Church History
Showing 301–400 of 437 results
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Oxford Guide To The Book Of Common Prayer
$47.99Add to cartThe Book of Common Prayer runs like a golden thread through the history of the Church of England and the worldwide Anglican Communion. The Oxford Guide to the Book of Common Prayer is the first comprehensive guide to the history and usage of the original Book of Common Prayer and its numerous descendants throughout the world. It shows how a seminal text for Christian worship and devotion has inspired a varied family of religious resources that have had an influence far beyond their use in the churches of a single tradition.
The Guide is unique. In it experts from every part of the globe and every branch of Anglicanism, as well as from the Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Methodist, and Unitarian traditions, provide an unparalleled examination of The Book of Common Prayer and its lineage. From 1549 to the Twenty-first Century, The Oxford Guide to the Book of Common Prayer offers a fascinating journey through the history and development of a classic of world literature.
Much more than simply a history, this volume describes how Anglican churches at all points of the compass have developed their own Prayer Books and adapted the time-honored Anglican liturgies to their diverse local cultures. In the dozens of editions now in use throughout the world, the same texts–Daily Prayers, the Eucharist, Marriage and Funerals, and many others–resemble each other, and yet differ from each other in interesting ways. A brief look at “electronic Prayer Books” offers a glimpse at how this story of development and adaptation may continue in the Information Age.
Oxford is pleased to publish a varied selection of The Book of Common Prayer in formats, features, and prices to suit every need and budget. We invite you to explore our Web site for further information regarding these fine resources.
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John Calvin Steward Of Gods Covenant
$23.00Add to cartThis selection of the writings of John Calvin (1509-1564) is the first for general readers to appear in many years. It showcases his powerful legacy, which has had far-reaching consequences for the development of religion and culture in Western Europe and in the shaping of American identity.
Calvin was a prodigious preacher and writer, and his sermons, Bible commentaries, tracts, and letters fill dozens of volumes. The works chosen for John Calvin: Steward of God’s Covenant highlight ideas central to the Reformation but also to his influence on modern life, e.g., the importance of a work ethic and the notion of being “called” to action in the world; his belief in universal education for boys and girls; and his belief in the sanctity and freedom of individual conscience. Calvin’s theology of the “elect” of God motivated the English and Dutch Calvinists who settled the Atlantic seaboard, their Promised Land. The traditions of their communities and churches and laws produced the widespread present-day American belief in a divinely favored national destiny.
In her brilliant preface to this edition, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Marilynne Robinson makes the clearest connection between John Calvin’s own biblical and patristic heritage and the heritage he in turn left the modern world.
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Concept Of Woman Volume 2 Part 2
$55.99Add to cartThis seminal work is the second volume of a widely praised study of the concept of woman in the history of Western philosophy. Sister Prudence Allen explores claims about sex and gender identity in the works of over fifty philosophers (both men and women) in the late medieval and early Renaissance periods.
Touching on the thought of every philosopher who considered sex or gender identity between A.D. 1250 and 1500, The Concept of Woman provides the analytical categories necessary for situating contemporary discussion of women in relation to men. Adding to the accessibility of this fine discussion are informative illustrations, helpful summary charts, and extracts of original source material (some not previously available in English).
Encyclopedic in coverage yet clearly organized and well written, The Concept of Woman will be an invaluable resource for readers interested in a wide range of disciplines.
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Concept Of Woman Volume 2 Part 1
$49.99Add to cartThis seminal work is the second volume of a widely praised study of the concept of woman in the history of Western philosophy. Sister Prudence Allen explores claims about sex and gender identity in the works of over fifty philosophers (both men and women) in the late medieval and early Renaissance periods.
Touching on the thought of every philosopher who considered sex or gender identity between A.D. 1250 and 1500, The Concept of Woman provides the analytical categories necessary for situating contemporary discussion of women in relation to men. Adding to the accessibility of this fine discussion are informative illustrations, helpful summary charts, and extracts of original source material (some not previously available in English).
Encyclopedic in coverage yet clearly organized and well written, The Concept of Woman will be an invaluable resource for readers interested in a wide range of disciplines.
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Modern Revivalism : Charles Grandison Finney To Billy Graham
$50.00Add to cartWipf And Stock Publishers
This book is concerned with religious revivalism in the United States since 1825. It attempts to explain the part which revivalism has played, and is playing today, in the social, intellectual, and religious life of America. The aim has been, in describing the development of modern revivalism and the men who devoted their lives to it, to look below the surface phenomenon in an effort to discover why revivals have constantly recurred, what their effects have been, and what they meant not only to those directly concerned but to all Americans. If the revivals of the past century and a quarter have not always been the crucial factors in the course of American history that their devout exponents claimed, they have nevertheless been more significant than the social historians have yet acknowledged. from the Preface
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Becoming Anabaptist : The Origin And Significance Of 16th Century Anabaptis (Rep
$26.99Add to cart1. Introduction
2. Anabaptism In Switzerland
3. South German And Moravian Anabaptism
4. Anabaptism In The Low Countries
5. The Meaning Of AnabaptismAdditional Info
When Becoming Anabaptist appeared in 1987, it was the first major study to incorporate the new history of multiple beginnings and diverse history of Anabaptism into a synthesis of meanings for the contemporary church. J. Denny Weaver’s second edition will continue to be welcomed by scholars and by church leaders alike. -
Short History Of Christianity
$13.99Add to cartWorshipped by 2 billion Christians (and revered by 1.3 billion Muslims), Jesus Christ is the most famous human being ever.
Yet how did this man from an obscure backwater in the Roman Empire achieve such extraordinary acclaim?
How did religion founded in his name grom to become the most powerful on earth? What has been its relationship through history with that other giant of religions, Islam?
In this fast-paced and entertaining book, journalist and historian Stephen Tomkins sets out to provide the answers. Beginning with the life of Jesus, he presents a warts-and-all portrait of the key people, events and movements in Christian history. For every debauched pope, murderous crusader and hate-filled inquisitor, there are glorious examples of heroic self-sacrifice, spiritual enlightenment and social transformation. Despite setbacks and conflict, the church has continued to change and grow, with the result that, at the start of the 21st century, its centre of gravity is moving south into sub-Saharan Africa and South America. The author ends by looking to the future, for the story is far from over.
All those wanting to understand where Christianity is going need to learn where it has come from, and in this book they will find a lively and informative guide.
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American Evangelical Story (Reprinted)
$25.00Add to cartThe American Evangelical Story surveys the role American evangelicalism has had in the shaping of global evangelical history.
Author Douglas Sweeney begins with a brief outline of the key features that define evangelicals and then explores the roots of the movement in English Pietism and the Great Awakening of the eighteenth century. He goes on to consider the importance of missions in the development of evangelicalism and the continuing emphasis placed on evangelism. Sweeney next examines the different subgroups of American evangelicals and the current challenges faced by the movement, concluding with reflections on the future of evangelicalism.
