Church History
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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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Gods Dangerous Book
$20.99Add to cartUniquely presented, this history of the Bible draws together story and scholarship with lively accounts of the people, powers and incidents involved in bringing the Bible, in the language of thepeople, to the English.
Informative, thought-provoking and very readable, this is a book that will help you discover the story behind the worlds best-seller. It tells how the Bible was created, how it became a best-sellingbook and the effects it had on those who encountered it.Through a discussion of democracy and literacy, learning and communication this book shows how the Bible is, above all, about freedom and why Ghandi described Gods book as containing enough dynamite to blow all civilisation to pieces.
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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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Unforgettable Memoirs : My Life Shanghai Local Church And Watchman Nee – (Other
$21.99Add to cartThe unforgettable Memoirs: My life, Shanghai Local Church, and Watchman Nee, is a story of serious introspection and exploration of a precious spiritual heritage. The events surrounding the Local Church Movement and its leader Watchman Nee are an important chapter in the Chinese church’s 20th century history. This is a book of invaluable personal and spiritual recollections.
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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.
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Did The First Christians Worship Jesus
$32.00Add to cartTo answer the title question effectively requires more than the citing of a few texts; we must first acknowledge that the way to the answer is more difficult than it first appears, bravely facing the possibility that the answer may be less straightforward than many would like.
The author raises some fascinating yet vexing questions: What is worship? Is the fact that worship is offered to God (or a god) what defines him (or her) as “G/god?” What does the act of worship actually involve? The conviction that God had exalted Jesus to his right hand obviously is central to Christian recognition of the divine status of Jesus. But what did that mean for the first Christians as they sought to reconcile God’s status and that of the human Jesus? Perhaps the worship of Jesus was not an alternative to worship of God but another way of worshipping God.Yes, the questions are challenging but readers are ably guided in their quest for answers by James Dunn, one of the world’s top New Testament scholars.
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Christianity And Western Thought 2
$40.99Add to cartMarx, Mill, Hegel, Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Emerson, Darwin, Freud and Weber brought to the nineteenth century new realms of thought, which still continue to wield substantial influence today. As a result, the study of history, science, psychology, philosophy, sociology and religion have never been the same. These heirs to rationalism began to explore the full range of human experience–which became a matter of philosophical and theological interest, and even authority. Romanticism flourished in the arts and literature as Idealism, Transcendentalism, Pragmatism and other movements developed. All had a profound effect on religion and how it was viewed. In this second of three volumes which survey the dynamic interplay of Christianity and Western thought from the earliest centuries through the twentieth century, Steve Wilkens and Alan Padgett tell the story of the monumental changes of the nineteenth century.
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Jewish World Around The New Testament
$70.00Add to cartRenowned biblical scholar Richard Bauckham believes that the New Testament texts cannot be adequately understood without careful attention to their Judaic and Second Temple roots. This book contains twenty-four studies that shed essential light on the religious and biblical-interpretive matrix in which early Christianity emerged. Bauckham discusses the “parting of the ways” between early Judaism and early Christianity and the relevance of early Jewish literature for the study of the New Testament. He also explores specific aspects or texts of early Christianity by relating them to their early Jewish context. Originally published by Mohr Siebeck, this book is now available as an affordable North American paperback edition.
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Through Fire And Water (Revised)
$21.99Add to cartThrough Fire and Water is a great resource for Mennonite high school history classes and for people who want to know more about the origins, history, and beliefs of the Anabaptist/Mennonite church.
This engaging text uses stories of men and women, peasants and pastors, heroes and rascals, to trace the radical Reformation from sixteenth-century Europe to today’s global Anabaptist family. Written in an accessible and nonacademic style, this revised edition updates the story and incorporates new historical research and discoveries.
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From Nicaea To Chalcedon (Expanded)
$45.00Add to cartPreface To Second Edition
1. The Birth Of Church History And Its Sequel
2. Athanasius And The Shaping Of Nicene Theology
3. Heroes Of The Faith: The Literature Of The Desert
4. The Cappadocians
5. The Temper Of The Times: Some Contrasting Characters Of The Late Fourth Century
6. The Literature Of Christological Controversy
IndexAdditional Info
In this volume, a world-renowned scholar of early Christianity updates and expands her classic survey of the writers and writings of the golden age of Greek patristic theology. This reliable guide to Christian literature from the late third century to the mid fifth century is more accessible than specialized works on individual authors but more informative than coverage provided by general histories and reference works. The second edition has been revised throughout for use by a new generation of students and scholars and includes a new chapter and updated bibliographies. -
Global Awakening : How 20th Century Revivals Triggered A Christian Revoluti
$32.99Add to cartThe last century has seen the revolutionary remaking of Christianity into a truly world religion. How did it happen?The last century has seen the revolutionary remaking of Christianity into a truly world religion. How did it happen? Mark Shaw’s provocative thesis is that far-flung revivals in places like Africa, Korea, Brazil and India are at the heart of the global resurgence of Christianity.
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Not Angels But Anglicans (Expanded)
$40.00Add to cartThis title traces the history and development of Christianity in Britain from Roman times through twenty often turbulent centuries. Learned, yet accessible, witty in style and attractively illustrated throughout, this is popular history at its best. When the earlier editions were in print, 9/11 had not happened, Iraq had not been invaded, Rowan Williams was not yet Archbishop of Canterbury. No-one could have foreseen the escalation of religious conflict, how the issue of homosexuality was to dominate the churches’ public agenda, that the number of female ordinands would so rapidly outnumber male candidates, or imagined British parish churches rejecting their bishops and looking to Africa for a moral lead. This new edition conveys the character and contribution of Christianity in the ever changing landscape of contemporary Britain.
