Church History
Showing 1–50 of 67 results
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Grace From Heaven
$24.99Add to cart“Raise our minds heavenward and upward to think on your true glory.”
*Pray with the Protestant Reformers
*Find prayers for your need and season
*Gain inspiration from great Christians of the pastThe elegant linen-over-board cover and gold gilding makes this stand out as an ideal gift.
Includes prayers by:
*Marguerite de Navarre
*John Wycliffe
*William Tyndale
*John Knox
*Martin Luther
*John Calvin
*Heinrich Bullinger
*Huldrych ZwingliThe Reformation was an extraordinary time of profound spiritual fervor. Grace from Heaven collects prayers from influential Protestant voices of the Reformation that express deep longings, theological richness, and a burning desire for God’s grace. The prayers are arranged by topic and time–from praise to petition, morning to evening–so that your prayer life can be interwoven with the rich tapestry of prayers of faithful Christians from the past. By praying along with Martin Luther, John Calvin, Marguerite de Navarre, William Tyndale, and many others, we join the chorus of Reformation believers in prayer and contemplation.
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Portrait Of God
$18.99Add to cartPortrait of God is an engaging guidebook for modern-day believers that uses the stories of influential Christian figures – such as C.S. Lewis, St. Augustine, and William and Catherine Booth – to help Christians today find stability in their faith in a challenging world. Are you struggling to see God? Does His face or character seem out of focus or incomplete? Portrait of God seeks to construct a vibrant painting of God by spending time in the stories of men and women who faced similar struggles in centuries past. Each chapter explores an attribute of God through a person in church history who radically experienced His nature, applying it as a brushstroke to our portrait. Here you’ll discover: Faith: how an all-powerful God worked miracles in the life of Kathryn Kuhlman, Holiness: what Augustine of Hippo’s life in a secular world teaches us about God, Compassion: how William and Catherine Booth’s service to others radiated God’s love, Five additional retellings and reflections from author Jack Mooring. Portrait of God includes a foreword from Michael W. Smith, thought provoking questions, and a list of further reading about each faith leader. As Jack writes, “The Christian life is less about learning and more about remembering.” When our spiritual life feels like a rollercoaster, true stories of faithful Jesus-followers help us rediscover our wonder about the unchanging character of God.
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1 Lord One Faith One Church
$19.95Add to cartIt’s no secret that there is an abundance of so-called Christian sects populating a wide range of churches, with different worship services and teachings regarding the salvation of your soul. But how can one intelligently make sense of this if there is one God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever?
This book will take you on a fact-based journey from the earliest days of Christianity to now. Wherever your personal faith and belief system currently reside, this book will test that faith and challenge you to believe in the real Jesus, the Jesus of the Gospels, and embrace the fullness of the truth found in the one Church that He established.
In these incisive pages, Jesse Romero and Paul Zucarelli present hard evidence and challenge you to disprove the facts. They present proof as to why Jesus Christ established the Church and what we are supposed to do while we await the inevitable – the death of our bodies.
They will help you answer questions such as:
*What is a “church,” and does man define the term differently from how God defines it?
*Did God intend to create an unlimited number of churches with differing beliefs and practices?
*If Jesus Himself created the Church, by what authority does man invent his own churches?
By what process did so many and varying churches develop?
You will learn about the historical origins of the Church, early Church leaders, significant places in Church history, where the tenets of the Nicene Creed come from, and how the books of the Bible were selected. In addition, you will gain an understanding of key Church scandals in history and their “triggering events” that led to further fracturing of the Church. You will also discover how precisely to respond to the division that has occurred throughout the centuries.Moreover, you will receive the biblical basis for the universal Church and the four supernatural proofs for the one true Church. Reflection questions are provided at the end of each chapter for personal consideration and group discussion.
How firm is the foundation upon which your faith is built? Test yourself – and test your faith – by reading this book!
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10 Women Who Changed The World
$17.99Add to cart10 Women Who Changed the World is seminary president Daniel L. Akin’s powerful tribute to the transformational work done by some truly inspiring female Christian missionaries.
With each profile, he journeys into the heart of that gospel servant’s mission-minded story and makes a compelling connection to a similar account from the Bible. By reading each missionary story, and how each woman embodies a certain passage of Scripture, prepare to be challenged and inspired to follow in their footsteps–because intentionally living on mission isn’t something reserved for heroes of the past. It’s something each one of us can pursue in everyday life!Women featured in this book:
1. Sarah Hall Boardman Judson (and how she embodies Psalm 138)
2. Eleanor Chesnut (and how she embodies John 13:34-35)
3. Ann Hasseltine Judson (and how she embodies Psalm 142)
4. Harriet Newell (and how she embodies Psalm 116)
5. Darlene Deibler Rose (and how she embodies Psalm 27)
6. Betsey Stockton (and how she embodies 1 Corinthians 7:17-24)
7. Bertha Smith (and how she embodies Galatians 2:20)
8. Charlotte Atlee White Rowe (and how she embodies 1 Corinthians 9:19, 22-23)
9. Yvette Aarons (how she embodies Proverbs 3:5-8)
10. Lilias Trotter (and how she embodies 2 Corinthians 12:7-10) -
Zwingli The Pastor
$26.99Add to cartThe Reformer at war
In Zwingli the Pastor, Stephen Brett Eccher tells the story of Huldrych Zwingli (1484-1531), embattled pastor and reformer. Zwingli’s ministry in Zurich was characterized by conflict–conflict that fueled him. It influenced his theological development, inspired his commitment to bring reform, and compelled his devotion to the congregation he led through the tumult of the Reformation. Eccher reveals a complex Zwingli, whose life and legacy continue to influence Protestantism today.
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Strange Religion : How The First Christians Were Weird, Dangerous, And Comp
$18.99Add to cartThe first Christians were weird. Just how weird is often lost on today’s believers.
Within Roman society, the earliest Christians stood out for the oddness of their beliefs and practices. They believed unusual things, worshiped God in strange ways, and lived a unique lifestyle. They practiced a whole new way of thinking about and doing religion that would have been seen as bizarre and dangerous when compared to Roman religion and most other religions of the ancient world.
