Church History
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Why Church History Matters
$30.99Add to cartForeword
Abbreviations
Introduction
Part One: How We Understand The Tradition
1. What Is The Tradition?
2. How Have We Understood Tradition Historically?
3. How Do We Understand The Tradition Today?Part Two: Expanding Circles Of Inquiry
4. Who Am I? History And Christian Identity
5. A Great Cloud Of Witnesses: Christian Community Across The Centuries
6. Accountability Partners: Sharing Accountability With Historic Christians
7. Mentors And Friends: Historic Christians Broaden Our Horizons And Fill Gaps In Our UnderstandingPart Three: Tradition Serving The Church
8. Rightly Dividing The Word Of Truth: Christian Exegesis Across The Centuries
9. Tradition And Ministry Celebrate The Body Of ChristRecommended Resources For Ministry
Additional Info
Does it matter how Christians in other times and places thought? If the Bible alone is God’s revelation, why spend time studying the history? Aren’t history and tradition more a problem than a solution? For many Christians who believe the Bible is the only ultimate authority for faith and life, questions about the role and value of the church’s traditions can be difficult to tackle. But let’s be honest: even those of us who admit that church history is important are often too intimidated or busy to delve into it deeply. And for students, it’s sometimes difficult to see how church history matters in practical ways for future vocations inside and outside the the contemporary church. In this wide-ranging book, veteran teacher Bob Rea tackles these barriers to understanding and embracing the signifiance of the faith and practice of our spiritual forebears. Rea not only skillfully explains why church history matters — he shows why it should matter to you. -
Living Our United Methodist Beliefs
$7.99Add to cartWhat beliefs set United Methodists apart from other denominations? How has Methodism changed since its beginning in the 18th century?
Living Our United Methodist Beliefs is the Leader’s Guide for a course that will help participants better understand United Methodist beliefs and history. It is ideal for a new members class or an adult confirmation class.
Use the Leader’s Guide with these companion components:
Living Our Beliefs: The United Methodist Way by Kenneth L. Carder
A Brief History of The United Methodist ChurchIn this course participants will:
discover the relationship of doctrine to the missional movement of Methodism and its theological influence on the practical structure and disciplines of early Methodists
learn about the formation of Methodist denominations as an important part of the history of The United Methodist Church
explore the Wesleyan understanding of grace, the means of grace, and how practicing spiritual disciplines leads to holiness of heart and life. -
Story Of The Philadelphia 11
$37.95Add to cartTo release at the 40th anniversary of the ordinations
* First book to tell the story in first-person interviews
Darlene O’Dell and Carter Heyward tell the story of the historic ordination, introducing us
to the 11 women involved, the paths that brought them together on that day-and what
has changed (or not changed) in the life of the church over the intervening years.AUDIENCE: For ordained women (and those who wish to be) across denominations,
church historians, seminarians, feminists, theologians, and general readers with an
interest in this historical development. -
No Lasting Home
$12.00Add to cartIt is summer, 1940. As Hitlers armies turn mainland Europe into a mass graveyard, his feared Luftwaffe rain bombs on England. Meanwhile, amid the green hills of the Cotswolds, a nest of enemy aliens has been discovered: the Bruderhof, a Christian community made up of German, Dutch, and Swiss refugees, and growing numbers of English pacifists. Having fled Nazi Germany to escape persecution, the Bruderhof had at first been welcomed in England. Now, at the height of the Battle of Britain, it is feared. Curfews and travel restrictions are imposed; nasty newspaper articles appear, and local patriots initiate a boycott. Determined to remain together as a witness for peace in a war-torn world, the little group of 300 half of them babies and young children looks for a new home. No country in Europe or North America will take them. And so they set off across the submarine-infested Atlantic for the jungles of ParaguayIn this gripping tale of faith tested by adversity, Emmy Barth lets us hear directly from the mothers, fathers, and children involved through their letters and diaries. Especially eloquent are the voices of the women as they faced both adventure and tragedy.
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Revivals In The Bible
$17.99Add to cartDo you hunger for revival in your family? In your church? City? Nation? Do you long for a fresh move of God in your own life? If so, you are ready for a revival borne from the very words of Scripture. Biblical revival is exactly what Pastor Vernon C. Lyons offers throughout the pages of The Revivals in the Bible. According to Lyons, Christians have resorted to polls, market research, and surveys on how to conduct successful revivals for far too long. In our zeal we seem to have forgotten that old Book, the Bible, in which God’s ordained revivals are recorded. And for the first time, twenty biblical revivals, their characteristics and attributes, are contained in one book, The Revivals in the Bible. You will find out: * What sparked the revivals in the Bible * Who God used to kindle revivals in families, churches, cities, and nations * What stirs God to ignite a revival Vernon C. Lyons, pastor, author and patriarch, has served Chicago’s Ashburn Baptist Church since 1951. Under his leadership, Ashburn Baptist has founded thirty-eight other churches in the United States.
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Demon Possession And The Believer In The Early Church
$22.49Add to cartIn this world there is a proliferation of reality shows and movies that focus on the paranormal and the supernatural realm. The resurgence of interest in the supernatural appears to be pervading every area of life, including the religious. While some scholars dismiss the notion of demons and demonic possession, others readily acknowledge their reality. In particular, bible scholars, ministers, and counselors have a vested interest in this area.
However, their professional opinions may differ greatly as to whether a Christian can be demon-possessed. A major reason for this impasse is the ongoing influence of the Age of Enlightenment. It represents an anti-supernatural worldview that denies the existence of the spiritual realm. Thus, in order to by-pass the influence of the Age of Enlightenment on modern day interpretation of demon possession, this study presents the records of the early Church Fathers from A.D. 100 to A. D. 500. Their original accounts are presented, critiqued, analyzed, and evaluated to determine what they communicated about demon possession and the Christian. What was uncovered not only has major ramifications for the Church today, but also informs the world at large about the reality of the spirit worl
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60 People Who Shaped The Church
$22.00Add to cartThe Church exists today in its current form because of the people who have come before us. Who were those people? Staid and dour scholars? Cultural movers and shakers? How does their contribution to history affect us today?
From a consummate storyteller comes this collection of inspiring biographical sketches of people who played pivotal roles in advancing the Kingdom of God on earth. In rich prose and spanning twenty centuries of church history, these engaging narratives range from the well-known to the obscure, highlighting personalities such as Josephus, Francis of Assisi, Thomas Aquinas, Galileo, John Calvin, Blaise Pascal, Jonathan Edwards, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, William Wilberforce, G. K. Chesterton, and many others. Readers will feel the past come alive and mingle in their minds with the present state of the Church, encouraging and galvanizing them to live their own faith courageously in our time–and shape the Church of the future.
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Liberating Black Church History
$20.99Add to cart“No serious scholar in biblical studies today can introduce students to his or her field without taking into account the contributions of African American scholarship. The long traditions of biblical interpretation in the black church, and the innovative research and writing performed by African-American scholars in recent years are now essential components of a critical study of the Bible.
Yet up to now, knowing how best to introduce the fruits of African American biblical scholarship to students, particularly those in the survey class, has been difficult. Good resources exist, yet too often they were not written with the needs of introductory students in mind. This book meets that need by providing an overview of the most important developments in African American approaches to biblical scholarship. Written with the needs of beginning students in mind, it will offer insight into the particular ways that African American scholarship has shaped the world of biblical study.”
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Book Of Saints The Middle Era
$16.99Add to cartFamilies are living stories. They tell us where we came from, guide us as we live our lives, and help us see who we could become. Especially priceless are the lives and words of those who came before us. Christ-followers from earliest times to the present enrich us with their insight and inspiring examples. In the face of political, social and theological challenges, these saints lived lives faithful to the gospel story. The Book of Saints II: The Middle Era is a devotional gateway to the thoughts and insights of church leaders, teachers, and spiritual mentors who lived between the early fourth and early fifteenth century. Living in a world of change, conflict, and controversy, these saintly persons have much to say to us today. Their words and life stories, along with prayers and Scripture selections, are brought together in this book to inspire and challenge us to a life of love and holiness, the great themes of our family story.
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Peoples History Of Christianity One Volume Student Edition (Student/Study Guide)
$49.00Add to cartOn its release, the seven volume A People’s History of Christianity was lauded for its commitment to raising awareness of the ways in which ordinary Christians have lived throughout more than twenty centuries of Christian history. Now, the essential material from that important project is available for classroom use.
This one volume edition contains careful selections and abridgements of the original content and covers the entire scope of church history. It provides a valuable overview on such topics as birth and death, marriage and family life, baptism rites, food, power, heresy, and more. Students are both informed and inspired by seeing the importance of ordinary Christians in shaping Christianity across time.
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From The Reformation To The 21st Century Student Edition (Student/Study Guide)
$39.00Add to cartOn its release, the seven volume A People’s History of Christianity was lauded for its commitment to raising awareness of the ways in which ordinary Christians have lived throughout more than twenty centuries of Christian History. Now, the essential material from that important project is available for classroom use.
This volume contains careful selections and abridgements of the original content organized to fit ideally into a course in Christian history. It provides a valuable overview on such topics as birth and death, baptism rites, food, power, heresy, and more. Students are both informed and inspired by seeing the importance of ordinary Christians in shaping Christianity across time.
