These brilliant, embattled, and sometimes eccentric men defined the biblical canon, hammered out the Creed, and gave us our understanding of sacraments and salvation. It is they who preserved for us the rich legacy of the early Church.D’Ambrosio dusts off the dry theology and brings you the exciting stories and great heroes such as Ambrose, Augustine, Basil, Athanasius, Chrysostom, and Jerome. This page-turner will inspire and challenge you with the lives and insights of these seminal teachers from when the Church was young.

    Daily communion with God characterized his life and equipped him for both ministry and persecution. In this addition to the A Long Line of Godly Men Profile series, Dr. Sinclair Ferguson offers careful reflection and insight for Christians today as he highlights Owen’s faith in the triune God of Scripture. We’re reminded that regardless of our circumstances we can know God, enjoy Him, and encourage others.

    However, youth ministry expert Andrew Root explains that this focus is central to Bonhoeffer's story and thought. Root presents Bonhoeffer as the forefather and model of the growing theological turn in youth ministry. By linking contemporary youth workers with this epic theologian, the author shows the depth of youth ministry work and underscores its importance in the church. He also shows how Bonhoeffer's life and thought impact present-day youth ministry practice.

     THE COMPLETE ANTE-NICENE & NICENE AND POST-NICENE CHURCH FATHERS COLLECTION ANTE-NICENE FATHERS ANF01. The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus ANF02. Fathers of the Second Century: Hermas, Tatian,Athenagoras, Theophilus, and Clement of Alexandria (Entire) ANF03. Latin Christianity: Its Founder, Tertullian ANF04. Fathers of the Third Century: Tertullian: Part Fourth, Minucius Felix, Commodian, Origen: Parts First and Second ANF05. Fathers of the Third Century: Hippolytus, Cyprian, Caius, Novatian, Appendix ANF06. Fathers of the Third Century: Gregory Thaumaturgus, Dionysius the Great, Julius Africanus, Anatolius, and Minor Writers, Methodius, Arnobius ANF07. Fathers of the Third and Fourth Centuries: Lactantius, Venantius, Asterius, Victorinus, Dionysius, Apostolic Teaching and Constitutions, Homily, and Liturgies ANF08. The Twelve Patriarchs, Excerpts and Epistles, The Clementia, Apocrypha, Decretals, Memoirs of Edessa and Syriac Documents, Remains of the First Age ANF09. The Gospel of Peter, The Diatessaron of Tatian, The Apocalypse of Peter, the Vision of Paul, The Apocalypse of the Virgin and Sedrach the Testament of Abraham, the Acts of Xanthippe and Polyxena, the Narrative of Zosimus, the Apology of Aristides, Epistles of Clement (Complete Text), Origen’s Commentary on John, Books 1–10, and Commentary on Matthew, Books 1, 2, and 10–14 NICENE AND POST-NICENE FATHERS: SERIES 1 SAINT AUGUSTINE VOLUMES NPNF1–01. St. Augustine: The Confessions and Letters of St. Augustine, with a Sketch of his Life and Work NPNF1–02. St. Augustine: City of God and Christian Doctrine NPNF1–03. St. Augustine: On the Holy Trinity, Doctrinal Treatises, Moral Treatises NPNF1–04. St. Augustine: The Writings Against the Manichaeans and Against the Donatists NPNF1–05. St. Augustine: Anti-Pelagian Writings NPNF1–06. St. Augustine: Sermon on the Mount, Harmony of the Gospels, Homilies on the Gospels NPNF1–07. St. Augustine: Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homilies on the First Epistle of John, Soliloquies NPNF1–08. St. Augustine: Exposition on the Book of Psalms SAINT CHRYSOSTOM VOLUMES NPNF1–09. St. Chrysostom: On the Priesthood, Ascetic Treatises, Select Homilies and Letters, Homilies on the Statutes NPNF1–10. St. Chrysostom: Homilies on the Gospel of Saint Matthew NPNF1–11. St. Chrysostom: Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistle to the Romans NPNF1–12. St. Chrysostom: Homilies on the Epistles of Paul to the Corinthians NPNF1–13. St. Chrysostom: Homilies on Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Thessalonians, Timothy, Titus, and Philemon NPNF1–14. St. Chrysostom: Homilies on the Gospel of St. John and the Epistle to the Hebrews NICENE AND POST-NICENE FATHERS: SERIES 2 NPNF2–01. Eusebius Pamphilius: Church History, Life of Constantine, Oration in Praise of Constantine NPNF2–02. Socrates and Sozomenus Ecclesiastical Histories NPNF2–03.

    More often than not, we saw the fruit of his faith in God rather than the man himself.When Wilkerson moved to New York from rural Pennsylvania in 1958 to confront the gangs who ran the streets, he was a skinny, 120-pound man. After the initial publicity that brought him face to face with some of the most dangerous young men of the city, he largely flew under the radar of the media, using the Word of God and a bit of tough love to help men and women of the street escape the destructive spiral of drugs and violence. Wilkerson was always the real deal, full of passion and conviction, not interested in what others said was the “right” or political thing to do.Wilkerson later founded the Times Square Church, now a non-denominational mega-church of 8,000 members, to this day a crossroads for those battling sin, drugs, and pornography, and a place where the message of Christ is discussed. He created the faith-based program Teen Challenge to wean addicts off drugs, and then World Challenge, dedicated since its beginning to promoting and spreading the Gospel throughout the world. Both now have branches worldwide, continuing the work that God began in the life of one man who believedDavid Wilkerson was a man of faith who trusted God would give him what he needed to enter a world of crime and killing. He was a man of conviction who took the dream God gave him and marched forward without ever looking back. And he was a man of vision who could not be shaken from his beliefs—sometimes even when counseled otherwise. David Wilkerson was the preacher of New York City.

    Yet, as Dr.Lawson illustrates in this latest entry in the Long Line of Godly Men Profiles series, we must note that Whitefield was a man whose extraordinary evangelistic fervor was marked by remarkable piety and deep theology, and whose unswerving devotion to his God led him to risk all that he had to preach the name of Christ.

    Along the way we will walk unknown passageways, known only to the prophets of old, as we search for the true location of the lost temples of Solomon and Herod. We will also lift a candle into the dim recesses of history and uncover secrets about the Ark of the Covenant and the gold Mercy Seat's prophetic obligation as it relates to the future Millennial temple."

    Now, drawing on extensive new research, Strange Glory offers a definitive account, by turns majestic and intimate, of this modern icon. The scion of a grand family that rarely went to church, Dietrich decided as a thirteen-year-old to become a theologian. By twenty-one, the rather snobbish and awkward young man had already written a dissertation hailed by Karl Barth as a “theological miracle.” But it was only the first step in a lifelong effort to recover an authentic and orthodox Christianity from the dilutions of liberal Protestantism and the modern idolatries of blood and nation—which forces had left the German church completely helpless against the onslaught of Nazism. From the start, Bonhoeffer insisted that the essence of Christianity was not its abstract precepts but the concrete reality of the shared life in Christ. In 1930, his search for that true fellowship led Bonhoeffer to America for ten fateful months in the company of social reformers, Harlem churchmen, and public intellectuals. Energized by the lived faith he had seen, he would now begin to make what he later saw as his definitive “turn from the phraseological to the real.” He went home with renewed vocation and took up ministry among Berlin’s downtrodden while trying to find his place in the hoary academic establishment increasingly captive to nationalist fervor. With the rise of Hitler, however, Bonhoeffer’s journey took yet another turn. The German church was Nazified, along with every other state-sponsored institution. But it was the Nuremberg laws that set Bonhoeffer’s earthly life on an ineluctable path toward destruction. His denunciation of the race statutes as heresy and his insistence on the church’s moral obligation to defend all victims of state violence, regardless of race or religion, alienated him from what would become the Reich church and even some fellow resistors. Soon the twenty-seven-year-old pastor was one of the most conspicuous dissidents in Germany. He would carry on subverting the regime and bearing Christian witness, whether in the pastorate he assumed in London, the Pomeranian monastery he established to train dissenting ministers, or in the worldwide ecumenical movement. Increasingly, though, Bonhoeffer would find himself a voice crying in the wilderness, until, finally, he understood that true moral responsibility obliged him to commit treason, for which he would pay with his life.  Charles Marsh brings Bonhoeffer to life in his full complexity for the first time. With a keen understanding of the multifaceted writings, often misunderstood, as well as the imperfect man behind the saintly image, here is a nuanced, exhilarating, and often heartrending portrait that lays bare Bonhoeffer’s flaws and inner torment, as well as the friendships and the faith that sustained and finally redeemed him. Strange Glory is a momentous achievement.

    Jacobus Arminius (1560-1609) was a Dutch theologian and prominent pastor in Amsterdam. He was eloquent and well educated, his sermons attracting large audiences not only for their content but for their controversy. According to Arminius, the orthodox faith of the Reformation was wrong. He taught that God chooses for salvation only those whom He has foreseen will believe. By 1592 Arminius had been formally accused of heresy. In 1610, his zealous followers presented five objections to the standard confessions of faith from the Reformation; the theology behind these objections came to be called Arminianism.The whole church was caught up with theological debate, and a council was called to resolve the controversy. The Synod of Dort concluded with a rejection of Arminianism, and in The Canons of Dort set forth the orthodox Reformed doctrine on each point; today these are sometimes referred to as the doctrines of grace. As termed in the original preface, it is a “judgment, in which both the true view agreeing with God’s Word concerning the aforesaid five points of doctrine is explained, and the false view disagreeing with God’s Word is rejected.”

