Denominational Concerns
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For All The Saints
$16.95Add to cart“We have been drifting into a muddle and a mess, putting together bits and pieces of traditions, ideas and practices in the hope that they will make sense. They don’t. There may be times when a typical Anglican fudge is a pleasant, chewy sort of thing, but this isn’t one of them. It’s time to think and speak clearly and act decisively.”
With these robust words Tom Wright, Bishop of Durham, throws down a challenge to current liturgy and practice surrounding All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days, and sets out to clarify our thinking about what happens to people after they die. Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory, what it means to pray for the dead, what (and who) are the saints, are all addressed in this invigorating and rigorously argued book. -
Who Runs The Church
$24.99Add to cart“Many Protestants, individually and denominationally, are divided by differences regarding the form of church government. While these differences are not necessarily as divisive as theological and doctrinal issues, they are significant to churches and church leaders and affect the way Christians do God’s work. This book in the highly acclaimed Counterpoints series offers insights and contrasts into four kinds of church government: (1) episcopalianism (hierarchical, with priests, bishops, and archbishops), (2) presbyterianism (a representative form at multiple levels-church, classis/presbytery, synod/general assembly), (3) single-elder congregationalism (pastor-led local autonomy), and (4) plural-elder congregationalism (another form of local autonomy). Each form of government is explored through (1) description, (2) historical development, (3) hermeneutical assumptions, (4) biblical and theological foundations, (5) an understanding of the nature, number, and relationship of church officers, (6) the practical implications. The contributors are Peter Toon of the Anglican Church (episcopalianism), L. Roy Taylor of the Presbyterian Church in America (presbyterianism), Paige Patterson of the Southern Baptist Convention (single-elder congregationalism), and Samuel E. Waldron of the Reformed Baptist Church (plural-elder congregationalism).” EDITOR: Cowan, Steven B.
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Lifetime Of Blessing
$20.99Add to cartIn the same successful formula as ‘World of Blessing’, Geoffrey Duncan has compiled blessings from a great variety of resources to commemorate every conceivable stage of life from planning and praying for a child to bidding loved ones farewell. aaIn between there are a wide range of thanksgiving and blessing prayers for pregnancy, the birth of a baby, adoption and fostering, christening or naming ceremonies,godparents, growing up, starting school, birthdays, confirmation or church membership,friendship, love, work, leaving home, engagement, marriage, moving house, anniversaries, the big’O’s(!)and all important occasions in life-joyful or sad. aaA unique pastoral and personal resource that will be used over and over again.
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This Day : A Wesleyan Way Of Prayer
$23.99Add to cartDr. Laurence Stookey of Wesley Seminary has created this resource to serve as a daily prayer book for the home and personal use. The book is also designed for use by individuals participating in a Wesleyan class meeting in conjunction with the Sunday morning experience or a week-day meeting. The unique aspect of this program lies in its incorporation of the practice of daily prayer and accountability within the Sunday morning adult education program . In addition to activities conducted on Sunday, class members will participate in ordered daily prayer within the Wesleyan spirit. This Day contains thirty-one forms of prayer, one for each day of the month drawn from: John Wesley’s 1738 Forms of Prayer for Every Day of the Week, The 1784 Order for Morning Prayer, The United Methodist Book of Worship, The Book of Common Prayer, The IONA and Taize Communities, the Benedictine tradition, the Eastern Orthodox tradition, and contemporary sources. This resource is not UM specific and is based on the revised common lectionary and the daily lectionary of the Book of Common Prayer.
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Building On The Gospel Foundation
$79.99Add to cartEdsel Burdge Jr. and Samuel L. Horst tell the stories of three centuries of faith and life among the Washington County (Md.), and Franklin County (Pa.) Mennonites. From small beginnings in colonial American settlements, issues such as personal spiritual commitment, corporate accountability, nonconformity, and peace have been constants. This history describes in detail the particulars of that struggle as well as recounting stories illustrative of community life in general.
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Making Disciples Making Leaders
$27.00Add to cartThis book offers a model for selecting and training church officers that is grounded in spiritual discernment and development. The book begins with a biblical understanding of leadership, moves into consideration for how to train a Nominating Committee to select leaders according to the biblical vision, and then offers a step-by-step plan for a training event with three components. The training plan is designed to build up the church leaders spiritually and to set their work in the context of discipleship, as well as to teach them some of the fundamentals of the rules of governance of their denomination. The book ends with concrete suggestions for how future work of the church board can be structured to reflect the emphases highlighted in the training session.
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Faith In Words
$21.00Add to cartFaith in Words is a timeless collection of essays and poems that reflect on living the life of faith. These meditative stories and essays and their apt metaphors will inspire Christian readers to seek a greater understanding of God and God’s presence in our daily lives.
This volume includes works from such noted Presbyterian writers as Doris Betts, Kathleen Long Bostrom, Belden C. Lane, Katherine Paterson, J. Barrie Shepherd, David Steele, Bill Tammeus, and Ann Weems.
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Way Of Life In The World
$20.99Add to cartIn this introduction to the core habits, beliefs, and ways of looking at the world that distinguish the people called Methodist, Carter contends there are six essential practices in the United Methodist tradition: Searching the Scriptures; Generosity with the poor; Testimony; Singing; Holy Communion; Christian conferencing.
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From The Parish
$17.99Add to cartForeword
IntroductionPART ONE: ”You Have Made Public Profession Of Your Faith…”
1.Who In The World Are We? Lutheran Nonnegotiables
2.Christ’s Choice For Life: Law And Gospel Applied
3.True Confession: The Spirit Of Augsburg
4.Rerooting In The Community: A Mission Strategy Grows In Brooklyn
5.A Lutheran Spiritual Face In The Public Arena
6.From Pentecost To Politics: How One Parish Tackled The Pornography ProblemPART TWO: ”Do You Intend To Continue In The Covenant God Made With You In Holy Baptism?”
7.Life By Drowning: The Baptized Christian In The World
8.Children Of A Greater God: Catechesis Of The Confessional Heart
9.A River Runs Through It: Evangelism From The Font
10.Bonhoeffer, Youth, And The Church: The Mundane Communio Sanctorum
11.Walking On Water: Mentoring The Next Generation
12.The Habit Of Ecstasy; The Practice Of Prayer; The Journey Of FaithPART THREE: ”To Live Among God’s Faithful People….’
