Church History
Showing 1–50 of 746 results
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Mothers Children And The Body Politic
$26.00Add to cartHow we talk about human life matters.
In western post-Christian society, humans are thought of less like precious image bearers and more like commodities. The canary in the coal mine of this ideological shift is often women and children, which manifests itself in the seemingly built-in disdain towards motherhood and children for their lack of production of economically valuable goods.
However, the risk of this utilitarian approach to human life is not just outside the church, but within those spaces as well. Indeed, the commodification of human life within the contemporary body politic is so deeply embedded within the systems, even the church has lost touch with some of the ways it inherently devalues the lives of women and children.
Classics scholar Nadya Williams draws from voices both ancient and modern to illuminate how Christians can value human life amidst an empire that seeks to dehumanize that which is most precious. Bringing insights from the beliefs and practices of the early church in Greco-Roman context about motherhood, raising children, and human life, Williams suggests there is a way to recapture a vision that affirms the imago Dei in each person over and above our economic contribution to society.
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Swing Low Volume 1
$28.00Add to cartA Groundbreaking Portrait of African American Christianity
The history of African American Christianity is one of the determined faith of a people driven to pursue spiritual and social uplift for themselves and others to God’s glory. Yet stories of faithful Black Christians have often been forgotten or minimized. The dynamic witness of the Black church in the United States is an essential part of Christian history that must be heard and dependably retold.
In this groundbreaking two-volume work, Walter R. Strickland II does just that through a theological-intellectual history highlighting the ways theology has formed and motivated Black Christianity across the centuries. Through his original research he has identified five theological anchors grounding African Americans in Christian orthodoxy:
*Big God
*Jesus
*Conversion and walking in the Spirit
*The Good Book
*DeliveranceIn volume 1, a narrative history, Strickland tells the story of these themes from the 1600s to the present. He explores the crucial ecclesiastical, social, and theological developments, including the rise of Black evangelicalism as well as broader contributions to politics and culture.
Swing Low offers a defining rubric under which to observe, understand, and learn from the diverse and living entity that is African American Christianity. Volume 2, a companion anthology, covers the breadth of these historical developments by presenting primary-source documents so we can listen to Black Christianity in its own words.
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Communion With God
$32.00Add to cartThe recent resurgence of interest in the Puritan John Owen has resulted in increasing requests for Kelly Kapic’s Communion with God, which was one of the books that helped foster renewed attention on this classic theologian. This book is now back in print with a new preface by the author.
According to Kapic, a variety of people today are rediscovering Owen, including academic theologians, ministers from different denominational backgrounds, and laypeople interested in classic forms of spirituality. With this diverse audience in mind, Kapic focuses on the concept of communion with God in Owen’s thought, covering key areas such as anthropology, Christology, trinitarian studies, and the Lord’s supper.
Kapic shows that Owen remains a rich dialogue partner for those engaged both in contemporary theology and pastoral practice.
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Word And Sacrament
$40.00Add to cartIn this critical work, liturgical scholar Paul Galbreath brings together key theological insights and historical analysis to offer a theological roadmap of where the Reformed tradition has traveled in order to propose directions for where it is heading.
From the time of John Calvin until today, Reformed theology and worship have acknowledged Word and sacrament as central to its Christian identity. Yet the ways in which Scripture is read and used in worship and the ways in which baptism and the Lord’s Supper are experienced have varied and developed throughout the history of the Reformed church. By exploring key liturgies, confessions, directories for worship, and theological movements, this book examines common theological themes and commitments that have undergirded worship as well as ways that our understandings and practices have developed in light of new contexts and challenges.
Historical insights from the Reformed tradition provide a basis for exploring patterns of worship that maintain the commitment to Word and sacrament while proposing new ways in which Scripture, baptism, and the Lord’s Supper can be experienced in the postmodern context. The study of how theological insights have prompted liturgical change provides a roadmap for how worship can adapt to address significant concerns that we face in our communities, congregations, and personal lives, such as caring for the earth and responding to the needs of the poor. Altogether, Word and Sacrament offers constructive and practical directions that will lead to congregational renewal.
Martha Moore-Keish writes in her foreword, “Shaped by his years of serving as a pastor, theologian, and seminary professor deeply engaged in liturgical and sacramental renewal, Galbreath argues that our theological presuppositions shape liturgical development. This was true for Calvin in the sixteenth century, for Barth in the early twentieth century, for the formation of the Worshipbook and the Book of Common Worship in the late twentieth century, and it remains true today. Given this reality, he argues, we need to make ‘conscious theological choices for the language and images that we use in worship.
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What It Means To Be Protestant
$22.99Add to cartThese days many evangelicals are exploring the more sacramental, liturgical, and historically-conscious church traditions, including Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy. This hunger for historical rootedness is a welcome phenomenon–but unfortunately, many assume that this need can only be met outside of Protestant contexts.
