Best of
Church-History

2010

The Heresy of Orthodoxy: How Contemporary Culture's Fascination with Diversity Has Reshaped Our Understanding of Early Christianity


Andreas J. Köstenberger - 2010
    Spreading from academia into mainstream media, the suggestion that diversity of doctrine in the early church led to many competing orthodoxies is indicative of today's postmodern relativism. Authors K�stenberger and Kruger engage Ehrman and others in this polemic against a dogged adherence to popular ideals of diversity.K�stenberger and Kruger's accessible and careful scholarship not only counters the Bauer Thesis using its own terms, but also engages overlooked evidence from the New Testament. Their conclusions are drawn from analysis of the evidence of unity in the New Testament, the formation and closing of the canon, and the methodology and integrity of the recording and distribution of religious texts within the early church.

The Fathers Know Best: Your Essential Guide to the Teachings of the Early Church


Jimmy Akin - 2010
    It is specially designed to make it easy for you to find the information you want and need. Amazing features in this fact-packed book include:More than 900 quotations from the writings of the early Church Fathers, as well as from rare and important documents dating back to the dawn of Christian history.Mini-biographies of nearly 100 Fathers, as well as descriptions of dozens of key early councils and writings.A concise history of the dramatic spread of Christianity after Jesus told his disciples to evangelize all nations.Special maps showing you where the Fathers lived, including many little-known and long-vanished locations.A guide to nearly 30 ancient heresies, many of which have returned to haunt the modern world.The Fathers' teaching on nearly 50 topics, including modern hot-button issues like abortion, homosexuality, and divorce.This groundbreaking work presents the teachings of the early Christians in a way unlike any other book. It flings open the doors of the crucial but little-known age covering the birth of Christianity and the triumphant march of the gospel throughout the ancient world.

The New Birth (Series in Pentecostal Theology #2)


David K. Bernard - 2010
    

The Good News We Almost Forgot: Rediscovering the Gospel in a 16th Century Catechism


Kevin DeYoung - 2010
    The Heidelberg is largely a commentary on the Apostle's Creed, the Ten Commandments, and the Lord's Prayer, and deals with man's guilt, God's grace, and believers' gratitude. This book is a clear-headed, warm-hearted exploration of the faith, simple enough for young believers and deep enough for mature believers. DeYoung writes, "The gospel summarized in the Heidelberg Catechism is glorious, its Christ gracious, its comfort rich, its Spirit strong, its God Sovereign, and its truth timeless." Come and see how your soul can be warmed by the elegantly and logically stated doctrine that matters most: We are great sinners and Christ is a greater Savior!

The Price We Paid


Andrew Olsen - 2010
    Though tragic, it is also a story of triumph that scarcely has an equal. It is one of history's great witnesses of the power of faith and sacrifice. Although this story is one of the most frequently told of all Mormon pioneer accounts, it is also among the least understood. This book provides the most comprehensive and accessible account of these pioneers' epic 1856 journey. In addition to painting a broad perspective of the trek, it includes dozens of personal stories from the pioneers themselves. Woven into the larger story of the journey west, these stories inspire, build faith, recount miracles, and reveal how these pioneers were able to endure such adversity. The book also includes chapters on the lives of many of these pioneers after the handcart trek. Immerse yourself in the challenges and miracles of this astounding odyssey as never before!

Luther's Large Catechism with Study Questions


Paul Timothy McCain - 2010
    The perfect way to dig deeper, learn, and reflect on Luther’s words in terms that anyone can understand—all in one package. What does this provide for you? • A summary of Christian doctrine, as well as devotional and instructional materials about the Christian faith. • Study questions that allow you to further examine, reflect upon, and delve deeper into the text.• A study that directs readers directly back to the text of the Large Catechism, not a lesson plan for a teacher. What is it?This edition of Luther’s Large Catechism with Study Questions is the translation of Luther’s Large Catechism found in Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions. A visually appealing summary of Christian doctrine, this Catechism includes study questions that refer back to the text. Whether you are looking for devotional material or a deeper examination of Luther’s Catechism, this book allows you to further explore the Holy Scripture.

The Second Vatican Council: An Unwritten Story


Roberto de Mattei - 2010
    To many it might seem to have been simply a meeting of important churchmen gathered to discuss church matters, but because the Catholic Church is the only church founded on this earth by God himself to guide men to salvation, the reality is that centuries from now historians will likely consider it, (as well as the message to the world delivered by the Mother of God during her personal visit at Fatima in 1917), as one of the two pivotal events of world history for the recently ended century.Vatican II opened fifty years ago on October 11, 1962. Since it ended in 1965, the council has been written of in countless books, articles, scholarly journals, magazines, and newspapers all over the world. Things said and done since the council, in the name of the council and in opposition to it, have affected the lives of everyone living since that time.As with any significant historical event, it is only after considerable time has elapsed that a fuller story of exactly what happened in those years before,during, and after “the event” can be engagingly told and wisely summarized. Professor de Mattei’s genius lies in the application of a lucid, literate,and philosophical mind to thorough scholarly research and mountains of documentation. From this framework he has presented us with a story; a story of an event, a previously unwritten story that has been begging to be told for many years. This book will unfold for you the answer to the question, What happened at the Council?”“A work that is as erudite as it is relevant. I am certain that thanks to its rigorous historical-critical method it will convince a vast readership.”Cardinal Walter Brandmüller, President Emeritusof the Pontifical Committee for Historical Science