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Christianity And Western Thought 1
$50.99Add to cartIntroduction
PART I: PHILOSOPHY IN THE ANCIENT WORLD
1. Socrates And Pre-Socratic Philosophy
2. Plato’s Vision Of Reality
3. Aristotle And The Physical World
4. Epicureans, Stoics, Skeptics And Cynics
5. From Greeks To GospelPART II: FROM CHURCH FATHERS TO MEDIEVAL SCHOLASTICS
6. Philosophy And The Church Fathers
7. Early Medieval Philosophy
8. Aquinas And Later Medieval PhilosophyPART III: FROM THE REFORMATION TO THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT
9. Philosophy And The Reformers
10. Old Questions And New Crises
11. The Age Of Rationalism
12. Rational Religion And The Era Of Deism
13. The Rise Of British Empiricism
14. The Skeptical Empiricism Of Hume
15. Scottish Common Sense And Early American Philosophy
16. Enlightenment And Skepticism In France
17. Enlightenment And Skepticism In Germany
18. Retrospect And ProspectNotes
A Note On Books
A Note On The Role Of Women In The History Of Western Thought
Select Index
Additional Info
From Socrates and the Sophists to Kant, from Augustine to Aquinas and the Reformers, Colin Brown traces the turbulent, often tension-filled, always fascinating story of the thinkers, ideas and movements that have shaped our intellectual landscape. Is philosophy the “handmaiden of faith” or “the doctrine of demons”? Does it clarify the faith or undermine the very heart of Christian belief? Brown writes, “This book is about the changes in preconceptions, world views and paradigms that have affected the ways in which people have thought about religion in general and Christianity in particular in the Western world. . . . It is a historical sketch, written to help students–and anyone else who might be interested–to get a better grasp of the love-hate relationship between philosophy and faith that has gone on for close to two thousand years.” Students, pastors and thoughtful Christians will benefit from this rich resource. The first in a three-volume work, Brown’s easy-to-read, hard-to-put-down introduction to Christianity and Western thought focuses on developments from the ancient world to the Age of Enlightenment. -
Organization Of The United Methodist Church
$18.99Add to cartAn indispensable guide for all United Methodists-especially pastors, lay leaders, church council members, confirmation and new member candidates and their instructors, and seminarians-this book is presented in a practical, down-to-earth manner for easy use by both individuals and classes, clergy and lay. It highlights the functions and connectional relationships within the organization, beginning with the local church and continuing through connectional organs in districts, annual conferences and their agencies, jurisdictional conferences and their agencies, the General Conference, the general agencies of the Church, and the Judicial Council.
Bishop Tuell discusses the Church’s unique polity and gives a frank assessment of its strengths and weaknesses. At the same time he paints the image of a worldwide connectional communion that is organized to spread the good news of Jesus Christ and to bear witness to its Wesleyan heritage. -
Liberating Black Theology
$19.99Add to cartWhen the beliefs of Barack Obama’s former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, assumed the spotlight during the 2008 presidential campaign, the influence of black liberation theology became hotly debated not just within theological circles but across cultural lines. How many of today’s African-American congregations-and how many Americans in general-have been shaped by its view of blacks as perpetual victims of white oppression?
In this interdisciplinary, biblical critique of the black experience in America, Anthony Bradley introduces audiences to black liberation theology and its spiritual and social impact. He starts with James Cone’s proposition that the “victim” mind-set is inherent within black consciousness. Bradley then explores how such biblical misinterpretation has historically hindered black churches in addressing the diverse issues of their communities and prevented adherents from experiencing the freedoms of the gospel. Yet Liberating Black Theology does more than consider the ramifications of this belief system; it suggests an alternate approach to the black experience that can truly liberate all Christ-followers.
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Christianity In The Greco Roman World (Reprinted)
$35.00Add to cartA creative introduction to the world of our New Testament belief
Background becomes foreground in Moyer Hubbard’s creative introduction to the social and historical setting for the letters of the Apostle Paul to churches in Asia Minor and Europe.Hubbard begins each major section with a brief narrative featuring a fictional character in one of the great cities of that era. Then he elaborates on various aspects of the cultural setting related to each particular vignette, discussing the implications of those venues for understanding Paul’s letters and applying their message to our lives today. Addressing a wide array of cultural and traditional issues, Hubbard discusses:
* Religion and superstition
* Education, philosophy, and oratory
* Urban society
* Households and family life in the Greco-Roman worldThis work is based on the premise that the better one understands the historical and social context in which the New Testament (and Paul’s letters) was written, the better one will understand the writings of the New Testament themselves. Passages become clearer, metaphors deciphered, and images sharpened. Teachers, students, and laypeople alike will appreciate Hubbard’s unique, illuminating, and well-researched approach to the world of the early church.
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God On Campus
$27.99Add to cartTrent Sheppard explores historical turning points as they’ve intersected college students in prayer. From the establishment of early American campuses during the Great Awakening, to the parachurch movement in the mid-twentieth century, to the Campus America initiative to establish vital praying communities on every campus in the United States, Sheppard shows that students can participate in remarkable movements of God simply by being open to being moved.