In What it Means to Be Protestant, Gavin Ortlund draws from both his scholarly work in church history and his personal experience in ecumenical engagement to offer a powerful defense of the Protestant tradition. Retrieving classical Protestant texts and arguments, he exposes how many of the contemporary objections leveled against Protestants are rooted in caricature. Ultimately, he shows that historic Protestantism offers the best pathway to catholicity and historical rootedness for Christians today.
In his characteristically charitable and irenic style, Ortlund demonstrates that the 16th century Reformation represented a genuine renewal of the gospel. This does not entail that Protestantism is without faults. But because it is built upon the principle of semper reformanda (always reforming), Protestantism is capable of reforming itself according to Scripture as the ultimate authority. This scholarly and yet accessible book breaks new ground in ecumenical theology and will be a staple text in the field for many years to come.
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Priests Of History
$19.99Add to cartHow can Christians engage meaningfully with history?
In an age underpinned by the idea that life is about self-invention and fulfilment, contemporary Western culture holds that the past has little to teach us. We live in what this book terms the “Ahistoric Age,” in which we are profoundly disconnected from history.
In the attempt to appear relevant, the church often embraces this ahistoric worldview by jettisoning the historic ideas and practices of Christian formation. But this has unintended consequences, leaving Christians unmoored from history and losing the ability to grapple with its ethical complexities.
In Priests of History, Sarah Irving-Stonebraker draws upon her expertise, and her experience as an atheist who has become a Christian, to examine what history is and why it matters. If Christians can learn how to be “priests of history,” tending and keeping our past, history can help us strengthen and revive our spiritual and intellectual formation and equip us to communicate the gospel in a confused and rootless world.
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Story Of The Christian Church
$19.99Add to cartNo institution has spanned more centuries and more continents than the Christian church. Its dramatic story is one of bloodshed and peace, corruption and purity. Here Dr. Hurlbut retells this story in an objective, concise, and clear style, emphasizing the spirit of the church, its growth and maturation, and the causes leading to historic events and their resulting influence. Accurate, up-to-date, and vividly presented, Hurlbut’s Story of the Christian Church traces the six general periods of church history from A.D. 30 to the present day. A concluding section, covering the period since Dr. Hurlbut’s death, has been added in this revised edition, thus giving the reader a complete, easily understood overview of the Christian church. Designed for two audiences, this book contains outlines and references in the margins to aid the student or teacher along with a continuous narrative and numerous illustrations for the general reader. It is ideal for Sunday school use, since it includes suggested outlines and review questions for each chapter at the end of the book.
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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 cartHave you been struggling to see God lately? This beautiful weaving of biblical reflection and true stories from Jesus-followers turns our gaze again to the One who made us, loves us, and will never leave us. Each chapter in Portrait of God explores an attribute of God through a person in church history who radically experienced His nature. 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,
*And more.Portrait of God includes a foreword from Michael W. Smith, thought-provoking questions, and a list of further reading about each faith leader. As author Jack Mooring writes, “The Christian life is less about learning and more about remembering.” When our spiritual life feels like a roller coaster, true stories of faithful Christians help us rediscover our wonder about the unchanging character of our Creator.
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Construccion De La Feminidad B – (Spanish)
$19.99Add to cartBeth Allison Barr, autora de exitos de venta, revela que la comprension convencional de los roles y expectativas de genero, frecuentemente vinculada al concepto de “feminidad biblica”, no se origino en la Biblia misma, sino que evoluciono a partir de distintas circunstancias historicas.
Este libro traslada la conversacion sobre la feminidad biblica mas alla de la gramatica griega y al ambito de la historia de la iglesia, antigua, medieval y moderna, para mostrar que esta creencia no esta ordenada divinamente, sino es un producto de la civilizacion humana que continua infiltrandose en la iglesia.
La feminidad biblica, la creencia de que Dios diseo a las mujeres para ser esposas sumisas, madres virtuosas y alegres amas de casa, impregna el cristianismo norteamericano. Desde decisiones sobre carreras hasta roles en iglesias locales y las dinamicas de relaciones, esta creencia moldea la vida cotidiana de las mujeres evangelicas. Sin embargo, la feminidad biblica no es biblica, dice Beth Allison Barr, historiadora de la Universidad de Baylor. Surgio de una serie de momentos historicos claramente definibles.
Las percepciones historicas de Barr brindan contexto para las enseanzas contemporaneas sobre los roles de las mujeres en la iglesia y ayudan a avanzar la conversacion. Entrelazando su historia como esposa de un pastor bautista, Barr arroja luz sobre el movimiento #ChurchToo y los escandalos de abuso en circulos Bautistas del Sur y el mundo evangelico en general, ayudando a los lectores a comprender por que la feminidad biblica tiene mas que ver con estructuras de poder humanas que con el mensaje de Cristo.
Within the pages of this bestseller, Beth Allison Barr reveals that the conventional understanding of gender roles and expectations, frequently linked to the concept of “biblical womanhood,” did not originate from the Bible itself but rather evolved from distinct historical circumstances.