13.The Community Of Grace
14.The Community Of The Word
15.The Faithful Community
16.The Disciplined Community: Law, Gospel And The Solus Christus
17.Confraternities Of Grace: Small Group Ministry
18.Family ValuesPART FOUR: ”To Hear The Word And Share In His Supper….”
19.Eating And Drinking Among The Tombstones
20.Full Communion On The Way Home
21.Embodied Ecumenism: The Unity Of Christ’s Body At The Local Level
22.Assisting Ministers: Identity And Function
23.To Carry God In The Mouth: Singing The FaithPART FIVE: ”To Proclaim The Good News Of God In Christ….”
24.Bishop And Parish
25.The Triune Shape Of The Church: Episcope And The Trinity
26.Lost And Found: Growth And Evangelism
27.Evangelism, Church Growth And The Swinging Door
28.Hirtabrev. Following Jesus To The Breach
29.Hirtabrev. Come To The Table: Koinonia As Missionary AccountabilityPART SIX: ”To Serve All People, Following The Example Of Our Lord Jesus…”
30.The Diaconate: Consecrated DPs
31.Diakonia: A Mom-and-Pop Theological Store
32.Priests And Deacons: Earthly And Heavenly Partnership
33.Servants Of Jesus: Diaconal People Among UsPART SEVEN: ”And To Strive For Justice And Peace In All The Earth.”
34.Parish Schools: Christ, The City, And The Child
35.To Take Care Of The Body: Social Ministry And Evangelism Through The Parish Social Ministry Committee
36.Requiem
37.A Tale Of Three Houses
38.Give Me That Stranger: The Ministry Of Word And Sacrament CAdditional Info
This is a book about the parish, written from the heart of parish life. Its heart is an edited collection of Lutheran Forum articles, with other published work and new material adding dimension to some of the themes explored in these pages. This collection provides diverse soundings of parish life in the Gospel and suggests a Lutheran theology of the parish, but one that is accessible and relevant across the ecumenical diversity of the One Body of Christ. For pastors and lay readers, this book seeks to support the ministry of congregations, as well as inspiring and provoking dialogue in local parishes. -
Reforming Mary : Changing Images Of The Virgin Mary In Lutheran Sermons Of
$200.00Add to cartDescription
Catholics and Protestants have, since the earliest days of the Reformation, held markedly different views about the Virgin Mary. In Reforming Mary Beth Kreitzer examines the development of Lutheran views on this subject as expressed in 16th-century Lutheran published sermons, starting with the earliest of Luther’s own Reformation sermons. -
On Being A Priest Today
$16.95Add to cartThis important book on priestly identity embraces the many contemporary and denominational varieties of priestly ministry; male and female, paid and unpaid, parish and work-based, catholic, evangelical, charismatic. Examining the “root,” the “shape,” and the “fruit” of priestly identity, On Being a Priest Today is essential reading for priests, priests in training, and everyone considering the ministry. Part One “roots” a priest’s human and church life in the theological convictions derived from the Christian understanding of God as being for and with others. Part Two explores the “shape” of priestly life in relation to worship, word, and prayer, each supported by the three key virtues of love, faith, and hope. Part Three examines the “fruit” of priestly life by focusing on three fundamental features of priestly identity: holiness, reconciliation, and blessing.
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Presbyterian Trustee
$16.00Add to cart1. Biblical Models
2. Historical Background
3. The Responsibilities And Powers Of Trustees
4. Professional Ethics And Standards Of Conduct
5. Future Prospects: Administering Christ’s Church With JusticeAdditional Info
The Presbyterian Trustee is a brief, highly useful handbook for trustees in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the first to examine the office. Modeled after The Presbyterian Elder and the author’s own The Presbyterian Deacon, this book explores the biblical models of trustees, the historic background of the office, and the responsibilities of trustees today. Added features include a liturgy for the installation and recognition of trustees, a glossary, and a list of other recommended resources. -
Ordination : Celebrating The Gift Of Ministry
$34.99Add to cartFor graduating seminary students, Stephen Sprinkle has written a practical theological guide for preparing for ordination in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), United Church of Christ, American Baptist Church, Presbyterian Church (USA), and other closely related denominations. He provides a theology of what ordination is and what it means to the person being ordained, to the life of the church at large, and to the congregation gathered for the celebration. Sprinkle includes “hands-on” practical guidance on how to plan the service, plus samples of ordination services from each of the four traditions.
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Preaching Hebrews
$15.95Add to cartThe Rochester College Sermon Seminar and the series of books it has inspired have been built on the conviction that Christian preaching today needs revision. Such reforming begins with a close and faithful reading of Scripture, an engagement so serious that the world of Scripture ultimately sets agendas and invents expectations for meaningful life…In this present volume, too, we wish to grant the book of Hebrews the opportunity to pull all of us into the world it envisions, allowing it the power to judge, convict, and form us into a community God desires. This is not an easy task for several reasons, most notably the fact that the world of Hebrews is quite alien from our own…Like previous volumes in the Rochester Lectures on Preaching, the current work is divided into two parts. The first is a collection of four related essays meant to orient the reader to the world clearly conceived in Hebrews. The second half appropriates this orientation with sermons for particular Christian congregations.
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Unveiling Glory : Visions Of Christs Transforming Presence (Student/Study Guide)
$16.99Add to cartWhy did Jesus come to earth in the flesh and live among us? In what sense did he both embrace this world and reject it? How should our view of Christ form the way we live and act as Christians in our families, neighborhoods, nations, and churches? Unveiling Glory seeks to address these topics and others, boldly considering many of the problems facing Churches of Christ today and insisting that the key to their resolution lies in a deeper commitment to Jesus.
The introduction establishes the premise for the book when it declares that “approaching Christ with transformation in mind has not always been a key element in…our heritage. Yet we are convinced that whenever scripture is allowed to speak with its full voice, the notion of Christianity as transformation into the image of Christ becomes inescapable.” The book seeks to deliver on this promise, leading the reader through the important events in Jesus’ life and unveiling their significance for the Christian today.