Combining a narrative style with historical detail and insight, this accessible, illustrated book will appeal to readers interested in the history of the movement, as well as students of church history.
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Devoted Life : An Invitation To The Puritans Classics
$37.00Add to cartIVP Print On Demand Title
This book is designed to introduce you to a wide range of influential Puritan writers and a representative work for each that pushes through stereotypes to the heart and soul of these Christian pastors and theologians. In these pages notable scholars, such as J.I. Packer, John Coffey, Mark A. Noll, Leland Ryken, Richard F. Lovelace and Sinclair Ferguson, invite you to sit at the feet of Puritan writers, ranging from William Ames, William Perkins and Richard Sibbes to Thomas Goodwin, John Milton, Richard Baxter, John Bunyan and Jonathan Edwards. What comes through is a living, three-dimensional portrait of the devoted life that emphasized the Christian experience of communion with God, corporate revival, biblical preaching, and the sanctifying working of God’s Holy Spirit.
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Orestes A Brownson A Print On Demand Title
$39.99Add to cartOrestes Augustus Brownson (1803-1876) was a philosopher, essayist, and minister whose broad-ranging ideas both reflected and influenced the social and religious mores of his day. This superb biography by Patrick Carey provides a thorough, incisive account of Brownson’s shifting intellectual and religious life within the context of American cultural history.
Based on a close reading of Brownson’s diary notebooks, letters, essays, and books, this biography chronicles the course of Brownson’s eventful life, particularly his restless search for a balance between freedom and communion in his relations with God, nature, and the human community. Yet Carey’s work is more than an excellent account of one man’s development; it also portrays the face of an important period in American religious history. What is more, 200 years after Brownson’s birth, America is marked by the same pressing social and religious issues that he himself addressed: religious pluralism, changing religious identifications, culture wars, military conflicts, and challenges to national peace and security. Carey’s book shows how Brownson’s values and ideas transcend his own time period and resonate helpfully with our own.
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Untold Story Of The New Testament Church
$15.99Add to cartA scholar of the New Testament Church and a forerunner of modern church renewal, Frank Viola casts his gaze back at the birth pangs of first century Christianity in this book. Using a “you-are-there” approach, this epic volume gives readers a first-hand account of how the witness of Christ’s testimony impacted the world. In the era right after the Day of Pentecost, the power of Holy Spirit prompted a massive harvest of souls yet a great persecution surged against those preaching Good News to the lost. Now, get up-close with apostles Paul, Peter, and John and learn of their personal struggles to fight for the faith amidst a backdrop of in-house strife and foreign tyranny
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God Entranced Vision Of All Things
$25.00Add to cartCommemorating the 300th birthday of Jonathan Edwards, this volume celebrates the philosopher-theologian’s life and legacy. General editors John Piper and Justin Taylor chose ten essays that enlighten different aspects of Edwards. Opening with biographical and historical background, contributors then examine lessons from Edwards still useful today, concluding with an analysis of three of his most influential and demanding works.
Contributors Stephen Nichols, J. I. Packer, Donald Whitney, Mark Dever, Sam Storms, and Mark Talbot – among others – are helpful in guiding today’s readers to understand the man who strived to glorify God in his personal life and public ministry.
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God You Have
$9.99Add to cartThe political hijacking of theological language and God’s prerogatives is always a danger. In this perceptive study, an Old Testament theologian sets these issues in the context of the Ten Commandments, and especially the First Commandment. From that statement of God’s person, work, and expectations of loyalty, Miller articulates the modern challenge of faithful living in a complex world with complex choices. As he states it, the abiding problem has been “the coalescence of God and country, the takeover of the language of faith in the speech of politics, and the confusion of loyalty with obedience.”
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Bonhoeffer Phenomenon : Portraits Of A Protestant Saint
$23.00Add to cartStephen Haynes offers a provocative assessment of the Bonhoeffer mystique, which interprets Bonhoeffer’s legacy through the medium of sainthood. Before casting an eye on the great pastor-theologian through a hagiographic lens, Haynes examines various receptions and appropriations of Bonhoeffer from different theological, ecclesial, and political contexts. Bonhoeffer is viewed from such divergent perspectives as radical theology and politics (exemplified in “death of God” theology), liberal theology and social ethics, conservative popular Christianity and evangelicalism, and lastly, the universal portrait of Bonhoeffer, which highlights his ecumenical significance. The Bonhoeffer Phenomenon provides an invaluable introduction to Bonhoeffer studies, while also offering its own unique analysis of Bonhoeffer’s life and thought.
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Wonderful Words Of Life
$31.99Add to cartAlthough the use of hymns in many evangelical congregations seems to be declining, Richard Mouw (in the introduction) predicts a resurgence of hymnody in the future. Other notable contributors examining the various historical and theological dimensions of hymns in American Protestantism include Mark Noll, Susan Wise Bauer, Kevin Kee, and Jeffrey VanderWilt. The essays probe the influence of Isaac Watts, the practical implications of hymns for living the Christian life, and the character of hymns as bearers of good (or bad) theology. Wonderful Words of Life provides an engaging treatment of an often neglected field of study, which bridges the gap between Christian belief and practice.
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Christian Assembly : Marks Of The Church In A Pluralistic Age
$24.00Add to cartWhat is church? What makes the church one? While these questions may seem innocuous, church has become conflicted territory, with internal factions, external pressures, and ecumenical turmoil all calling for a more positive, sturdy, more resilient notion of Christian community.
Wengert approaches the questions as a Reformation historian. He shows how the New Testament notion of ”marks” of the church was taken up by Martin Luther and developed by Phillip Melanchthon not as a descriptive tag but as a criterion for authenticity in Christian community. Lathrop, a liturgical theologian, shows concretely how those marks can stamp the worship life of a congregation as well as the evaluative work of congregations with their pastors, bishops, superintendents, and conference ministers. -
Songs Of The Isles
$25.00Add to cartMany people know of the Carmina Gadelica, the collection of Gaelic songs, prayers and blessings from the Hebrides, yet few have access to its five volumes published in Scotland between 1900 and 1952.
Here, an attractive selection is made for the contemporary reader and freshly translated to reflect the particular Christian experience of the people who composed them: Celtic Christians in the 7th to 9th centuries who worshipped the Trinitarian God, had a devotion to the Virgin Mary, the Archangels and the Saints, and a love of the Bible, especially the Psalms. Some 130 poems and prayers are included, arranged in eleven sections including The Power of Heaven, Home and Family and Soul Journey. An extended introduction opens up the world that produced these extraordinary and beautiful prayers and blessings.