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Paradise Of The Holy Fathers V1 Revised
$24.99Add to cartThe Paradise of the Fathers is the classic compilation of the lives and teachings of the early monastic saints. It has been said that for a monastic to achieve perfection there are only two books needed: the Bible and the Paradise of the Fathers. This volume is translated from a Syriac manuscript discovered in 1888 by Dr. Ernest A. Wallis Budge. This is a revised and edited edition. Volume 1 of The paradise or gardens of the holy Fathers includes the histories of the anchorites, recluses, monks, coenobites and ascetic fathers of the deserts of Egypt between A.D. 250 and A.D. 400 compiled by Athanasius Archbishop of Alexandria, Palladius Bishop of Helenopolis, Jerome and others.
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Teaching Of The 12
$16.99Add to cartWhat did the original apostles have to say about the ways that Christians should worship, live, and care for each other? Explore the answers to these questions and more in Tony Jones’ new book written for all Christians who desire to understand what it means to be Christian and worship and live in community with others.
Tony introduces readers to the Didache, a first century Christian treatise written to give instructions to the fledging churches. This enigmatic text was considered canonical by some of the early Church Fathers (i.e. John of Damascus), but was believed to be unworthy of the canon although recommended reading by others (i.e. Athanasius). Tony takes it apart, section by section, and explains its meaning while making application to the ways and problems and solutions most relevant for Christian churches today.
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Crossing Over Sea And Land
$26.00Add to cartChristians often assume that Judaism, unlike Christianity, is not a missional religion. But as Michael Bird argues in Crossing Over Sea and Land: Jewish Missionary Activity in the Second Temple Period there is substantial historical evidence to the contrary. Examining his topic under four major rubrics including, the Ancient World, Jewish Missionary Activity in Palestine, Jewish Missionary Activity in the Diaspora, and in Early Christian Literature, Bird demonstrates that Judaism actively engaged in evangelization in the ancient world and in many ways was quite successful.
This book will be a perfect choice for anyone interested in the History of Missions, studying world Religions, Judaism, or anyone who is interested in the culture and history of the Second Temple/Early Judaism Period.
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Exorcism And Deliverance
$39.99Add to cartSince Jesus of Nazareth made exorcism a cornerstone of his own ministry, the Church has seen itself as engaged in a battle against the demonic. Exorcism has continued to play a role throughout Christian history in this conflict, although it has received different emphases in different times and places, and has been practiced in a range of different ways. Exorcism and Deliverance aims to shed new light on the phenomena of possession and exorcism by looking at them from a range of disciplinary perspectives. After an introduction to issues raised for theology by non-theological studies of possession, the book moves on to consider demons and deliverance in the Old and New Testaments, the Patristic period, the twentieth century West, Pentecostalism, anthropology, psychology, philosophy, cultural studies, theology, and practical theology. The diversity of essays makes sure that every facet is presented to encourage the reader thoroughly to consider this aspect of the church’s approach to evil in our society.
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Worshiping With The Church Fathers
$27.99Add to cartChristopher Hall invites us to accompany the church fathers as they enter the sanctuary for worship and the chapel for prayer. He also takes us to the wilderness, where we learn from the early monastics as they draw close to God in their solitary discipline. Readers will enjoy a rich and rare schooling in developing their spiritual life in this unique survey of the life of worship from the perspective of the early Church.
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Ignatius Of Antioch And The Parting Of The Ways
$30.00Add to cartHow did the early Christian movement, which began among Jewish people and in close association with the Jewish temple and synagogues of the first century, develop into a predominantly Gentile movement by the end of the first century? Was this “parting of the ways” spurred by internal tensions within the Christian church, socio-political factors in the Roman city of Antioch, or growing hostility from the larger Jewish community? In Ignatius of Antioch and the Parting of the Ways, Thomas A. Robinson addresses this intriguing historical question by taking a careful look at the writings of one of the few Christian writers who wrote about this parting firsthand-Ignatius, the Bishop of Antioch, who was martyred in the early years of the second century. Through a careful examination of the historical and sociological setting of first-century Antioch, Robinson sifts the testimony of this church father on issues such as the nature of Christian conversion at Antioch, the sources of Jewish-Christian tensions in that city and in the broader Roman world, and the development of the terms “Christian” and “Christianity.” Assessing a number of current theories about the nature of the Jewish-Christian parting, Robinson stresses the importance of hearing the voice of Ignatius himself on these questions. This is an excellent resource for anyone interested in the early days of Christianity and in Jewish-Christian relations.
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Christianity In Action
$30.99Add to cartThis meticulously researched yet engaging book traces The Salvation Army’s history of service from its beginnings in Victorian England to its present-day mission in all parts of the world. / A phenomenal religious movement, acclaimed for its compassionate service, The Salvation Army now works in no fewer than 118 countries, yet no contemporary book has chronicled this high-profile organization – until now. Henry Gariepy’s well-written, comprehensive account effectively fills that gap.
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We Believe In The Crucified And Risen Lord
$60.99Add to cartThis volume offers patristic comment on the second half of the second article of the Nicene Creed, concerning the work of Christ. Readers will gain insight into the history and substance of what the early church believed about Jesus as the God-Man.
