{"product_id":"making-the-best-of-it-following-christ-in-the-real-world-paperback-1","title":"Making the Best of It: Following Christ in the Real World - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eJohn G. Stackhouse  Jr.\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat should be the Christian's attitude toward society? When so much of our contemporary culture is at odds with Christian beliefs and mores, it may seem that serious Christians now have only two choices: transform society completely according to Christian values or retreat into the cloister of sectarian fellowship. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eMaking the Best of It\u003c\/em\u003e, John Stackhouse explores the history of the Christian encounter with society, the biblical record, and various theological models of cultural engagement to offer a more balanced and fruitful alternative to these extremes. He argues that, rather than trying to root up the weeds in the cultural field, or trying to shun them, Christians should practice persistence in gardening God's world and building toward the New Jerusalem. Examining the lives and works of C. S. Lewis, Reinhold Niebuhr, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer for example and direction, Stackhouse suggests that our mission is to make the most of life in the world in cooperation with God's own mission of redeeming the world he loves. This model takes seriously the pattern of God's activity in the Bible, and in subsequent history, of working through earthly means--through individuals, communities, and institutions that are deeply flawed but nonetheless capable of accomplishing God's purposes. Christians must\u003cbr\u003efind a way to live in this world and at the same time do work that honors God and God's plan for us. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn an era of increasing religious and cultural tensions, both internationally and domestically, the model that Stackhouse develops discourages the \"all or nothing\" attitudes that afflict so much of contemporary Christianity. Instead, he offers a fresh, and refreshingly nuanced, take on the question of what it means to be a Christian in the world today.\u003cbr\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJohn G. Stackhouse, Jr.\u003c\/strong\u003e is Professor of Religious Studies at Crandall University in New Brunswick, Canada. He is the author of \u003cem\u003eCan God Be Trusted? Faith and the Challenge of Evil\u003c\/em\u003e (OUP 1998), \u003cem\u003eHumble Apologetics: Defending the Faith Today\u003c\/em\u003e (OUP 2002), \u003cem\u003eChurch: An Insider's Look at How We Do It\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eFinally Feminist: A Pragmatic Christian Understanding of Gender\u003c\/em\u003e. He lives in Vancouver, B.C.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 384\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.9 x 9.1 x 6.1 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e October 01, 2011\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42562992210016,"sku":"9780199843947","price":93.16,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0598\/1922\/9280\/files\/b1NBeExDYTBXeEZhRmZpeVFTSWZDZz09.webp?v=1770386139","url":"https:\/\/bijoucc.myshopify.com\/products\/making-the-best-of-it-following-christ-in-the-real-world-paperback-1","provider":"CARIBBEAN CONNECT","version":"1.0","type":"link"}