This book moves the conversation about biblical womanhood beyond Greek grammar and into the realm of church history–ancient, medieval, and modern–to show that this belief is not divinely ordained but a product of human civilization that continues to creep into the church.
Biblical womanhood–the belief that God designed women to be submissive wives, virtuous mothers, and joyful homemakers–pervades North American Christianity. From choices about careers to roles in local churches to relationship dynamics, this belief shapes the everyday lives of evang
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Early Church Timeline
$4.99Add to cartEnjoy seeing 200+ years of early church history at a glance in this illustrated foldout timeline! Covers over 100 key events and people you need to know with summaries and visuals!
From the end of the apostles to the 4th century rule of Emperor Constantine, see the growth of the church and the incredible spread of Christianity at a glance!
Early Christian history is packed with names, events, and complicated politics, but what if you could get a solid overview using fascinating facts and compelling characters? This Early Church Timeline is the practical tool you (and those you lead) can use to answer questions and get historical context to any New Testament Bible study. Did you know…?
*The first church building was constructed in Syria around AD 232.
*Christians used the fish as a symbol as early as the 2nd century.
*An aspiring philosopher named Justin was one of the first Christian apologists.
*A prison diary from a noblewoman and martyr named Perpetua became an inspiration to other Christians facing persecution.
*A North African theologian named Tertullian was the first to use the word “Trinity” to describe God.
Explore Early Church History Chronologically!
Early church history is rich with stories of conflict, martyrdom, politics, redemption, and triumph. You have history books, atlases, and encyclopedias, but you don’t have a lot of time! Where do you even start? Imagine being able to get a solid grasp on the top 50 events of the early church as you watch the expansion of Christianity, surviving even the ascension and persecution of the Roman empire… all in one solid, expert-researched timeline.
Enjoy exploring concise summaries of the first-century Christian Church in this illustrated timeline pamphlet. Discover the fascinating stories of bishops, martyrs, and theologians who gave shape to church doctrine and provided inspiration for Christians facing oppression for aligning their lives not to the pagan gods of their neighbors, but to Jesus Christ alone.
Through clear explanations, delve into the historical context, key figures, and pivotal events that laid the groundwork for Christianity as we know it today. Perfect for both newcomers and longtime believers, our pamphlet provides an inspiring and accessible overview of this crucial period in religious history, inviting readers to deepen their understanding and appreciation of the roots of their faith.Key Features of the Early Church Timeline: Spread of Chris
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Ownership : The Evangelical Legacy Of Slavery In Edwards, Wesley, And White
$18.00Add to cartSetting Jonathan Edwards, John Wesley, and George Whitfield into their own contexts, Sean McGever tells the true story of these men’s deeply compromised relationship to slavery. More than just a history, this book is an invitation to examine our own legacies and to take ownership of our heritage and our own part in the story.
Men of their time?
Jonathan Edwards, John Wesley, and George Whitefield were the three most prominent early evangelicals-and all three were deeply compromised on the issue of slavery. Edwards and Whitefield both kept slaves themselves, and Wesley failed to speak out against slavery until near the end of his life.
In Ownership, Sean McGever tells the true story of these men’s relationships to slavery: a story that has too often been passed over or buried in scholarly literature. Laying out the dominant attitudes among Christians toward slavery at the time, McGever sets these “men of their times” in their own context, inviting us to learn how these shapers of American evangelicalism contributed to the tragic history of racism in America. He also explores how Christians finally began to recognize that slavery, which they’d excused for most of Christian history, is actually wrong. It’s a story that white evangelicals must wrestle with today.
Ownership is more than a book of history. It’s an invitation to examine our own legacies and to understand-and take ownership of-both our heritage and our own part in the story.
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Nicene Creed : A Scriptural, Historical, And Theological Commentary
$24.99Add to cartThough the Nicene Creed is regularly recited in weekly church services, few understand its historical origins and connections to Scripture and key Christian doctrines.
This volume bridges the gap, providing an accessible introduction that explains how the Creed is anchored in the Bible and how it came to be written and confessed in the early history of the church. The authors show how the Creed reflects the purpose of God in salvation, especially in relation to Christians’ divine adoption as sons and daughters, leading to glorification. Each chapter includes sidebars highlighting how the Creed has been received in the church’s liturgy.
Professors, students, clergy, and religious educators will benefit from this illuminating and edifying guide to the Nicene Creed.
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Know The Theologians
$22.99Add to cartKnow the Theologians is an introduction to the most important thinkers throughout church history and a demonstration of their ongoing relevance for believers today.
The Bible describes the church as a kind of family. Those who believe in Christ are sisters and brothers in the faith, whether they live at the same time or are separated by centuries. For that reason, believers today need to know our family members who have come before and shaped our beliefs and practices now. In Know the Theologians, professors and authors Jennifer Powell McNutt and David W. McNutt introduce the most significant thinkers in the church’s history.
