End of the World... As We Know It : Clear Direction for Bold and Innovative Ministry in a Postmodern World

by SMITH, CHUCK JR

• ISBN13: 9781578564026
• ISBN10: 1578564026
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-01-01
• Publisher: WaterBrook Press

Summary

The world is dramatically changing. How will the church respond? An uneasy feeling has crept into the hearts of many Christians: a sense of being powerless in the face of rapid change, a sense of disconnectedness from contemporary culture, and a sense of living in a world of increasing chaos. Even children from Christian homes seem to live according to different mental maps from their parents, justice appears to be irrelevant in court decisions, truths that were once considered "absolute" have dissolved, and moral standards have become as stable as quicksand. What is happening to Western civilization? We are experiencing a "culture quake" as one major era is being replaced by another. This evolving social and cultural landscape is creating new demands on faith and the church.The End of the World As We Know Itprovides practical strategies for seizing these new and hopeful opportunities for ministry. In this hard-hitting, revealing book, author and pastor Chuck Smith, jr.... explains this cultural shift in clear, compelling ways explores the world of postmodernism demonstrates why old religious structures and systems lack meaning for postmodernists maps out new strategies for church ministry and personal faith and witness The End of the World As We Know Itwill open your eyes to what's going on around you...and prepare you to become a vital member of a new Christian movement that's destined to change the world.

Author Biography

<b>Chuck Smith, jr.,</b> started Capo Beach Calvary Chapel in Capistrano Beach, California, and has served as its Senior Pastor for twenty-five years. His father founded Calvary Chapel, a Southern California church that developed innovative ministries in the 1970s to reach young people in the counterculture. Today, Chuck is doing the same thing for young people in the postmodern age. The father of five children, he and his wife, Barbara, also have one grandchild, two cats, and one dog. Chuck’s sermons are heard internationally through the church Web site at calvarychapel.com/capobeach.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	ix
Preface: Learn from My Mistake	xi
Introduction: A New World in Disguise	1	(10)
Culture-Quake	11	(16)
The Unraveling of Modernity	27	(18)
Getting a Handle on Postmodernity	45	(18)
Postmodernism and Popular Culture	63	(26)
Postmodern Faith	89	(26)
The Church and the Postmodern Bazaar	115	(28)
Online with Gen X	143	(28)
Storytellers and Soul Healers	171	(28)
Notes	199