This is no simplistic life and death of a sixteen-year-old girl. In order to understand the full tragedy and triumph of her life it is vital to grasp the far-reaching political and religious changes that were shaking England at that time. The Reformation touched the whole population; from palace to university; from emerging town to peasant cottage. Like the pieces of a jigsaw, the pieces come together to give a picture of a girl with outstanding natural abilities, whose strength of character and remarkable faith shine out despite the darkness that often surrounded her. Execution at age 16, Jane paid an awful price for a throne she did not seek.

    Engaging the best of modern scholarship, Behr provides a series of original, comprehensive, and insightful sketches of the theology of the key protagonists of the Nicene faith, presenting a powerful vision of Christian theology, centered upon Christ and his Passion. Part One, True God of True God, opens with a reflection on the nature of Christian theology, challenging common presuppositions, and an analysis and survey of the fourth century controversies, followed by studies of Alexander, Arius, the Council of Nicaea, and, Athanasius. Part Two, One of the Holy Trinity, provides analyses of the work of Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Gregory of Nyssa, together with their opponents, in particular Eunomius and Apollinarius.

    As he imaginatively retells the well-known stories from the Gospels, he revivifies them and makes them present to us, deepening our understanding of the calling we have received from Jesus and strengthening our confidence that the Lord will, indeed, bring to completion the work of love He has begun in us.

    The policies of the Theodosian dynasty and the conflicting interests of the patriarchal sees are the context of the controversy between Nestorius of Constantinople and Cyril of Alexandria, a bitter dispute that racked the entire oecumene. The historical analysis expounds the arguments of both sides, particularly the Christology of Cyril, which was adopted as a standard.

    He shows how the doctrine of the Trinity was developed, and in particular argues that a conception of God's mysteriousness and spiritual progress towards understanding is centralto that doctrine. He also proposes that modern theologies of the Trinity fail to appreciate the depth and power of Nicene trinitarianism.

    Groups of Christians-from illiterate peasants to learned intellectuals-moved out to the wastelands beyond the Nile Valley and, in the famous words of Saint Athanasius, made the desert a city. In so doing, they captured the imagination of the ancient world. They forged techniques of prayer and asceticism, of discipleship and spiritual direction, that have remained central to Christianity ever since. Seeking to map the soul's long journey to God and plot out thesubtle vagaries of the human heart, they created and inspired texts that became classics of Western spirituality. These Desert Christians were also brilliant storytellers, some of Christianity's finest. This book introduces the literature of early monasticism. It examines all the best-known works, including Athanasius' Life of Antony, the Lives of Pachomius, and the so-called Sayings of the Desert Fathers. Later chapters focus on two pioneers of monastic theology: Evagrius Ponticus, the first great theoretician of Christian mysticism; and John Cassian, who brought Egyptian monasticism to theLatin West. Along the way, readers are introduced to path-breaking discoveries-to new texts and recent archeological finds-that have revolutionized contemporary scholarship on monastic origins. Included are fascinating snippets from papyri and from little-known Coptic, Syriac, and Ethiopic texts.Interspersed in each chapter are illustrations, maps, and diagrams that help readers sort through the key texts and the richly-textured world of early monasticism. Geared to a wide audience and written in clear, jargon-free prose, Desert Christians offers the most comprehensive and accessibleintroduction to early monasticism.

    A biography of the German monk who led the Protestant Reformation in Europe from its beginning in 1517 until his death in 1546.

    In the panels of this book there are thousands of new and interesting insights into the greatest stories ever told. In many ways it provides a new and easily accessible way of looking at Biblical history, which will bring to life the thousands of characters and events that have been so significant to the history and culture of Western civilization. A 17-foot accordion fold pull-out section makes up this thorough, and thoroughly entertaining book. The book makes an unique gift and a valuable addition to any library.

