The Catechism of the Council of Trent


Pope Pius V
    Pius V. was originally commissioned during the Reformation period, in order to explain the Faith clearly and calmly in the face of Protestant objections. It still serves as an excellent compendium of the Church's traditional life and belief.

Understanding Church Discipline


Jonathan Leeman - 2016
    But Jesus commands it. Paul practiced it. And churches benefit from it. Why practice church discipline? It shows love for the individual caught in sin, love for the whole church, love for non-Christian neighbors, and love for the glory of Christ. In the Church Basics Series, trusted church experts write practical, trustworthy resources on issues like Church Discipline, the Lord's Supper, and Baptism that every pastor can hand every church member.

On the Cosmic Mystery of Jesus Christ: Selected Writings


St. Maximus the Confessor - 2003
    St Maximus' two main collections of theological reflections-his Ambigua (or "Difficulties") and his Questions to Thalassius - plus one of his christological opuscula, hitherto unavailable in English, are accompanied by immensely helpful notes, and prefaced by a long, brilliant introduction to the theology of the Confessor.

The Imitation of Christ


Thomas à Kempis
    This meditation on the spiritual life has inspired readers from Thomas More and St. Ignatius Loyola to Thomas Merton and Pope John Paul I. Written by the Augustinian monk Thomas à Kempis between 1420 and 1427, it contains clear instructions for renouncing wordly vanities and locating eternal truths. No book has more explicitly and movingly described the Christian ideal:

The Smoke of Satan: How Corrupt and Cowardly Bishops Betrayed Christ, His Church, and the Faithful . . . and What Can Be Done About It


Philip F. Lawler - 2018
    In The Smoke of Satan, veteran Catholic journalist Philip Lawler explains why the crisis is even more severe than when it first commanded headlines in 2002, and how the failure of Church leaders goes all the way to the Vatican. In this unflinching look at the crisis threatening the Church and her members, Lawler: --Shows how the sex-abuse scandal is not a question of pedophilia, but of homosexual activity within the clergy. --Explains how Catholic bishops have developed a habit of covering up serious problems, to avoid the serious divisions that have developed within the faith since Vatican II. --Demonstrates a catastrophic rupture in Church unity, causing a breakdown in morale and discipline among priests, bishops, and laity, paving the way for the current crisis. --Reveals the growth of a faction within the Vatican that is ready to make peace with secularism. --Details the charges in the explosive “Vigano testimony,”— and the efforts by Vatican officials including Pope Francis himself to ward off a thorough investigation. --Concludes with a program for reform, led by faithful lay Catholics, demanding a new policy of candor and a forthright proclamation of Church teaching. This crisis, brought about by the failures of corrupt and cowardly bishops and clerics, has been allowed to fester long enough. It is well past time for serious action to be taken at every level before more lives are ruined, more souls are lost, and more fractures divide the Church. In these pages, Lawler details the problems besetting the Church…and lays out a clear plan to overcome them in order that the Church and Her members may once again thrive and bring souls to Christ.

Major Bible Themes: 52 Vital Doctrines of the Scriptures Simplified and Explained


Lewis Sperry Chafer - 1926
    Virtually a classic for this century, Major Bible Themes includes chapters on doctrines that merit particular attention in the contemporary religious scene, such as the Holy Spirit, the nature of the Church, and the second coming of Christ. Designed for group and individual study, for pastors, laymen, and students, Major Bible Themes is an indispensable tool, providing the biblical basis for fifty-two doctrines, complete with topical and Scripture indexes. Questions for discussion and review follow each chapter. Whether your purpose is to explore Bible doctrines as a new Christian, to erase confusion stemming from conflicting views in the contemporary church, or to establish a stronger basis for witnessing to your beliefs, Major Bible Themes is essential for study and reference.

Delighting In The Trinity: Just Why Are Father, Son And Spirit Such Good News?


Tim Chester - 2005
    They seem to get by, growing in their faith without it. However, the Trinity is at the core of Christianity. Delighting in the Trinity gives a down-to-earth, readable explanation of the Trinity. In addition to exploring the biblical foundations and historical insights of the doctrine of a triune God, the book examines the very practical implications of this doctrine for our everyday lives.