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From The Early Church To The Reformation Student Edition (Student/Study Guide)
$49.00Add to cartOn its release, the seven volume A People’s History of Christianity was lauded for its commitment to raising awareness of the ways in which ordinary Christians have lived throughout more than twenty centuries of Christian History. Now, the essential material from that important project is available for classroom use.
This volume contains careful selections and abridgements of the original content organized to fit ideally into a course in Christian history. It provides a valuable overview on such topics as birth and death, baptism rites, food, power, heresy, and more. Students are both informed and inspired by seeing the importance of ordinary Christians in shaping Christianity across time.
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Shepherds Of The Empire
$49.00Add to cartThe late nineteenth century was a time of rapid industrialization, mass politicization, and modern philosophy. The resulting political and cultural upheaval confronted the German Protestant church with deep questions of identity.
On the one side sat an educated academic guild whose explorations of history, philology, and emerging social scientific disciplines gave rise to serious questions about the Christian faith and its meaning for today.
On the other sat parish clergy faced with the complexities of daily life and leadership in common communities. For these parish clergy the pressure was great to support and bolster people not only in their life as Christians, but in their life as Germans.
Shepherds of the Empire engages timeless questions of identity and faith through the time-bound work of four key thinkers who attempted, and ultimately failed, to carve a middle way for the German parish clergy in that environment.
The volume focuses on the life and work of Adolf Stoecker (1835-1909), Martin Kahler (1835-1912), Adolf Schlatter (1852-1938), and Christoph Blumhardt (1842-1919).
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Distinctive People : A Thematic Study Of Aspects Of The Witness Of Baptists
$49.99Add to cartIn the twenty-first century there are an increasing number of books in different fields that are evaluating critically aspects of life in the previous century. The Religious History of British people in this period is a significant part of that story. A Distinctive People will evaluate aspects of the history of one of the Christian denominations in Scotland looking at major themes such as Baptist attitudes to war and pacifism, the influence of the charismatic movement and their involvement in social action, their contribution to ecumenical relations in Scotland and relationships with fellow Baptists in other countries, together with the theological influences on Baptists, and a chapter on home mission.
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Underground Church
$19.99Add to cartThe Chinese house church is one of the most misunderstood and controversial subjects in Christian world missions today. Many questions about it abound, such as…
*How did it start?
*How does it work?
*How is it led?
*Why does it continue to experience revival?
*Is it necessary, now that China has extended religious freedoms?Much of the confusion is caused by the Chinese government, which deceives journalists and foreign missionaries with promises of religious freedom that are never kept.
The truth is, the house churches of China are growing at a phenomenal rate. Never in the history of the world have so many people in such a short time left one belief system for another without a hostile revolution. Lives in China are being transformed daily by the gospel of Jesus Christ and the display of His miraculous power.
The Underground Church demystifies the Chinese house church movement, with real-life examples and personal testimonies from Chinese Christians. The movement’s unique characteristics-both good and bad-are addressed, as well as how they have led to the church’s astonishing growth.
Be amazed at what God is doing in China!
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Children Aflame With The Spirit
$6.95Add to cartIn the 1700’s John Wesley, the renowned Methodist preacher, experienced amazing outpourings of the Holy Spirit, not only upon adults, but on children and youth as well. Read testimonies from children as young as two and a half years of age to fifteen years old. Others were taken into heaven in trances; many as young as six years or age, spoke with the wisdom of the aged. Is this possible in our generation? Author and revivalist David Walters says, EMPHATICALLY “YES!” David Walters known as an Apostolic Grandfather, is President of Good News Ministries. Not only are there amazing accounts from Wesley’s journals, but also similar accounts from David’s own experience with children and youth to show that God is still the same today as He was in Wesley’s day. In teaching the current generation obviously Christian education is important, but this booklet will take you beyond mere religious instruction of knowledge in the head to drop into the heart in order for this generation to have a real dynamic encounter of God’s power and love.
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Gods Ploughman : Hugh Latimer A Preaching Life 1485-1555
$39.99Add to cartGod’s Ploughman, provides a unique study of the life and ministry of one of early modern England’s most significant preachers. Rather than offering a biography or analysis of sermons, the author creates a new genre, the ‘preaching life.’ The result is an integrative study that situates Latimer’s life and ministry within the rapidly changing religious, cultural, and political environment of Tudor England.
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Do This In Remembrance Of Me
$120.00Add to cartBryan Spinks is one of the worlds leading scholars in the field of liturgy and to have a comprehensive work by him on the Eucharist is a major catch for SCM. Like the authors previous work on Baptism, this will become a standard work about the Eucharist and Eucharistic theology worldwide. The book, a study of the history and theology of the Eucharist, is the third volume in the SCM Studies in Worship and Liturgy series and will help to establish the series as a place for landmark books of liturgical scholarship. This book will be aimed at undergraduate and graduate theology students, clergy and theologically literate laity. It will assume some technical knowledge (i. e. it is not an introduction to liturgy or introduction to sacraments), but will attempt to outline what the evidence is, and what current scholars think. On occasions it will advance or argue for why one interpretation is preferable to another.
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Preaching In Hitlers Shadow
$25.99Add to cartA revealing window into Christian opposition inside Nazi Germany
What did German preachers opposed to Hitler say in their Sunday sermons? When proclaiming Christ could cost a pastor his life, what words encouraged and challenged him and his congregation?
Preaching in Hitler’s Shadow begins with an extended exploration of preaching inside the Third Reich that enables readers to better understand the danger each pastor confronted every time he went into the pulpit. Dean Stroud pays special attention to the role language played in the battle over the German soul, pointing out the use of Christian rhetoric in opposition to Nazi language.
The second part of the book presents thirteen translated fulllength sermons by a variety of preachers, including Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Karl Barth, Rudolf Bultmann, and others not as well known. A running commentary on each text offers cultural and historical insights, and each sermon is preceded by a short biography of the preacher.
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Paul And Jesus
$18.99Add to cartThis fascinating examination of the earliest years of Christianity reveals how the man we call St. Paul shaped Christianity as we know it today.
Historians know almost nothing about the two decades following the crucifixion of Jesus, when his followers regrouped and began to spread his message. During this time Paul joined the movement and began to preach to the gentiles. Using the oldest Christian documents that we have-the letters of Paul-as well as other early Christian sources, historian and scholar James Tabor reconstructs the origins of Christianity. Tabor shows how Paul separated himself from Peter and James to introduce his own version of Christianity, which would continue to develop independently of the message that Jesus, James, and Peter preached.
Paul and Jesus illuminates the fascinating period of history when Christianity was born out of Judaism.
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Do This In Remembrance Of Me
$104.00Add to cartBryan Spinks is one of the worlds leading scholars in the field of liturgy and to have a comprehensive work by him on the Eucharist is a major catch for SCM. Like the authors previous work on Baptism, this will become a standard work about the Eucharist and Eucharistic theology worldwide. The book, a study of the history and theology of the Eucharist, is the third volume in the SCM Studies in Worship and Liturgy series and will help to establish the series as a place for landmark books of liturgical scholarship. This book will be aimed at undergraduate and graduate theology students, clergy and theologically literate laity. It will assume some technical knowledge (i. e. it is not an introduction to liturgy or introduction to sacraments), but will attempt to outline what the evidence is, and what current scholars think. On occasions it will advance or argue for why one interpretation is preferable to another.
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Power Politics And The Missouri Synod
$34.00Add to cart1. Change And Reaction In The LCMS: 1938-1965
2. Countermovement: 1965-1969
3. Power, Politics, And The Purge: 1969-1974
4. Genie On The Loose: 1974-1981Additional Info
Power, Politics, and the Missouri Synod follows the rise of two Lutheran clergymen-Herman Otten and J. A. O. Preus-who led different wings of a conservative movement that seized control of a theologically conservative but socially and politically moderate church denomination and drove “moderates” from the church in the 1970s. The schism within what was then one of the largest Protestant denominations in the United States ultimately reshaped the landscape of American Lutheranism and fostered the polarization that characterizes today’s Lutheran churches.Burkee’s story, supported by personal interviews with key players and church archives sealed for over twenty years, is about more than Lutheranism. The remaking of this one Lutheran denomination reflects a broader movement toward theological and political conservatism in American churches-a movement that began in the 1970s and culminated in the formation of the “Religious Right.”
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1 Nation Under God
$17.95Add to cartOne Nation Under God follows the spiritual direction of our country from the time the Puritans landed in the new world up to today. Our loss of faith in God and how that loss has impacted our society is profiled. It includes quotes from some of the people that had the most influence on the growth of our once great nation and some of the people and events that have caused our nation to decline economically, socially, and morally.
One Nation Under God includes many landmark court cases that have affected our way of life in the way the American people can worship the Lord in public and in private. One Nation Under God is a map of our rise to greatness and our decline to the potential oblivion of this once “”light on the hill”” for all the world to follow. It also is a guide on how to reclaim our greatness by turning back to God for His forgiveness and guidance.