    How has the Liturgy of the Roman rite developed and changed in history before and after the Council of Trent? What principles have determined the boundaries of legitimate liturgical reform over the centuries? What was the Liturgical Movement? Did GuTranger, Beauduin, Guardini, Parsch, Casel, Bugnini, Jungmann, Bouyer and the Movement's other leaders know and respect these principles? And what is to be said of the not insignificant liturgical reforms carried out by Saint Pius X, Popes Pius IX and Pius XII and Blessed John XXIII in the course of the twentieth century? In The Organic Development of the Liturgy, Dom Alcuin Reid examines these questions systematically, incisively and in depth, identifying both the content and context of the principle of "organic development"ùa fundamental principle of liturgical reform of the Second Vatican Council's Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum Conciliumùmaking a significant contribution to the understanding of the nature of the Liturgical Movement and to the ongoing re-assessment of the reforms enacted following the Council.

    Patristic writers are commonly criticized for falling prey to Hellenistic philosophy and uncritically accepting the claim that God cannot suffer or feel emotions.Gavrilyuk shows that this view represents a misreading of evidence. In contrast, he construes the development of patristic thought as a series of dialectical turning points taken to safeguard the paradox of God's voluntary and salvific suffering in the Incarnation.

    Forkosch prize This book traces the development thought about God and the relationship between God's being and activity from Aristotle, through the pagan Neoplatonists, to thinkers such as Augustine, Boethius, and Aquinas (in the West) and Dionysius the Areopagite, Maximus the Confessor, and Gregory Palamas (in the East). The resulst is a comparative history of philosophical thought in the two halves of Christendom, providing a philosophical backdrop to the schism between the Eastern and Western churches.

    Here we meet men such as John Calvin, John Brown of Haddington, Thomas Boston and the Erskine brothers. We see their views on subjects such as evangelism, the Law, assurance, faith, guidance, holiness and preaching. Along with these, Sinclair Ferguson reminds us, 'we encounter the learned Dr William Ames and the insightful Anthony Burgess. Soon we have travelled north to meet the Scotsmen John Brown of Haddington, the great Thomas Boston and the remarkable brothers, Ebenezer and Ralph Erskine.' 'Predictably, but happily, our guide brings us to The Netherlands and to the time of the Nadere Reformatie, before taking us back to the New World in the company of the remarkable Theodorus Jacobus Freylinghuysen. 'But the climax of this tour is not reached until our trusted guide has brought us to the family roots from which all these theologians and pastors came - to the strong foundations of Christian living in justification by faith and sanctification in life, nourished by the power of biblical preaching. 'Puritan Reformed Spirituality' is a tour de force! I hope it will be widely read and enjoyed.'

    By describing his own struggle to find a basis for belief in a skeptical world, Bushman poses the question of how scholars are to write about subjects in which they are personally invested. Does personal commitment make objectivity impossible? Bushman explicitly, and at points confessionally, explains his own commitments and then explores Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon from the standpoint of belief.Joseph Smith cannot be dismissed as a colorful fraud, Bushman argues, nor seen only as a restorer of religious truth. Entangled in nineteenth-century Yankee culture--including the skeptical Enlightenment--Smith was nevertheless an original who cut his own path. And while there are multiple contexts from which to draw an understanding of Joseph Smith (including magic, seekers, the Second Great Awakening, communitarianism, restorationism, and more), Bushman suggests that Smith stood at the cusp of modernity and presented the possibility of belief in a time of growing skepticism.When examined carefully, the Book of Mormon is found to have intricate subplots and peculiar cultural twists. Bushman discusses the book's ambivalence toward republican government, explores the culture of the Lamanites (the enemies of the favored people), and traces the book's fascination with records, translation, and history. Yet Believing History also sheds light on the meaning of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon today. How do we situate Mormonism in American history? Is Mormonism relevant in the modern world?Believing History offers many surprises. Believers will learn that Joseph Smith is more than an icon, and non-believers will find that Mormonism cannot be summed up with a simple label. But wherever readers stand on Bushman's arguments, he provides us with a provocative and open look at a believing historian studying his own faith.