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Anglicans And Orthodox
$25.00Add to cartElizabeth I deliberately divided her episcopate at the outset of her reign between Geneva reformers and bishops who looked to the Fathers of the Early Church. Thereafter in the Church of England there would always be divines who would be drawn to the Orthodox East. Such men suffered mightily in the 17th century at the hands of the first Puritans and then Whigs when these gained political power, and their suffering impelled them more and more to ‘look to the East.’
This book traces the fortunes of the quest, through the study of Greek texts, involvement in the intricate politics of the Near and Middle East, deprivation and isolation in the Nonjuror schism, and finally the rejection by the Greek Patriarchs of requests for Orthodox Communion in the 1720’s.
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Missions Nationalism And The End Of Empire
$46.50Add to cartChristian missions have often been seen as the religious arm of Western imperialism. What is rarely appreciated is the role they played in bringing about an end to the Western colonial empires after the Second World War. “Missions, Nationalism, and the End of Empire” explores this neglected subject.
Respected authorities on the history of missions explore new territory in these chapters, examining from diverse angles the linkages between Christianity, nationalism, and the dissolution of the colonial empires in Asia and Africa. This work not only sheds light on the relation of religion and politics but also uncovers the sometimes paradoxical implications of the church’s call to bring the gospel to all the world.
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Faith Cure : Divine Healing In The Holiness And Pentecostal Movements
$20.00Add to cartAs Holiness denominations began to emerge out of Methodism and other denominations, they were characterized by three distinctive teachings: sanctification, divine healing, and dispensational views of the second coming. This book will look at the second element: the roots of divine healing teaching, its results, its practitioners, its cultural milieu, its biblical and theological foundations, and its relevance today. In general, in this period Holiness and Pentecostal leaders offered healing as an experience and expectation within the community of faith and did not see themselves in any way as dispensers of healing. Their teaching and practice has persisted in many churches today. Hardesty focuses on the period from roughly 1870 to 1920, and in the last chapters, discusses spiritual healing and its connection with the broader cultural search for alternative medicines.
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What The Church Has Hidden From Us
$15.49Add to cartYou may have wondered why in the New Testament Yeshua (Jesus) and the apostles observed the Sabbath, Passover, and other Leviticus Chapter 23 festivals. Yet, you learned in church that Sunday replaced the Sabbath and Easter replaced Passover, and the other festivals are “Jewish things.” You may have also been taught that the Old Testament is indeed old and obsolete; it no longer has relevance to the modern-day Christian. The objective of this book is to carefully examine secular and biblical history to determine if these typical Christian beliefs reflect biblical truth. We analyze the combined impact of the “early church fathers” and the mystery religion, Mithraism, on biblical Christianity. We then examine the Old Testament, the Leviticus 23 festivals, and the New Testament. Are typical Christian beliefs accurate-or have some important things been added or rejected? Because Israel is central to this entire focus, the part she plays in this story also is carefully analyzed. Indeed, she is a vital piece of the puzzle, and the truth about her central role may surprise you.
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Theology Of The Heart
$29.00Add to cartBengt Hoffman elevates Christian spirituality and spiritual formation as proper subjects for serious theological study. This book reveals Luther’s mystical experience of God in a prayerful life to be essential in the development of his theology. It shows how the spiritual life is essential to Luther’s understanding of the gospel. Balanced by his emphasis on the “external Word” Luther’s experience of the divine was a critical influence on his understanding of faith and salvation.
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Jesus And Caesar
$19.95Add to cartThis book by Brian C. Stiller thoughtfully captures 20 years of insights and reflections from his work in the public square, providing an analysis for the biblical call to “occupy until I come” and a practical guide for serving God through serving our world. As president of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, Stiller bacame a key public voice for people of biblical faith. As founder and editor-in-chief of Canada’s national Christian magazine, “Faith Today,” he spoke out on these issues. He also hosted the national television program, Cross Currents, and is author of eight books. Today he serves as president of Tyndale College &Seminary. He and his wife Lily live in Newmarket, Ontario.
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Missionary Zeal And Institutional Control
$41.50Add to cartIn the historical literature on mission, this book stands out for its detailed examination of the of the organization dynamics that gave shape-and brought enduring success-to the Evangelical Missionary Scoiety at Basel. A first-rate account of the early Basel Mission on the Gold Coast of West Africa (present-day Ghana), this volume takes readers inside the mission itself, revealing its dynamic, though sometimes contradictory, methods of motivation and discipline and how they impacted effective evangelism both at home and abroad. Working from archival records, Jon Miller details the collaboration across class lines that made the mission possible, and he shows how basic pietist beliefs about authority and obedience were the source of both the mission’s strengths and its most serious internal weaknesses. Also included are two dozen photographs, a foreword by Richard V. Pierard, and an afterword by Paul Jenkins.
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To God Alone Be Glory
$57.00Add to cartIn this highly useful text, the fruit of extensive study and research, Harold Daniels tells the fascinating story of the history of Reformed worship in America, from the 1600s to the present. He describes the development and objectives of the Book Of Common Worship and explores how the book itself serves as an agenda for liturgical reform within the church. In a substantive second part of the book, Daniels provides the sources of the prayers and other material used in the Book Of Common Worship. Persons involved in planning, presenting, studying, or teaching about Presbyterian worship will benefit greatly from having a copy of this comprehensive resource in their personal library.
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60 Second Guide To Denominations
$14.99Add to cartThis easy-to-use, non-biased resource guide to all the major denominations in the US includes a summary of doctrinal beliefs, and is perfect for the new believer or the long-time Christian.
An alphabetical listing of over 300 denominations
Information concerning the church beliefs on over 20 major topics
Brief overview of church group history
Statements of faith
Stands on current issues and events of relevance for today
Contact information for denominational headquarters
A summary of doctrinal beliefs in a completely non-biased manner -
Noise Of Dry Bones
$22.99Add to cartGod is no different with the church. He shows in the Bible exactly how He wants the church to be organized and run. The Noise of Dry Bones documents Bible events, dialog, Greek word meanings – anything that God has been fit to put in the Bible on this topic. For you see, when the church leaves out or misapplies vital parts of God’s operational architecture, this is lawlessness, allowing the Devil to steal, kill and destroy… I don’t think the Almighty is concerned at all with church variety; He just wants to be the one in charge. When God just shows up at church, hearts are changed, sick bodies are healed and even the dead are raised to life. This happened in the first-century church. I believe all these changes in the church are inevitable. Jesus prayed for church unity in John 17 (“That they may be one even as We are One”). Ezekiel saw an end-time army of God made from dry bones that comes together “suddenly with great noise.” Have these happened yet? No. An army must be organized or it is no army.