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Bible Among Other Myths
$19.99Add to cartMany modern scholars say Israelite religion simply mirrors that of other West Semitic societies. Dr. John N. Oswalt believes the root of this attitude lies in hostility to the idea of revelation. This accessible book reasserts the biblical concept of a transcendent God who breaks into time and space and reveals himself in and through human activity.
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Sanctorum Communio : A Theological Study Of The Sociology Of The Church
$32.00Add to cartNow in an affordable paper edition, Sanctorum Communio is more readily usable for teaching and scholarship. The work, available in this series for the first time in its entirety in English, includes all material omitted from the original 1930 German publication. Bonhoeffer’s doctoral dissertation sets out the theology of sociality that informed all his work, engaging social philosophy and sociology to interpret the church as “Christ existing as church-community.” Here are the roots of his commitment to the Confessing church and the ecumenical movement, and of his actions in the resistance movement for the sake of peace and Germany’s future.
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Introducing Christianity : Exploring The Bible Faith And Life
$22.00Add to cartThis introductory-level book on Christianity looks clearly at what the church believed and taught throughout its history. Hard questions about the Bible, theology, and the Christian life are dealt with from the perspective of faith. As author, veteran scholar, and pastor James Howell puts it, “Great hope rests in thinking through these questions, and this book wrestles with them.” Howell knows the questions people ask and is adept at answering them. In doing so, he explores what it means to live as a Christian, as part of the church community, and also what it means to live with the hope Christian faith provides, even for those who “previously believed there was no hope.” Includes study questions for discussion.
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Forgotten Scriptures : The Selection And Rejection Of Early Religious Writi
$50.00Add to cartWe know that the early Christian church had a variety of Scriptures and other source material that informed their faith and shaped their thinking. We also know that after a few centuries the church decided to keep the twenty-seven books of our present New Testament and to treat them as canonical in faith and practice. But the other books did not simply disappear. In fact, many of them remain valuable for understanding the diversity of the early Christian church and the astounding claims of faith on which the church was founded. Learning about these ancient documents need not threaten the church’s current orthodoxy and authority; in fact, learning about these texts can help today’s Christians form a deeper understanding of the early church.
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Redeemed Bodies : Women Martyrs In Early Christianity
$35.00Add to cartWhy do religious people choose paths that lead to their deaths as martyrs? Why do some who are killed for their faith become known and revered while others do not? Gail Streete asks these important and disturbing questions in the context of early Christianity, looking at the stories of martyred women such as Thecla, Perpetua, and Felicitas, women whose stories helped shaped Christian faith for centuries, yet are all but forgotten in the modern world. Streete reclaims these stories and relates them to tragic instances of martyrdom in our own world, pulling from stories as diverse as the victims of Columbine and female suicide bombers in the Muslim world. What do their deaths mean, and why do we find their stories so moving?
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Martin Luther : A Life
$19.00Add to cartMartin Luther: A Life tells the dramatic story of the renegade monk whose heroic personal struggle ignited a revolution and shook Christendom to its foundations.
Through vivid anecdotes and lively historical descriptions, Martin Luther: A Life captures the turbulent times and historic events through which Luther lived as well as his profound vision of God. A fast-moving narrative, it shows how his stinging criticisms of the Christian church struck a deep and liberating chord in the German people and led to the momentous change we know as the Reformation.
For all who wish to understand Luther the man, the rebel, and the visionary, James Nestingen’s account also offers insight into Luther’s momentous contributions to the Western world and his personal encounter with God, the Christian scriptures, and the relentless demands of his own conscience.
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Gregorian Chant : A Guide To The History And Liturgy
$19.99Add to cartGregorian Chant offers a detailed tutorial in the history and liturgy of Gregorian chant for musicians and musicologists, clergy and liturgists, passionate participants, and others who are interested in the revival of chant in the church, today.
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Our Watchword And Song
$74.99Add to cartThis study of the growth of the Church of the Nazarene traces the denomination s doctrinal roots to the English Reformation and then explores the church’s historical, intellectual, and doctrinal development.
Giving special attention to the church s distinctive belief in entire sanctification and emphasis on education, the authors colorfully retell the story of the church from its humble origins in Pilot Point, Texas, to its expansion into an international community reaching the world through a warm-hearted faith.
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We Believe In One Lord Jesus Christ
$60.99Add to cartThis volume offers patristic comment on the first half of the second article of the Nicene Creed, concerning the person of Christ. Readers will gain insight into the history and substance of what the early church believed about Jesus as the God-Man.
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Labour Of Obedience
$35.00Add to cartThis important study of key Anglican Benedictine Communities in the first half of the 20th century provides a vital record of how the Anglican Communion dealt with an issue that was as divisive in its day as today’s disputes over sexuality and women bishops, and explores the origins of the influential Anglican Papalism movement. It was the heyday of Anglo-Catholicism in the Church of England. Religious life was flourishing for the first time since the Reformation. The first shock came when the Abbot of Caldey, a flamboyant character noted for luxurious tastes, and his monks went over to Rome. Nashdom – the great Benedictine community to which Gregory Dix belonged and, in many ways, the ultimate expression of Anglo-Catholicism – threatened to do likewise over the crisis of the Church of South India where the very idea of priestly ordination and identity was being challenged. Thanks to Archbishop William Temple the crisis was averted, the monks of Nashdom stayed and the scene was set for Anglican Papalism to enter the stag
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Readers Guide To Calvins Institutes
$25.00Add to cart2009 marks the 500th anniversary of John Calvin’s birth, and throughout the year scholars from around the world are gathering to discuss Calvin and his influence. Calvin’s Institutes is one of the great classics of Christian theology. Here a leading Calvin expert offers an affordable guide to reading the Institutes (keyed to the McNeill/Battles translation).