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Preaching As Prophetic Calling
$21.95Add to cartPreaching as Prophetic Calling is the twelfth in a series of books devoted to presenting examples of preaching excellence from parishes throughout the Episcopal Church. This volume addresses the difficult and essential area of preaching a prophetic word. What does a prophetic sermon look like without being shrill, and without being filled with “musts,” “oughts,” and “shoulds”? This collection of sermons includes examples of prophetic preaching that are visionary and that speak in ways that offer radical comfort as well as radical challenge.
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Gift And Task Of Lutheran Higher Education
$19.00Add to cartWhy should Lutherans care whether there are any ”Lutheran” colleges and universities? Why should people who study, teach, and work in colleges and universities care whether they are ”Lutheran” or not? And, maybe most significantly, what does the continued robustness of Lutheran higher education have to contribute to the church and to life and work in the broader public arena? Tom Christenson has thoughtful and persuasive answers to all these questions, and more.
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Seasons Of Faith
$19.99Add to cartBuilding on the success of Symbols of Faith, Marcia Stoner has written a follow-up volume, Seasons of Faith. Based on the seasons of the Christian Year, the activities in this new volume may be used for short-term studies for older children, preteens, youth, and even adults. This book includes photocopiable patterns and charts that will enhance ease of use, an Advent worship booklet for church and/or home use, a Lenten study, All Saints’ Eve activities, and multicultural activities for Christmas, Pentecost, and World Communion Sunday. The author includes a brief history of each season.
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Anglicans And Orthodox
$25.00Add to cartElizabeth I deliberately divided her episcopate at the outset of her reign between Geneva reformers and bishops who looked to the Fathers of the Early Church. Thereafter in the Church of England there would always be divines who would be drawn to the Orthodox East. Such men suffered mightily in the 17th century at the hands of the first Puritans and then Whigs when these gained political power, and their suffering impelled them more and more to ‘look to the East.’
This book traces the fortunes of the quest, through the study of Greek texts, involvement in the intricate politics of the Near and Middle East, deprivation and isolation in the Nonjuror schism, and finally the rejection by the Greek Patriarchs of requests for Orthodox Communion in the 1720’s.
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Methodist And Radical
$38.99Add to cartContributors from diverse backgrounds in the United States and around the globe reflect on radical and liberation traditions in Methodism in their own context. In conversation with contemporary Methodism and the Wesleyan heritage, each chapter focuses on the question how radical and liberation traditions provide new visions for the present and future of the church. Contributions include: Ted Jennings Jr., John J. Vincent, Joerg Rieger, Josiah Young Jr., Andrew Sung Park, Mercy Amba Oduyoye, Stephen Hatcher, Jose Miguez Bonino, Harold Recinos, Rebecca Chopp, Cedric Mayson, Jong Chun Park, and Jione Havea.
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Walking The Way Of Sorrows
$16.95Add to cartEach year on Good Friday and throughout Lent, Christian congregations all over the world walk the Stations of the Cross, a commemoration of Jesus’ walk to Calvary. In Walking the Way of Sorrows, artist Noyes Capehart and writer/journalist Katerina Whitley provide a fresh resource for congregations and individuals who want to explore the meaning of these Stations more deeply. Capehart’s stark and powerful blockcuts of the fourteen Stations are accompanied by monologues from the point of view of someone at each station. These monologues, along with biblical references and a brief liturgy, are excellent for individual devotion, but can also be used by groups who walk the Stations together.
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Anglicanism And The Western Christian Tradition
$29.99Add to cartAn impressive line up of high profile names from the academic world and the churches reflect on the changing nature of Anglicanism’s relations with the Catholic Church from the Reformation to the present day. A key text for libraries, colleges and all students of church history and ecumenical relations, this volume is based on a prestigious set of lectures given in Rome in 2002. Anglican and Catholic voices together explore continuity and change in the Anglican church and its relations with Rome from its earliest days, through the Elizabethan era, Civil War, the age of Hooker, the Oxford Movement and in its becoming a worldwide communion.
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Waldensian Way To God
$35.99Add to cartThe story of the Waldensians’ faith and commitment begins in the late twelfth century when the followers of Peter Waldo chose to ignore the Church’s decree against preaching without authority. Condemned for heresy, they left the city of Lyon and wandered the European countryside. Ruthlessly suppressed by the Inquisition and medieval crusades, their clandestine movement was reduced to a few enclaves by the time Protestant reformers from Switzerland arrived at their foremost settlements in the Cottian Alps between France and Italy. The basic compatibility between the pre-Reformation beliefs of the Waldensians and the ideas of the Swiss reformers eventually led to their adoption of the Calvinist form of Reformed Protestantism. However, by affirming their new faith, they became a conspicuous target for the forces of the Counter Reformation. Torture, imprisonment, exile, and martyrdom all became part of the heritage of the small but vibrant Waldensian Reformed Church that arose in the 1500s. The survival of the Waldensians down to the present, despite the numerous attempts to destroy their traditions and beliefs, is testimony that all things are possible through faith.
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Lutherans Today : American Lutheran Identity In The Twenty First Century
$27.99Add to cartIn the middle of the twentieth century, American Lutherans were newsworthy enough to find themselves on the cover of “Time” magazine. Their claim to fame? In an era when American churches were beginning to look and act alike, Lutherans’ strong confessional nature and stress on theology as well as their liturgy and ethnicity set them apart. They were “Protestants with a difference” at a time when differences were supposed to be dissolving in the American melting pot.
Subsequent years have posed serious questions to Lutheran identity, as disputes about the true nature of Lutheranism and the meaning of the Lutheran confessions, the structure of ministry, ecumenism, sexuality, and multiculturalism have all left their mark on Lutheran denominations. In “Lutherans Today” several historians, social scientists, journalists, and other leading experts map out the place of Lutheranism in the landscape of contemporary American Christianity and explore the directions in which it is heading in the new millennium.
Presenting new and original research, the book is divided into two sections. The first examines change and movements within American Lutheranism. Distinguished church historian Mark Noll here sets the scene by arguing that the predicament of American Lutheranism has always been the struggle to remain faithful to the enduring witness of the European Reformation while also accommodating itself to the democratic pluralism of the New World. Six other chapters discuss the Missouri Synod, the “Lutheran Left,” the Called to Common Mission agreement, the evangelical catholic movement within Lutheranism, the rise of “megachurches,” and Lutheran charismatics.