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New Documents Illustrating Early Christianity 9
$43.99Add to cart148 Pages
Additional Info
This series seeks to keep New Testament and early church researchers, teachers, and students abreast of emerging documentary evidence by reproducing and reviewing recently published Greek inscriptions and papyri that illumine the context in which the Christian church developed. Produced by the Ancient History Documentary Research Centre at Macquarie University, the New Docs volumes broaden the context of biblical studies and other related fields and provide a better understanding of the historical and social milieus of early Christianity.Volume 9 reproduces, translates, and reviews a selection of Greek inscriptions and papyri that were first published or reissued in 1986 and 1987. The documents gathered here include secular texts as well as texts directly relating to Judaica and ecclesiastica. Some notable entries in this volume:
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Jesus And The Rise Of Early Christianity
$45.00Add to cartGain new insight into first-century Christianity as you explore the world of Caesars and Herods, proconsuls and Pharisees, Sadducees and revolutionaries. Presenting a well-reasoned response to current revisionist views, Barnett argues that we can’t fully comprehend the growth of the Christian faith apart from understanding Jesus’ impact on his followers—and ultimately the world.
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Pocket History Of The Church
$14.00Add to cartThe story of Christianity is a fascinating tale. Here we find drama, vision and expansion along with failure, setbacks and tragedy. Yet during the past two thousand years the power of Jesus is felt throughout the interplay of human actors and the forces of world events.
How can you grasp the story played out on such a gigantic stage? This book is an ideal place to start. D. Jeffrey Bingham has skillfully selected the key people and episodes to tell a grand and humbling story. From Roman persecution to the early creeds, from the monastic movement to the Reformation, from the rise of liberalism to missionary expansion, he chronicles the ups and downs of a people and a faith.
This pocket history has been crafted for students, pastors and other busy people who want an informed, clear and concise presentation that feeds the mind and moves the heart. It is an account that nurtures the Christian virtues of faith, hope and love. For Bingham aims not only to uncover the treasures of the church’s past but also to show how history aids your own spiritual journey today.
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2000 Years Of Charismatic Christianity
$16.99Add to cartOverwhelming evidence reveals contemporary Christianity roots in Pentecost! The world is taking notice and realizing that the fastest-growing segment in Christianity has an undeniable history with a pattern and a rich, deep foundation dating back to the New Testament. Explore overwhelming evidence that reveals how the gifts of the Holy Spirit not only have existed in the centuries since the early apostles, but have also survived the Middle Ages, the politicized church of Europe, and have experienced a spectacular revival this century. 2000 Years of Charismatic Christianity offers convincing evidence that the modern Pentecostal and Charismatic movements are rooted in the two-thousand-year history of the church. Those who identify with these movements will be affirmed in the experience of the Holy Spirit and will gain a new respect and appreciation for the movement of which they are a part. Those outside the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements will also benefit by reading this volume in that they will gain an understanding of this movement that Harvard professor Dr. Harvey Cox says is “reshaping religion in the 21st century.”
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Christians Cultural Interactions And Indias Religious Traditions
$41.50Add to cartChristianity has long been one of India’s religious traditions, but the extent to which the faith has influenced Indian society and culture has never been well documented. This important book is the first to do so.
A group of historians, missiologists, and religion scholars examines the fascinating but little known history of missionary Christianity in India, showing how it has played a significant role in the development of modern India at every level. Chapters deal with the interaction between Christianity and India’s “high culture,” with aspects of conversion among tribal people and outcasts beneath the hierarchy of Hindu society, and with the development of Indian churches and their relation to the wider culture.
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Mission (Student/Study Guide)
$20.99Add to cartThe author invites readers to explore both the basic meaning of the Christian understanding of mission, and new developments in mission theologies. After describing the various “captivities of mission” with plague North American Protestantism, the author argues for a robust and engaged practice of mission, beginning in congregations and extending to the broader Christian community. This volume provides a training overview of the theological issues and the history of mission that will inform theological students, pastors, lay study groups, and congregational leaders.
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Mandaeans A Print On Demand Title
$40.99Add to cartThis book brings together for the first time a complete introduction to Mandaeanism, a fascinating branch of Gnosticism that survives into modern times.
The first part of the book provides a historical and sociological introduction to Mandaeanism. Edmondo Lupieri begins by portraying the traditional way of life of the Mandaeans in Iraq and Iran and introduces readers to the world of Mandaean ideas and their literary production. He then reconstructs the history of the interaction between Mandaeanism and the Western world, beginning with Ricoldo di Montecroce, a thirteenth- century Italian monk who is the first known European to write about the Mandaeans, and continuing on to present scholarship. Lastly, Lupieri provides a critical analysis of Mandaean written and oral traditions concerning their origin, history, and self-understanding – including their view that they are the only ones on earth who possess the true and oldest faith.
The second part of the book is an anthology of translated Mandaean texts with notes. This gathering of writings presents the spiritual world of Mandaeanism with fragments of mythical-theological texts and pages of ethical and historical meditations. Special attention is given in the notes to the contraposition against other religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and other minor groups) and to the ideas Mandaeans have of biblical and historical figures.
Expertly researched, engagingly written, and enhanced with pictures of Mandaean art, this volume will interest a wide range of readers.
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Pastoral Theology In The Classical Tradition
$24.95Add to cartModern pastoral care, Andrew Purves believes, has been overly influenced by psychological theory and too often uninformed by historical practice. The result is a pastoral practice that has diminished the reality of God. In this book, Purves aims to reclaim pastoral theology as a theological discipline. He does this by examining classical texts from the tradition, texts that have the, and he argues that a thoughtful reading of these works–by Gregory of Nazianus, John Chrysostom, Gregory the Great, Martin Bucer, and Richard Baxter–will force a reevaluation of many of the assumptions that shape contemporary pastoral work. He includes a brief biography of each author, introduces the major themes in each writer’s pastoral theology, and discusses the issues relevant to pastoral work today.
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Christianity : A Global History
$24.99Add to cartDavid Chidester, one of the world’s foremost scholars of religion, traces Christianity’s growth and development from the time of Jesus to the dawn of the third millennium, revealing its rich diversity through the deeds and beliefs of heretics and saints, witches and healers, preachers and inquisitors. Chidester explores the emergence of the major streams of Christian thought and practice, distilling the cultural history of the Church and its impact on the world into this superbly readable book. Alongside this broad panorama is a richly human story that the author brilliantly encapsulates in incisive character sketches and historical vignettes.
