Christianity Books
Baylor University Press Profane Parables
Book SynopsisThe sacred ethos of the American Dream has become a central pillar of American civil religion. The belief that meaning is fashioned from some mixture of family, friends, a stable career, and financial security permeates American culture. Profane Parables examines three films that assault this venerated American myth.Trade ReviewRindge writes with both academic rigor and an approachable tone, which makes the text accessible for audiences in both academic circles and broader spheres, such as those interested in American civil religion, the particular filmmakers Rindge cites, or the biblical genre of parables. -- Joel Mayward -- Journal of Religion and FilmRindge's Profane Parables is an excellent work. It will appeal greatly to scholars of American Studies, film, religion, and popular culture. -- Margaret Weber -- Journal of Popular CultureA wonderful piece of work -- ChoiceAs a whole, Profane Parables is a refined work that offers both a thought provoking and an easy read and I would recommend it to anyone thinking of exploring film from the perspective of biblical studies or interested in film, myths and morals. -- Sofia Sjö -- Journal of Religion, Media, and Digital CutureTable of Contents Introduction 1. The American Dream: The Sacred Ethos of American Religion 2. Fight Club: Lamenting God's Abandonment and the American Dream 3. American Beauty: Death as Divine Beauty 4. About Schmidt: An American Rich Fool 5. Films as Parables of Disorientation Conclusion
£32.21
Baylor University Press The Holy Spirit before Christianity
Book SynopsisWith his latest book, The Holy Spirit before Christianity, John Levison again changes the face and foundation of Christian belief in the Holy Spirit. The categories Christians have used, the boundaries they have created, the proprietary claims they have made - all of these evaporate, now that Levison has looked afresh at Scripture.Table of Contents 1. The Emergence of the Spirit Recasting Exodus: The Font of Pneumatology 2. The Essence of the Spirit Retelling Exodus: The Precursors of Pneumatology 3. The Absence of the Spirit Recalling Exodus: The Dawn of Pneumatology 4. The Assurance of the Spirit Rekindling Exodus: The Force of Pneumatology 5. The Significance of the Spirit Rediscovering Exodus: The Future of Pneumatology
£31.16
Baylor University Press In a PostHegelian Spirit
Book SynopsisGary Dorrien expounds in this book the religious philosophy underlying his many magisterial books on modern theology, social ethics, and political philosophy. His constructive position is liberal-liberationist and post-Hegelian, reflecting his many years of social justice activism and what he calls my dance with Hegel.Table of Contents1. Introduction: Modern Theology as Religious Philosophy 2. Kantian Foundations: Creative Reason and Moral Freedom 3. Post-Kantian Feeling: Romantic Idealism as Theology 4. Hegelian Intersubjectivity: Dialectics of Spirit 5. Against Hegelian Spirit: Marxism, Existentialism, and Wholly Otherness 6. Personal Idealism: Why Subjectivity Matters 7. Whiteheadian Ordering: God and Creativity 8. Neo-Hegelian Theonomy: Religious Socialism as Theology 9. Struggling for Liberation: Breaking White Supremacy and Sexism 10. Rethinking Relationality: Theologies of Becoming 11. In a Post-Hegelian Spirit: Divine Becoming and Discontent
£63.75
Baylor University Press Luke
Book SynopsisProvides an overview of Luke and Acts, reading them in the context of ancient rhetorical criticism as practiced in the Hellenistic world. The depth and breadth of Mikeal Parson's study root Luke's narrative strategy, interpretive moves, and theological imagination in the pagan, Jewish, and Christian contexts of the period.Table of Contents Preface Foreword 1. The Life of a Legend : The Making of "Luke" Part One: Luke the Storyteller 2. Luke and the Progymnasmata: A Preliminary Investigation into the Preliminary Exercises 3. Luke 1:1-4 and Ancient Rhetoric Part Two: Luke the Interpreter 4. Interpreting Pagan Traditions: Friendship and Physiognomy 5. Interpreting Jewish Traditions: Jerusalem and the Suffering Servant 6. Interpreting Christian Traditions: Parables and Paul Part Three: Luke the Evangelist 7. Reconstituting the People of God: The Examples of Peter, Cornelius, and Others Epilogue
£34.36
Liferich Crushing Conceptualism in Modern Christianity
