Fault Lines: The Social Justice Movement and Evangelicalism's Looming Catastrophe


Voddie T. Baucham Jr. - 2021
    As riots rocked American cities, Christians affirmed from the pulpit and in social media that “black lives matter” and that racial justice “is a gospel issue.” But what if there is more to the social justice movement than those Christians understand? Even worse: What if they’ve been duped into preaching ideas that actually oppose the Kingdom of God? In this powerful book, Voddie Baucham, a preacher, professor, and cultural apologist, explains the sinister worldview behind the social justice movement and Critical Race Theory—revealing how it already has infiltrated some seminaries, leading to internal denominational conflict, canceled careers, and lost livelihoods. Like a fault line, it threatens American culture in general—and the evangelical church in particular. Whether you’re a layperson who has woken up in a strange new world and wonders how to engage sensitively and effectively in the conversation on race or a pastor who is grappling with a polarized congregation, this book offers the clarity and understanding to either hold your ground or reclaim it.

The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards


Steven J. Lawson - 2008
    He is equally noted for his preaching and writing. But in this Long Line Profile, Dr. Steven J. Lawson considers the unique focus and commitment with which Edwards sought to live out the Christian faith.Lawson examines Edwards’ life through the lens of the seventy resolutions he penned in his late teens, shortly after his conversion, which cover everything from glorifying God to repenting of sin to managing time. Drawing on Edwards’ writings, as well as scholarly accounts of Edwards’ life and thought, Lawson shows how Edwards sought to live out these lofty goals he set for the management of his walk with Christ. In Edwards’ example, he finds helpful instruction for all believers.

The Inquisition: A History From Beginning to End


Hourly History - 2017
     The Roman Catholic Inquisition was one of the most controversial organizations in human history. Although it has been painted in a negative light, the Inquisition was too broad in scope to define as simply good or bad. It was a period where conflict and bloodshed were inevitable. It was a time where war, famine, plague, and poverty were common factors of human life. From the 1180s to the 1830s, the Inquisition was the judicial arm of the Catholic Church. Created to root out and punish heretics within the Catholic faith, the Inquisition became an institution that would carve its name into history. Inside you will read about... ✓ The Conception of the Inquisition ✓ The Hammer of Witches ✓ The Spanish Inquisition ✓ The Portuguese Inquisition ✓ The Roman Inquisition ✓ Shades of the Inquisition in Modern Society And much more! Throughout its many variations, the Inquisition took hold in France, Spain, Portugal, and Italy and in the process, both hastened and stunted progress in Western society. The Inquisition was as multi-faceted in its failure as it was in its successes. Though it was responsible for the deaths of thousands, it was also responsible for the sparing of thousands more. The Inquisition put to death some of the brightest minds of the time, and yet their brutality quickened the pace of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment. In short, the Inquisition was many things—easy to define is not one of them. This concise, compressed guidebook reveals the history, failures, and successes of the Roman Catholic Inquisition from its birth to its final death rattle.

What is an Evangelical?


D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones - 1992
    His three addresses at the I.F.E.S. Conference in 1971 drew attention to this.

Finding Jesus: Faith. Fact. Forgery.: Six Holy Objects That Tell the Remarkable Story of the Gospels


David Gibson - 2015
    The book and attendant CNN series provide a dramatic way to retell "the greatest story ever told" while introducing a broad audience to the history, the latest controversies, and newest forensic science involved in sorting out facts from the fiction of would-be forgers and deceivers. The book and the show draw on experts from all over the world. Beyond the faithful, the book will also appeal to the skeptical and to curious readers of history and archaeology, while it takes viewers of the primetime TV series deeper into the story.

Making Sense of It All: Pascal and the Meaning of Life


Thomas V. Morris - 1992
    Relating numerous personal anecdotes, incorporating, intriguing material from the films of Woody Allen and the journals of Leo Tolstoy, and using the writings of the seventeenth-century genius Blaise Pascal as a central guide, Morris explores the nature of faith, reason, and the meaning of life. His lucid reflections provide fresh, fertile insights and perspectives for any thoughtful person journeying through life.

