Four ancient Christian writers--four witnesses to early Christianity --left us an extensive body of documentation on this vital subject, and this book brings their fascinating testimony to life for modern believers. With all the power and drama of a gripping novel, this book is a journey of discovery of ancient and beautiful truths through the lives of four great saints of the early Church--Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, Justin Martyr, and Irenaeus of Lyons.

    It is the thesis of this book that Calvin's doctrine of the Lord's Supper is the biblical doctrine, the basic doctrine of the sixteenth century Reformed churches, and the doctrine that should be reclaimed and proclaimed in the Reformed church today.

    Yet, by the nineteenth century, American theology had shifted dramatically away from the severe European traditions directly descended from the Protestant Reformation, of which Puritanism was in the United States the most influential. In its place arose a singularly American set of beliefs. In America's God, Mark Noll has written a biography of this new American ethos.

    Critics have said of the original French edition: "magisterial," "well-researched, serious, and honest," "reveals unsuspected facets. A very complete work," "a rich, important contribution to contemporary religious history," "a literary event," "a landmark." Influential French traditional Catholic publisher Jean Madiran said, "...the fruit of several years of considerable labor. The book is rich in documentation, often unpublished, and in many theological observations." Marcel Lefebvres (1905-91) career saw him make a meteoric rise through the ranks. At age 42, this missionary priest was appointed bishop in Senegal by Pope Pius XII. One year later, he was named as the Holy Sees Apostolic Delegate for French-speaking Africa. In 1962 he was elected Superior General of the 5,000-member Holy Ghost Fathers. Pope John XXIII made him an Assistant to the Papal Throne and a member of the Preparatory Commission for the Second Vatican Council. In 1968 he felt obliged to resign from his post as Superior General, and on November 1, 1970, he founded the Society of St. Pius X in Ecne (Switzerland) with canonical approval. He gradually became well-known throughout the world because of his adherence to the "Latin Mass," his opposition to some of the innovations of Vatican II (1962-65), and his disagreements with Pope Paul VI. After the Vatican sanctioned him and the Society, he celebrated a "forbidden Mass" in Lille, France (1976), before 10,000 Catholics and 400 journalists, an event that brought him and his convictions international status. In 1988 he made headlines again when he consecrated four bishops without the permission of Pope John Paul II

    C. Ryle had a hopeful future until the day his father declared bankruptcy. In a single moment, he was stripped of everything--land, title, wealth, security--and life as he knew it no longer existed. Ryle was devastated.And yet, had this not happened, Ryle would likely have entered Parliament rather than becoming a clergyman, and he might never have written a single book or tract or sermon, or become one of the most influential evangelical leaders of the 19th century. What could have broken Ryle beyond despair became the very instrument that led him towards holiness.Here in a single volume are not only J. I. Packer's reflections on the life of John Charles Ryle, but the very words of Ryle himself in a reprint of his classic work, Holiness. We see the faith that encouraged him through his difficulties. The hope that gave him a future. The God who blessed Ryle more than he ever imagined possible. And we are encouraged that the very God who worked a miracle in Ryle's life is the same One who works in us, leading us to holiness.

    Stephen Nichols's Martin Luther provides both. After an exciting overview of Luther's life and theology, Nichols orients the reader to some of the Reformer's major works: The Bondage of the Will, The Three Treatises, The Small Catechism, and On the Councils and the Church. Luther's ethical writings, table talk, hymns, and sermons also receive due attention. A Select Guide to Books by and about Luther concludes this volume, which displays more than 20 illustrations.

    Oskar Skarsaune offers us fascinating snapshots and analyses of the interactions, arguments and shaping influences of Judaism on the life, creed and practices of the church.

    Original.

    This book, the first to present an overall account of John's life and work, sets him in the context of the early synods of the Church that took place in the Palestinian monasteries during the first century of Arab rule.

    His paramount desire was to be true to the Scriptures. Fuller had a deep concern for sinners and was untiring in his evangelistic endeavours and support of missions. In The Armies of the Lamb Fuller's rich spiritual life is seen first-hand through a selection of his letters, some never before published. Editor Michael Haykin presents Fuller to a twenty-first century audience with a freshness that encourages personal spiritual renewal - something Fuller so longed for in his time. Spirituality means knowing the Word of God, understanding the work of the Spirit of God, and focusing on the necessity, infinite glory, and sufficiency of the cross of Christ.

    Meet four diverse missionaries: aristocratic Southerner Lottie Moon, who did the unthinkable in 1873 and traveled as a single woman to Shanghai, China. . .the Indian-born son of missionaries, Captain John Birch, who also went to China-and changed the course of World War II. . .Nate Saint, a popular pilot with Midwestern roots, who in 1956 blazed a path to the savage Auca tribe of Ecuador. . .and the Ivory Coast-born daughter of missionaries, Betty Olsen, who in 1965 landed with only her medical kit in the heart of war-torn Vietnam. They were four ordinary people who did extraordinary thing with the help of, and for the sake of, their Savior. And in His name the suffered-to the point of death-until they received their eternal rewards.