The Church History ABCs: Augustine and 25 Other Heroes of the Faith


Stephen J. Nichols - 2010
    A church father was arrested and martyred for teaching the truth about Christ's incarnation. Captured by pirates and shipped off to Ireland, a priest baptized thousands of pagans, from paupers to princes. Now who ever said church history was boring?The Church History ABCs is a fun way for kids to learn about great figures in Christian history. Twenty-six heroes of the faith march through the alphabet, boldly telling their stories in language children can understand. This wide range of characters--men and women from across the centuries, from all over the globe--reflects the breadth of church history and reminds children that these great figures of the past were living, breathing people who lived and died for the glory of God.

Longing for Spring: A New Vision for Wesleyan Community


Elaine A. Heath - 2010
    Elaine Heath and Scott Kisker call for the planting of neo-monastic churches which embody the Wesleyan vision of holiness in postmodern contexts. This book also points toward some vital shifts that are necessary in theological education in order to equip pastors to lead such communities. Longing for Spring helps Wesleyans of all stripes understand the theory and praxis necessary for planting neo-monastic communities as a new model of the church that is particularly important in the postmodern context. The authors write in an engaging, conversational style that is conversant with postmodern culture, yet thoroughly informed by critical research. Heath and Kisker boldly challenge the imagination of the church, both within and beyond Wesleyan traditions, to consider the possibility of revitalizing the church through the new monasticism. "Welcome to the world of New Methodism, exciting evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit in the church today. New Methodism comes to us with contributions from the New Monasticism, John Wesley, Jonathan Wilson-Hargrove, and an emerging generation who are leading us to a fresh appreciation of what God intends the church to be. This is a wonderful book that quickly gives the theological rationale for a reformed church and then gives practical advice on how to grow to be a new church. This is exciting!" --Will Willimon Bishop, The North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church "Longing for Spring connects United Methodism with a historical and theological approach that is very accessible, not to mention inspirational. I read it on an airplane and people around me wondered what I was reading because the authors' writing is so delightful at times that I was laughing out loud! I can't wait to make my first appointment of a clergy to a monastic community." --Sally Dyck Resident Bishop of Minnesota, The United Methodist Church "Elaine and Scott are the best of guides for hungry Methodists. Their description of Wesleyan renewal is inviting. Their prescription for transformation is possible. I will be using this book in my class, our neighborhood and our congregation. What a blessing!" --Amy Laura Hall Duke University Elaine A. Heath is the McCreless Assistant Professor of Evangelism at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University. She is the author of Out of the Night (2008). Scott Kisker is the James Cecil Logan Associate Professor of Evangelism and Wesley Studies at Wesley Theological Seminary, and is the author of Foundation for Revival (2007).

Full of Grace: Encountering Mary in Faith, Art, and Life


Judith Dupre - 2010
    A mother and a virgin, a saint and a peasant, a woman both tragic and triumphant, Mary has held sway over the human imagination for centuries. Yet she has never felt as relevant to our everyday lives as she does today.   In Full of Grace, Judith Dupré, the bestselling author of Churches, offers an intimate exploration of this beloved figure, now and through the ages. In a series of poignant stories and essays, Dupré examines Mary’s artistic, cultural, and historical influence, and at the same time shows how Mary’s human journey of love, compassion, grief, and humble strength inextricably connects her to our modern lives. Accompanied by a breathtaking visual feast ranging from classic Renaissance portraits to unexpected contemporary images, Dupré’s text offers insights into the Virgin Mary as a mother and as a religious icon. Visits to the great shrines of Marian pilgrimage—Lourdes, Medjugorje, Fatima, and the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe—underscore the author’s journey to find Mary’s meaning in her own life. In an essay about Mary in the Qur’an, we see how Mary, far from being an exclusively Catholic figure, emerges as one of the central women in Islam. Another piece details the author’s travels in the Holy Land, a landscape wracked by religious strife but still overflowing with the spirit of generosity that Mary embodies. From Sudanese refugee camps to the painful reminders of Auschwitz, from the struggle of divorce to the challenges of raising a child with autism, we see how Mary’s tenderness, bravery, and grace infuse the story of every mother, young and old. For men and women seeking to better understand their own life journey, this book looks at the many miracles, large and small, along the way.

Church Fathers and Teachers: From Saint Leo the Great to Peter Lombard


Benedict XVI - 2010
    In his first book, Church Fathers, Benedict began with Clement of Rome and ended with Saint Augustine. In this volume, the Holy Father reflects on some of the greatest theologians of the Middle Ages: Benedict, Anselm, Bernard, and Gregory the Great, to name just a few. By exploring both the lives and the ideas of the great popes, abbots, scholars and missionaries who lived during the fall of the Roman Empire and the rise of Christendom, Pope Benedict XVI highlights the key elements of Catholic dogma and practice that remain the foundation stones not only of the Roman Catholic Church but of Christian society itself. This book is a wonderful way to get to know these later Church Fathers and Teachers and the tremendous spiritually rich patrimony they have bequeathed to us.“Without this vital sap, man is exposed to the danger of succumbing to the ancient temptation of seeking to redeem himself by himself.” ? Pope Benedict XVI

Calvin's Ladder: A Spiritual Theology of Ascent and Ascension


Julie Canlis - 2010
    John Calvin’s theology is often brought in to support this contention. Here Julie Canlis argues that to do so reflects a complete misunderstanding of Calvin. In fact, she says, it is precisely Calvin’s inclusion of participation that makes his theology so robust and spiritually enduring. Calvin’s Ladder traces the theme of participation in early Christian spirituality, then reveals how Calvin reworks it into the heart of his Protestant manifesto on theology. This groundbreaking book suggests an entirely distinctive way of conceiving the relation between God and humanity, challenging not only old caricatures of Calvin but also our own self-portraits.