The farther away we move from God the worse our society becomes. One Nation Under God sets out to prove to the country—possibly the world—that we are a Christian nation. -
Life Of Saint Martin Of Tours Large Print (Large Type)
$12.00Add to cartSt Martin the Bishop of Tours is a saint from France from the 5th century A.D. He was a solider in the Roman army till he was attracted to the monastic life. He was later ordained a priest then a bishop of the city of Tours. The Coptic Church celebrates his feast on the 14th of Hatour. All Time Heroes from all Times, is a series that we plan to publish for a long time. This series presents the lives of some of the church saints and heroes of faith from the time of Jesus till today. Some of these books will be printed others will only be available in Kindle format.
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History Of Christian Theology
$45.00Add to cartA modern classic, A History of Christian Theology offers a concise yet complete chronicle of the whole of Christian theology, from its background in the history of Israel to the liberation and postliberal theologies of recent years. This updated thirtieth anniversary includes expanded treatments of theological developments at the end of the twentieth century, and preliminary trajectories for theology in the twenty-first century. It also includes updated bibliographies and revised chapters on important innovations in biblical studies, and their impact on theology. This updated and revised edition will continue to aid the work of both students and faculty for years to come.
William C. Placher.is to be congratulated for having done what many would have considered impossible. In slightly more than 300 pages he has chronicled the whole history of Christian theology, from its background in the history of Israel to the various modes of liberation theology in the late 20th century. Moreover, he has touched almost all of the important bases and has dealt with significant figures, issues, movements in an incisive and illuminating manner. This intellectual history, a story of people and their ideas, is a delight to read. I predict it will be widely used not only in college and seminaries, but also in lay institutes and study groups. — John D. Godsey in The Christian Century
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Priests And Politics
$35.99Add to cartSince Christianity is an ethical as well as a mystical religion and since individuals live in communities, the church is bound to be involved in politics and other social action that determines the quality of human life. So argues Trevor Beeson in this study of how the Church of England’s leaders responded to the radical social changes that transformed life in Britain during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Their response was never prompt and rarely enthusiastic,and all too often the bishops resisted change in society as well as in the church. Nonetheless there were always a few prophets who recognised the need for reform and sometimes led the way to its realisation.
Trevor Beeson traces the course of a fascinating period of history, starting from the time when church and state were bonded in an all-embracing unity, then moving through turbulent and and sometimes violent times in which the church struggled to discover a new vocation.
Trevor Beeson analyses 18 key issues of the period in his usual robust style together with pen-portraits of the leading figures involved.. He ends with a critical evalualtion of the performances of some recent church leaders and outlines what he believes to be the appropriate basis for the intervention of bishops and other clergy in an increasingly secularised society that no longer recognises their authority.
The duty to make pronouncements of Christian principle remains but these must normally point decision-makers in constructive directions rather than offering directives for the solutions of complex social and economic problems.
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Rise Of Reformed System
$39.99Add to cartThis work establishes the significance of the thought of Puritan William Ames (1576-1633) in deepening and systematizing established Reformation teaching on Christian doctrine and life in a way that ensured its subsequent development through the early modern period and beyond.
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Encounters With Orthodoxy
$30.00Add to cartWhen author and theologian John P. Burgess first travelled to Russia, he was hoping to expand his theological horizons and explore the rebirth of the Orthodox Church since the fall of Communism. But what he found changed some fundamental assumptions about his own tradition of North American Protestantism. In this book, Burgess asks how an encounter with Orthodoxy can help Protestants better see both strengths and weaknesses of their own tradition. In a time in which North American Protestantism is in decline-membership has now fallen to below 50% of the population-Russian Orthodoxy can help Protestants rethink the ways in which they worship, teach, and spread the gospel. Burgess considers Orthodox rituals, icons, saints and miracles, monastic life, and Eucharistic theology and practice. He then explores whether and how Protestants can use elements of Orthodoxy to reform church life.
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Making Sense Of Sex
$27.99Add to cartThis book is about listening to what writers were saying about sex in early Judaism and Christianity — ancient words surprisingly relevant for today. It functions as both a summary and a conclusion to William Loader’s five previous books on sexuality in a form accessible to those who may not have a background knowledge of early Judaism and Christianity. It also contains a useful subject index to those five previous volumes.In examining thoroughly all the relevant writings and related evidence of the Greco-Roman period, Loader dialogues with scholarship related to each writing in order to make his conclusions as objective as possible. By enabling the reader to listen respectfully to these ancient texts, Attitudes towards Sexuality in Early Jewish and Christian Literature provides a basis for informed discussion of sexual issues today.
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What Is Christianity
$45.00Add to cartWith over twenty years in the classroom, Gail Ramshaw frames this new introduction to Christianity survey text around the basic questions students ask. Taking a broad social-scientific approach and integrating historical context, she anchors each chapter in phenomenological theory and teases out the answers to each chapters question by surveying the history, doctrine, practices, and convictions of Christianity.
Written for students with little to no background in Christianity, the book contains student-friendly learning helps including chapter summaries, photos and charts, “I am a Christian” statements that illustrate the diversity of practice and belief, study questions, suggestions for further exploration in both books and film, a glossary, and an index.
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Karl Barths Emergency Homiletic 1932-1933
$45.99Add to cartWhat does a theologian say to young preachers in the early 1930s, at the dawn of the Third Reich?
What Karl Barth did say, how he said it, and why he said it at that time and place are the subject of Angela Dienhart Hancock’s book. This is the story of how a preaching classroom became a place of resistance in Germany in 1932-33 — a story that has not been told in its fullness. In that emergency situation, Barth took his students back to the fundamental questions about what preaching is and what it is for, returning again and again to the affirmation of the Godness of God, the only ground of resistance to ideological captivity.
No other text has so interpreted Barth’s “Exercises in Sermon Preparation” in relation to their theological, political, ecclesiastical, academic, and rhetorical context.
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Joseph Smale : God’s ‘Moses’ For Pentecostalism
$49.99Add to cartJoseph Smale was a catalytic figure in the church life of los Angeles, leading many towards the ‘Promised land’ of Pentecostal blessing in 1905-1906; although his subsequent experiences led him to retreat from the burgeoning Pentecostal movement. Joseph Smale (1867-1926) was one of the central figures involved in the chain of events leading to the 1906 Azusa Street revival in los Angeles. This study presents the diverse influences which impacted Smale – formative years in Britain, growing up in Cornwall and Somerset amid a rhythm of Wesleyan revival; reformed theological training under the tutelage of C.H. Spurgeon in London; migration to the united States; plus hard experiences in the ‘school of anxiety’ – which were all precursors for Smale’s influential role as champion of Pentecostal revival. Smale’s leadership will resonate with every church leader who prays for revival and longs for more Holy Spirit power experimentally. Furthermore, his story is also educative for those contending with some of the more problematic and ‘untidy’ aspects of Pentecostal-Charismatic experience, involving painful power struggles, hurts, abuse of freedom, spiritual excesses and so on. Smale’s ‘Moses’ designation and biography still have relevance for the church in the present day.
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Trinity Of Saints
$25.00Add to cartIntroduction
Timeline
1. And There Was Darkness
2. The Lamp Is Lit
3. An Irish Exile
4. From Exile To Eternal Fame
5. Saint Kentigern (Mungo)
6. One Church?
Envoi
Notes On Sources
IndexAdditional Info
How did Christianity come to Scotland? A sixteen-hundred-year-old fog of mystery separates us from the dawn of Christianity in Scotland – but there are some intriguing signposts. -
Aspects Of Reforming
$49.99Add to cartExperts in Reformation studies identify and elucidate areas of sixteenth century reforming activity in Martin Luther, John Calvin and other leading reformers to demonstrate the thoroughgoing nature of the Reformation agenda. By careful reading of both the historical situation and the primary texts this volume adds significantly to our understanding of the period.
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To All Nations From All Nations
$58.99Add to cartSharing the Good News might be understood as the prime directive of the Church from its earliest times, but the Church soon discovered unforeseen obstacles and its own set of temptations, including its lust for power and domination. Although the gospel might be joyfully offered, it was not always received in the same spirit. And the Church was not always gracious with dissent and criticism. Even so, the Church continues to reach out to the least, the last, and the lost-attempting to bring them into the family of God. But for mission to be effective today, it must take advantage of indigenous resources and recognize its limitations as well as its gifts.
This book broadly introduces prominent missionary practices and major historical figures using three perspectives. First, it takes into account the missionary activity proceeding from the margins rather than only discussing the center of theological and ecclesial activity. Second, it narrates the cross-cultural, cross-confessional, and cross-religious dynamics that characterize Christian missionary activity. And third, it emphasizes that much missionary activity is generated by national rather than international missionaries. The text concludes with a chapter on the postmodern and postcolonial world.
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Christianity After Religion
$16.99Add to cartDiana Butler Bass, one of contemporary Christianity’s leading trend-spotters, exposes how the failings of the church today are giving rise to a new “spiritual but not religious” movement. Using evidence from the latest national polls and from her own cutting-edge research, Bass, the visionary author of A People’s History of Christianity, continues the conversation began in books like Brian D. McLaren’s A New Kind of Christianity and Harvey Cox’s The Future of Faith, examining the connections-and the divisions-between theology, practice, and community that Christians experience today. Bass’s clearly worded, powerful, and probing Christianity After Religion is required reading for anyone invested in the future of Christianity.