McNutt and McNutt survey over a dozen primary figures, including Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant theologians, who represent the breadth and depth of the church’s theology. The book explores how they fit into their own time period and also draws attention to the theological voices of women throughout the church’s history. Every chapter includes short sidebars on figures contemporary to the main theologians, bringing in additional important voices.
This book has everything you need for a full personal or group study experience.
As part of the KNOW series, Know the Theologians is designed for either personal study or classroom use, and it will also be an accessible resource for small groups and adult education in churches. Chapters end with reflection questions and recommended reading for further study.
An individual access code to stream all video sessions online. (You don’t need to buy a DVD!)
Sessions and video run times:
1. Introduction (6:30)
2. Irenaeus of Lyons (17:00)
3. Athanasius of Alexandria (24:30)
4. The Cappadocian Four (16:00)
5. Augustine of Hippo (14:30)
6. John of Damascus (17:00)
7. Anselm of Canterbury (19:00)
8. Julian of Norwich (20:30)
9. Thomas Aquinas (19:00)
10. Martin Luther (22:00)
11. John Calvin (25:30)
12. Menno Simons (21:30)
13. Teresa of Avila (19:30)
14. The Wesley Brothers (21:00)
15. Friedrich Schleiermacher (12:00)
16. Karl Barth (14:00)
17. Gustavo Gutierrez (30:30)Streaming video access code included. Access code subject to expiration after April 2, 2029. Code may be redeemed only by the recipient of this package. Code may not be transferred or sold separately from this package. Internet connection required. Void where prohibited, taxed, or restricted by law. Additional offer details inside.
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When God Became White
$18.00Add to cartWhen Western Christians think about God, the default image that comes to mind is usually white and male. How did that happen?
Christianity is rooted in the ancient Near East among people of darker skin. But over time, European Christians cast Jesus in their own image, with art that imagined a fair-skinned Savior in the style of imperial rulers. Grace Ji-Sun Kim explores the historical origins and theological implications of how Jesus became white and God became a white male. The myth of the white male God has had a devastating effect as it enabled Christianity to have a profoundly colonialist posture across the globe. Kim examines the roots of the distortion, its harmful impact on the world, and shows what it looks like to recover the biblical reality of a nonwhite, nongendered God. Rediscovering God as Spirit leads us to a more just faith and a better church and world.
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Christianity In Latin America And The Caribbean
$39.95Add to cartOffers a uniquely detailed account of Christianity in Latin America and the Caribbean through empirical data and original analysis.
*Contains profiles of Christianity in every country in Latin America and the Caribbean, coupled with attractive presentations of statistical and demographic information
*Analyses leading features and current trends in Christianity in Latin America and the Caribbean, featuring local scholars with expertise in their field
*Examines each of the major Christian traditions in Latin America and the Caribbean: Protestants, Independents, Orthodox, Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Evangelicals and Pentecostals/Charismatics
*Explores key themes such as faith and culture, worship and spirituality, theology, social and political engagement, mission and evangelism, religious freedom, gender, inter-faith relations, Afro-descendants, migration, indigenous peoples, persecution and martyrdom
This volume is the sixth in a series of reference works that takes the analysis of worldwide Christianity to a deeper level of detail. It focuses on Christianity in Latin America and the Caribbean, covering every country and offering both reliable demographic information and original interpretative essays by indigenous scholars and practitioners. It maps patterns of growth and decline, assesses major traditions and movements, analyses key themes, and examines current trends. As a comprehensive account of the presence of Christianity in every country in Latin America, this volume will become a standard work of reference in its field.
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Nicene Creed : A Scriptural, Historical, And Theological Commentary
$49.99Add to cartThough the Nicene Creed is regularly recited in weekly church services, few understand its historical origins and connections to Scripture and key Christian doctrines.
This volume bridges the gap, providing an accessible introduction that explains how the Creed is anchored in the Bible and how it came to be written and confessed in the early history of the church. The authors show how the Creed reflects the purpose of God in salvation, especially in relation to Christians’ divine adoption as sons and daughters, leading to glorification. Each chapter includes sidebars highlighting how the Creed has been received in the church’s liturgy.
Professors, students, clergy, and religious educators will benefit from this illuminating and edifying guide to the Nicene Creed.
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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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History Of Christianity
$19.99Add to cartHow did Christianity get shared around the world? And how has Christian belief changed over the last 50 years? Providing some of the answers to these and many other questions, this overview charts the 2,000-year-long history of the world’s largest religion.
A History of Christianity covers everything from the world of the Old Testament to Christianity in the 21st century, including topics such as the early martyrs, the birth of the monasteries, the Crusades, the Reformation, and the rise of the Church in the Americas and Africa.
