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Stories of the Saints: Bold and Inspiring Tales of Adventure, Grace, and Courage
By Carey Wallace. 2020
Performing Miracles. Facing Wild Lions. Confronting Demons. Transforming the World. From Augustine to Mother Teresa, officially canonized as St. Teresa…
of Calcutta, discover seventy of the best-known and best-loved saints and read their riveting stories. Meet Joan of Arc, whose transcendent faith compelled her to lead an army when the king’s courage failed. Francis of Assisi, whose gentleness tamed a man-eating wolf. Valentine, a bishop in the time of ancient Rome, who spoke so often of Christ’s love that his saint’s day, February 12, has been associated with courtly love since the Middle Ages. St. Thomas Aquinas, the great teacher. Peter Claver, who cared for hundreds of thousands of people on slave ships after their voyage as captives. And Bernadette, whose vision of Mary instructed her to dig the spring that became the healing waters of Lourdes. Each saint is illustrated in a dramatic and stylized full-color portrait, and included in every entry are the saint’s dates, location, emblems, feast days, and patronage. Taken together, these stories create a rich, inspiring, and entertaining history of faith and courage. For kids age 10 and up. A perfect gift for Confirmation.
When God Doesn't Make Sense
By James C. Dobson. 1993
1994 Gold Medallion Award winner! Every person who lives long enough will eventually encounter circumstances that are difficult to explain…
theologically. From years of counselling experience, Dr. James Dobson offers assurance of God's constant care, even when human suffering is beyond our comprehension.
Spiritual disciplines are essential to a more vibrant spiritual life and knowing God more intimately. Join Kelly Minter in this…
7-session Bible study as she unpacks the biblical foundation for these sacred habits along with approachable ways to practice disciplines like prayer, study, worship, rest, simplicity, generosity, celebration, and many more. Instead of being just one more thing on your to-do list, you'll find that these habits of faith can actually create more margin in your life--providing peace and rest as you walk closer with Jesus. Features: Personal study segments with homework to complete between 7 weeks of group sessionsLeader helps to guide questions and discussions within small groupsTeaching videos, approximately 30 minutes per session, available for purchase or rentExplanations of the history and progression of spiritual disciplines from origins to present day along with their biblical rootsPractical guidance and activities to live out the various spiritual disciplines at home Benefits: Demystify spiritual disciplines and be empowered to practice them as you draw closer to God.Understand how spiritual disciplines strengthen the Body of Christ, both in communities and individual lives.Reframe your perspective on rest and renewal.
The Future of Metaphysical Religion in America (Boundaries of Religious Freedom: Regulating Religion in Diverse Societies)
By Christopher White, Mark Silk. 2022
This collection of essays by leading scholars explores the present, dynamic state of metaphysical religion in America. It includes chapters…
that: put survey data on this growing group in context; clarify definitional issues in the study of spirituality in general and metaphysical spirituality in particular; and assess the networks, conferences, rituals, festivals, retreat centers and periodicals recently developed by metaphysicals. The contributors discuss characteristic practices of mental healing and meditation, and show the reach of metaphysical ideas into public spaces and popular media cultures. One particular chapter also addresses the growing controversy over the legitimacy of metaphysical individuals and movements that appropriate elements of Native American and Asian religious beliefs and practices to enrich or sustain their own practice. This rich collection appeals to students, researchers, professionals and the layperson interested in knowing more about the history and more importantly the direction that American metaphysical religion is taking.