    Written for both the newcomer and the person who wants to go deeper, this book answers hundreds of questions about history, theology, worship, and more. Learn about this ancient but fast-growing branch of the Body of Christ. Let this guide help you as you walk the Anglican Way. Praise for The Anglican Way “The Anglican Way is an immensely helpful introduction to Anglicanism. By contrasting the seeming polarities, Thomas McKenzie helps readers to understand the richness — and the seeming contradictions — of this extraordinary Way of being a Christian. The writing is practical and accessible and the fruit of significant pastoral engagement.” - The Most Reverend Robert Duncan, Archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America “At a time when a great many people are discovering the Anglican way of Christian discipleship, there is a tremendous need for resources that lay out what this involves. Thomas McKenzie offers just that in this excellent introduction. He supplies us with a clear overview that provides the newcomer to Anglicanism and the experienced practitioner with numerous valuable insights. I am therefore delighted to commend The Anglican Way warmly.” - The Very Reverend Dr. Justyn Terry, Dean and President of Trinity School for Ministry “The Anglican way of worshipping God and following Jesus is beautiful and effective. But some guidance is needed along the first steps on that way. In The Anglican Way, Thomas McKenzie is an reliable and relatable guide. I commend The Anglican Way to all those who are exploring an Anglican Church.” - The Right Reverend Todd Hunter, Bishop of the Diocese of Churches for the Sake of Others

    And fewer generations have modeled commitment to the gospel and the application of Gods Word like the Puritans of England. In this 12-part series, Dr. Michael Reeves surveys Puritan theology and the work of the Holy Spirit when the Reformation flourished in England. Major milestones of this movement underscore the Puritans special place in history, as they displayed spiritual wisdom and discernment still benefiting pulpits and believers today. High-quality Audio CD.

    His profound spiritual experiences and penetrating theological vision found complex and often astonishing expression in his unparalleled command of Greek philosophy, making him one of the most challenging and original Christian thinkers of all time. So thoroughly did his thought come to influence the Byzantine theological tradition that it is impossible to trace the subsequent history of Orthodox Christianity without knowledge of his work. The Ambigua (or “Book of Difficulties”) is Maximos’s greatest philosophical and doctrinal work, in which his daring originality, prodigious talent for speculative thinking, and analytical acumen are on lavish display. In the Ambigua, a broad range of theological topics—cosmology, anthropology, the philosophy of mind and language, allegory, asceticism, and metaphysics—are transformed in a synthesis of Aristotelian logic, Platonic metaphysics, Stoic psychology, and the arithmetical philosophy of a revived Pythagoreanism. The result is a labyrinthine map of the mind’s journey to God that figured prominently in the Neoplatonic revival of the Komnenian Renaissance and the Hesychast Controversies of the Late Byzantine period.This remarkable work has never before been available in a critically-based edition or English translation.

    These renowned documents--first published in the middle of the 17th century--are widely regarded as some of the most beautifully written summaries of the Bible's teaching ever produced.Church historian John Fesko walks readers through the background and theology of the Westminster Confession, the Larger Catechism, and the Shorter Catechism, helpfully situating them within their original context. Organized according to the major categories of systematic theology, this book utilizes quotations from other key works from the same time period to shed light on the history and significance of these influential documents.

    Offering modern readers a clear look into the practical nature of Calvin's theology, Michael Horton dives into the Reformer's prolific writings, drawing not only on his Institutes and biblical commentaries, but also from his lesser-known tracts, treatises, and letters. Writing so as to allow Calvin to speak for himself as much as possible, Horton paints a compelling and nuanced portrait of this great Reformer, shedding valuable light not only on his own personal struggles and weaknesses, but also on Calvin's confident trust and unwavering joy in the sovereign grace of God.

    The Glory of the Crusades

    Josemaria Escriva, founder of Opus Dei, bestowed on Alvaro del Portillo. Don Alvaro, as he came to be known, was for many years the founder’s closest associate as well as his successor and first Prelate of Opus Dei after it became a personal prelature—a foundational rock for this dynamic international Catholic group devoted to promoting sanctity in ordinary life. Written in anticipation of Bishop del Portillo’s September 2014 beatification—his official recognition by the Church as “blessed” and a stage on the way to his possible canonization as a saint—the book is a fact-filled biography set against the background of historic events like the Spanish Civil War and Vatican Council II. It depicts a person of powerful integrity and conviction who set aside a promising engineering career to follow the vision embodied in Opus Dei. Don Alvaro emerges in these pages as a tower of strength, reliability, and good humor in the face of a host of threats and challenges that might well have defeated a lesser man. John Coverdale, an attorney and historian, is the author of two other books detailing the early days of Opus Dei—Uncommon Faith, about St. Josemaria and his companions during and shortly after the civil war in Spain, and Putting Down Roots, about Father Joseph Muzquiz, along with Alvaro del Portillo one of Opus Dei’s first priests, who played a key role in introducing it in the United States.

    His profound spiritual experiences and penetrating theological vision found complex and often astonishing expression in his unparalleled command of Greek philosophy, making him one of the most challenging and original Christian thinkers of all time. So thoroughly did his thought come to influence the Byzantine theological tradition that it is impossible to trace the subsequent history of Orthodox Christianity without knowledge of his work. The Ambigua (or “Book of Difficulties”) is Maximos’s greatest philosophical and doctrinal work, in which his daring originality, prodigious talent for speculative thinking, and analytical acumen are on lavish display. In the Ambigua, a broad range of theological topics—cosmology, anthropology, the philosophy of mind and language, allegory, asceticism, and metaphysics—are transformed in a synthesis of Aristotelian logic, Platonic metaphysics, Stoic psychology, and the arithmetical philosophy of a revived Pythagoreanism. The result is a labyrinthine map of the mind’s journey to God that figured prominently in the Neoplatonic revival of the Komnenian Renaissance and the Hesychast Controversies of the Late Byzantine period.This remarkable work has never before been available in a critically-based edition or English translation.

    S. Lewis stands as one of the most influential Christians of the twentieth century. His commitment to the life of the mind and the life of the heart is evident in classics like the Chronicles of Narnia and Mere Christianity—books that illustrate the unbreakable connection between rigorous thought and deep affection.With contributions from Randy Alcorn, John Piper, Philip Ryken, Kevin Vanhoozer, David Mathis, and Douglas Wilson, this volume explores the man, his work, and his legacy—reveling in the truth at the heart of Lewis's spiritual genius: God alone is the answer to our deepest longings and the source of our unending joy.

    Walking through the official Catechism of the Catholic Church, Allison summarizes and assesses Catholic doctrine from the perspective of both Scripture and evangelical theology.Noting prominent similarities without glossing over key differences, this book will equip Christians on both sides of the ecclesiastical divide to fruitfully engage in honest dialogue with one another.

    The real story of Knox surpasses the best fiction novels. Five hundred years after his death, Steven Lawson seeks to ignite our faith in Jesus through Knox's story. If you think of Knox as the dull Presbyterian, prepare to think again. Let this seminal figure in the history of the Scottish Reformation inspire you to stand firm in your faith and let God impact your spiritual life.

    We did not know each other, and he had heard and read some things. He said, ‘I am looking for a person whose whole message revolves around the glory of God in Christ, and you seem to me to be one of those.’ “We talked about Christian Hedonism and the relationship between desiring God on the one hand and God being glorified on the other hand. If you go to their app and look under ‘Who we are,’ they have almost word for word: God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. “That’s what unites Louie and me. That’s what the movement is. The movement is not about any particular cause. It is about the fame of Jesus.” ***Kindle version available free of charge at http://www.desiringGod.org/passion

    The frequency and volume of accusations suggest that some Christians have lost a sense of the gravity of the word. On the other hand, many believers have little to no familiarity with orthodox doctrine or the historic distortions of it. What's needed is a strong dose of humility and restraint, and also a clear and informed definition of orthodoxy and heresy. Know the Heretics provides an accessible 'travel guide' to the most significant heresies throughout Christian history.As a part of the KNOW series, it is designed for personal study or classroom use, but also for small groups and Sunday schools wanting to more deeply understand the foundations of the faith. Each chapter covers a key statement of faith and includes a discussion of its historical context; a simple explanation of the unorthodox teaching, the orthodox response and a key defender; reflections of contemporary relevance; and discussion questions.

    This catechism includes 345 Questions & Answers, with practical applications--all in simple modern English. Each section begins with an explanation especially intended for those with no prior knowledge of Christianity. This superb special edition features bonded leather, gold foil cover, gilt-edge pages, ribbon bookmark, a presentation page, and an Introduction by the eminent theologian JI Packer.In the early church converts underwent systematic teaching, called catechesis, leading up to their baptism. Sadly, the practice of catechizing adults to any degree has declined to the point of ceasing altogether in most of today's churches. To Be a Christian aims to correct this. It is meant as a tool for all comers - the adult inquirer, the new convert, and the long-time believer seeking deeper grounding in the full reality of Christian faith and life. Essential Christian instruction is presented in today's language, drawing on the three traditional foundations of catechesis: The Apostles' Creed, The Lord's Prayer, and the Ten Commandments. Tens of millions of Anglicans on six continents trace their tradition back through the centuries to laymen like William Wilberforce, who led the abolition of the slave trade in England, to the bishops and martyrs of the English Reformation, like Thomas Cranmer, and to missionaries like Augustine of Canterbury and St. Patrick who spread the Gospel throughout the British Isles. A lucid statement of the Apostolic Faith that Anglicans share with all Christians, To Be A Christian is truly a resource for the entire Body of Christ. It is offered with the prayer that it may serve to build up the Body of Christ by helping many to full Christian faith, and faithfulness, in today's increasingly post-Christian world.

