Yet, even so, most people are hard-pressed to define what God's holiness precisely is. Many preachers today avoid the topic altogether because people today don't quite know what to do with words like "awe" or "fear." R. C. Sproul, in this classic work, puts the holiness of God in its proper and central place in the Christian life. He paints an awe-inspiring vision of God that encourages Christian to become holy just as God is holy. Once you encounter the holiness of God, your life will never be the same.

    Letter of Pope John Paul II on the Christian Meaning of Human Suffering, 11 February 1984.

    Having taken over 30 years to write, the Church Dogmatics is regarded as one of the most important theological works of all time, and represents the pinnacle of Barth's achievement as a theologian.T&T Clark International is now proud to be publishing the only complete English translation of the Church Dogmatics in paperback.

    The average Christian does not realize that there is an intellectual war going on in the universities and in the professional journals and scholarly societies. Christianity is being attacked from all sides as irrational or outmoded, and millions of students, our future generation of leaders have absorbed this viewpoint. This is a war which we cannot afford to lose.... "In addition to serving, like the rest of theology in general, as an expression of our loving God with all our minds, apologetics specifically serves to show to unbelievers the truth of the Christian faith, to confirm that faith to believers, and to reveal and explore the connections between Christian doctrine and other truths.... Apologetics... is a theoretical discipline that tries to answer the question, What rational defense can be given for the Christian faith?"This book by respected philosopher and theologian William Lane Craig has been thoroughly revised and updated to equip believers in the successful proclamation of biblical truth claims. The author gives careful attention to crucial questions and concerns, including: How Do I Know Christianity Is True?, The Absurdity of Life Without God, The Existence of God, The Problem of Miracles, and The Resurrection of Jesus.An invaluable scholarly resource for all committed defenders of the Christian faith.

    Torrance (Professor Emeritus of Christian Dogmatics at the University of Edinburgh) sets forth a devotional theology of the atoning work of Christ in: the mediation of revelation, the mediation of reconciliation, the person of the mediator, the mediation of Christ in our human response, and the atonement and the Holy Trinity. This important 2nd edition adds a foreword addressing the reality of unconditional grace in relation to "the integrity of the response we are called to make in repentance for sin and in acceptance of Jesus Christ as our personal Savior." Also added to this edition is a new final chapter, which further addresses the centrality of the Trinity in the atonement.

    

    The author emphasized that our view of the future is inescapably bound up with our view of Jesus Christ. The fact that Jesus is now King of kings and Lord of lords means that His Gospel must be victorious: The Holy Spirit will bring the water of life to the ends of the earth. The Christian message is one of Hope: Pentecost was just the beginning.

    Benedict's Rule has been a source of guidance, support, inspiration, challenge, comfort and discomfort for men and women. It has helped both those living under monastic vows and those living outside the cloister in all the mess and muddle of ordinary, busy lives in the world. Esther de Waal's Seeking God serves as an introduction to this life-giving way and encourages people to discover for themselves the gift that St. Benedict can bring to individuals, to the Church, and to the world, now and in the years to come.Through this definitive classic Esther de Waal has become known as an authority for the lay person on the Rule of St. Benedict. Her ability to communicate clearly the principal values of the Rule when applied to lay people is the ultimate strength of this book. She follows each chapter with a page or two of thoughts and prayers, contributing to its meditative quality.Esther de Waal is an Anglican lay woman, married with four sons and a number of grandchildren. She lives on the Welsh Borders where she grew up and spends her time gardening, writing, traveling, and taking retreats. She became interested in Benedictine monasticism as a result of living for ten years in Canterbury and has written several books on the Rule of St. Benedict including a life-Giving Way, published by The Liturgical Press, 1995. She holds a PhD. from Cambridge and was given an honorary doctorate from St. John's University for her contribution to Benedictine studies and for her ecumenical work. She was awarded the Templeton Prize for having started the Benedictine Experience weeks which are now widely held throughout America and England.

    John and Augustine both develop the same central theme love and in these homilies Augustine uses John's epistle as a point of departure for exploring the meaning and implications of love with his customary profundity, passion and analytic rigor. As with John, a context of dissension and conflict within the Christian community (the Donatist breakaway from Catholic unity), gives his preaching a tone of urgency and poignancy. Anyone who reads these homilies, universally viewed as classics, cannot fail to be moved and challenged both intellectually and emotionally.