    For hundreds of years it was accepted by the early church fathers, but it was rejected by the council of Laodicea in A.D. 364. Today, it remains a written remnant of the Apocalypse — an ardent testament to hope and the triumph of good over evil in the dawning of a world to come. Rife with concepts of original sin, fallen angels, demonology, resurrection, and the last judgment, it is a vital document to the origins of Christianity.The Book of Enoch is comprised of various monumental works: The Book of Enoch, The Parables, The Book of the Courses of the Heavenly Luminaries, The Dream Visions, The Concluding Section, and The Noah Fragments. Created in conjunction with an exhaustive critical commentary, this is an English translation of '1 Enoch' taking into consideration all of the textual data now available the Ethiopic version, the Greek texts and the Dead Sea Aramaic fragments.

    While the transition from modernity to postmodernity has received a huge amount of attention the shift from Christendom to postChristendom has not yet been fully explored. This book is an introduction; a journey into the past an interpretation of the present and an invitation to ask what following Jesus might mean in the strange new world of postChristendom. Drawing on insights from the early Christians dissident movements and the world church this book challenges conventional ways of thinking. For those who dare to imagine new ways of following Jesus on the margins it invites a realistic and hopeful response to challenges and opportunities awaiting us in the 21st century.

    Far from being outdated and irrelevant to the church today, Terry Johnson shows that these very principles are the essence of biblical Christianity. Sadly, the term 'Protestantism' has been rendered virtually redundant by years of misuse and abuse. it is seen as being antiquated and irrelevant in this present age of open-mindedness and political correctness. But Terry Johnson demonstrates that there is a powerful strong case to be made for the church to rediscover what this 'unpopular' and 'unfashionable' term really stands for. Using the great 'Reformation watchwords', he focuses our attention on Scripture, Christ, faith, grace and the glory of God in all aspects of daily life. Here is a well-written book, attractively presented and full of rich Bible teaching interspersed with thrilling illustrations from church history.

    Annibale Bugnini - before his dismissal by Pope Paul VI under suspicion of being a Freemason - was able to "reform" the Catholic Mass into the constantly evolving liturgy. Quoting Bishops and Cardinals as well as liberal "experts" and Protestant observers, he exposes the "time bombs" which were built into the Second Vatican Council's document on the liturgy by a few revolutionaries in order to be exploited later - and which have been detonating ever since. "I am convinced that the crisis in the Church that we are experiencing is to a large extent due to the disintegration of the liturgy." - Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI), 1998. 121 pgs, PB

    Selections made by Machen's biographer, who contributes an introduction, a bibliography, and "For Further Reading."

    This volume includes a total of six true stories of the persecuted Huguenots.

    To have many such is more for a people's happiness than almost anything, unless it be God's own gracious, spiritual presence amongst them; they are precious gifts of heaven."Certainly one of the most useful men in evangelical history was the man who preached those words, pastor and theologian Jonathan Edwards. Commemorating his 300th birthday, general editors John Piper and Justin Taylor chose ten essays that highlight different aspects of Edwards's life and legacy and show how his teachings are just as relevant today as they were three centuries ago.Even within the church, many people know little more about Edwards than what is printed in American history textbooks-most often, excerpts from his best-known sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." They unjustly envision Edwards preaching only fire and brimstone to frightened listeners. But he knew and preached God's heaven as much as Satan's hell. He was a humble and joyful servant, striving to glorify God in his personal life and public ministry.This book's contributors investigate the character and teachings of the man who preached from a deep concern for the unsaved and a passionate desire for God. Studying the life and works of this dynamic Great Awakening figure will rouse slumbering Christians, prompting them to view the world through Edwards's God-centered lens.

    Edited by Kelly M. Kapic and Randall C. Gleason.

    The influence of these books, particularly the Gospel according to John and the book of Revelation, has been immense both in Christianity and in Western culture. This studyprovides a fresh examination of how these books were accepted--or not accepted--in the early Church, and in so doing demonstrates why long-held theories about them must be discarded and replaced.

