The Lives (vitae) of medieval saints reflect the great variety of individuals who came to be venerated as holy men and women: hermits, monks and nuns, abbots and abbesses, emperors and empresses, popes and patriarchs, housewives, former soldiers and prostitutes, even Jews who had converted to Christianity. The process of sanctification is still not fully understood and needs further study, espe…
Over the last three decades, a new perspective has been emerging in the study of the Dutch theologian, Jacob Arminius. This article describes various older narratives of Arminius the theologian that are driven by dogmatic concerns and decontextualized depictions. These older perspectives are then contrasted with the new perspective, and the superiority of the latter is demonstrated.
One of the questions fairly consistently raised by modern studies of Arminius's thought is the question of his relationship to the Reformed tradition and, specifically, to Dutch Reformed theology. To pose the question succinctly, was Arminius Reformed? The answer is quite complex. Arminius certainly understood himself as Reformed—and his appointment both to the pastorate in Amsterdam and to t…
Welfare reform and government re-invention are preoccupations of politicians and citizen advocates in the modern age. This paper explores the views of the late Abraham Kuyper regarding political institutions and how those institutions serve its citizens, especially the poor. Although Kuyper wrote a full century ago, his convictions, analyses, and solutions regarding the problem of poverty and t…
The pro-life paradox, as I call it, begins with a single claim endorsed by many American Christians: infants and young children are innocent in the sight of God because they cannot yet take responsibility for their spiritual well-being. With this in mind, I argue that pro-life believers have unwittingly fallen victim to a theological paradox in which their attempts to save the earthly lives of …
An emphasis on democracy is typical of action research. Therefore, theories of modern democracy can be applied within the field of school development through action research. According to Jürgen Habermas, the promotion of democratic will-formation requires the promotion of free and rational communicative action that is as free from manipulation as possible. Under ideal communicative conditions…
Outline : NO MORE HIDING Shame controls far too many of us. Worthless, inferior, rejected, weak, humiliated, failure...it all adds up to wishing we could get away from others and hide. We know what shame feels like. The way out is harder to find. Time doesn't help, neither does confession, because shame is just as often from what others do to you as it is from what you have done. But the Bible…
Outline : HUMANS ARE HARDWIRED FOR AWE. Our hearts are always captured by something-that's how God made us. But sin threatens to distract us from the glory of our Creator. All too often, we stand in awe of everything but God. Uncovering the lies we believe about all the earthly things that promise us peace, life, and contentment, Paul Tripp redirects our gaze to God's awe-inducing glory-showin…
Outline : Get to the heart of CHANGE in your life What does it take for lasting change to take root in your life? If you've ever tried, failed, and wondered why, you need How People Change. This book explains the biblical pattern for change in a clear, practical way you can apply to the challenges of daily life. But change involves more than a biblical formula: You will see how God is at work…
Outline : Parenting can be a challenge. Sometimes it seems like all we do is give directions and all children do is disobey. How can we promote good behavior and a peaceful home without becoming harsh drill sergeant son the one hand or passive pushovers on the other? This book aims to help you better understand loving correction through clear steps and practical tips aimed at transforming not o…
Outline: Imagine ... an interconnected group of people who entrust themselves to each other. You can speak of your pain, and someone responds with compassion and prayer. You can speak of your joys, and someone rejoices with you. You can ask for help with sinful struggles, and someone prays with you. The goal of this book is that these meaningful relationships will become a natural part of daily…
Outline: Lent is a time in the yearly Christian calendar when we mourn our sin and let go of worldly things that keep our hearts from experiencing God more fully. But how do reevaluate and recalibrate the values of our hears to match those of our suffering Savior? In this forty-day Lenten devotional, best-selling author Paul David Tripp invites us to set aside time from the busyness of our live…
Outline : The church is experiencing a leadership crisis. What can we do to prevent pastors from leaving the ministry? For every celebrity pastor exiting the ministry in the spotlight, there are many more lesser-known pastors leaving in the shadows. Pastor and best-selling author Paul David Tripp argues that lurking behind every pastoral failure is the lack of a strong leadership community. T…
Outline: This six-week, biblically rich course for students helps young adults wrestle with what it looks like to become more like Jesus through the CCEF model of change. Real Change for Students offers in-depth Bible study, personal and group reflection, and an individualized personal growth project, equipping them to experience gospel transformation in the Christian life.