    

    Therefore, when the religion of a people is weakened, so also is its morality undermined. The result is a progressive collapse of law and order, and the breakdown of society.Men, though, see law as a limitation on their liberty, and Christianity is held to be the most restrictive with its emphasis upon Biblical law as the foundation for morality and liberty. Humanistic man wants total liberty, but he does not realize that total liberty leads only to total anarchy, and that leads to the death of law and liberty. Unless every man’s liberty is limited by law, no liberty is possible for any one.In this concise volume, R. J. Rushdoony expounds on the central themes of the application of Biblical law to every area of life. This book is a great starting point to understanding Rushdoony’s larger expositions on Biblical law.

    Even the church has often got it backward. And in Paul's second letter to the Corinthians, he confronts similar problems in the first-century church. D. A. Carson believes we can learn valuable lessons from Paul's letter about what it really means to be a mature Christian in the face of adversity. In A Model of Christian Maturity he takes the reader step by step through an exposition of 2 Corinthians 10-13 and then helps them apply these Scriptures to everyday life in the church. Perfect for pastors, students, and laypeople, this book highlights the power of weakness in the life of the Christian.

    Ferguson. No ordinary book of memoirs concludes with the promise, 'I am with you always, even to the end of the world.' But the biography of Jesus is no mere commemoration of the departed; his promise makes the Evangelists' account a living history. "Take the Gospel record in your hands," says Hugh Martin, "and you have the means of causing you to realize Christ's presence." Whether you are burdened, anxious, failing, sorrowful, or hardened, Jesus' promise means that his perfect words come with power to people in every condition and that he is present with his people in every situation.

    Turning life's tragedies into stepping stones of growth in greatness.

    Howard Thurman (1900-1981) and his throught emerges in a message of hope, reconciliation, and love. An anthology of the most important and eloquent writings of Thurman, minister, philosopher, educator, and spiritual leader whose influence on leaders of the civil rights movement and on Americans at large has been likened to that of Martin Lurther King, Jr.

    The Four Gospels Speak in Harmony

    Artists and theologians have meditated upon the mystery of God's human countenance and tried to express it. This book seeks to present the great sources of this meditation--sources which today are widely unknown, or have become foreign or obscure. These sources are above all the great masters of early Christianity. In their meditation upon Christ, Bishop Schonborn seeks the sources of the art on the Icon. The reader will find not only an engaging introduction to the meaning and beauty of Icons, but an invitation to draw closer to the One who inspired these Masters of theological expression and holy art. Includes beautiful color Icon illustrations.

    

    Starting from St. Bernard of Clairvaux's counsel to root spirituality in one's own experience, Gustavo Gutierrez outlines the contours of a spirituality rooted in the experience of the poor and their struggle for life. His aim is to reflect on the contemporary "road to holiness" -- the passage of a people "through the solitude and dangers of the desert, as it carves out its own way in the following of Jesus Christ. This spiritual experience is the well from which we must drink. From it we draw the promise of resurrection."

    

    Too many initiatives for reconciliation, fail to remove the weeds of injustice at the roots, and thus stop short of completing the work required. Such political arrangements usually favor the rich and powerful, but deprive the powerless of justice and dignity. This is a form of "political pietism," and when Christians refuse to name this situation for what it is, they are practicing "Christian quietism." True reconciliation is radical. In this book the authors a South African prominent in the struggle against apartheid, and a white U.S. theologian who has served in pastoral roles in multi-racial congregations offer a vision of reconciliation and social justice grounded in the biblical story and their own experience of activism. After re-examining the meaning of reconciliation in the biblical context, the authors examine Jesus' role as a radical reconciler and prophet of social justice. They go on to examine the role of reconciliation in religious communities and in the wider society.

    The translator has accomplished his task in a most praiseworthy manner by giving a faithful translation, without in any way detracting from the strength or clarity of the original commentary. The inclusion of a ‘word index’ of the entire text has added to the worth of the book.

    

    

    Brueggemann describes the human cries of anguish and the exultations of praise expressed in the Psalms.

