Background
Ellens, Jay Harold was born on July 16, 1932 in McBain, Michigan, United States. Son of John S. and Grace (Kortmann) Ellens.
( Today most people feel less interested in religion and ...)
Today most people feel less interested in religion and more interested in spirituality. If you ask what they mean, they will tell you that organized religion tends to turn them off, but, nonetheless, they feel a hunger in the heart that they cannot seem to fill. They do not mean that they would rather have disorganized religion; they mean that institutional religion does not seem to satisfy their spirits and feel there must be something more, some better way of experiencing whatever that is for which they are hungry. Much new experimentation is going on as a result. Some of it is a search for the meaning to fill the soul and satisfy the spirit; much of it is a search for meaning on the spiritual level itself. Spirituality reaches always toward the question about the meaning of God, the meaning of relationships with others, the meaning of intimacy, and the meaning of soul gratifying insights into truth. Here, Ellens carefully and sensitively explores the full range of our spiritual natures and the variety of spiritual experiences of which we are capable, describing the way our souls and psyches work in our hunger and thirst for meaning. He explains in an enlightening and unconventional way why and how every human desires to reflect upon, learn, and share a heartfelt experience of God and of others. Readers will find in this book a description of the meaning of the biblical stories about spiritual experiences in addition to descriptions of the kinds of spiritual experiences that ordinary people are having, how they are achieving them, and the ways in which they are filling their lives with meaning that goes beyond the horizons of material life. The author paints this picture in such a way as to let us in on what biblically based authentic spirituality and spiritual experience really is, and why it may or may not necessarily have anything to do with traditional institutionalized religion. He carefully and vividly explains the notion of spirituality as it is illustrated in the Bible and discusses spiritual experiences such as prayer, epiphany, visions, and other experiences. He considers whether spirituality is mainly a connection with God, with others, or with both. Readers hoping to get a better sense of what it means to be spiritual will have many of their questions answered in these pages.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/027599547X/?tag=2022091-20
( What is the Bible's stance on such controversial issues...)
What is the Bible's stance on such controversial issues as homosexuality and polygamy? What does it have to say about sexual behaviors that some would deem perverted or criminal? Is sex always wrong if it is not used to create life? Ellens answers these and other questions in a book that argues that our understanding of what the Bible has to say about sex is frequently misguided. He corrects our impressions with a look at the Scriptures themselves, considers what they might have meant to people in the past, and reflects on how we understand, or misunderstand, them today. Focusing on early interpretations and contemporary misconceptions, Ellens guides readers through what the Bible actually says, showing how these messages have been interpreted in different contexts, and suggesting new ways of reading and translating them for use in our own lives. Readers hoping to reach a better understanding of the Bible's views on sexual practices and sexuality in general will find their questions answered here. What does the story of Adam and Eve reveal about sex and sexuality? What does the Old Testament say about sex and how might we interpret that in our own lives today? How does the New Testament say we should behave in our sexuality and our lives? What lessons can we learn from a closer examination of the Bible and its teachings on human love, marriage, and sexuality? These are among the many questions Ellens answers in an effort to help us all come to a better understanding of the gift of sexuality and its attendant behaviors in our lives. In non-judgmental prose, he elucidates the Bible and our understanding of its teaching on these and related issues.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0275987671/?tag=2022091-20
educator minister philosopher psychotherapist
Ellens, Jay Harold was born on July 16, 1932 in McBain, Michigan, United States. Son of John S. and Grace (Kortmann) Ellens.
AB, Calvin College, 1953. Bachelor's Degree, Calvin Seminary, 1956. Master of Divinity, Calvin Seminary, 1986.
Master of Theology, Princeton Seminary, 1965. Doctor of Philosophy, Wayne State University, 1970. Master of Arts, University Michigan, 2000.
Pastor Newton Christian Reformed Church, New Jersey, 1961-1965, North Hills Church, Troy, Michigan, 1965-1968. Private practice psychotherapy Farmington Hills, since 1967. Pastor University Hills Church, 1968-1978, Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1980-1984, Erin Presbyterian Church, 1986-1988, Cherry Hill Presbyterian Church, 1994-1996, White Lake Presbyterian Church, 1998-2000, Troy Presbyterian Church, 2000—2001, since 2004, Mount Clemens 1st Presbyterian Church, 2001—2002, Peoples Presbyterian Church, Milan, 2003—2004.
Religious broadcaster television, weekly, 1970-1974, periodically to date. Lecturer humanities and classics Wayne State University, John Wesley College, Oakland University, 1970-1990, Wayne Community College, Oakland Community College, Calvin Seminary. Visiting lecturer Princeton Theological Seminary, 1977-1979.
With Institute for Antiquity and Christianity, Claremont University. Lecturer United States and abroad.
( What is the Bible's stance on such controversial issues...)
( Today most people feel less interested in religion and ...)
(Book by Ellens, J. Harold)
Served to colonel Army of the United States, 1956-1961, retired, 1992. Member Christian Association Psychological Studies (now executive director), American Association of University Professors, American Psychological Association, Society Biblical Literature, Speech Communication Association, Military Chaplain Association, Retired Officers Association, Archeological Institute American, American Personnel and Guidance Association, Military Order World Wars, American Science Association, World Association Christian Communicators.
Married Mary Jo Lewis, September 7, 1954. Children: Deborah, Jackie, Dan, Beckie, Rocky, Brenda, Brett.