The book includes annotations to selected readings that offer readers a streamlined introduction to the heart of Calvin’s theology. Dividing the Institutes into thirty-two portions, the author has chosen an average of eighteen pages to be read from each portion to cover the whole range of the Institutes and provide readers with passages critical to understanding Calvin’s theology. The notes guide readers through the text, concentrating on the sections chosen for reading, summarizing the material, and drawing attention to the most significant footnotes in the McNeill/Battles edition. An introduction and questions at the beginning of each portion direct the reader’s attention to important points, and a brief guide at the end of each portion suggests further reading. The book will serve professors and students of the Institutes; courses in Calvin, Reformed theology, and historical theology; and readers seeking a guide to the Institutes.
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John Calvin : A Pilgrims Life
$35.99Add to cartTable Of Contents
Introduction
1. Orphan (1509-1533)
2. Pilgrim (1533-1536)
3. Stranger (1536-1538)
4. Refugee (1538-1541)
5. Preacher (1541-1546)
6. Victim (1546-1549)
7. Widow (1549-1551)
8. Patient (1551-1554)
9. Sailor (1555-1559)
10. Soldier (1559-1564)Additional Info
Professor and renowned Reformation historian Herman Selderhuis has written this book to bring Calvin near to the reader, showing him as a man who had an impressive impact on the development of the Western world, but who was first of all a believer who struggled with God and with the way God governed both the world and his own life. -
Christian World : A Global History
$22.00Add to cartIn this cogent volume, renowned Christian historian Martin Marty delivers a brief yet sweeping account of Christianity and how it spread from a few believers two thousand years ago to become the world’s largest religion.
Comprising nearly one third of the world’s population-more than two billion followers-Christianity is distinctive among major faiths in that it derives both its character and its authority from the divinity of its central figure, Jesus Christ. Examining this facet of Christianity from historical and sociological viewpoints, Marty lays bare the roots of this faith, in turn chronicling its success throughout the world.
Writing with great style, and providing impeccable interpretations of historical, canonical, and liturgical documents, Marty gives readers of all faiths and levels of familiarity with Christian practices and history a highly useful and supremely accessible primer. He depicts the life of Christ and his teachings and explains how the apostles set out to spread the Gospel. With a special emphasis on global Christianity, he shows how the religion emerged from its ancestral homelands in Africa, the Levant, and Asia Minor, was imported to Europe, and then spread from there to the rest of the world, most often via trade and conquest. While giving a broad overview, Marty also focuses on specific issues, such as how Christianity struggles with the polar tensions inherent to many of the faith’s denominations, and how it attempts to reconcile some of its stances on armed conflict, justice, and dominion with the teachings of Christ.
The Christian World is a chronicle of one of the great belief systems and its many followers. It’s a magnificent story of emperors and kings, war and geography, theology and politics, saints and sinners, and the earthly battle to save souls. Above all, it’s a remarkable testament to the teachings of Christ and how his message spreads around the globe to touch human experience everywhere.
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In The Footsteps Of Phoebe
$33.99Add to cartThis book presents a rich and insightful look at the deaconess vocation and its blessing to the LCMS. Utilizing primary sources to document the inspiring story of the deaconess movement within the LCMS, it fills a significant gap in the annals of synodical history. Collected in this one volume is a record of events as well as the thoughts and actions of deaconesses during every era of the Synod’s history.
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In The Shadow Of The Temple
$45.99Add to cartOskar Skarsaune gives us a new look into the development of the early church and its practice by showing us the evidence of interaction between the early Christians and rabbinic Judaism. He offers numerous fascinating episodes and glimpses into this untold story.
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Community Called Taize
$18.99Add to cartJason Brian Santos takes us on a tour of the Taize community, one of the world’s first Protestant, ecumenical monastic orders, from its monastic origins in the war-torn south of 1940s France to its emerging mission as a pilgrimage site and spiritual focal point for millions of young people throughout the world.
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What The Preacher Forgot To Tell Me
$18.00Add to cartIn “What The Preacher Forgot To Tell Me: Identity and Gospel in Jamaica, author Faith Linton identifies what she believes is a deficiency in the historical preaching of the Gospel in Jamaica, and other Caribbean countries, that has impacted the success of the Gospel there. It is her conviction that many of those to whom the gospel is preached lack just what the ancient Athenians lacked-a heightened awareness of the one, true God and of them as He originally designed them. They lack a sense of kinship, of belonging to their Creator, and therefore of what they are to Him and what they owe to Him. She examines the principal of preaching the Gospel message by beginning at the beginning-in Genesis, with our creation. When people do not appreciate the significance of their being created in His image, the consequences are that they have no clear, healthy sense of their spiritual identity or of the lofty purpose for which they were created. If the message preached does not fill this gap, the understanding of the gospel will be distorted. Hearers may be driven to repentance strictly out of the fear of hell. Or, they may seek self-centred satisfaction and happiness by allying themselves with Christ, but they will not be motivated to please God. When a person is not allowed to see how closely connected they are to God, who made them like Himself, they continue to feel alienated from Him even after salvation. They feel unable to relate closely to Him in an intimate way. Her personal experience bears this out. Faith’s book identifies this problem with clarity and conviction as she describes how this principle has impacted Jamaica and the Caribbean communities and offers what she hopes is a transformational solution.