Christianity, in all its many facets, has been and continues to be one of the most influential forces in history. Chidester shows that this religion, with its roots deep in the ancient world, has always been in a constant state of evolution, affecting and affected by the religions and societies around it. At times Christianity has coexisted peacefully with other forms of belief, exchanging ideas and practices with them. At other times profound, even violent, conflict has arisen. In this book David Chidester intelligently and objectively portrays Christians in different times and places, as a minority and as the majority group, a religion both absorbing and resisting the world around it. Christianity reveals the religion as it was and is lived in the life of everyday people rather than focusing on the dry dogmas and beliefs that fill most histories. Chidester’s accomplishment is to capture the complexity and grand sweep of this story in one remarkable volume that is destined to take its place as a classic of religious history.
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Old Testament Theology 2
$71.00Add to cartThis republication of a classic work contains a new introduction by Walter Brueggemann that places Gerhard von Rad’s work within the context of German theology, Old Testament theology, and the history of interpretation of the Old Testament. In Old Testament Theology, von Rad applies the most advanced results of form criticism to develop a new understanding of the Bible. His original approach is now available once again in English.
The Old Testament Library provides fresh and authoritative treatments of important aspects of Old Testament study through commentaries and general surveys. The contributors are scholars of international standing.
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Old Testament Theology 1
$72.00Add to cartThe reissue of Gerhard von Rad’s Old Testament Theology is a most welcome event, as welcome as it is important to us. It is clear that von Rad (1901-1971), long-time professor in the University of Heidelberg, is the defining and preeminent interpreter of the Christian Old Testament in the twentieth century, and that this two-volume work is the most definitive publication in his long, prolific scholarly career. Von Rad’s work occupies such a dominant place in twentieth-century theological exposition that it is possibile and useful to trace theological interpretation in the twentieth century in terms of periods “pre-von Rad, von Rad, and post-von Rad.” While that sequence has already become “history” for us at the outset of the twenty-first century, it is clear that the turn von Rad has wrought in expository method and horizon continues to inform our work in decisive ways and will continue to do so for years to come.
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Imaginative World Of The Reformation
$26.00Add to cartMore than a change in political, religious, and social structures, the early Reformation signaled a profound shift in the perception of reality. Matheson’s lucid study draws on sermons, pamphlets, letters, paintings, and woodcuts to reveal the spiritual vitality of the era and the revolutionary power that transformed ordinary people’s lives.
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Memoirs Of The Spirit A Print On Demand Title
$33.99Add to cartEach of the twenty-six autobiographical reflections is prefaced by a brief biographical introduction by editor Edwin Gaustad and full-page portrait of its author, if available. Together, these chapters illustrate the wide range of faiths coloring American history: conservative and liberal Protestantism, conservative and liberal Catholicism, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and others. Memoirs of the Spirit offers an enlightening view of America’s rich religious past_and suggests the multiplicity that is America’s religious future.
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Fragmentation Of The Church And Its Unity In Peacemaking A Print On Demand
$28.99Add to cart241 Pages
Additional Info
The gospel places peacemaking at the center of the identity of the Christian church. Over the centuries, however, churches have divided over the specific place of this peacemaking imperative in their lives and teachings. This volume offers deep, ecumenical discussion of the relationship of the church to its peacemaking mission from the standpoints of history and the contemporary context. Contributors representing ten major faith traditions address this crucial topic from the perspective of their own churches and explore pathways that could lead to the reconciliation of existing differences. -
John Newton And The English Evangelical Tradition A Print On Demand Title
$35.99Add to cartThis acclaimed volume explores the life and religious thought of John Newton (1725-1807), the famous converted slave-trader who wrote the hymn “Amazing Grace.” Drawing on extensive, untapped archival and antiquarian sources, D. Bruce Hindmarsh’s scholarly yet thoroughly enjoyable book, called “a milestone in evangelical historiography,” offers the best available study of Newton’s life and the wider English evangelical tradition.
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When Jesus Became God
$19.99Add to cartA thoroughly researched and vivid re-creation of one of the most critical periods in the history of Western religion
The life of Jesus, and the subsequent persecution of Christians during the Roman Empire, have come to define what many of us know about early Christianity. The fervent debate, civil strife, and bloody riots within the Christian community as it was forming, however, is a story that is rarely told. Richard E. Rubenstein takes readers to the streets of the Roman Empire during the fourth century, where a divisive argument over the divinity of Jesus Christ was underway. Ruled by a Christian emperor, followers of Jesus no longer feared for the survival of their monotheistic faith, but they found themselves in different camps-led by two charismatic men-on the topic of Christian theology. Arius, an Alexandrian priest and poet, preached that Jesus, though holy, is less than God, while Athanasius, a brilliant and violent bishop, saw any diminution of Jesus’ godhead as the work of the devil. Between them stood Alexander, the powerful Bishop of Alexandria, in search of a solution that would keep the empire united and the Christian faith alive.
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Protestant Scholasticism : Essays In Reassessment
$39.99Add to cartTraditionally Protestant theology, between Luther’s early reforming career and the dawn of the Enlightenment, has been seen in terms of decline and fall into the wastelands of rationalism and scholastic speculation. Editors Trueman and Clark challenge this perception in this transatlantic collection of eighteen essays covering: Luther and Calvin; Early Reformed Orthodoxy; the British Connection; From High Orthodoxy to Enlightenment; and the Rise of Lutheran Orthodoxy.
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Discovering Our Roots
$16.99Add to cartThis rich and challenging book explores the roots or ancestry of the Churches of Christ and others who stand as heirs to the Stone-Campbell movement of the early nineteenth century. It asks, “Where did we come from? How did we get this way? Why do we read the Bible the way we do? What has been the heart of our movement?” And it asks further,”What can we learn from those who have viewed restoration of apostolic Christianity in ways quite different from our own?”
The authors begin their story in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries – the age of Renaissance and Reformation. They isolate the stream of restorationist thought that arose in that age and then follow that stream through the Puritans, the early Baptists in America, the frenzy of pure beginnings in the early decades of American nationhood, and down to the Stone-Campbell movement.
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Brief History Of Christian Worship
$23.99Add to cart192 Pages
Additional Info
Writing from an ecumenical perspective, White surveys 2,000 of Christian worship, emphasizing the rich liturgical experiences of North American Christians in recent centuries. A groundbreaking revisionist work that is destined to redirect liturgical history by treating the worshipping community itself as the primary liturgical document. 192 pages, softcover from Abingdon. -
Occasions Of Grace
$43.95Add to cartThis latest offering of Byron Stuhlman is the third in his trilogy on the Prayer Book. It is also the conclusion of his study of the liturgy of the church begun in his previous book, Redeeming the Time. This book deals with the pastoral offices and episcopal services in the Book of Common Prayer using the method known as “comparative liturgy.” Stuhlman’s purpose is to explore at a deeper level the theological connections between these services and the faith which they articulate, rendering them effective in shaping lives according to the gospel.