    Matthew Christensen compiles Joseph’s accounts with those from his contemporaries into one narrative. Gain fresh insight into this most important of events with this beautifully designed and illustrated keepsake.

    Thomas Kidd’s fascinating biography explores the extraordinary career of the most influential figure in the first generation of Anglo-American evangelical Christianity, examining his sometimes troubling stands on the pressing issues of the day, both secular and spiritual, and his relationships with such famous contemporaries as Benjamin Franklin, Jonathan Edwards, and John Wesley.   Based on the author’s comprehensive studies of Whitefield’s original sermons, journals, and letters, this excellent history chronicles the phenomenal rise of the trailblazer of the Great Awakening. Whitefield’s leadership role among the new evangelicals of the eighteenth century and his many religious disputes are meticulously covered, as are his major legacies and the permanent marks he left on evangelical Christian faith. It is arguably the most balanced biography to date of a controversial religious leader who, though relatively unknown three hundred years after his birth, was a true giant in his day and remains an important figure in America’s history.

    Setting him in the context of his troubled times, she vividly explains how he became a Protestant, a galley slave, a friend of John Calvin, an English pastor, and, finally, the leading preacher of the Scottish Reformation. This is an excellent introduction for children to the religious ideas that transformed the churches of sixteenth-century Western Europe." Rosalind K. Marshall, fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and author of John Knox

    As the authors state in the preface: "We write this book with two major goals in mind. First, to give people an idea of the sheer size and reach of the NAR movement. And second, to systematize its key teachings and practices and evaluate them on the basis of Scripture and careful reasoning … . In our judgment, the NAR perspective crosses these boundaries [that is, certain broad parameters, revealed in Scripture and practiced in the historical orthodox church], and it does so in part because of flawed theology rooted in a flawed understanding of Scripture. We wish to warn readers about a possible confusion: Some critics have linked the NAR movement with mainstream Pentecostalism and charismatics. We do not do this. In fact, it is our contention that the NAR movement deviates from classical Pentecostal and charismatic teachings. This movement has emerged out of independent charismatic churches and, thus, has gained a foothold in many of those churches in varying degrees."

    Illustrated in picture book format for children. Summarizes major life events of Saint Augustine from birth to the destruction of Hippo Regius.

    These sermons constitute the essential points of his beliefs. Many were published by Wesley himself while others were recovered from his manuscripts after his death. While reading these, you will find that his writings are never dry but maintain a vigor of life about them while maintaining a scriptural balance. He strived to reach the everyday man and bring him a living gospel, and this intent is spread throughout his sermons.While Wesley had originally intended to publish a three-volume series, he went on to add a fourth. He desired to reach a larger audience with these printed works than he could with his daily sermons in person, and there was also a particular demand for them. The four books are comprised of approximately 44 sermons and are contained in volume I of this printing. In 1746, he had published the first book of this projected work, entitled Sermons on Several Occasions. He later went on to add another nine sermons to the series. The subsequent books were released in 1748, 1750, and 1760, respectively. It is important to note that these are by no means the whole of Wesley's written sermons; they were merely selected by him for the Christian reader as a kind of standard for his belief of many of the principal points of Christian doctrine, and have since become known as the standard sermons.In his preface to volume I, Wesley himself wrote, "I have accordingly set down in the following sermons what I find in the Bible concerning the way to heaven; with a view to distinguish this way of God from all those which are the inventions of men. I have endeavored to describe the true, the scriptural, experimental religion, so as to omit nothing which is a real part thereof, and to add nothing thereto which is not." (Sermons on Several Occasions, Volume I, Preface)For fifty years, Wesley had also written numerous sermons and published them in local magazines, many of which were printed in cities across England such as London, Bristol, Dublin, and Newcastle upon Tyne. With these sermons being placed in the hands of so many printers, it was inevitable that they would be printed in a combined publication, which was often the case. Because of this, in his advancing age, Wesley decided that he should undertake a reprinting of all of his works, enabling him to revise all of his works carefully and also to correct any errors that had arisen.In his collected works he elected to print his sermons, commentaries, notes, journals, and more, producing an impressive thirty-two duodecimo volumes, the first being published in 1771 and the last in 1774. In the set of sermons that comprised those of the "model deed" included nine additional lectures that were not previously published, bringing the total to 53. These 53 lectures have are in the first volume of this series.

    Perfect for students, pastors, Bible study teachers, and those interested in seeing God's faithfulness throughout the Old and New Testament. The remarkable heroes and heroines in the ancestry of Jesus teach us a lot about God's faithfulness over the centuries. Each character in Jesus' family tree gives us a glimpse of how God works all things even the tragedies and missteps together for goodEnjoy Covering 30 Key People from Jesus' Family TreeLooking at the dozens of names listed in Jesus' genealogy (family tree) can be quite overwhelming and it can be hard to know what's important. Now you can easily dive into the fascinating lives of 30 key people from Jesus' family tree, including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Ruth, David and more with this full-color reproducible book.See how God fulfilled his promises through t

    The study of the first thirty years of Oneness Pentecostalism (1901-31) is especially relevant due to its unparalleled interracial commitment to an all-flesh, all-people, counter-cultural Pentecost. This in-depth study details the lives of its earliest primary architects, including G. T. Haywood, R. C. Lawson, J. J. Frazee, and E. W. Doak, and the emergence of Oneness Pentecostalism and its flagship organization, Pentecostal Assemblies of the World. This is a one-of-a-kind history of Pentecostalism, through the lens of the Jesus' Name movement and the interracial struggles of the period, interlinking the significance of Charles Parham, William Seymour and the Azusa Street revival, COGIC, the newly formed Assemblies of God, and dozens of the earliest Oneness organizational bodies. Exploration of the significance of the role of African American Indianapolis leader G. T. Haywood is central, as are the development of the movement's key centers in the United States and the ultimate loss of interracial unity after more than thirty years. These crucial events marked, indelibly, the U.S., the global missionary, and the autochthonous expansion of Oneness Pentecostalism worldwide. "If 'the color line was washed away in the blood!' at Azusa Street, then its effects were felt longest and strongest in Indianapolis and other circles of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World. If so, then G. T. Haywood is not merely William J. Seymour's successor but emerges as the exemplary architect of the modern pentecostal vision that the Spirit has been poured out on all flesh--white and black--equally. Additionally intriguing--even disturbing for some--perhaps his Oneness theology is not just about the Godhead and Jesus-name baptism but about one God and one people beyond the color line. Readers will have to wrestle with this idea between the lines of Early Interracial Oneness Pentecostalism." --Amos Yong, Professor of Theology & Mission & Director of Center for Missiological Research, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA "French uncovers one of the most intriguing chapters in early pentecostal history. The Revival's aspiration for oneness of spirit and racial unity was embraced from the beginning by the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World and its towering figure, G.T. Haywood. Precise in detail and thorough in substance, this volume is an essential resource for understanding early Oneness Pentecostalism and its radical vision of unity." --David A. Reed, Professor emeritus, Wycliffe College, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada Talmadge L. French is a graduate of Wheaton College and Wheaton College Graduate School, and has a PhD from the University of Birmingham, UK. He is author of Our God Is One: The Story of the Oneness Pentecostals (1999). He is the pastor of Apostolic Tabernacle, Jonesboro, Georgia.

    It includes accounts of the martyrdoms of James, the half-brother of Jesus, as well as those of Peter and Paul. The author goes into graphic detail about the destruction of Jerusalem, showing how each element of Jesus' prophecies were fulfilled exactly as He had described. The reader will also learn about the spread of Christianity to Edessa and Persia, as well as the events in the last years of the Apostle John's life. The author does not include any legendary stories, but only the historical information available in reliable ancient sources.70 pp.

    This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

    Understanding its origin and development through the experiences of Wilford Woodruff will answer questions posed by individuals inside and outside of the Church. What is the relationship of temple ordinances and Old Testament rituals? Why have some ordinances been discontinued? Why did married women choose to be sealed to Joseph Smith? What is priesthood adoption? When were proxy ordinances introduced?Many books and articles address a specific temple ordinance or a period of time in Mormon history, but the development of all temple ordinances has never been included in a single volume - until now.Jennifer Mackley's meticulously researched biographical narrative chronicles the development of temple doctrine through the examination of Wilford Woodruff's personal life. The account unfolds in Woodruff's own words, drawn from primary sources including journals, discourses, and letters. Mackley elucidates the doctrine's sixty-year progression from Old Testament practices of washings and anointings in the 1830s, to the endowment, sealings, and priesthood adoptions in the 1840s, through all of the vicarious ordinances for the dead in the 1870s, to the sealing of multigenerational families in the 1890s. Her narrative is enhanced by 120 archival images (some previously unpublished), as well as extensive footnotes and citations for the reader's further study. More information can be found at www.wilfordwoodruff.info.