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Presbyterians And American Culture
$37.00Add to cartThis book provides a history of Presbyterians in American culture from the early eighteenth to the late twentieth century. Johnson assesses both the theological and cultural development of American Presbyterianism, with particular focus on the mainline tradition that is expressed most prominently in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). He explores how Presbyterian churches-and individuals rooted in those churches-influenced and were influenced by the values, attitudes, perspectives, beliefs, and ideals assumed by Americans in the course of American history. The book will serve as an important introduction to Presbyterian history that will interest historians, students, and church leaders alike.
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Interfaces : Baptists And Others
$49.99Add to cartWhat, the authors ask, has been the Baptist experience of engaging with different groups and developments? The theme has been explored by means of case studies, some of which are very specific in time and place while others cover long periods and more than one country. In the first half the contents are arranged by period. The first section examines early Baptists, the second nineteenth-century Baptists in Britain and America and the third Baptists in the twentieth century. The second half turns to various parts of the world: Australia, New Zealand, Asia and Africa. The overall picture is one of a complicated series of relationships as Baptists defined themselves as different from other bodies and yet, especially in the twentieth century, tried to co-operate in mission and ecumenical endeavour.
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World Changers : Fascinating Figures From Church History
$14.99Add to cartThey Served the Lord They Loved
Bible teacher Herbert Lockyer presents brief biographical sketches of the stirring deeds and extraordinary accomplishments of some of the greatest men of God in church history. Though human, with their own faults, flaws, and missteps, these men had a passion to serve God in a needy world, and their stories still thrill our hearts and create within us a desire to follow Christ, wherever He may lead us.
The biographies include…
*Martin Luther
*George Wishart
*John Knox
*Robert Murray McCheyne
*David Livingstone
*John Bunyan
*John Wesley
*Charles Haddon SpurgeonThese men were outstanding and strategic witnesses for Christ. Their influence and encouragement of God’s church continues to build up the faith of believers, even today.
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Early Church And Today 2
$25.99Add to cartThe Early Church and Today is a collection of scholarly articles by an acclaimed specialist in early Christianity written for a broad audience. The topics taken from the New Testament and other early Christian literature are relevant for the church today. The articles are grouped in the following categories: Volume 1, church and ministry; Volume 2, Christian living, biblical interpretation, the restoration motif, religious liberty, and the book of Acts of the Apostles.
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Encyclopedia Of The Stone Campbell Movement
$103.99Add to cartWith roots in British and American endeavors to restore apostolic Christianity, the Stone-Campbell Movement drew its inspiration from the independent efforts of nineteenth-century religious reformers Barton W. Stone and the father-son team of Thomas and Alexander Campbell. The union of these two movements in the 1830s and the growth of the new body thrust it into a place of significance in early nineteenth-century America, and it quickly spread to other parts of the English-speaking world.
From its beginnings the Movement has developed into one of the most vital and diverse Christian traditions in the world. Today it encompasses three major American communions — Churches of Christ, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and Christian Churches/Churches of Christ — as well as united churches in several other countries.
Over ten years in the making, The Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement offers for the first time a sweeping historical and theological treatment of this complex, vibrant global communion. Written by more than 300 contributors, this major reference work contains over 700 original articles covering all of the significant individuals, events, places, and theological tenets that have shaped the Movement. Much more than simply a historical dictionary, this volume also constitutes an interpretive work reflecting historical consensus among Stone-Campbell scholars, even as it attempts to present a fair, representative picture of the rich heritage that is the Stone-Campbell Movement.
Scores of photographs and illustrations (many quite rare) enrich and enliven the text, and an extensive, carefully prepared index facilitates ready access to important information throughout the volume. The Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement — a standard reference work for religious, academic, public, and personal libraries everywhere. Features of this encyclopedia:
Presents over 700 articles on the people, events, churches, and beliefs that comprise the Stone-Campbell tradition
Provides cutting-edge commentary on current topics of discussion as well as basic historical knowledge
Written by more than 300 scholars from across the Stone-Campbell Movement
Enlivened with photographs and illustrations (some quite rare) from around the world Includes an extensive index for rapid reference -
Calvin And The Reformed Tradition
$44.00Add to cartRichard Muller, a world-class scholar of the Reformation era, examines the relationship of Calvin’s theology to the Reformed tradition, indicating Calvin’s place in the tradition as one of several significant second-generational formulators. Muller argues that the Reformed tradition is a diverse and variegated movement not suitably described either as founded solely on the thought of John Calvin or as a reaction to or deviation from Calvin, thereby setting aside the old “Calvin and the Calvinists” approach in favor of a more integral and representative perspective. Muller offers historical corrective and nuance on topics of current interest in Reformed theology, such as limited atonement/universalism, union with Christ, and the order of salvation.
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Loving The Poor Saving The Rich
$35.00Add to cartThe issue of wealth and poverty and its relationship to Christian faith is as ancient as the New Testament and reaches even further back to the Hebrew Scriptures. From the beginnings of the Christian movement, the issue of how to deal with riches and care for the poor formed an important aspect of Christian discipleship. This careful study shows how early Christians adopted, appropriated, and transformed the Jewish and Greco-Roman moral teachings and practices of giving and patronage. As Helen Rhee illuminates the early Christian understanding of wealth and poverty, she shows how it impacted the formation of Christian identity. She also demonstrates the ongoing relevance of early Christian thought and practice for the contemporary church.
Contents
Introduction
1. The Social, Economic, and Theological World of Early Christianity
2. Wealth, Poverty, and Eschatology
3. Wealth, Poverty, and Salvation
4. Wealth, Poverty, and Koinonia
5. Wealth, Poverty, and Ecclesiastical Control
6. Wealth, Poverty, and Christian Identity
7. Wealth, Poverty, and Christian Response in Contemporary Society
Index -
Early Church And Today 1
$25.99Add to cartThe Early Church and Today is a collection of scholarly articles by an acclaimed specialist in early Christianity written for a broad audience. The topics taken from the New Testament and other early Christian literature are relevant for the church today. The articles are grouped in the following categories: Volume 1, church and ministry; Volume 2, Christian living, biblical interpretation, the restoration motif, religious liberty, and the book of Acts of the Apostles.
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Book That Made Your World
$26.99Add to cartUnderstand where we came from.
Whether you’re an avid student of the Bible or a skeptic of its relevance, The Book That Made Your World will transform your perception of its influence on virtually every facet of Western civilization.
Indian philosopher Vishal Mangalwadi reveals the personal motivation that fueled his own study of the Bible and systematically illustrates how its precepts became the framework for societal structure throughout the last millennium. From politics and science, to academia and technology, the Bible’s sacred copy became the key that unlocked the Western mind.
Through Mangalwadi’s wide-ranging and fascinating investigation, you’ll discover:
*What triggered the West’s passion for scientific, medical, and technological advancement *How the biblical notion of human dignity informs the West’s social structure and how it intersects with other worldviews
*How the Bible created a fertile ground for women to find social and economic empowerment
*How the Bible has uniquely equipped the West to cultivate compassion, human rights, prosperity, and strong families
*The role of the Bible in the transformation of education
*How the modern literary notion of a hero has been shaped by the Bible’s archetypal protagonistJourney with Mangalwadi as he examines the origins of a civilization’s greatness and the misguided beliefs that threaten to unravel its progress. Learn how the Bible transformed the social, political, and religious institutions that have sustained Western culture for the past millennium, and discover how secular corruption endangers the stability and longevity of Western civilization.
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Desert Fathers And Mothers
$21.99Add to cartWisdom from the very beginnings of
Christian monasticism can become a companion on your own spiritual journey.The desert fathers and mothers were ordinary Christians living in solitude in the deserts of Egypt, Palestine and Syria who chose to renounce the world in order to deliberately and individually follow God s call. They embraced lives of celibacy, labor, fasting, prayer, and poverty, believing that denouncing material goods and practicing stoic self-discipline would lead to unity with the Divine. Their spiritual practice formed the basis of Western monasticism and greatly influenced both Western and Eastern Christianity.
Their writings, first recorded in the fourth century, consist of spiritual advice, parables and anecdotes emphasizing the primacy of love and the purity of heart as essential to spiritual life and authentic communion with God. Focusing on key themes of charity, fortitude, lust, patience, prayer, self-control and visions, the Sayings influenced the rule of St. Benedict and have inspired centuries of opera, poetry and art.
Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, opens up wisdom of the desert fathers and mothers for readers with no previous knowledge of Western monasticism and early Christianity. She provides insightful yet unobtrusive commentary that describes historical background, explains the practice of asceticism and clarifies the ancient desert wisdom that will speak to your life today and energize your spiritual quest.
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To Meet And Satisfy A Very Hungry People
$39.99Add to cartThis study aims to elucidate the origins of how the Pentecostal message came to England, highlighting reasons for its appeal to an initially small constituency, while tracing its emergence in specific religious localities which ranged from Anglican vestry, to mission hall platform, to domestic drawing room. Its chief purpose is to examine the origins and emergence of a distinctively English version of the Pentecostal phenomenon.
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Creeds Councils And Controversies (Reprinted)
$50.00Add to cartAn unsurpassed collection of primary texts from early Christianity. Focusing on the “golden age” of Greek and Latin patristics, this classic resource features difficult-to-find materials from Hilary of Poitiers, Ammianus Marcellinus, Cassian, Jerome, Augustine, Egeria, Cyril, and others. Topics include Arianism, baptism, heretics, martyrs, monasticism, the Council of Ephesus, and Christianity in Britain and Ireland.
