Who were the Puritans? What did they seek to achieve? What were their successes and failures? Are they of any importance to Christians today? We firmly believe that all Christians need to discover the important story of how these men and women sought to follow Jesus Christ. Their convictions resulted in a brave and joyful faith, and the writing they have left us on the Christian life continues to be a rich resource for our own discipleship. Meeting the Puritans by listening to them has enriched both of us more than we can express. And so, in The Glory of Grace, we want to introduce you to peo... View More...
Beginning with Walter Bauer in 1934, the denial of clear orthodoxy in early Christianity has shaped and largely defined modern New Testament criticism, recently given new life through the work of spokesmen like Bart Ehrman. Spreading from academia into mainstream media, the suggestion that diversity of doctrine in the early church led to many competing orthodoxies is indicative of today's postmodern relativism. Authors K stenberger and Kruger engage Ehrman and others in this polemic against a dogged adherence to popular ideals of diversity.K stenberger and Kruger's accessible and careful schol... View More...
This compact collection of philosophical texts from the Summa Theologica--on God, creation, the soul, human acts, moral good and evil, love, habits, virtue, and law--is presented newly translated in abridged form and cast in a modified version of the medieval quaestio. Included are only the most important objections and Aquinas' replies; appeals to scriptural, theological, and philosophical authorities have been omitted. Unlike the ordering of the originals, questions and answers are here presented prior to objections and replies; the result is a sharp, rich, topically organized question-answe... View More...
Art history encompasses the study of the history and development of painting, sculpture and the other visual arts. In this Very Short Introduction, Dana Arnold presents an introduction to the issues, debates, and artefacts that make up art history. Beginning with a consideration of what art history is, she explains what makes the subject distinctive from other fields of study, and also explores the emergence of social histories of art (such as Feminist Art History and Queer Art History). Using a wide range of images, she goes on to explore key aspects of the discipline including how we write, ... View More...
""A welcome addition to the ongoing reflection on the meaning of religion in America. The authors are both responsible as scholars and accessible as writers. Teachers, students, clergy, and laity will find this book worthwhile. It deserves a wide reading."" -- Ronald A. Wells, Professor of History, Calvin College; editor, Fides et Historia ""This is a most welcome update of the first textbook survey of American church history. The American Church Experience retains all the virtues of the original--brevity, clarity, and evenhandedness--while incorporating recent historical developments and cont... View More...
In his Baptist History in England and America, David Beale illuminates numerous topics, including Baptist origins, their search for the ancient manner of immersion, and even the way they acquired the name Baptist. His book annotates key beliefs and practices in Baptist confessions of faith. Multiple chapters describe persecutions Baptists suffered, and contributions they made toward religious freedom and liberty of conscience. Striking a balance between brief and exhaustive, the author aims to inspire and to encourage, as well as to inform, in a precise and accurate manner. He provides in-dept... View More...
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Foreword to the Second Edition. I. THE MAN AND HIS WRITINGS: How Augustine Came to the Episcopacy (Sermon 355, 2); Augustine Chooses Eraclius as His Successor (Letter 213, 1, 5, & 6); Augustine on His Own Writings (Retractations Prol. I, 1-3). II. FAITH AND REASON: Belief is Volitional Consent (On the Spirit and Letter 21, 54; 34, 60); To Believe Is to Think with Assent (Predestination of the Saints 5); Believing and Understanding (On Free Choice II, 2, 4-6); Authority and Reason (Against the Academics III, 20, 43); Two Ways to Knowledge (On Order II, 9, 26-27); Reason an... View More...
The real-life cloak-and-dagger story of how East Germany's notorious spy agency infiltrated churches here and abroadEast Germany only existed for a short forty years, but in that time, the country's secret police, the Stasi, developed a highly successful "church department" that--using persuasion rather than threats--managed to recruit an extraordinary stable of clergy spies. Pastors, professors, seminary students, and even bishops spied on colleagues, other Christians, and anyone else they could report about to their handlers in the Stasi. Thanks to its pastor spies, the Church Department (of... View More...
Christian theology didn't develop in a vacuum. Understanding the story behind the doctrines that have been debated, defined, and defended throughout history is crucial for truly understanding the doctrines themselves. In this groundbreaking resource, professor Gerald Bray traces the history of Christian theology from the early church to the modern era. Structured to parallel the order in which orthodoxy gradually matured in response to challenges from both inside and outside the church, this volume outlines how Christians have struggled to understand, confess, and worship the triune God throu... View More...
This book consists of two open letters by the young John Calvin to evangelical believers who desired to stay and work within the Roman Catholic Church. The first letter exposes the idolatry involved in the Mass, while the second denounces the papal abuses of the pastoral office of the church. Together, they form a resounding call for the necessity of a thoroughgoing Reformation. This translation from David C. Noe makes the two letters available together for the first time in English. Noe also provides a helpful introduction to Calvin's early life and the problem of evangelical believers rema... View More...
Since its first appearance in 1991, The European Reformation has offered a clear, integrated, and coherent analysis and explanation of how Christianity in Western and Central Europe from Iceland to Hungary, from the Baltic to the Pyrenees splintered into separate Protestant and Catholic identities and movements. Catholic Christianity at the end of the Middle Ages was not at all a uniformly 'decadent' or corrupt institution: it showed clear signs of cultural vigour and inventiveness. However, it was vulnerable to a particular kind of criticism, if ever its claims to mediate the grace of God to ... View More...
33 fascinating objects. 1 amazing story. Join author and pastor Tim Challies as he embarks on a three-year journey spanning multiple continents and some of the most unusual places in the world. Tim introduces you to thirty-three carefully selected objects that help you understand the long and complicated history of Christianity in a unique and creative way.Beginning with Jesus and the early church, Challies looks at: The importance of graffiti on an ancient jail cellThe creedal significance of a carving on a museum statueThe enduring importance of ancient manuscripts and booksAnd much more Alo... View More...
Luther challenges the academy to speak beyond itself. Whatever the theological malady, Martin Luther prescribed the same remedy: the word of God. For Luther, the Word was central to the Christian life. As a lover, translator, and interpreter of Scripture, Luther believed the Bible was too important to be left to academics. God's word has always been and must always be for God's people. What, then, can biblical studies learn from Luther? In Always Reforming, leading Lutheran, Reformed, and Baptist scholars explore Martin Luther as an interpreter of Scripture. The contributors elucidate cent... View More...
The Baptist Story is a narrative history spanning over four centuries of a diverse group of people living among distinct cultures on separate continents while finding their identity in Christ and expressing their faith as Baptists. Baptist historians Anthony Chute, Nathan Finn, and Michael Haykin highlight the Baptist transition from a despised sect to a movement of global influence. Each chapter includes stories of people who made this history so fascinating. Although the emphasis is on the English-speaking world, The Baptist Story integrates stories of non-English-speaking Baptists, ethnic m... View More...
A clearly written introduction to the history and theology of this international people, Baptists through the Centuries provides a chronological survey of the main developments in Baptist life and thought from the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries. As Baptists spread globally beyond their British and American origins, Bebbington persuasively demonstrates how they constantly adapted to the cultures and societies in which they lived, generating even more diversity within an already multifaceted identity. In the course of telling the story of Baptists, Bebbington also examines the challengin... View More...