The second section considers trends and issues related to Lutheran identity, including politics and the pastorate, the impact of immigration and multiculturalism, the loss of Lutheran identity at Lutheran colleges and universities, and conflicting patterns of commitment among Lutheran youth.
As a whole, “Lutherans Today” will be valuable not only to all Lutherans but also to those interested in the development and current state of religious life in America.
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In Search Of Christian Unity (Revised)
$28.95Add to cartThe decision to publish a revised and updated edition of In Search of Christian Unity was reached because the earlier edition was found to be a useful text and resource in numbers of college and seminary classrooms. All texts that treat historical movements and institutions have continuing significance and relevance need frequent updating, and it is hoped that the present work will fulfill this need for the Stone/Campbell movement, currently entering its third century. The author has been pleased by the positive reception accorded the earlier edition by historians and students in each of the three branches of the Stone-Campbell heritage…
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John Wesley : A Theological Journey
$38.99Add to cartA chronological presentation of the development of Wesley’s theology. John Wesley remains a seminal figure, not only for “the people called Methodist,” but also within the larger Protestant tradition. Understanding his theology is a requirement for understanding the development of the Western Christian tradition in the modern period.
In recent years much work has been done to grasp the intricacies of Wesley’s theology. However, most of this work has been thematic in organization, studying Wesley’s thought according to a topical or systematic outline. The weakness of this approach, argues Kenneth J. Collins, is that it fails to demonstrate the evolution and changes of Wesley’s theology. What is called for is a historical presentation–one that examines the development of Wesley’s theology across the span of his long and eventful theological career.Drawing on an extensive examination of the primary sources, and demonstrating an intimate knowledge of the different contexts and social locations in which Wesley’s theology took place, John Wesley: A Theological Journey will be necessary reading for anyone wishing to understand the broad scope of the Methodist leader’s theological development and contribution.
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In One Body Through The Cross
$13.99Add to cartThe Princeton Proposal is a landmark statement on the present situation and future possibilities of modern ecumenism. Drafted by sixteen theologians and ecumenists from various church traditions, who met over a period of three years in Princeton, New Jersey, this document seeks to steer contemporary efforts at church unity away from social and political agendas, which are themselves divisive, and back to the chief goal of the modern ecumenical movement the visible unity of Christians worldwide, of all those who are reconciled “in one body through the cross.”
Since the study group that produced this statement was instituted and its participants were chosen by an independent ecumenical foundation, the Center for Catholic and Evangelical Theology, their “unofficial” work presents especially profound and creative reflection on the ecumenical task. With this report the study group members do not claim to speak for their churches, but hope to speak to all the churches out of shared concern for the founding ecumenical imperative “that they all may be one . . . so that the world may believe.”
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This Is My Faith
$14.49Add to cart“This guide to the Christian faith is ideal for those preparing for confirmation. Arranged in three parts: “”Becoming a Christian””, “”Belonging to God”” and “”Belonging to the Church””, it is appropriate for personal reading and as a basis for a confirmation course. In uncomplicated language it takes the reader from the first step of making a choice for God and lays a solid foundation of teaching that will hold good for the whole of life.”
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Radical Outreach : The Recovery Of Apostolic Ministry And Evangelism
$22.99Add to cartThis book tells how the contemporary church can reclaim its ancient witness through hands-on ministries with the unchurched.
When it comes to transforming people’s lives and leading them into active Christian discipleship, why does there seem to be such a difference between the church we read about in the New Testament and our own churches today? What was it about those earliest Christians that empowered them to spread the gospel with such startling results? One core reason, says George G. Hunter III, is that they reached out into the communities in which they lived. Instead of building fortress churches and inviting others to come join them inside the walls, the earliest Christians spread out, engaging in hands-on ministries to meet the needs of people where they were. The churches today that have reclaimed this apostolic ministry are the ones that do not rely on worship, or even preaching, to woo the unchurched into visiting them. Rather, they use outreach ministries — everything from recovery groups to English-as-a-second-language classes — to reach those most in need of the healing word of the gospel.
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Grounded In Prayer (Teacher’s Guide)
$8.99Add to cartIn the parable of the sower (Mark 4:1-20), the seed of faith falls on four types of soil: the hardened path, rocky ground, thorny ground, and good soil. Grounded in Prayer A Smalll Group Training Guide for Congregational Prayer explores how the Holy Spirit works in your heart and the hearts of others to break up the hardened soil of the path, unseat the rocks of distraction, uproot the thorns and thistles of the world, and plant the seed of faith deeply into good soil.
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Journey To The Well
$24.00Add to cartIn the tradition of empowering spiritual writers such as Ilanya Vanzant, Bishop Vashti McKenzie offers women a Christian path to personal transformation. A groundbreaking preacher who, in 2000, became the first woman to serve as bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Bishop McKenzie is renowned for her eloquence and passion in the pulpit. Now she brings her inspirational message to readers through the biblical story of the meeting at the well between Jesus and the Samaritan woman. In twelve lessons, McKenzie interweaves the Samaritan woman’s experiences with contemporary personal stories, Bible quotations, life-affirming sayings, and meditational activities. Through them she shows women that if they hold onto hope and listen for their moments of epiphany, they can accomplish anything
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Grounded In Prayer (Student/Study Guide)
$11.99Add to cartThis book provides daily prayer exercises for each of six weeks. Use the prayer exercises to deepen your own prayer life and develop or strengthen your daily discipline of prayer and reading the Bible. You can also use this study to launch a new prayer group, strengthen existing groups, and emphasize the importance of prayer in your congregation.
Week 1: The Groundwork of Prayer
Week 2: Sharpening Your Personal Tools for Prayer
Week 3: Praying for he Hardened Path
Week 4: Praying for the Rocky Ground
Week 5: Praying for the Thorny Ground
Week 6: Blessing the Good Soil -
Life Changing Faith For Today
$10.95Add to cartDavid Monge believes that many modern Christians no longer think carefully about scripture and tradition, because they don’t believe it is essential to their faith — and, he says, that’s strikingly similar to the prevailing situation which confronted Martin Luther 500 years ago. An excellent introduction for laypersons, Life-Changing Faith For Today examines Luther’s thought to discover how relevant it remains to Christians today — and why it is important to all people of faith, whatever their denominational background. Very simply said, the core of his message is that we do not choose God, but He chooses us. Despite our unworthiness, salvation is ours because God loves us beyond all human comprehension. And that’s why we need to rediscover Martin Luther — since his theology is solidly rooted in both the Bible and human reality, it points us back to a radically authentic Christian faith.