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Introduction To The Episcopal Church (Revised)
$18.95Add to cartThis classic resource offers an enlightening overview of the Episcopal Church’s fascinating history and lore, including the Church year, buildings, symbolism, its vestments and customs. The author also offers insights into the Church’s government, Bible and Prayer Book, moral law, doctrine, sacraments, and requirements. Appendices on preparation for confirmation, an aid to self – examination, and prayers.
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Authority Vested A Print On Demand Title
$31.99Add to cartIn recounting the history of the denomination, TOdd uses the ministry of women as a case study to show how the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod has continually redefined its concept of authority in order to maintain its own historic identity. Based on oral histories and solid archival research, Authority Vested not only explores the internal life of a significant denomination but also offers critical insights for other churches seeking to maintain their Christian distinctives in religiously pluralistic America.
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Greco Roman World Of The New Testament Era
$35.00Add to cartJeffers opens the narrative of Scripture and tours everyday Greco-Roman life. Advancing understanding of the New Testament and early Christianity, he treats class and status, family and community, work and leisure, religion and organization, city and country, law and government, death and taxes, and epochal events of Roman history. Includes photos and illustrations.
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Religion Of The Earliest Churches
$30.00Add to cartPicking up where he left off in The Historical Jesus: A Comprehensive Guide, Theissen discusses religion as “a cultural sign language that promises a gain in life by corresponding to an ultimate reality”; and presents Christianity as a religion with elements of myth, ritual, ethics, and an emergent symbolic system.
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Reclaiming Our Roots 2
$59.95Add to cartThis second volume carries readers on a whirlwind journey from the eve of Reformation to developments of Christianty in the twentieth century. As in the first volume, Mark Ellingsen gives special attention to the history of Christianity in the southern hemisphere, the church among minority cultures in North America, and the role of women in church history
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Torch Of The Testimony
$14.95Add to cartThe 2,000 year history of those Christians – and churches – that have stood outside the Protestant-Catholic tradition. This book was originally published in India in 1964 and is little known in the western world. Beginning in the first century John Kennedy traces the history of Christian groups who remained outside formalized religion down through the ages. A stirring, passionate and sometimes heart-rending story of suffering to the centrality of Christ within the Body of Christ.
John W. Kennedy is from Great Britian, but has lived in India since 1952 ministering among indigenous and apostolic Christian groups.
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Retrieving The Tradition And Renewing Evangelicalism
$30.50Add to cartThis one-of-a-kind book is meant to help Protestant Christians read and receive the early church fathers as an essential part of their faith. Written primarily for the evangelical, independent, and free church communities, who remain largely suspicious of church history and the relationship between scripture and tradition, Retrieving the Tradition and Renewing Evangelicalism clearly explains why every branch of today’s church is indebted to the doctrinal foundations laid by post-apostolic Christianity.
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Martin Luther Volume 3
$39.00Add to cartThe third volume of Brecht’s magnificent biorgraphy describes the final fourteen years of Luther’s life, beginning with the accession of Elector John Frederick in 1532. A work of immense and engaging scholarship, gracefully translated by the late James Schaaf, this volume offers comprehensive and original interpretations of Luther’s private life, his congregation and the church in Saxony, his professorial lectures and theological controversies, Bible translation, Luther and the Council of Trent, and his later writings about the Jews and Turks.
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Remaking Of Evangelical Theology
$50.00Add to cartIn this in-depth historical analysis of evangelical theology, Dorrien describes how evanelicalism has developed and matured. Beginning at the turn of the twentieth century and the start of the fundamentalist-modernist controversies, he notes the key figures and institutions of the evangelical movement. He also shows how evangelicalism has both diversified and entered into the broader theological discussions of today.
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Reading Scriptures With The Church Fathers
$28.00Add to cartWho were the church fathers? Why should we read their works? In this fascinating introduction to patristic commentary, Hall examines the writings of Augustine, Athanasius, Chrysostom, and others to show how they interpreted the Bible in the centuries after it was first written. His analysis will help you understand and apply ancient insights from the early church.
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Study Of Anglicanism (Revised)
$49.00Add to cartIn this authoritative volume, thirty-one of the world’s leading Anglican scholars presents the first sustained and thorough account of the history and ethos of the Churches of the Anglican Communion from the Anglican reform of the sixteenth century to its global witness today.
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Early Church History
$19.99Add to cartWhen busy people want to know more about the Bible and the Christian faith, the Zondervan Quick-Reference Library offers an instant information alternative. Covering the basics of the faith and Bible knowledge in an easy-to-use format, this series helps new Christians and seasoned believers find answers to their questions about Christianity and the Bible.
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Dictionary Of The Later New Testament And Its Developments
$70.00Add to cartPreface
How To Use This Dictionary
Abbreviations
Transliterations
List Of Contributors
Dictionary Articles
Scripture Index
Subject Index
Articles Index
1290 PagesAdditional Info
1998 GOLD MEDALLION WINNERThe Dictionary of the Later New Testament and Its Developments follows the Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels and the Dictionary of Paul and His Letters as the third in a celebrated series of reference works on the Bible. Picking up where the previous volumes left off, this volume includes in its scope the book of Acts, the general epistles of Peter, James, Jude and John, and the books of Hebrews and Revelation. This Dictionary is without peer in its in-depth coverage of the most neglected books of the New Testament.
In addition to its coverage of this New Testament literature, a unique and valuable feature of this dictionary is its extended coverage of developments in early Christianity through A. D. 150. Some articles, such as those on each of the apostolic fathers, focus exclusively on this post-apostolic period. But nearly all topical articles take into consideration the writings of the apostolic fathers. Readers will enjoy a deeper and expanded understanding of how orthodox Christianity continued and developed in the years just following the New Testament era. No other single-volume reference work provides comparable coverage and assessment of the early patristic era and its theology.
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Medieval Church : From The Dawn Of The Middle Ages To The Eve Of The Reform
$31.99Add to cartWhy is it that one’s concept of the medieval church has a direct bearing on one’s attitude toward ecumenism? What were the methods and strategies used to evangelize Europe as Christianity moved out of its Mediterranean birthplace? This book address these questions and many more that demonstrate the pervasive influence of the past on modern piety, practice, and beliefs. For many years, this period of church history has been ignored or denigrated as being the “dark ages”, an attitude fostered by Englightenment assumptions. Yet not only does this millennium provide a bridge to the early church, it created modern Europe, its nations, institutions, and the concept of Christendom as well. This book, written in an easily accessible style, introduces the reader to the fascinating interplay of authority and dissent, the birth and development of doctrinal beliefs, the spirituality of the common person, and the enduring allure of Christian mysticism.