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Early Christian Worship
$25.00Add to cartOscar Cullmann was born in Strasbourg and studied theology and classical philology there and in Paris. Since 1938 he has been Professor of New Testament and Early Church History in the Theological Faculty of the University of Basel and also, since 1949, Professor of Early Christianity at the Sorbonne, the Ecole des Hautes Etudes, and the Faculte de Theologie Protestante in Paris. He has received honorary degrees from Lausanne, Manchester, Edinburgh, and Lund.
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2 Powers In Heaven
$44.99Add to cartIn his now classic Two Powers in Heaven, Alan Segal examines rabbinic evidence about early manifestations of the two powers heresy within Judaism. Segal sheds light upon the development of and relationships among early Christianity, Gnosticism, and Merkabah mysticism and demonstrates that belief in the two powers in heaven was widespread by the first century, and may have been a catalyst for the Jewish rejection of early Christianity. An important addition to New Testament and Gnostic scholarship by this much revered scholar, Segal’s Two Powers in Heaven is made available once again for a new generation.
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Baptismal Imagery In Early Christianity
$30.00Add to cartWhat can we learn from early Christian imagery about the theological meaning of baptism? in Baptismal Imagery in Early Christianity: Ritual, Visual, and Theological Dimensions Robin Jensen–a leading scholar of ancient Christian art and worship–examines the baptismal right through several lenses.
She explores five models for understanding baptism: 1) as cleansing from sin; 2) sickness, and Satan; 3) incorporation into the community; 4) as sanctifying and illuminative; 5) as death and regeneration and as the beginning of the new creation. Throughout she details how visual images, poetic language, architectural space, and symbolic actions signify and convey the theological meaning of this ritual practice in its ancient context. Moreover she interprets this evidence considering both the image and the action together and then offers a holistic and integrated understanding of the power of baptism.
Illustrated with nearly 60 photos.
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Collect In The Churches Of The Reformation
$96.99Add to cartThe Collect is a form of prayer which is a core part of the liturgical worship of most Christian traditions, certainly in the Christian West, yet, relatively little work has been done to reflect on the use of this common form of prayer in different traditions, and the Protestant tradition in particular. In this representative collection of essays Bridget Nichols draws together a range of leading scholars who reflect on the history and the development of this form of prayer common to all churches of the western tradition. As well as offering a historical introduction the book offers reflections on the collect in the Methodist tradition, in Baptist worship, in Scandinavian Lutheran traditions, in American Lutheranism and on collect writing today. aContributors include: Jeremy Haselock, Karen Westerfield-Tucker, Michael Perham, John Lampard and David Kennedy.
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Christianity In England From Roman Times To The Reformation 2
$45.00Add to cartThis is the second of three volumes on the history of Christianity in England from Roman times to the Reformation. It covers the period from the Norman Conquest to the death of John Wyclif. Although there has been much scholarly work in the last fifty years on Christianity in England during these crucial and most interesting centuries, this has mostly concentrated on specific and fairly circumscribed topics or quite narrow spans of time. There has been a paucity of works which attempt to describe and comment on the changing fortunes of Christianity in England in this mediaeval period as a whole; and none which takes account of recent scholarly work up to the end of the twentieth century. This is an opportune moment to fill a gap, and to provide a comprehensive and analytical overview of a pivotal age for the development of Christianity in England, which will be attractive and useful to students of history and theology, and also to clergy, ministers, and a much wider readership. KENNETH HYLSON-SMITH was until his recent ret
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7 Truths That Changed The World
$19.00Add to cartIdeas have consequences, sometimes far-reaching and world-changing. The Christian faith contains many volatile truths that challenged–and continue to challenge–the cultural and religious status quo of the world. This biblical, historical, and philosophical exploration of some of Christianity’s most transformational ideas offers a unique look at how the world changed when Christ and his followers came on the scene.
These ideas include:
the resurrection
Jesus as God incarnate
creation out of nothing
the compatibility of faith and reason
justification by grace through faith
humankind in God
the greater good of sufferingPastors, students, and thoughtful Christians will be strengthened to face contemporary challenges to these truths and will find the confidence to impact their world for Christ.
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Light On Darkness
$39.99Add to cartIn its earliest days, photography was seen as inherently free of ideological bias. Today, in the world of Photoshop, we are rightly more skeptical – at least most of the time. When it comes to photography from the past, we tend to set some of our skepticism aside. But should we? In Light on Darkness? leading historian of African Christianity T. Jack Thompson revisits a body of photography long taken at face value – that generated by British missionaries to sub-Saharan Africa in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries – and demonstrates that much more is going on in these images than meets the eye. This book offers a careful reassessment of missionary photographers, their photographs, and their African and European audiences, including over 70 fascinating photographs from the period.
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James Robinson Graves
$19.99Add to cartJames Robinson Graves (1820-1893) is known for firmly believing that Baptists of his day needed clearly distinct markers in order to preserve a meaningful denominational identity. The founder of Landmarkism, his theology emphasized church succession (an unbroken trail of authentic congregations dating back to the New Testament), the local church (rather than the idea of a universal Body of Christ), and strict baptism guidelines.
In this first biography of Graves in more than eighty years, author James A. Patterson portrays the man as bold and brash. A native of Vermont who moved south to Nashville in 1845, the self-educated preacher and budding journalist would become a combative defender of the Baptist cause, engaging in public controversy with Methodists, Restorationists, and even fellow Baptists.
Ultimately, Graves sought to influence the direction of the Southern Baptist Convention in its formative period and was the primary shaper of the “Tennessee Tradition,” now considered a key strand of Southern Baptist life and identity. By focusing on Graves’s understanding of essential Baptist boundary markers, this book assesses the strengths and weaknesses of the Landmark legacy. It concludes with an epilogue that discusses the enduring influence of his ideas in the decades after his death.
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Worship As Repentance
$25.99Add to cartAgainst contemporary trends that conceive of Christian worship primarily as entertainment or sheer celebration, Walter Sundberg argues that repentance is the heart of authentic worship. In Worship as Repentance Sundberg outlines the history of repentance and confession within liturgical practice from the early church to mid-twentieth-century Protestantism, advocating movement away from the “eucharistic piety” common in mainline worship today and toward the “penitential piety” of older traditions of Protestant worship.
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Beauty Of Holiness
$40.00Add to cartThe Beauty of Holiness: The Caroline Divines and Their Writings offers an expansive and detailed portrait of the continued maturation of Anglican theology and devotion in the central half of the seventeenth century. The Caroline Divines have long been hailed as the patrons of an Anglican golden age. Their emphasis upon liturgical renewal and development, like their emphases upon learning and piety, have had a pervasive influence on the Anglican ethos that extends down to our own day. aaThe Beauty of Holiness includes selections from key figures such as Lancelot Andrewes, John Cosin, and Jeremy Taylor, but also expands the canon of Caroline divinity to include lay writings, some of which were published posthumously. Traditional topics such as sacramental theology and private devotion are complimented by readings on poetry as a spiritual discipline, natural theology, and the importance of family prayers. Chapters survey diverse facets of Anglican orthodoxy such as liturgical practice, the cult of King Charles the Martyr,
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Introduccion A La Historia De – (Spanish)
$22.99Add to cartIntroduccion a la historia de la iglesia es una obra formidable en la que de manera amena, entretenida y sin dejar de ser academica, el Dr. Justo Gonzalez repasa los acontecimientos fundamentales que sucedieron en la historia de la iglesia y que le han dado cuerpo. Este libro es fundamental como introduccion para entender el porque la iglesia tiene la forma que tiene en la actualidad, y servira de base para cualquiera que desee adentrarse en los detalles de tan extensa y a veces complicada historia.
Written in Spanish by the renown Hispanic author Justo L. Gonzalez, this easy-to-understand and entertaining, yet academic introduction to the history of the church reviews the major events that happened in the history of the church and how they shape today’s church. This book is ideal for helping readers understand today’s church structure, and serves as guide for those interested in the extensive, and at times, complicated history of the church.
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Tyndale : The Man Who Gave God An English Voice
$19.99Add to cartA beautiful literary tribute to William Tyndale, the poet-martyr-expatriate-outlaw-translator who gave us our English Bible. The English Bible was born in defiance. It was also born in exile, in flight, in a kind of exodus. And these are the very elements that empowered William Tyndale in his bid to bring the English Scripture to the common citizen. Being “a stranger in a strange land,” the very homesickness he struggled with, gave life to the words of Jesus, Paul, and to the wandering Moses. Tyndale’s efforts ultimately cost him his life, a price he was certain he would have to pay. But his contribution to English spirituality is measureless. Even five centuries after his death at the stake, Tyndale’s presence looms wherever English is spoken. His single word innovations, such as “Passover,” “beautiful,” and “atonement” allowed the common man to more fully understand God’s blessings and promises. His natural lyricism shines in phrases like “Let not your hearts be troubled,” and “for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory.” Every time we say the Lord’s Prayer as it is written in the King James Bible or use the word “love” as it is written in 1 Corinthians 13 or bless others with “The Lord bless thee and keep thee, the Lord make his face to shine upon thee,” we are reminded of the rich bounty Tyndale has given us.
