Does the church still matter in our modern world?
After waves of disillusionment, #churchtoo movements, and political divides, it’s easy to question the value of investing in the church.
Dr Carmen Joy Imes (PhD, Wheaton) is associate professor of Old Testament at Biola University. She is the author of Bearing God's Name: Why Sinai Still Matters, Being God's Image: Why Creation Still Matters, and the editor of Praying the Psalms with Augustine and Friends. Her new book is Becoming God’s Family: Why the Church Still Matters.
Book: Becoming God’s Family: Why the Church Still Matters
Dr Carmen Imes' Blog
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:
- Understanding Our Identity as Being Part of God's Family
- Why Do People Think God and Church Are Not Relevant?
- Helping People Who Have Been Hurt by the Church
ABOUT THE GUEST:
Dr Carmen Joy Imes (PhD, Wheaton) is associate professor of Old Testament at Biola University. She is the author of Bearing God's Name: Why Sinai Still Matters, Being God's Image: Why Creation Still Matters, and the editor of Praying the Psalms with Augustine and Friends. Her new book is Becoming God’s Family: Why the Church Still Matters.
RELATED LINKS:
- Dr Carmen Imes, Biola University
- Book: Becoming God’s Family: Why the Church Still Matters
- Dr Carmen Imes' Blog
TIMESTAMPED SHOWNOTES:
00:38 - Introducing Dr Carmen Imes
02:40 - God's Heart for Family
02:56 - ...God creates a world and intends for everyone to flourish
03:07 - ...God's plan to save the world begins with a family
04:04 - ...Jesus is the new Adam and the pathway that we become God's family
04:27 - Understanding Our Identity as Being Part of God's Family
04:50 - ...every human being is the image of God
05:32 - ...we are estranged from God so we don't live as God's family
06:22 - ...seeing people as potential siblings
08:57 - ...western church needs to learn that God works through people who have no power
10:57 - ...Esther and Daniel model two different ways of navigating faith under oppressive empires
11:47 - Why Do People Think God and Church Are Not Relevant?
12:20 - ...individualism
13:01 - ...quest for happiness
14:05 - ...but encouragingly, religion is no longer a private matter, but people want to know what you believe
16:35 - ...to share in the sufferings of others is part of what it means to become part of God's family
18:03 - ...the most effective form of evangelism right now is coming alongside people who are in sorrow
19:16 - The Church Addressing the Need for Community and Connection
19:56 - ...the church is not for "making me a better me," but for becoming part of a family
20:24 - ...if we don't connect, we still feel lonely
21:20 - ...we are all equipped to serve each other
21:54 - Helping People Who Have Been Hurt by the Church
22:18 - ...don't rush past the hurt
22:29 - ...how do our communities become malformed?
23:11 - ...look honestly at the hurt and the harm
26:20 - ..."smaller" reasons that draw people away from church
27:46 - ...the goal is to find a healthy community to join
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