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Churches Of The New Testament
$9.99Add to cartHave you ever wondered what it would be like to be a Christian in the first century? What would it be like to meet with the church in Philippi or Ephesus? What would go on in their assemblies? Churches of the New Testament explores the world of first century Christianity by examining what Scripture reveals about the local churches of God’s people. It examines background information about the geography and history of each city, as well as whatever is known about the founding of the church there. This book also considers what happened to the church after the first century. Centuries may separate us from the churches of the New Testament, but their examples, instruction, commendation, and rebukes can teach us today
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Christian Identity And Dalit Religion In Hindu India 1868-1947
$48.99Add to cartWhen Christianity encounters the religion and culture of a new corner of the world, it produces fresh and distinctive forms of the faith. Chad Baumann here considers one such corner: colonial Chhattisgarh in north central India. In his exploration, Baumann focuses on the interaction of three groups: Hindus from the low-caste Satnami community, Satnami converts to Christianity, and the American missionaries who worked with them. Informed by both scholarship and fieldwork, the book describes the emergence of a unique Satnami-Christian identity. Pre-existing structures of thought, belief, behavior, and more altered this emerging identity in significant ways, thereby creating a distinct regional Christianity. This fascinating book examines a little studied region of India. By doing so Christian Identity and Dalit Religion in Hindu India, 1868-1947 will help readers to better understand Christian contextualization in all lands.
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Heretics For Armchair Theologians
$24.00Add to cartIn this unique Armchair volume, noted church historians Justo and Catherine Gonzalez introduce readers to important early church figures whose teachings were denounced by the church as heresies. Instructional for what they taught and for revealing what the church wished to safeguard and uphold, these “heretics,” including Marcion, Arius, Nestorius, and Pelagius, are engagingly presented in their contexts through a clear and accessible text that is highlighted by the humorous illustrations of Ron Hill. Heretics for Armchair Theologians is an enjoyable way to learn about the church’s early life and beliefs.
Written by experts but designed for the novice, the Armchair series provides accurate, concise, and witty overviews of some of the most profound moments and theologians in Christian history. These books are essential supplements for first-time encounters with primary texts, lucid refreshers for scholars and clergy, and enjoyable reads for the theologically curious.
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Historia General De Las Mision – (Spanish)
$25.99Add to cartLos doctores Justo L. Gonzalez y Carlos F. Cardoza nos presentan esta historia de la expansion del cristianismo a traves de las misiones, a la vez inspiradora y aterradora, que nos sirve de llamado y de advertencia. Nos llama a seguir la linea esplendorosa de quienes antes de nosotros dieron testimonio de su fe como misioneros. Y nos advierte que, como cristianos fieles, hemos de preocuparnos por las consecuencias de nuestras acciones y nuestras actitudes.
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Churchs Guide For Reading Paul
$31.99Add to cartHere Brevard Childs turns his sharp scholarly gaze from the Old Testament scholarship he is known for to the works of the apostle Paul. He offers an unusual argument: the New Testament was canonically shaped, its formation a hermeneutical exercise in which its anonymous apostles and postapostolic editors collected, preserved, and theologically shaped the material in order for the evangelical traditions to serve successive generations of Christians. Childs contends that within the New Testament the Pauline corpus stands as a unit bookended by Romans and the Pastoral Epistles. He assigns an introductory role to Romans, examining how it puts the contingencies of Paul’s earlier letters into context without sacrificing their particularity. At the other end, the Pastoral Epistles serve as a concluding valorization of Paul as the church’s doctrinal model. By considering Paul’s works as a whole, Childs offers a way to gain a fuller understanding of the individual letters.
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This Is My Body
$26.00Add to cartIntroduction
1. His Completely Trustworthy Testament: The Development Of Luther’s Early Eucharistic Teaching, 1517-1521
2. The Truth Of The Divine Words: Luther’s Sermons On The Eucharist, 1521-1528, And The Structure Of Eucharistic Meaning
3. An Intermediate Brilliance: The Words Of Institution And The Gift Of Knowledge In Calvin’s Eucharistic Theology
4. Not Hidden And Far Off: The Bodily Aspect Of Salvation And Its Implications For Understanding The Body In Calvin’s Theology
5. Preaching And Presence: Constructing Calvin’s Homiletic Legacy
6. Reflections On A Mirror: Calvin’s Preaching On Preaching (Deuteronomy 5)
7. He Is Outwith The World…that He May Fill All Things: Calvin’s Exegesis Of The Ascension And It Relation To The Eucharist
8. The Communication Of Efficacy: Calvin’s 1 Corinthians Commentary And The Development Of The Institutes
9. Discerning The Body: The Eucharist And The Christian Social Body In 16th Century Protestant Exegesis
10. Hardened Hearts, Hardened Words: Calvin, Beza, And The Trajectory Of Signification`Additional Info
A leading scholar explores and analyzes the ways Calvin, Luther, and other Reformers understood the presence of Christ in the Eucharist.There are many general surveys of the Reformation available, and they all typically devote some space to how theologians such as Martin Luther and John Calvin understood the Lord’s Supper and Christ’s presence in the bread and wine. However, they usually do not provide a great deal of detail about the development of the Reformers’ thoughts or the finer elements of their respective opinions.