Andrew Fuller: Model Pastor-Theologian


Paul Brewster - 2010
    Since then, however, the emphasis on theological and doctrinal depth in Baptist preaching (and preaching generally) has been in decline.Now scholars are looking back at Fuller to provide an example of how pastors can relate doctrine to practice. He was not content to contribute to theological debate in print only; he also showed how the theological conclusions he had arrived at could be applied to local church ministry.This pastoral biography of Andrew Fuller, the second in B&H Publishing Group’s Studies in Baptist Life & Thought series, introduces a new preaching generation to his theological method, his soteriology, and how Fuller intentionally moved from doctrine to practice among the church.

Biblical Turkey: A Guide to the Jewish and Christian Sites of Asia Minor


Mark W. Wilson - 2010
    It includes all the references to cities, regions, provinces, and natural features in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, Apocrypha/Deuterocanonicals, New Testament, and Apostolic Fathers. Special features include Sidetrips, which point to nearby sites that are also of interest to visitors. The In-Sites help readers to read between the lines for special insights into the biblical text. In the Ancient Voice section writers from antiquity speak about the ancient world of Asia Minor. Colorful photographs and plans of selected sites illustrate the volume.

Charles Spurgeon - An Autobiography


Charles Haddon Spurgeon - 2010
    Spurgeon compiled from his diary, letters and records by his wife and his private secretary. From the first years of childhood in rural Essex till that snow-swept Sunday in Colchester in 1850, and on to the first years of revival in London, Spurgeon pours out his story with an enthralling fullness and colour, yet all this is so done that we are everywhere drawn to the centre and passion of his life.

Praying with Confidence: Aquinas on the Lord's Prayer


Paul Murray - 2010
    Praying with Confidence: Aquinas on the Lord's Prayer is both a stimulating scholarly study and an ideal introduction for the general reader. Never before have the most important reflections by Aquinas on the Lord's Prayer been drawn together and considered in a single book. Here, Aquinas comes alive not merely as a profound speculative theologian but also as an impressive master and guide of the spiritual and moral life. And he also comes across, on occasion, as a teacher capable of saying the unexpected, openly confessing, for example, "...it is hardly possible to say a single Our Father without our minds wandering off to other things." The style of Aquinas is, for the most part, plain and expository, but evident on every page is the serene, unmistakable mark of wisdom, Aquinas's own, and that of the great tradition.

The Family Tree of Reformed Biblical Theology


Richard C. Barcellos - 2010
    Vos wrote in the context of the liberalism of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. His biblical-theological methodology was largely a resuscitation of the federal theology of seventeenth-century Reformed orthodoxy adapted to the times in which it was written.

Byzantium in the Iconoclast Era, c. 680-850: A History


Leslie Brubaker - 2010
    This is the first book in English for over fifty years to survey this most elusive and fascinating period in medieval history. It is also the first book in any language to combine the expertise of two authors who are specialists in the written, archaeological and visual evidence from this period, a combination of particular importance to the iconoclasm debate. The authors have worked together to provide a comprehensive overview of the visual, written and other materials that together help clarify the complex issues of iconoclasm in Byzantium. In doing so they challenge many traditional assumptions about iconoclasm and set the period firmly in its broader political, cultural and social-economic context.

Has God Spoken?: Proof of the Bible's Divine Inspiration


Hank Hanegraaff - 2010
    In answering the riveting question, “Has God spoken?”, Hanegraaff uses manuscript evidence, archeology, predictive prophecy, and much more to memorably demonstrate that the Bible is divine rather than merely human in origin.Hanegraaff demolishes modern objections to Scripture, such as:There are more mistakes in manuscript copies of the Bible than there are words in the New Testament.The biblical account of King David is no more factual than tales of King Arthur—there simply is no evidence in archeology or history for Israel’s quintessential king.Contemporary prophets are proven 100 percent wrong, 100 percent of the time, and biblical prophets are just as unreliable.Has God Spoken? joins its predecessors—The Face That Demonstrates the Farce of Evolution and Resurrection—as Hanegraaff’s final book in a trilogy that provides complete and compelling answers to the most critical issues facing Christians today.

In the Breaking of the Bread: A User's Guide to a Service of Holy Communion in the Anglican Tradition


Leander S. Harding - 2010
    It will be a help to people moving from a non-liturgical church to a more liturgical church and to those contemporary Christians who are seeking an ancient-future form of Christian worship. Those who are familiar with Eucharistic worship will encounter new treasures that have been hiding in plain sight. The book follows carefully the service of Holy Communion as it is celebrated in a local congregation, describing what is done and why. The service chosen is from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. Christians of other traditions will find close parallels to the way this central act of worship is celebrated in their own tradition.

