Best of
Church-History

1993

No Place for Truth: or Whatever Happened to Evangelical Theology?


David F. Wells - 1993
    Western culture as a whole, argues Wells, has been transformed by modernity, and the church has simply gone with the flow. The new environment in which we live, with its huge cities, triumphant capitalism, invasive technology, and pervasive amusements, has vanquished and homogenized the entire world. While the modern world has produced astonishing abundance, it has also taken a toll on the human spirit, emptying it of enduring meaning and morality.Seeking respite from the acids of modernity, people today have increasingly turned to religions and therapies centered on the self. And, whether consciously or not, evangelicals have taken the same path, refashioning their faith into a religion of the self. They have been coopted by modernity, have sold their soul for a mess of pottage. According to Wells, they have lost the truth that God stands outside all human experience, that he still summons sinners to repentance and belief regardless of their self-image, and that he calls his church to stand fast in his truth against the blandishments of a godless world.The first of three volumes meant to encourage renewal in evangelical theology (the other two to be written by Cornelius Plantinga Jr. and Mark Noll), No Place for Truth is a contemporary jeremiad, a clarion call to all evangelicals to note well what a pass they have come to in capitulating to modernity, what a risk they are running by abandoning historic orthodoxy. It is provocative reading for scholars, ministers, seminary students, and all theologically concerned individuals.

Spiritual Warfare in a Believer's Life


Charles Haddon Spurgeon - 1993
    "Of The Power of Prayer in a Believer's Life, "Billy Graham has said, "This is one of the finest, most helpful books on prayer you will ever find." The Believer's Life series contains the best of Charles Spurgeon's (1834-1892) practical teaching on these subjects vital to Christian livng.

St. Rita of Cascia: Saint of the Impossible


Joseph Sicardo - 1993
    Rita is known as the \"Saint of the Impossible\" because of her amazing answers to prayers, as well as the remarkable events of her own life. Desirous of being a nun, she instead obeyed her parents and married. Her husband was cruel, and caused her much suffering, to which she responded with love and prayers and eventually converted him. After the death of her husband and two sons, Rita was able to enter a convent, where she devoted herself to prayer and penance. She abandoned herself totally to God, diminishing herself as He increased in her. An inspiring story of a soul completely resigned to God\'s will. 132 pgs, PB

Nothing But the Truth: The Inspiration, Authority and History of the Bible Explained


Brian H. Edwards - 1993
    One chapter gives a helpful overview of pretty much every recent translation. There is a strong concluding exhortation to be a consistent Christ-centred, bible-centred evangelical. The author answers questions such as 'Who are the critics of the Bible and what are they saying?', 'What do we mean by Inspiration?', 'What does the Bible say about itself?', 'How sufficient and final is it?', 'Why have we just sixty-six books in the Bible?', 'How can we properly understand it?', 'When was it written and how did our English Bible come to us?', 'Where does archaeology reveal Bible accuracy?' and 'What about supposed errors/contradictions?' Brian Edwards answers critics and refutes supposed contradictions, clearly showing that it is perfectly logical to believe the Bible. This book will give any reader added confidence in God's Word!

Living with the Giants: The Lives of Great Men of the Faith


Warren W. Wiersbe - 1993
    Biographies of thirty-two great Christians from the seventeenth through the twentieth centuries.