Law in American Meetinghouses: Church Discipline and Civil Authority in Kentucky, 1780–1845
By Jeffrey Thomas Perry. 2022
A revealing look at the changing role of churches in the decades after the American Revolution.Most Americans today would not…
think of their local church as a site for arbitration and would probably be hesitant to bring their property disputes, moral failings, or personal squabbles to their kin and neighbors for judgment. But from the Revolutionary Era through the mid-nineteenth century, many Protestants imbued local churches with immense authority. Through their ritual practice of discipline, churches insisted that brethren refrain from suing each other before "infidels" at local courts and claimed jurisdiction over a range of disputes: not only moral issues such as swearing, drunkenness, and adultery but also matters more typically considered to be under the purview of common law and courts of equity, including disputes over trespass, land, probate, slave warranty, and theft. In Law in American Meetinghouses, Jeffrey Thomas Perry explores the ways that ordinary Americans—Black and white, enslaved and free—understood and created law in their local communities, uncovering a vibrant marketplace of authority in which church meetinghouses played a central role in maintaining their neighborhoods' social peace. Churches were once prominent sites for the creation of local law and in this period were a primary arena in which civil and religious authority collided and shaped one another. When church discipline failed, the wronged parties often pushed back, and their responses highlight the various forces that ultimately hindered that venue's ability to effectively arbitrate disputes between members. Relying primarily on a deep reading of church records and civil case files, Perry examines how legal transformations, an expanding market economy, and religious controversy led churchgoers to reimagine their congregations' authority. By the 1830s, unable to resolve doctrinal quibbles within the fellowship, church factions turned to state courts to secure control over their meetinghouses, often demanding that judges wade into messy ecclesiastical disputes. Tracking changes in disciplinary rigor in Kentucky Baptist churches from that state's frontier period through 1845, and looking beyond statutes and court decrees, Law in American Meetinghouses is a fresh take on church-state relations. Ultimately, it highlights an oft-forgotten way that Americans subtly repositioned religious institutions alongside state authority.
Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith
By Douglas Groothuis. 2021
People are hungry for hope. They want to understand our human condition—its origin, nature, purpose, and destiny. The Christian faith…
offers hope for individuals and the entire universe, grounded in absolute truth. But how can we know that Christianity is true? And how can Christians confidently present their beliefs in the face of doubts and competing views? In this comprehensive text, Douglas Groothuis makes a clear and rigorous case for Christian theism. Demonstrating how apologetics must be both rational and winsome, he addresses the most common questions and objections people raise regarding Christianity. After laying a foundation with the biblical basis for apologetics, apologetic method, and a defense of objective truth, he presents key arguments for the reality of God, a case for the credibility of Jesus, and evidence for the resurrection. Groothuis also evaluates alternative views and responds to challenges such as religious pluralism and the problem of evil. The second edition of this landmark work has been updated throughout to address current issues and sources. It includes new chapters on topics such as doubt and the hiddenness of God, the atonement, the church, and lament as a Christian apologetic. To know God in Christ, Groothuis argues, means that we desire to make Christian truth available to others in the most compelling form possible. Students, ordinary Christians, and seasoned philosophers will all find a wise guide for this endeavor in Christian Apologetics.
Calvinism for a Secular Age: A Twenty-First-Century Reading of Abraham Kuyper's Stone Lectures
By Robert J. Joustra, Jessica R. Joustra, Robert J. Joustra, Jessica R. Joustra. 2022
Abraham Kuyper, the Dutch Neo-Calvinist theologian, pastor, and politician, was well-known for having declared that there is "not a square…
inch" of human existence over which Jesus Christ is not its sovereign Lord. This principle is perhaps best reflected in Kuyper's writings on Calvinism originally delivered as the Stone Lectures in 1898 at Princeton Theological Seminary. These lectures reflecting on the role of the Christian faith in a variety of social spheres—including religion, politics, science, and art—have become a touchstone for contemporary Reformed theology. How might the lectures continue to inform the church's calling in a secular age? In this volume, Jessica Joustra and Robert Joustra bring together theologians, historians, scientists, and others to revisit Kuyper's original lectures and to critically consider both his ongoing importance and his complex legacy for today.
Covenantal and Dispensational Theologies: Four Views on the Continuity of Scripture (Spectrum Multiview Book Series)
By Brent E. Parker, Richard James Lucas, Brent E. Parker, Richard James Lucas. 2022
Covenant Theology: Michael S. Horton, Gresham Machen Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics, Westminster Seminary CaliforniaProgressive Covenantalism: Stephen J. Wellum,…
professor of Christian theology, Southern Baptist Theological SeminaryProgressive Dispensationalism: Darrell L. Bock, Senior Research Professor of New Testament Studies, Dallas Theological SeminaryTraditional Dispensationalism: Mark A. Snoeberger, professor of systematic theology and apologetics, Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary
How Beautiful the World Could Be: Christian Reflections on the Everyday
By Frederick Christian Bauerschmidt. 2022
Meditations on ordinary life as part of a larger story &“We human beings are creatures of time and space,&” writes Frederick…
Bauerschmidt. &“We have no choice but to find ourselves at a particular place in a particular moment.&” Fortunately, as Christians, we worship a God who became embodied and lived among us—the timeless Word who became the Word in time. Thus, it is no contradiction for us to expect to find our stories in the larger story of God&’s ongoing dealings with the world. This truth is nowhere more evident than in preaching, which, of necessity, speaks to particular occasions. Throughout these thirty-eight homilies, Bauerschmidt finds the truth of Scripture refracted through the lenses of current events from the past decade—including the coronavirus pandemic—as well as the seasons of the liturgical year and momentous individual occasions like baptisms, weddings, and funerals. His advice and examples will help preachers heed Paul&’s urging to be on point and persuasive &“in season and out of season.&” All readers will be joyfully reminded of how beautiful the world is when seen in its larger context, illuminated by the light of eternity.
