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    Miller In this remarkable, acclaimed history of the development of monotheism, Mark S. Smith explains how Israel's religion evolved from a cult of Yahweh as a primary deity among many to a fully defined monotheistic faith with Yahweh as sole god. Repudiating the traditional view that Israel was fundamentally different in culture and religion from its Canaanite neighbors, this provocative book argues that Israelite religion developed, at least in part, from the religion of Canaan. Drawing on epigraphic and archaeological sources, Smith cogently demonstrates that Israelite religion was not an outright rejection of foreign, pagan gods but, rather, was the result of the progressive establishment of a distinctly separate Israelite identity. This thoroughly revised second edition ofThe Early History of God includes a substantial new preface by the author and a foreword by Patrick D. Miller.

    Yet, while we hear these pleas, we're already functioning with existing beliefs—even if they are beliefs by default. So how do we choose what to believe—especially in the area of faith? Do we need to choose? In "Choosing Your Faith, " Mark Mittelberg encourages us, as Socrates does, not to lead an unexamined life. He invites us to examine why we believe what we believe. This examination will resonate with Christians and seekers alike.

    It is also the world’s most widely distributed book, translated into over two thousand languages, and the world’s best selling book, year after year. But the Bible is a complex work with a complicated and obscure history. Made up of sixty-six “books” written by various authors and divided into two testaments, its contents have changed over the centuries. The Bible has been transformed by translation and, through interpretation, has developed manifold meanings to various religions, denominations, and sects. In this seminal account, acclaimed historian Karen Armstrong discusses the conception, gestation, and life of history’s most powerful book. Armstrong analyzes the social and political situation in which oral history turned into written scripture, how this all-pervasive scripture was collected into one work, and how it became accepted as Christianity’s sacred text. She explores how scripture came to be read for information, and how, in the nineteenth century, historical criticism of the Bible caused greater fear than Darwinism. This is a brilliant, captivating book, crucial in an age of declining faith and rising fundamentalism.

    The Sermon on the Mount is the most complete delineation anywhere in the New Testament of the Christian counter-culture. Here is a Christian value-system, ethical standard, religious devotion, attitude to money, ambition, lifestyle and network of relationships--all of which are totally at variance with those in the non-Christian world. And this Christian counter-culture is the life of the kingdom of God, a fully human life indeed but lived out under the divine rule." In this careful exposition of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, John R. W. Stott accurately expounds the biblical text and relates it to life today. Above all, the author says, he wants to let Christ speak this sermon again, this time to the modern world.

    I will show you how to waste your life. Consider this story from the February 1998 Reader's Digest: A couple 'took early retirement from their jobs in the Northeast five years ago when he was 59 and she was 51. Now they live in Punta Gorda, Florida, where they cruise on their 30-foot trawler, play softball and collect shells. . . .' Picture them before Christ at the great day of judgment: 'Look, Lord. See my shells.' That is a tragedy."God created us to live with a single passion to joyfully display his supreme excellence in all the spheres of life. The wasted life is the life without this passion. God calls us to pray and think and dream and plan and work not to be made much of, but to make much of him in every part of our lives."Most people slip by in life without a passion for God, spending their lives on trivial diversions, living for comfort and pleasure, and perhaps trying to avoid sin. This book will warn you not to get caught up in a life that counts for nothing. It will challenge you to live and die boasting in the cross of Christ and making the glory of God your singular passion. If you believe that to live is Christ and to die is gain, read this book, learn to live for Christ, and don't waste your life!