Outline: Do you have problems that seem too great to bear? Do you wonder if there is any way out of the mess you are in? This helpful booklet was written to put such problem cases in perspective. Showing first that no one's problems are unique, Jay Adams offers genuine hope based on God's promise in 1 Corinthians 10: 13. Readers will gain the courage needed to take responsible action, knowing t…
Outline : Crucifixion, the Romans believed, was the worst fate imaginable, a punishment reserved for slaves. How astonishing it was, then, that people should have come to believe that one particular victim of crucifixion—an obscure provincial by the name of Jesus—was to be worshipped as a god. Dominion explores the implications of this shocking conviction as they have reverberated throughou…
Outline: The Place of Children in the Church is something of an enigma among Christians. Are the children of believers part of the covenant community, with privileges and responsibilities that accompany that status? Or are they simply unbelievers, like children in the non-Christian world? What promise does God give believing parents and their children? What place did children have in the Old Te…
Outline : The Biblical Theology of the New Testament (BTNT) series provides upper college and seminary-level textbooks for students of New Testament theology, interpretation, and exegesis. Pastors and discerning theology readers alike will also benefit from this series. Written at the highest level of academic excellence by recognized experts in the field, the BTNT series not only offers a comp…
Outline: The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth familiarized itself with Christian Hebraism in the first half of the 16th century. So far, this theme has not been explored in English and is almost unknown to the international scholarly community. The author presents the development of modern Hebrew studies in Western Europe, describes the academic and religious level of scholarship of Hebrew in the…
Outline : The Story of God's Promises from A to Z For kids to understand the Bible, they need to see it as one story-God's story of keeping his promises throughout history. This book for kids ages 3-6follows the timeline of the Bible from A to Z-beginning with Adam, the first man God created, and ending with Zion, the new creation city. Each letter briefly introduces an important concept from …
Outline: C. S. Lewis excelled at plumbing the depths of the human heart, both the good and the bad, the beautiful and the corrupt. From science fiction and fantasy to essays, letters, and works of apologetics, Lewis has offered a wealth of insight into how to live the Christian life. In this book, Rigney explores the center of Lewis's vision for the Christian life-the personal encounter between…
Outline : B. B. Warfield is well known as one of America's leading theologians, perhaps second only to Jonathan Edwards. But until now, the character his own Christian experience and his understanding of the Christian life have remained unexplored. Fred Zaspel unpacks these for us here, and what we find is that Warfield's profound theological mind is matched only by his passionate heart for Chr…
Outline : This year, don't let Christmas sneak up on you again. The wonder and awe of the Christmas season can easily get overshadowed by lights, tinsel, bows, and paper - not to mention last-minute trips to the mall and visits to the in-laws. In all the hustle and bustle, we often lost sight of what's most important. This book of daily readings for the month of December by best-selling author …
"This specially prepared work compromises a living archive of important programming languages, described by the people most instrumental in their creation and development. Drawn from the ACM/SIGPLAN Second History of Programming Languages Conference, this volume, like the earlier book from the first such conference (HOPL), conveys the motivations of the language designers and the reasons why th…
Outline : Reformation ABCs is a fun way for kids to learn about the places, things, events,people, books, and ideas that shaped this pivotal time in church history. Throughwhimsical illustrations and engaging storytelling, this book teaches kids that eventhouah the Reformation occurred five hundred years ago, it isn't just about peopleand places in the past. The Reformers' fight to reclaim the …
The book of Revelation has been both the most abused and one of the most ignored writings in the New Testament. Revelation has frequently become a non-functioning part of the canon for many persons in the church. Mitchell Reddish believes that the church has an obligation to reclaim the book of Revelation and allow it to speak afresh as a powerful voice containing the message of God. The commen…
Outline : Why am I always so angry? How many times today were you frustrated? Irritated? While you might not think about it often, if you look closely at any day, most everyone can find anger in their actions and attitudes. Anger is so common - yet it also hurts us and others. Can anyone truly find peace? Yes. But you need a plan.
Outline : LETTING GO OF SHAME As humans, we are prone to insecurities, fear of failure, and regrets, which we try to hide and cover up, resulting in isolation from both those around us and God. Through fifty devotionals, counselor Edward T. Welch shows us how God speaks with gentleness, depth, and hope that will lead us out of hiding and to live more openly, authentically, and regret-free
Outline : WHY AM I ALWAYS SO ANXIOUS? Everyone wants less anxiety and fear Gad speaks some of the most beautiful word in Scripture to anxious people. In & Small Book for the Anxious Heart Edward Welch shares fifty short readings to teach us about God, lead us to trust him for today and give assurance that he is with us
Outline : WILL MY HEART EVER HEAL? In this short but powerful devotional book, author and pastor Paul Tautges shares the comfort and peace of Christ in fifty brief readings, helping those who are grieving find encouragement and healing. Get to know the Man of Sorrows, who is well acquainted with grief and sadness, and sit in the healing balm of God's Word.