Explore the wide-ranging beliefs and doctrines found within the Church and the role Christianity plays in people’s lives. Discover the key events, figures, and movements that helped shape the Church, with a fresh and highly visual approach.In this Christianity book, you can find:
– An accessible illustrated guide to the key events and thinkers of the last 2,000 years of Christianity
– Detailed contextual illustrations, maps, and annotated works of art
– Insightful quotes from Christian thinkers and the Bible
– Chapters outlining different elements of Christianity and important moments that shaped beliefs including: The Roots of Christianity, Challenges to the Early Church, The Renaissance, Social Issues & Activism, and more
Beautifully illustrated, clearly presented, and written in an accessible style, this guide is the ideal companion for those who want to know about the history of the Church. This is a great guide for readers looking for a clear and accessible introduction to Christianity.
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Exiles : The Church In The Shadow Of Empire
$19.99Add to cartA thoughtful exploration of the intersection of faith and politics, Exiles asks: What if we considered ourselves “exiles in Babylon” and turned to Scripture, not political parties, to shape our most passionate values?
Politics are dividing our churches like never before. New York Times-bestselling author Dr. Preston M. Sprinkle reminds us that the first-century church was not an apolitical gathering, where Christians left their Roman politics at the door. It also wasn’t a place where Christians mounted a Roman flag next to–or above–a Christian one. Church was a place where God’s plan for governing the world was revealed, where one could witness what it means to follow the Creator’s design for human flourishing.
In this timely book, Preston explores why:
*Israel’s exile to Babylon profoundly shaped the political identity of God’s people–and still does today.
*Christians should see themselves as foreigners in the country where they live.
*The gospel of Jesus’ kingdom was politically subversive.
*The church today should view its political identity as fundamentally separate from the empire.
Total allegiance to a political party dilutes the church’s witness. Discover a more biblical, powerful way to live in a secular world. Discover what it means to live in exile.
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Strange Religion : How The First Christians Were Weird, Dangerous, And Comp
$39.99Add 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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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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Methodism And American Empire
$29.99Add to cartLiving into a less colonial way of being together.
Methodism and American Empire investigates historical trajectories and theological developments that connect American imperialism since World War II to the Methodist tradition as a global movement. The volume asks: to what extent is United Methodists’ vision of the globe marred by American imperialism? Through historical analyses and theological reflections, this volume chronicles the formation of an understanding of The United Methodist Church since the mid-20th century that is both global and at the same time dominated by American interests and concerns. Methodism and American Empire provides a historical and theological perspective to understand the current context of The United Methodist Church while also raising ecclesiological questions about the impact of imperialism on how Methodists have understood the nature and mission of the church over the last century. Gathering voices and perspectives from around the world, this volume suggests that the project of global Methodism and the tensions one witnesses therein ought to be understood in the context of American imperialism and that such an understanding is critical to the task of continuing to be a global denomination. The volume tells a tale of complex negotiations happening between United Methodists across different national, cultural, and ecclesial contexts and sets up the historical backdrop for the imminent schism of The United Methodist Church.
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Turning Points In American Church History
$24.99Add to cartAmerican history has profoundly shaped, and been shaped by, Christianity. This engaging introduction provides a brisk and lively yet deeply researched survey of these intertwined forces from the colonial period to the present.
Elesha Coffman tells the story of Christianity in the United States by focusing on 13 key events over four centuries of history. The turning points are as varied as the movements they track, including a naval battle, a revival, a schism, a court case, an outpouring of the Spirit, an act of terrorism, the election of a bishop, and the election of a president. Coffman highlights women and men from a range of traditions and shows how throughout these events, Christians endeavored to discern what it meant to live faithfully in the diverse and rapidly changing place that became the United States.
This book helps readers understand their own faith and the landscape of American religion. Each chapter includes a hymn, a prayer, relevant historical images, excerpts from primary sources, and resources for further reading. Foreword by Mark A. Noll.
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Turning Points In American Church History
$49.99Add to cartAmerican history has profoundly shaped, and been shaped by, Christianity. This engaging introduction provides a brisk and lively yet deeply researched survey of these intertwined forces from the colonial period to the present.
Elesha Coffman tells the story of Christianity in the United States by focusing on 13 key events over four centuries of history. The turning points are as varied as the movements they track, including a naval battle, a revival, a schism, a court case, an outpouring of the Spirit, an act of terrorism, the election of a bishop, and the election of a president. Coffman highlights women and men from a range of traditions and shows how throughout these events, Christians endeavored to discern what it meant to live faithfully in the diverse and rapidly changing place that became the United States.
This book helps readers understand their own faith and the landscape of American religion. Each chapter includes a hymn, a prayer, relevant historical images, excerpts from primary sources, and resources for further reading. Foreword by Mark A. Noll.
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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. -
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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For Justice And Enduring Peace
$29.99Add to cartWe have been there and are there still. Since the beginning of the Methodist movement, “Methodists” have spoken to the issues of the day as an expression of the Wesleyan commitment to social holiness. The General Board of Church and Society upholds the Wesleyan commitment to social holiness through witnessing to just social policies and practices. This 100-year commemorative book will utilize archival materials from the agency’s historic publications to tell the story.