    The book has sections on the development of the doctrine of the Spirit in early Christianity and on the development of the doctrine of procession in the patristic and later Byzantine periods. It also touches on the place of the Holy Spirit in the Trinity and explores Old and New Testament notions of the Spirit of God. A concluding chapter deals with the mystical revelation of the Holy Spirit. Made available in English through the work of Boris Jakim, today's premier translator of Russian theology and philosophy into English, Bulgakov's Comforter in this edition is a major publishing event.

    During the last centuries of the Empire of the Romans, Byzantine artists created exceptional secular and religious works that had an enduring influence on art and culture. In later years, Eastern Christian centres of power emulated and transformed Byzantine artistic styles, the Islamic world adapted motifs drawn from Byzantium's imperial past, and the development of the Renaissance from Italy to the Lowlands was deeply affected by Byzantine artistic and intellectual practices. This spectacular book presents hundreds of objects in all media from the late thirteenth through mid-sixteenth centuries. embroidered silk textiles, richly gilded metalwork, miniature icons of glass, precious metals and gemstone, and elaborately decorated manuscripts. In the accompanying text, renowned scholars discuss the art and investigate the cultural and historical interaction between these major cultures: the Christian and Islamic East and the Latin West. Continuing the story of the critically acclaimed Glory of Byzantium: Art and Culture of the Middle Byzantine Era, A.D. 843-1261, this book, the first to focus exclusively on the last centuries of the Byzantine era, is a highly anticipated publication that will not be superceded for generations.

    Moody. By studying the life of Moody, readers will discover the role of faith and conviction in forging a philosophy of spiritual leadership. Each chapter focuses on a different quality evident in Moody's life that he considered essential for leading the church and community. This book is a must have for anyone considering a position of leadership within the church!

    To appreciate the Church's past, however, does not require that we simply repeat it. Using such a framework, this book puts the present period of the Church in vast historical context. It traces how the Church came from the community of unexpected persons whom Jesus gathered around himself and was then shaped, over the course of centuries, by human decisions made in the Spirit. The Church's catholicity is seen to involve an ever expanding memory, embracing the immense richness of past and present times, places, and cultures, and at the same time an openness to assimilating, and possibly being transformed by, a future history in which God offers new possibilities. Vatican II's Constitution on the Church in the Modern World affirmed that God has endowed humans with a certain autonomy for shaping the world. The book asks whether that has implications for traditional presumptions about the order and structure of the Church. The tendency to presume that nothing new or unexpected could develop in the unfolding future of the Church might close us to the presence of the Spirit in our midst, and fail to recognize that our time, as much as any past time, is an opportunity for God's creative activity and grace. The book thus proposes that the Church's leadership would do well to nurture a renewed eschatological attitude that embraces a genuine openness to the newness and surprise of the future, leaving room not only for continuity but also for the important elements of change and transformation. For, what the Church is, only the entirety of its history will fully reveal. Audience: --undergraduate and graduate courses on the Church or on the development of Christianity --readers who want to take the time and effort to learn more about the church

    In a fascinating history, Leslie Woodcock Tentler traces changing attitudes: from the late nineteenth century, when religious leaders of every variety were largely united in their opposition to contraception; to the 1920s, when distillations of Freud and the works of family planning reformers like Margaret Sanger began to reach a popular audience; to the Depression years, during which even conservative Protestant denominations quietly dropped prohibitions against marital birth control.Catholics and Contraception carefully examines the intimate dilemmas of pastoral counseling in matters of sexual conduct. Tentler makes it clear that uneasy negotiations were always necessary between clerical and lay authority. As the Catholic Church found itself isolated in its strictures against contraception--and the object of damaging rhetoric in the public debate over legal birth control--support of the Church's teachings on contraception became a mark of Catholic identity, for better and for worse.Tentler draws on evidence from pastoral literature, sermons, lay writings, private correspondence, and interviews with fifty-six priests ordained between 1938 and 1968, concluding, the recent history of American Catholicism... can only be understood by taking birth control into account. The paperback edition includes a new preface by the author.