    This second collection of essays and letters by Sasse spans the years 1940 through 1976.

    In this inspiring volume, Michael Plekon introduces readers to a diverse and unusual group of men and women who strove to put the Gospel of Christ into action in their lives. The "living icons" Plekon describes were, among other things, priests, theologians, writers, and caregivers to the homeless and poor. One was an artist who became the greatest icon painter in this century; another was assassinated for his teachings in post-Soviet Russia. These remarkable people of faith lived through times of great suffering: forced emigration, the Great Depression, World War II, and the Cold War. Many of them were criticized, if not condemned, by ecclesiastical opponents and authorities. Yet each demonstrate a unique pattern for holiness, illustrating that the path to sainthood is open to all. With the fall of state socialism, Eastern Orthodox churches and monasteries are being reopened and receiving renewed interest from believers and nonbelievers alike. Plekon calls to our attention people like Saint Seraphim of Sarov (1759-1832), a monk, mystic, counselor, healer, and visionary; Father Alexander Men (1935-1990), a Russian whose writings after Glasnost ultimately led to his tragic assassination; Mother Maria Skobtsova (1891-1945), a painter, poet, and political activist who was killed in a concentration camp for hiding her Jewish neighbors; and Father Lev Gillet (1893-1980), one of the twentieth century's greatest spiritual teachers. Living Icons, which includes a foreword by Lawrence S. Cunningham, brings to life the beautiful, and often unfamiliar, spirituality of the Eastern Orthodox Church through some of its most remarkable members. It shows with simplicity and clarity that Christ and the Gospel are often manifested in extraordinary ways in the lives of ordinary people.

    Focusing on His sacrifice moves us to struggle with our humanity and guilt. Yet we cannot help but sing with joy as we remember His resurrection and the life that it brings us. The heart-stirring lyrics of the hymns that center on these momentous events help us fully experience the meaning of Christ's great work on the cross. The intriguing histories, biblical wisdom, and inspirational messages included with each of the twelve hymns shared here will move your spirit as well. Coupled with the enclosed music CD featuring performances of these favorite standards, you'll find this book to be a source of hopeful reflection on the glorious mysteries of Christ's death and resurrection. Listen to 30-second excerpts from the CD Christ the Lord Is Risen Today What Wondrous Love Is This Were You There? He Was Wounded Jesus Paid It All Beneath the Cross of Jesus And Can It Be That I Should Gain (full song) Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross There Is a Fountain Filled With Blood Up From the Grave He Arose When I Survey the Wondrous Cross Problems? Download the newest version of Windows Media Player free.

    Continuing his earlier treatment in volume 1, which covered the period from the Reformation through the eighteenth century, Baird takes on the formative era of the nineteenth century in a balanced and readable fashion.

    Reisinger, builder, pastor and author, has been described as an 'unsung hero of the twentieth century renaissance in Reformed theology'. This new biography will open a window into the life and character of a remarkable man. Readers with an interest in the development of American evangelical Christianity in the twentieth century will find this work a valuable source. A thrilling note pervading the entire narrative is that God alone is glorified in salvation. Reisinger's early life, his conversion, war service in the U.S. Navy, business success and call to the pastoral ministry are all described. But here too is the more intimate story of his family life, with its joys and sorrows, and the astonishing influence of his book distribution efforts. The climax of the story is the role Reisinger has played in helping to call the Southern Baptist Convention, America's largest Protestant denomination, back to its historical roots. This book is the record of the outworking of the grace of God in one whose self-description has long been, 'Not a profitable servant, but a pardoned sinner.'

    First hand accounts are drawn from diaries, journals, and letters. The prologue of this book discusses briefly the early temple building efforts of the fledgling Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the development of temple-related doctrines during the decade prior to the Nauvoo era, and the arrival of the Saints in Illinois in 1839. The body of the history covers the years 1840, when the temple was first contemplated, to 1850, when its walls were toppled by a hurricane. An epilogue completes the story by recounting the story of the repurchase of the temple lot by the Church in 1937, the lot's excavation in 1962, and the announcement that the temple would be rebuilt. Also included is an appendix containing important eyewitness descriptions of the temple, and a bibliography of major sources.

    A key figure in the Protestant Reformation, Calvin's legacy remains immensely strong, with hundreds of thousands gaining insight from his works of major doctrines such as the interaction between the Sovereignty of God and Man's Free Will.Countless analyses and critiques of Calvin's work have been released over the centuries, and a huge number of Churches and denominations hold to Calvin's teaching to varying degrees. Calvin's name is thrown about in theological discussions that cover a broad spectrum.This unedited collection of sermons allows you to read John Calvin's own ideas on issues relating to the sacraments, catechisms, forms of prayer and confessions of faith.One of the key issues that led to the Reformation and the birth of Protestantism was Rome's treatment of the Lord's Supper. Calvin and the Reformers believed the Catholic Mass was founded on a grave error that needed to be corrected. The majority of this collection majors on this key doctrine that still divides the church.

