 | |
| Author | John Fleming |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Christian movements |
| Genre | non-fiction |
| Publisher | Thankful Books |
Publication date | December 2007 |
| Media type | Paperback |
| Pages | 345 pp (Paperback edition) |
| ISBN | 978-1-905084-15-9 |
Bind us Together is a book by John Fleming which was published in December 2007 by Thankful Books.
Bind us Together describes the restoration movement (also referred to as the British New Church Movement) that occurred in the church during the second half of the 20th century. This set out to re-evaluate the nature of the church that Jesus originally intended to establish. Hence the subtitle of the book is 'to be the church that Jesus really wants'. [1] The movement's attempt to revitalise church life has made a significant positive impact on the church scene in the UK. It emphasised the importance of every believer's contribution to the church, the sharing of life through home groups, and lively worship. These features have now become a common part of many churches across all the Christian denominations. The movement also looked at the way church should be structured, and this led to the development of apostolic teams and families of churches such as Newfrontiers.
The book is in three parts. The first describes the history of the restoration movement from the perspective of someone who was intimately involved with the development of a large restoration church in Southampton. The second part takes a fresh look at what can be gleaned from the Bible on the nature of church life. Finally the book addresses the question of the next key challenges for the church. It makes the hypothesis that unity between Christians should be a principal focus for the way ahead. It proposes that in each locality there should be just one Christian church comprising all believers in that area working together in harmony.
The book presents a challenge to church leaders to re-consider their priorities in moving forward and a message to all Christians that Jesus really cares about how they relate together in church.
Alongside his church role, Fleming is a professor of nuclear medicine physics at the University of Southampton. [2] [3] His book is published by Thankful Books who charge authors for "the design and production of the finished books" [4] so at least one review describes it as self-published. [2]
To be born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelicalism, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is distinctly and separately caused by the operation of the Holy Spirit, and it is not caused by baptism in water. It is a core doctrine of the denominations of the Anabaptist, Moravian, Methodist, Baptist, Plymouth Brethren and Pentecostal Churches along with all other evangelical Christian denominations. All of these Churches strongly believe Jesus's words in the Gospels: "You must be born again before you can see, or enter, the Kingdom of Heaven". Their doctrines also mandate that to be both "born again" and "saved", one must have a personal and intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.
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Oneness Pentecostalism is a nontrinitarian religious movement within the Protestant Christian family of churches known as Pentecostalism. It derives its name from its teaching on the Godhead, a form of Modalistic Monarchianism commonly referred to as the Oneness doctrine. The doctrine states that there is one God―a singular divine spirit with no distinction of persons―who manifests himself in many ways, including as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This stands in sharp contrast to the doctrine of three distinct, eternal persons posited by Trinitarian theology.
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Missional living is a Christian practice to adopt the thinking, behaviors, and practices of a missionary in everyday life, in order to engage others with the gospel message.
The Apostolic-Prophetic movement is a US-based Christian movement founded in the early 2000s. It is a network of non-denominational alliances of independent churches and ministries.
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