    You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

    Catherine, situated among the mountains of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, is the oldest continuously active monastery in the world. Recorded as a Christian pilgrimage site as early as the fourth century, it is located where Moses is thought to have seen the Burning Bush and to have received the Ten Commandments. In the sixth century the great Byzantine Emperor Justinian provided a handsome church and fortifications for the monastery. Later generations of pilgrims added other gifts; there are still frequent pilgrims there today. In this beautiful and informative book, the isolated Monastery and its buildings are presented in many newly commissioned color images that include the richly decorated sanctuary of the sixth-century church and the world's most outstanding collection of icons. Along with an introduction by His Eminence Archbishop Damianos and an essay on the Monastery by Helen C. Evans, the book offers powerful photographs of the site--some of which are provided from the Monastery's archives--with the descriptive captions written by the monks of the Monastery.

    

    Barth s theology found its expression mainly through his closely reasoned fourteen-part magnum opus, Die Kirchliche Dogmatik. Having taken over 30 years to write, the Church Dogmatics is regarded as one of the most important theological works of all time, and represents the pinnacle of Barth s achievement as a theologian. T&T Clark International is now proud to be publishing the only complete English translation of the Church Dogmatics in paperback.

    In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as a part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literature.

    It includes all the important works, large and small, of John W. Nevin, Philip Schaff, and lesser Mercersburg figures, covering the significant doctrines and issues of the movement. Each volume includes critical or explanatory notes, relevant introductions, and bibliographies of modern works. With few exceptions, the early texts are reproduced in unabridged form. Since the original Mercersburg materials are now extremely scarce, and almost impossible to assemble in their entirety, the Lancaster Series forms an invaluable resource for historians of American Christianity and, in particular, for serious students of theology. It will commend itself to all those who wish to understand the nineteenth-century background of contemporary Protestantism. Both of the Mercersburg theologians, Schaff and Nevin, looked forward to a new age of the church - an age which would call into unity and catholicity all the divisions of the body of Christ.

    ComprehensiveAuthoritativeExamines the history of early Christian mission in the New Testament era from Jesus to the last of the apostlesDefinitive work since Adolf von Harnack's Mission and Expansion of Christianity (1902)

    If this claim is true, the theology and the veneration of the icon are seriously undermined. It is, therefore, natural for iconophiles to attempt to disprove the thesis according to which the early Christians had no images whatsoever (aniconic) because they believed them to be idols (iconophobic). It is equally natural for iconophiles to want to substantiate, as much as this is possible, their deep intuition that the roots of Christian iconography go back to the apostolic age. This study weakens the notion and credibility of the alleged hostility of the early Christians to non-idolatrous images, providing a more balanced evaluation of this question.

    

    It was the subject of more commentaries than any other work of Christian literature besides the Bible itself. The Book of Sentences is essentially a compilation of older sources, from the Scriptures and Augustine down to several of the Lombard's contemporaries, such as Hugh of Saint Victor and Peter Abelard. Its importance lies in the Lombard's organization of the theological material, his method of presentation, and the way in which he shaped doctrine in several major areas. Despite his importance, however, there is no accessible introduction to Peter Lombard's life and thought available in any modern language. This volume fills this considerable gap. Philipp W. Rosemann begins by demonstrating how the Book of Sentences grew out of a long tradition of Christian reflection-a tradition, ultimately rooted in Scripture, which by the twelfth century had become ready to transform itself into a theological system. Turning to the Sentences, Rosemann then offers a brief exposition of the Lombard's life and work. He proceeds to a book-by-book examination and interpretation of its main topics, including the nature and attributes of God, the Trinity, creation, angelology, human nature and the Fall, original sin, Christology, ethics, and the sacraments. He concludes by exploring how the Sentences helped shape the further development of the Christian tradition, from the twelfth century through the time of Martin Luther.

