What Every Christian Ought to Know: Essential Truths for Growing Your Faith


Adrian Rogers - 2005
    Without these essentials—the basic truths of the faith—they will never establish strong roots or bear fruit. Adrian Rogers has written a book designed to give new believers the nurture and care their faith needs to blossom and grow. What Every Christian Ought to Know seeks to give intellectual truth, and also to provide the “spiritual nutrients” required to produce mature faith.

The Case for Christ, Youth Edition: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence of Jesus


Lee Strobel - 1998
    But miracles? Rising from the dead? Some of the stories you hear about him sound like just that--stories. A reasonable person would never believe them, let alone the claim that he s the only way to God! But a reasonable person would also make sure that he or she understood the facts before jumping to conclusions. That s why Lee Strobel--an award-winning legal journalist with a knack for asking tough questions--decided to investigate Jesus for himself. An atheist, Strobel felt certain his findings would bring Christianity s claims about Jesus tumbling down like a house of cards. He was in for the surprise of his life. Join him as he retraces his journey from skepticism to faith. You ll consult expert testimony as you sift through the truths that history, science, psychiatry, literature, and religion reveal. Like Strobel, you ll be amazed at the evidence--how much there is, how strong it is, and what it says. The facts are in. What will your verdict be in The Case for Christ?"

John Calvin: Pilgrim and Pastor


W. Robert Godfrey - 2009
    As controversial as he was influential, his critics have named a judgmental and joyless attitude after him, while his admirers celebrate him as the principal theologian of Reformed Christianity. Yet his impact is unmistakable-a primary developer of western civilization whose life and work have deeply affected five centuries' worth of pastors, scholars, and individuals.What will surprise the readers of this book, however, is that Calvin did not live primarily to influence future generations. Rather, he considered himself first and foremost a spiritual pilgrim and a minister of the Word in the church of his day. It was from that essential Calvin that all his influence flowed.Here is an introduction to Calvin's life and thought and essence: a man who moved people not through the power of personality but through passion for the Word, a man who sought to serve the gospel in the most humble of roles.

Living on the Ragged Edge: Finding Joy in a World Gone Mad


Charles R. Swindoll - 1985
    . . more education . . . a new spouse . . . a fresh start in another location. The solution to life's challenges, we think, is just around the corner, a few steps ahead?always just out of reach.Living on the Ragged Edge opens the pages of an ancient journal?the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes. In this very personal, unbelievably honest book, King Solomon chronicles his search for satisfaction, experiencing everything the world offered. The wisest man who ever lived, he certainly had the intelligence and the vast resources to pursue whatever his heart desired?from personal riches to sexual pleasures. Solomon had it all. He did it all with abandon. And he came to the end of his days with the ultimate secret for the "good life."Do you want to know the secret? Do you want to know how to find joy and peace in this world gone mad? In this bestseller, Charles Swindoll delivers his characteristic insights and wisdom in an exploration of the book of Ecclesiastes and brings home to you Solomon's powerful message for living at its best.

Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch: A Compendium of Contemporary Biblical Scholarship