    In today's postmodern, disestablished context, Baptists are in danger of becoming either a religious affinity group, a collection of individuals who share experiences and commitments to a set of principles, or a countercultural sect that retreats to early Enlightenment propositions for consolation and support.In "Contesting Catholicity," Curtis W. Freeman offers an alternative Baptist identity, an "Other" kind of Baptist, one that stands between the liberal and fundamentalist options. By discerning an elegant analogy among some late modern Baptist preachers, seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Baptist founders, and early patristic theologians, Freeman narrates the Baptist story as a community that grapples with the convictions of the church catholic.Deep analogical conversation across the centuries enables Freeman to gain new leverage on all of the supposedly distinctive Baptist theological identifiers. From believer's baptism, the sacraments, and soul competency, to the Trinity, the priesthood of every believer, and local church autonomy, Freeman's historical reconstruction demonstrates that Baptists did and should understand themselves as a spiritual movement within the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church.A "catholic Baptist" is fully participant in the historic church and at the very same time is fully Baptist. This radical Baptist catholicity is more than a quantitative sense of historical and ecumenical communion with the wider church. This Other Baptist identity envisions a qualitative catholicity that is centered on the confession of faith in Jesus Christ and historic Trinitarian orthodoxy enacted in the worship of the church in and through word and sacrament.

    Ephrem, who was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XV, and Jacob of Serugh were two of the earliest and most important representatives of the theological world-view of the Syriac church. Much of their work was in the form of hymns and metrical homilies, using poetry to express theology. In Early Syriac Theology, Chorbishop Seely Joseph Beggiani strives to present their insights in a systematic form according to headings used in western treatises, while not undermining the originality and cohesiveness of their thought.For St. Ephrem of Syria (d. 373) and Jacob of Serugh (d. 521), God is utterly mysterious, yet He is present in all that He has created. The kenosis (self-emptying) of the Word of God is found not only in the human nature of Christ, but in the finite words of Sacred Scripture. In this action, the Divine makes itself accessible to human beings. The triple descent of the Son of God into the womb of Mary, the Jordan River at his baptism, and into sheol at his death, were actions directed both to redemption and divinization. Ephrem and Jacob employed a system of types and antitypes used in Sacred Scripture to demonstrate the sacraments as extensions of Christ's actions through history.The material is organized under the themes of the hiddenness of God, creation and sin, revelation, incarnation, redemption, divinization and the Holy Spirit, the Church, Mary, the mysteries of initiation, eschatology and faith. Additionally, the book highlights the fact that the liturgical tradition of the Maronite church, one of the Syriac churches, is consistently and pervasively a living expression of the theology of these two Syriac church fathers.

     James T. Dennison’s Reformed Confessions project compiles numerous English translations of Reformed confessions of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. For many of these texts, this is their debut in the Anglo-Saxon vernacular. Such a collection provides the English-speaking world a richer and more comprehensive view of the emergence and maturation of Reformed theology in these foundational centuries—foundational centuries for Reformed thought and foundational summaries of Reformed doctrine for these centuries. Each confessional statement is preceded by a brief introduction containing necessary historical and bibliographical background. The confessions are arranged chronologically, with all for volumes presenting a total of one hundred twenty seven documents covering the years 1523–1693. Compiler James T. Dennison, Jr. is Academic Dean of Northwest Theological Seminary in Washington, where he also serves as Professor of Church History and Biblical Theology. He is the author of The Market Day of the Soul, editor of Kerux: The Journal of Northwest Theological Seminary, and has also edited various books including Francis Turretin’s Institutes of Elenctic Theology, Geerhardus Vos’s Old Testament Eschatology, and The Letters of Geerhardus Vos Endorsements “A comprehensive collection of the main statements of faith of all Reformed communities considered as orthodox (Waldensian, Zwinglian, Calvinist, and Anglican). Many of these documents are translated into English for the first time. References to existing critical editions are provided systematically. The editor has rendered a great service to modern-day churches which identify with the Zwinglian and Calvinist Reformation and also to all students and scholars not just of theology but of the history of religious institutions and culture of the period. He is particularly to be commended for including the 17th century, thus enabling us to chart the diversity and the development of Reformation communities over nearly two centuries. A must for every library.” - Dr. Irena Backus, Professor, Institute of Reformation History, University of Geneva “James Dennison’s introductions and comprehensive compilation of sixteenth and seventeenth century Reformed confessions is a magnificent achievement that witnesses powerfully to the rich development, harmony, and piety of the Reformed faith. With the Spirit’s blessing, these volumes will help recover a robust and vital Reformed theology that informs minds, convicts hearts, and moves hands to live exclusively for God’s glory. Every Reformed pastor, professor, seminary student, library, and thoughtful layman should buy and study this remarkable collection.” —Dr. Joel R. Beeke, President of Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary “This is an invaluable compilation that brings together in one volume many Reformed confessions of the first thirty years of the Reformation. The whole series will be most useful both for bringing together what has previously been scattered and for making material available in English for the first time.” — Dr. Anthony N. S. Lane, Professor of Historical Theologyand Director of Research, London School of Theology “…a highly significant collection of Reformed confessional documents, offering not only the confessions and catechisms found in the older collections but a host of important confessions and catechisms that belong to the history of the Reformed churches but have been either ignored or left untranslated. These documents will provide a substantial resource for the study of the rise and progress of the Reformed faith in the early modern era.” — Dr.

    It is the most transcribed and translated book of the Hebrew Bible. Intended for both scholar and student, The Oxford Handbook of the Psalms features a diverse array of essays that treat the Psalms from a variety of perspectives. Beginning with an overview of the Psalms that touches on the history of scholarship and interpretation, the volume goes on to explore the Psalms as a form of literature and a source of creative inspiration, an artifact whose origins remain speculative, a generative presence in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and a still-current text that continues to be read and appropriated in various ways. Classical scholarship and traditional approaches as well as contextual interpretations and practices are well represented. The Handbook's coverage is uniquely wide-ranging, covering everything from the ancient Near Eastern background of the Psalms to contemporary liturgical usage. This volume offers a dynamic introduction into an increasingly complex field and will be an indispensable resource for all students of the Psalms.

    The period was an unusual one in which France boasted two state religions, Roman Catholic and Protestant, due to the protections afforded the latter by the Edict of Nantes in 1598. In this book, Martin I. Klauber and his team of scholars survey the development of and diffi culties facing the early French Reformed tradition as well as the ecclesiastical, theological, and political challenges it faced during the seventeenth century. They also investigate the important contributions made by some of its most significant theologians: Moïse Amyraut, Pierre du Moulin, Jean Daillé, Andreas Rivetus, Charles Drelincourt, Claude Pajon, Jean Claude, and Pierre Jurieu. The theologians of the seventeenth-century French Reformed churches displayed a theological richness rarely remembered even among Reformed believers in the centuries following their labor, and this volume resurrects some of their vitality for a new audience. Table of Contents: Introduction — Martin I. Klauber Part One: The Historical Background 1. The Cradle of Reformed Theology: The Reformed Churches from Calvin’s Geneva through Henry IV & the Edict of Nantes —Jeanine Olson 2. Theodore Beza (1519–1605) and the Crisis of Reformed Protestantism in France —Scott M. Manetsch 3. The French Reformed Synods of the Seventeenth Century —Theodore G. Van Raalte 4. The French Reformed Churches, Arminianism, and the Synod of Dort (1618–1619) —Donald Sinnema 5. The French Reformed Churches: Caught between the Rise of Absolute Monarchy and the Counter Reformation —John B. Roney 6. The Edict of Nantes “à la rigueur” (1661–1685) —Marianne Carbonnier-Burkard Part Two: Theology and Theologians in the French Reformed Churches 7. John Cameron (ca. 1579–1625) and the French Universalist Tradition — Albert Gootjes 8. Beyond Hypothetical Universalism: Moïse Amyraut (1596–1664) on Faith, Reason, and Ethics —Richard A. Muller 9. Defender of the Faith or Reformed Rabelias? Pierre du Moulin (1568–1658) and the Arminians —Martin I. Klauber 10. Whose Side are They on? Jean Daillé (1594–1670) on the Church Fathers — Martin I. Klauber 11. Andreas Rivetus (1572–1651): International Theologian and Diplomat — Willem J. van Asselt 12. The Pastoral and Polemical Theology of Charles Drelincourt (1595–1669) — R. Jane McKee 13. Polemics, Rhetoric, and Exegesis: Claude Pajon (1626–1685) on Romans 8:7 — Albert Gootjes 14. “This glorious seal of God”: Jean Claude (1619–1687), Ephesians 4:30, and Huguenot Pneumatology —Michael A. G. Haykin 15. The Devotional Theology of Pierre Jurieu (1637–1713) —Jason Zuidema Endorsements: “Aside from the Wars of Religion and the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, French Protestantism is largely ignored in most discussions of early modern history. This important book will help fill that void. The collected essays by many leading scholars highlight the theological contributions and historical travails of the seventeenth-century Huguenots, allowing them to resume their rightful place in a pivotal century in European history.” — Glenn S. Sunshine, professor of history, Central Connecticut State University “This most welcome collection of essays, authored by an impressive team of leading scholars, goes to the heart of the Huguenot experience during the increasingly troubled seventeenth century. The initial chapters set the context with lucidity and precision.