Book Synopsis
£28.45
Trafford Publishing The Woman I Desire to Be
Book Synopsis
£8.88
WestBow Press The Lord Is Coming Are You Ready
Book Synopsis
£9.67
Xlibris Coming FaceToFace with the Enemy
Book Synopsis
£15.02
Xlibris Corporation Sweet Dreams are Made of These
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£11.01
Wipf & Stock Publishers The Church and Development in Africa Second
Book Synopsis
£999.99
Wipf & Stock Publishers Living Faithfully in a Fragmented World Second
Book Synopsis
£21.75
Wipf & Stock Publishers God Is Not a Boys Name
Book Synopsis
£15.75
Wipf & Stock Publishers On the Road to Siangyang
Book Synopsis
£39.85
Wipf & Stock Publishers Evangelism That Decolonizes the Soul
Book Synopsis
£24.75
Xulon Press The Perfect Marriage
Book Synopsis
£999.99
Xulon Press The Wife of God
Book Synopsis
£11.88
Stanford University Press A Revolutionary Faith: Liberation Theology
Book SynopsisReligious commitments can be a powerful engine for progressive social change, and in this new book, Raúl E. Zegarra examines the process of articulation of religious beliefs and political concerns that takes place in religious organizing and activism. Focusing on the example of Latin American liberation theology and the work of Peruvian theologian Gustavo Gutiérrez, Zegarra shows how liberation theology advocates have been able to produce a new balance between faith and politics that advances an agenda of progressive social change without reducing politics to faith or faith to politics. Drawing from theologian David Tracy's method of critical correlation, the book focuses on key historical, philosophical, and theological shifts that have allowed liberation theologians to produce a new interpretation of the relationship between faith and politics in the Christian tradition, especially when issues of social justice are at stake. The book further approaches liberation theology's contributions to theorizing social justice through an unconventional path: a critical dialogue with the work of philosopher John Rawls. This dialogue, as Zegarra contends, allows us to see more clearly the contributions of liberation theology to the cause of progressive social change. Ultimately the book stands between "public religion" and "public reason," offering something of a blueprint for theological innovation and for how to remain committed to one's faith while respecting and defending the core values of democracy. Trade Review"This is the best book on public theology I have read in a long time. A compelling read on every page, A Revolutionary Faith offers a highly original reflection on liberation theology and its relevance for our secular age."—José Casanova, Georgetown University"How do religious people articulate their theological commitments to social justice? A Revolutionary Faith offers a lucid and insightful account. This is a must-read for anyone interested in the convergence of faith and politics."—Mayra Rivera, Harvard University
£54.00
1517 Media The Student Bible Atlas
Book Synopsis
£999.99
1517 Media Who Rules the World: Divine Providence and the
Book Synopsis
£18.99
Augsburg Fortress Publishers God on Broadway
Book SynopsisGod on Broadway explores the theological questions cracked open by commercial theatre. It shows how the Great White Way--that apex of consumerism and a synonym for the business of spectacle--can be a place for theophany and critical reflection on religion. Looking for God "on Broadway" is a way of doing theology, a method for talking about God.
£25.64
Augsburg Fortress Publishers The Gift of Small
Book Synopsis
£17.99
Augsburg Fortress Publishers A Jewish Trinity
Book SynopsisIn A Jewish Trinity Alan Brill offers a Jewish understanding of six topics often discussed in contemporary Christian theology: Trinity, original sin, incarnation, salvation, messianism, and covenant. Brill shows that contemporary Christian theology allows for greater commonality while remaining aware of differences.
£24.29
Augsburg Fortress Publishers Wrestling with Paul
Book SynopsisWrestling with Paul shows that scholars in a post-Holocaust world have often sanitized Paul's ethnocentric exclusivism in order to make him ahistorically "good" for modern Jews and Judaism. It also shows that readers of Paul have for millenia made sense of Paul in light of contemporaneous attitudes toward Jews and Judaism.