3: The Numbers of Hope
By Max Lucado. 2022
*Entirely rewritten and re-filmed for a more focused and deeply personal study of the most-loved verse in the Bible—John 3:16.In…
this updated classic Bible study (video streaming included), bestselling author and pastor Max Lucado pulls back the curtain on his favorite Bible passage to move you to a profound awareness of God's limitless love, His incalculable sacrifice, and the certainty of His offer of eternal life."For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." This passage is a twenty-six-word parade of hope. A verse brief enough to write on a napkin or memorize in a moment...and solid enough to weather 2,000 years of storms and questions.With deeply personal accounts of the way this verse shaped Max's own faith journey, this study will reveal the gospel story surrounding the promise and unpack God's plan of restoration from the human problems of sin and death. If you know nothing about the Bible, the promise of John 3:16 is where to start.It's time to live as if you've been "born again", as if you've already been redeemed. It's time to live into the promise, to trust it—so much that this message of God's unending love overflows from you to the world.This video study guide has everything you need for a full Bible study experience, including:The study guide itself—with discussion and reflection questions, video notes, and a leader's guide.An individual access code to stream all five video sessions online (DVD also available separately).Streaming video access code included. Access code subject to expiration after 12/31/2027. Code may be redeemed only by the recipient of this package. Code may not be transferred or sold separately from this package. Internet connection required. Void where prohibited, taxed, or restricted by law. Additional offer details inside.
Cast Your Cares: A 40-Day Journey to Find Rest for Your Soul
By Abide Christian Meditation. 2022
Improve your mental health by discovering God's promise of comfort for the most common sources of daily anxiety, including loneliness,…
anger, fear, relationships, and finances.God never meant for us to feel so alone in facing our emotions. Though they often steal our peace and cause us restless nights, too often we just try to press through. In forty days of readings from the world's most popular Christian meditation app, Abide, you can journey through their most popular content on attaining the timeless peace found throughout Scripture, and renew your heart with God's abiding love.Through simply practicing slowing down to reflect on God's Word and release one care each day, you'll find rest for your soul and a deeper appreciation of Jesus's parting gift to his followers: peace of mind and heart (John 14:27) in even the most trying circumstances of life.Begin a new daily habit of self-care and experience a renewed outlook through:Reflections on biblical passagesEngaging journal promptsExplorations of common sources of anxietyAnd suggested prayersYou don't have to shoulder the burden of life's worries alone. Cast your cares on God one day at a time and discover the reassurance available to all believers at any time.
100 Days to Brave for Kids: Devotions for Overcoming Fear and Finding Your Courage
By Annie F. Downs. 2022
100 Days to Brave for Kids helps kids see they were always meant to be brave. From dealing with fears,…
anxiety, and difficult changes in life, Annie F. Downs presents honest wisdom and humor giving kids ages 8 to 12 the courage and confidence to embrace the plan God has for their lives.100 Days to Brave for Kids is your guide to help your kids not allow fear to hold them back. With 100 days of devotions and advice, they will discover:How to be the best version of themselves they can beHow to defeat fear so it doesn't hold them backTheir unique gifts and how to create daily habits that will help them face any circumstance100 Days to Brave for Kids is perfect for:Readers 8 to 12 who are facing new life events, loneliness, or changes in their everyday livesHelping children through difficult transitionsYouth groupsBirthday gifts and holiday givingKids today are going through a lot! With anxiety and loneliness at all-time highs, these 100 days can help your child discover they are braver than they know and stronger than they thought possible.
