In the first five centuries of the common era, the kiss was a distinctive and near-ubiquitous marker of Christianity. Although Christians did not invent the kiss—Jewish and pagan literature is filled with references to kisses between lovers, family members, and individuals in relationships of power and subordination—Christians kissed one another in highly specific settings and in ways that set them off from the non-Christian population. Christians kissed each other during prayer, Eucharist, baptism, and ordination and in connection with greeting, funerals, monastic vows, and martyrdom. As Michael Philip Penn shows in Kissing Christians, this ritual kiss played a key role in defining group membership and strengthening the social bond between the communal body and its individual members. Kissing Christians presents the first comprehensive study of the ritual kiss and how controversies surrounding it became part of larger debates regarding the internal structure of Christian communities and their relations with outsiders. Penn traces how Christian writers exalted those who kissed only fellow Christians, proclaimed that Jews did not have a kiss, prohibited exchanging the kiss with potential heretics, privileged the confessor's kiss, prohibited Christian men and women from kissing each other, and forbade laity from kissing clergy. Kissing Christians also investigates connections between kissing and group cohesion, kissing practices and purity concerns, and how Christian leaders used the motif of the kiss of Judas to examine theological notions of loyalty, unity, forgiveness, hierarchy, and subversion. Exploring connections between bodies, power, and performance, Kissing Christians bridges the gap between cultural and liturgical approaches to antiquity. It breaks significant new ground in its application of literary and sociological theory to liturgical history and will have a profound impact on these fields.

Christianity receives a lot of attention in the media, but the most frequently discussed version represents a type of Christianity that sometimes turns people away from the Church. Kissing Fish presents a postmodern systematic theology of progressive Christianity, a growing movement that reclaims the radical message of the Gospel. This informative, contemplative, and entertaining book will guide you through the beliefs that inspire us to love one another in the transformative way that Jesus proclaimed, including practices that will take your faith to a new level. Kissing Fish is a scholarly yet thoroughly accessible introduction to progressive Christianity. While the intended target audience for this work would seem to be those who have either left the Christian faith or never adopted it at all; the work is filled with pearls of wisdom for all of us, whether associated with Christianity or not. Kissing Fish is a truly remarkable work, serving both as a reminder of the beauty and grace that form the central tenets of the faith, while offering a graceful yet prophetic rebuttal to its more exclusionary tendencies. Kissing Fish is part theological text and part tell-all personal spiritual journey. Imagine a down-to-earth combination of the works of Marcus Borg, Anne Lamott, Jim Wallis, Rob Bell, Shane Claiborne, Diana Butler-Bass, Brian McLaren, Walter Wink, Wes Howard-Brook, and Donald Miller. A profound romp that informs and inspires.

Joshua Harris's first book, written when he was only 21, turned the Christian singles scene upside down...and people are still talking. More than 800,000 copies later, I Kissed Dating Goodbye, with its inspiring call to sincere love, real purity, and purposeful singleness, remains the benchmark for books on Christian dating. Now, for the first time since its release, the national #1 bestseller has been expanded with new content and updated for new readers. Honest and practical, it challenges cultural assumptions about relationships and provides solid, biblical alternatives to society's norm.Clear, stylish typeset, with user-friendly links to referenced Scripture.

"In a world marred by religious conflict, can Christians and Muslims discover more positive views of one another? "

Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle is a Catholic author, a radio and television host, and an inspirational speaker known and admired from coast to coast. Yet with all of her public exposure, she has revealed very little about her personal history, that is, until now. When she discovered that sharing her struggles gives encouragement to others, she was persuaded to write this story of her life. Growing up in a Polish-American Catholic family, Donna-Marie was blessed with hard-working parents who provided a stable home for their eight children. At times her childhood was golden and carefree, but other times it was tarnished by pain that she felt was best left unspoken as she sought God for help and strength. After she left home after high school, her path took some harrowing turns. A Vietnam veteran fiancé snapped and held her against her will. She suffered pregnancy loss, serious illness, divorce, and single motherhood. Perhaps her greatest trial was an epic custody battle in which she needed to defend both her reputation as a mother and the safety of her five children. Yet through all the dark valleys, Donna-Marie kept the fire of her faith burning. Helping her to see the beauty of the crosses in her life, and to rely on the presence and the providence of God, were saintly souls who became her friends and mentors. One of these was Blessed Mother Teresa, who was her confidant and spiritual mother for ten years.

"I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the Rock of Ages." What does it mean to "kiss the wave?" These words, attributed to nineteenth-century British preacher Charles Spurgeon, speak to the Christian's only hope for perseverance in suffering. What if we can learn to experience the nearness of God in the midst of suffering? What if God intends to work through our trials rather than simply take them away? After living for more than a decade with a debilitating nerve condition in both arms, Dave Furman shows us that God, in his grace, always designs trials for our good—not minimizing the pain, but infusing significance into our suffering. Furman demonstrates that, even when tossed to and fro by stormy waves, God is near . . . and that makes all the difference in the world.

BIBLICAL GUIDANCE AND ADVICE ON CHRISTIAN DATING. This is one of the few books on Christian dating that offers a BIBLICAL action plan for Christian singles. It cuts past all of the common myths and misconceptions out there that are being fed to Christian singles, and it goes straight into the Bible. How did people in the BIBLE find a husband or wife? What advice on Christian dating does the BIBLE give? What principles does the BIBLE give to help single Christians in their search? QUESTIONS FOR CHRISTIAN SINGLES1) Are you WAITING for God to send someone that He created just for you into your life in His perfect timing?2) Are you WAITING to find someone "compatible" with you?3) Are you WAITING to "hear from God" before you marry?4) Are you WAITING to find contentment in your singleness or "savor your singleness" before you get married?Chances are that you would have answered yes to at least one of those questions. All of these are myths. ALL OF THEM! That is precisely why we titled our book "I kissed waiting goodbye." We are told to wait on God, but waiting is not passive. This book teaches you how to trust God and be proactive at the same time. Active faith. WHY DID I GET MARRIED? Even if you are already married and you sometimes ask yourself "Why did I get married?" or "Why did I get married to this person?", then this book will help you as well. It shows you that, according to the Bible, marital bliss has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with compatibility. You are not doomed to unhappiness because you think you married the wrong person. The Bible teaches that the key to happiness in marriage is having a godly attitude, and applying Biblical principles to your relationship. This book gives you many Biblical principles you can use to help you. ABOUT THE AUTHORSDenver and Indira waited a long time to find each other. They were both over 35 when they met. After search for over a decade, when they finally met, they got married within 7 months of their first date. 8 years later, they still consider theirs to be the happiest marriage in the world. Through their experiences and study of scripture, they have learned the real reason some Christians remain single longer than they need to be. It is because of myths they have been taught. These wrong teachings cause them to look for the wrong thing in the wrong way. They end up making their marriage decision more complicated that God intended it to be. This book throws out all the bathwater and it shows you how simple God's plan is. It gives single Christians a clear Biblical action plan to guide them in their search. REVIEWSI have read all the Christian single women books out there. These books teach you everything other than how to actually find a husband. 'I kissed waiting goodbye' blows away all the myths and wrong teachings being fed to Christian singles, and it outlines the liberating truths of God's Word. It offers practical guidance while at the same time being deeply rooted in scripture. ... reviewer via Facebook.This book is so rich in Biblical truth, we are using it for Christian single Bible studies in our singles group. ... reviewer via Facebook.This is the true Biblical teaching on Christian dating for men and women. The authors talk about their own journey and how they met, but the book is not based on their experiences. It is based on scripture. I have purchased it as a gift for my two kids. ... reviewer via Facebook.