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Introduccion A La Teologia Cri – (Spanish)
$22.99Add to cartUna clara, concisa y atrayente introduccion a un campo que esta regresando una vez mas, especialmente entre los laicos comprometidos con el renovado interes en el crecimiento espiritual dentro del contexto de una tradicion eclesiastica. Como historiadores del cristianismo, los autores de este libro ofrecen una introduccion a las doctrinas cristianas tradicionales. Escrito en un estilo claro directo, este libro presenta una resea de las raices, los contextos particulares, y los entendimientos doctrinales de temas como la teologia, Dios, el ser humano, Jesucristo, la iglesia, y la esperanza
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Christs Own Forever Leaders Guide (Teacher’s Guide)
$25.95Add to cartThe Leader’s Guide provides clergy and lay people with a flexible, succinct framework for meeting with parents, informally or in a group setting. Includes background on baptism and Christian initiation, as well as guidance on preparation for baptism in the Episcopal Church today. Guidance is provided for preparation and follow-up with parents who are parish members and those who are unchurched. (Living the Good News)
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Christs Own Forever Parent Godparent Journal
$12.95Add to cartThis interactive journal invites parents and godparents on a child’s spiritual journey as he or she takes this important first step.
If you are ordering a quantity of 30 or more, please call 1-800-824-1813 to receive your volume discount.
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Where All Hope Lies Print On Demand Title
$29.99Add to cart304 Pages
Additional Info
“Where All Hope Lies” presents fifty-six select sermons by James Van Tholen, a gifted young pastor who lost his battle with cancer in January 2001 at the age of thirty-six.Though Jim’s untimely death gives a certain poignancy to this volume, these sermons are far from dark or despairing. Van Tholen’s conversational style, thought-provoking insights into Scripture, and frequent interaction with such writers as Flannery O’Connor, Frederick Buechner, Kathleen Norris, and others make these sermons truly enjoyable as well as profitable to read. Through them all there runs a sense of concentrating on what really matters trusting in God no matter what suffering or difficulties might come our way. Indeed, as demonstrated by the book’s title sermon first published in “Christianity Today” as “Surprised by Death” more than anything, Van Tholen preached the grace and goodness of God.
Including a foreword by Neal Plantinga and a closing reflection on “the man behind the sermons” by Jim’s wife, Rachel, “Where All Hope Lies” offers gracious, powerful, uplifting words for believers throughout the church year
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Belonging To God
$44.00Add to cart1. Service For The Lord’s Day: Order With Liturgical Texts
2. Proclamation
3. Resources For The Liturgical Year
4. Special Occasions
5. Alternative Settings
6. Book And Music ResourcesAdditional Info
This exciting new resource for Presbyterian pastors, worship leaders, and educators demonstrates how to incorporate the new Belonging To God catechism into worship services-allowing for the full inclusion of children. The book provides prayers, calls to worship, baptismal resources, confirmation resources, graduation rites, and more, all based on the new children’s catechism. In addition, it includes suggestions for using the catechism in sermons-for children specifically and for the entire congregation-and offers bulletin suggestions, and annotated bibliography, and a comprehensive listing of other catechism resources. -
From Silence To Song
$12.00Add to cartPreface
1. The Problem Of Davidic Worship
2. According To The Pattern
3. Some For Priests And Levites
4. Sacrifices Of Praise
5. The Booth Of David
6. The Ends Of Song
Scripture IndexAdditional Info
The debate in many Reformed circles over worship music is only a small part of the larger question of Reformed liturgics. And dancing. All sides admit that the New Testament offers relatively little instruction on liturgy, and so the debate over the regulative principle continues with apparently little hope for resolution. In this study, Peter Leithart’s key insight reveals a prominent scriptural example of a liturgy that interprets God’s commands for worship in ways far more biblically grounded than traditional regulativism allows. King David’s tabernacle worship becomes a rich story, not only in respect to liturgical wisdom, but also to the significance of Zion in the fulfillments of the Christian era. -
Christian Worship In Reformed Churches Past And Present
$48.99Add to cart438 Pages
Additional Info
Worship renewal is now on the agenda of many Reformed churches, as the need for adaptation and new approaches is acutely felt all over. How can the church faithfully worship God in the midst of rapidly changing situations? How can it constructively relate to widely differing cultural contexts? What is its place in the wider ecumenical scene? In preparing a sweeping survey of Reformed worship across time and place, this volume provides some help to those engaged with vital questions like these.Written by theologians and liturgical scholars from a wide range of churches and countries, these chapters explore the history of Reformed worship on every continent from the sixteenth century to the present. Surveying the most significant developments in the growth of Reformed worship, the book identifies the major “ingredients” that make the Reformed worship tradition distinctive and highlights those aspects of Reformed worship that are particularly relevant to present efforts at renewal. Indeed, an important component of this book is the inclusion of “A Common Reflection on Christian Worship in Reformed Churches Today,” the result of a major consultation in January 2001 at the International Reformed Center John Knox.
Revealing the rich variety of forms and diversity of perspectives that have made and do make up Reformed worship worldwide, this volume will be a valuable resource for church and worship leaders both in and outside the Reformed family.
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To God Alone Be Glory
$57.00Add to cartIn this highly useful text, the fruit of extensive study and research, Harold Daniels tells the fascinating story of the history of Reformed worship in America, from the 1600s to the present. He describes the development and objectives of the Book Of Common Worship and explores how the book itself serves as an agenda for liturgical reform within the church. In a substantive second part of the book, Daniels provides the sources of the prayers and other material used in the Book Of Common Worship. Persons involved in planning, presenting, studying, or teaching about Presbyterian worship will benefit greatly from having a copy of this comprehensive resource in their personal library.