    The rise in the modern era of dispensational theology has diminished the impact upon culture of covenantal theology - yet if we follow Scripture we are to see ourselves as a covenant people, saved by grace and in covenant with God and his people. Arthur Pink shows from scripture both the existence and meaning of the covenants of works and grace, covenants given to us and our children for all time.

    M.

    Spiritual Direction offers practical help to those clergy and laypersons who are responsible for the spiritual lives of other people. Spiritual Direction encourages spiritual directors to take their responsibilities seriously and professionally, moving spiritual direction away from "cozy little chats" to the "cold, hard slab" of the examining table. Equipped with certain skills--a keen knowledge of human psychology and an awareness of biblical and contemplative traditions--the spiritual director objectively examines the client, then offers concrete guidance for the spiritual life of the client. As a prominent figure in pastoral theology and Anglican spirituality for three decades, Martin Thornton is uniquely qualified to offer us insights into spiritual direction. He restores credibility and professionalism to spiritual direction, which is at once hard, analytical, and supportive. Thornton writes with wit, common sense, and an absence of sentimentality on a topic that calls for serious attention. Spiritual Direction is important reading for the increasing numbers of laypeople involved in spiritual direction, as well as for clergy and pastoral counselors. Author Biography: Martin Thornton (1915-1986) was an Anglican priest and spiritual director, author and lecturer on ascetical theology. He was active for much of his life in the Diocese of Truro, England.

    W. Stott discusses the privileges of being a child of God and helps Christians grow to maturity in their responsibilities to God, the church and the world.

    And, by sketching the evolution of the sacrament, he offers us challenging insights from the past to help revitalize our celebration of the sacrament today.

    In this meditative work, completed only days before her own death, Soelle faces the old and new anxieties we have about death in the midst of our own cultural 'danse macabre'."

     The Corinthian church in particular refused to separate themselves from their old, pagan ways, and their worldliness was affecting the corrective letter to the church in Corinth, that gives Christians black-and-white boundaries in a gray world.  As he explains doctrinal truths directly relating to sin and righteousness, he outlines a foundation for godly behavior.  Paul's letter is a valuable tool of correction and encouragement for believers-then and now-to be alert, firm, mature, strong, and loving. The Mac Arthur Study Guide Series provides a twelve week, verse-by-verse examination of the books of the New Testament.  This revised and updated series continues to be one of the best-selling study guides currently available for individuals or small groups. Features Include:Twelve week studyThought-provoking questionsVerse-by-verse commentarySpace provided for note-taking

    s/t: Black Theology and the Black Church

    

    J. (Professor of Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian Univ. in Rome, clarifies the nature of the priesthood. He explains how the Jewish priesthood, the perfect priestly ministry of Jesus, and the role of the Twelve help us understand the ministerial priesthood. Trade paperback. 274 pages including index. 2005 Third Printing.

    Themes: The Mood of Celebration, No Man Is An Island, and Search Me, O God.

    In this scholarly yet entertaining book, James D. Bratt takes a look at the Dutch in America from the late 19th century to the present. A comprehensive study of an ethnic subculture, the book is in large part a study of the group's religious history as well, since, as Bratt points out, the contours of the Dutch presence in America have been overwhelmingly shaped by the church and its subsidiary organizations Although the book is extensively and scrupulously documented, Bratt infused his scholarship with a considerable amount of anecdote that is by turns poignant and tragic and hilarious In Bratt's analysis of the fitful progress of Americanization that this close-knit religious community has undergone, we are treated to the sharp insights of a bemused and sometimes disaffected insider. Included is a chapter on novelists Arnold Mulder, David Cornel DeJong, Frederick Manfred, and Peter DeVries - four sons of the Dutch who fled the subculture only to reflect upon it almost obsessively from the outside Well written, scholarly, and highly readable, Dutch Calvinism in Modern America will have wide appeal among both academic and general readers.