Award-winning author, blogger, speaker, and New Testament teacher Nijay Gupta traces the emerging Christian faith in its Roman context in this accessible and engaging book. Christianity would have been seen as radical in the Roman world, but some found this new religion attractive and compelling. The first Christians dared to be different, pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable, transformed how people thought about religion, and started a movement that grew like wildfire.
Brought to life with numerous images, this book shows how the example of the earliest Christians can offer today’s believers encouragement and hope.
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Survey Of The Black Church In America
$14.99Add to cartIf the Bible is allowed to be the standard by which blacks and whites determine truth, then freedom from this moral and racial malaise will be the outcome; for as Jesus taught, the truth has a unique capacity of making people free. Dr. Tony Evans
Respected and beloved pastor Tony Evans provides an accessible overview of black church history. Evans opens the eyes of the reader to the black presence in the Scriptures and takes a focused look at the uniqueness and place of the black church. Drawing from stories and historical events, best-selling author Evans addresses the myth of black inferiority and looks at the rise of black evangelicalism. In addition, Evans faithfully interacts with movements such as Black Lives Matter, Critical Race Theory, and the 1619 Project.
This timely resource is for anyone seeking unity and understanding. In an age where division and confusion abound, A Survey of the Black Church in America provides a divine, clear, kingdom-focused perspective.
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William J Seymour
$16.99Add to cartWilliam J. Seymour: Pentecostal Trailblazer and Revered Pastor of the Azusa Street Revival? is a rich and thorough account of the life and ministry of William J. Seymour. Seymour, the son of former slaves rose to prominence within the Pentecostal movement as the pastor of the Azusa Street Revival.
Dr. Larry Martin’s extensive research and knowledge of William J. Seymour provides a solid framework for the telling of Seymour’s life, ministry, and the history of the Azusa Street Revival. Martin’s work not only provides details on Seymour’s life and ministry but also recounts the racism and discrimination that Seymour faced in everyday life and within the church.
Seymour followed God’s call to Los Angeles and in 1906 the Azusa Street Revival began ushering in a new era of Pentecostal revival in Los Angeles and spreading throughout the country and around the world. While the revival’s prominence over the year’s waned due to ongoing prejudice, divergent ministry objectives and attempted takeovers the worldwide Pentecostal movement remains unbowed and strong over a century later.
Dr. Martin is part of the Pentecostal legacy and has over fifty years devoted to ministry as a pastor, educator, and evangelist. He is the author of several books on the Azusa Street Revival, the history of early Pentecostals, and the Pentecostal Church of God.
Includes photos of Seymour’s life and ministry. -
Fundamentalists In The Public Square
$29.99Add to cartA myth-busting work on fundamentalists and culture
The Scopes Trial of 1925 is often regarded as a turning point in the history of American fundamentalism and evangelicalism. It is claimed that Scopes was a public relations defeat that sent fundamentalism into retreat from mainstream culture.
In Fundamentalists in the Public Square: Evolution, Alcohol, and the Culture Wars after the Scopes Trial, Madison Trammel argues that such a characterization is misguided. Using documentary evidence from newspapers in the 1920s and 1930s, Trammel shows that fundamentalists remained fully active in seeking to transform the culture for Christ, and they remained so through the rise of Billy Graham’s ministry.
Grounded in historical evidence, Fundamentalists in the Public Square offers a fresh take on the relationship between fundamentalism, evangelicalism, and the public square.
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Good The Bad And The Beautiful
$19.95Add to cartChrist is “the way, and the truth, and the life”;, but fallen mankind, although made in Christ’s image, is not so pure. Human history–including Church history–is a tapestry woven of three threads: the good, the bad, and the beautiful. This book tells the story of Christendom over two millennia, focusing on what was good, bad, and beautiful in each century.
These three threads run through the heart of every person, revealing the pattern of our individual lives. These very same threads bind together the collective lives of men and make up the fabric of culture and civilization. No one saw this three-dimensional form more clearly than Benedict XVI. For him, the goodness of the saints and the beauty of art are the only antidote to the dark thread of evil that runs through history. Inspired by this insight, Joseph Pearce presents the past twenty centuries to show how goodness and beauty–stemming from God himself–work to conquer the bad.
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Book That Conquered Time
$18.99Add to cartEveryone is familiar with the Biblea”after all, ita(TM)s still the best-selling book in the world. But just exactly how did we get the collection of sixty-six books that make up Goda(TM)s Word?
The Book that Conquered Time: How the Bible Came to Be tells the sometimes dramatic, always fascinating, and ultimately faith-building story of the Bible. It traces its history from ancient parchments to the modern work of translating the Word into everyday language.
You will discover:
*The differences and similarities between the Jewish holy books and the Christian Bible
*How the New Testament writings were copied and collected, including the apocryphal gospels and letters
*The church leaders who succeeded the apostles, what they wrote, and what they thought of the writings they inherited
*The church councils, controversies, and disputes that boiled over in the 300s
*Why certain writings were removed from the Bible, even though they might be helpful if not essential for our faith
*The purposes of modern Bible translations and the differences between them
*The Book that Conquered Time provides fresh insights on why the Bible continues to be the most powerful book of all time.
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Advent : The Season Of Hope
$19.99Add to cart“Christians believe not just in one coming of Christ, but in three.”
We tend to think of Advent as the season of anticipation before Christmas–and while it is that, it’s also much more. Throughout its history, the church has observed Advent as a preparation not only for the first coming of Christ in his incarnation but also for his second coming at the last day. It’s also about a third coming: the coming of Christ to meet us in our present moment, to make us holy by his Word and Sacrament.
In this short volume, priest and writer Tish Harrison Warren explores all three of these “comings” of Christ and invites us into a deeper experience of the first season of the Christian year.
Each volume in the Fullness of Time series invites readers to engage with the riches of the church year, exploring how its traditions, prayers, Scriptures, and rituals all point us to Jesus.
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Evangelical Imagination : How Stories, Images, And Metaphors Created A Cult
$19.97Add to cartContemporary American evangelicalism is suffering from an identity crisis-and a lot of bad press.
In this book, acclaimed author Karen Swallow Prior examines evangelical history, both good and bad. By analyzing the literature, art, and popular culture that has surrounded evangelicalism, she unpacks some of the movement’s most deeply held concepts, ideas, values, and practices to consider what is Christian rather than merely cultural. The result is a clearer path forward for evangelicals amid their current identity crisis-and insight for others who want a deeper understanding of what the term “evangelical” means today.