T. Desmond Alexander - 2002
    Its great themes, epochal events and towering figures set down vectors on which the biblical story is played out. The very shape of the rest of the Old Testament would collapse were the Penteteuch to be removed. The structure of New Testament thought would be barely intelligible without it. Here we meet the great ancestral figures of Israel--Abraham, Isaac and Jacob--and the towering figure of Moses, whose presence dominates four of these five books. The creative act of God, the paradisal garden, the exile of Adam and Eve, the judgment of the great flood, the call of Abraham from among the nations, the covenant of Abraham, the exodus from Egypt, the giving of the law at Sinai, the plan of the tabernacle, the varied experiences of Israel in the wilderness, and the announcement of the covenant blessings and curses--all of these and more contribute to a work of world-formative power. This dictionary explores the major themes and contours of the Pentateuch. Behind and beneath the grandeur of the Pentateuch, issues of historicity have both puzzled and beckoned. But whereas in the mid-twentieth century many English-speaking scholars were confident of archaeological support for the patriarchal accounts, the climate has now changed. In the most extreme cases, some contemporary scholars have radically challenged the antiquity of the ancestral stories, arguing for their final composition even as late as the Hellenistic era. This dictionary examines and weighs the historical issues and poses possible solutions. The documentary hypothesis, the former reigning critical consensus, is now widely rumored to be on life support with no heir apparent. Meanwhile, conservative scholars reconsider what indeed a claim to Mosaic authorship should entail. This dictionary offers an assessment of the array of questions surrounding these issues and considers some possible ways forward for evangelical scholarship. At the same time, there has been a fruitful turning to the nature, message and art of the received text of the Pentateuch. Literary studies of brief episodes, sprawling sagas, complex narrative and even the fivefold composition of the Pentateuch itself have delivered promising and exciting results. This dictionary offers both appreciative panoramas and close-up assessments of these developments and their methods. TheDictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch is the first in a four-volume series covering the text of the Old Testament. Following in the tradition of the four award-winning IVP dictionaries focused on the New Testament and its background, this encyclopedic work is characterized by close attention to the text of the Old Testament and the ongoing conversation of contemporary scholarship. In exploring the major themes and issues of the Pentateuch, editors T. Desmond Alexander and David W.Baker, with an international and expert group of scholars, inform and challenge through authoritative overviews, detailed examinations and new insights from the world of the ancient Near East. TheDictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch is designed to be your first stop in the study and research of the Pentateuch, on which the rest of the Bible is built.

The Bible as History


Werner Keller - 1955
    Readers all over the world have been captivated by the descriptions of excavations, the deciphering of ancient documents & the informed arguments concerning the reliability of the bible. Since the 1st revised edition in 1964, however, new techniques have brought much additional information to light, & fascinating parallels between the Ten Commandments & other ancient documents have been discovered. This 2nd revised edition, published in 1980, includes a new chapter on the Turin Shroud, a postscipt on the accuracy & interpretation of the bible by biblical scholar Joachim Rehork. "A lively blend of drama & reporting that reads like a detective story grafted on a history book."-- Time.Introduction to the New Revised EditionIntroduction to the First EditionDigging up the Old Testament. The coming of the patriarchs: from Abraham to Jacob; In the realm of the pharaohs: from Joseph to Moses; Forty years in the wilderness: from the Nile to the Jordan; The battle for the Promised Land: from Joshua to Saul; When Israel was an empire: from David to Solomon; Two kings--two kingdoms: from Rehoboam to Jehoiachin; From the Exile to the Maccabean Kingdom: from Ezekiel to John Hyrcanus--Digging up the New Testament. Jesus of Nazareth; In the days of the apostlesPostscriptBibliographyGeneral Index

Reading the Bible the Orthodox Way: 2000 Years without Confusion or Anxiety


John A. Peck - 2014
    Now, using this simple method you'll learn the best way to put this important discipline to use for maximum spiritual benefit.

Moments with the Savior: A Devotional Life of Christ (Moments with the Savior) (Moments with the Savior Series)


Ken Gire - 1994
    This compilation of Ken's best-selling Moments with the Savior books contains all the devotions from the four previous books as well as many new devotions -- all in one deluxe hardcover volume.

Theology of the New Testament: A Canonical and Synthetic Approach


Frank Thielman - 2005
    Each of the twenty-seven books, written by various authors, has its own theological emphasis and nuances. How do we elicit a coherent message from such theological diversity, especially given that some of the theological statements in the New Testament seem to be at odds with one another? Is such an endeavor achievable or even valid?Theology of the New Testament takes a balanced approach in response to these challenges. Frank Thielman presents a theology of the New Testament that is careful to take into account the cultural and historical circumstances surrounding each book and the New Testament as a whole. He not only examines each book’s theological content individually, but also in relation to the rest of the New Testament, particularly within each of the three theological units that comprise the New Testament: the gospels and Acts, the Pauline epistles, and the general epistles and Revelation. This canonical and synthetic approach honors both the theological diversity of the various books and the theological connections between the books. In the end, Thielman finds a unified theological vision of the New Testament, anchored in the centrality of Jesus Christ.Frank Thielman’s Theology of the New Testament is an outstanding achievement. The book is marked by scholarly depth, exegetical rigor, and theological profundity. Both students and professors will profit immensely from this lucid treatment of the theology contained in the New Testament documents. Thomas R. Schreiner Professor of New Testament, The Southern Baptist Theological SeminaryAn accessible presentation of the key theological points of the New Testament books by an accomplished New Testament scholar and teacher. Its clear style, lucid organization, and sound theological insight make it a prime resource for serious students in both the academy and the church. Karen H. Jobes, PhD Associate Professor of New Testament, Westmont College