Outline : "Let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of bodyand spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God." 2 CORINTHIANS 7:1 We all have experienced fear at some point. And if we are honest, we don't usually think of fear as a good thing. So why does the Bible call us to fear the Lord? In this book, Michael Reeves explains that the fear of God is not a gloomy fear marke…
Outline : "Faith is breathing in the oxygen of God's grace, giving life to my once-dead heart." PAUL DAVID TRIPP As breath is to the body, so faith is to the Christian life. Through 40 daily meditations from his best-selling devotional New Morning Mercies, popular author and speaker Paul David Tripp explores how deep-seated trust in God and his word radically alters not only the way we think, …
Outline : "The language and drama of hope is splashed all over the pages of Scripture. The Bible is a narrative of hope shattered and hope restored." PAUL DAVID TRIPP Everyone places their hope in something. Through 40 daily meditations from his best-selling devotional New Morning Mercies, popular author and speaker Paul David Tripp explores the role of hope in a Christian's everyday life. Tri…
Outline : "Grace is more than just a story, it's more than just atheology, and it's more than just a powerful force-no, grace is a person, and his name is Jesus. Jesus is the grace of God." PAUL DAVID TRIPP There is nothing we can do to earn God's grace-it is a gift. Through 40 daily meditations from his best-selling devotional New Morning Mercies, popular author and speaker Paul David Tripp e…
Outline : Dramatically converted on the stormy seas, a slave-trader-turned-abolitionist penned the best-loved hymn of the Christian faith. A church father was arrested and martyred for teaching the truth about Christ's incarnation. Captured by pirates and shipped off to Ireland, a priest baptized thousands of pagans, from paupers to princes. Now who ever said church history was boring? The Chur…
Outline : John New Lon is famous for his legendary hymn "Amazing Grace." Many have celebrated his dramatic conversion from a life in the slave trade to his eventual work to end it. But often overlooked are Newton's forty years as a pastor ministering to parishioners and friends unsettled by the trials, doubts, and fears of life. Newton is perhaps the greatest pastoral letter writer in the histo…
Outline : Jonathan Edwards is widely hailed as the greatest theologian in American history. In Edwards on the Christian Life, Dane Ortlund invites us to explore the great eighteenth-century pastor's central passion: God's resplendent beauty. Whether the topic was the nature of love, the preeminence of Scripture, or the glory of the natural world, the concept of beauty stood at the heart of Edwa…
Outline : Augustine is widely considered to be the most influential theologian in church history after the apostle Paul. Dramatically converted from a life of licentiousness to one of wholehearted devotion to Christ, the humble North African pastor quickly established himself as a leading figure within the ancient church. In Augustine on the Christian Life, historian Gerald Bray explores the ri…
Outline : J.I. Packer is widely recognized as a pillar of 20th-centuryevangelicalism and has had a profound impact on millions of Christians living today. Now in his late eighties, Packer still exerts an enormous influence on pastors and laypeople around the world through his many books, articles, and recorded lectures-works that overflow with spiritual wisdom related to the Christian life. In …
Outline : Personal Change. Do you dread family get-togethers and try to avoid your extended family whenever you can? When you see your family, do you sometimes regret the way you talk and act? Why is it so hard to get along with the people we grew up with? Childhood hurts, unrealistic expectations, and old patterns resurfacing are just some of the reasons that Timothy S. Lane shares for unresol…
Outline : Resources for Personal Change. Everyone experiences hurt in relationships, but most of the time we are able to forgive and move on. But sometimes we experience a major hurt that lingers in our minds and leads to bitterness. We feel trapped by the resulting hostility, ongoing broken relationships, and inability to move on. Can you escape the sorrow and soul impoverishment that bittern…
Outline : Medical and Psychiatric Issues Depression makes so many things hard. Things you used to take for granted-a good night's sleep, having goals, responding to someone's love, looking forward to the future-now seem beyond reach. Is there any hope and help for those who are struggling with depression? Edward T. Welch insightfully describes the world of the depressed person and gives a bibl…
Outline: Faithful Men "It's normal." "Everyone does it." "Nobody gets hurt." These are some commonly held beliefs about sexual fantasy and masturbation, but are they really true? Are sexual fantasies and masturbation harmless ways to dealing with sexual frustattion? Marriage and family counselor Winston T. Smith uses his counseling experience and biblical knowledge to show how these seemingly …
Outline: Parenting. If you are a single parent, you already know you have one of the hardest jobs in the world. Trying to be both dad and mom -- breadwinner, cook, chauffeur, comforter, dishwasher, homework helper, disciplinarian, nurse, and role model -- can wear down the hardiest man or woman. But do you know that God, in the Bible, offers words of grace, power, and hope especially for you?…
Outline: ARE YOU OVERWHELMED by stress? On edge? Pressured to achieve? Spinning into free fall? What is the "noise" going on inside you? Or are you quiet inside? Here David Powlison invites you to look at Psalm 131to learn how to quiet your soul. "Psalm 131 gives us intimate access to the inner life of someone who has learned composure," Powlison writes. "This person is quiet on the inside beca…
Outline : Personal Change How many times have you tried to change a behavior only to find yourself doing the same thing again? Do these phrases sound familiar? "There I go again!" "I've had this struggle for years, and I just can't seem to win." "I do okay for awhile, but then I get caught in the same old sin." It's easy to be discouraged when we fall into the same old sins, but God, in the Bi…
Outline : Richard Baxter (1615-1691) was arguably the greatest English Puritan of the seventeenth century. However, he is less known for his vigorous insistence that parish ministers were better off unmarried. And yet he did marry, though he continued to champion clerical celibacy for the rest of his life. This book explores Baxter's argument for clerical celibacy by placing it in the context o…