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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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Light Of The Word
$18.99Add to cartWhile Christians generally acknowledge that the Bible is God’s Word, many of us lack robust confidence in the reality of its trustworthiness. We may not be sure if we really believe what we read. But the more we understand how Scripture came to be, the more we discover its power and truth.
Historian Susan Lim unpacks how the history of the Bible bolsters our faith and anchors us through the changing tides of time. The story of Scripture, while messy and complicated at times, is also the story of how God shepherded his people throughout the centuries in and through these writings. Lim explains how Christians came to accept certain documents as inspired and not others, and how the books we now call the Bible came to be assembled and canonized as authoritative. The same Spirit of God who oversaw the writing of Scripture continues to be at work actively in us in our receiving and reading of it, to grow us in faith and maturity.
Those of us who confess that Jesus is Lord can also confess with confidence that Scripture is God’s Word. As the church through the ages has received and passed down the sacred Scriptures, so too can we receive for ourselves the living Word that God still speaks through today.
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Divine Gravity : Sparking A Movement To Recover A Better Christian Story
$18.99Add to cartA movement manifesto for a more hopeful and Jesus-centered Christianity
Over five hundred years ago, the Western church underwent a period of massive recalibration that exposed abuses and theological blind spots and revived the historical foundations of Christianity. Today, signs suggest that we have entered another such religious reformation as new technologies, ecclesial scandals, and a crisis of biblical authority leave many Christians adrift or deconstructing the faith they once took for granted. The Christian story the church has been telling has become too small, and we are at a dead end.
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There is hope. Author and pastor Meghan Larissa Good invites readers into a movement that is finding ways to tell a better Christian story–a movement that is already emerging spontaneously as a work of the Spirit in many different wings of the church. Along the way, readers will encounter core rediscoveries of this authentic, Jesus-centered Christianity: through Christ, God is breathing life among us, restoring creation, and reconciling all divided things. In this better story, isolation, intolerance, polarization, and death have no grip. This story satisfies our deep spiritual hunger, beckoning us to renew the church for the coming centuries and reignite a world-changing global movement. -
Epiphany : The Season Of Glory
$20.99Add to cart“We have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.”
This line from the prologue of the Gospel of John declares the theme of Epiphany. Christmas celebrates Christ’s birth; Epiphany manifests his glory.
The feast of Epiphany and its following season are not as well observed as they should be. Many of us associate Epiphany with the visit of the Magi but don’t know much more about it. In this short volume, priest and theologian Fleming Rutledge expounds the primary biblical texts and narrative arc of the season, inviting us to discover anew “the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
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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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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Basic Guide To The Just War Tradition
$22.99Add to cartThis brief introduction surveys Christian thinking on an array of topics related to security and peace from a just war perspective. Drawing primarily on Scripture and theology, Eric Patterson explores the moral dimensions of order, justice, and peace in light of key Christian doctrines such as love of neighbor, stewardship, vocation, and sphere sovereignty. He also examines the perennial questions of civil disobedience, terrorism, revolution, and holy war (including a discussion of Israel’s removal of the Canaanites and the Crusades) and interacts with theological thinkers throughout Christian history. The volume concludes with a treatment of punishment and restitution, considering how these can help move a society toward conciliation.
While ideal as a textbook for courses on Christian ethics, theology and politics, and church and society, this book will also appeal to pastors and lay readers questioning the morality of war and Christians’ involvement in force. Christians who serve in government, law enforcement, and the military will also find helpful guidance for thinking theologically about their vocations.
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Sunday : A History Of Religious Affairs Through 50 Years Of Conversations A
$45.99Add to cartListeners all over the UK are likely familiar with Edward Stourton for his role on BBC Radio 4’s iconic programme: the country’s main religious and ethical news programme ‘Sunday’. Now, avid Radio 4 listeners and curious newcomers alike have the chance to delve deeper into these broadcasts, as Stourton chronicles over fifty years of current affairs in his latest book, Sunday, in collaboration with BBC Producer Amanda Hancox.
In Sunday, Stourton transmits half a century of Radio 4’s iconic programme to paper.
Featuring interviews with well-known figures such as Desmond Tutu, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks and Enoch Powell, the book traces the evolution of debate on a variety of key issues including sexuality, bioethics, nuclear weapons and many more.
From the Church’s answer to the cost-of-living crisis to the debate around female bishops, the abuse within the Catholic Church to the new wave of anti-Semitism – Sunday’s interviewers cross-examine speakers with rigour and acuity. With expert insight, Edward Stourton provides critical reflection on how religion has impacted some of the world’s most epoch-making moments.
Covering a wide breadth of stories at the intersection of ethics, politics, and religion, Sunday features hundreds of stimulating discussions. It is a testament to how religion remains a powerful force in the lives of most people on our planet, whether people of faith or non-believers.