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Launcelot Fleming : A Biography
$32.00Add to cartThis is an authorized biography of an accomplished and greatly-loved man – a figure who left his mark on the Church, in the academic world, in scientific institutions, and in the lives of countless people who enjoyed his friendship. Bishop, Antarctic explorer, geologist, sportsman, naval chaplain, and pacifist, Fleming helped to found VSO, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme, the Prince’s Trust and the University of East Anglia. Much of the contemporary debate taking place between science and theology can be traced to his thought and initiative.
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Vestments For All Seasons
$29.95Add to cartVestments-the robes, stoles or other items worn by clergy, or cloths used at the altar-not only add beauty to a worship service, but are visual clues to the liturgical season and to the tone of a particular service. The most beautiful and meaningful vestments are often those made for a particular priest, serving in a specific sanctuary. But many shy away from trying to sew vestments, which seem too complicated and difficult to make.
In Vestments for all Seasons, Barbara Baumgarten demystifies the making of vestments-from designing and fitting patterns, to fabric and color selection, to putting on the finishing touches. She provides patterns and directions for producing special vestments for Advent and Lent, Easter, and Pentecost, and general instructions for designing and making vestments completely from scratch. A history of the development of vestments from Roman times to the present is included, as well as a full glossary describing the various vestments worn by clergy.
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Presbyterian Deacon
$12.95Add to cartIn this highly useful book, Earl Johnson explores the role of the deacon in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and its office as a ministry of sympathy, witness, and service. This book examines the office as it is described in sections of the Book of Order and analyzes how the word “deacon” is used in Scripture. Biblical texts are explored, historical information regarding the inclusion of women is provided, and innovative ways to incorporate the office into the larger ministry of the church are suggested.
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Voices Of This Calling
$20.00Add to cartPublished to mark the tenth anniversary of the ordination of women in the Anglican church, this work includes prominent clergy, both female and male, such as Lucy Winkett, Angela Tilby, Una Kroll, Rose Hudson-Wilkin and Rowan Williams. It tells women’s stories about the reality of life as a priest and reveals defining moments in their own personal journey. Influential men in the church also reflect upon the challenges and opportunities that women’s ministry has created for them.
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Echo Of The Soul
$21.95Add to cartFew issues have caused the church more difficulty through the ages than those surrounding the human body. Throughout much of Christian history, spiritual seekers have considered the body to be, at best, a hindrance to spiritual enlightenment, and, at worst, an enemy to be suppressed. Many of our contemporary negative preoccupations with physical appearance, image, and sexuality derive from this ancient and habitual denial of the notion that we were created in God’s image.
In Echo of the Soul bestselling author J. Philip Newell finds that the human body, like creation, is actually the dwelling place of God. Using the Old Testament Wisdom literature, which informed Celtic spirituality’s positive understanding of what it means to be human, Newell looks at each part of the body as a sacred text that reveals something of the Divine. Looking back to a time before Christians began to distrust their physicality, Newell shows that our most ancient texts challenge modern assumptions about love, beauty, sexuality, learning, wisdom, power, and responsibility, and bridges the body/spirit divide.
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How To Spell Presbyterian (Revised)
$16.00Add to cartIn his classic work, life-long Presbyterian and former pastor Jim Angell tells what it means to be a Presbyterian. This readable, accessible book is divided into six parts–key ideas, commitment, witness, order, discipline, and covenant–and includes a handy glossary to commonly used Presbyterian terms. It has been a classic for 25 years. Now updated with the most recent statistics and polity information, this is an ideal book to give to new members, confirmation students, and inquirers in PC (USA) churches.
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60 Second Guide To Denominations
$14.99Add to cartThis easy-to-use, non-biased resource guide to all the major denominations in the US includes a summary of doctrinal beliefs, and is perfect for the new believer or the long-time Christian.
An alphabetical listing of over 300 denominations
Information concerning the church beliefs on over 20 major topics
Brief overview of church group history
Statements of faith
Stands on current issues and events of relevance for today
Contact information for denominational headquarters
A summary of doctrinal beliefs in a completely non-biased manner -
John Wesley On The Sermon On The Mount
$35.99Add to cartThis is the second volume of The Standard Sermons of John Wesley, transcribed into today’s English. The volumes in this series accurately transcribe Wesley’s eighteenth-century language into a form suitable for today’s readers. This volume contains the sermons John Wesley preached on the Sermon on the Mount.
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So The Vicars Leaving
$14.00Add to cartAn essential handbook for churchwardens, PCC’s and all with responsibility during this crucial time in the life of a church. This comprehensive guide offers practical advice on preparing for an interregnum, arranging for continuing worship and pastoral care, keeping church administration going, meeting legal responsibilities, finding a new priest and laying a good foundation for future ministry between priest and people.
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Understanding And Application Of Westminster Shorter Catechism
$21.99Add to cartThe purpose of this book is to help us view life based on the Westminster Shorter Catechism, which clearly summarizes all the truths of the Bible’s 66 books. The Shorter Catechism is a model answer for how to live a life of faith: the Scriptures are the foundations of faith and life. Believers, along with their families and children, who have used this catechism, have gained godly fruits of faith in their lives. – Rev. Dong Hee Lee
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Believing In Jesus Christ
$17.00Add to cartThis book is a clear treatment, in nontechnical language, of the person and work of Jesus Christ, especially focusing on the nature of atonement. The chapters are arranged around several central questions: Who is Jesus? What do the Bible and the church tell us about him? Just what is in the nature of the salvation he offers, and how does it work? Most of all, what difference do the answers to these questions make for the church and for the world?
The Foundations of Christian Faith series enables readers to learn about contemporary theology in ways that are clear, enjoyable, and meaningful. It examines the doctrines of the Christian faith and stimulates readers not only to think more deeply about their faith but also to understand their faith in relationship to contemporary challenges and questions. Individuals and study groups alike will find these guides invaluable in their search for depth and integrity in their Christian faith.
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Healing A Broken World
$23.00Add to cartWhile spirituality is still thought to be primarily a personal quest for holiness and religious experience, it might be thought mere narcissim in an era of widespread need. Moe-Lobeda shows how the advent of globalization places a new horizon on the spiritual quest but, at the same time, has caused an enervation of people’s sense of moral agency. What can I, one person, do to affect such a massive and systemic shift? Far from being a flight from the world, she argues, the classic Christian contemplative tradition can ignite critical vision and creative resistance to the seemingly inevitable march of globalization.