Although Tyndale has been somewhat elusive to his biographers, Teems brings wit and wisdom to the story of the man known as the “architect of the English language,” the English Paul who defied a kingdom and a tyrannical church to introduce God to the plowboy.
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Century Of The Holy Spirit
$26.99Add to cartA definitive history of the Pentecostal and Charismatic movement and an intriguing reference for persons outside the movement, The Century of the Holy Spirit details the miraculous story of Pentecostal/Charismatic growth–in the U.S. and around the world. This book features five chapters by the premier Pentecostal historian, Vinson Synan, with additional contributions by leading Pentecostal/Charismatic authorities–David Barrett, David Daniels, David Edwin Harrell Jr., Peter Hocken, Sue Hyatt, Gary McGee, and Ted Olsen. Features include:
Explains and analyzes the role of all major streams, including women, African-Americans, and Hispanics
Thoroughly illustrated with photographs, charts, figures, maps, and vignettes 4-color fold-out timeline/genealogy tree
16 full-color pages, plus black-and-white photos throughout Includes bibliographies and indexes -
From Sacrament To Contract (Expanded)
$50.00Add to cartThis newly revised and enlarged edition of John Witte’s authoritative historical study explores the interplay of law, theology, and marriage in the Western tradition. Witte uncovers the core beliefs that formed the theological genetic code of Western marriage and family law. He explores the systematic models of marriage developed by Catholics, Lutherans, Calvinists, Anglicans, and Enlightenment thinkers, and the transformative influence of each model on Western marriage law. In addition, he traces the millennium-long reduction of marriage from a complex spiritual, social, contractual, and natural institution into a simple private contract with freedom of entrance, exercise, and exit for husband and wife alike.
This second edition updates and expands each chapter and the bibliography. It also includes three new chapters on classical, biblical, and patristic sources.
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Paganismo En Tu Cristianismo – (Spanish)
$16.99Add to cartHave you ever wondered why we Christians do what we do for church every Sunday morning? Why do we ‘dress up’ for church? Why does the pastor preach a sermon each week? Why do we have pews, steeples, choirs, and seminaries? This volume reveals the startling truth: most of what Christians do in present-day churches is not rooted in the New Testament, but in pagan culture and rituals developed long after the death of the apostles. Coauthors Frank Viola and George Barna support their thesis with compelling historical evidence in the first-ever book to document the full story of modern Christian church practices.
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Christian America
$14.99Add to cartThroughout her history America has possessed a rich religious component largely comprised of different traditions of the Christian faith. This tide of personal religious devotion connected to government observances and policies has ebbed and flowed through time, but it has always been a part of American identity-one that is full of social and political debate. As such, Christian America presents a hearty point-counterpoint discussion about the nature of the relationship Christianity has had to American politics and culture throughout the country’s existence, aiming to determine which of these four differing opinions is most appropriate.
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Calvin : Institutes Of The Christian Religion
$90.00Add to cartPrint on Demand Title
Now available in paperback, this is the definitive English-language edition of one of the monumental works of the Christian church. All previous editions-in Latin, French, German, and English-have been collated; references and notes have been verified, corrected, and expanded; and new bibliographies have been added.The translation preserves the rugged strength and vividness of Calvin’s writing, but also conforms to modern English and renders heavy theological terms in simple language. The result is a translation that achieves a high degree of accuracy and at the same time is eminently readable.
Long recognized for the quality of its translations, introductions, explanatory notes, and indexes, the Library of Christian Classics provides scholars and students with modern English translations of some of the most significant Christian theological texts in history. Through these works-each written prior to the end of the sixteenth century-contemporary readers are able to engage the ideas that have shaped Christian theology and the church through the centuries.
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Luther And Calvin
$16.95Add to cartMartin Luther and John Calvin have both left dramatic and lasting influences on Christianity and on European society. Their calls for reform led to the church breaking off in different directions, and people and nations believed so passionately for or against their causes that wars ravaged Europe for decades. But what exactly did they teach? This book presents Luther and Calvin in context, looking at the work and ideas of each in turn and then at the making of Lutheranism and the Reformed tradition, showing how the sixteenth-century Reformation began a process of political and intellectual change that went beyond Europe to the “New World”. The result is that today its influence is tangible all over the Western world. Perfect for those who want to understand and engage with what Luther and Calvin thought, and with the debates surrounding interpretation, this book is an excellent introduction to two of Christianity’s most famous thinkers. Charlotte Methuen teaches Church history at the University of Glasgow, and has also worked a the Universities of Hamburg, Bochum, Oxford and Mainz. She specializes in the Reformation period and is the author of numerous books and articles.
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Reading Scripture With The Reformers
$18.99Add to cartPreface
1. Why Read The Reformers?
2. Ad Fontes!
3. The Erasmian Moment
4. Whose Bible? Which Translation?
5. Doctor Martinus
6. Lutheran Ways
7. Along The Rhine
8. Preach The Word
ConclusionAdditional Info
In Reading Scripture with the Reformers, Timothy George takes readers through the exciting events of the sixteenth century, showing how this dynamic period was instigated by a fresh return to the Scriptures. George immerses us in the world of the Reformation, its continuities with the ancient and medieval church, and its dramatic upheavals and controversies. Most of all, he uncovers the significant way that the Bible shaped the minds and hearts of the reformers. This book shows how the key figures of the Reformation read and interpreted Scripture, and how their thought was shaped by what they read. We are invited to see what the church today can learn from the fathers of the Reformation, and how these figures offer a model of reading, praying and living out the Scriptures. -
African Memory Of Mark
$35.99Add to cartPreface: Not For Africans Alone
Part 1: The African Memory Of St. Mark
Part 2: The Identity Of The Biblical Mark Viewed From African Tradition
Part 3: Mark In Africa
Part 4: Mark In The Historical Record
Part 5: The Ubiquity Of Mark
ConclusionAdditional Info
We often regard the author of the Gospel of Mark as an obscure figure about whom we know little. Many would be surprised to learn how much fuller a picture of Mark exists within widespread African tradition, tradition that holds that Mark himself was from North Africa, that he founded the church in Alexandria, that he was an eyewitness to the Last Supper and Pentecost, that he was related not only to Barnabas but to Peter as well and accompanied him on many of his travels.In this provocative reassessment of early church tradition, Thomas C. Oden begins with the palette of New Testament evidence and adds to it the range of colors from traditional African sources, including synaxaries (compilations of short biographies of saints to be read on feast days), archaeological sites, non-Western historical documents and ancient churches.
The result is a fresh and illuminating portrait of Mark, one that is deeply rooted in African memory and seldom viewed appreciatively in the West.
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Athanasius
$30.00Add to cartThis volume by a respected theologian offers fresh consideration of the work of famous fourth-century church father Athanasius, giving specific attention to his use of Scripture, his deployment of metaphysical categories, and the intersection between the two. Peter Leithart not only introduces Athanasius and his biblical theology but also puts Athanasius into dialogue with contemporary theologians. This volume launches the series Foundations of Theological Exegesis and Christian Spirituality. Edited by Hans Boersma and Matthew Levering, the series critically recovers patristic exegesis and interpretation for contemporary theology and spirituality. Each volume covers a specific church father and illuminates the exegesis that undergirds the Nicene Creed. The series contributes to the growing area of theological interpretation and will appeal to both evangelical and Catholic readers.
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Black Fire : One Hundred Years Of African American Pentecostalism
$40.99Add to cartWhether you come from an African American Pentecostal background or you just want to learn more, this book will unfold all the demensions of this important denomination’s history and contribution to the life of the church.
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Christianity
$35.95Add to cartThe Christian faith has the allegiance of one third of the human race. It has succeeded in influencing civilization to such a degree that we now take its existence almost for granted. Yet it might all have been so different. Christianity began with the words and deeds of an obscure village carpenter’s son who died a shameful criminal’s death at the hands of the Roman occupiers of his country: itself an insignificant outpost of the powerful ruling Empire. The feverish land of biblical Palestine, awash with apocalyptic expectations of deliverance from its foreign overlords, was hardly short of seers and prophets who claimed to be sent visions from God. Yet the followers of this man thought he was different: so different, in fact, that some years after his death and asserted resurrection they scandalously insisted not only that he was sent by God, but that he “”was”” God. How a provincial sect, with its seemingly outrageous ideas, became first the sanctioned religion of the Roman Empire and then, over the course of 2000 years, the creed of billions of people, is the improbable story that this book tells. It is a story of freethinkers, friars, fanatics, and firebrands; and of the lay people (not just the clerical or the powerful) who have made up the great mass of Christians over the centuries. Many introductions to Christianity are written by Christians, for Christians. This elegant textbook, by contrast, shows that the history of the religion, while often glorious, is not one of unimpeded progress, but something still more remarkable, flawed and human.
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Making Of The New Testament (Reprinted)
$35.99Add to cartThe story of the making of the New Testament is one in which scrolls bumped across cobbled Roman roads and pitched through rolling Mediterranean seas, finally finding their destinations in stuffy, dimly lit Christian house churches in Corinth or Colossae. There they were read aloud and reread, handled and copied, forwarded and collected, studied and treasured. And eventually they were brought together to make up our New Testament. This revised and expanded edition of The Making of the New Testament is a textbook introduction to the origin, collection, copying and canonizing of the New Testament documents. Like shrewd detectives reading subtle whispers of evidence, biblical scholars have studied the trail of clues and pieced together the story of these books. Arthur Patzia tells the story, answering our many questions:
How were books and documents produced in the first century?
