Loving God with All Your Mind: Thinking as a Christian in a Postmodern World


Gene Edward Veith Jr. - 2003
    But for Christians this can also present problems-especially when the values of postmodernism and secular university life conflict with basic Christian principles. What should Christians do when their beliefs come under attack in the classroom or the public square?Loving God with All Your Mind shows us that the answer is neither wholesale rejection of intellectual life and culture, nor blind acceptance of it. The answer lies in understanding that Jesus is Lord of all of life and that everything in life must be carefully viewed in the light of what Christ's lordship means. Gene Edward Veith unfolds a dazzling critique of the postmodern intellectual world and culture. He affirms the part that is good and true, but he also shows crucial weaknesses that have such a hold over contemporary thought. This book shows Christians how to survive and flourish in a postmodern world while affirming the truth of the Christian faith.

Pierced for Our Transgressions: Rediscovering the Glory of Penal Substitution


Steve Jeffery - 2007
    However, with an increasing number of theologians, church leaders, and even popular Christian books and magazines questioning this doctrine, which naysayers have described as a form of "cosmic child abuse," a fresh articulation and affirmation of penal substitution is needed. And Jeffery, Ovey, and Sach have responded here with clear exposition and analysis.They make the case not only that the doctrine is clearly taught in Scripture, but that it has an impeccable pedigree and a central place in Christian theology, and that its neglect has serious consequences. The authors also systematically analyze over twenty specific objections that have been brought against penal substitution and charitably but firmly offer a defining declaration of the doctrine of the cross for any concerned reader.

Defense of the Faith


Cornelius Van Til - 1955
    Van Til indicates what the Reformed Faith is and how it should be defended and propagated. In so doing he at the same time replies in detail to his various critics. However, his main purpose is to show in broad outline the nature of the true Christian because truly Biblical, life and world view and how it alone enables men to find meaning in life.

Disciples Are Made Not Born: Helping Others Grow to Maturity in Christ


Walter A. Henrichsen - 2002
    But what is a disciple? And how are we to "make"them?Based on decades of experience, this book explains and illustrates the processof disciple-making that Jesus taught and modeled. First published in 1974, itspractical, biblical approach has revolutionized the ministry of hundreds ofthousands of Christians as they learned how to multiply themselves in the livesof others.Disciple-making is challenging, to be sure. But as we are faithful to Christ'sGreat Commission, we'll experience the fulfillment that comes from being faithfulto the life mission to which God has called us.

Naming the Elephant: Worldview as a Concept


James W. Sire - 2004
    Sire has grappled with this issue. In this book he offers readers his most mature thought on the concept of a worldview, addressing such questions asWhat is the history of the concept itself?What is the first question you should ask in formulating a worldview?How are worldviews formed existentially as well as intellectually?Is a worldview primarily an intellectual system, a way of life or a story?What are the public and private dimensions of a worldview?What role can worldview thinking play in assessing your own worldview and those of others, especially in light of the pluralism in today's world?In his widely used textbook The Universe Next Door, first published in 1976, Sire offered a succinct definition of a worldview and catalogued in summary fashion seven basic worldview alternatives. Students, critics, new literature and continued reflection have led him to reexamine and refine his definition of a worldview. This companion volume to The Universe Next Door is the fruit of that effort. Here is an excellent resource for exploring more deeply how and why worldview thinking can aid you in navigating your pluralistic universe.

The Westminster Larger Catechism


Westminster Assembly - 1648
    The Scriptures manifest themselves to be the Word of God, by their majesty and purity; by the consent of all the parts, and the scope of the whole, which is to give all glory to God; by their light and power to convince and convert sinners, to comfort and build up believers unto salvation: but the Spirit of God bearing witness by and with the Scriptures in the heart of man, is alone able fully to persuade it that they are the very Word of God.