£25.52
1517 Media Hear Us Out: Six Questions on Belonging and
Book Synopsis
£13.59
1517 Media Our Trespasses: White Churches and the Taking of
Book Synopsis
£17.84
1517 Media Everything Good about God Is True
Book Synopsis
£11.69
Augsburg Fortress Publishers A Liberation Theology of the Brain
Book Synopsis
£999.99
Palibrio ¿Yo? Hija De Pastor
Book Synopsis
£13.25
Pan Macmillan The Crossway
Book SynopsisWinner - Edward Stanford Travel Memoir of the Year 2019.Shortlisted - Rathbones Folio Prize, RSL Ondaatje Prize, and Somerset Maugham Award 2019.In 2013 Guy Stagg made a pilgrimage from Canterbury to Jerusalem. Though a non-believer, he began the journey after suffering several years of mental illness, hoping the ritual would heal him. For ten months he hiked alone on ancient paths, crossing ten countries and more than 5,500 kilometres. The Crossway is an account of this extraordinary adventure.Having left home on New Year’s Day, Stagg climbed over the Alps in midwinter, spent Easter in Rome with a new pope, joined mass protests in Istanbul and survived a terrorist attack in Lebanon. Travelling without support, he had to rely each night on the generosity of strangers, staying with monks and nuns, priests and families. As a result, he gained a unique insight into the lives of contemporary believers and learnt the fascinating stories of the soldiers and saints, missionaries and martyrs who had followed these paths before him.The Crossway is a book full of wonders, mixing travel and memoir, history and current affairs. At once intimate and epic, it charts the author’s struggle to walk towards recovery, and asks whether religion can still have meaning for those without faith.A BBC Radio 4 'Book of the Week' in 2018.Trade ReviewThe Crossway is in many ways classic travelogue, so classic indeed that early admirers have drawn parallels with Patrick Leigh Fermor. Stagg certainly has a way with words . . . But in addition – and unlike the rather stiff-upper-lipped Leigh Fermor – Stagg allows an emotional honesty to filter through the golden prose . . . a luminous and occasionally (almost in spite of itself) numinous account . . . moving and thought-provoking -- Peter Stanford * Observer *Having finished this account, I felt dazed. Dazed at the thought of all that I’d learnt from its pages about 2,000 years of Christianity, dazed at how immediate its author had made so many centuries-old stories feel, and dazed at the strangeness and brilliance of this extraordinary travelogue. -- Rebecca Armstrong * i newspaper *The journey as redemptive recovery is a well-worm trope, but there is no glib ending here. I really enjoyed this book. -- Sara Wheeler * Spectator *Such pitch-perfect prose that he has already attracted comparisons with Patrick Leigh Fermor’s celebrated accounts of his youthful travels * The Tablet *A sublime, intense, and intimate account of a journey that becomes a kind of dream in search of solace and, perhaps, even a kind of faith. As the author walks on, across a continent, through history, time, the natural and human world – and the spaces in between – it is hard not to believe you are there, by his side. Beautifully written, filled with strange encounters and extraordinary language, The Crossway is a meditation, an escape, a confrontation, a losing and a finding. It is a timely antidote to our disconnected times. -- Philip Hoare, author of Leviathan and RISINGTIDEFALLINGSTARThe extraordinary story of a pilgrimage to find out the meaning of pilgrimage. Completely absorbing, personal, often funny, and full of fascinating encounters - an enlightening book from an exciting new writer. -- Sarah Bakewell, author of At The Existentialist CaféThe journey is remarkable – a hike of thousands of miles across Europe, undertaken with rare bravery and stamina. But what is really extraordinary about Guy Stagg’s The Crossway is the writing – acutely sensitive, hyper-alert and unflagging in its exploration of the strange depths and by-ways of human belief -- Philip Marsden, author of Rising GroundI loved it. Odd that a journey made to find salvation (a kind of 5,500 kilometre Stations of the Cross taking almost a year to walk) should turn out to be such a page turner. The reason is Stagg himself – an engaging, challenging, endlessly interesting companion who just happens to write formidably well. Travel writing has a bright new star. -- Alexander Frater, author of Chasing the MonsoonGuy Stagg makes a pilgrimage across Europe, into history and, most powerfully, the (troubled) interior of his soul. He takes us on a journey full of wonder and woe, poetry and pain; writing in prose that’s as sure-footed