all of Barth's writings, Metzger shows how Barth's doctrine of the Word provides a sound basis on which to build a theological model of culture that guards against the two extremes of either the divinization or the secularization of culture, while at the same time nurturing a healthy appreciation for the secular domain.The first part of the book analyzes Barth's formative theological period, which is characterized by his engagement with culture and what is termed Culture Protestantism. The second part of the book focuses on how Barth's answer -- a dialectical model of the Word -- enabled him to offer a constructive synthesis of Christ and culture. The final section of the book traces the way Barth was able to frame culture within his theological model and yet continue to champion the secular domain.The Word of Christ and the World of Culture" is a superb volume that will benefit anyone studying Barth, modern theology, or the relation of Christianity and culture.

The Word of Christ and the World of Culture: Sacred and Secular Through the Theology of Karl Barth

Wipf & Stock Publishers

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Metzger, Paul Louis. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Metzger, Paul Louis

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Metzger, Paul Louis. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Consuming Jesus: Beyond Race and Class Divisions in a Consumer Church

More Than Things: A Personalist Ethics for a Throwaway Culture

Connecting Christ: How to Discuss Jesus in a World of Diverse Paths

Connecting Christ: How to Discuss Jesus in a World of Diverse Paths

Trinitarian Conversations, Volume 2: Interviews With 15 Theologians (You're Included)

New Wine Tastings: Theological Essays of Cultural Engagement

Connecting Christ: How to Discuss Jesus in a World of Diverse Paths

Beatitudes, Not Platitudes: Jesus’ Invitation to the Good Life

Beatitudes, Not Platitudes: Jesus' Invitation to the Good Life

The Word of Christ and the World of Culture: Sacred and Secular Through the Theology of Karl Barth