Brought to life with color illustrations, images, and paintings, this book explores ideas including conversion, domesticity, empire, sentimentality, and more. In the end, it goes beyond evangelicalism to show us how we might be influenced by images, stories, and metaphors in ways we cannot always see.
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Saint Peter And The First Years Of Christianity
$19.95Add to cartNext to the period of Our Lord’s earthly life, the apostolic age that followed was-and is-the richest and most revealing for Christians. It was then that the blueprint for living the Gospels was drawn. Yet, for Catholics of the past two generations, the indispensable fruits of the Patristic Era have been all but memory holed, and the Church and broader society have suffered for it.
As a remedy, Sophia Press has brought back Abbe Constant Fouard’s intimate and ingenious account of the early years of Christianity. Fouard created an authoritative and reverent account based on the Acts of the Apostles, brimming with precious facts from historians of Greece and Rome, penetrating reflections on Saints Matthew and Mark’s Gospels, an extensive outline related by Saint Luke, and a timeless introduction by James Cardinal Gibbons which upholds the authenticity of the Sacred Scriptures.
As Catholic World magazine trumpeted over 100 years ago:
“[Abbe Fouard’s book] shows how much may be obtained by the diligent and truth-seeking student … simple, clear [and] distinct. … Peter and the other Apostles seem to stand before us as living men. With him we follow them as they descend the Mount of Olives to re-enter the Supper-Room, where with Mary they persevered in prayer until the Holy Spirit came. Afterwards we see how he to whom Jesus had said, ‘Feed my lambs, feed my sheep,’ took the position of leader. … Our author does not have to prove that there was a church, because his readers hear the Church speaking.
“We wish that more Church historians knew how to bring out our religion as a living thing. … Men are perishing because the truth is being willfully ignored, Christianity is being rejected because erroneous confessions of faith can be picked to pieces. Conviction is being overthrown to give place to doubt, and the remedy is knowledge of religion as God gave it to man through the channels which He appointed for its extension. … Abbe Fouard’s book will help to make the truth known.”
This work brings to life through fascinating narratives and intimate details:
*The life of St. Peter. not only as an apostle, but as a man
*The true story of the early Church-free from modern criticism
*The ancient Roman culture and religion
*The moral condition of the pagan world (Is it better or worse than today?)
*Six fascinating aspects of early Christian worship
*Three ways that the Holy Spirit taught the Apostles to transmit the Faith -
Quest For Revival
$21.99Add to cartNow is the Time to Embrace God’s Revival Fires
Manifestations of God’s presence and power are known to have swept the world in past revivals with amazing healings and miracles. But today, how often do we see God’s mighty power? Now, more than ever, we need the refreshing of the Lord.
In Quest for Revival, international Bible teacher and revival historian, Ron McIntosh uncovers key truths of the marvelous moves of God and shares insights to ignite the revival fires in your life today. Ron draws on the victories and failures of past revivalists including John Alexander Dowie, Smith Wigglesworth, William Seymour, Kathryn Kuhlman, and more to reveal how you can:
*Recognize the seasons of revival
*Activate the power of prevailing prayer
*Understand the role of repentance for a nation
*Utilize the force of divine momentum
*Experience fresh communion with the Holy SpiritIt may seem like darkness is overtaking the world, but God’s tremendous power is about to break loose! Discover how you can join God’s plan to dispel the darkness and ignite the glorious fires of revival.
Now is the Time to Embrace God’s Revival Fires
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Living Together In Unity With Dietrich Bonhoeffer
$16.99Add to cartThe church needs community that is deep and real. In Living Together in Unity with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Nicholas J. Abraham reclaims Bonhoeffer’s vision for Christian community. By exploring Bonhoeffer’s life and writings, Abraham identifies the foundations for community and how we can build upon them. Truly Christian fellowship is through Jesus and in Jesus. It is created by Jesus and maintained by the Spirit. Unity does not come through trending techniques or correct opinions, but through love, forgiveness, and God’s word. Bonhoeffer provides a thoughtful and timely vision for life together in Christ.
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Jesus Revolution Movie Edition
$18.99Add to cartNow a major motion picture
The Jesus Movement transformed the church–and it can transform you
God has always been passionate about turning unlikely people into His most fervent followers. Prostitutes and pagans, tax collectors and tricksters, the pompous and the pious–the more unlikely, the more it seemed to please God to demonstrate His power, might, and mercy through them. America in the 1960s and 1970s was full of many such characters–young men and women who had rejected the conformist religion of their parents’ generation, didn’t follow conventional rules, and didn’t fit in. Their longing for something more set the stage for the greatest spiritual awakening of the twentieth century.
Discover the remarkable true story of the Jesus Movement, an extraordinary time of mass revival, renewal, and reconciliation. Setting intriguing personal stories within the context of one of the most tumultuous times in modern history, Greg Laurie and Ellen Vaughn draw important parallels with our own time of spiritual apathy and overt hostility, offering a new vision for the next generation of unlikely believers–and hope for the next great American revival.
Because God can always bring a new Jesus Revolution.
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Understanding Saint Paul
$18.95Add to cartHe traveled more than ten thousand miles without an airplane or car and founded fourteen dioceses. When he was blinded on the road to Damascus, St. Paul received his epic calling and was “made new.”
Although there are numerous books on St. Paul and his letters, none “knock over” the average person. In Understanding St. Paul, Deacon Bob Evans breaks open the wealth of St. Paul’s wisdom in brief, understandable chapters through the lens of fascinating findings. You will learn about St. Paul’s tempestuous times and heroic life which reveal the mystery of his message. St. Paul’s letters, revered throughout the ages, construct much of the foundation for Christian theology. Next to Christ, St. Paul had the mightiest effect in winning souls for God and summoning all to evangelize. In page after page, St. Paul will help you answer the “why” questions about the meaning of life and stir and arm you with valor to defend your faith.
As Evans unpacks the meaning of St. Paul’s words, you will learn what:
*This apostle says to those promoting watered down theology
*Style St. Paul used to write his letters and how this motivates listeners
*Cultural revolution St. Paul composed his letters in and its impact on the texts
*Ways Greek language possesses multiple meanings and how it helps interpret St. Paul’s letters
*Passages from St. Paul are often mistranslated or interpreted erroneously
*Letters attributed to St. Paul were actually written by him
St. Paul didn’t shrink from the controversial topics of his time – many which remain relevant today – such as slavery, scandals, excommunication, sexuality, idol worship, witchcraft, sorcery, and Gnosticism.