as it is unsettling in its honesty. A brave and beautiful account of a man’s search for meaning -- Rhidian Brook, author of The AftermathA gorgeous and moving book -- Jamie Quatro, author of Fire SermonA marvellous book. There’s a lovely plainsongish immediacy to the telling that I found hugely beguiling, and (unusually) Stagg is as effective on people as he is on place. It’s also a generous piece of self-reckoning -- William Atkins, author of The MoorThe Crossway is moving and unique, with the sense that no one else can write like this about such places as the abbeys of France, the cities of Rome and Istanbul or the daunting landscape of pilgrimage and the often astonishing people whom Guy Stagg meets. At the book’s heart is his own story; troubled, he seeks redemption and hope. Does he find them? He makes his search into a story that is gripping and uplifting -- Max Egremont, author of Forgotten Land: Journeys Among the Ghosts of East PrussiaGuy Stagg has bared his soul and soles in this epic account of walking from England through Italy, the Balkans, Istanbul, Cyprus, Lebanon and on to Jerusalem. His fabulously open hearted account easily bears comparison with the great walking and monastery books of Patrick Leigh Fermor, except he goes further in revealing the damage, and how it might be repaired . . . solvitur ambulando indeed! -- Robert Twigger, author of Red Nile and Angry White Pyjamas After suffering years of severe mental illness, Stagg embarks on a journey from Canterbury to Jerusalem, hoping that the 5,500km walk along medieval pilgrim paths will heal him. Travelling alone, and relying on shelter provided by churches, monasteries and nunneries en route, he faces down many demons along the way, getting caught up in violent snowstorms, the demonstrations in Istanbul's Taksim Square, and a terrorist attack. A BBC Radio 4 "Book of the Week" at publication, it's one of the most compelling travel books I've read in a long time, as well as a thought-provoking meditation on what it means to have faith in our turbulent contemporary world * Bookseller *Behind the cliché of the most important journey in life being the one taken inside oneself lies a timeless and powerful and vital truth: that the goal of such a quest, with all its anguish and revelation and excruciating realisations, is a place of great and lasting calm. This is the core of Guy Stagg’s necessary and beautiful book. -- Niall Griffiths, author of GritsThe Crossway is a gentle, kind, generous-spirited book, rich in detail, encounter and history. But most importantly, this is the story of a young man, from a secular world, who undertakes a pilgrimage to try and mend himself – a courageous inner journey. -- Neil Griffiths, author of As a God Might BeWhat a privilege it's been to read this compelling and moving book, to travel with a writer who records everything he sees and feels with such care and passion. The writing is beautiful and his voice so engaging, so unflinchingly honest, throughout. I finished The Crossway and just wanted the author to keep walking. -- James Macdonald Lockhart, author of RaptorStagg poignantly recounts not just his own journey as a spiritually-charge Paddy Leigh Fermor but that of the saints, soldiers and pilgrims who trod the path centuries before him. * New Statesman *He writes beautifully, he really does . . . And he has this extraordinary honesty; he lays himself bare for the reader . . . It's wonderful, it really is wonderful. -- John Maytham's Book Review * CapeTalk Radio *Poignant and poetic . . . an extraordinary journey . . . much of the book is taken up with absorbing accounts of saints and pilgrims, crusaders and revolutionaries . . . the narrative contains some captivating imagery * Times Literary Supplement *The Crossway is eventful, engaging, and often beautiful. But it is the author’s inner journey – how his pilgrimage heals him, or fails to – that hooks the reader . . . The Crossway defies easy summary because it refuses easy consolation * Theo's Think Tank *Stagg’s walk and the book that has resulted from it, is a brave, even bravura, performance. * Catholic Herald *Stagg set off on a journey hoping to heal years of mental illness and the result of his travelogue is a moving and thought-provoking insight into the minds – and often homes – of modern day believers. * Judges of the Edward Stanford Travel Awards 2019 *
£15.29
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC From Violence to Peace: Theology, Law and