    Roger S. Greenway has compiled and edited ten of Zwemer's best chapters, all taken from books long out of print, and has added an introduction providing an overview of Zwemer's life and work. "Because his insights are not dated," writes Greenway, "Zwemer needs to be heard again." Islam and the Cross makes available "some of Zwemer's insights regarding Islam, the basic differences between Islam and Christianity, and a sense of love for Muslim people and a passion for their salvation."

    Challenging previous characterizations of the colonial Anglican establishment as weak, he reveals the fundamental role the church played in the political, social, and economic as well as the spiritual lives of its parishioners. Drawing on extensive research in parish and county records and other primary sources, Nelson describes Anglican Virginia's parish system, its parsons, its rituals of worship and rites of passage, and its parishioners' varied relationships to the church. All colonial Virginians--men and women, rich and poor, young and old, planters and merchants, servants and slaves, dissenters and freethinkers--belonged to a parish. As such, they were subject to its levies, its authority over marriage, and other social and economic dictates. In addition to its religious functions, the parish provided essential care for the poor, collaborated with the courts to handle civil disputes, and exerted its influence over many other aspects of community life. A Blessed Company demonstrates that, by creatively adapting Anglican parish organization and the language, forms, and modes of Anglican spirituality to the Chesapeake's distinctive environmental and human conditions, colonial Virginians sustained a remarkably effective and faithful Anglican church in the Old Dominion.

    In the 1880s, however, profound socio-economic and technological changes in the United States contributed to the rejection of these traditions and the development of a radically new worship building, the auditorium church. When Church Became Theatre focuses on this radical shift in evangelical Protestant architecture and links it to changes in worship style and religious mission.The auditorium style, featuring a prominent stage from which rows of pews radiated up a sloping floor, was derived directly from the theatre, an unusual source for religious architecture but one with a similar goal-to gather large groups within range of a speaker's voice. Theatrical elements were prominent; many featured proscenium arches, marquee lighting, theatre seats, and even opera boxes.Examining these churches and the discussions surrounding their development, Jeanne Halgren Kilde focuses on how these buildings helped congregations negotiate supernatural, social, and personal power. These worship spaces underscored performative and entertainment aspects of the service and in so doing transformed relationships between clergy and audiences. In auditorium churches, the congregants' personal and social power derived as much from consumerism as from piety, and clerical power lay in dramatic expertise rather than connections to social institutions. By erecting these buildings, argues Kilde, middle class religious audiences demonstrated the move toward a consumer-oriented model of religious participation that gave them unprecedented influence over the worship experience and church mission.

    S. Lewis's Mere Christianity is anything less than a brilliant explanation and defense of the Faith. But as robust, wise and ardent as it is, still it is incomplete. It begins our banquet at the table of the Lord, but doesn't take us all the way to the final course. That is what Dwight Longenecker's new book, More Christianity, does. It fills our plates with the fullness of the Christian Faith found only in the Catholic Church. Lest someone think Longenecker is presuming to piggyback or cash in on Lewis' work, or to set himself up as Lewis' successor, that is not the case. What he does—and does brilliantly—is present the doctrine of the Church with succinct explanations of topics that arise in Catholic/Protestant discussion: the Marian dogmas, the papacy, the Mass, purgatory, the communion of saints, the rosary and more.In Longenecker's skilled hands, More Christianity rounds out the meal so deliciously served up by Lewis in Mere Christianity.

    Hughes reviews the way Churches of Christ have understood their history and how this understanding has shaped doctrine, practice, and responses to the modern world.

    This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

    

    Cross aims to provide a thorough examination of the doctrine in this era, making explicit its philosophical and theological foundations.

    He then traces the processes through which racially-grounded thinking has influenced modern biblical scholarship.Dynamic and thought-provoking, the book incorporates a wide range of current debate, from critical race theory to the relationship between Martin Heidegger and National Socialism. It will give every student and scholar of biblical studies awareness of the subtle ways in which racial thinking has permeated their discipline, and encourage them to create new modes of biblical analysis.

    Focuses on three major disputes in which he was engaged: against the Manichees, the Donatists and the British scholar Pelagius. 'Students of St Augustine will welcome this ... rich, thoughtful account ... Every page of this volume promises pleasure for the mind with some passages providing food for the soul.' Augustinian Studies

    Leading British and American scholars re-examine early Protestantism, arguing that it was a complex movement which could have evolved in a number of directions. They explore its approach to issues of gender roles, the place of printing and print culture, and the ways in which Protestantism continued to be influenced by medieval religious culture.

    In this wide-ranging book Nicholas Tyacke looks at the history of Puritanism, from the Reformation itself, and the new marketplace of ideas that opened up, to the establishment of the freedom of worship for Protestant non-conformists in 1689. Tyacke also looks at the theology of the Restoration Church, and the relationship between religion and science.