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Bible In English Translation
$20.99Add to cart128 Pages
Additional Info
Choosing a translation of the Bible in the English language used to be relatively simple. At most, one would have been forced to choose between the king James Version and the Revised Standard Version. A visit to the bookstore today reveals a bewildering array of choices: in addition to the venerable KJV there are the NRSV, NIV, JB, REB, NASB, GNB, NKJV, CEV, LB, and more. Adding to the confusion which this variety of translations produces are the hundreds of editions in which they appear. So which do you choose? This book will help students of the Bible evaluate, for themselves, the strengths and weaknesses of the different contemporary English translations of Scripture. To aid the reader in making that assessment, Sheeley and Nash begin with a brief overview of the Bible’s structure and history, highlighting the development of the canon and pointing out the major events in the story of the Bible’s translation into English. -
Makers Of Christian Theology In America
$49.99Add to cartThis important reference work presents critical, analytical, and interpretive essays on more than ninety figures who have been particularly important in shaping and influencing the development of Christian theology in America. The work is organized into four major sections: The Colonial Period (1607-1789); The National Period (1789-1865); The Post Civil War Period (1865-1918); and The Modern Period (1918-1970). Each section has a separate introduction by the editors tracing major theological developments in that historical period. A substantial concluding article by Martin Marty traces theological developments, trends and movements in American theology since 1965.
Each essay includes: (1) basic biographical data regarding the life, career, and major writings of the figure; (2) an analysis of the key theological issues and/or concepts to which the figure responded; (3) a critical discussion of the major theological themes developed in the course of the figure’s career; and (4) an assessment of the immediate influence of the figure’s thought and its significance for subsequent theological developments. Brief bibliographies at the end of each essay point readers to the most important and useful primary and secondary literature for each figure.
“Makers of Christian Theology is a welcome and long-needed addition to reference and textbook possibilities for courses on Religion in North America. . . . It is dramatically more inclusive and even-handed in its selection of figures for an historical orientation to theological developments in North American Christianity than any previous attempt. . . . Both the design of the book and the content of the individual essays reflect the fruit of the best current work on Christian theology in America. I recommend it highly!” –Randy L. Maddox, Professor of Religion and Philosophy
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Holiness Teaching New Testament Times To Wesley
$39.99Add to cartHeart purity, perfect love, entire sanctification–though John Wesley is acclaimed as the chief articulator of the doctrine in modern times, believers have both sought and known its truth in every generation of the Church. Included in this collection of Holiness classics are writings from the Shepherd of Hermas, Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Bernard of Clairvaux, and others. The volume editor introduces each writers contributions with pertinent facts and commentary that place them in their proper historical and doctrinal context. Volume I in the six-volume set of Great Holiness Classics, this text is a must for any serious student of holiness or theology. Cloth.
344 pages.
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Faithful Volunteers : The History Of Religion In Tennessee
$16.95Add to cartA celebration of the unique history and character of religion in Tennessee, from the earliest pioneer days to the present, this book covers the state’s spiritual topography from a nonsectarian viewpoint. More than just a history of religion, it puts religious events into their proper cultural contexts. Illus.
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Book Of Acts
$16.99Add to cartIn these days of renewed outpouring of the Holy Spirit, God’s people are looking once again at the book of Acts. The Book Of Acts is designed to give emphasis to early church history and the ministry of the Holy Spirit. This insightful text unlocks the keys to the success and impact of the early Christian church and its relevance today.
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Concept Of Woman Volume 1
$53.99Add to cartA careful and well-written historical study of the thinking about women in the Western world. It provides a sympathetic justification for some feminist intuitions that, at this point, are not well grounded philosophically. It will be well received by those who respect the difficulties feminism points to but see the exaggerastion and false directions it is going in.
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10 Great Ideas From Church History
$24.00Add to cartTired of church growth fads? Church leaders from the past 500 years can give you all the vision you need! You’ll be inspired with key strategies from the lives and writings of Martin Luther, John Calvin, Jonathan Edwards, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and more. Here are practical, powerful, time-tested, biblical ideas that will grow your church!
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Oxford Movement In Context
$60.99Add to cartThis study breaks new ground in setting the Oxford Movement in its historical and theological context. Peter Nockles conducts a rigorous examination of the nineteenth-century Catholic revival in the Church of England, and shows that in many respects this revival had been anticipated by a revival of the Anglican High Church tradition in the preceding seventy years. No other study offers such a comprehensive treatment of the extent of divergence, as well as of continuity, between the Oxford Movement and the older High Churchmanship preceding it.
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Jewish Apocalyptic Heritage In Early Christianity
$49.00Add to cartThe five chapters of this volume, written by four different authors, together investigate the ways in which early Christians appropriated Jewish apocalyptic material. An introductory chapter surveys ancient perceptions of the apocalypses as well as their function, authority, and survival in the early Church. The chapter also raises important issues about the way modern scholars view apocalyptic thought. The second chapter focuses on a specific tradition by exploring the status of the Enoch-literature, the use made of the fallen-angel motif and the identification of Enoch as an eschatological witness. Christian transmission of Jewish texts is a topic whose significance is more and more being recognized, thus chapter htree analyses what happened to 4, 5, and 6 Ezra while being copied and edited within Christian tradition. Chapter four is devoted to regional developments of apocalyptic traditions, particularly by sectarian Christian circles in Egypt. The fifth and last chapter studies the apocalyptic perception of history, especially Daniel’s vision of 70 weeks, as used and adapted by early Christian authors.
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Lay People And Religion In The Early 18th Century
$103.00Add to cartThis book investigates the part that Anglicanism played in the lives of lay people in England and Wales between 1689 and 1750. It is concerned with what they did rather than what they believed. Using personal papers, popular publications and church records, Jacob demonstrates that Anglicanism held the allegiance of a significant proportion of all people. He shows that early eighteenth-century England and Wales remained a largely traditional society and that Methodism emerged from a strong church, which was central to the lives of most people.
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Why America Needs Religion A Print On Demand Title
$23.99Add to cartThis is a print on demand book and is therefore non- returnable.
What is wrong with America? It has often called itself a Christian nation, yet its social and moral problems are legion. The increasing rates of crime, juvenile delinquency, teenage pregnancy, sexual promiscuity, and divorce are frequently linked to the declining importance of religious belief. But is there more than a presumed link between the strength of personal religiousness and moral behavior? Yes, says Guenter Lewy, and the large quantity of empirical data in existence which establishes that link ought to move people – Christians and non-Christians alike – to sit up and take note.
In this trenchant analysis of the moral decline of modern America, Lewy describes the moral crisis caused by secular modernity and points to the role of religiousness – especially Christian religiousness – as a necessary bulwark against today’s social ills. This work is all the more intriguing in that Lewy is an agnostic who has nonetheless concluded that a society that cuts itself off from the religious roots of its moral heritage is doomed to decline.