Book SynopsisThis book contributes to the literature on jurisprudence and theology by arguing for the role of a theoretically robust Christian theology in a legal community dominated by secular and liberal ideology. It is not a doctrinal or empirical analysis, but a theoretical exposition of the way in which modern law has contingently drifted from its theological origins. As a result, the legal system and the ideal of individual and communal relationship it envisages is characterised by antagonism and alienation, or more broadly, violence. The book contends that the way to restore a legal community of peace is to return to a Christian theology which is informed by Trinitarian thinking or the notion of unity in diversity, and reunites faith with reason. Returning reason to its ground in being allows peaceful persuasion by the revelation of God’s perfect being through the Trinity and Incarnation, which models and enables the peaceful coexistence of difference through self-sacrificing love. This in turn produces the law of love – to love your neighbour as yourself. Since love does no wrong to a neighbour, a legal community operating by the law of love can fulfil the obligations of law by going beyond merely what is required by law and love individuals as part of a community.Table of ContentsIntroduction I. From Violence to Peace II. The Nature of Violence III. Envisaging the Peaceful Legal Community IV. The Secular Challenge V. The Argument of this Book: From Violence to Peace 1. Milbank’s Milieu: Theorisations of Truth, Faith and Reason I. Introduction II. Milbank’s Theoretical Context III. Critiquing the Secular Genealogy IV. The Truth of Theology: Producing Peace through Trinitarian Correspondence V. Rejecting Secular Reason VI. Promoting Faith and the Reason of Theology 2. Secularising Science: The Divorce of Reason and Revelation I. Introduction II. The Theological Genesis and Subsequent Secularisation of Science III. (No) Salvation by Faith Alone: How the Reformation Further Divided Faith and Reason IV. Uniting Faith and Reason to Restore True Scientia: The Participation Model 3. Deconstructing Derrida: Law, Spirit, Logos I. The Postmodern and the Pagan II. Different Perspectives: The Metanarratives of Jacques Derrida III. The Pagan Differ(a)nce IV. Moving Perspectives: From Secular Reason to Christian Theology V. A Genuinely ‘Postmodern’ Theology VI. The Threshold of Ontological Peace: Constructing a Christian Theology of Legal Community 4. An Account of Secular(ised) Jurisprudence: Violence from Duns Scotus to Derrida I. Law and Postmodern Critical Augustinianism II. Faith, Reason and a Theological Natural Law III. ‘Creating’ the Secular: Duns Scotus, Univocity and Separating Philosophy from Theology IV. Machiavelli and Hobbes: Secular Legal Ontology and the Emergence of Governing Violence V. The Final Stage: Austin, Hart and the Violence of Secular Positivism VI. Diagnosing Legal Violence: Cover, Benjamin and Derrida VII. Escaping Legal Violence and the Possibility for Christian Peace 5. Violence, Attestation and Revelation: Reading Law and Truth in the Trial of Christ I. The Trial as a Narrative of Law and Truth II. Laws of Sin and Laws of Spirit: Paul, Faith and the Torah III. Christ Crucified: Conviction by the Law of Death IV. The Revelation of Christ: Faith, Mystery, Atonement V. Light in the Darkness: The Law of Love, Faith and Participation VI. Resurrecting the Peaceful Legal Community 6. The Paradox of Law and Truth in Christianity: On Materialism, the Sublime and Reading the Pauline Law of Love I. Žižek, Materialism and the Christian Legacy II. The Sublime Object: Defeating Death III. The Sublime Truth of Faith: Paradoxical Law, Love and Life through Resurrection IV. Manifesting the Peaceful Community: Faith and Practice 7. ‘Love Your (Legal) Neighbour as Yourself ’: Producing Peace through a Theological Jurisprudence of Truth I. ‘The End of Reason’: The Blind Faith of Secular Reason and Recovering Reason through the Incarnational Paradox II. ‘Faith in the Truth of Christianity’: Correspondence through Revelation and Rhetoric III. Revealing an Ontology of Peace: The Nature of Peace and Violence in Christianity IV. Christian Theology and the Modern Legal Community: Proposing the Law of Love V. The Law of Love, or Love beyond Law: Releasing the Spirit of the Good Samaritan VI. Fulfilling the Christian Vision of a Peaceful Legal Community
£37.99
Hodder Education Pearson Edexcel Religious Studies A level/AS