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United Methodist Doctrine
$35.99Add to cartThroughout this book, Scott J. Jones insists that for United Methodists the ultimate goal of doctrine is holiness. Importantly, he clarifies the nature and the specific claims of “official” United Methodist doctrine in a way that moves beyond the current tendency to assume the only alternatives are a rigid dogmatism or an unfettered theological pluralism. In classic Wesleyan form, Jones’ driving concern is with recovering the vital role of forming believers in the “mind of Christ,” so that they might live more faithfully in their many settings in our world.
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Focus On Mark (Student/Study Guide)
$22.95Add to cartCombining scripture text with informative commentary, Focus on Mark is the perfect guide for in-depth adult study. Each book contains study questions, journal meditations, and group activities that encourage spiritual growth and a deeper understanding of God’s work.
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Wesleyan Tradition : A Paradigm For Renewal
$33.99Add to cartIn these important essays, a distinguished group of interpreters of the Wesleyan tradition, identify the central convictions and practices of the Methodist movement. Their purpose in making this identification is twofold. First, they insist that these convictions and practices lie at the heart of what the Wesleyan/Methodist family is, and has been. Second, and more important, they claim that in these distinctive beliefs lies the future of the “people called Methodist.” If renewal and growth in witness and mission is to occur, the authors argue, it will come through a reclamation and reinterpretation of such central beliefs as salvation by grace through faith, the authority of Scripture, disciple-making within community, the vocation of Christian holiness, and the church’s mission to the world.
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John Wesley On Christian Beliefs
$35.99Add to cartThis is the first volume of The Standard Sermons of John Wesley, transcribed into today’s English. The volumes in this series accurately transcribe Wesley’s eighteenth-century language into a form suitable for today’s readers. Volume 1, 1-20 contains the first twenty sermons, in which Wesley deals with theology. Appropriate for individual and small-group study.
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Calvin For Armchair Theologians
$24.00Add to cartIn this concise introduction to Calvin’s life and thought, Elwood offers an insightful and accessible overview of Calvin’s key teachings within his historical context. The trials and travails Calvin encountered as he ministered and taught in Geneva are given with special attention to theological controversies associated with the Trinity and predestination. Elwood indicates the ways that Calvinism developed and its influence in today’s world. Illustrations are interspersed throughout the text and humorously illuminate key points providing an engaging introduction to this important theologian.
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Creation And Last Things
$17.00Add to cartIn this well-written and concise volume, Gregory Cootsona explores the doctrines of creation and eschatology (the end of days) in light of contemporary science. He addresses what the relationship is between creation in the beginning and the new creation at the end of time, how the docrtine of creation informs our lives as Christians, and how we grow in faith and love in light of these doctrines.
The Foundations of Christian Faith series enables readers to learn about contemporary theology in ways that are clear, enjoyable, and meaningful. It examines the doctrines of the Christian faith and stimulates readers not only to think more deeply about their faith but also to understand it in relation to contemporary challenges and questions. Individuals and study groups alike will find these guides invaluable in their search for depth and integrity in their Christian faith.
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This We Believe
$19.00Add to cartThis accessible introduction to the Christian faith offers a hands-on look at the whole story of the Bible in an effort to help the person in the pew grapple with what it means to be a Christian in a world of conflicting ideologies and competing claims. This We Believe presents eight beliefs that form the basis of the Christian faith in the Reformed and Presbyterian traditions. This thought-provoking book is sure to inspire conversations and prayers concerning the story of the Bible, our theological heritage as Reformed Christians, and the changing culture in which we live.
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Poor And The People Called Methodists
$36.99Add to cartThis book describes and examines the Wesleyan attitude toward – and programs with – the poor from the time of John Wesley to the present. The chapters consist of revised versions of ten presentations given at a major symposium on “The Wesleys and the Poor: The Legacy and Development of Methodist Attitudes Toward Poverty, 1739-1999,” in October 1999 at Southern Methodist University. The contributors represent the best of current thinking on a broad spectrum of concerns, including historical, theological, musical, institutional, and pastoral issues related to poverty and the church in the Wesleyan heritage.
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Living Grace : An Outline Of United Methodist Theology
$43.99Add to cartLiving Grace offers readers a clear exposition of Methodism’s theology, founded as it is upon the biblical witness and enriched by the traditions of the apostolic fathers, the Prostestant Revival, and the Wesleyan revival. It will be helpful both to the Methodist constituency and to its partners in ecumenical dialogue.
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Documents From The History Of Lutheranism 1517-1750
$44.00Add to cartUnique! More than 200 primary sources (many translated for the first time) are thematically arranged to depict the evolution and development of Lutheran doctrine, spirituality, liturgy, and politics. Witness in these firsthand documents Protestantism’s dramatic impact on thought and practice.
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Opening Prayers : Collects In A Contemporary Language Scripture Related Pra
$17.00Add to cartThis much-praised and strikingly beautiful collection of prayers offers a satisfying resource to all who are looking for collects in a contemporary idiom. Dramatic in their imagery, richly biblical in their language and skilfully connecting the bible readings for the day, they will enrich worship by focusing hearts and minds on the scriptures read in church – and all this in a style which resonates authentically with the longings and hopes of these seeking God in today’s world. Clergy and worship leaders in many denominations now using the three-year lectionary will gladly welcome this splendid collection which includes prayers for every Sunday, holy day and major festivals of Years A, B and C.
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Politics In The Order Of Salvation
$45.99Add to cartWhere should John Wesley be located on the political spectrum? As a fanatical Tory, politically conservative in his fidelity to the British monarchy, advocation of taxation without representation, and opposition to the American Revolution or as an emerging proponent of political liberalism in his condemnation of slavery, defense of individual rights and liberties, and support of government aid to combat social problems like poverty and hunger? Weber argues for a much more nuanced reading of Wesley’s political thought, which labels Wesley as an “organic constitutionalist,” standing in the same political tradition as Richard Hooker and Edmund Burke. Weber’s historical and theological study also turns constructive, as he challenges Wesley’s antidemocratic and antirepublican sentiments by employing Wesley’s “political image of God” within the larger context of the ordo salutis (order of salvation). A superb contribution to Wesleyan studies, with implications reaching into the fields of theology, political theory, and social ethics. Weber is Professor Emeritus of Social Ethics at Candler School of Theology, Emory University.
