Serious Times: Making Your Life Matter in an Urgent Day - Hardcover

White, James Emery

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0830832114 ISBN 13: 9780830832118

Publisher: Intervarsity Pr, 2004

Synopsis

A 2005 Evangelical Christian Publishing Association Gold Medallion finalist.How can we make our lives matter?John Adams and Thomas Jefferson lived in serious times. And, because they chose to live serious lives, they turned the course of history.As the modern era transitions into postmodern turbulence, we, too, find ourselves in serious times. How can we make a difference in the world around us? How can we be an influence for Christ? Most important, how can we make our lives matter?There is a a great movement of God set loose in the world. In this book, James Emery White explores what it means to be at the front lines of what God is doing. When serious times are met with serious lives, the kingdom of God is advanced. Come and discover a life of significance.

About this title

About the Author

James Emery White is the founding and senior pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. An international speaker and consultant, Dr. White is the author of many books, including "Rethinking the Church," "A Search for the Spiritual," "Life-Defining Moments," "Long Night s Journey into Day," "Embracing the Mysterious God" and "Serious Times."

Reviews

This book by pastor and professor White (Embracing the Mysterious God) is an antidote to complacency in the face of epochal change. Echoing church historian Christopher Dawson, White argues that we live "at the beginning of the seventh age" for the Christian church, a time of crisis that requires an innovative and determined response. After a brief survey of previous turning points, including the beginnings of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, White examines our "disenchanted world," which he characterizes as secularized, privatized and relentlessly pluralistic, mired in narcissism, relativism and hedonism. Yet even given this bleak picture, White sees hope in a renewed practice of Christianity that could still reshape and revitalize Western culture. The second half of the book, very different from the first, is devoted to exploring the essence of "serious lives." White draws on a commendably deep field of previous writers, from Teresa of Ávila to Parker Palmer, offering a concise survey of topics from prayer to vocation. Of particular value are his thoughts on developing a "rule" of life, and his two-page portraits of Christians like St. Benedict, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Mother Teresa. While White's cultural analysis is neither new nor particularly encouraging, the wisdom and clarity of these latter chapters make this book a valuable, and hopeful, starting point for Christians who want their lives to matter.
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Edition details

• Publisher: Intervarsity Pr
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0830832114
• ISBN 13: 9780830832118
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 192