    But he is also honored as a great spiritual guide and teacher of God’s word.” —From the IntroductionIn this expanded edition of a perennial favorite, you will learn even more about the beloved saint’s life in Italy and Portugal as well as where the saint hid to pray—interesting details culled from Friar Jack Wintz’s recent pilgrimages to the sites where Anthony walked, ministered, preached, and prayed.St. Anthony of Padua provides a from-the-heart look at the saint’s life, the legends surrounding him, and the prayers and devotions to him. You will connect anew to this follower of St. Francis of Assisi with this useful and inspiring guide.

    Too many people sit on the fence and ignore, or are unaware of, the fact that Christianity is an historical religion. As Laurence Peter once said "History repeats itself because nobody listens." The point of having a debate is not to have a debate and then agree to differ (sitting around in a mutually affirming love-fest) - the point of debate, as the Apostle Paul clearly demonstrates time and again in the book of Acts, is to establish which position is best.Carl Trueman's intends to provoke you with this collection of essays into thinking for yourself and to have an opinion on THINGS THAT MATTER! You can listen to the author as he speaks about this book here on "Pilgrim radio."

    The study, the first of its kind, is concerned with how Calvin actually uses philosophical ideas in his work as a theologian and biblical commentator. The book also includes a careful examination of those ideas of Calvin to which the Reformed Epistemologists appeal, to find grounds and precedent for their development of `Reformed Epistemology', notably the sensus divinitatis and the internal testimony of the Holy Spirit.

    With zeal and clarity, he shows from Scripture that man's justification before God is not dependent on any righteousness inherent in him, but wholly on the righteousness of Christ imputed to the believer.

    He was also the doctoral dissertation director for Pope John Paul II." The Sacred Monster of Thomism sketches the life and general context of Garrigou's life, discusses at length the most important factor in his life - his affiliation with the Order of Preachers (Dominicans) - and examines his philosophical disputes with Henri Bergson and Maurice Blondel, his theological (and political) disputes with Jacques Maritain and M.-Dominique Chenu, and ends with chapters examining Garrigou's Thomism and his approaches to theology and spirituality.

    Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

    This biography by historian George Knight makes use of previously unavailable sources, letters, and logbooks to shed new light on the first theologian and real founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

    The Stained Glass of Washington National Cathedral

    This reality, probably more than any other factor, accounts for the swift and disorienting changes besetting them at the beginning of the twentieth-first century. Can this anti-tradition tradition come to terms with its own modern tradition? Can Churches of Christ break out of modernity's hold and engage the present age with the power of the gospel? Can they respond to the new challenges and opportunities of this 'postmodern' era?

    This book offers an introduction to the work of Macarius-Symeon (commonly referred to as Pseudo-Macarius), outlining the lineaments of his teaching and thehistorical context of his works. The book goes on to examine and re-evaluate the complex question of his relationship with the Messalian tendency and to explore the nature of his theological and spiritual legacy in the later Christian tradition.

    Included are recommendations for use and clear presentation of topics which enable the reader, whether novice or specialist, to engage Origen in ways that address the reader's interest.The Westminster Handbook to Christian Theology series provides a set of resources for the study of historic and contemporary theological movements and Christian theologians. These books are intended to help students and scholars find concise and accurate treatments of important theological terms.

    He was, however, not only a man of letters but also a shrewd observer of society, a sharp critic of the institutional church, and a scholar on the cutting edge of biblical studies. Although not a systematic philosopher or theologian, he left his stamp on the intellectual milieu of his time and was regarded by Catholic apologists as the inspirational source of the Lutheran Reformation. In this book, Erika Rummel introduces readers to Erasmus' ideas on education, piety, social order, and the epistemology underpinning his thought.