If the Tomb Is Empty: Why the Resurrection Means Anything Is Possible
By Joby Martin. 2022
A beloved pastor and a New York Times bestselling author examine scripture and share inspiring personal stories to help reveal…
the important role that Jesus&’ resurrection plays in our everyday lives. The Son of God was crucified, died and buried, and He lay in the tomb for three days—until He walked out shining like the sun. In a culture in which history is erased or rewritten at will, the existence of an empty tomb matters. Why? Because if the tomb is empty—then anything is possible. In his first book, Joby Martin, Lead Pastor of The Church of Eleven22, dives deep into scripture and traces the story of salvation by highlighting the seven mountains throughout scripture where God manifests himself. As he describes each encounter with God, Martin shows us how the interaction on each mountain laid the groundwork for the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary, and shows what God revealed about Himself in the process. He illuminates seven familiar passages, unveiling how God's plan for Christ's sacrifice is threaded throughout scripture, and shows why Christ's resurrection—impossible, unbelievable—means that nothing is too hard for our God. Ultimately, he asks readers, Do you live every day of your life as if the tomb is empty—or as though Jesus is still hanging on that cross? Written with New York Times bestselling author Charles Martin, If the Tomb is Empty is an insightful and spiritually rich examination of what the miracle of Christ's resurrection means for all of us.
A Primer for Christian Doctrine
By Jonathan R. Wilson. 2005
Penned by a Christian teacher who has led thousands of students through the unfamiliar terrain of systematic theology, A Primer…
for Christian Doctrine serves as a friendly guide to theology's topics, debates, and terminology. Telling you what you need to know as you begin your study of theology or doctrine, the book is an ideal companion to more comprehensive texts.After a brief introduction defending the continued need for doctrine, Jonathan Wilson clearly and concisely maps out each of the main topics of Christian belief in separate chapters. He also traces the differing emphases of theologians while suggesting reasons for their differences.Whether as a first taste of theology or as a readable summary of its present state, Wilson's Primer for Christian Doctrine will be an invaluable resource for students and small groups pursuing a deeper knowledge of what Christians believe.
Keeping the Sabbath Wholly: Ceasing, Resting, Embracing, Feasting
By Marva J. Dawn. 1989
“But I don’t wanna go to church!” Marva Dawn has often heard that cry—and not only from children. “What a…
sad commentary it is on North American spirituality,” she writes, “that the delight of ‘keeping the Sabbath day’ has degenerated into the routine and drudgery—even the downright oppressiveness—of ‘going to church.’” According to Dawn, the phrase “going to church” both reveals and promotes bad theology: it suggests that the church is a static place when in fact the church is the people of God. The regular gathering together of God’s people for worship is important—it enables them to be church in the world—but the act of worship is only a small part of observing the Sabbath. This refreshing book invites the reader to experience the wholeness and joy that come from observing God’s order for life—a rhythm of working six days and setting apart one day for rest, worship, festivity, and relationships. Dawn develops a four-part pattern for keeping the Sabbath: (1)ceasing—not only from work but also from productivity, anxiety, worry, possessiveness, and so on; (2) resting— of the body as well as the mind, emotions, and spirit—a wholistic rest; (3) embracing—deliberately taking hold of Christian values, of our calling in life, of the wholeness God offers us; (4) feasting—celebrating God and his goodness in individual and corporate worship as well as feasting with beauty, music, food, affection, and social interaction. Combining sound biblical theology and research into Jewish traditions with many practical suggestions, Keeping the Sabbath Wholly offers a healthy balance between head and heart: the book shows how theological insights can undergird daily life and practice, and it gives the reader both motivation and methods for enjoying a special holy day. Dawn’s work— unpretentiously eloquent, refreshingly personal in tone, and rich with inspiring example—promotes the discipline of Sabbath-keeping not as a legalistic duty but as the way to freedom, delight, and joy. Christians and Jews, pastors and laypeople, individuals and small groups—all will benefit greatly from reading and discussing the book and putting its ideas into practice.