Overcoming Your Shadow Mission


John Ortberg - 2008
    However, the greatest fear leaders face is not something that might happen to them, but something that can happen in them---a degeneration of the heart that robs them of their calling and leaves a deep soul dissatisfaction in its place.John Ortberg describes this menacing fear in terms of mission and shadow mission. A mission is the highest purpose to which God calls us; a shadow mission is an authentic mission that has been derailed, often in imperceptible ways. Ortberg writes, 'Part of what makes the shadow mission so tempting is that it's usually so closely related to our gifts and passions. It's not 180 degrees off track; it is just 10 degrees off track, but that 10 degrees is in the direction of hell.'Every leader has a mission---and a shadow mission. Even Jesus had to battle a shadow mission; it was to be a leader without suffering---to be the Messiah without the cross. Ortberg writes, 'If we fail to embrace our true mission, we will live out our shadow mission. We will let our lives center around things that are unworthy, selfish and dark.' Using characters from the remarkable Old Testament story of Esther, Ortberg demonstrates the disastrous consequences of succumbing to shadow mission, and the stunning rewards of whole-hearted commitment to mission. With characteristic humor and insight, the author invites us to follow Esther's example and courageously choose to embrace the mission God gives. Like Esther, we can lead without fear---even in threatening circumstances---because we know God is always at work in unseen, unknown and unlikely ways.

Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart: How to Know for Sure You Are Saved


J.D. Greear - 2013
    D. Greear. He struggled for many years to gain an assurance of salvation and eventually learned he was not alone. “Lack of assurance” is epidemic among evangelical Christians.In Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart, J. D. shows that faulty ways of presenting the gospel are a leading source of the confusion. Our presentations may not be heretical, but they are sometimes misleading. The idea of “asking Jesus into your heart” or “giving your life to Jesus” often gives false assurance to those who are not saved—and keeps those who genuinely are saved from fully embracing that reality.Greear unpacks the doctrine of assurance, showing that salvation is a posture we take to the promise of God in Christ, a posture that begins at a certain point and is maintained for the rest of our lives. He also answers the tough questions about assurance: What exactly is faith? What is repentance? Why are there so many warnings that seem to imply we can lose our salvation?Such issues are handled with respect to the theological rigors they require, but Greear never loses his pastoral sensitivity or a communication technique that makes this message teachable to a wide audience from teens to adults.

Breath for the Bones: Art, Imagination, and Spirit: Reflections on Creativity and Faith


Luci Shaw - 2007
    For the Christian artist, the drive to create something wonderful is also a means to glorify and better understand our Lord. Using excerpts from her own works as well as those of writers who have gone before her--Emily Dickinson, Annie Dillard, C.S. Lewis, and others--poet and writer Luci Shaw proves that symbolism and metaphor provide ways for humans to experience God in new and powerful ways.Shaw offers a rich and thought-provoking exploration of art, creativity, and faith. Believing that art emanates from God, she shows how imagination and spirituality "work in tandem, each feeding on and nourishing the other." Faith informs art and art enhances faith. They both, for each other, are "breath for the bones."Provocative, enlightening, and above all, inspiring, "Breath for the Bones" will help readers discover the artist within, and bring them further along the path to God Himself.Include s Discussion Questions and Writing Exercises