Book SynopsisExam board: EdexcelLevel: A-levelSubject: Religious StudiesFirst teaching: September 2016First exams: Summer 2017Build, reinforce and assess students' knowledge throughout their course; tailored to the 2016 Edexcel A level specification and brought to you by the leading Religious Studies publisher, this guide combines clear content coverage with practice questions and sample answers.Written by teachers with extensive examining experience, this guide:- Helps students identify what they need to know with a concise summary of the topics examined at AS and A-level- Consolidates understanding through assessment tips- Offers opportunities for students to improve their exam technique by consulting sample student answers and commentary for each question type- Builds understanding through accessible explanations of key definitions and thinkers
£17.51
WestBow Press The Simple Way to Study the Book of Revelation
Book Synopsis
£999.99
IVP Academic Humility Illuminated: The Biblical Path Back to
Book Synopsis
£17.09
IVP Academic Holiness – A Biblical, Historical, and Systematic
Book Synopsis
£30.39
Andrews McMeel Publishing Breathe in God Breathe Out Anxiety
Book SynopsisA beautiful and practical guide to calming anxiety and stress through spiritual practice by a leading Christian counselor.God desires for His children to live abundant, joyful lives. He is also a Healer when human anxieties get in the way of the good life He intends. In fact, He has provided many ways to harness calm even within the hustle and bustle of modern life. This workbook features simple exercises and action-oriented steps that incorporate solid mental health strategies with Christian teaching about God’s provision and healing. The book guides you through: Gratitude practices Finding calm in God's creation Taking honest feelings to God through connecting with Scripture, praying, and journaling Letting go of what we can't control and surrendering to God
£999.99
FriesenPress Jesus: His Story in Stone
Book Synopsis
£23.27
Manchester University Press Encountering the Book of Margery Kempe
Book SynopsisThis innovative critical volume brings the study of Margery Kempe into the twenty-first century. Structured around four categories of ‘encounter’ – textual, internal, external and performative – the volume offers a capacious exploration of The Book of Margery Kempe, characterised by multiple complementary and dissonant approaches. It employs a multiplicity of scholarly and critical lenses, including the intertextual history of medieval women’s literary culture, medical humanities, history of science, digital humanities, literary criticism, oral history, the global Middle Ages, archival research and creative re-imagining. Revealing several new discoveries about Margery Kempe and her Book in its global contexts, and offering multiple ways of reading the Book in the modern world, it will be an essential companion for years to come.Trade Review'The essays gathered in the volume evince our growing understanding of the artistry that undergirds a text that was once considered important but possibly artless. It is this artistry, this sure sense of the dynamics of narrative, of voice, of social and religious conventions and culture, that holds the volume itself together, giving it the implicit unity a gifted author provides to her or his later readers....This is a good volume of essays with which to continue the process of exploration and the joys of discovery.'Lynn Staley, Harrington and Shirley Drake Professor of the Humanities, Colgate University, The Medieval Review -- .Table of ContentsIntroduction: Encountering The Book of Margery Kempe in the twenty-first century – Laura Kalas and Laura Varnam Part I: Textual encounters1 Before Margery: The Book of Margery Kempe and its antecedents – Diane Watt 2 The intertextual dialogue and conversational theology of Mechthild of Hackeborn and Margery Kempe – Liz Herbert McAvoy and Naoë Kukita Yoshikawa 3 The prayers of Margery Kempe: a reassessment – Josephine A. Koster Part II: Internal encounters4 The Book of Margery Kempe: autobiography in the third person – Ruth Evans5 Margery Kempe as de-facement – Johannes Wolf6 Margery Kempe, oral history, and the value of intersubjectivity – Katherine J. Lewis7 ‘A booke of hyr felyngys’: exemplarity and Margery Kempe’s encounters of the heart – Laura VarnamPart III: Encountering the world8 Margery Kempe’s home town and worthy kin – Susan Maddock9 A women’s network in fifteenth-century Rome: Margery Kempe encounters ‘Margaret Florentyne’ – Anthony Bale and Daniela Giosuè10 Margery Kempe, racialised soundscapes, sonic warss and cosmopolitan Jerusalem – Dorothy Kim11 The materialisation of Book II: elements of Margery Kempe’s world – Laura KalasPart IV: Performative encounters12 Writing performed lives: Margery Kempe meets Marina Abramovic – Sarah Salih13 Recreating and reassessing Margery and Julian’s encounter – Tara WilliamsIndex
£67.50