    Indeed, it could he argued that, in the last half of his life, he was the most influential person in Europe. How is it that a monk dedicated to withdrawal from the world could have so much influence on the world? This book argues that Bernard could lead Europe politically, ecclesiastically, and spiritually because his life embodied so many ideals and values of his age, some of which had not crystallized until his coming. According to the author, "Bernard's ecclesiology is comprehensive. His views of the Church and of society include a sophisticated and splendidly thorough analysis of the functions and virtues of monks, clerics, and layfolk. And he does not neglect those whose theological positions or eccleslal status put them outside of the main stream of western and Christian society."Bernard's enthusiasm for all orders in the Church and society was matched by his confidence in the positive response of the members of each to God's invitation to perfection. Bernard was confident that a loving response to God's loving initiative will lead each person to his or her goal of happiness, no matter what order to which he or she belongs, no matter what path he or she follows.

    They taught His gospel throughout Denmark, Norway, and Sweden where they were beaten by mobs, jailed, and survived on diets of bread and water; they, like Peter and John, were grateful to be counted worthy to suffer in Jesus' name. But the trek west would stretch this group of farmers and artisans further still, as they placed their all on the altar of sacrifice in their quest for Zion. The members of the 7th Company were ordinary people who by virtue of their faith in the gospel became remarkable people who accomplished extraordinary things. This is their story.

    It was the first permanent outpost of the Moravians in North America and served as the headquarters for their extensive missionary efforts. It was also one of the most successful communal societies in American history. Bethlehem was founded as a congregation of the cross where all aspects of personal and social life were subordinated to the religious ideal of the community. In Community of the Cross, Craig D. Atwood offers a convincing portrait of Bethlehem and its religion.Visitors to Bethlehem, such as Benjamin Franklin, remarked on the orderly and peaceful nature of life in the community, its impressive architecture, and its high culture. However, many non-Moravians were embarrassed or even offended by the social and devotional life of the Moravians. The adoration of the crucified Jesus, especially his wounds, was the focus of intense devotion for adults and children alike. Moravians worshiped the Holy Spirit as Mother, and they made the mystical marriage to Christ central to their marital intimacy. Everything, even family life, was to be a form of worship.Atwood reveals the deep connection between life in Bethlehem and the religious symbolism of controversial German theologian Nicholas von Zinzendorf, whose provocative and erotic adoration of the wounds of Jesus was an essential part of private and communal life. Using the theories of Ren� Girard, Mary Douglas, and Victor Turner, Atwood shows that it was the Moravians' liturgy and devotion that united the community and inspired both its unique social structure and its missionary efforts.

    She shows how, throughout the Soviet period, Orthodox monks and nuns continued to provide spiritual strength to the people, in spite of severe persecution, and despite the ambivalent relationship the Russian state has had to the Russian church since the reign of Ivan the Terrible.Focusing her study on two provinces, Smolensk and Moscow, Wynot describes the Soviet oppression and the clandestine struggles of the monks and nuns to uphold the traditions of monasticism and Orthodoxy. Their success against heavy odds enabled them to provide a counterculture to the Soviet regime. Indeed, of all the pre-1917 institutions, the Orthodox Church proved the most resilient. Why and how it managed to persevere despite the enormous hostility against it is a topic that continues to fascinate both the general public and historians. Based on previously unavailable Russian archival sources as well as written memoirs and interviews with surviving monks and nuns, Wynot analyzes the monasteries’ adaptation to the Bolshevik regime and she challenges standard Western assumptions that Communism effectively killed the Orthodox Church in Russia. She shows that in fact, the role of monks and nuns in Orthodox monasteries and convents is crucial, and they are largely responsible for the continuation of Orthodoxy in Russia following the Bolshevik revolution. Keeping the Faith offers a wealth of new information and a new perspective that will be of interest not only to students of Russian history and communism, but also to scholars interested in church-state relations.