Augustine & The Pelagian Controversy


Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield - 2010
    The chief controversies of the first four centuries and the resulting definitions of doctrine, concerned the nature of God and the person of Christ; and it was not until these theological and Christological questions were well upon their way to final settlement, that the Church could turn its attention to the more subjective side of truth. Meanwhile she bore in her bosom a full recognition, side by side, of the freedom of the will, the evil consequences of the fall, and the necessity of divine grace for salvation. Individual writers, or even the several sections of the Church, might exhibit a tendency to throw emphasis on one or another of the elements that made up this deposit of faith that was the common inheritance of all. The East, for instance, laid especial stress on free will: and the West dwelt more pointedly on the ruin of the human race and the absolute need of God's grace for salvation. But neither did the Eastern theologians forget the universal sinfulness and need of redemption, or the necessity, for the realization of that redemption, of God's gracious influences; nor did those of the West deny the self-determination or accountability of men. All the elements of the composite doctrine of man were everywhere confessed; but they were variously emphasized, according to the temper of the writers or the controversial demands of the times. Such a state of affairs, however, was an invitation to heresy, and a prophecy of controversy; just as the simultaneous confession of the unity of God and the Deity of Christ, or of the Deity and the humanity of Christ, inevitably carried in its train a series of heresies and controversies, until the definitions of the doctrines of the Trinity and of the person of Christ were complete. In like manner, it was inevitable that sooner or later some one should arise who would so one-sidedly emphasize one element or the other of the Church's teaching as to salvation, as to throw himself into heresy, and drive the Church, through controversy with him, into a precise definition of the doctrines of free will and grace in their mutual relations.This new heresiarch came, at the opening of the fifth century, in the person of the British monk, Pelagius.

Remember the Poor: Paul, Poverty, and the Greco-Roman World


Bruce W. Longenecker - 2010
    Along the way, Longenecker calls into question a variety of interpretive paradigms — such as Steven J. Friesen’s 2004 poverty scale — and offers a fresh vision in which Paul’s theological resources are shown to be both historically significant and theologically challenging.

Gottschalk & A Medieval Predestination Controversy (Texts Translated From The Latin) (Mediaeval Philosophical Texts in Translation)


Gottschalk of Orbais - 2010
    But in the Carolingian renaissance in the ninth century, the Benedictine monk, Gottschalk of Orbais, brought the teachings of the late Augustine to the forefront of theological debate and greatly disturbed the clergy and faithful with his doctrine of double predestination of some to the joy of heaven and of others to the eternal punishment of hell—a doctrine that he claimed was that of Augustine and the Catholic faith. The present volume provides for the first time an English translation of Gottschalk’s key writings on predestination and various reactions and comments from leading theologians of the ninth century, as well as a learned introduction to Gottschalk’s life and controversies.

The Cathedral


William R. Cook - 2010
    What is a cathedral? -- Lecture 2. Early Christian architecture -- Lecture 3. Romanesque: a new monumental style -- Lecture 4. Vaulting: a look at roofs -- Lecture 5. Romanesque at its best -- Lecture 6. Saint-Denis and the beginning of Gothic style -- Lecture 7. The urban context of cathedrals -- Lecture 8. Notre Dame in Paris -- Lecture 9. Early Gothic style: Laon -- Lecture 10. Chartres: the building -- Lecture 11. Chartres: the sculpture -- Lecture 12. Chartres: the windows -- Lecture 13. Amiens: the limits of height -- Lecture 14. Amiens: the façade -- Lecture 15. Reims: the royal cathedral -- Lecture 16. Cathedrals: who builds? who pays? how long? -- Lecture 17. New developements in Gothic France -- Lecture 18. Late Gothic churches in France -- Lecture 19. Early Gothic architecture in England -- Lecture 20. Decorated and perpendicular English Gothic -- Lecture 21. Gothic churches in the Holy Roman Empire -- Lecture 22. Gothic churches in Italy -- Lecture 23. Gothic styles in Iberia and the New World -- Lecture 24. Gothic architecture in today's world.

Incomplete Commentary on Matthew


Thomas C. Oden - 2010
    Aquinas was impressed, to be sure, but he sighed and stated that he would rather have the complete Incomplete Commentary on Matthew than to be mayor of Paris itself. Thomas's affection for the work attests its great popularity during the Middle Ages, despite its significant missing parts--everything beyond the end of Matthew 25, with further gaps of Matthew 8:11--10:15 and 13:14--18:35. Although there are gaps, what remains is quite lengthy, so much so that we offer the work in two volumes, comprising fifty-four homilies. While the early-fifth-century author displays a few Arian propensities in a handful of passages, for the most part the commentary is moral in nature and therefore orthodox and generic. The unknown author, who for several centuries was thought to be John Chrysostom, follows the allegorizing method of the Alexandrians, but not by overlooking the literal meaning. His passion, above all, is to set forth the meaning of Matthew's Gospel for his readers. Here, for the first time, this ancient work is made available in English, ably translated by James A. Kellerman and edited by Thomas C. Oden.