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Womans Place : Leadership In The Church
$17.99Add to cart“Women have achieved relative parity with men in virtually every area of society–except the church,” writes C.S. Cowles, challenging the long-held practice and belief that a Christian woman’s place is in the pew but not in the pulpit, lectern, boardroom, or other places of leadership. Through a careful study of key biblical texts, Cowles refutes what he terms the church’s “institutional discrimination against women” and calls for it to open leadership positions to “whomever the Holy Spirit should call and whomever evidences gifts for public ministry, without regard to race, social class, or gender.” “It is time for the church to discover the richness, beauty, and spiritual power that can be released only through the full expression of women’s unique gifts and special sensitivities.”
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John Wesleys Life And Ethics
$31.99Add to cartThis book analyses John Wesley’s personal and social ethical thought by placing him in social location and examining his ethics biographically. Stone argues that in the case of John Wesley, the Christian traditions provide a biblically informed, deontological ethic of love. This ethic is grounded in Christian community to form the individual, and in social reform to transform the nation within the limits of Christian realism concerning human nature and social order. In broad strokes, the book covers the ethical reflection and teaching of Wesley and at appropriate points places it in comparative perspective with other eighteenth-century contributors to ethics and social thought. Ethical topics addressed in the volume include: abolition, vocation, family, money, the social nature of humanity, politics, economics, imperial relations, and war and peace.
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8 Life Enriching Practices Of United Methodists
$9.99Add to cartThis resource is a summary study of the eight life-enriching practices that are part of the series–prayer, Bible study, evangelism, community, worship and the sacraments, outreach, justice and others. Questions for discussion are included with each chapter.
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Fire And Wind
$24.00Add to cartA collection of essays and sermons by prominent Presbyterian theologians and leaders on the doctrine of the Holy Spirit and its application for the faithful today. This is a companion piece to Confessing the Faith Today (both are collections of presentations made at convocations on important topics).
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There We Stood Here We Stand
$15.54Add to cartNearly 500 years after Martin Luther nailed his 95-theses to the church door at Wittenberg, the Lutheran Church has split again and again. What went wrong?
These thought-provoking testimonies by eleven former Lutherans reveal how far the Lutheran Church has strayed from Luther. They include moving stories from four former female pastors, three former pastors, and others. Their intensely personal stories address the differences between Lutheranism and Catholicism – differences so profound that they have led many into the Catholic Church.
Whether you are Lutheran or Catholic you’ll come away from this book with a new, and perhaps life-changing perspective.
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Focus On Matthew (Student/Study Guide)
$22.95Add to cartWhen adults commit to study an entire book of the Bible, they open themselves to profound spiritual growth and deeper faith. Combining scripture text with informative commentary, the Focus Bible Study Series is the perfect guide for in-depth scripture study. Each book features: * Thought-provoking study questions with space for written responses * A wealth of ideas to promote prayer and journal meditations that build faith and understanding of the scriptures * Numberous suggestions for activities that promote experiential learning and meaningful discussion to encourage spiritual growth.
Use the Focus Bible Study Series as part of Sunday sessions, for midweek Bible study groups, or for individual study
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Stories That Astonish (Student/Study Guide)
$13.99Add to cartWritten over a hundred years ago, this rich volume of meditations and prayers resonates with the spiritual longings of our own age. It is an invitation to hear the voice of God, to sit quietly in his presence, to allow him to examine our hearts, to experience his love and holiness.
Part One contains meditations on scripture passages focusing on our relationship with God, and the privileges and duties growing out of that relationship. Part Two is a collection of prayers for Private Devotions, Family Worship, and Special Occasions covering a wide range of spiritual needs.
The collection was originally targeted toward young Christians to help them learn the ways of prayer. But many who have been Christians for years are still new to the experience of meditation, contemplation and listening to God. Whether old or young in the faith, Christians will find rich guidance in these meditations and prayers.
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Conversion In The Wesleyan Tradition
$36.99Add to cartThis collection seeks to re-invoke the notion of conversation as an identifiable experience in a Christian’s life in opposition to gradualist soteriologies that now predominate, in the opinion of the contributors, among Methodists. The notion of conversion is explored by a diverse body of scholars from various Methodist traditions and fields of study–bible, history, theology and practical.
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Preaching From Luke Acts
$17.99Add to cartThe context for this book is rooted in the life of the local church. We desire to integrate biblical scholarship and homiletical theory with the task of preaching Luke/Acts. Our prayer is that the responsible integration of these resources will increase the ability of the Holy Spirit to empower preachers for faithful proclamation of God’s word. To that end we give God the glory
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Beyond Colonial Anglicanism
$39.95Add to cartProvocative writings by a cadre of international authors examine the nature and shape of the Communion today; the colonial legacy, economic tensions and international debt; sexuality and justice; the ecological crisis, violence and healing in South Africa; persecution and religious fundamentalism; and more.
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Excellent Protestant Congregations
$34.00Add to cart1. Lutheran Ministries Of Southwest Oklahoma
2. Seekers Church
3. Mountain Top Community Church
4. All Saints Episcopal Church
5. Riverside Baptist Church
6. First United Methodist Church
7. Chinese Christian Union Church
8. Full Gospel Church Of God In Christ
9. Warehouse 242Additional Info
Though it is popular for individuals to seek a variety of spiritual practices and approaches, the local congregation still remains the place where most Christians turn for religious education, nurture, ritual, and a sense of community. With the influx of new faces in the pews, many congregations are struggling to respond to their spiritual needs. In Excellent Protestant Congregations, respected religion journalist Paul Wilkes profiles nine dynamic, geographically and denominationally diverse congregations that have the ability to create a vibrant community of workshop. Wilkes draws out the “points of excellence” that lie beneath each congregation’s success and vitality. From hosting luncheons after funerals to organizing powerful life-changing retreats, from developing a capital campaign to getting volunteers to cheerfully do work for the church, Excellent Protestant Congregations provides real-world insights that are both inspiring and applicable in a local congregation. The geographic listing of over 300 excellent Protestant congregations and an index guiding readers to specific topics, such as stewardship, bereavement, and how to reach Gen Xers, make Excellent Protestant Congregations an invaluable resource for church life.