Reformed Dogmatics Volume 1 : Prolegomena


Herman Bavinck - 2003
     Bavinck's approach throughout is meticulous. As he discusses the standard topics of dogmatic theology, he stands on the shoulders of giants such as Augustine, John Calvin, Francis Turretin, and Charles Hodge. This masterwork will appeal to scholars and students of theology, research and theological libraries, and pastors and laity who read serious works of Reformed theology.

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.

Unquestioned Answers: Rethinking Ten Christian Clichés to Rediscover Biblical Truths


Jeff Myers - 2020
    Sometimes they even substitute for truth, leading to a fragile and shallow faith. But what if a close study of these clichés could lead us to deep biblical truth?   In Unquestioned Answers, Dr. Jeff Myers rethinks ten popular Christian clichés. Through an in-depth and fresh look, Myers shares insights into these overused statements to strengthen readers’ faith and encourage them to share Jesus with others. Walk with Myers on a path to biblical truth as he explores critical topics such as social justice, faith, sin, loving others, God’s goodness, prayer, and more.

Reverberation: How God's Word Brings Light, Freedom, and Action to His People


Jonathan Leeman - 2011
    the Word of God.  In this book, Jonathan Leeman wants you to realize that the Word, working through God's Spirit, is responsible for the growth of God's church and we need to trust it! Leeman not only informs and equips the leadership of local churches for greatest effectiveness in their preaching ministry but explains how to translate that into the life of the church throughout the week. The book also deals with two errors – not trusting the Word (resulting in a pragmatic ministry philosophy) and not living in light of the Word (resulting in a ministry philosophy of ‘preaching is enough’).Reverberation explains the pulpit ministry and traces the theme of how the Word continues through the life of the church.  Both theological and practical, Reverberation focuses on how the church hears, responds, discusses, implements and is transformed by the Word.  No high-octane production, superstar personalities, or postmodern entreaties, just stuff that is really old, really good, and really powerful!

Faith Speaking Understanding: Performing the Drama of Doctrine


Kevin J. Vanhoozer - 2013
    Vanhoozer argues that theology is not merely a set of cognitive beliefs, but is also something we "do" that involves speech and action alike. He uses a theatrical model to explain the ways in which doctrine shapes Christian understanding and forms disciples. The church, Vanhoozer posits, is the preeminent theater where the gospel is "performed," with doctrine directing this performance. Doctrines are not simply truths to be stored, shelved, and stacked, but indications and directions to be followed, practiced, and enacted. In "performing" doctrine, Christians are shaped into active disciples of Jesus Christ. He goes on to examine the state of the church in today's world and explores how disciples can do or perform doctrine. Written in an accessible and engaging style, Faith Speaking Understanding sets forth a compelling vision of what the church is and what it should be doing, and demonstrates the importance of Christian doctrine for this mission.Disciples who want to follow Christ in all situations need doctrinal direction as they walk onto the social stage in the great theater of the world. The Christian faith is about acknowledging, and participating in, the great thing God is doing in our world: making all things new in Christ through the Holy Spirit. Doctrine ministers understanding: of God, of the drama of redemption, of the church as a company of faithful players, and of individual actors, all of whom have important roles to play. In an age where things fall apart and centers fail to hold, doctrine centers us in Jesus Christ, in whom all things hold together.