Today's pastors -- often expected to be multitasking marvels who can make their churches "successful" -- are understandably confused about…
their role. Craig Barnes contends that the true calling of a pastor is to help others become fully alive in Christ, to be a "minor poet," or poet of the soul. As such, pastors are to read the major poets of Scripture and history in light of the dust and grit of daily parish life.The Pastor as Minor Poet eloquently calls pastors to search for a deeper understanding of what they see -- both in the text of Scripture and in the text of their parishioners' lives. A critical part of this poetic vision involves discerning key subtexts beneath these texts, which allows pastors to preach the heart of the Word and to understand the hearts of their people. Written with a seasoned pastor's depth of understanding and a poet's sensibility and sensitivity, this book will minister to and inspire pastors everywhere.
We Are Called to Be a Movement
By William Barber. 2020
It's time for everyone who cares about the state of our nation to heed the call and join forces to…
redeem the soul of America. It's time to come together and renounce the politics of rejection, division, and greed. It's time to lift up the common good, move up to higher ground, and revive the heart of democracy. In a single, rousing sermon, the celebrated Reverend William J. Barber II of the Poor People&’s Campaign makes an impassioned argument whose message could not be clearer: It's time for change, and the time needs you.
The Oxford Dictionary of Saints
By David Hugh Farmer. 2004
This is far more than a dry hagiographical account of the lives of saints. This entertaining and authoritative dictionary breathes…
life into its subjects and is as browsable as it is informative. Critically acclaimed in its many editions, the dictionary is now reissued into the rebranded best-selling Oxford Paperback Reference series. The entries are concise accounts of the lives, cults, and artistic associations of over 1,400 saints, from the famous to the obscure, the rich to the poor, and the academic to the uneducated. From all walks of life and from all periods of history, the wide varieties of personalities and achievements of the canonized are reflected. Featuring maps of pilgrimage sights in Europe and fully updated appendices, this remains the standard reference paperback in its field. Recently-added saints include the Martyrs of Korea, Vietnam, and the Spanish Civil War, Andrew of Crete, and Emily Rodat, a female hermit of the 7th century. There are also more Scottish and Irish saints, and ancient Welsh saints; more European saints from all centuries, as well as more saints from Eastern Europe; more recently canonized saints and female saints from the USA.
Trading Gods: A Rationale for Faith
By Brian Causey. 2021
A man recounts his investigation into spirituality and into what he really believed about religion following the September 11th terrorist…
attacks.Suddenly, Brian Causey found himself stumbling over life’s greatest questions: Why are we here? How did the universe and life begin? Why is there suffering in the world? What happens after we die? If there is an afterlife, how do I get there?A portfolio manager at a large investment company, Brian would leave the trading floor each day with these questions swirling in his head. What he came to realize was that he had to make a decision: would he trade the god he had been following, under which he could make his own rules, without subscribing to any larger organization or authority?for the “real” God? The more he researched the difficult questions of life; the clearer God’s truth became. Brian ultimately concluded that the evidence points in the direction of God’s existence. In Trading Gods, he shares his personal journey, rationale for faith, and the supporting research that explains why the real God is the best answer to life’s biggest questions.“We all serve gods of one sort or another in our life. Brian’s story of being a trader who, after the tragedy of 9/11, found his way to the true God of Scripture, is both illuminating and inspiring.” —Justin Brierley, editor at Premier Christianity and host of the Unbelievable? radio show and podcast“For both Christian and non-Christian alike, I encourage you to take this journey with Brian. You won’t regret it!” —Nate Sala, president, A Clear Lens
Defining Moments: The Transformational Promises of Faith-Based Travel
By Susan McCarthy, Rick McCarthy. 2021
A guide to faith-based, Spirit-led, heart-changing travel to the Holy Land and historic Christian sites throughout Europe.Travel is the one…
thing that makes you richer after you pay for it—and that’s especially true when itineraries are designed to provide a life-changing spiritual revelation experience. This guide is ideal for individuals and tour leaders who want to bring the Holy Spirit along on their journeys as they seek defining moments with God.Covering destinations such as Antioch, Bethlehem, Emmaus, Corinth, Canterbury, Zurich, and many more, Defining Moments not only allows you to follow in the footsteps of Paul’s missionary journeys or learn more about the Reformation, but deepens your experience in ways that can restore, revive, and re-energize your faith—turning travel into transformation. Also included are numerous practical tips about preparing for your trip, navigating unfamiliar places, touring with a group, and more.