Outline : Learning how to live in today's new social and cultural environment will require examination, trial and error, and adaptation over time. But there are ways to live with integrity and follow Christ today, even in a negative world. Since a peak in church attendance in the mid-20th century, Christianity has been on a trajectory of decline in the United States. Once positive toward Christ…
Outline: Daniel is a book of exile and expectation. In a foreign land, God's people face confusion, uncertainty, and even death. Where is God? What is his plan? What is the future of us? The book's familiar stories and unsettling visions answer these questions with a simple but stunning truth: the God of Israel is sovereign king of a world-encompassing eternal kingdom. He is king of all kings, …
Outline: In Philippians, Paul addresses his dear friends in the church at Philippi in hopes of healing a people plagued by a lack of unity. Celebrating their partnership in his mission, the apostle points the Philippians to their heavenly citizenship, their need for self-sacrifical love toward one another, and their need for self-sacrificial love toward one another, and their need to stand toge…
Outline: The book of Habakkuk is most known for its theological value as a prooftext for Paul's gospel - "the just shall live by faith" - and its devotional value of hope, trust, and triumph in its closing verses. Indeed, theology and devotion come together as we engage with the prophet's personal faith journey. In the historical context of the looming Babylonian exile, Habakkuk struggles, as A…
Outline: Judges - Longing for a Leader: Faltering in Faithfulness. The refrain, "in those days there was no king in Israel, each person was doing what was right in their own eyes," unites the two themes in Judges, kingship, with all its promise and peril, and syncretism, the protection from which as the king's primary responsibility. Drawing on Hebrew narrative discourse, Boda and Conway highli…
Outline : Carl Trueman analyses the theology of the great Puritan theologian, John Owen, paying particular attention to his vigorous trinitarianism. To understand Owen, we need to see him as a seventeenth-century representative of the Western trinitarian and anti-Pelagian tradition. Trueman demonstrates how Owen used the theological insights of patristic, medieval, and Reformation theologians t…
Outline : Too often scholars impose on the past modern terms and theories. This is particularly evident concerning discussions of divine sovereignty and human responsibility, where libertarian and compatibilist notions of freedom obscure older understandings of concurrence. Providence, Freedom, and the Will is one historian’s attempt to help us interpret early modern documents in context with…
Outline : The fourth edition of this classic text brings with it a renewed focus on purpose, theology, and message of the Old Testament in a more succinct and more inviting size for students. It provides,
Outline: RZIM's goal is to reach and challenge those who shape the ideas of a culture with the credibility of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In keeping with this goal, the purpose of his line of booklets is to give a succinct, popular-level response to frequently-asked questions about the Christian faith. In Ravi Zacharias' works, "What I believe in my heart must make sense in my mind,"
Outline : How might premodern exegesis of Genesis inform Christian debates about creation today? Imagine a table with three people in dialogue: a young-earth creationist, an old-earth creationist, and an evolutionary creationist. Into the room walks Augustine of Hippo, one of the most significant theologians in the history of the church. In what ways will his reading of Scripture and his doctri…
Outline: Scripture reveals the nature of human violence in all its types, including interpersonal, structural, sexual, and political violence. To explore what the Bible says about human violence, Old Testament scholar Helen Paynter dives deeply into even the most problematic biblical narratives. Strating with the creation narratives in Genesis and moving to the conquest of Canaan, she investiga…
Outline: A Concise history of the Bible : its creation, use, and interpretation.