Evans lays out how St. Paul’s letters are organized and his view about important topics including grace, the struggle against evil, and the resurrection of the dead. Best of all, you will grow in knowledge of and fervor for the Holy Eucharist, Sacraments and charisms. St. Paul will teach you how Christology evolved and ways to most prudently order your life.
Also provided are guidelines based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church for understanding Scripture, as well as an extensive bibliography and glossary.
By imitating St. Paul in opening your heart and trusting God with ardent faith you begin to experience His Kingdom on earth. St. Paul’s letters embolden those undergoing persecutions and hardships to fight the good fight. Through the theology of the Cross, his writings prepare you for
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Mementoes Of The English Martyrs And Confessors
$21.95Add to cartFr. Henry Sebastian Bowden wrote this powerful book so we will never forget the sacrifices of those martyrs who preserved and bequeathed to us our Catholic Faith.
The heroic witness of the English martyrs you meet in this superb volume of daily meditations will instill a greater piety and zeal in your heart. Each day features a captivating short story from the life of a martyr or an excerpt from his or her writings. Their testimonies, sometimes prophetic, always profound, impart urgent reminders to us about Catholic persecution as it has occurred through time.
The period of the English martyrs opened with Henry VIII’s “Oath of Supremacy” and the suppression of monasteries and then continued into forced Protestantism by blood under Elizabeth, and from there to the age in which Puritans killed Catholics solely for their Faith. In these gripping pages – increasingly relatable in our time – you will encounter extraordinary examples of valor in the face of shocking danger and cruelty, including the consequences laypeople faced for harboring priests.
Stirred by the selection of stories included, you will discover:
*Why the boy orator St. Edmund Campion was called “golden-mouthed”
*Which Jesuit priest martyr was also a renowned poet
*The courageous faith of four lay women named Margaret
*The number of brave souls who converted (it’s more than you think!)
*How priests such as Ven. William Davies fortified their fellow prisoners
*The sublime work of especially gifted English martyr poetsMost powerfully, these pages lay bare the thoughts the thoughts and feelings of martyrs such as Bl. William Hart, who wrote heartfelt letters to his Protestant mother and exhorted his spiritual children through his preaching to “Stand fast!”
From famous saints such as John Fisher, the “saintly cardinal,” to Thomas More, the civil lawyer and illustrious chancellor, you will read about greater- and lesser-known heroes of the Faith resisting bribes and withstanding tortures and steadfastly refusing to apostatize or betray friends.
Be inspired by the profound wisdom and courage of great Catholics who shed their blood for Christ and His Church. Such a cloud of witnesses will make your heart grateful for the Faith our fathers preserved for us and more confident than ever about the truths in which we believe.
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Lent : The Season Of Repentance And Renewal
$20.00Add to cartLent is inescapably about repenting. Every year, the church invites us into a season of repentance and fasting in preparation for Holy Week. It’s an invitation to turn away from our sins and toward the mercy and grace of Christ.
Often, though, we experience the Lenten fast as either a mindless ritual or self-improvement program. In this short volume, priest and scholar Esau McCaulley introduces the season of Lent, showing us how its prayers and rituals point us not just to our own sinfulness but also beyond it to our merciful Savior.
Each volume in the Fullness of Time series invites readers to engage with the riches of the church year, exploring the traditions, prayers, Scriptures, and rituals of the seasons of the church calendar.
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Great Is Thy Faithfulness
$34.99Add to cartFrom basement Bible study to leading evangelical institution
Starting from humble beginnings in the late nineteenth century, the story of Trinity International University and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School is one of faithfulness.
In Great Is Thy Faithfulness, scholars John D. Woodbridge, David M. Gustafson, Scott M. Manetsch, and Bradley J. Gundlach trace the journey of Trinity International University and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. In order to tell the story of evangelicalism in America, one must know the story of Trinity International University. Great Is Thy Faithfulness is an essential resource for understanding an institution that has been at the center of evangelical theological life for decades. Readers will be encouraged by God’s faithfulness to his people.
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Fount Of Heaven
$24.99Add to cartYou are the fountain of life, light, and all grace and truth
The hearts of the first Christians beat with praise for Christ. The strength of their devotion is remarkable, considering the times of uncertainty and persecution in which they lived. Despite all of this, the early church flourished, sustained by the God to whom they prayed.
Christians today have a lot to learn from the devotional life of the early church. In Fount of Heaven, a collection of carefully selected prayers from the first six centuries of the church, we can pray with our spiritual forefathers. Prayers from luminaries such as Clement of Rome, Irenaeus, and Augustine are arranged by theme to reveal the right prayer for the moment. The prayers have been slightly updated to read more easily, but they retain their joy and mystery. As we turn to the prayers of the first Christians, we can return to the foundations of our own faith.
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Reorganized Religion : The Reshaping Of The American Church And Why It Matt
$27.00Add to cartUncover the ways the Christian church has changed in recent years–from the decline of the mainline denominations to the mega-churchification of American culture to the rise of the Nones and Exvaneglicals–and a hopeful reimagining of what the church might look like going forward.
The United States is in the middle of an unprecedented spiritual, technological, demographic, political and social transformation– moving from an older, mostly white, mostly Protestant, religion-friendly society to a younger diverse, multiethnic, pluralistic culture, where no one faith group will have the advantage. At the same time, millions of Americans are abandoning organized religion altogether in favor of disorganized disbelief.
Reorganized Religion is an in-depth and critical look at why people are leaving American churches and what we lose as a society as it continues. But it also accepts the dismantling of what has come before and try to help readers reinvent the path forward. This book looks at the future of organized religion in America and outline the options facing churches and other faith groups. Will they retreat? Will they become irrelevant? Or will they find a new path forward?
Written by veteran religion reporter Bob Smietana, Reorganized Religion is a journalistic look at the state of the American church and its future. It draws on polling data, interviews with experts, and reporting on how faith communities old and new are coping with the changing religious landscape, along with personal stories about how faith is lived in everyday life. It also profiles faith communities and leaders who are finding interesting ways to reimagine what church might look like in the future and discuss various ways we can reinvent this organization so it survives and thrives. The book also reflects the hope that perhaps people of faith can learn to become, if not friends with the larger culture, then at least better neighbors.