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Basic Guide To The Just War Tradition
$39.99Add to cartThis brief introduction surveys Christian thinking on an array of topics related to security and peace from a just war perspective. Drawing primarily on Scripture and theology, Eric Patterson explores the moral dimensions of order, justice, and peace in light of key Christian doctrines such as love of neighbor, stewardship, vocation, and sphere sovereignty. He also examines the perennial questions of civil disobedience, terrorism, revolution, and holy war (including a discussion of Israel’s removal of the Canaanites and the Crusades) and interacts with theological thinkers throughout Christian history. The volume concludes with a treatment of punishment and restitution, considering how these can help move a society toward conciliation.
While ideal as a textbook for courses on Christian ethics, theology and politics, and church and society, this book will also appeal to pastors and lay readers questioning the morality of war and Christians’ involvement in force. Christians who serve in government, law enforcement, and the military will also find helpful guidance for thinking theologically about their vocations.
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Silenced : The Forgotten Story Of Progressive Era Free Methodist Women
$100.00Add to cartSilenced: The Forgotten Story of Progressive Era Free Methodist Women explores gender debates within the Free Methodist Church of North America from 1890-1920. This interdisciplinary work reconstructs the lives of women who served as Free Methodist evangelists and deacons, illustrating their struggle for recognition and acceptance.
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Evangelism In The Early Church
$46.99Add to cartNow a modern classic, Michael Green’s Evangelism in the Early Church shows how the first Christians worked to spread the good news to the rest of the world.
Studying the New Testament and church fathers, Green explores the earliest methods, motives, and strategies of spreading the good news. He also considers the obstacles to evangelism, using outreach to Gentiles and to Jews as examples of differing contexts for proclamation. Thoroughly informed by primary sources, this book will help contemporary readers learn from the past and renew their own evangelistic vision.
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Kingdom The Power And The Glory
$35.00Add to cartThe award-winning journalist and staff writer for The Atlantic follows up his New York Times bestseller American Carnage with this timely, rigorously reported, and deeply personal examination of the divisions that threaten to destroy the American evangelical movement.
Evangelical Christians are perhaps the most polarizing–and least understood–people living in America today. In his seminal new book, The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory, journalist Tim Alberta, himself a practicing Christian and the son of an evangelical pastor, paints an expansive and profoundly troubling portrait of the American evangelical movement. Through the eyes of televangelists and small-town preachers, celebrity revivalists and everyday churchgoers, Alberta tells the story of a faith cheapened by ephemeral fear, a promise corrupted by partisan subterfuge, and a reputation stained by perpetual scandal.
For millions of conservative Christians, America is their kingdom–a land set apart, a nation uniquely blessed, a people in special covenant with God. This love of country, however, has given way to right-wing nationalist fervor, a reckless blood-and-soil idolatry that trivializes the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Alberta retraces the arc of the modern evangelical movement, placing political and cultural inflection points in the context of church teachings and traditions, explaining how Donald Trump’s presidency and the COVID-19 pandemic only accelerated historical trends that long pointed toward disaster. Reporting from half-empty sanctuaries and standing-room-only convention halls across the country, the author documents a growing fracture inside American Christianity and journeys with readers through this strange new environment in which loving your enemies is “woke” and owning the libs is the answer to WWJD.
Accessing the highest echelons of the American evangelical movement, Alberta investigates the ways in which conservative Christians have pursued, exercised, and often abused power in the name of securing this earthly kingdom. He highlights the battles evangelicals are fighting–and the weapons of their warfare–to demonstrate the disconnect from scripture: Contra the dictates of the New Testament, today’s believers are struggling mightily against flesh and blood, eyes fixed on the here and now, desperate for a power that is frivolous and fleeting. Lingering at the intersection of real cultural displacement and perceived religious persecution, Alberta portrays a rapidly
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Concise Dictionary Of The Christian Tradition
$29.99Add to cartIn this single volume you will find nearly three-and-a-half thousand terms and names from the history, teachings, and liturgy of the church.
*Terms and names that are difficult to find in standard dictionaries
*Brief definitions and descriptions for quick reference
*Names and terms from the history of the church in its various expressions
*Concepts and terms related to the teachings of the church
*Terms connected with the Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Orthodox liturgiesThis indispensable reference work is for anyone who wants quick access to information that is sometimes difficult to find, even in a well-stocked library. The perfect single-volume reference for the layperson, students, pastors, and teachers.
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Reorganized Religion : The Reshaping Of The American Church And Why It Matt
$17.99Add 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–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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Advent : The Season Of Hope
$20.00Add 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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Huguenot Anglican Refuge In Virginia
$105.00Add to cartThe Huguenot-Anglican Refuge in Virginia traces the hidden history of a Huguenot emigrant community established along the Rappahannock River of Virginia in 1687, with the arrival of an Anglican-ordained Huguenot minister from Cozes, France named John Bertrand.
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Infinite Fountain Of Light
$26.99Add to cartChristians need to pause once in a while to get their bearings. For perspective on our own times and how we got here, it helps to listen to wise guides from other eras. In An Infinite Fountain of Light, the renowned American historian George Marsden illuminates the landscape with wisdom from one such mentor: Jonathan Edwards.