Jesus: A Meditation on His Stories and His Relationships with Women


Andrew M. Greeley - 2007
    Along the way, Father Greeley touches on provocative topics, such as the significance of Jesus's Jewish roots, his relationship with women, The Da Vinci Code, and The Passion of the Christ.

On Being Catholic


Thomas Howard - 1997
    The book's chapters take the form of lay meditations on Catholic teaching and practice, opening up in practical and simple terms the richness at work in virtually every detail of Catholic prayer, piety, liturgy and experience.

With Reverence and Awe: Returning to the Basics of Reformed Worship


D.G. Hart - 2002
    Conflicting expectations for worship reveal that there is significant confusion about its nature, purpose, and practice. Originally designed for Sunday school classes, this book is a primer to the fundamentals of worship, drawing from Scripture and Reformed confessions. By overviewing how Reformed theology informs how we think about, put together, and participate in a worship service, Hart and Muether prepare us to gather corporately for worship in ways that are appropriate to our Triune God.

Tribal Church: Ministering to the Missing Generation


Carol Howard Merritt - 2000
    Outlining the financial, social, and familial situations that affect many young adults today, she describes how churches can provide a safe, supportive place for young adults to nurture relationships and foster spiritual growth. There are few places left in society that allow for real intergenerational connections to be made, yet these connections are vital for any church that seeks to reflect the fullness of the body of Christ. Carol Howard Merritt, a pastor in her mid-thirties, suggests a different way for churches to be able to approach young adults on their own terms. Outlining the financial, social, and familial situations that affect many young adults today, she describes how churches can provide a safe, supportive place for young adults to nurture relationships and foster spiritual growth. There are few places left in society that allow for real intergenerational connections to be made, yet these connections are vital for any church that seeks to reflect the fullness of the body of Christ. Using the metaphor of a tribe to describe the close bonds that form when people of all ages decide to walk together on their spiritual journeys, Merritt casts a vision of the church that embraces the gifts of all members while reaching out to those who might otherwise feel unwelcome or unneeded. Mainline churches have much to offer young adults, as well as much to learn from them. By breaking down artificial age barriers and building up intentional relationships, congregations can provide a space for all people to connect with God, each other, and the world.

Know How We Got Our Bible


Ryan M. Reeves - 2018
    In Know How We Got Our Bible, scholars Ryan Reeves and Charles Hill trace the history of the Bible from its beginnings to the present day, highlighting key figures and demonstrating overall the reliability of Scripture.Reeves and Hill begin with the writing of the Bible's books (including authorship and dating), move into the formation of the Old and New Testaments (including early transmission and the development of the canon), and conclude with several chapters on Bible translation from the Latin Vulgate to the ongoing work of translation around the world today.Written simply and focused on the overarching story of how the Bible came to us today, Know How We Got Our Bible is an excellent introduction for formal students and lay learners alike. Each chapter includes reflection questions and recommended readings for further learning.

The Names of God: God’s Name Brings Hope, Healing, and Happiness


Lester Sumrall - 1982
    He is our Healer, Provider, Peacemaker, Conqueror, and much more. By knowing how God expresses His love for us through His names, you can:Deepen your fellowship with HimDiscover your purpose in lifeFind security and peace in His presenceReceive healing for your bodyDefeat Satan’s influence in your lifeBy understanding the nature of God, you will reap the blessings of His many promises, live out the great plan He has for your life, and have your deepest needs met. Here’s the key to unlocking the treasure…the thousands of promises made by God to each one of us. Claim them today!