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Pilgrimage To The Museum
$17.99Add to cartHave you ever visited a museum and found the narrations in the self-guided-tour headsets a bit tedious? Slightly too clinical, perhaps? And have you ever noticed that God is rarely mentioned in art museums these days, unless in a cold, archaeological, “scientific” way? All of that is about to change.
In Pilgrimage to the Museum, author-curator Stephen Auth takes you on a provocative and colorful journey through the history of Western art, interpreted through a lens of profound Christian faith – appropriately so since, in Auth’s view, much of Western art expresses humanity’s search for God, the Divine Artist-Creator.
In this beautifully illustrated voyage, you will experience with Auth and his wife, Evelyn, the ups and downs of man’s determined quest. Leaving all the art-history jargon at the front door, Auth will transport you in his spiritual time machine from Egypt’s Old Kingdom, through Greece and Rome, to medieval Europe; from the age of the Renaissance, through the Ages of Exploration and Enlightenment; and from the rise of atheism in the late 1800s to the seeds of a spiritual rebirth in the modern era. Along the way, you will experience anew the masterpieces of many artists, from Polykleitos to Raphael, Duccio to Rembrandt, Monet to Picasso.
Through the works of these great artists, you will encounter the profound truths that lead many to God and cause many others to wonder. You will discover how various themes and motifs of man’s struggle to find God occur, morph, fade, and then reoccur centuries later. As you laugh, cry, and pray your way through this illuminating voyage, you will emerge refreshed and renewed in your own journey to God- and you will never look at a work of art the same way again.
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Suffering Not Power
$26.99Add to cartOverturning a popular view of the atonement
Was Christ’s death a victory over death or a substitution for sin? Many today follow Gustav Aulen’s Christus Victor view, which portrays Christ’s death as primarily a ransom paid to the powers of evil and which, according to Aulen, reflected the beliefs of the early church. Aulen held that this ransom theory view dominated until Anselm reframed atonement as satisfaction and the Reformers reframed it as penal substitution.
In Suffering, Not Power, Benjamin Wheaton challenges this common narrative that Christ’s work of atonement was reframed by Anselm, showing that sacrificial and substitutionary language was common well before Anselm’s Cur Deus Homo. Wheaton displays this through a careful analysis of three medieval theologians whose writings on the atonement are commonly overlooked: Caesarius of Arles, Haimo of Auxerre, and Dante Alighieri. These figures come from different times and contexts and wrote in different genres, but each spoke of Christ’s death as a sacrifice of expiation and propitiation made by God to God.
Let history speak for itself, read the evidence, and reconsider the church’s belief in Christ’s substitutionary death for sinners.
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Klaas Schilder Reader
$49.99Add to cartRecovering a forgotten theologian.
Klaas Schilder (1890-1952) was a prominent Dutch Reformed theologian in the early twentieth century, first as a pastor and then as a professor. While his fame spread to North America in the 1940s, he is mostly forgotten today. In Schilder Reader: The Essential Theological Writings, readers will rediscover this important Dutch theologian.
Working in the tradition of Abraham Kuyper and Herman Bavinck, Schilder applies Dutch Neo–Calvinism to the twentieth century. This includes secularism, the rise and influence of Karl Barth, opposition to Nazism, and the relation between the church and society. Schilder Reader contextualizes his work and furthers the neo–Calvinist tradition.
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How The Church Fathers Read The Bible
$24.99Add to cartRead the Scriptures with the insight of our forebears
Christians live in the house built by the church fathers. The fathers’ reading of the Scriptures shaped key doctrines that are essential to Christianity. But appreciating how the fathers read the Bible is not just for the historically curious, as if it were only a matter of literary archaeology. Nor should it be intimidating. Rather, the fathers gleaned insights from Scripture that continue to be relevant to all Christians.
How the Church Fathers Read the Bible is an accessible introduction to help you read Scripture with the early church. With a clear and simple style, Gerald Bray explains the distinctives of early Christian interpretation and shows how the fathers interpreted key Bible passages from Genesis to Revelation. Their unique perspective is summed up in seven principles that can inspire our Bible reading today. With Bray as your guide, you can reclaim the rich insights of the fathers with reverence and discernment.
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Catholic Pilgrimage Through American History
$19.95Add to cartHistorian Kevin Schmiesing takes you to more than two-dozen sites and events that symbolize and embody America’s rich and sometimes tumultuous Catholic past, including the Santa Fe Trail, Gettysburg, and the Bourbon Trail. You’ll also meet both famous and infamous Catholics–including Augustus Tolton, Dr. Samuel Mudd, and Francis Cabrini–who impacted our nation’s history.
The idea for A Catholic Pilgrimage through American History came from Schmiesing’s mother, he says. She turned every childhood vacation into a pilgrimage, purposely inserting religious sites into the family’s journey to places such as Niagara Falls, Washington, DC, or Myrtle Beach.
Catholics have been part of the American experiment since the beginning–in founding the colonies and expanding the west, building education and health care systems, abolishing slavery, fighting on the front lines, and advancing science, technology, and space exploration. Each of the twenty-seven sites on Schmiesing’s virtual itinerary–including, the Washington Monument, Wounded Knee Creek, the University of Notre Dame, and Mission San Diego de Alcala–transports you to a significant time in US history and connects the dots to our Catholic heritage. You will meet notable Catholics such as John F. Kennedy, Black Elk, and Katharine Drexel, and learn more about their contributions to history.
You will explore the various and sometimes conflicting roles Catholics have played in key periods and events through the stories of shrines, memorials, and other historic places including:
*the Catholic Plymouth Rock–St. Mary’s City, Maryland;
*the Bourbon Trail–Church of St. Thomas, Bardstown, Kentucky;
*the Pope’s Stone–the Washington Monument in the District of Columbia;
*a Catholic mission and a Native American tragedy: Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota; and
*the home of the first Black priest–the churches of Quincy, Illinois.
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Reading The Church Fathers
$21.95Add to cartHeresies, schisms, culture of death, persecutions, excommunications … While reflective of headlines from today, these difficulties roiled Christians of the early Church as well. In fact, the earliest Church manual, the Didache,brought clarity to a range of moral issues that our culture continues to grapple with to this day.