The Essential Augustine


Augustine of Hippo - 1964
    Came to the Episcopacy (Serm. 355, 2); A. Chooses Eraclius as His Successor (Letter 213, 1, 5f); A. on His Own Writings (Retractations Prol. I, 1-3)2 FAITH & REASON: Belief is Volitional Consent (On the Spirit & Letter 21, 54; 34, 60); To Believe Is to Think w/Assent (Predestination of the Saints 5); Believing & Understanding (On Free Choice II, 2, 4-6); Authority & Reason (Against the Academics III, 20, 43); Two Ways to Knowledge (On Order II, 9, 26f); Reason & Authority in Manicheism (Value of Believing 1-4); The Relation of Authority to Reason (True Religion 24, 45--25, 47); If I Am Deceived, I Am Alive (City of God XI, 26); I Know that I Am Alive (The Trinity XV, 12, 21f); Knowledge & Wisdom (The Trinity XII, 14, 21--15, 25); Error & Ignorance (Enchiridion 17)3 THREE LEVELS OF REALITY: Creator, Human Soul, Body (Questions for Simplicianus I, 2, 18); Natures on Three Levels (Letter 18, 2); Soul, Ruled by God, Rules Its Body (On Music VI, 5, 12f); Soul: Above the Sensible, Below God (True Religion 3. 3); God, Mutable Spirits, & Bodies (Nature of the Good 1-25); Divine, Psychic & Bodily Nature (City of God VIII, 5f); Causality: Divine, Psychic & Bodily (City of God V, 9); Divine Ideas as Prototypes (83 Different Questions 46, 1f); God Set Spiritual Creation Above the Corporeal (Literal Commentary on Genesis VIII, 20, 39; 25, 46; 26, 48); Evil: the Privation of the Good (Enchiridion 10-12)4 MAN’S SOUL: Existence, Life, Sense & Reason (On Free Choice II, 3, 7f, 10); Sensation as an Activity of the Soul (On Music VI, 5, 9f); Memory, Understanding & Will (The Trinity X, 11, 17f); The Wonders of Memory (Confessions X, 8-26); Three Levels of Vision (Literal Commentary on Genesis XII, 6, 15--11, 22; 30, 58--31, 59)5 THE WORLD OF BODIES: All Bodily Natures Are Good (City of God XII, 4); Invisible Seeds in the Elements (The Trinity III, 8, 13); The Elements Contain Seminal Reasons (Literal Commentary on Genesis IX, 17, 32); Measure, Number, & Weight (Literal Commentary on Genesis IV, 3, 7); Concerning Formless Matter (Confessions XII, 3. 3--9, 9); Place, Time & the Physical World (City of God XI, 5-6); The Wonders of Nature (City of God XXI, 4-5); God Works Thruout Nature (The Trinity III, 5, 11--6, 11); Man’s Natural Endowments (City of God XXII, 24); The Physical World & the Xian (Enchiridion 9)6 APPROACHING GOD THRU UNDERSTANDING: Creation is a Great Book (Serm., Mai 126, 6); The Journey of the Soul to God (On Free Choice II, 12, 33f; 15, 39f; 16, 41f); The Soul’s Ascent to God (Confessions VII, 10, 16--17, 23); The Whole World Proclaims Its Maker (On Psalm 26, Serm. 2, 12); Ascending to the Supreme Truth (True Religion 29, 52--31, 58); Plato’s View of God (City of God VII, 4); How to Think About God (The Trinity V, 1f--2f); The Problem of Speaking About God (The Trinity VII, 4, 7-9); God Is the Selfsame (On Psalm 121, 3, 5); A Divine Invocation (Soliloquies I, 2-6); Late Have I Loved Thee (Confessions X, 27, 38--28, 39)7 MORAL & RELIGIOUS LIFE: All Men Desire Happiness (On Psalm 32, Serm. 3, 15f); Man’s Greatest Good (Moral Behavior of the Catholic Church 3-8); Good Love & Bad Love (City of God XIV, 6f); Moral Evil Stems from Bad Will (City of God XII, 6); Two Precepts of Love (City of God XIX, 14); On Diversities of Local Customs (Letter 54, 1-4); Doing Good to Body & Soul (Moral Behavior of the Catholic Church 27f); The Evil of Telling a Lie (Enchiridion 18f, 22); Lying & Concealing the Truth (On Psalm 5, 7); Faith, Hope & Charity (Enchiridion 8); No Virtues Apart from God (City of God XIX, 25); Our Reward Is Not in This Life (On Psalm 48, Serm. 2)8 DIMENSIONS OF GRACE: What the Grace of God Is (On Admonition & Grace 2f); A. Was Never a Pelagian (Retractations I, 9, 2-4); What True Grace Is (On the Grace of Christ 26f); The Work of Grace (City of God XXI, 15f); How Freedom Is Restored by Grace (Enchiridion 30-32); God’s Foreknowledge & Human Willing (City of God V, 10); Grace Before & After the Fall (Enchiridion 104-106); Grace & Good Works (On Psalm 31, Serm. 2, 6-8); Prevenient Grace (On Psalm 18, Serm. 2); Grace & Human Miseries (City of God XXII, 20-22); The Beatific Vision (On Psalm 36, Serm. 2, 8)9 THE TWO CITIES: A.’s Analysis of the City of God (Letter to Firmus); How the Two Cities Differ (City of God XIV, 1); Two Loves Make Two Cities (Literal Commentary on Genesis XI, 15, 20); Two Cities Formed by Two Loves (City of God XIV, 28); The Unimportance of Externals (City of God XIX, 19); Relation of the Heavenly & Earthly Cities (City of God XIX, 17); Jerusalem & Babylon (On Psalm 64, 2); Summary of the Two Cities (City of God XVIII, 1); All Nations Are in the City of God (On Psalm 86, 5); The Church & the City of God (On Psalm 98, 4); The Foundation of the Holy City (On Psalm 121, 4); Religion & Human Destiny (True Religion 7, 13--8, 14); The Meaning of a People (City of God XIX, 23f); Peace: the Tranquility of Order (City of God XIX, 11-13); Two Kingdoms After the Resurrection (Enchiridion 111)10 PHILOSOPHY OF HISTORY: Belief & Historical Events (83 Different Questions 48); The Universality of Providence (City of God V, 11); Meaning in History (True Religion 50, 98f); Six Ages in Biblical History (On Psalm 92, 1); Symbolic Meaning of Jewish History (On Psalm 64, 1); Christ in History (Letter 137, 4, 15f); The Two Cities in History (On Catechizing the Uninstructed 21, 37); What Is Time? (Confessions XI, 14, 17--30, 40); Critique of Cyclicism (City of God XII, 13-15)APENDIXES: 1 Selected, Annotated Bibliography 2 Alphabetical List of A.’s Writings 3 Glossary of TermsINDEX

