James W. Sire

A Christianity Today Book Award Winner What does it mean to love God with your mind? Can the intellectual life be a legitimate Christian calling? In this deeply personal book, James Sire brings wit and wisdom to bear on these questions. He draws from his own experience and the life of John Henry Newman to explore how to think well for the glory of God and the sake of his kingdom. Habits of the Mind challenges you to avoid one of the greatest pitfalls of intellectual life: the temptation to separate being from knowing. Sire shows how to cultivate intellectual virtues and disciplines—habits of the mind—that will strengthen you in pursuit of your calling. Thinking well is integral to acting righteously. Sire offers assurance that intellectual life can be a true calling for Christians: because Jesus was the smartest man who ever lived, you can and should accept the challenge to think with more accuracy, wisdom, humility, and passion. This classic work is now available as part of the IVP Signature Collection, which features special editions of iconic books in celebration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of InterVarsity Press.

For more than forty years, The Universe Next Door has set the standard for a clear, readable introduction to worldviews. Using his widely influential model of eight basic worldview questions, James Sire examines prominent worldviews that have shaped the Western world: theismdeismnaturalismMarxismnihilismexistentialismEastern monismNew Age philosophypostmodernismIslam Intertwined with this analysis, he presents an overview of intellectual history giving insight into the current state of Western thought and culture. Critiquing each worldview within its own frame of reference and in comparison to others, Sire encourages readers to wrestle with life's biggest questions and examine the core beliefs and commitments on which they are building their lives The sixth edition, updated by Sire's longtime editor Jim Hoover, features new explanatory sidebars, helpful charts comparing worldviews and illustrating their historical flow, and a chapter on challenges to a Christian worldview in the twenty-first century. New discussion questions will help readers reflect more deeply on the ideas in each chapter. The Universe Next Door has been translated into over a dozen languages and has been used as a text at over one hundred colleges and universities in courses ranging from apologetics and world religions to history and English literature. In a world of ever-increasing diversity, The Universe Next Door offers a unique resource for understanding the variety of worldviews that claim the allegiance of mind and heart.

Over 400,000 Sold For over fifty years The God Who Is There has been a landmark work that has changed the way the church sees the world. Francis Schaeffer's first book presents a wide-ranging analysis of the intellectual and cultural climate of the second half of the twentieth century, from philosophy to art to liberal theology. Arguing that Christians must constantly engage the questions being asked by their own—and the next—generation, he envisions an apologetics and spirituality both grounded in absolute truth and engaging the whole of reality. "If we are unexcited Christians, we should go back and see what is wrong," Schaeffer writes. "We are surrounded by a generation that can find 'no one home' in the universe. . . . In contrast to this, as a Christian I know who I am; and I know the personal God who is there." In every age, this God continues to provide the anchor of truth and the power of love to meet the world's deepest problems. Named by Christianity Today as one of the "Top 50 Books That Have Shaped Evangelicals" (October 2006), this redesigned classic is now available as part of the IVP Signature Collection.

Why do you believe that Christianity is true? The best reason is Jesus himself. In these eight studies on passages from the Gospels of Mark and Luke, James W. Sire invites you to meet the unique Jesus by digging deep into the Bible. You’ll discover what Jesus said and did. You’ll also be encouraged to decide what place Jesus has in your life today. This revised LifeBuilder Bible Study features additional questions for starting group discussions and for meeting God in personal reflection, together with expanded leader’s notes and a ‘Now or Later’ section in each study.

Christianity begins with God and ends with God. It is a story for all to know and understand. In this personal and easy-to-read book, James Sire offers a basic introduction to the foundational truths held by Christians at all times and in all places. The chapters are organized around a simple scheme: creation, fall, redemption, new life in Christ, and glorification. In this expanded edition, Sire added a chapter on the person of Jesus. With study questions for personal or group use, this is the ideal first book for seekers and believers who want to understand the central teachings of the Bible.

What is a worldview? What lies behind your thoughts about almost everything? For more than thirty years, James W. Sire has grappled with this issue. In his widely used textbook The Universe Next Door, first published in 1976, Sire offered a succinct definition of a worldview and catalogued in summary fashion seven basic worldview alternatives. Students, critics, new literature and continued reflection have led him to reexamine and refine his definition of a worldview. This second edition companion volume to The Universe Next Door is the fruit of that effort, offering readers his most mature thought on the concept of a worldview, addressing such questions as What is the history of the concept itself? What is the first question you should ask in formulating a worldview? How are worldviews formed existentially as well as intellectually? Is a worldview primarily an intellectual system, a way of life or a story? What are the public and private dimensions of a worldview? What role can worldview thinking play in assessing your own worldview and those of others, especially in light of the pluralism in today's world? Naming the Elephant is an excellent resource for exploring more deeply how and why worldview thinking can aid you in navigating your pluralistic universe.