Here is one of the most lucid and comprehensive overviews of the Patristic period ever written. With simplicity and clarity, Dr. James Papandrea introduces you to all the major theologians, philosophers, and martyrs of the early Christian church and explains the theological principles that guided the Church from the New Testament era through the apologists, and, ultimately, to the development of the major doctrines. Best of all, he uniquely situates the teachings of the early Church Fathers against the social and cultural context of the Roman Empire and its relationship to the Church.
Dr. Papandrea will introduce you to the gnostics and their influence on the early Church, as well as explain how Church mothers, such as Macrina the Younger, laid a foundation for the monastic life to come. You’ll learn how our understanding of the sacraments developed and when devotion to Our Lady and the saints emerged. You’ll also explore how the New Testament canon was formed as well as the criteria used to interpret early Christian writings.
A must-have resource, Reading the Church Fathers offers helpful charts, recommended texts, and summaries of important theological concepts and doctrines. It also reveals:
*How the early Church refuted heresies
*How catechesis was taught and shared
*The order of the liturgy in early Christianity
*The marks of the early Church and the role of tradition
*How apostolic succession was defined
*What is meant by the development of doctrine
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Charles Fox Parham
$16.99Add to cartCharles Fox Parham is an absorbing and perhaps controversial biography of the founder of modern Pentecostalism. Parham was a deeply flawed individual who nevertheless was used by God to initiate and establish one of the greatest spiritual movements of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, helping to restore the power of Pentecost to the church and being a catalyst for numerous healings and conversions. Author Dr. Larry Martin is a lifelong Pentecostal with decades of ministry as a pastor, educator, and evangelist. He researched the life of this complicated and contradictory figure for over twenty-five years before writing this book-with a certain degree of hesitancy. By disclosing the whole truth about Parham’s life-which has never fully been done before-would it give excessive ammunition to the critics of the Pentecostal and charismatic movements? Martin uncompromisingly exposes Parham’s weaknesses, faulty thinking, and transgressions while disassociating his behavior from the movement as a whole, writing with an inside understanding of Pentecostalism and a thoughtful analysis of Parham’s life that goes beyond the acknowledgment of human frailty to reveal the work of a sovereign God. If we don’t confront the faults of our spiritual fathers, Martin says, we will fail to address the truth in the way the Bible lays bare the faults of some of our greatest biblical heroes of the faith. We must recognize and learn from the weaknesses of others, as well as their achievements. The author of several books on the Asuza Street Revival, the history of early Pentecostals, and the Pentecostal Church of God, Martin presents a much-needed exploration of the life of one of the most influential religious figures of the twentieth century, whose impact is still widely felt today. Includes photos of Parham’s life and ministry.
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Worlds Greatest Sermons And Preachers
$16.99Add to cartRay Comfort and Kirk Cameron have compiled some of the signature sermons of the greatest Christian preachers in history. Join these “fathers of the faith” as they discuss a wide range of subjects, including the key to evangelism and how to reach souls.
Thanks to this treasured collection of classic Christian wisdom, you can experience…
*The eloquence of Charles Spurgeon
*The zeal of John Wesley
*The effectiveness of Jonathan Edwards
*The passion of Martin Luther
*The power of George Whitfield
*The brilliance of R. A. Torrey
*The influence of Gawin KirkhamThese men laid the foundation of evangelical Christianity that we carry on today. Discover the secret of their success and the truth that you, too, can win the lost!
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16th Century Mission
$29.99Add to cartDid the Reformers lack a vision for missions?
In Sixteenth-Century Mission, a diverse cast of contributors explores the wide-reaching practice and theology of mission during this era. Rather than a century bereft of cross-cultural outreach, we find both Reformers and Roman Catholics preaching the gospel and establishing the church in all the world. This overlooked yet rich history reveals themes and insights relevant to the practice of mission today.
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Introduction To Ecclesiology (Revised)
$35.00Add to cartWhat is the church? Why are there so many different expressions of church throughout time and space, and what ties them all together?
Ecclesiology–the doctrine of the church–has risen to the center of theological interest in recent decades. In this text, theologian Veli-Matti Karkkainen provides a wide-ranging survey of the rich field of ecclesiology in the midst of rapid developments and new horizons. Drawing on Karkkainen’s international experience and comprehensive research on the church, this revised and expanded edition is thoroughly updated to incorporate recent literature and trends. This unique primer not only orients readers to biblical, historical, and contemporary ecclesiologies but also highlights contextual and global perspectives and includes an entirely new section on interfaith comparative theology. An Introduction to Ecclesiology surveys.
*major theological traditions, including Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Reformed, and Pentecostal
*ecclesiological insights from Latin American, Africa, and Asia
*distinct perspectives from women, African Americans, and recent trends in the United States
*key elements of the church such as mission, governance, worship, and sacraments
*interreligious comparison with Jewish, Islamic, Hindu, and Buddhist communities
As the church today encounters challenges and opportunities related to rapid growth in the Majority World, new congregational forms, ecumenical movements, interfaith relations, and more, Christians need a robust ecclesiology that makes room for both unity and diversity. In An Introduction to Ecclesiology students, pastors, and laypeople will find an essential resource for understanding how the church can live out its calling as Christ’s community on earth.
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Understanding The Jewish Roots Of Christianity
$29.99Add to cartHow Jewish is Christianity?
The question of how Jesus’ followers relate to Judaism has been a matter of debate since Jesus first sparred with the Pharisees. The controversy has not abated, taking many forms over the centuries. In the decades following the Holocaust, scholars and theologians reconsidered the Jewish origins and character of Christianity, finding points of continuity.
Understanding the Jewish Roots of Christianity advances this discussion by freshly reassessing the issues. Did Jesus intend to form a new religion? Did Paul abrogate the Jewish law? Does the New Testament condemn Judaism? How and when did Christianity split from Judaism? How should Jewish believers in Jesus relate to a largely gentile church? What meaning do the Jewish origins of Christianity have for theology and practice today?
In this volume, a variety of leading scholars and theologians explore the relationship of Judaism and Christianity through biblical, historical, theological, and ecclesiological angles. This cutting-edge scholarship will enrich readers’ understanding of this centuries-old debate.