A Little Manual for Knowing


Esther Lightcap Meek - 2014
    Everyday adventures of knowing turn on a moment of insight that transforms and connects knower and known. No matter the field--science or art, business or theology, counseling or athletics--this little manual offers a how-to for knowing ventures. It offers concrete guidance to individuals or teams, students or professionals, along with plenty of exercises to spark the process of discovery, design, artistry, or mission. "Readers of this Little Manual for Knowing are embarking on an adventure that may make a decisive difference in their learning and in all of their lives." Gideon Strauss, Executive Director, Max De Pree Center for Leadership, Fuller Theological Seminary "With this pearl of great value, Esther Meek lovingly and confidently shepherds us on a pilgrimage, a reconsidering and recovery of what it means to know. For those who commit to the journey, the hoped-for gifts await." Bruce A. Vojak, Associate Dean of Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and author of Serial Innovators "This brilliant little manual captures the depth and simplicity of Esther Meek's work and invites the reader to apply wisdom to real-life complexities and problems." Dan B. Allender, Professor of Counseling Psychology and Founding President, The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology "Esther Meek distills deep wisdom with a care scholarly and pastoral at once. Any who wish to see the world more truly will be grateful for her illuminating intervention." Eric Miller, Professor of American History, Geneva College, and award-winning author of Hope in a Scattering Time: A Life of Christopher Lasch "A Little Manual for Knowing--essential reading for every university, every business, every church, and every home." Makoto Fujimura, artist Esther Lightcap Meek is Professor of Philosophy at Geneva College in western Pennsylvania, and Instructor of Apologetics at Redeemer Seminary in Dallas. She is author of Longing to Know: The Philosophy of Knowledge for Ordinary People (2003) and Loving to Know: Introducing Covenant Epistemology(2011).

When Everything Is Missions


Denny Spitters - 2018
    Some struggle to redefine these categories and some seek to reclaim them, while others reject them outright, with or without providing new terms to guide us forward.But words and their meaning matter; our confusion has a cost. Competing priorities pressure us to stretch our mission definitions as wide as they can go, releasing our people to creatively engage in service of every description. Some churches turn away from traditional mission efforts all together, giving preference to local service and evangelism while outsourcing any cross-cultural effort to those who surely must be more effective than we would be.As an unfortunate result of these tendencies, many of our churches lack a coherent, compelling sense of what we're all about as we engage with the world. And if we lose our scriptural moorings, how far will our missions efforts drift?Matthew Ellison and Denny Spitters call us to refocus our gaze on the gospel and the Great Commission. They assert that thinking must come before doing and shape our world mission practices and priorities. When Everything Is Missions is for church and ministry leaders and all who look to clarify their own answers to questions like these:What is the mission of God? What is the mission of the Church? Is every Christian a missionary?

Sound Doctrine: How a Church Grows in the Love and Holiness of God


Bobby Jamieson - 2013
    From shaping the corporate life of the church to directing individuals in the practical issues of life, right thinking about God, humanity, sin, and salvation is indispensable for real growth. This short, readable book speaks to the importance of good theology for godly living and powerfully argues that truth is always meant to lead to transformation.

Your Jesus Is Too Safe: Outgrowing a Drive-Thru, Feel Good Savior


Jared C. Wilson - 2009
    Wilson returns to the Gospels for twelve raw, realistic portraits of Christ in this revolutionary book. Your Jesus Is Too Safe offers a clear image of the historical figure of Christ in his biblical and cultural context. Ideal for readers dissatisfied with the "Buddy Jesus" that has pervaded the evangelical landscape, Your Jesus Is Too Safe provides a devotional, inspirational survey of Christ and his kingdom with a conversational style, humor, and a solid theological foundation.

Intentional Walk: An Inside Look at the Faith That Drives the St. Louis Cardinals


Rob Rains - 2013
    They have won 11 World Series titles and some of the most famousplayers in the history of the game have worn the storied “Birds on the Bat”uniform.While thaton-field success has been well documented, IntentionalWalk is the first book which goes beyond the story of what happens on thefield to take an in-depth look at the men inside the Cardinal uniforms, andexamine how their strong Christian faith is one of the driving forces behindtheir success.Intentional Walk features the stories of AdamWainwright, David Freese, Lance Berkman, Matt Holliday, Carlos Beltran, JasonMotte and other members of the 2012 Cardinals, written as those players and therest of the team tried to repeat the 2011 world championship. The book talksabout how they became Christians and offers their testimony about what it meansfor them to have God play such a prominent role in their lives.Playing forfirst-year manager Mike Matheny, a strong Christian as well, these men talkabout their success and failure, about the challenges that come from playingbaseball at the highest level, and how thankful and blessed they are to havethat God-given ability. In the end, however, what is far more important to themis their life-long relationship they have established with Jesus Christ.

Lectures on Calvinism


Abraham Kuyper - 1932
    Though based on lectures delivered in 1898, Kuyper's book retains its relevance even today.