The Summa Theologiae of Saint Thomas Aquinas: Latin-English Edition, Prima Secundae, Q. 71-114


Thomas Aquinas - 2010
    

On Sacred Ground - Reflections on Joseph Smith


Truman G. Madsen - 2010
    

History Of The Roman Breviary


Pierre Batiffol - 2010
    We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

Puritan Gems: Or Wise and Holy Sayings of Thomas Watson (1850)


Thomas Watson - 2010
    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 to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone

God's Law Made Easy


Kenneth L. Gentry Jr. - 2010
    A stable, peaceful, and productive society requires a secure and righteous moral foundation. Man cannot exist without a moral code to restrain his sinful passions and to guide him to righteous conduct.Our collapsing mores should especially be a deep concern for Christians because moral decadence, left unchecked, inevitably leads to social collapse. And this will not only destroy Christian families, but the opportunity of the Christian witness to the world. Though in the historical long-run the Christian faith will eventually grow to righteous dominance in the world, Christians must labor now to be a part of the solution to the contemporary moral problem. And this means that we must renew our commitment to Scripture.Contained within the absolute truth of Gods Word we find his solution to mans moral confusion: Gods absolute standard for righteousness contained in his holy Law. Unfortunately, contemporary theological discussions too quickly write-off any consideration of both the legitimacy of Gods Law in the new covenant era and the applicability of it in the modern world setting. Because of the nature of the modern debate and our special need for socio-political as well as personal norms, this book will focus specifically on the question of the relevance of the Old Testament Law today. Christians need to return to a whole-Bible ethic rather than a piece-meal it-seems-to-me morality. Gods Law Made Easy is a good place to start.

The Foundation of Christian Religion Gathered Into Six Principles


William Perkins - 2010
    Puritan Publications is working to publish more of Perkins, and this wonderful treatise covers the main points of the Christian religion so that the foundational truths of the Bible are understood clearly. Perkins says he wrote this in order to, “bring you to true knowledge, unfeigned faith and sound repentance, [in] the principal points of Christian Religion in six plain and easy Rules, even such as the simplest may easily learn; and hereunto is adjoined an Exposition of them word by word.” Perkins covers aspects of the Catechism, the Ten Commandments, the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the institution of the two Sacraments so that they may be more easily understood.This work is not a scan or facsimile, and has an active table of contents.

Reborn to Be Wild: Reviving Our Radical Pursuit of Jesus


Ed Underwood - 2010
    Long before becoming a pastor, Ed Underwood was a "Jesus Freak"--a young man transformed by the Jesus Movement in the 60s and 70s. He and his friends threw their hearts into a revival they thought would change the world. But somehow, the Jesus movement stopped moving. How did these radically committed young people morph into today's tame, suburban evangelicals? That's the question that sparked this passionate, provocative book, which aims at nothing less than fanning the flames of enduring revival today. Underwood draws on his personal revival experience and his study of the New Testament to expose six seductive lies that can easily sidetrack a movement and affirms five life-changing truths that can keep it going.

The Gospel Worthy of All Acceptation: Or the Duty of Sinners to Believe in Jesus Christ (1805)


Andrew Fuller - 2010
    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.

Irenaeus of Lyons


Sinclair B. Ferguson - 2010
    But do you have any heroes? What's the difference? Idols are people we say we 'adore' because they are famous, or rich, or good looking, or because they have amazing talents, or special abilities perhaps we wish we could have. Heroes are people who are willing to live and die for what they believe.IRENAEUS OF LYONS: THE MAN WHO WROTE BOOKS tells the story of a hero. He was a follower of Jesus Christ. He served him far away from home. And to help his fellow Christians - he wrote books. This large hardback book for children, from the pen of Sinclair Ferguson, is beautifully illustrated by Allison Brown. A wonderful start to a wonderful series that currently includes this, and two other titles:-- Ignatius of Antioch: The Man Who Faced Lions-- Polycarp of Smyrna: The Man Whose Faith Lasted

Work Of Human Hands: A Theological Critique Of The Mass Of Paul VI


Anthony Cekada - 2010
    Many now speak enthusiastically of encountering in the old rite a beauty, a reverence, and a sense of continuity with tradition that they have not experienced with the Mass of Paul VI.Inevitably, however, questions deeper than aesthetics, nostalgia, and the hunger for mystery in religion arise. To address them, Fr. Cekada has produced this thorough and methodical study of the Mass of Paul VI. Fr. Cedada's erudition, clarity of expression, and facile wit will attract and delight readers, even some who might be quite opposed to his doctrinal positions and to his startling conclusions in this scholarly work.

The Life of John Fletcher


Joseph Benson - 2010
    He is considered by many as a foremost example of the Christian doctrine of holiness.This edition comes with an Active Table of Contents for easy navigation.