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Great Azusa Street Revival
$16.99Add to cartAs fascinating collection of the words and teachings of William Seymour in the years leading up to and including the historic Azusa Street Revival, which began in Los Angeles in 1906 before spreading across the country and creating the modern-day Pentecostal movement. Includes historic accounts, eyewitness testimonies to the power of God, and photos capturing the multicultural, worldwide appeal of Seymour and his ministry, including his stirring sermons, which covered a wide range of topics that are still relevant to believers today. Complied by Roberts Liardon, author of the bestselling God’s Generals series.
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Voices Of The Martyrs Graphic Novel Anthology AD 34-AD 203
$29.99Add to cartVoices of the Martyrs, A.D. 34 – A.D. 203 covers the earliest period of church history. Though we will never know how many have given their lives for following Jesus Christ, this volume contains the stories of the first, and best known. Men and women who were faithful to their Savior, regardless the cost.
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Tibet : The Roof Of The World – The China Chronicles – Inside The Greatest
$15.00Add to cartThis book is believed to be the first attempt to present an overview of all Christian activity in Tibet, throughout history. The Tibetan Plateau is mountainous, inaccessible, and vast – three times the land area of the United Kingdom, but with only one-tenth the population. Most Tibetans claim to be Buddhists, but for many Buddhism is a veneer over older, darker beliefs. The spiritual realm is a daily reality in Tibet. There are only a tiny number of Tibetan Christians, but the ‘Roof of the World’ has a long and remarkable Christian history. Paul Hattaway recounts the stories of the many courageous, tenacious men and women who have attempted to exalt the Name of Jesus Christ in Tibet, against overwhelming odds and in the face of powerful spiritual forces. This is the fourth volume in The China Chronicles, which tells the modern history of the Church in China.
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Gloss And The Text
$28.99Add to cartScripture opens itself up by its own words and interpretation.
William Perkins is the father of Puritanism, often remembered for his preaching manual, The Art of Prophesying. Much attention has been given to the Puritan movement, especially in its later forms, but comparatively little has been given to Perkins.
In The Gloss and the Text, Andrew Ballitch provides a thorough examination of the hermeneutical principles that governed Perkins’s approach to biblical interpretation. Perkins taught that the Bible was God’s word as well as the interpretation of God’s word. Interpretation is no private matter; it is a public gift of the Spirit of God for the people of God. Ballitch’s study sheds light on Perkins as a preacher, theologian, and student of Scripture.
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Preaching The Word With John Chrysostom
$16.99Add to cartLearn from the early church’s greatest preacher.
John of Antioch, later called “chrysostomos” (“golden mouth”), preached over 600 extant sermons. He was one of the most prolific authors in the early Church, surpassed only by Augustine of Hippo. His example and work has inspired countless Christians through the ages.
In Preaching the Word with Chrysostom, through a combination of storytelling and theology, Gerald Bray reflects upon 1,500 year-old pastoral wisdom from one of church history’s most prolific Christ-centered preachers. Chrysostom’s eloquent preaching and influence on Christian teaching left a legacy that is still recognized today.
The Lived Theology series explores aspects of Christian doctrine through the eyes of the men and women who practiced it. Interweaving the contributions of notable individuals alongside their overshadowed contemporaries, we gain a much deeper understanding and appreciation of their work and the broad tapestry of Christian history. These books illuminate the vital contributions made by these figures throughout the history of the church.
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Born Again : The Evangelical Theology Of Conversion In John Wesley And Geor
$23.99Add to cartThe Christian life is a life of growth.
The gospel message is simple but not simplistic. Learning the gospel and its implications is a lifelong process, but modern evangelicals are often too focused on the moment of conversion while ignoring the ongoing work of sanctification. For John Wesley and George Whitefield, justification and sanctification were inseparable.
In Born Again, Sean McGever maps Wesley’s and Whitefield’s theologies of conversion, reclaiming the connection between justification and sanctification. This study helps evangelicals reassess their thin understanding of conversion, leading to a rich and full picture of the ongoing work new Christians face.
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Inexplicable : How Christianity Spread To The Ends Of The Earth
$17.99Add to cartA Trilogy Christian Publishing Title
The name of Jesus and his teachings captured people’s hearts and minds throughout much of the world long before Christianity was legal. Long before armies and governments protected or supported it, and then long after Emperor Constantine’s reign as many leaders misused it for their own gains or religious views. Christianity also survived brutal persecutions during many centuries, including the present. Its growth seems inexplicable.
While there are innumerable possible explanations for this, in the final analysis there are relatively few viable answers. One leading contender is that there really is something to the mystical power of the Holy Spirit, and the life-changing message of Jesus recorded in the New Testament. Another is, at the least billions of people have held passionate beliefs in Jesus’s miraculous powers over life and death, and his eternal promises. The Pew Research Center’s recent work supports the claim that “Christianity is the only religion in the world with a major presence on every continent.”
Inexplicable traces this remarkable spread of Jesus’s followers, including many of the heroic actions from those believing in his deity, and those horrific actions of those misusing his teachings. The Gospel’s journey is ongoing, and its story remains an engaging one. From Coptic monasteries and the Roman Colosseum to a small church in Franklin, Tennessee or mega churches in Laos or Seoul, it’s a rich narrative. Whether standing in the Sistine Chapel, looking at a Nestorian stone in China, or a Christian school in Kigali, this narrative continues and here we provide its historic context.
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Piercing Heaven : Prayers Of The Puritans
$24.99Add to cart“That prayer is most likely to pierce heaven which first pierces one’s own heart.”
For the Puritans, prayer was neither casual nor dull. Their prayers were passionate affairs, from earnestly pleading for mercy to joyful praise. These rich expressions of deep Christian faith are a shining example of holy living.
The Puritan combination of warm piety and careful intellect have fueled a renaissance of interest in their movement. This combination is on display in Piercing Heaven, a collection of carefully selected prayers from leading Puritans. The language in these prayers has been slightly updated for a modern audience while still retaining the elevated tone of the Puritans. With prayers from Richard Baxter, Thomas Brooks, John Owen, and many more, each prayer reminds us that heartfelt prayer is central to the Christian life.
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Challenging The Spirit Of Modernity
$25.99Add to cartGod’s word illumines the darkness of society.