    Waves of immigrants crossing the borders. Ongoing economic recession. Increasing political polarization, often with religious overtones. Conflicts over ideologies that pit the progressive against the traditional. Sound familiar? These conditions not only describe the United States, but the situation of the Roman Empire in the third century. That situation led to religious persecution and the eventual collapse of the empire. In the middle of the third century, the Roman Empire was roughly the same age as the United States is now. In this book, authors Mike Aquilina and Jim Papandrea examine the practices of the Early Church—a body of Christians living in Rome—and show how the lessons learned from these ancient Christians can apply to Christians living in the United States today. The book moves from the Christian individual, to the family, the church and the world, explaining how the situation of the Early Church is not only familiar to modern Christian readers, but that its values are still relevant

    With the recent resurgence of attention to beauty among theologians, questions still remain about what exactly beauty is, how it is perceived, and whether we should celebrate its return. If beauty fell out of favor because it was seen to distract from the weightier concerns of poverty and suffering--because it can even be a tool of oppression--why should we laud it now? Gregory's writings offer surprisingly rich and relevant reflections that can move contemporary conversations beyond current impasses and critiques of beauty. Drawing Gregory into conversation with such disparate voices as novelist J. M. Coetzee and art theorist Kaja Silverman, Beauty displays the importance of beauty to theology and theology to beauty in a discussion that bridges ancient and modern, practical and theoretical, secular and religious."Natalie Carnes has written a remarkable book--in its range, its learning and its imaginative sweep. All good history and theology thrive on imaginative engagement--while beauty is most enticing when it is veiled and presented as a mystery. Gregory of Nyssa emerges from these pages as a writer and theologian for our time, at once ancient and postmodern."--David Jasper, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK"A compelling exploration of Gregory of Nyssa as theologian of the divine beauty. Drawing on her extensive knowledge of Gregory's writings, Natalie Carnes shows how the themes of fittingness and gratuity take us deep into the heart of his Trinitarian vision. To know God's beauty is to be wounded--and transformed. A remarkable achievement."--Joseph L. Mangina, Wycliffe College, Toronto, Ontario, Canada"Attentive, as many recent theological writers are not, to the dangers of beauty and of the ideologizing of beauty in bourgeois discourse, [Carnes] takes us from the modern alternatives of functionality or distinterestedness to the complementarity of gratuity and fittingness. Through Gregory's writings this is shown to illuminate both the sufferings of Christ and, poignantly, the human sufferings exemplified by his sister's breast cancer. The book reminds those of us who have read less of Gregory than we should have how much we are missing."--George Pattison, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK"Beauty is a singular achievement. It retrieves from Gregory key Trinitarian insights and constructively recasts them in the service of delineating a vision of beauty that speaks to our time. . . . 'Fittingness' and 'gratuity' are key to Carnes's theological investigation, categories that she refracts in three primary ways: first, theologically, according to Gregory's doctrine of God . . . second, christologically, according to the way that we confront in the person of Jesus of Nazareth an unsettling juxtaposition of beauty and poverty; and third, pneumatologically, according to the workings of the Holy Spirit who schools us to recognize beauty anew through a wounding of the self, achieved by means of suffering and love of neighbor."--Jim Fodor, St. Bonaventure University, St. Bonaventure, NYNatalie Carnes is Assistant Professor of Theology at Baylor University, Waco, Texas.

    It marked the transition from a pre-modern to a modern way of life. Ellen Harmon White's life (1827-1915) spanned those years and then some, but the last three months of a single year, 1844, served as the pivot for everything else. When the Lord failed to return on October 22, as she and other followers of William Miller had predicted, White did not lose heart. Fired by a vision she experienced, White played the principal role in transforming a remnant minority of Millerites into the sturdy sect that soon came to be known as the Seventh-day Adventists. She and a small group of fellow believers emphasized a Saturday Sabbath and an imminent Advent. Todaythat flourishing denomination posts eighteen million adherents globally and one of the largest education, hospital, publishing, and missionary outreach programs in the world. Over the course of her life White generated 70,000 manuscript pages and letters, and produced 40 books that have enjoyed extremely wide circulation. She ranks as one of the most gifted and influential religious leaders in American history and this volume tells her story in a new and remarkablyinformative way. Some of the contributors identify with the Adventist tradition, some with other Christian denominations, and some with no religious tradition at all. Their essays call for White to be seen as a significant figure in American religious history and for her to be understood within thecontext of her times.

    The Book of Acts mentions Arabs as being present at the first Pentecost in Jerusalem, where they heard the Christian message in their native tongue. Christian literature in Arabic is at least 1,300 years old, the oldest surviving texts dating from the 8th century. Pre-modern Arab Christian literature embraces such diverse genres as Arabic translations of the Bible and the Church Fathers, biblical commentaries, lives of the saints, theological and polemical treatises, devotional poetry, philosophy, medicine, and history. Yet in the Western historiography of Christianity, the Arab Christian Middle East is treated only peripherally, if at all. The first of its kind, this anthology makes accessible in English representative selections from major Arab Christian works written between the 8th and 18th centuries. The translations are idiomatic while preserving the character of the original. The popular assumption is that in the wake of the Islamic conquests, Christianity abandoned the Middle East to flourish elsewhere, leaving its original heartland devoid of an indigenous Christian presence. Until now, several of these important texts have remained unpublished or unavailable in English. Translated by leading scholars, these texts represent the major genres of Orthodox literature in Arabic. Noble and Treiger provide an introduction that helps form a comprehensive history of Christians within the Muslim world. The collection marks an important contribution to the history of medieval Christianity and the history of the medieval Near East.

    It draws upon such fields as archaeology, art and architecture, biography, cultural studies, ecclesiology, geography, history, philosophy, and theology. This three-volume encyclopedia offers unparalleled, comprehensive coverage of the people, places and ideas of ancient Christianity, including:cultural currentsevents and movementsphilosophyiconography and architecturearchaeologytexts and translationstheological termsdoctrinesliturgyspiritualitymonasticismChristian sectsheresiescontroversiescouncilsThe encyclopedia's A-to-Z coverage extends from "Aaron (iconography)" to "Zosimus, pope" and chronologically from Christianity's origins to Bede (d. 735) in the West and John of Damascus (d. ca. 749) in the Greek East, with detailed emphasis on the first four centuries of Christian history. Its geographical range reaches across:North AfricaMauretaniaNumidiaAfrica Proconsularis ByzacenaLibyaEgyptNubiaEthiopiaAsiaAdiabeneArmeniaBithynia & PontusGeorgiaCappadociaLycia and PamphyliaPhrygiaSyriaMesopotamiaArabiaPalestinePersiaChinaEuropeGaulSpain & PortugalItalyGermanyBritain and IrelandScotlandPannoniaDalmatiaMacedoniaMoesiaThraceCyprusCreteThis edition updates and expands on previous Italian and English-language editions with the addition of more than 500 new articles (added to the current Italian or English edition), including the following 30 articles exclusive to IVP's edition:apostolic seeCapuaCarmen de synodo TicinensiChinacosmopolitanismdeathdiakonia/diaconateDialogi de sancta Trinitate IV-Vdoorkeeper (porter)dynamis/energeiaeternityforgivenessfreedom/free willgoodHierotheusincubatioinfinity/infinitudelibelli miraculorumloveMara bar Serapion (letter of)oikeiosisold agepresanctifiedSerapeion (Serapeum)subdeaconTheosebiaTriumphus Christi heroicusTychonunityVirgo ParensExtensive cross-referencing provides ease in exploring related articles, and helpful bibliographies, including primary sources (texts, critical editions, translations) and key secondary sources (books and journal articles), give access to the very latest in-depth scholarship in countless disciplines of study. IVP's new Encyclopedia of Ancient Christianity (2014) is translated from Nuovo dizionario patristico e di antichita cristiane (2006-2008), produced by the Institutum Patristicum Augustinianum, the world's foremost center for partristic studies, under the direction of Professor Angelo Di Berardino, and it greatly updates and expands the 1992 Encyclopedia of the Early Church (Oxford University Press/James Clarke).

    Seymour (1870–1922) preached Pentecostal revival at the Azusa Street mission in Los Angeles. From these and other humble origins the movement has blossomed to 631 million people around the world. Gastón Espinosa provides new insight into the life and ministry of Seymour, the Azusa Street revival, and Seymour's influence on global Pentecostal origins. After defining key terms and concepts, he surveys the changing interpretations of Seymour over the past 100 years, critically engages them in a biography, and then provides an unparalleled collection of primary sources, all in a single volume. He pays particular attention to race relations, Seymour's paradigmatic global influence from 1906 to 1912, and the break between Seymour and Charles Parham, another founder of Pentecostalism. Espinosa's fragmentation thesis argues that the Pentecostal propensity to invoke direct unmediated experiences with the Holy Spirit empowers ordinary people to break the bottle of denominationalism and to rapidly indigenize and spread their message.The 104 primary sources include all of Seymour's extant writings in full and without alteration and some of Parham's theological, social, and racial writings, which help explain why the two parted company. To capture the revival's diversity and global influence, this book includes Black, Latino, Swedish, and Irish testimonies, along with those of missionaries and leaders who spread Seymour's vision of Pentecostalism globally.