Lewy traces the rise of secularism in Western society, focusing particularly on the cult of individualism, and describes the social consequences of the weakened role of religion. He demonstrates that the crisis of the family and the rise of the underclass in our inner cities are linked to the decline of traditional values and shows, on the basis of surveys and other empirical data, that genuine religiousness can ward off some of the corrosive effects of modernity. Lewy concludes by calling on Christians, adherents of other faiths, and true humanists to join forces in the struggle to reverse the current ethos of radical individualism that threatens the moral integrity of our society.
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People Of The Book A Print On Demand Title
$39.99Add to cartThis astute and challenging work by David Lyle Jeffrey seeks to characterize illustratively the historic commitment of Christianity to the literacy and literature of Western culture.
Against postmodernist tendencies to divide the historical commitment to meaning in Western art and literature as a regressive “logocentrism,” Jeffrey argues that the biblical tradition – the cultural and literary identity forged among Western Christians by virtue of being a “People of the Book” – has in fact given rise to Western literacy. Jeffrey here offers a fresh and generous look at the Christian “grand narrative” as it is reflected in Western literature, making apt use of the visual arts by incorporating a series of twenty-eight black-and-white illustrations that serves to enrich and fortify the story it tells.
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Old Testament Theology 2
$71.00Add to cartIn this work, a part of the Old Testament Library series, Horst Preuss provides a comprehensive analysis of the theology of the Old Testament. He focuses on a detailed assessment of Israel’s responses to God’s acts of election and covenant with them as a people.
The Old Testament Library provides fresh and authoritative treatments of important aspects of Old Testament study through commentaries and general surveys. The contributors are scholars of international standing.
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Early Christian Fathers
$18.99Add to cartPart of the Library of Christian Classics series, Early Christian Fathers is the best single-book introduction to the early church fathers, providing an enriching and informative introduction to first and second century Christian thought.
With a brief introduction and extensive notes also accompany each letter or work, making Early Christian Fathers a great study aid.
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History Of Christianity In Africa
$41.99Add to cartThis book examines the origins and development ofChristianity in Africa from the early story of EgyptianChristianity to the spectacular growth, vitality, anddiversity of the churches in Africa today.
The book opens with Christianity in Antiquity and shows howEgypt and N. Africa produced some of the most influentialintellects of the time. She then discusses the churchesfounded in the wake of early contacts with Europe, from thelate fifteenth century on, and the unbroken Christian witness of Coptic Egypt and of Ethiopia. Isichei also examines the different types of Christianity in modern Africa and shows how social factors have influenced its development and expression.
With the explosive growth of Christianity now taking place in Africa–393 million adherents projected by the year 2000- and the increasingly recognized significance of AfricanChristianity, this book fills the void in scholarly works onAfrica’s Christian past. -
In Her Words
$35.99Add to cartIn Her Words illustrates the contributions made to contemporary Christian theology by the increasing number of female theologians. Oden compiles selections from the writings of major female theologians from the early church through the present. The older selections have been translated into modern English. Each selection is accompanied by a brief introduction outlining its historical and theological context. Selections from the early church include Perpetua, The Martyrdom of Crispina, The Martyrdom of Agape, Irene, and Chione; from the monastic and middle period are Clare of Assisi, Hildegard of Bingen, Leoba, Julian of Norwich, and Catherine of Siena; and post-1500 C.E. include Teresa of Avila, Jane de Chantal, Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Georgia Harkness.
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After The Apostles
$23.00Add to cartPerhaps the most enigmatic period of the Christian era, the second century was nonetheless decisive for the survival and posture of the fledgling churches. Their scriptural canon, liturgical practices, church structure, doctrinal norms – all were forged in the tumult of this century. Through deft use of available data and texts, Wagner brings this period to life. Selecting five fateful challenges – issues of Creation, human nature, Jesus’s identities, roles of the church, and Christianity in society – he shows what was at stake for emerging Christianity in the social and religious currents of its Jewish and Greco-Roman environs and how five key personalities (Ignatius, Justin, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, and Irenaeus) responded. Wagner’s text successfully brings events, ideas, persons and movements into a single framework.
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1st Theologians A Print On Demand Title
$31.99Add to cartThe First Theologians represents an important contribution to the scholarly investigation of the nature and function of early Christian prophecy.
This topic, occasioned by Harnack’s publication of The Didache text in 1884, is one that continues to vex New Testament scholars, who have been unable to reach widespread assent on certain pressing questions: What were the function and location of the prophets in early Christianity? What were the nature and authority of their prophesying? What were the forms and content of their prophecy? Such questions point up the issues involved in the inquiry as it has developed, but the question of just what early Christian prophets were doing when they were prophesying remains open.
Thomas Gillespie refocuses the issue by looking at the apostle Paul’s own description of the prophetic phenomenon in 1 Corinthians. From a careful exegesis of Paul’s arguments in chapters 12 and 14 and 2:6-16, Gillespie puts forth the idea that Paul understood Christian prophecy “as Spirit-inspired interpretation of the theological and ethical implications of the apostolic kerygma.” Because prophecy represents primary reflection on the implications of the gospel, its yield may be termed theology. Therefore Gillespie is able to call the early Christian prophets the first true theologians of the church.
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Beyond Charity : Reformation Initiatives For The Poor
$22.00Add to cartThe common stereotype is that the Reformers separate public and private morality and were indifferent to the ethical import of social structures and institutions. Beyond Charity calls this understanding into question by providing an analysis of the historical situation and translationof primary documents. The medieval point of view, formed by piety of achievement, idealized poverty — either as voluntary renunciation or as almsgiving. In either case the material effects on actual poverty were slight, and the religious endorsement of poverty precluded urban efforts to address this growing problem. The Reformers impelledby their theology, developed and passed new legislative structures for addressing social welfare needs. The key to their undertakings was the conviction that social ethics is the continuation of community worship. In the first half, this book sets forth the medieval context, details Luther’s critique of the profit economy of his day, and analyzes the actual social welfare programs that issued from his theology. The second half provides translations of selected legislative programs from the church orders of the Reformation.
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Dawn Of The Reformation
$35.99Add to cartThroughout these essays there runs a common theme: the need to place the Reformation movement in its medieval context, and to bridge the ideological gaps between late medieval, Renaissance, and Reformation studies. The opening chapters consider late medieval thought and the emergence of the young Luther at the center of the Reformation movement. There follows a study of the impact upon Luther of the philological, spiritual, and philosophical traditions of sixteenth-century Europe. These traditions are fully examined in order to discern what Luther and his followers silently ignored or rejected, and so to delineate what is new and original in early Reformation thought. The remaining chapters move from Luther to the wider world of events marking the Reformation era: the Peasant War, the Copernican Revolution, the beginning of the Counter reformation and the reforms initiated by the Council of Trent.