What motivated the early Christians to commit teaching and narrative and vision to papyrus?
How were the stories and sayings of Jesus circulated, handed down and shaped into Gospels?
What do we know about ancient letter writing, secretaries and “copy shops”?
Why were four Gospels included instead of just one?
How were Paul’s letters, sent here and there, gathered into a single collection?
Who decided–and by what criteria–which documents would be included in the New Testament?Explore these questions and more about these Scriptures whose everyday, gritty story rings true to their extraordinary message: the palpable mystery of the Word made flesh.
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Wesley As A Pastoral Theologian
$49.99Add to cartDuring the last 40 years a considerable amount of scholarly attention has been given to John Wesley’s way of doing theology. There is extensive debate within Wesleyan circles (particularly in North America) regarding the conception and utility of his theological method, usually identified as the Wesleyan quadrilateral (Scripture, reason, traditi…
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Mission History Of Asian Churches
$19.99Add to cartSome decades ago the prospect of reaching the entire world with the gospel appeared very dim indeed. In a world population that was virtually exploding with growth, how could Christians begin to reach the billions of fellow humans? Then missionaries began mastering the multiplied languages on earth, placing the Bible on paper, making recordings of the gospel, and beaming the Word of God out on radio and television waves. A portion of the Bible was translated painstakingly into over a thousand languages. The entire Bible was translated into several hundred. There was reason to be hopeful. Missionaries taught nationals how to plant churches. Then nationals started planting churches, and churches begat churches . . . Bible translators had and continue to play a crucial role in the mission of reaching every people with the gospel, and this book describes how. Follow them into the fascinating, exciting world of Bible translation.
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Christian And The Sword
$12.00Add to cartPart of a major doctrinal tract of the Hutterites of the sixteenth century, this early Anabaptist document gives Biblical references for Christian nonviolence.
Concerning the Sword is the fourth article of the Article Book, a major doctrinal document of the Hutterites of the sixteenth century. Its author is not named but was probably the Hutterian bishop Peter Walpot (1521-1578). The book deals with the following five articles: (1) Concerning true baptism (and how infant baptism contradicts it); (2) Concerning the Lord’s Supper (and how the sacrament of the priests is against it); (3) Concerning the true surrender (Gelassenheit) and Christian community of goods; (4) That Christians should not go to war nor should they use sword or violence nor secular litigation; (5) Concerning divorce between believers and unbelievers.
The book is not a theological treatise, but rather, like all Anabaptist doctrinal writings, a collection of biblical texts topically arranged to prove the position of the church with regard to the question at issue. The title of the larger edition, A Beautiful and Pleasant Little Book Concerning the Main Articles of our Faith, is quite colorless; more to the point is the title used in the Chronicle of the Hutterian Brethren: The Five Articles of the Greatest Conflict Between Us and the World. It does not pretend to contain a complete system of Anabaptist thought but only a collection of those points and their arguments that distinguish the Brethren from the “world” and justify their particular stand. The Article Book must have been widely known in its time. Catholics as well as Lutheran polemics against it are known.
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Story Of Christianity 2
$27.99Add to cartTHE STORY OF CHRISTIANITY, VOLUME 2, is an informative, interesting, and consistently readable narrative history. Beginning with the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century, this second volume continues narrative history to the present. Historian Justo Gonzalez brings to life the people, dramatic events, and shaping ideas of Protestantism, Catholicism, and Orthodoxy during this period, keynoting crucial theological developments while providing fresh understanding of the social, political and economic forces that influenced the formation of the church. In particular, the author notes recurring themes of unrest, rebellion, and reformation. Gonzalez presents an illumination record of the lives, impelling ideas and achievements of such prominent figures as Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, and John Calvin-movers and shapers in the emerging Protestant church. His biographical insights, in conjunction with vivid historical accounts, reveal how individual lives mirror and clarify core theological concerns and developments. The interpretive overview of The Story of Christianity includes a thorough and timely analysis of the growth and maturation of Christianity, including events in Europe, the United States, and Latin America-the latter an area too often neglected in church histories, yet increasingly vital to an understanding of Christianity’s historical development, present situation, and future options. Gonzalez’s richly textured study discusses the changes and directions of the church in the traditions of Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, and Eastern Christianity. The Story of Christianity covers such recent occurrences as the World Council of Churches, the Second Vatican Council, the movement toward Christian unity, and much more. It concludes with a thoughtful look at the major issues and debates involving Christians today. The Story of Christianity will serve as a fascinating introduction to the panoramic history of Christianity for students and teachers of church history, for pastors, and for general readers.
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Who Are The Christians In The Middle East
$26.99Add to cartChristianity has thrived for millennia along the Mediterranean and Persian Gulf. But Who Are the Christians in the Middle East? Betty Jane and Martin Bailey provide a superb up-to-date survey. Articles, entries on Christian denominations, a timeline, country-by-country reports, and more offer you an unprecedented look at the status of the church and the challenges it faces in one of the world’s most volatile regions.
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Didache : A Window On The Earliest Christians (Reprinted)
$28.00Add to cartThe Didache (or The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles) is one of the earliest Christian writings, compiled and used from 50-70 CE before the four gospels became prevalent. Rather than preaching the good news about Jesus, it provides practical instructions on how a Christian community should function and offers a unique glimpse into how the earliest believers lived and worshipped.
Document expert O’Loughlin shares the story of this first-century manual for training converts from its discovery in an obscure library in Istanbul in the late nineteenth century to the present and then offers an analysis of the text’s importance. His new translation, along with a commentary, highlights areas of key interest to Christians today: the faith and hope, discipline and rituals, and anxieties and challenges facing Gentiles being trained for full participation in the earliest Jewish-Christian communities. The book concludes with a discussion of how the Didache relates to other early church texts, particularly the gospels, and gives answers to the most frequently asked questions about this fascinating and important treatise.
The Didache features a detailed description of the day-to-day faith and step-by-step routines that shaped the Jesus movement some twenty years after the death of Christ. The focus of the faction at that time was not on proclaiming the titles and deeds of Jesus. Those aspects come to the fore later in the letters of Paul and in the gospel narratives. Instead, the focus of the Didache was on the life and knowledge of Jesus himself.
O’Loughlin links the findings of historians, Scripture scholars, and liturgists to provide a clearly written, accessible work that will be helpful to students and pastors, as well as those searching for authenticity in Christian community.
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On This Day In Christian History
$19.99Add to cartAmazing stories of faith from twenty centuries of church history. From the Roman Empire to the Reformation, St. Valentine to St. Francis, Martin Luther to Billy Graham, On this Day introduces readers to a parade of preachers, popes, martyrs, heroes, and saints from 2,000 years of Christianity. This introduction to 365 of the most interesting men and women of faith brings a year’s worth of inspiration and spiritual challenge and offers an enjoyable glimpse into church history. Each day includes a related Scripture reading and a simple, colorful story about history-making events in the lives of people who loved God wholeheartedly.
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Defending Constantine : The Twilight Of An Empire And The Dawn Of Christend
$38.99Add to cartWe know that Constantine issued the Edict of Milan in 313
outlawed paganism and made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire manipulated the Council of Nicea in 325
exercised absolute authority over the church, co-opting it for the aims of empireAnd if Constantine the emperor were not problem enough, we all know that Constantinianism has been very bad for the church. Or do we know these things? Peter Leithart weighs these claims and finds them wanting. And what’s more, in focusing on these historical mirages we have failed to notice the true significance of Constantine and Rome baptized. For beneath the surface of this contested story there emerges a deeper narrative of the end of Roman sacrifice–a tectonic shift in the political theology of an empire–and with far-reaching implications.
In this probing and informative book Peter Leithart examines the real Constantine, weighs the charges against Constantinianism, and sets the terms for a new conversation about this pivotal emperor and the Christendom that emerged.
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Martires Y Perseguidores – (Spanish)
$29.99Add to cartThe most complete study of the history of martyrdom and persecution leading up to the 20th century.
This book contains extensive material rich with facts that help the reader to understand the historical context of the persecutions that have marked and influenced our history.
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Celtic Way Of Evangelism (Anniversary)
$20.99Add to cart10th Anniversary Edition Revised and Updated
Celtic Christianity-the form of Christian faith that flourished among the people of Ireland during the Middle Ages- has gained a great deal of attention lately. George G. Hunter III points out that while the attention paid to the Celtic Christians is well deserved, much of it fails to recognize the true genius of this ancient form of Christianity. What many contemporary Christians do not realize is that Celtic Christianity was one of the most successfully evangelistic branches of the church in history. The Celtic church converted Ireland from paganism to Christianity in a remarkably short period, and then proceeded to send missionaries throughout Europe.
North America is today in the same situation as the environment in which the early Celtic preachers found their mission fields: unfamiliar with the Christian message, yet spiritually seeking and open to a vibrant new faith. If we are to spread the gospel in this culture of secular seekers, we would do well to learn from the Celts. Their ability to work with the beliefs of those they evangelized, to adapt worship and church life to the indigenous patterns they encountered, remains unparalleled in Christian history. If we are to succeed in reaching the West . . . again, then we must begin by learning from these powerful witnesses to the saving love of Jesus Christ.