This volume by Thomas Davis fills these gaps with a more narrowly focused study. He devotes several chapters to Luther and to Calvin, examining their use of language and their understanding of the presence of Christ, both in the Lord’s Supper and in the broader sense of his presence in the church.
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Historia De La Iglesia Primiti – (Spanish)
$16.99Add to cartThe first part of this book explains all of the historical facts about the Christian church in great detail. It covers the time from the apostles to the end of the 1st century. The second volume covers all that we know about the martyrs in the first centuries.
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Reconciliation Blues : A Black Evangelicals Inside View Of White Christiani
$18.99Add to cartJournalist Edward Gilbreath gives an insightful, honest picture of both the history and the present state of racial reconciliation in evangelical churches. He looks at a wide range of figures, such as Howard O. Jones, Tom Skinner, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Jesse Jackson and John Perkins.
Charting progress as well as setbacks, his words offer encouragement for black evangelicals feeling alone, clarity for white evangelicals who want to understand more deeply, and fresh vision for all who want to move forward toward Christ’s prayer “that all of them may be one.”
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Who Healeth All Thy Diseases
$102.00Add to cartWho Healeth All Thy Diseases is a history of divine healing and 19th-century health reform in the Church of God, one of the earliest and most influential pre-Pentecostal radical holiness movements. The Church of God taught that Wesleyan entire sanctification was creating a visible unity of saints that restored the New Testament church of the apostles.
As the movement grew and experimented with the implications of visible sainthood, physical healing-miraculous divine healing and the physical perfectionism of health reform-became integral to the life and theology of the Church of God, shaping everything from proof of membership and evidence of ministerial authority to childrearing practices and acceptable clothing styles. Physical healing manifested and embodied the movement’s claim that God was healing the universal church (the Body of Christ) by cleansing individuals from the corruption of inbred sin. By 1902, the prevailing opinion in the Church said that divine healing was an essential aspect of the gospel, use of medicine was sinful, and every minister had to exhibit the gifts of healing.
In the early 20th century, the Church’s theology and practices of healing became increasingly problematic. Tragic failures of divine healing, epidemics, medical advances, court trials, mandatory inoculations of schoolchildren, and general opprobrium combined to prevent a simplistic equation of the Church of God and the church of the apostles. By 1925, the Church had reversed its radical, anti-medicine doctrines. Church members continued to affirm that Jesus answered prayers for healing, but they no longer claimed to know exactly how he would answer prayers. With that loss of certainty, healing lost its power to serve as evidence of holiness and its central place in the history of the Church of God.
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History Of Presbyterian Missions
$48.00Add to cartThis comprehensive volume features a collection of interpretive essays on the work of missions in the Presbyterian Church for over sixty years. It discusses events and challenges to the churchs mission activities and to its missionaries and examines the ways in which changes in denominational structures impacted mission work. Reflections from Presbyterian mission leaders, firsthand accounts from missionaries, and an overview of the work in specific mission areas from Latin America to East Asia make this an ideal resource for those involved in Presbyterian missions, scholars, and all those who seek to understand the breadth and depth of Presbyterian missions during this period.
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Divine Authenticity Of Scripture
$32.99Add to cartIVP Print On Demand Title
Andrew McGowan examines the evangelical understanding of the nature and use of Scripture. McGowan emphasizes the work of the Holy Spirit in relation to Scripture, and argues that we should speak of “spiration” rather than inspiration of Scripture.
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Church Membership In The Bible
$6.99Add to cartChrist has designed a ‘home’ or family for his people, described in these pages as an accomplishment of divine genius. This is a magnificent subject, vital to spiritual growth and blessing and also to our service for the Saviour.
This book answers many questions about churches and church membership in New Testament times. Next to having a real walk with Christ and knowing the doctrines of the faith, membership of a good church has a powerful formative influence on the believer’s life.
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For Zions Sake
$39.99Add to cartThis groundbreaking book challenges decades of misrepresentation of Christian Zionism and questionable theology, exploding the myth that J. N. Darby stole the doctrine of the pretribulation rapture from his contemporaries. By revealing the truth behind the man and his message, Paul Wilkinson vindicates Darby and spotlights the imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ as the center piece of his theology.
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Is The Reformation Over
$30.00Add to cartFor the last few decades, Catholics and Protestants have been working to heal the wounds caused by centuries of mistrust. In this work, a Christianity Today 2006 Book Award winner, premier Christian historian Mark Noll and Carolyn Nystrom provide a critical evaluation of post-Vatican II Roman Catholicism and its relationship to the evangelical church. While not ignoring significant differences that remain, the authors provide a clarion call for a new appreciation among evangelicals of the current character of the Catholic Church.