    He shows how the memories and faith of the earliest believers formed the Gospel accounts of Jesus that got written and, in turn, how these accounts further shaped the early church. Bird's study clarifies the often confusing debates over the origins of the canonical Gospels. Bird navigates recent concerns and research as he builds an informed case for how the early Christ followers wrote and spread the story of Jesus -- the story by which they believed they were called to live. The Gospel of the Lord is ideal for students or anyone who wants to know the story behind the four Gospels. Watch an interview with Michael Bird from our Eerdmans Author Interview Series:

    The book offers a guideline for Christians to work out their theology in day-to-day life. This analysis of Wesley's strategy for renewing the church offers inspiration to those working to bring about that renewal.

    Taught by Professor William R. Cook from the State University of New York at GeneseoHis biography is at https://www.thegreatcourses.com/profe...The course information can be found at:https://www.thegreatcourses.com/cours...Lecture 1. The earliest churches -- Lecture 2. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre -- Lecture 3. Hagia Sophia -- Lecture 4. The cave churches of Cappadocia -- Lecture 5. Great churches of Russia -- Lecture 6. The painted churches of Romania -- Lecture 7. The churches of Armenia -- Lecture 8. The churches of Georgia -- Lecture 9. The rock-hewn churches of Ethiopia -- Lecture 10. The Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba -- Lecture 11. The stave churches of Norway -- Lecture 12. The Pilgrimage Church of Sainte-Foy -- Lecture 13. The Cathedral of Monreale -- Lecture 14. Chartres Cathedral -- Lecture 15. Winchester Cathedral -- Lecture 16. The Cathedral of Siena -- Lecture 17. St. Peter's Basilica -- Lecture 18. The Wieskirche in Bavaria -- Lecture 19. La Compañia and Las Lajas Sanctuary -- Lecture 20. Guadalupe and the Cathedral of Mixico City -- Lecture 21. Four great American churches -- Lecture 22. La Sagrada Familia -- Lecture 23. Iceland's Hallgrimskirkja -- Lecture 24. Two churches in Seoul, Korea.

    Jan de Bruijn’s beautiful pictorial biography fills a gap in offering a full-fledged portrait of this remarkable, visionary, polemical, complex character.Nearly four hundred full-color illustrations with extended explanatory captions make up the book. Readers will see political cartoons, family photos, posters, pictures of important places in Kuyper’s life. Even Kuyper enthusiasts are sure to find something new here! Never before has there been a book available in English that illustrates Kuyper’s life to such a great extent.

    But the light of God's Word and its hope of salvation could not be destroyed even in the darkest prison camp.Georgi Vins, a Baptist pastor living in the U.S.S.R., was 37-years-old the first time he was imprisoned for his faith in a Soviet prison camp. He left behind his wife, his children, and his church. Over the course of thirteen years, Pastor Vins spent a total of eight years in the gulags.But in the pages of this book, you won't read about a man who felt sorry for himself or who wallowed in the misery of his sufferings. Rather, you will hear the true stories of believers whose faith in Jesus Christ took preeminence in their lives and who allowed nothing, not even a Communist government, to take away their faith and their hope.Threaded through The Gospel in Bonds is an intricately woven theme of love for God's Word and faith in the Gospel, even in the midst of severe punishment and deprivation.The pages of this book will give you insight into the mind of a man uniquely used by God and encourage you to an ever-closer walk with the Savior, Jesus Christ!

    Founded in the early eighteenth century by a Greek Archbishop from Alexandria in Egypt, the church was aided by the nascent Russian Empire of Tsar Peter the Great and joined by Englishmen finding in it the Apostolic faith. It became a key centre of Orthodox Church life for Western Europe and America until the Bolshevik revolution and ultimately proved to be a haven for the many refugees of that calamity. In turn it became a spiritual home for those who escaped the upheavals following World War II or who sought economic opportunities in the West after the fall of communism in Russia. For much of this time the parish was a focal point for Anglican-Orthodox relations and Orthodox missionary endeavours from Japan to the Americas.This is a history of the Orthodox Church in the West, of the Russian emigration to Europe, and of major world events through the prism of a particular local community. We become acquainted with the stories of an array of persons, from archbishops to members of Parliament and imperial diplomats to post-war refugees. Their lives and the constantly changing mosaic of global political and economic realities provide the background for the struggle to create and sustain the London church through time.

    

    After a brief introduction to Burgess and his historical context, Casselli details the logical course of Burgess’s book considering the law as given to Adam, the law given to Moses, and finally the proper relation between law and gospel. Along the way, Casselli opens up such controverted points as natural law, the covenant of works, the continuing obligation to the moral law, and the diverse administrations of one unified covenant of grace. What we see is a pastoral theology developed in a richly complex environment where technical distinctions were warranted given the polemical context; where the broad history of the Western catholic tradition was deeply respected; where a covenantal hermeneutic was consistently applied to Scripture; and where all theological formulations grew out of detailed linguistic exegesis of particular texts of Scripture in the context of the broader ecclesiastical community. Table of Contents: 1. Introduction 2. The Life of Anthony Burgess 3. Creation and Law 4. Law Given to Moses 5. Law and Gospel 6. Conclusions Appendix A – Sabbath Series Description Complementing the primary source material in the Principal Documents of the Westminster Assembly series, the Studies on the Westminster Assembly provides access to classic studies that have not been reprinted and to new studies, providing some of the best existing research on the Assembly and its members.

    Geordan Hammond presents the first book-length study of Wesley's experience in America, providing an innovative contribution to debates about the significance of a formative period of Wesley's life. John Wesley in America addresses Wesley's Georgia mission in fresh perspective by interpreting it in its immediate context. In order to re-evaluate this period of Wesley's life, Hammond carefully considers Wesley's writings and those of his contemporaries. A laboratory for implementing his views ofprimitive Christianity, the mission served to restore the doctrine, discipline, and practice of the early church in the pristine Georgia wilderness. Understanding the centrality of primitive Christianity to Wesley's thinking and pastoral methods is essential to comprehending his experience inAmerica. Wesley's conception of primitive Christianity was rooted in his embrace of patristic scholarship at Oxford. The most direct influence, however, was the High Church ecclesiology of the Usager Nonjurors who inspired him with their commitment to the restoration of the primitive church.

    And yet, pulling together and distilling the right readings can be challenging, especially in more recent periods where tracing the diverse traditions that flow from the momentous events of the sixteenth century requires nuance.In this all-new primary-source anthology, Keith D. Stanglin has done the heavy lifting for a new generation of classrooms. Stanglin has edited and introduced over 100 selections to create a reader that orients students to the ebb and flow of thought that moves out from the pre-Reformation period. Attentive to major movements such as confessionalization, pietism, skepticism, liberalism, and revivalism, Stanglin organizes the readings into nine chapters and provides helpful introductions to each: Late Medieval Contexts, Outbreak of Reform, Radical Reformation, Roman Catholic (Counter-) Reformation, Protestant Codifiers and Confessionalization, Enlightenment and Skepticism, Pietism and Revivalism, Liberal Protestantism and Responses, and Late Modern Fragmentation and Ecumenism.

    Since the early days of Mormonism, Latter-day Saints have used the paradigm of apostasy and restoration in their narratives about the origin of their church. This has generated a powerful and enduring binary of categorization that has profoundlyimpacted Mormon self-perception and relations with others. Standing Apart explores how the idea of apostasy has functioned as a category to mark, define, and set apart the other in Mormon historical consciousness and in the construction of Mormon narrative identity. The volume's fifteencontributors trace the development of LDS narratives of apostasy within the context of both Mormon history and American Protestant historiography. They suggest ways in which these narratives might be reformulated to engage with the past, as well as offering new models for interfaith relations. Thisvolume provides a novel approach for understanding and resolving some of the challenges faced by the LDS church in the twenty-first century.

    One in Hope and Doctrine offers a long-overdue narrative history, seen through the eyes of two leading characters, Oliver van Osdel and Robert Ketcham.The authors discuss the formation of the General Association of Regular Baptists, Conservative Baptists, the Fundamental Baptist Fellowship, the World Baptist Fellowship, the Bible Baptist Fellowship, the Sword of the Lord, and the movement that became known as Independent Fundamental Baptists.Carefully developed after years of research, personal interviews, and primary sources, the book will valuable to scholars, pastors, and ordinary church members.

    Marsden. His work spans U.S. intellectual, cultural, and religious history from the seventeenth through the twenty-first centuries. This collection of essays uses the career of George M. Marsden and the remarkable breadth of his scholarship to measure current trends in the historical study of American evangelical Protestantism and to encourage fresh scholarly investigation of this faith tradition as it has developed between the eighteenth century and the present. Moving through five sections, each centered around one of Marsden’s major books and the time period it represents, the volume explores different methodologies and approaches to the history of evangelicalism and American religion. Besides assessing Marsden’s illustrious works on their own terms, this collection’s contributors isolate several key themes as deserving of fresh, rigorous, and extensive examination. Through their close investigation of these particular themes, they expand the range of characters and communities, issues and ideas, and contingencies that can and should be accounted for in our historical texts. Marsden’s timeless scholarship thus serves as a launchpad for new directions in our rendering of the American religious past.