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Foxes Book Of Martyrs
$14.95Add to cartPublisher Marketing: Foxe’s Book of Martyrs has been an invaluable addition to the libraries of faithful Christians for almost five centuries. Chronicling the suffering and brutal deaths of those who have sacrificed their lives for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, John Foxe captured the God-given, Spirit-inspired courage of these noble souls. Though sometimes difficult to read because of the inhumane cruelty depicted in its pages, the images which truly endure are the ones which portray the victorious faith, through the grace of God, of these Christian martyrs.
Why should you read this book? The stories within these pages are supremely inspiring accounts of those who gave their lives defending the truth of the Gospel. Much can be learned not only of their fortitude but also of an apostate false church that persecuted them. The powerful witness of these martyred saints will stir your hearts, as it has the true church through the centuries, to be that loyal bride of Christ, strong and pure.
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How Africa Shaped The Christian Mind
$25.99Add to cartIntroduction
Toward A Half Billion African Christians
An Epic Story
Out Of Africa
The Pivotal Place Of Africa On The Ancient Map
Two Rivers: The Nile And The Medjerda–Seedbed Of Early Christian Thought
Affirming Oral And Written Traditions
Self-Effacement And The Recovery Of Dignity
The Missing Link: The Early African Written Intellectual Tradition Forgotten
Why Africa Has Seemed To The West To Lack Intellectual History
InterludePart One: The African Seedbed Of Western Christianity
1 A Forgotten Story
Who Can Tell It?
Pilgrimage Sites Neglected
Under Sands: The Burial Of Ancient Christian Texts And Basilicas
2 Seven Ways Africa Shaped The Christian Mind
How The Western Idea Of A University Was Born In The Crucible Of Africa
How Christian Exegesis Of Scripture First Matured In Africa
How African Sources Shaped Early Christian Dogma
How Early Ecumenical Decision Making Followed African Conciliar Patterns
How The African Desert Gave Birth To Worldwide Monasticism
How Christian Neoplatonism Emerged In Africa
How Rhetorical And Dialectical Skills Were Refined In Africa And Introduced To Europe
Interlude: Harnack?s Folly
Overview
3 Defining Africa
Establishing The Indigenous Depth Of Early African Christianity
The Stereotyping Of Hellenism As Non-African
Scientific Inquiry Into The Ethnicity Of Early African Christian Writers
The Purveyors Of Myopia
The African-Priority Hypothesis Requires Textual Demonstration
The South-to-North Hypothesis
A Case In Point: The Circuitous Path From Africa To Ireland To Europe And Then Back To Africa
A Caveat Against Afrocentric Exaggeration
4 One Faith, Two Africas
The Hazards Of Bridge Building
The Challenge Of Reconciliation Of Black Africa And North Africa
Overcoming The Ingrained Lack Of Awareness
The Roots Of The Term Africa
Excommunicating The North
Arguing For African Unity
Defining “Early African Christianity” As A Descriptive Category Of A Period Of History
How African Is The Nile Valley?
5 Temptations
The Emerging Task Of Historical Inquiry
The Catholic Limits Of Afrocentrism
The Inflexible Habit Of Ignoring African Sources
The Cost Of The Forgetfulness
Overlooking African Voices Already Present In Scripture
How Protestants Can Celebrate The Apostolic Charisma Of The Copts
The Christian Ancestry Of AfricaPart Two: African Orthodox Recovery
6 The Opportunity For Retrieval
Surviving Modernity
The Steadiness Of African Orthodoxy
The New AfricanAdditional Info
Africa has played a decisive role in the formation of Christian culture from its infancy. Some of the most decisive intellectual achievements of Christianity were explored and understood in Africa before they were in Europe. If this is so, why is Christianity so often perceived in Africa as a Western colonial import? How can Christians in Northern and sub-Saharan Africa, indeed how can Christians throughout the world, rediscover and learn from this ancient heritage? Theologian Thomas C. Oden offers a portrait that challenges prevailing notions of the intellectual development of Christianity from its early roots to its modern expressions. The pattern, he suggests, is not from north to south from Europe to Africa, but the other way around. He then makes an impassioned plea to uncover the hard data and study in depth the vital role that early African Christians played in developing the modern university, maturing Christian exegesis of Scripture, shaping early Christian dogma, modeling conciliar patterns of ecumenical decision-making, stimulating early monasticism, developing Neoplatonism, and refining rhetorical and dialectical skills. He calls for a wide-ranging research project to fill out the picture he sketches. It will require, he says, a generation of disciplined investigation, combining intensive language study with a risk-taking commitment to uncover the truth in potentially unreceptive environments. Oden envisions a dedicated consortium of scholars linked by computer technology and a common commitment that will seek to shape not only the scholar’s understanding but the ordinary African Christian’s self-perception. -
Getting The Reformation Wrong
$23.99Add to cartAcknowledgments
Preface
Introduction1 The Medieval Call For Reform
2 The Renaissance: Friend Or Foe?
3 Carried Along By Misunderstandings
4 Conflict Among The Reformers
5 What The Reformers Meant By Sola Fide
6 What The Reformers Meant By Sola Scriptura
7 How The Anabaptists Fit In
8 Reformation In Rome
9 Changing Direction: From The Reformation To Protestant Scholasticism
10 Was The Reformation A Success?
11 Is The Reformation A Norm?
12 The Reformation As Triumph And TragedyAdditional Info
Getting the Reformation wrong is a common problem. Most students of history know that Martin Luther nailed his ninety-five theses to the Wittenberg Church door and that John Calvin penned the Institutes of the Christian Religion. However, the Reformation did not unfold in the straightforward, monolithic fashion some may think. It was, in fact, quite a messy affair. Using the most current Reformation scholarship, James R. Payton exposes, challenges and corrects some common misrepresentations of the Reformation. Getting the Reformation Wrong:places the Reformation in the context of medieval and Renaissance reform effortsanalyzes conflicts among the Reformerscorrects common misunderstandings of what the Reformers meant by sola fide and sola Scripturaexamines how the Anabaptist movement fits in with the magisterial Reformationcritiques the post-Reformational move to Protestant Scholasticismexplores how the fresh perspective on the Reformation could make a difference in today’s churches -
Evangelicals : What They Believe Where They Are And Their Politics
$20.00Add to cartAn overview of the global evangelical movement, including its historical roots, doctrinal distinctives, current strength, influence on politics and society, and teaching about the future. In the changing political, social, and religious landscape of the West, the term evangelical is increasingly losing meaning and credibility. Although some people say there is no unity to what evangelicals believe, church historian Christopher Catherwood sets out to prove otherwise, stating, “We are a people defined by our beliefs, and that is what distinguishes us in our twenty-first century postmodern times.” Catherwood delivers a succinct and organized review of the global evangelical movement, looking at its earliest days, current place in world Christianity, political and social influence, unifying theological doctrinal beliefs, and its view on eschatology. Using the doctrinal basis of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students and the 1974 Lausanne Covenant, Catherwood summarizes evangelical beliefs before describing the scope of the global church and the shift of evangelicalism’s center from the global North and West to the South and East. Catherwood demonstrates that the term evangelical is not only meaningful, but necessary. Anyone wanting to know about the past, present, and future of evangelicalism will find this book helpful.
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Complete Writings Of Menno Simons
$59.99Add to cartAvailable as a print on demand title shipping within two to three days.
This English edition of Menno Simons’ writings contains all the known writings of Menno, including several tracts, letters, and hymns never previously translated. The entire contents of this edition were translated from the Dutch by Leonard Verduin of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and edited by J. C. Wenger, who wrote clarifying introductions to each of Menno’s writings. This edition represents a faithful English rendering of what Menno taught and wrote in the 16th century.
The Complete Writings of Menno Simons is issued with the hope that it may serve to strength the Mennonite Church in a dynamic Christian life, to introduce to the Christian church at large a new vision of discipleship, to create in the reader a new loyalty to the Word of God, and to recapture the true Christian spirit in this era of secularism.
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Story Of Christianity 1
$27.99Add to cartTHE STORY OF CHRISTIANITY, VOLUME 1, is an informative, interesting, and consistently readable narrative history. It brings alive the people, dramatic events, and ideas that shaped the first fifteen centuries of the church’s life and thought–including major events outside of Europe, such as the Spanish and Portuguese conquest of the New World. Historian Justo Gonzalez shows how various social, political, and economic movements affected Christianity’s internal growth.
Gonzalez skillfully weaves in relevant details from the lives of prominent figures from the apostles to John Wycliffe, tracing out core theological issues and developments as reflected in the lives and stuggles of leading thinkers within the various traditions of the church. “The history of the church, while showing all the characteristics of human history, is much more than the history of an institution or movement,” Gonzalez stresses. “It is a history of the deeds of the spirit in and through the men and women who have gone before in the faith.” THE STORY OF CHRISTIANITY demonstrates at each point what new challenges and opportunities faced the church, and how Christians struggled with the various options open to them, thereby shaping the future direction of the church.
THE STORY OF CHRISTIANITY will serve as a fascinating introduction to the panoramic history of Christianity for students and teachers of church history, for pastors, and for general readers.