This landmark book will appeal to those interested in the ongoing dialogue between Catholicism and evangelicalism, students of church history and/or contemporary theology, and pastors and church leaders. -
Young Restless Reformed
$17.99Add to cartFrom places like John Piper’s den, Al Mohler’s office, and Jonathan Edwards’s college, Christianity Today journalist Collin Hansen investigates what makes today’s young Calvinists tick. Church-growth strategies and charismatic worship have fueled the bulk of evangelical growth in America for decades. While baby boomers have flocked to churches that did not look or sound like church, it seems these churches do not so broadly capture the passions of today’s twenty-something evangelicals. In fact, a desire for transcendence and tradition among young evangelicals has contributed to a Reformed resurgence. For nearly two years, Christianity Today journalist Collin Hansen visited the chief schools, churches, and conferences of this growing movement. He sought to describe its members and ask its leading pastors and theologians about the causes and implications of the Calvinist resurgence. The result, Young, Restless, Reformed, shows common threads in their diverse testimonies and suggests what tomorrow’s church might look like when these young evangelicals become pastors or professors. “Collin Hansen invites us on a voyage of discovery, learning how our restless youth are discovering anew the great doctrines of the Christian faith. Weary of churches that seek to entertain rather than teach, longing after the true meat of the Word, these young people are pursuing doctrine. Discover how God is moving among the young, the restless, and the Reformed.” Tim Challies, author, The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment; blogger at Challies.com “Young, Restless, Reformed is the product of some outstanding research. This book will help the reader gain valuable insight into the growing Reformed movement in America.” Jerry Bridges, author of The Pursuit of Holiness “Collin Hansen has uncovered a fresh movement of young Christians for whom doctrine fuels evangelism, kindles passion, and transforms lives. Read it and rejoice.” David Neff, editor-in-chief, Christianity Today media group “A number of strategic ministries have been quietly upholding the doctrines of grace, planting churches, seeing people converted, teaching the whole counsel of God. It is time for quiet gratitude to God and earnest intercessory prayer that what has begun well will flourish beyond all human expectation.” D. A. Carson, Research Professor of New Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School “This lively account is must reading for ministry leaders working with young adults. A wake-up call to ba
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South Africas Forgotten Revival
$16.49Add to cartAlthough the Great Awakening at the Cape in 1860 was as powerful as its precursors in America, Ireland and Wales, its story has never been fully told until now. Dr. Olea Nel has succeeded in filling a much needed gap in the literature by describing these events through the lives of three key players: Andrew Murray, Nicolaas Hofmeyr and Gottlieb van der Lingen. As the story unfolds, you will learn:
About the crisis in the Dutch Reformed Church prior to revival when
semi-literate stock farmers believed that God had called them to subdue the African tribes, not evangelize them.How virtually overnight the revival demolished this outlook so that awakened Christians became people of prayer and mission enthusiasts.
How Andrew Murray defended the Church against the onslaught of
liberalism through legal battles in the Cape High Court as well as the Privy Council, London. -
Faith And Fatherland
$29.00Add to cartAn informative glimpse into the world of German Protestants in the difficult Hitler era, Faith and Fatherland approaches the history of the Church Struggle from the “bottom up,” using sources like pastors’ correspondence, parish newsletters, local newspaper accounts, district superintendents’ reports, and local church statistics.
While Jantzen confirms the general understanding that German Protestants failed to resist or even critique the Nazi regime, he reveals a surprising diversity of opinion and variety of action, including the successful efforts of some Lutheran pastors and parishioners to resist the nazification of their churches.
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Opening China : Karl F A Gutzlaff And Sino Western Relations 1827-1852
$48.99Add to cartWestern evangelists have long been fascinated by China, a vast mission field with a unique language and culture. One of the most intrigued was also one of the most intriguing: Karl F. A. Gutzlaff (1803-1851). In this erudite study Jessie Gregory Lutz chronicles Gutzlaff’s life from his youth in Germany to his conversion and subsequent turn to missions to his turbulent time in Asia. Lutz also includes a substantial bibliography consisting of (1) archival sources, (2) selected books, pamphlets, tracts, and translations by Gutzlaff, and (3) books, periodicals, and articles. This is truly an important reference for any student of the history of China or missions.
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Canonical Theism : A Proposal For Theology And The Church
$39.99Add to cartCanonical Theism is a post-Protestant vision for the renewal of both theology and church. The editors call for the retrieval and redeployment of the full range of materials, persons, and practices that make up the canonical heritage of the church, including scripture, doctrine, sacred image, saints, sacraments, and more. The central thesis of the work is that the good and life-giving Holy Spirit has equipped the church with not only a canon of scripture but also with a rich canonical heritage of materials, persons, and practices. However, much of the latter has been ignored or cast aside. This unplumbed resource of canonical heritage waits for the church to rediscover its wealth. With a bold set of thirty theses, the authors chart and defend that mine of opportunity. They then invite the entire church to explore the benefits of their discoveries. This ambitious book offers insights to be integrated into the church body, renewing the faith that nourished converts, created saints, and upheld martyrs across the years.
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Modern Church History
$52.99Add to cart“This is the SCM Core Text: “”Modern Church History”” provides an introduction to global Christianity from 1700 to the mid 20th C. The book aims to help students understand the processes, movements and individuals who have contributed to making the contemporary Christian landscape the shape it is in the 21st century. Theologically it takes a wide and inclusive approach to provide a balanced survey of Christianity in all its forms – Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox. Geographically it focuses on the Christian church in the UK, continental Europe and North America, and examines in each location the social movements, campaigns and campaigners, scientific and political challenges that have shaped the Christian Church throughout the period.Beginning with the reaction to Lutherism, it charts the rise of Pietism in Europe throughout the late 17th and early 18th centuries, the influence of John Wesley and the Methodists, in the UK and the ‘Great Awakening’ in North America. The early chapters summarize the developments within th