    They vary widely in the details of their beliefs, but they all seem to hold one common idea: Intellect and religion are antithetical. This book is addressed to these opponents of Christian theology.The irreligious, the atheists, believe that the mind belongs to science, which, they say, is the most reliable method, if not the only way, of discovering truth. Atheists are content to allow religious folks their foibles, but only so long as they do not claim that their beliefs are true. Truth and theology, according to the atheists, have nothing in common.Religious opponents of Christian theology, Modernists and the Neo-orthodox, agree with the atheists that the intellect and religion have nothing to do with each other. True religion, they say, consists of states of consciousness, of feelings of awe, mystery, absolute dependence, and a sense of the numinous. These religious opponents of Christian theology teach that truth is personal, not propositional, let alone Biblical. Personal encounter, not understanding and believing revealed information, is the heart of religion.A third group to whom this book is addressed is churchgoers who have been influenced by both the atheists and the Neo-orthodox, and thus simply ignore Christian theology. They are not actively opposed to theology as the atheists and Neo-orthodox are, but they regard it as unimportant.To all these people Dr. Gordon Clark offers an intelligent and irrefutable defense of Christian theology. God has revealed himself in words arranged in logical sentences. We are obligated to understand and believe those words. There is no other way to know truth and obtain life.

    The result is a classic call to submit afresh to the Spirit for power, purity and assurance, while keeping our heads in the face of pitfalls that might distract or ensnare us.

    Both writers protested not merely against the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church, as Martin Luther did, but went further to challenge the Italian humanism of the Renaissance. While John Calvin's Institutes richly teach the doctrine of the atonement by faith, the thought of Juan de Vald?s reflects more of a struggle and debate among a group of friends about how the experience of justification by faith is actually lived out. The writings of Don Benedetto develop similar ideas about the centrality of Christ's death, and the role that assurance and joy play in the Christian life.

    A selection of pastoral letters to his people at Gilcomston South Church of Scotland, Aberdeen, where the author ministered for more than fifty years.

    

    Companion volume to Principles of Liberty and Principles of Victory.

    Religious book

    John Chrysostom presented here were delivered at Antioch over a period of several years beginning in A.D. 386. The final two homilies were delivered in 398 after Chrysostom became patriarch of Constantinople.All but one of the homilies aim at refuting the Anomoeans, heretics who revived the most radical tenets of Arius and blatantly claimed that man knows God in the very same way that God knows himself. Chrysostom's refutations and instructions to the faithful are based on the Scriptures rather than on human reasoning. He departed from this series of refutations only in the sixth homily, which he delivered on December 20, 386, again at Antioch. It consists of a panegyric of St. Philogonius, bishop of Antioch ca. A.D. 319-23, who before his episcopal ordination had led a very exemplary life, practiced law and contracted a marriage that was blessed with a daughter. In addition to their theological content, these homilies contain many other points of interest. On one occasion, people applauded the speaker and were very attentive to the homily but then left the church so that when Christ is about to appear in the holy mysteries the church becomes empty (Hom III.32; Hom VII.2). During another homily, pickpockets plied their trade so that Chrysostom urged "let no one come into the church carrying money" (Hom IV.46). Chrysostom also indicates that people kept talking to one another at the sacred moment when Christ becomes present (Hom IV.36). He also mentions that chariot races often proved more enticing than going to church (Hom VII.1). Finally, valuable information on fourth-century Eastern liturgies is found in Hom III.41, 42, and Hom IV.32.

    

    And my hope is that these answers will provide a starting point for dealing with the troubling questions you may be asking.

    

    Both religion and philosophy have a common object and share the same content, for both are concerned with the inherent unity of all things. Hegel's doctrine of God provides the means for understanding this fundamental relationship. Although Hegel stated that God is absolute Spirit and Christianity is the absolute religion, the compatibility of Hegel's doctrine of God with Christian theology has been a matter of continuing and closely argued debate. Williamson's book provides a significant contribution to this ongoing discussion through a systematic study of Hegel's concept of God.The book proceeds by investigating theism, atheism, pantheism, and panentheism as descriptions of Hegel's concept. It rejects the view that Hegel's doctrine so differs from Christian theology so as to be empty of religious content and thereby highlights some important considerations in contemporary theology.

    Over the years, Soelle had challenged European and American readers with incisive commentary on a variety of social, ethical, literary, and theological topics. This work embodies the constant drive to radicalization and the passionate involvement that have always been the hallmark of her writing.

    The introductory material on Johannine criticism is some of the clearest exposition for students available anywhere.