Losing Our Virtue: Why the Church Must Recover Its Moral VisionWm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1999 - 242 pàgines In Losing Our Virtue: Why the Church Must Recover Its Moral Vision, theologian David Wells argues that the Church is in danger of losing its moral authority to speak to a culture whose moral fabric is torn. Although much of the Church has enjoyed success and growth over the past years, Wells laments a "hollowing out of evangelical conviction, a loss of the biblical word in its authoritative function, and an erosion of character to the point that today, no discernible ethical differences are evident in behavior when those claiming to have been reborn and secularists are compared." The assurance of the Good News of the gospel has been traded for mere good feelings, truth has given way to perception, and morality has slid into personal preference. Losing Our Virtue is about the disintegrating moral culture that is contemporary society and what this disturbing loss means for the church. Wells covers the following in this bold critique: how the theologically emptied spirituality of the church is causing it to lose its moral bearings; an exploration of the wider dynamic at work in contemporary society between license and law; an exposition of the secular notion of salvation as heralded by our most trusted gurus -- advertisers and psychotherapists; a discussion of the contemporary view of the self; how guilt and sin have been replaced by empty psychological shame; an examination of the contradiction between the way we view ourselves in the midst of our own culture and the biblical view of persons as created, moral beings. Can the church still speak effectively to a culture that has become morally unraveled? Wells believes it can. In fact, says Wells, no time in this century has been more opportune for the Christian faith -- if the church can muster the courage to regain its moral weight and become a missionary of truth once more to a foundering world. - Publisher. |
Continguts
1ntroduction | 1 |
Changing Terrain | 2 |
From Augustine to Postmodernity | 4 |
From Virtues to Values | 13 |
Our Moment | 19 |
A Tale of Two Spiritualities | 21 |
Modern Differences | 23 |
Older Similarities | 27 |
The Bonfire of the Self | 117 |
From Guilt to Shame | 120 |
Home Alone | 123 |
Come Join the Revolution | 125 |
Guilt in Remission | 129 |
On Feeling Ashamed | 133 |
How Many Ways Can I Feel Ashamed? | 136 |
Lost in Moral Space | 140 |
Spirituality | 30 |
Classical | 33 |
Postmodern | 41 |
Embarrassed by Modernity | 46 |
The Playground of Desire | 53 |
Obeying the Unenforceable | 62 |
Bowling Alone | 65 |
Control | 75 |
On Saving Ourselves | 81 |
Social Ghosts | 83 |
Prochoice | 86 |
Empty Selves | 87 |
Malls | 88 |
Hard Bodies | 90 |
From Character to Personality | 96 |
From Nature to Selfconsciousness | 104 |
The New Healers | 110 |
Identity and Style | 141 |
Identity and Character | 144 |
Contradictions | 147 |
The Moral Sense | 151 |
The Biblical Perspective | 158 |
Honor and Shame | 164 |
Faith as Subversive | 168 |
Faith of the Ages | 179 |
Whatever Happened to Sin? | 180 |
The Cultural Transformation of Sin | 181 |
The Spiritual Transformation of Sin | 183 |
Disaffection with Postmodernity | 191 |
Whatever Happened to the Church? | 196 |
The Courage to Believe | 205 |
Bibliography | 211 |
223 | |
Altres edicions - Mostra-ho tot
Losing Our Virtue: Why the Church Must Recover Its Moral Vision David F. Wells Visualització de fragments - 1998 |
Losing Our Virtue: Why the Church Must Recover Its Moral Vision David F. Wells Previsualització no disponible - 1998 |
Frases i termes més freqüents
advertising America Anonymous argued Basic Books become believe Camille Paglia century character Christ Christian faith Christopher Lasch classical spirituality conscience contemporary contradiction Crystal Cathedral culture David Brainerd death divine doctrine Emil Brunner empty ethic evangelical evil experience expressions fallen feel Gertrude Himmelfarb God's Gospel grace Grand Rapids guilt happened holiness honor and shame human nature Ibid identity illegitimacy individualism inner internal Jesus John Karl Barth Kenneth Gergen kind language Lasch liberal live lost Luther matter means modern world moral sense norms Olive Wyon one's ourselves Paul percent person Philip Cushman Philip Rieff postmodern spirituality postmodern world pride problem Protestantism psychological psychotherapy reality religion religious replaced says secular sermons sexual simply social society stand television theme theologians theology therapeutic things thought tion traditional twelve-step program understanding University Press values virtue vision words York
Referències a aquest llibre
The Life of a God-Made Man: Becoming a Man After God's Heart Dan Doriani Previsualització limitada - 2001 |