    Development of Church Government . Orthodoxy and Unitarianism Compared . Education in Puritan England . Christianity and the American Revolution . Origins of Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists, and LutheransThese are just a sample of the charts in this book, designed to provide a visual survey of a key part of our Christian heritage. Charts of Reformation and Enlightenment Church History covers the major events, movements, and people from the sixteenth century to the beginning of the nineteenth century. It includes charts of ideas and trends as well as pertinent diagrams.The book is divided into three primary sections:. Early Modern Europe and the Reformation (1500 to 1650). The Rise of Religious Rationalism and the Enlightenment (1650 to 1750). The Period of British Settlement in North America: The Colonial Period of American Religious History (1600 to 1800)Within these sections, ninety charts are arranged under seventeen headings:1. The Background of the Reformation2. The Lutheran Reformation3. The Calvinist Reformation4. The Anabaptist Reformation5. The English Reformation6. The Roman Catholic Reformation7. The Rise of Religious Rationalism8. The Enlightenment9. The Reaction against Creedalism and Rationalism: Pietism10. Backgrounds of American Religious History11. Congregationalists12. Baptists13. Presbyterians14. Methodists15. Other Groups16. The Great Awakening17. Religion and the American Revolution"

    In South India they believe their ancestors received the Gospel from the apostle Thomas. After that, the arrival of Christianity was sporadic, helped first by merchants and priests from the Middle East and from the fifteenth century by European merchants and missionaries who settled in India. The faith that took root was strongly influenced by local organizations and cultures; thus the Christians in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Goa are almost as different from each other as they are from their Hindu and Muslim counterparts, the tribal Christians of central and north-eastern India, and Dalit Christians all over the country. Written by two of the country's foremost theologians, Christianity in India traces the fascinating history of each of these communities, and describes the role of Christians in education, social services, multilingual publishing and the freedom struggle. The authors explain to non-Christians the tenets and rituals that bind the faithful, whether Catholic, Protestant or Orthodox, and examine the controversial issues of caste within Christianity and conversions from other faiths.Along the way, we meet interesting personalities in the annals of Indian Christendom, such as Emperor Akbar, who essentially founded the North Indian Christian mission, and Brahmabandhab Upadhyay, the swadeshi Catholic who helped Tagore found Santiniketan.

    These stories of America's great revivals from during the 18th and 19th centuries are designed to stir Christians today to pray for God's spirit to burn in America once again.

    Though his life's labours were inextricably linked with one town, the influence of John Brown of Haddington spread worldwide through his writings, especially his Self-Interpreting Bible. This book contains his own account of his life. To this, his youngest son, Dr. William Brown, has added family recollections, letters and some of his father's choicest short writings. As he drew near the end of his life, John Brown exclaimed, 'Oh! What must Christ be in Himself, when He sweetens heaven, sweetens Scriptures, sweetens ordinances, sweetens earth, and sweetens even trials! Oh! What must Christ be in Himself!' Modern readers will taste some of the same Christ-derived sweetness as they meditate on The Life of John Brown with Select Writings.

    In particular this is the story of one young man, Evan Roberts.

    This book is a major study of the life and thought of Benjamin Keach, the most important Baptist thinker of his day (1640-1704).

    Subsequently, the ancient documents discovered at Nag Hammadi proved that early Christianity was tremendously diverse. These influences have given rise to the notion that the various gnostic interpretations are mere alternatives to more traditional interpretations of Jesus and his significance. Using a focused but broad definition of normative Christianity, Hultgren contends that such a tradition originated at the very beginnings of the Christian movements, developed, and came to dominate as the most adequate expression of Jesus' legacy. Normative Christianity - a stream as wide as the New Testament canon - forged a coherence between confession of faith and community ethos that could endure and was the basis for later orthodoxy.

    Graeme Murdock discusses how Calvinism operated as an international movement by looking at links between Reformed churches, communities, and states, and then goes on to explain what Calvinist churches across Europe stood for. Murdock focuses on how Calvinists sought to purify the practice of Christian religion, and to renew European politics, society and culture.