Paul VI: The First Modern Pope


Peter Hebblethwaite - 1993
    When he was elected pope in 1963, he faced the awesome responsibility of guiding the Church through the conclusion of the historic Second Vatican Council. With the Council behind him, an overarching challenge remained: shepherding the Catholic communion during the turbulent aftermath of Vatican II - the aftershocks of which are being felt throughout the Church to this very day. Peter Hebblethwaite succinctly characterizes the pontificate of Paul VI: "He managed to complete the Council without dividing the Church. He reformed the Roman Curia without alienating it. He introduced collegiality without ever letting it undermine his papal office. He practised ecumenism without impairing Catholic identity. He had an Ostpolitik that involved neither surrender nor bouncing aggressivity. He was 'open to the world' without ever being its dupe. He pulled off the most difficult trick of all: combining openness with fidelity." Yet, the life of Paul VI encompassed more than the fifteen years of his papacy. His biographer devotes nearly as many chapters to the time preceding Paul's pontificate as he does to his years as pope. Montini's personal experiences coupled with the tumultuous events of his time gave shape and purpose to the activities and judgments of a pope beset by the challenges of modernity. His anti-Fascist crusade as a young priest; the talents, know-how, and contacts he developed during three decades of service in the Vatican Secretariat of State; the terrorist bombing of his residence while he was archbishop of Milan; the devastation of two World Wars;the stripping away of people's religious freedom at the hands of oppressive regimes - all this helped to define Paul VI. With such a past, his future had to be a matter of consequence. And it was - amid open, productive ecumenical dialogue; as dissident voices were raised against h

Grace and Gratitude: The Eucharistic Theology of John Calvin


B.A. Gerrish - 1993
    The core of Calvin's doctrine of the Eucharist is the analogy of feeding on Christ, the Bread of Life. This analogy, argues Gerrish, links Calvin's thoughts to the Holy Banquet with the rest of his theology. The systematic character of Calvin's theology rests in part on his consistent understanding of God as father and fountain of good and his conception of the gospel as the message of free adoption. The father's liberality in feeding his children and their answering gratitude (or lack of it) is a thread that runs through Calvin's entire summary of piety; creation, the work of Christ, baptism, and the Lord's Supper.

Preachers with Power


Douglas F. Kelly - 1993
    Thornwell, Benjamin M. Palmer, and John L. Girardeau.

This Day in Baptist History: 366 Daily Devotions Drawn from the Baptist Heritage


E. Wayne Thompson - 1993
    

Orthodox Alaska: A Theology of Mission


Michael Oleksa - 1993
    In 1794, the first Orthodox missionary monks arrived at Kodiak to found what they believed would be an indigenous Orthodox Church in the New World. They recognized as integral to their mission the defense of Native people who were being abused, exploited and enslaved by an unjust regime. The mission understood its function in cosmic terms: to sanctify, here and now, this land, these people, and bring them to the unity-in-love which is the goal of authentic Christian mission. The history of the Alaskan Church confirms the eternal and indestructible character of the Church's vision, integrating into her worship the cosmic, scriptural and eschatological dimension of faith. Among the Native Americans in Alaska, Orthodoxy has become an integral part of an authentically American culture. Consequently it is appropriate that an Orthodox theology of mission should originate from the Alaskan context. If an American Orthodox missiology is to emerge, its formulation should serve not only the Church in America but contribute to the clarification of Orthodox theology for the universal Church as well. Archpriest Michael J. Oleska, Alaskan Orthodox missionary for nearly three decades, completed his doctoral work in Church History and Patristics at the Orthodox Theological Faculty in Presov, Slovakia, in 1988. Upon completing a year of research and teaching at Moscow's St Patriarch Tikhon Theological Institute, he was elected Dean of St Herman's Seminary in Kodiak, Alaska, in 1996. He is also the editor of Alaskan Missionary Spirituality.

Matthew Parker and His Books: Sandars Lectures in Bibliography Delivered on 14, 16, and 18 May 1990


R.I. Page - 1993
    In these lectures Dr. Page assesses the evidence for Parker's use of his manuscripts and printed books by drawing upon varied sources, including Parker's very numerous annotations upon their pages, and surveys the archbishop's role in the early-modern rediscovery and recovery of Old English and other medieval sources. Plates accompany the text to illustrate many characteristic aspects of Parker's interventions in his books.

The Week of Salvation


James Monti - 1993
    Centering on the pivotal events of the Passion, this outstanding work examines in comprehensive detail the scriptural, liturgical, and devotional dimensions of Holy Week.Makes for absorbing reading any time of the year, but it's an especially good book to read during Lent.