The Metropolitan Tabernacle: Its History and Work


Charles Haddon Spurgeon - 2010
    His sermons have been translated into many languages. Spurgeon was the pastor of the congregation of the New Park Street Chapel (later the Metropolitan Tabernacle) in London for 38 years. He was part of several controversies with the Baptist Union of Great Britain and later had to leave that denomination. In 1857, he started a charity organization called Spurgeon's which now works globally. He also founded Spurgeon's College, which was named after him posthumously.Spurgeon was a prolific author of many types of works including sermons, an autobiography, a commentary, books on prayer, a devotional, a magazine, poetry, hymnist, and more. Many sermons were transcribed as he spoke and were translated into many languages during his lifetime. Arguably, no other author, Christian or otherwise, has more material in print than C.H. Spurgeon

Omnes in Adam Ex Pacto Dei: Ambrogio Catarino's Doctrine of Covenantal Solidarity and Its Influence on Post-Reformation Reformed Theologians


Aaron Clay Denlinger - 2010
    Beginning in 1532, the Dominican theologian Ambrogio Catarino challenged the validity of this traditional dogma, arguing that humankind's solidarity with Adam stemmed immediately from divine volition and ordination. According to Catarino, Adam's appointment to bear the moral cause of every human person was concretely embodied in a covenant that God established with Adam in the garden. Catarino's teaching sparked several decades of moderate controversy among Roman Catholic thinkers regarding the reality of a pre-fall covenant and the proper basis of humankind's solidarity with Adam. In the long run, his teaching found few Catholic supporters. However, from the late sixteenth-century onwards, Protestant Reformed theologians began to advance a notion of humankind's solidarity with Adam remarkably like Catarino's doctrine. For Reformed theologians, it was the so-called 'covenant of works' that provided a rationale for universal Adamic guilt. That covenant performed other conceptual tasks in the mature theological systems of post-Reformation Reformed thinkers, but grounding humankind's solidarity with its common forefather was not least among the operations ascribed to it. This book exposits Catarino's own doctrine of covenantal solidarity, explores the medieval sources of his teaching, and traces the influence of his doctrine on Reformed thinkers. It provides insight into the doctrine of a significant Catholic Reformation theologian, and illumines the complicated and somewhat surprising background to Reformed theology's own eventual teaching on Adam's federal (covenantal) headship. German text.

Lay Ecclesial Ministry: Pathways Toward the Future


Zeni Fox - 2010
    In Lay Ecclesial Ministry, theologians and pastoral leaders from diverse disciplines provide a deeper understanding, envision future direction, and offer inspiration for these new ministers and the community of the church. Building on the themes of the first official document addressing lay ecclesial ministry, Co-workers in the Vineyard of the Lord, approved by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2005, this book delves deeply into key topics. Authors reflect on dimensions of the Catholic tradition to enrich our understanding of this new reality of lay ministry in the church, to envision future developments, and to offer inspiration. Contributors draw on a variety of theological perspectives, including canon law, church history, ecclesiology, liturgy, and scripture, to ground understanding of lay ecclesial ministry within the Catholic tradition and to chart direction for further response to this newly emergent ministry. The book also offers inspiration and models of service to lay ministers, looking to stories of the saints and communities of vowed religious. Lay Ecclesial Ministry is an essential resource for the Catholic community in understanding and building upon this new and increasingly important component of church life.

The Shroud


Ian Wilson - 2010
    Now, 30 years later, he has completely rewritten and updated his earlier book to provide fresh evidence to support his original argument. Shroud boldly challenges the current post-radiocarbon dating view - that it is a fake. By arguing his case brilliantly and provocatively, Ian Wilson once more throws the matter into the public arena for further debate and controversy.

A Portrait of Paul


Rob Ventura - 2010
    By discussing these essential attitudes, qualities, and characteristics of a faithful minister of Christ, A Portrait of Paul provides gospel ministers an example of what they should be, and demonstrates for churches the kind of pastors they will seek if they desire men after God’s own heart.

The Marian Exiles: A Study in the Origins of Elizabethan Puritanism


Christina Hallowell Garrett - 2010
    H. Garrett's The Marian Exiles provides details of almost 800 individuals who left England in the reign of Mary Tudor for fear of religious or political persecution. She has searched through continental archives, particularly in Switzerland and Germany, to produce brief biographies of the known exiles, information which was not readily available to English scholars. A significant minority of the emigrants became important under Elizabeth I, and it is clear that they remained in contact with family and friends in England while abroad. The Protestant views of some of the exiles were radicalised by their experiences in Europe, and some attempts to foster plots against Mary were made. Frankfurt expelled John Knox for seditious preaching against Mary, and the town of Wesel asked its English congregation to leave. While some of Garrett's hypotheses are now outdated, the Census of Exiles remains a valuable resource.

The Canon of the Old and New Testaments Ascertained


Archibald Alexander - 2010
    The Canon of the Old and New Testaments Ascertained is an overview of the canon's creation.

The History of Protestantism, Volume 1


James Aitken Wylie - 2010
    Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1899 Excerpt: ...all the way to Strasburg to prevail on Calvin to resume his place at Geneva. But he was not to remain always by the side of the Reformer. Perrin was irascible in temper, frivolous in manners, a lover of fetes and magnificent dresses, and as ambitious of power as he was devoid of the talents for exercising it. He aped, in Geneva, the part of Csesar at Rome; but Calvin saw that his vein fitted him for the comic rather than the heroic, and styled him at times "Csesar the Comedian." He had been raised, by the voice of the people, to the chief military command in the republic. He was thus not without the means of aiding his party, and of damaging his opponents. The wife of Perrin was the daughter of Francois Favre, who was now closing a life that had been not unprofitable to the State, with an old age of shameless immorality. His flagrancies compelled the notice of the Council. His daughter, Madame Perrin, gave a ball, by way of showing how little she regarded either Consistory or Senate. This was a transgression of the ecclesiastical ordinances. All concerned in the affair, including one of the syndics, were summoned before the Consistory. Only two, of whom Perrin was one, acknowledged their fault; the rest set the Ecclesiastical Court at open defiance, and, in accordance with the constitutional law and practice, were summoned before the Council, and ordered to prison. Madame Perrin was among the incarcerated. Her rage knew no bounds; and what added to it was the circumstance of her father being imprisoned about the same time for "debauchery and adultery." The humiliation of the 1 Reset, Chronicle (MS. extracts by John McCrie). family of Favre was now complete, and their indignation was fierce in proportion. They loudly demanded the abolitio...