    The original (1948) hardback edition sold 600,000 copies and by 1984 paperback sales had exceeded 3m. It has been translated into 15 languages and remains in print today. The 2015 centenary of Merton's birth provides an opportunity to reconsider both his international reputation and his startling relevance in today's world. Merton was a Trappist monk, writer, contemplative, social critic, pacifist, jazz lover and (in the context of world faiths) ecumenist whose sudden, premature death in unexplained circumstances prompted a further surge of interest in the man and his work. His extensive writings, many only recently available, provide the basis for a fresh examination of his story, permitting Merton to speak for himself whenever possible, but enabling also an analysis of his abiding fascination and the discontents – human and divine – that dominated so much of his life. The author inspires us to look again at our preconceived ideas about the natural world, the prevailing culture, abuses of power, questions of war and peace, contemplation and action, institutions and the freedom of the individual – and the search for God.NB The International Thomas Merton Society has 40 Chapters in the US alone, overseas Chapters in Argentina, Australia (2), France, Japan, New Zealand and Russia, and affiliated organisations in 11 further countries (Belgium & the Netherlands, Brazil, Canada, England, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Korea, Poland, Spain and Sweden).

    Author Chester L. Alwes divides this exploration into two volumes which move from Medieval music and the Renaissance era up to the21st century. Volume I surveys the choral music of composers including Josquin, Palestrina, Purcell, Handel, and J.S. Bach while detailing the stylistic, textual, and extramusical considerations unique to the topics covered. Consideration of Renaissance music includes both sacred and secular works, specifically addressing the growth of sacred music, the rise of secular music, and the proliferation of sacred polyphony from Josquin to Palestrina. Discussion of the Baroque era is organized by geographic location, exploring the spread of Baroque style from Italy to German, France, and England.Volume I concludes by examining the aesthetic underpinnings of the early Classical and Romantic eras. Framing discussion within the political, religious, cultural, philosophical, aesthetic, and technological contexts of each era, A History of Western Choral Music offers readers specialized insightinto major composers and works while providing a cohesive understanding of choral music's place in Western history.

    Questions about it abound, such as…How did it start?How does it work?How is it led?Why does it continue to experience revival?Is it necessary, now that China has extended religious freedoms?Much of the confusion is caused by the Chinese government, which deceives journalists and foreign missionaries with promises of religious freedom that are never kept. The truth is, the house churches of China are growing at a phenomenal rate. Never in the history of the world have so many people in such a short time left one belief system for another without a hostile revolution. Lives in China are being transformed daily by the gospel of Jesus Christ and the display of His miraculous power.The Underground Church demystifies the Chinese house church movement, with real-life examples and personal testimonies from Chinese Christians. The movement’s unique characteristics—both good and bad—are addressed, as well as how they have led to the church’s astonishing growth. Read and be amazed at what God is doing in China!

    

    It represented a determined attempt by the papacy to frustrate and reverse the ecclesiastical policy of the emperor and patriarch at Constantinople. It represented the boldest challenge to imperial authority by churchmen that late antiquity had seen. The theology adopted by the synod and its expression in a series of speeches was the work of a team of Greek monks under the leadership of St Maximus the Confessor. This translation will add to the still limited body of material available in English for the study of a writer who is widely held to have been the greatest of all Byzantine theologians. The Acts of the synod have been a major puzzle ever since their editor, Rudolf Riedinger, demonstrated that the Greek version, not the Latin, is the original, even though the council must have conducted its business in Latin. This edition offers a new explanation of this anomaly, which restores authenticity to the synodal sessions, without denying that the Acts, as published, were not a straight factual record but propaganda intended to convince the Roman world of the orthodoxy and authority of the papacy.

    Brought up in Dundee, one of eleven children, Mary was called to mission. Setting sail for West Africa on the 5th August 1876, Mary arrived one month later. Bruce McLennan examines this remarkable story of a woman who shared the Gospel, stood up against inequality and impacted all areas of life in Calabar with boldness and conviction. McLennan also considers the debt owed to the work of previous missionaries who had established the work and looks at the legacy of Slessor after her death.

    Carefully documented from Josephus, Tacitus, Yosippon, Hegesippus, Eusebius, and other historians. Our previous book, First Century Events, only briefly surveyed some of these events (73 pages). This has been greatly expanded and put into this new book (244 pages). If you want to see how all the end-time Bible prophecies were fulfilled historically, this is the book for you!

    The assembly identified all the different ways Filipinos were being oppressed and determined the cases in which restitution had to be made and how much. All this was set down in a handbook for confessors. The publication of the handbook was delayed, and Salazar's death in 1594 meant the indefinite suspension of all publication plans. Some ten years later these plans were revived, and annotations were made to the original manuscript. Publication, however was once again thwarted by a calamity that destroyed almost half of the manuscript.Sometime in the middle of the seventeenth century, a clean copy was made of the surviving chapters of the handbook, with the scribes incorporating the early seventeenth-century annotations haphazardly into the main text of the handbook. The present work is an English translation of the clean copy and attempts to disentangle the annotations and to reconstruct the original text itself in some places dubiously copied.The handbook for confessors of the Synod of Manila of 1582 is not the only unintended witness to early Spanish abuses that it describes in appalling detail; it is also a vivid portrait of the Lascasian generation of missionaries who defended native rights and human dignity. It is the only surviving document produced by the assembly that influenced Spanish colonial policy in the Philippines crucially for at least the next two centuries.

    The present volume contains the translations of four works, all of which are exegetical treatises of one sort or another: The Lord's Sermon on the Mount, Agreement among the Evangelists, Questions on the Gospels and Seventeen Questions on Matthew.

    He existed in an age when biblical studies as we know it was being formed, when the quest for forgotten manuscripts and lost treasures was being undertaken with no less zeal and intrigue than it is today. It was Tischendorf who found, and preserved, the oldest extant version of the complete bible that we know of, the so-called Codex Sinaiticus, which he discovered in poor condition at St Catherine's Monastery at the foot of Mount Sinai, in 1846. With the discovery of the Codex Tischendorf, and others, was to take the study of biblical texts further than ever before, through linguistic methods, and attention to the most ancient sources available. In many ways Tischendorf was a father figure of the modern Historical Critical Method. In this short biography, Stanley E. Porter, himself one of the most respected scholars of the New Testament and Koine Greek currently writing, gives a portrait of Tischendorf's life and work, together with an annotated republication of Tischendorf's influential work on the Gospels. Published to celebrate Tischendorf's bicentenary, in 2015, this volume will be a must for those seeking to understand how the study of biblical manuscripts began, and to understand the man who discovered the oldest version of the bible as we know it.

    His actions and words suggest that he is here not to dominate but to serve, less inclined to preach than to listen, and to bring us back to Jesus "that we may have life and have it more abundantly." Award-winning journalist Robert Blair Kaiser argues that the pope's Jesuit DNA is central to understanding how Pope Francis is shaping the church and the world. Inside the Jesuits takes readers inside the Jesuits' head-and-heart take on faith. The author tells the story of his own Jesuit training before leaving to become a journalist and highlights how the key elements of the Jesuit formation have made Pope Francis the pope he is--like Jesus in his simplicity, launching bold administrative moves to update the Church, and daring to say and do things no other pope has said or done. He washes the feet of those in prison, including a Muslim woman. He says of homosexuals, "Who am I to judge?" To further illustrate the Jesuit DNA in action, Kaiser produces some fascinating profiles of other Jesuits and former Jesuits working the Jesuit motto, "for the greater glory of God"--which Kaiser gives a more worldly spin: "for the greater good of the people of God." Inside the Jesuits is a powerful exploration of how the Jesuit training--to be more like Jesus--has shaped Pope Francis, a self-confessed sinner who encourages us to love our supposedly-less-worthy selves and help make a better world.

    Catholic priests certainly do not hold a monopoly on either the struggles or achievements involved. However, in the embryonic stage of Western Civilization from A.D. 300 to 1000, firstly because they numbered so many men of heroism and genius in their ranks, and secondly due to their triple mission within the Church to teach, sanctify and govern, they became the "pioneers and irreplaceable builders" of a new culture and socio-political order."Heroism and Genius" presents some of these formidable men of the Dark Ages and, to a lesser degree, of the medieval period, sketching their decisive role in the building of some of the landmark social, artistic and economic institutions that mark Western Civilization as both original and originating in the Catholic matrix: Fathers of the Western socio-political ethos, Chivalry and Free-Market Economics; leaders of nations, statesmen, and defiers of tyrants; music composers, pioneers of universal education, and architects of some of the world s loveliest buildings; and, enigmatically, the clandestine revolutionaries behind the flowering of the culture of romantic love that became the classic model for relations between men and women in the West.This is a popular history of the role of the Catholic priesthood in laying the foundations for the socio-political-cultural ethos of Western Civilization, along with a sketch of various institutions characteristic of that civilization that first budded in that time period."

    While Miller is most commonly remembered for his writings on church office, he also played a significant role instructing students and shaping their theology of preaching and pastoral ministry. In the present volume, Jim Garretson highlights the narrative of Miller’s life and the major ministerial emphases found in his published writings, sermons, and unpublished lecture notes. As a result, readers will come to know the spiritual convictions of Miller’s heart and understand the theology of ministry he imparted over the course of his lifetime.