The Holy Ghost, Our Greatest Friend: He Who Loves Us Best


Paul O'Sullivan - 1952
    Again and again, he shows us how we are the living temples of the Holy Ghost and how our souls are God's greatest masterpiece—because they are made in His own Image and Likeness. Of the Divine Tenant we possess within us, Fr. O'Sullivan says, “The Holy Ghost does not only give His wonderful help to Apostles, to martyrs, to missionaries, but to all Christians without exception, if only they will ask Him as they should." (Page 39). The greatest tragedy, he points out, is that many Christians never pray to this Divine Guest within their souls. Therefore, it is to help us understand, at least a little, the Incomparable Treasure we Christians possess within ourselves as a result of Baptism that the author has written this book – but also to teach us how to help ourselves in the most unfailing way by praying often and fervently to the Holy Ghost for assistance in all our needs.

Handbook of Prayers


James Socías - 1995
    Also makes a perfect award or gift.

The Mosaic of Christian Belief: Twenty Centuries of Unity & Diversity


Roger E. Olson - 2002
    Providing this companion volume to his earlier work The Story of Christian Theology, Roger E. Olson thematically traces the contours of Christian belief down through the ages, revealing a pattern of both unity and diversity. He finds a consensus of teaching that is both unitive and able to incorporate a faithful diversity when not forced into the molds of false either-or alternatives. The mosaic that emerges from Olson's work displays a mediating evangelical theology that is nonspeculative and irenic in spirit and tone. Specifically written with the nonspecialist in mind, Olson has masterfully sketched out the contours of Christian faith with simplicity while avoiding oversimplification.

Jesus, Humanity and the Trinity


Kathryn Tanner - 2001
    Chapter 1 recovers strands of early Christian accounts of Jesus and his significance for a very different age. Chapter 2 situates Christology in a religious vision of the whole cosmos, while Chapter 3 lays out the ethical and political implications of the vision. Chapter 4 speculates about the "end" of things in Christ. Tanner's work was developed from the Scottish Journal of Theology lectures in 1999 in Edinburgh.

The Agony of Jesus


Padre Pio - 1974
    One of his few writings, the booklet also includes many pictures of Blessed Padre Pio from throughout his ministry. Padre Pio's beautiful and descriptive manner of writing provide a wonderful spiritual insight into that last night of Jesus' human life.

The Supernatural Power of a Transformed Mind: Access to a Life of Miracles


Bill Johnson - 2014
    Is this you? Are you ready to experience the miraculous lifestyle that Jesus made available to you because of the Cross? In Supernatural Power of a Transformed Mind, Pastor Bill Johnson delivers powerful and practical teaching, revealing how you were designed to bring heaven to Earth and how it all starts with your thought life. You will learn how to: • Enjoy complete forgiveness from sin and let go of guilt • Access the open heaven over your life and start living as God’s dwelling place • Position yourself for future breakthrough by studying and remembering God’s miracles Your access to a lifestyle of signs, wonders, and miracles starts by changing the way you think. When your mind is transformed, heaven becomes more than a place you go to one day—becomes the supernatural power that you release wherever you go today! “This book is needed in this hour as a wake-up call to the ‘greater things than these shall you do’ promise of Jesus.” – Randy Clark

Models of the Church


Avery Dulles - 1974
    Welcoming this as a sign of vitality, Avery Dulles has carefully studied the writings of contemporary Protestant and Catholic ecclesiologists and sifted out six major approaches, or models, through which the Church's character can be understood: as Institution, Mystical Communion, Sacrament, Herald, Servant, and, in a recent addition to the book, as Community of Disciples. A balanced theology, he concludes, must incorporate the major affirmations of each. The method of models or types, observes Cardinal Dulles, can have great value in helping people to get beyond the limitations of their own particular outlook and to enter into fruitful conversation with others... Such conversation is obviously essential if ecumenism is to get beyond its present impasses.This new edition includes a new Appendix and Preface by the author.

The Christian Theology Reader


Alister E. McGrath - 1995
    Contains 361 readings, drawn from 233 different sources, spread throughout the 2,000 years of Christian history.Exceptionally user-friendly: every reading is accompanied its own introduction, commentary, and study questions.Now includes increased representation of Catholicism, Orthodoxy and women writers.A new section provides a "bird's-eye" view of the historical development of Christian theology, allowing users to locate a reading against its historical context.Additional lecturer resources are available at the accompanying website: www.blackwellpublishing.com/mcgrath.