    In so doing, Dr. Flowers' sets out to help his readers understand a non-Calvinistic "Traditional" Southern Baptist interpretation of the most quoted and relied upon chapters for defending Calvinistic soteriology: Romans 8-9; Ephesians 1 and John 6. "In The Potter's Promise, Dr. Leighton Flowers reveals, by means of a refreshingly clear and persuasive writing style, the theological and philosophical arguments that compelled him to abandon his previously held Calvinistic convictions. While some Traditionalists have a tendency to avoid certain Bible verses, Dr. Flowers tackles them fearlessly, placing them in their proper context in a manner consistent with the entirety of God's Word. Calvinists have sometimes been known to object to Traditional writers and thinkers by making the claim, "You just don't understand Calvinism." Any such charge leveled against Dr. Flowers rings hollow. Having heard all the arguments Calvinism has to offer, he nevertheless disaffirms it. Every Calvinist needs to read this book to challenge their thinking and consider the other side. Every Traditionalist needs to read this book to become better equipped in defending their own view of salvation doctrine." -Dr. Rick Patrick, Executive Director of Connect 316 and Senior Pastor"Confused by the issues surrounding Calvinism? Does Romans 9 teach unconditional predestination? Want to cut through some of the red tape? Then read Leighton's book. He is charitable but gets right to the point, making a strong, biblical case for a God who is glorified by sacrificing Himself for creation and not by sacrificing creation for Himself. He makes a strong case for the God of Jesus Christ." - Austin Fischer, Pastor and Author of Young, Restless, No Longer Reformed."Some passages (especially Romans 9) appear to support Calvinism, but does God really predestine particular persons for heaven or hell? And where is the knowledgeable expositor who also possesses an irenic disposition to answer such critical questions? Leighton Flowers nobly meets these qualifications and approaches the Scripture with a passion for the original language and context. We are all deeply in his debt for teaching us to hear God's Word so much better than we did before this book was written. Highly recommended." -Dr. Malcolm B. Yarnell III, Research Professor of Systematic Theology, Author of God the Trinity: Biblical Portraits and Royal Priesthood in the English Reformation and The Formation of Christian Doctrine"The Potter's Promise is the fascinating pilgrimage of Leighton Flowers, Director of Apologetics and Youth Evangelism in the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Chronicled here is his journey out of Calvinism and into a New Testament faith through the saving grace of our Lord. This may well be the most important volume published this year for the reading of every young servant of Christ. Do you have the courage to read it?" -Dr. Paige Patterson, President of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary"Having vacated theological Geneva after years as one of its finest citizens, Dr. Leighton Flowers is well aware of how to reason like a Calvinist. His masterful treatment of the biblical text, and his philosophically consistent reasoning, is sure to satisfy the pallet of the academically interested. Yet, his accessible writing leads to a rare accomplishment. Lay readers will have no difficulty understanding the Calvinist positions and the best responses to them. Any related bibliography that does not include Dr. Flowers masterful work will, henceforth, surely look odd." - Dr. Braxton Hunter, President of Trinity Seminary

    Look no further than the twelve disciples whose many weaknesses are forever preserved throughout the pages of the New Testament. Jesus chose ordinary men - fisherman, tax collectors, political zealots - and turned their weakness into strength, producing greatness from utter uselessness. MacArthur draws principles from Christ's careful, hands-on training of the original twelve disciples for today's modern disciple - you.

    Friedman is a fascinating, intellectual, yet highly readable analysis and investigation into the authorship of the Old Testament. The author of Commentary on the Torah, Friedman delves deeply into the history of the Bible in a scholarly work that is as exciting and surprising as a good detective novel. Who Wrote the Bible? is enlightening, riveting, an important contribution to religious literature, and as the Los Angeles Times aptly observed in its rave review, “There is no other book like this one.”

    The story is surprising, controversial, and exciting as only a long-lost history can be when it is at last recovered. In "The Jesus Dynasty," biblical scholar James Tabor brings us closer than ever to the historical Jesus. Jesus, as we know, was the son of Mary, a young woman who became pregnant before her marriage to a man named Joseph. The gospels tell us that Jesus had four brothers and two sisters, all of whom probably had a different father than his. He joined a messianic movement begun by his relative John the Baptizer, whom he regarded as his teacher and a great prophet. John and Jesus together filled the roles of the Two Messiahs who were expected at the time: John, as a priestly descendant of Aaron, and Jesus, as a royal descendant of David. Together they preached the coming of the Kingdom of God. Theirs was an apocalyptic movement that expected God to establish his kingdom on earth, as described by the Prophets. The Two Messiahs lived in a time of turmoil as the historical land of Israel was dominated by the powerful Roman Empire. Fierce Jewish rebellions against Rome occurred during Jesus' lifetime.John and Jesus preached adherence to the Torah, or the Jewish Law. But their mission was changed dramatically when John was arrested and then killed. After a period of uncertainty, Jesus began preaching anew in Galilee and challenged the Roman authorities and their Jewish collaborators in Jerusalem. He appointed a Council of Twelve to rule over the twelvetribes of Israel, and among the Twelve he included his four brothers. After Jesus was crucified by the Romans, his brother James -- the "Beloved Disciple" -- took over leadership of the Jesus dynasty.James, like John and Jesus before him, saw himself as a faithful Jew. None of them believed that their movement was a new religion. It was Paul who transformed Jesus and his message through his ministry to the Gentiles. Breaking with James and the followers of Jesus in Jerusalem, Paul preached a message based on his own revelations, which would become Christianity. Jesus became a figure whose humanity was obscured; John became merely a forerunner of Jesus; and James and the others were all but forgotten.James Tabor has studied the earliest surviving documents of Christianity for more than thirty years and has participated in important archaeological excavations in Israel. Drawing on this background, Tabor reconstructs for us the movement that sought the spiritual, social, and political redemption of the Jews, a movement led by one family. "The Jesus Dynasty" offers an alternative version of Christian origins, one that takes us closer than ever to Jesus and his family and followers.This is a book that will change our understanding of one of the most crucial moments in history.

