Most literature and many aid efforts concerned with poverty relief and development function on mathematical assumptions. Those who have more should share with those who have less, thus creating equality. Some would add a moral component saying that those having more are morally wrong and must have gained their surplus from outright theft or unfair trade. But on the side of the needy, religious and secular efforts see only a material problem. Both neglect the devastating power of bad ideas based in religion and social customs. Yet what anyone believes about the building blocks of life will have results; their ideas are like eye glasses that either distort or bring into focus an objective reality. Development work must focus on developing people's ideas. Cultural change must precede material changes.

Christianity versus Fatalistic Religions in the War Against Poverty

Religion & Spirituality

Middelmann, Udo

Religious Studies

The Bible teaches us that God is sovereign over all. Does that mean that in his sovereignty and foreknowledge, all events are determined? What about evil and the choices of man to disobey God or not believe in him at all? What a choice to have to choose between a good but weak God or a bad but strong God. The sovereignty of God, the existence of evil, the responsibility of man--how do these work together to explain human history and the reality of the world around us? Belief in the sovereignty of God has lead to extreme forms of determinism, while a rejection of God's sovereignty has resulted in an openness view of history, which assumes the idea of a God with limited power and knowledge. In The Innocence of God, Udo Middelmann critiques both positions and demonstrates the continuing battle of a good and powerful God for his creation. God admonishes us to seek justice, goodness and mercy in the continuing struggle against evil. The truth of God's patient, yet powerful battle for redemption is absent when everything has been already determined.

The Innocence of God: Does God Ordain Evil?

Christian Books & Bibles

Prō·ĕxĭst·ĕnce; the place of man in the circle of reality

INTERVARSITY PRESS *

In God and Man at Work Udo Middelmann argues that our ideas about daily activities are linked directly to our conception of the world. It is acquired by habit from the surrounding community as well as by reflection and personal preference. A person's attitude about the world explains the reason for most choices they make in work, love, and life. The biblical view of reality clarifies such empirical observations and frees them from sentimental assent. Communal faith may be colorful, but is mostly light in answers and repetitive in form. It lacks the substance to convince and to encourage. Religious cultural habits bind people through poetry and symbols. Many pastors, development workers, and business leaders are often long on devotional fervor but short on holistic connections to the whole of Scripture and rarely address intellectual fear and human suffering. God and Man at Work counters that with an appeal to the Bible's uniquely reasoned discourse and practical encouragement for people in the "imago Dei" to argue with nature and culture, and do well by doing good in every manual and intellectual endeavor. That moral effort will free them from religious enslavement and nature's indifference towards social and material improvement.

God and Man at Work: Doing Well and Doing Good in the Bible's View of Life

Wipf and Stock

<p>The Bible teaches us that God is sovereign over all. Does that mean that in his sovereignty and foreknowledge, all events are determined? What about evil and the choices of man to disobey God or not believe in him at all? What a choice to have to choose between a good but weak God or a bad but strong God. The sovereignty of God, the existence of evil, the responsibility of man ... how do these work together to explain human history and the reality of the world around us? Belief in the sovereignty of God has lead to extreme forms of determinism, while a rejection of God’s sovereignty has resulted in an openness view of history, which assumes the idea of a God with limited power and knowledge. In "The Innocence of God", Udo Middelmann critiques both positions and demonstrates the continuing battle of a good and powerful God for his creation. God admonishes us to seek justice, goodness and mercy in the continuing struggle against evil. The truth of God’s patient, yet powerful battle for redemption is absent when everything has been already determined.</p>

Authentic Media

<p>Most literature and many aid efforts concerned with poverty relief and development function on mathematical assumptions. Those who have more should share with those who have less, thus creating equality. Some would add a moral component saying that those having more are morally wrong and must have gained their surplus from outright theft or unfair trade. But on the side of the needy, religious and secular efforts see only a material problem. Both neglect the devastating power of bad ideas based in religion and social customs. Yet what anyone believes about the building blocks of life will have results; their ideas are like eye glasses that either distort or bring into focus an objective reality. Development work must focus on developing people’s ideas. Cultural change must precede material changes.</p>

Christianity Versus Fatalistic Religions in the War Against Poverty

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

Books by Middelmann, Udo

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

Christianity versus Fatalistic Religions in the War Against Poverty

The Innocence of God: Does God Ordain Evil?

Prō·ĕxĭst·ĕnce; the place of man in the circle of reality

God and Man at Work: Doing Well and Doing Good in the Bible's View of Life

The Innocence of God: Does God Ordain Evil?

Christianity Versus Fatalistic Religions in the War Against Poverty