Outline : Modern theology claimed it ignited a renaissance in Trinitarian Theology. Really, it has been a renaissance in social trinitarianism. Classical commitments such as divine simplicity have been jettisoned, the three persons have been redefined as three centers of consciousness and will, and modern agendas in politics, gender, and ecclesiology determine the terms of the discussion. Conte…
Outline: A Definitive Masterwork from the world's leading Christian Apologist. Throughout his career, Ravi Zacharias has faced some of the most difficult questions ever asked about the Christian faith. The most troublesome question of all, however, came from a Hindu friend. "If this conversion is truly supernatural," he asked, "why is it not more evident in the lives of so many Christians that …
Outline: Covenant theology is the study of God's eternal, unchanging purpose to bring a people to Himself through covenantal relationship. That redeeming purpose unfolds through-out divine revelation and redemptive history - from the eternal, intra-Trinitarian counsel of the Godhead to the consummation of history in the new heavens and the new earth. In God to Us, Stephen G. Myers explains this…
Outline: The differences and discrepancies in the Gospels constitute one of the foremost objections to their reliability and the credibility of their message. Some have tried to resolve Gospels contradictions with strained harmonization efforts. Others conclude that the Gospels are hopelessly contradictory and, therefore, historically unreliable accounts of Jesus. In Jesus, Contradicted, New Te…
Outline: An Urgent Call for Christians everywhere to explore the nature of Kingdom amid the political upheaval of our day. Should Christians be politically withdrawn, avoiding participation in politics to maintain their prophetic voice and to keep from being used as political pawns? Or should Christians be actively involved, seeking to control and utilize political systems to control the levers…
The modern chasm between "secular" work and "sacred" worship has had a devastating impact on Western Christianity. Drawing on years of research, ministry, and leadership experience, Kaemingk and Willson explain why Sunday morning worship and Monday morning work desperately need to inform and impact one another. Together they engage in a rich biblical, theological, and historical exploration of …
Outline: In recent decades, powerful telescopes have enabled astrophysicists to uncover startling new worlds and solar systems. An epochal moment took place in 1995, when an exoplanet - 51 Pegasi b - was located orbiting another star like our sun. This discovery profoundly changed perceptions of the universe. Since then, thousands of planets have followed. These astounding findings have transfo…
Overview: In a crystal clear discussion of science and religion and their logical friendship in the search for truth and understanding, Polkinghorne draws on discoveries made in atomic physics to make credible the claims of Christianity, and helps refine Christian perceptions through the knowledge that the new science brings. He discusses belief in God, chaos, evolution, miracles, and prayer, a…
Outline: Demons, witches, and ghosts: drugs, divination, and the occult; shamans, priests, and prophets ... All these await you in Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion - an anthropological study of religious beliefs and practices both strange and familiar. This fascinating anthology of readings, now in its second edition, contains 16 new articles and provides a rich blend of modern and traditional t…
Outline: This anthology invites Christians to find resources for faithful, creative thinking in the riches of the church's theological heritage and its worship traditions. Contributors include Robert Barron, Timothy George, Stanley Hauerwas, Alasdair MacIntyre, Mark Noll, and N.T. Wright, among others.
Outline: Kenneth Cragg describes his authoritative book The Event of the Qur'an as "an exercise in religious enquiry and in trans-religious openness of the heart ..." in the common context of our single humanity and our separate histories." The question "what happens in the Qur'an?" holds profound historical fascination as well as being a matter of great religious sensivity to all readers, rega…
Outline: In the series of essays collected in this book, Eleonore Stump offers reflections that illustrate the nature and importance of learning from the Christian heritage in its development over the ages of the Christian tradition and its continued development over the ages of the Christian tradition and its continued development in interaction with contemporary philosophy, theology, and scie…
Outline: A new commentary for today's world. The Story of God Bible Commentary explains and illuminates each passage of Scripture in light of the Bible's grand story. The first commentary series to do so, SGBC offers a clear and compelling exposition of biblical texts, guiding everyday readers in how to creatively and faithfully live out the Bible in their own contexts. Its story-centric approa…
Outline: Science, technology and economic growth motivate our society. Each is carried on with little regard for Christian concerns. Brian Walsh and Richard Middleton yearn for change. They long to see Christianity penetrate the structures of society, reforming and remolding our culture. From scholarship in the universities to politics, business and family life, the Christian vision can transfo…
Outline: American Society, with its growing polarizations, is experiencing a profound crisis of trust, from government to mass media to educational and religious institutions. And - whether we realize it or not - this crisis affects us all. In Building Cultures of Trust eminent scholar Martin Marty proposes ways of improving the conditions for trust at what might be called the "grassroots" leve…
Outline: This accessible text by James P. Ware provides both a concise guide to Paul's theology and a general introduction to the key issues and debates in the contemporary study of Paul. Examining Paul's message in the context of the ancient world, Ware identifies what would have struck Paul's original audience as startling or unique. By comparing Paul's teaching to the other religions and phi…
Outline : Recent years have seen renewed interest in divine action, but much of the literature tends to focus on the science-theology discussion. Resulting from the multiyear work of the Scripture and Doctrine Seminar, part of the Kirby Laing Centre's Scripture Collective, this book explores the many different ways in which divine action is foregrounded and portrayed in one major biblical text,…
Outline : THE STORY OF ISRAEL IN THE FIVE CENTURIES LEADING UP TO THE BIRTH OF JESUS Bridging the Testaments surveys the history and theological developments of four significant eras in Israel's postexilic history: the Persian Era (539-331 BC), the Hellenistic Era (331-167 BC), the Hasmonean Era (167-63 BC), and the Roman Era (63-4 BC). In doing so, it does away with the notion that there were…
Outline: As Christians, we should neither blindly accept nor entirely dismiss psychiatric labels, diagnoses, and medicines that are prescribed to help those who are suffering. Descriptions and Prescriptions provides a balanced, biblically (and scientifically) informed approach that will help us understand and minister to those struggling with mental health issues.