    In doing so Asimov illuminates the Bible's many obscure and mysterious passages, producing a valuable text for anyone interested in religion and history.

    The book studies the relationship between Judaism and Christianity, distinguishing the certain from the improbable, and assessing the historical and religious context of Christ's time. The spread of Christianity is also discussed.

    For ten of those years he was the founding pastor of one of Australia's largest churches (1979-89). Following the failure of his marriage, he resigned from the ministry and then spent the following few years seriously examining his faith and the veracity of the Bible. Finally he came to the conclusion that his Christian beliefs were seriously flawed and that the Bible is entirely the result of human invention, imaginations and myths passed down from generation to generation. As the Bible is then based on 'hearsay' and written by at least 40 different authors over a period of up to 1,600 years, none of whom were eyewitnesses to the events they recorded, it cannot substantiate the claim that it was 'inspired by God.' The result of Brian's search for evidence caused a personal transformation from believer to realist, rationalist, skeptic and atheist. He published his first book - From Faith to Reason - in 2009 which contains the reasons why he no longer believes in the existence of God, angels, demons, the devil, heaven, hell or an afterlife.In this book - Nonsense from the Bible - Brian uses the Bible texts to demonstrate their inaccuracies, inconsistencies, contradictions and fantasies. He deals with major issues which are widely believed and accepted as factual events such as the Creation story, the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus and the prophecies concerning Jesus. Chapters are also devoted to the question of the second coming of Jesus and Christian Family values. Brian also totally invalidates the so-called 'power of prayer' and the claims that God heals the sick.This would be a 'hard read' for many Christians who totally believe that the Bible is literally 'The Word of God' and accept it as absolute truth. Brian also believed that for all those years but over a period of time and investigation by seeking evidence other than the Bible he was able to accept that he had been deceived and deluded - or as he now says, 'Once I was blind - but now I see!'This is an 'easy' read for those who may question their own faith as it provides some convincing information concerning the validity of the Bible.

    Hell, judgment, and holy war are hot topics for the Christian faith that have a way of igniting fierce debate far and wide. These hard questions leave many wondering whether God is really good and can truly be trusted."The Skeletons in God's Closet" confronts our popular caricatures of these difficult topics with the beauty and power of the real thing. Josh Butler reveals that these subjects are consistent with, rather than contradictory to, the goodness of God. He explores Scripture to reveal the plotlines that make sense of these tough topics in light of God's goodness. From fresh angles, Josh deals powerfully with such difficult passages as:* The Lake of Fire* Lazarus and the Rich Man* The Slaughter of Canaanites in the Old TestamentUltimately, "The Skeletons in God's Closet" uses our toughest questions to provoke paradigm shifts in how we understand our faith as a whole. It pulls the "skeletons out of God's closet" to reveal they were never really skeletons at all.

    13) “Take my yoke upon you and learn of me . . . and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” (Matt.xi.29) There is nothing so perfect in the world as to be quite above objection and criticism. The verysun which gives us light and warmth is not free from spots, yet notwithstanding these defects itdoes not desist from its regular duty. It behooves us in like manner to carry on to the best of ourability what has been entrusted to us, and strive constantly to make our lives fruitful. When the truths set forth in this book were revealed to me by the Master they deeply affectedmy life, and some of them have been used by me in my sermons and addresses in Europe, America,Africa, Australia, and Asia. At the request of many friends I have now gathered them together inthis little book, and though it is possible that there are defects in setting them forth, I am sure thatthose who read them with prayer and an unprejudiced mind will benefit from them as I have. It would be impossible for me to set forth these truths that have been revealed to me except inparabolic language, but by the use of parables my task has been made comparatively easy. It is my prayer that as God by His grace and mercy has blessed me by these truths, so also theymay be a blessing to every reader. Your humble servant, Sundar Singh