Dutch politician and historian Groen van Prinsterer’s Unbelief and Revolution is a foundational work addressing the inherent tension between the church and secular society. Writing at the onset of modernity in Western culture, Groen saw with amazing clarity the dire implications of abandoning God’s created order for human life in society. Groen’s work served as an inspiration for many contemporary theologians, and he had a profound impact on Abraham Kuyper’s famous public theology.
In Challenging the Spirit of Modernity, Harry Van Dyke places this seminal work into historical context, revealing how this vital contribution still speaks into the fractured relationship between religion and society. A deeper understanding of the roots of modern secularism and Groen’s strong, faithful response to it gives us a better grasp of the same conflict today.
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Loving God And Neighbor With Samuel Pearce
$12.99Add to cartThe love of God and neighbor is the heart of the Christian faith. Forgotten saint Samuel Pearce teaches us how to live a life faithful to the greatest commandment.
Pearce was a Baptist pastor known in eighteenth-century England for his moving preaching and strong, pious character. In his short life, he supported believers in his own parish as well as in the many cities where he preached and helped send missionaries. Yet his personal faith, founded on the “holy love” of God, formed his most compelling witness to the world. By getting to know Pearce’s story, readers will learn from his example what it looks like to love God and neighbor – in good times as well as challenging and seemingly mundane ones.
The Lived Theology series explores aspects of Christian doctrine through the eyes of the men and women who practiced it. Interweaving the contributions of notable individuals alongside their overshadowed contemporaries, we gain a much deeper understanding and appreciation of their work and the broad tapestry of Christian history. These books illuminate the vital contributions made by these figures throughout the history of the church.
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Engaging The World With Abraham Kuyper
$12.99Add to cartChrist declares “Mine!” over every square inch of creation.
In his well–known quote, Abraham Kuyper expressed the defining characteristic of his public theology: Jesus’ sovereignty extends over all things. He believed Christians should engage the whole world in all of its various spheres. But what does that comprehensive calling practically look like for us today?
In Engaging the World with Abraham Kuyper, Michael Wagenman explores the practical application of Kuyper’s public theology. Using Kuyper’s own life as an example, he shows us how the gospel can permeate all aspects of society: our identity, public discourse, education, the church, politics. Ultimately, this means engaging the world with perceptive truth that’s mindful of the dynamics at work in our time and place.
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Christian Mission : A Concise, Global History
$26.99Add to cartA deeper understanding of the grand history of mission leads to a faithful expression of God’s mission today.
From the beginning, God’s mission has been carried out by people sent around the world. From Abraham to Jesus, the thread that weaves its way throughout Scripture is a God who sends his people across the world, proclaiming his kingdom. As the world has evolved, Christian mission continues to be a foundational tradition in the church.
In this one-volume textbook, Edward Smither weaves together a comprehensive history of Christian mission, from the apostles to the modern church. In each era, he focuses on the people sent by God to the ends of the earth, while also describing the cultural context they encountered. Smither highlights the continuity and development across thousands of years of global mission.
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Foxes Book Of Martyrs
$19.99Add to cartIn 1563, John Foxe published an account of the life of Christian martyrs, beginning with Stephen, the first to die for the cause of Christ, and ending with the most recent martyrs of his day–Protestants killed during Bloody Mary’s reign. He knew that dangers lay in forgetting the martyrs–in being insensitive to their struggles. They faced torture and death in their fight of faith, willing to stand for their beliefs and the Word of God regardless of the price. The faithfulness of such historical figures as John Wycliffe, John Huss, Martin Luther, William Tyndale, and so many others has given us our rich Christian heritage. Their courage and dedication inspire us to live for Christ today.
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Swords And Plowshares
$24.99Add to cartEvangelicals are warmongering nationalists–right?
Many assume that evangelicals have always shared the ideology and approach of the Moral Majority. But the truth is much more complex. Historically, evangelical rank and file have not held to one position about war; instead, they are strewn across the spectrum from love of peace to glorying in war.
Timothy Padgett presents evangelicals in their own words. And in so doing he complicates our common perceptions of evangelical attitudes towards war and peace. Evangelical leaders regularly wrote about the temporal and eternal implications of war from World War II to the Vietnam War. Padgett allows us to see firsthand how these evangelicals actually spoke about war and love of country.
Instead of blind ideologues we meet concerned people of conviction struggling to reconcile the demands of a world in turmoil with the rule of the Prince of peace.
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7 Books That Rocked The Church
$19.95Add to cart7 Books That Rocked the Church, by Daniel Crane, explores controversial books throughout history that the Christian church has famously disavowed–and asks the question why?
Engagingly written and thoughtfully researched, this book explores what the “fuss” was all about with books ranging in date from the second century after Christ to more contemporary authors. Books by Karl Marx, Charles Darwin, Galileo Galilei, and many others profoundly upset the church by calling into question foundational Christian doctrines or beliefs. Most of the books discussed here were banned at some time by Christian authorities.
The author’s aim is to challenge Christians to respond critically but open-mindedly to books that oppose a Christian worldview. Readers of 7 Books That Rocked the Church will come away better equipped to answer the charge that the church is intolerant of competing ideas. They will also develop the ability to interact with new and possibly dangerous ideas that comport with Jesus’ admonition to be wise as serpents but gentle as doves. This book also includes discussion questions for further study.
1. Valentinus the Gnostic: Who Doesn’t Love a Conspiracy Theory? (Think The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown)
2. Galileo Galilei: A Scandal of Religion, Science, and Politics
3. Voltaire’s Candide, Enlightenment Rationalism, and the Church’s Thin Skin
4. Darwin’s Origin of Species: The Many Faces of Evolutionary Theory
5. Marx’s Communist Manifesto: The Red Bull of the Masses
6. Sigmund Freud’s Ego
7. Joseph Campbell: Christianity as an (Almost) Enlightened Myth (A book that strongly influenced George Lucas’s Star Wars films)
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How Catholic Art Saved The Faith
$18.95Add to cartMore than 500 years after the Reformation, Elizabeth Lev shows how the Catholic Church responded to this turbulent age by finding an artistic voice to proclaim Truth through beauty. Exploring the works of Bernini, Caravaggio, Michelangelo and countless other Counter-Reformation artists, Dr. Lev shows how Catholic art in the 16th and 17th centuries was designed to confront challenges raised by the Reformation with soothing and persuasive voice of art.