An Answere to a Great Number of Blasphemous Cavillations Written by an Anabaptist, and Adversarie to God's Eternall Predestination


John Knox - 2010
    There may be numerous typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or indexes. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there.

Friendship and Community: The Monastic Experience, 350 1250


Brian Patrick McGuire - 2010
    

The Summa Theologiae of Saint Thomas Aquinas: Latin-English Edition, Prima Secundae, Q. 1-70


Thomas Aquinas - 2010
    It was written when Latin was the language of scholarship, a common tongue that crossed Europe's volatile political boundaries and facilitated the growth of universities, many of which are still standing today. It is the hope of those responsible for this edition, that having the original Latin text and a respected English translation side by side will not only give those who are not ready to tackle the of Saint Thomas unaided access to his own words, but will inspire them and assist them in their pursuit of this language. They will likely discover, as many have before them, that Thomas is more easily understood in the tongue in which he wrote than he is in any other. This Third Volume contains the Treastise on the Last End; the Treatise on Human Acts: Acts Peculiar to Man; the Treatise on the Passions; the Treatise on the Habits; and the Treatise on the Habits in Particular, the Good Habits, i.e., the Virtues.

Fragments from the Lost Writings of Irenaeus


Irenaeus of Lyons - 2010
    The will is the reason ( logos ) of the intellectual soul, which [reason] is within us, inasmuch as it is the faculty belonging to it which is endowed with freedom of action. The will is the mind desiring [some object], and an appetite possessed of intelligence, yearning after that thing which is desired.

Selections From Wise Counsel: John Newton's Letters To John Ryland, Jr


Grant Gordon - 2010
    

Men of the Covenant: The Story of the Scottish Church in the Years of the Persecution


Alexander Smellie - 2010
    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.

Omnibus III: Reformation To The Present


Douglas Wilson - 2010
    Covering history, literature and theology in an integrated way, you will find great helps and tools to study the great works found in the most recent time period. Students will learn to look at ideas and events through a biblical worldview, while their composition and logical skills are refined. And it's written so that a student can start with this level, if needed.

The Filioque: History of a Doctrinal Controversy


A. Edward Siecienski - 2010
    Christians everywhere confess their faith in the ancient words of the Nicene Creed. But rather than serve as a source ofunity, the Creed has been one of the chief sources of division, as East and West profess their faith in the Trinitarian God using different language. In the Orthodox East, the faithful profess their belief in the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from the Father. In the West, however, they say theybelieve in the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from the Father and the Son-in Latin filioque. For over a millennium Christendom's greatest minds have addressed and debated the question (sometimes in rather polemical terms) in the belief that the theological issues at stake were central to an orthodoxunderstanding of the trinitarian God. To most modern people, this may seem like a trivial matter, and indeed most ordinary Christians would be hard pressed to explain the doctrine behind this phrase. In the history of Christianity, however, these words have played an immense role, and the storybehind them deserves to be told. For to tell the story of the filioque is to tell of the rise and fall of empires, of crusades launched and repelled, of holy men willing to die for the faith, and of worldly men willing to use it for their own political ends. It is, perhaps, one of the mostinteresting stories in all of Christendom, filled with characters and events that would make even the best dramatists envious.The Filioque: History of a Doctrinal Controversy is the first complete English language history of the filioque written in over a century. Beginning with the biblical texts and ending with recent agreements on the place and meaning of the filioque, this book traces the history of the doctrine andthe controversy that has surrounded it. From the Greek and Latin fathers, the ninth-century debates, the Councils of Lyons and Ferrara-Florence, to the twentieth- and twenty-first century-theologians and dialogues that have come closer than ever to solving this thorny problem, Edward Siecienskiexplores the strange and fascinating history behind one of the greatest ecumenical rifts in Christendom.

The Story of the Bible


Larry Stone - 2010
    A beautifully illustrated, hands-on?history of the world's best-selling book.

Apostle to the Conquered, Paperback Edition: Reimagining Paul's Mission


Davina Lopez - 2010
    Lopez finds the surprising answer in the way the Roman Empire depicted the relationship between conquering and conquered peoples in myths, inscriptions, and especially in the visual repertoire of statues and reliefs found in every Roman city. While Roman power was represented as aggressive and masculine, conquered peoples were systematically represented by images of helpless women.Lopez uses this key to unlock the themes of Paul's apostleship in a gender-critical re-imagination of his mission. Tracing themes of conquest and domination throughout sources contemporary with Paul, Lopez shows that Paul's language of the nations would have been heard by his contemporaries as confronting the Roman ideology of power and expressing solidarity with defeated peoples. Apostle to the Conquered reveals the subversive heart of Paul's theology, reframing his conversion in terms of consciousness, and his exhortations as a politics of the new creation.