    A must read to all students of Church history.

    Designed for the so-called White Monastery Federation, a community of monks and nuns who banded together about 360 CE, the rules are quoted by the great monastic leader Shenoute ofAtripe in his writings of the fourth and fifth century. These rules provide new and intimate access to the earliest phases of Christian communal (cenobitic) monasticism.In this volume, Bentley Layton presents for the first time the Coptic text of the rules, amounting to five hundred and ninety-five entries, accompanied by a clear and exact English translation. Four preliminary chapters discuss the character of the rules in their historical and social context, andpresent new evidence for the founding of the monastic federation. From passing remarks in the rules, Layton paints a brilliant picture of monastic daily life and ascetic practice, organized around six general topics: the monastery as a physical plant, the human makeup of the community, the patternof ascetic observances, the hierarchy of authority, the daily liturgy, and monastic economic life. The Canons of Our Fathers will be a fundamental resource for readers interested in Christian life in late antiquity, ascetic practices, and the history of monasticism in all its forms.

    Elizabeth Ann Seton, Thomas Merton, and G.K. Chesterton. In a 1926 essay, Chesterton expressed reluctance to describe his conversion, on account of a strong feeling that this method makes the business look much smaller than it really is.As David Yamane shows in Becoming Catholic, the business was not only spiritually but literally very large, and growing ever larger: roughly 150,000 Americans join the Catholic Church each year, and more than one in fifty American adults is a Catholic convert. Altogether, these 5.85 millionindividuals are the fifth-largest religious group in America. In this first significant study of the phenomenon of Roman Catholic conversion in the contemporary United States, Yamane provides an in-depth look at the process of adult initiation in the twenty-first century Catholic Church, includingthe new process of spiritual formation--called the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)--that was ushered in by Vatican II. The RCIA process, which has become an integral part of Catholic parish life, takes individuals on a journey through four distinct, formative periods, punctuated byelaborate ritual transitions, before they are finally baptized at Easter.Drawing on years of observational fieldwork and candid interviews with more than 200 individuals undergoing the initiation process, Yamane follows would-be Catholics through all four stages of the RCIA and offers an incisive new perspective on what it means to choose Catholicism in America today.

    But, the holy scriptures do not describe Christ’s physiognomy, and his representations are inconsistent in early Christian and medieval arts. How did this long-haired archetype come to be accepted in the late ninth century as the standard iconography of the Son of God? To answer this question, The Many Faces of Christ examines the complex historical and cultural dynamics underlying the making and final establishment of Christ’s image between late antiquity and the early Renaissance.   Taking into account a broad spectrum of iconographic and textual sources, Michele Bacci describes the process of creating Christ’s image against the backdrop of ancient and biblical conceptions of beauty and physicality as indicators of moral, ascetic, or messianic qualities. He investigates the increasingly dominant role played by visual experience in Christian religious practice, which promoted belief in the existence of ancient documents depicting Christ’s appearance, and he shows how this resulted in the shaping of portrait-like images that were said to be true to life. With glances at analogous progressions in the Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, and Taoist traditions, this beautifully illustrated book will be of interest to specialists of Late Antique, Byzantine, and medieval studies, as well as anyone interested in the shifting, controversial conceptions of the historical figure of Jesus Christ.

    At a time when many are concerned how Christian influence is to be revived in the 'post-Christian' West, Knox tells the story of events set in what were, in many ways, days darker than our own. He both records and illustrates what he saw as the ultimate key: 'God gave his Holy Spirit to simple men in great abundance.'

    Bringing together an array of scholars, this book demonstrates that Orthodox reflections on spiritual, philosophical, and aesthetic issues of the day informed much of Russia’s intellectual and cultural climate.             Volume editors Patrick Lally Michelson and Judith Deutsch Kornblatt provide a historical overview of Russian Orthodox thought and a critical essay on the current state of scholarship about religious thought in modern Russia. The contributors explore a wide range of topics, including Orthodox claims to a unique religious Enlightenment, contests over authority within the Russian Church, tensions between faith and reason in academic Orthodoxy, the relationship between sacraments and the self, the religious foundations of philosophical and legal categories, and the effect of Orthodox categories in the formation of Russian literature.

    

    Little could he have known that his exile would end in less than two years when Scotland rose up to resist the king's domination of the church. He could hardly have imagined that he would serve a key role in reasserting biblical doctrine, worship and government to the Scottish church. He would also play an important part in the Westminster Assembly, defining Christian doctrine for much of the English-speaking world for centuries to come, and nearly two dozen influential books would flow from his pen, winning the admiration of the Reformed churches of Britain and the Continent. He would even have the most prestigious universities in the Netherlands and Scotland clamor to have him fill their chairs of divinity, and as a professor of theology, he would mold the minds of a generation of Scottish pastors and theologiansAlexander Whyte wrote, “No man of his age in broad Scotland stood higher as a scholar, a theologian, a controversialist, a preacher and a very saint than Samuel Rutherford.” Nor could Rutherford have envisioned in his wildest dreams that a collection of letters that he sent to friends from his exile in Aberdeen would rank among the most beloved Christian classics,a timeless source of spiritual inspiration to millions of readers.

    Missing from those discussions, Simon J. Joseph contends, are the unique conceptions of an Adamic redeemer figure in the Enochic materialconceptions that informed the Q tradition and, he argues, Jesus own self-understanding.

    Not Bethlehem in Pennsylvania but Bayt Lahm, Jesus’ birthplace in Israel. From the night of Jesus’ birth in a stable to a believers’ community on the heights above the Lehigh River an unbroken story of faith continues. It is a story other Christian groups have often wished to invent for themselves, but with little success. The Moravians, without invention, are an “Apostolic” church (a church that has kept its succession of leadership unbroken from the apostles’ times to now). More than that, they survived as a movement keeping its place in the love of Christ with far greater faithfulness than most, through two thousand years. Yet their story, like the story of all faith communities, involves struggle, confusion at times, and trials that obscured its way. It is not as simple as some have been led to believe. “As a church we descend from the movement of John Huss, burned at the stake in 1415,” say tour guides at Moravian museums. At first I took what they said at face value. But the more I learned of the facts behind that statement, the more I saw how potentially misleading it could be. The Unitas Fratrum (the Brotherly Unity or Moravian church) “descends” from John Huss in the same way, perhaps, as the Anabaptists from Martin Luther, or the Quakers from Oliver Cromwell. Certainly, there was a connection, but to speak of spiritual “descent” implies more than there really was. The “renewed Moravians” (the Unitas Fratrum after 1722) were not Czech-speaking people of Moravian background. True, they came across the mountains from Moravia— the “hidden seed”—but their ancestors were German Waldenses who in their turn had fled there for refuge. In Moravia their ancestors had linked arms with the Unitas Fratrum, a Czech renewal movement. But even it had stood in sharpest opposition to John Huss’s reformation from the beginning, and far from representing him now, bore the marks of brutal suppression suffered under the rule of his followers for centuries. To get the story straight we need to go back—far back beyond Moravia, the Hussites and Waldenses, to early Christian communities in Asia. . . .

    Throughout the ages this precious book has been persecuted and preserved, yet many today are weak in the faith and, therefore, question the inspiration of the Bible.Our Authorized Bible Vindicated explores the history of the Bible from the earliest manuscripts until now, demonstrating how it has been preserved in its entirety. Today more than ever there is a need to return to the authentic roots of our spiritual foundation. With the lines between truth and falsity blurring, it is imperative that we discern what is accurate and what is not. Satan is working overtime to the point, if it were possible, of deceiving the very elect through faulty Bible translations and a dismissal of the Word of God. This book seeks to confirm and establish faith in the Bible, an infallible book that is the key to all of life's questions.

    Witty, provocative and hopeful, What the Facebook? is a different kind of theology with a wonderful new perspective about the character of the one Jesus called, "Abba." Michael Hardin's sequel to The Jesus Driven Life delves deeply into problems of God's image and the Church's image that plague Protestant Christianity. He offers challenging and incisive critiques, and charts exciting ways that Protestants, and other Christians, can learn to follow Jesus in the 21st century. "In What the Facebook? Hardin has completely rewritten the rules of the game, transforming his Facebook account from a social network into a theological salon par excellence that not even Mark Zuckerberg could have anticipated." Kevin Miller "Michael Hardin is one of our most important theologians today. Read What the Facebook? and discover how this great teacher is using social media to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ like never before." Adam Ericksen "Sometimes funny, sometimes furious, and always compelling, What the Facebook? is serious theology engaging American mass culture-Michael Hardin is one of my favorite thinkers." Brian Zahnd "What the Facebook? is an invaluable resource for the lay theologian wanting to seriously explore leading edge theological thinking with a master. Once you've completed this book, you'll want to keep it handy for ready reference." Steve Hansen "By far one of the most compelling voices in Christian theology today, Michael Hardin's What the Facebook? is a must read for anyone who desires to think outside of their tired theological box and delve more deeply into the riches of the Gospel of Jesus." Brandan Robertson "Few theologians are willing to engage with people on Facebook. It is a brave thing to do! Michael's posts have helped many to rethink their concepts of God, man, atonement, violence and the satan. Whether you agree or not, these posts will be highly informative." Andre Rabe