The Christian Mind: How Should a Christian Think?


Harry Blamires - 1963
    Arguing that a distinctively Christian reasoning has been swept away by secular modes of thought and politically correct assumptions, the author calls for the recovery of the authentically Christian mind. "America needs a shot of intellectual insulin directly to its oft-sleepy mind. Harry Blamires is calling out to Christians to think once again. To Blamires, Jesus is not some spongy source of giddy joy. He is the Christ-the hope of 'hard boiled' secularity." -Calvin Miller, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary "Must reading for those in places of spiritual leadership, and in whose hands in borne the responsibility for the nurturing of Christians." -Pulpit Helps Harry Blamires is a highly respected teacher and author of more than thirty books. He has won a wide following of both British and American readers for his provocative works in theology, education, English literature, and fiction. His other works include Where Do We Stand?, On Christian Truth, and The Post-Christian Mind.

Choosing the Good: Christian Ethics in a Complex World


Dennis P. Hollinger - 2002
    Provides a discussion of the foundations and methods in ethics and ways to apply a Christian worldview to a secular culture.

Footsteps of the Messiah


Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum - 1982
    Those who play it down usually avoid assigning specific meaning to prophetic texts. Those who play it up often assign too much.But the prophetic portions of the Bible won't go away. The biblical interpreter must interact with them and in the detail and specificity in which they were written. Dr. Fruchtenbaum has done that, seeking always to try to understand the full meaning of the biblical revelation.The author's consideration of the biblical material is thorough and thought-provoking...those who read this book cannot help but be instructed and stimulated by his work.