Drawing on his deep expertise on Edwards and American culture, Marsden explains where Edwards stood within his historical context and sets forth key points of his complex thought. By also considering Benjamin Franklin and George Whitefield, two of Edwards’s most influential contemporaries, Marsden unpacks the competing cultural and religious impulses that have shaped our times. In contrast, Edwards offered us an exhilarating view of the centrality of God’s beauty and love. Christians’ love for God, he taught, can be the guiding love of our lives, opening us to transformative joy and orienting all our lesser loves.
“There is an infinite fullness of all possible good in God, a fullness of every perfection, of all excellency and beauty, and of infinite happiness,” wrote Edwards. “This infinite fountain of light should, diffusing its excellent fullness, pour forth light all around.”
With Marsden’s guidance, readers will discover how Edwards’s insights can renew our own vision of the divine, of creation, and of ourselves.
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Worlds Greatest Book
$24.99Add to cartWelcome to the fascinating story of how we got the world’s greatest book-the Bible.
It is a captivating story that includes a little bit of everything: adventure and violence, mystery and bravery, history and romance, and dumb luck or divine intervention-depending on your point of view.
How in the world did we get this book that some people swear by-and other people swear at?
You don’t have to be a skeptic to have a grocery list of questions about the making of the Bible, one of the world’s most loved and loathed books:
*What’s so great about the Bible?
*Why are there different versions of the Bible?
*How has this controversial book remained relevant through the ages?
*Who wrote these books and when?
*As scribes made copies of copies, didn’t they make mistakes that caused the ancient writings to be changed and corrupted?
*How was it decided which writings would be included in the Bible?
*What are the Dead Sea Scrolls, and why are archeological finds like these a big deal?
Devoted people dedicated their lives throughout time, putting this unique book into the hands of people worldwide. Let this book deepen your engagement with God’s Word as you retrace the passion and intrigue behind the origin of the Bible.
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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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Tell Her Story
$24.99Add to cartWomen were there.For centuries, discussions of early Christianity have focused on male leaders in the church. But there is ample evidence right in the New Testament that women were actively involved in ministry, at the frontier of the gospel mission, and as respected leaders.
Nijay Gupta calls us to bring these women out of the shadows by shining light on their many inspiring contributions to the planting, growth, and health of the first Christian churches. He sets the context by exploring the lives of first-century women and addressing common misconceptions, then focuses on the women leaders of the early churches as revealed in Paul’s writings. We discover the major roles of people such as:
*Phoebe, Paul’s trusted coworker
*Prisca, strategic leader and expert teacher
*Junia, courageous apostle
*Nympha, representative of countless lesser-known figuresWhen we understand the world in which Jesus and his followers lived and what the New Testament actually attests about women in the churches, it becomes clear that women were active participants and trusted leaders all along. They were welcomed by Paul and other apostles, were equipped and trained for ministry leadership, instructed others, traveled long distances, were imprisoned-and once in a while became heroes and giants.
The New Testament writers tell their stories. It’s time for the church to retell them, again and again.
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Pentecost : A Day Of Power For All People
$20.99Add to cart“The power of Pentecost is inseparable from the good news of the Christ who is proclaimed in the Gospels, in accordance with the Scriptures.”
Pentecost may well be the most misconstrued day on the church calendar. A long legacy of cessationism has drained Pentecost of much of its significance, and it’s largely misunderstood in many Western churches today, if not outright ignored.
That’s not the case in Emilio Alvarez’s tradition, though. In this Fullness of Time volume, the Pentecostal bishop and theologian offers us a rich biblical and theological introduction to the day of Pentecost and sets it in its liturgical context–not only in the Protestant tradition but also in Catholic, Orthodox, and Pentecostal expressions. The result is a rich theological feast and an invitation to find afresh the power of the gospel for all peoples.
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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Letter Of Consolation
$10.95Add to cart“No tyranny is eternal. When a bow is bent too long, it will break. The more bent it is, the likelier it is to break. Nothing can overcome the violence of tyrants but the endurance of the saints. Nothing can dull the blades of their swords; nothing can diminish and extinguish their fires but faith and constant prayers.” ~Pierre Viret
In Letter of Consolation , Pierre Viret-John Calvin’s friend and a forgotten hero of the Reformation-comforts and encourages his people through intense persecution. This book is a new translation of Viret’s writing during seasons of Roman Catholic oppression and up to the legalization of Protestant worship in France in 1559. The Letter explores not only the Protestant Christian response to tyranny and hardship, but also how to maintain faith as persecution recedes. As Viret wrote, “Let us always be like those who sail at sea. If no wind is blowing now, let us be even more careful and prepared for storms and tribulations.”
“Was preaching needed? He was there. Was a theological dispute organized? He was ready. Did his sheep need their pastor? Viret met their needs tirelessly. He advised them, consoled them. He was there for them, all the time, with dedication unsurpassed.” ~From translator Christian Fantoni’s Introduction