For more than thirty years, The Universe Next Door has set the standard for a clear, readable introduction to worldviews. In this new fifth edition James Sire offers additional student-friendly features to his concise, easily understood introductions to theism, deism, naturalism, Marxism, nihilism, existentialism, Eastern monism, New Age philosophy and postmodernism. Included in this expanded format are a new chapter on Islam and informative sidebars throughout. The book continues to build on Sire's refined definition of worldviews from the fourth edition and includes other updates as well, keeping this standard text fresh and useful. In a world of ever-increasing diversity, The Universe Next Door offers a unique resource for understanding the variety of worldviews that compete with Christianity for the allegiance of minds and hearts. The Universe Next Door has been translated into over a dozen languages and has been used as a text at over one hundred colleges and universities in courses ranging from apologetics and world religions to history and English literature. Sire's Naming the Elephant: Worldview as a Concept provides a useful companion volume for those desiring a more in-depth discussion of the nature of a worldview.

James W. Sire explores two types of psalms: psalms about Jesus and psalms Jesus might have heard read. Following the pattern of Learning to Pray Through the Psalms, this book explores how Jesus might have heard and related to the Psalms as they were read in the synagogue.

You gave it your best shot. You made the best case you knew how, and your friend still wasn't persuaded to follow Christ. Why is it that solid, rational arguments for the Christian faith often fail? For over fifty years James Sire, noted author and public defender of the Christian faith, has asked himself that question. Sometimes, of course, the arguments themselves just aren't that good. How can we make them better? Sometimes the problem has to do with us and not the arguments. Our arrogance, aggressiveness or cleverness gets in the way, or we misread our audience. Sometimes the problem lies with the hearers. Their worldview or moral blindness keeps them from hearing and understanding the truth. With wisdom borne of both formal and informal experience, Sire grapples with these issues and offers practical insight into making a more persuasive case for Christ. Includes an annotated bibliography of resources for framing effective arguments.

You gave it your best shot. You made the best case you knew how, and your friend still wasn't persuaded to follow Christ. Why is it that solid, rational arguments for the Christian faith often fail? For over fifty years James Sire, noted author and public defender of the Christian faith, has asked himself that question. Sometimes, of course, the arguments themselves just aren't that good. How can we make them better? Sometimes the problem has to do with us and not the arguments. Our arrogance, aggressiveness or cleverness gets in the way, or we misread our audience. Sometimes the problem lies with the hearers. Their worldview or moral blindness keeps them from hearing and understanding the truth. With wisdom borne of both formal and informal experience, Sire grapples with these issues and offers practical insight into making a more persuasive case for Christ. Includes an annotated bibliography of resources for framing effective arguments.

Though they were written centuries ago, the Psalms still resonate deeply today, giving voice to thoughts and longings. James W. Sire offers background information that helps you read ten Psalms with deeper insight. He also lays out a meditative, step-by-step approach to using the psalmists' words as a guide for your own personal conversation with God.

Your eyes see the words, but do you read what you see? Every article, poem, book not only carries information but also projects a way of looking at life. This book helps readers detect not only what writers say but what lies behind what they say. The careful reading of any book requires that we seek out the author's standpoint. What is this author's larger philosophical commitment? What does he or she think life is about? Slowing down will increase our comprehension. Widely used in higher education classrooms.

James Sire focuses on the importance of belief in every part of life and presents a strong case for its relevance to modern people with major or nagging doubts.

A Christianity Today 1995 Books of the Year Finalist Believing. Most of us take it for granted. We just do it--whether it's trusting that the sun will come up tomorrow, that the lunch we are about to eat is not poisoned or that our religious beliefs are not ill-founded. But why should we believe any of these things? Why should anyone believe anything at all? With insight and humor, James W. Sire examines the reasons people give for believing what they do and suggests what are truly satisfying and compelling reasons for belief. He then turns to the question of a specific belief--namely, belief that the Christian faith is true. Sire tackles both the best reason for belief in Christianity (the identity of Jesus ) and the chief reason against it. (the problem of evil). And he responds to these issues personally and philosophically. Here is a book to challenge the skeptic and reassure the doubter in us all.

The Christian mind begins with an attitude towards God and towards ourselves. How then does the Christian mind today go on to grow, acquiring content and shape?

Christians who are serious about their faith want to love God with all that they are -- heart and mind and strength. Books abound on the devotional life, on commitment, on evangelism and practical Christian living, but few take up what it means to love God with our minds. How do we learn to honor God in the ways we think? James Sire blazes a trail for Christians concerned about the discipleship of our minds. After looking at the attitudes toward God and ourselves necessary for the journey, he introduces us to the basics of the Christian world view. Separate chapters discuss the foundations of knowledge and the relationship between knowing and doing. With an eye to the practical, Sire offers specific suggestions on getting to know what is good and getting to know the world. He also provides valuable insights on how Christians might approach various academic disciplines as disciples of Christ. Here is a book for all who desire to love God with their minds.