Outline: - Is human behavior purely an act of the will? - What happens when the body becomes dysfunctional - especially the brain? * Chemical imbalances controlled by the brain do have behavioral consequences, so how can counselors assess and deal with them? These and many similar questions are addressed by this book. The author presents clear and accurate information so that two extremes c…
Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices has been designed to survey the present religious situation around the world as the twenty-first century begins. To accomplish this task, the text is anchored in a disciplined country-by-country discussion of the emergence of the contemporary religious community in each of the more than 240 nations from the smaller is…
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…
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 : Resources for Personal Change Everyone has their own style of dealing with conflict. Some people try to win at all costs and will do or say anything to get their own way. Others hate conflict and will do or say anything to avoid or end it. Sadly, neither fighting nor avoidance leads to genuine peace or restored relationships. Is there a better way? Timothy S. Lane, pastor, counselor,…
Japan is one of the nations having an extensive historical culture, as well as the system of faith or religion. The existence of religion, as a part of their life, has been streaming from the ancient time (pre-modern) up to present. The implementation of their religious life is very unique and fascinating. Other remarkable issues is about the tight relationship among the religions especially Sh…
A certain established orthodoxy has settled over scholarly thinking concerning the relationship between the Christian church and political freedom. Consider the work of the political philosopher John Rawls, who has exerted a towering impact on a generation of political scientists, philosophers, legal scholars, practicing lawyers, public policy professionals, and judges. Rawls often begins his t…
The result of over thirty years of research and lecturing, Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes is a ground-breaking study of Paul's first epistle to the Corinthians. Bailey examines this canonical letter through the lenses of Paul's Jewish socio-cultural and rhetorical background and the Mediterranean context of the Corinthian recipients. In a set of connected essays, he draws the reader's attentio…
There were few phenomena in the history of Byzantium which mobilized more people, wealth, and artistic creativity than did pilgrimage. Within a few generations of the foundation of the Empire by Constantine the Great, the east Mediterranean had come alive with pious travelers. Among the first was Constantine’s own mother, Helena, who, according to Eusebius, journeyed to the Holy Land at her s…
This volume continues the study of intertextuality in the 'Wisdom Literature' initiated in Reading Job Intertextually (Dell and Kynes, T & T Clark, 2012). Like that book, Reading Ecclesiastes Intertextually provides the first comprehensive treatment of intertextuality in this wisdom text. Articles address intertextual resonances between Ecclesiastes and texts across the Hebrew canon, along with…
Thomas Aquinas’s unfi nished masterwork, the Summa of Theology, is known for its dispassionate posing of questions, not to mention its considered distinctions and measured judgments. Written in a tranquil, almost colorless Latin, the Summa hardly seems to qualify as an incendiary” work. Yet it has provoked incendiary reactions. There is the legend of Martin Luther throwing the book into the…
Over the last 25 years, there has been much talk of the presumed "decline" in religious participation in America. In addition, from the 1960s on, surveys that mark the "influence" of religion in American life have shown a mixed response. Many suggest that religion is losing influence in the culture as a whole; others indicate that while organized religion may be experiencing challenges, spiritu…
Nature was always important in Thomas Merton’s life—from his infancy in Prades, France, when he learned words like chrysanthemum, hollyhock, foxglove, chickadee, and kingfi sher from his mother’s careful coaching, to long hours in the fresh air watching his artist father create landscapes, to his fi nal years of solitude in the hermitage at Our Lady of Gethsemani, the Trappist monastery i…
A religious primer serves as an argument for why religion should become a mandatory subject in American public schools, contending that most Americans are not able to identify basic tenets of their faith and that key political challenges can be better met with faith-based resolutions.
Some might call us spoiled. We live in an era of significant and substantial resources for Christians on living the Christian life. We have ready access to books, DVD series, online material, seminars—all in the interest of encouraging us in our daily walk with Christ. The laity, the people in the pew, have access to more information than scholars dreamed of having in previous centuries.
Thoroughly exploring the history of the conflict between Christians and Jews from medieval to modern times, this wide-ranging volume includes newly uncovered material from the recently opened post-Soviet archives. Anna Sapir Abulafia delineates controversial issues of inter-faith confrontation, and a number of eminent scholars from around the globe discuss openly and objectively the dynamics of…
The book of Ezekiel reflects a degree of liteary coherence unmatched in the canon of biblical prophets. Organized around three major visions of God, the book tells the story of God's final attempt as their only legitimate king to claim the loyalty of his subjects, the rebellious and recalcitrant house of Israel. The prophet Ezekiel plays a key role in this campaign.