The Tongue of Fire


William Arthur - 2010
    20); but One mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire." (Luke iii. 16.)This last expression might have conveyed some idea of material burning to any people but Jews; but in their minds it would awaken other thoughts. It would recall the scenes when their father Abraham asked Him who promised that he should inherit the land wherein he was a stranger: "Lord, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?" The answer came thus: He was standing under the open sky at night, watching by cloven sacrifices, when "behold a smoking furnace and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces" of the victims. (Genesis xv. 17.) It would recall the fire which Moses saw in the bush, which shone and awed and hallowed even the wilderness, but did not consume; the fire which came in the day of Israel's deliverance, as a light on their way, and continued with them throughout the desert journey; the fire which descended on the tabernacle in the day in which it was reared up, and abode upon it continually, which shone in the Shekinah, which touched the lips of Isaiah, which flamed in the visions of Ezekiel, and which was yet again promised to Zion, not only in her public but in her family shrines, when "the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and upon all her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night."In the promise of a baptism of fire they would at once recognize the approach of new manifestations of the power and presence of God; for that was ever the purport of this appearance in "the days of the right hand of the Most High."

Vines Intertwined: A History Of Jews And Christians From The Babylonian Exile To The Advent Of Islam


Leo Dupree Sandgren - 2010
    Textual witnesses and archaeological sites are being reevaluated and revisited. As a result, author Sandgren asserts, the relationship between Jews and Christians has shifted from a "mother/daughter" paradigm to one better described as "siblings." Recognizing that Judaism and Christianity are what they are because of each other and were not formed in isolation, Sandgren provides readers and researchers with a comprehensive generation-by-generation political history of the Jews--from the fall of the First Temple and the Babylonian Exile through the rise of Christianity out of Judaism--to the conquest of Jerusalem by Muslim Arabs and the rise of Christianity out of Judaism, to the point where both are fully defined against each other at the start of the Middle Ages. With a good subject index and a strong chronological framework, this book is a convenient reference work to this extended period of antiquity, with sufficient "bookends" of history to show where it began and how it ends. Making use of numerous contemporary studies as well as often neglected classics, Sandgren thoroughly develops the concept of "the people of God" and the core ideology behind Jewish and Christian self-definition. A ready resource for both students and scholars, pastors and laypeople, this accessible reference also includes a bibliography and an ancient sources index as well as a CD. The attached CD will have the entire book as a searchable PDF as well as a list of names of emperors, rabbis, and church fathers.

Augustine and the Trinity


Lewis Ayres - 2010
    In Augustine and the Trinity, Lewis Ayres offers a new treatment of this important figure, demonstrating how Augustine's writings offer one of the most sophisticated early theologies of the Trinity developed after the Council of Nicaea (325). Building on recent research, Ayres argues that Augustine was influenced by a wide variety of earlier Latin Christian traditions which stressed the irreducibility of Father, Son and Spirit. Augustine combines these traditions with material from non-Christian Neoplatonists in a very personal synthesis. Ayres also argues that Augustine shaped a powerful account of Christian ascent toward understanding of, as well as participation in the divine life, one that begins in faith and models itself on Christ's humility.

Faith in the Fight: Religion and the American Soldier in the Great War


Jonathan H. Ebel - 2010
    Recovering the thoughts and experiences of American troops, nurses, and aid workers through their letters, diaries, and memoirs, Jonathan Ebel describes how religion--primarily Christianity--encouraged these young men and women to fight and die, sustained them through war's chaos, and shaped their responses to the war's aftermath. The book reveals the surprising frequency with which Americans who fought viewed the war as a religious challenge that could lead to individual and national redemption. Believing in a Christianity of the sword, these Americans responded to the war by reasserting their religious faith and proclaiming America God-chosen and righteous in its mission. And while the war sometimes challenged these beliefs, it did not fundamentally alter them.Revising the conventional view that the war was universally disillusioning, Faith in the Fight argues that the war in fact strengthened the religious beliefs of the Americans who fought, and that it helped spark a religiously charged revival of many prewar orthodoxies during a postwar period marked by race riots, labor wars, communist witch hunts, and gender struggles. For many Americans, Ebel argues, the postwar period was actually one of reillusionment.Demonstrating the deep connections between Christianity and Americans' experience of the First World War, Faith in the Fight encourages us to examine the religious dimensions of America's wars, past and present, and to work toward a deeper understanding of religion and violence in American history.

The A to Z of the Orthodox Church


Michael Prokurat - 2010
    The A to Z of the Orthodox Church provides students, researchers, and specialists with a desk encyclopedia of the theology and theologians, saints, sinners, places and events of the Eastern Church. Two millennia of the religion are surveyed in over five hundred concise entries, concentrating primarily on the last 150 years. Includes an overview of the early Church through the Byzantine and Russian Empires, into the present multinational Orthodox presence in the ecumenical movement. Many of the general entries cannot be found elsewhere in English, and the comprehensive compilation of biographies of 19th- and 20th-century Orthodox theologians (American, Russian, Greek, and many other nationalities) is published here for the first time. This book includes a detailed 4,000-year chronology, illustrations, extensive bibliography, and an appendix listing the current canonical patriarchs and autocephalous churches.