Manchester University Press Do Good Unto All: Charity and Poor Relief Across
Book SynopsisFor nearly two millennia, Christians have tried to make sense of the Bible’s reminder that the poor are ‘always among us’. This volume explores the diverse range of ideas, institutions, and experiences early modern Europeans brought to bear in response to this biblical adage. Do good unto all traces the concept and practice of charity across the four major early modern Christian confessions – Catholic, Lutheran, Calvinist, and Anabaptist – and over a wide range of geographical areas from Scotland to Switzerland and the Spanish Atlantic World. By bringing such a diverse set of localised studies into concert for the first time, this volume exposes the many intersections and tensions that arose between and within communities as they attempted to translate the ideal of charity into practice. This comparative approach shifts the focus from binary definitions of ‘deserving’ and ‘undeserving’ poor or ‘Catholic’ and ‘Protestant’. Instead, Do good unto all charts a new course for the study of charity beyond institutional poor relief, where the matrix of individual ideas and experiences can be fully appreciated.Table of ContentsIntroduction: Beyond poor relief: defining, implementing, and experiencing charity – Timothy G. Fehler and Jared B. ThomleyPart I Defining charity 1 Domingo de Soto and itinerant poverty: a mobile concept – Beatriz E. Salamanca2 No greater act of mercy: ‘Cellites’ and the ars moriendi in the fifteenth century – Abigail J. Hartman 3 Charity’s assurance: exhortation and election in seventeenth-century Scotland – Jared B. Thomley Part II Implementing charity 4 Legislation and poor relief: Bugenhagen and the Reformation in Braunschweig – Esther Chung-Kim 5 ‘Under the guise of Christian generosity’: Anabaptist responses to poverty in Reformed Zurich, 1600-1650 – David Y. Neufeld 6 Theatrical charity in the early modern Spanish world – Rachael Ball 7 ‘Especially unto those of the household of faith’: Menso Alting, discipline, and community in Emden’s social welfare – Timothy G. Fehler Part III Experiencing charity8 Household and hospital: negotiating social welfare and social discipline in Reformation Geneva – Kristen C. Howard 9 The Marillac family as charitable benefactors: family strategy and the rhetoric of poor relief in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century France – Edward J. Gray 10 The pilgrim as temporary pauper: the changing landscape of hospitality on the Camino de Santiago, 1550–1750 – Elizabeth Tingle 11 Prostitution, repentance, and civic welfare in Renaissance Florence – Gillian JackIndex
£81.00
Christian Focus Publications Ltd Bible – Can We Trust It?
Book SynopsisIt was the first book to ever be printed. It remains one of the most popular of all time, with whole societies of people professing to live their lives according to its pages – but can the Bible actually be trusted? Does it have any substance or is it just some nice ideas? Isn’t it full of contradictions, and can it really have anything to say in the 21st century? The fourth title of the First Steps series by 9Marks explores these questions and more, showing that the Bible is not only still relevant, it is powerful!Trade ReviewChristian Focus Publications, 20Schemes and 9Marks are to be congratulated on their collaboration on the First Steps series as they take seriously the challenge of preparing materials designed to equip those from an unchurched background as they begin their Christian life. -- Hector Morrison (Principal, Highland Theological College, Dingwall)It is so refreshing to read such a practical book with such vivid illustrations on such a complex topic. This should be mandatory reading for all seminary students! -- Ed Moore (Head Pastor, North Shore Baptist Church Bayside, New York)… short and sweet. Profoundly simple, incredibly insightful, and comprehensively concise. I can’t think of a better starting point for anyone beginning their Christian journey (or refreshing the foundations) than this resource on trusting the Bible! I look forward to using this book for years to come. -- John Onwuchekwa (Lead Pastor, Cornerstone Church, Atlanta, Georgia)The most engaging discipleship material I have ever had the pleasure to read. It is written with theological precision and amazing clarity. The intertwining of propositional truth with an entertaining narrative enhances its readability. It will be a wonderful help for the sceptic, the seeker, and the believer. I hope that the authors have an eye to writing further volumes on equally essential topics of the Christian faith. They are most needed! -- Paul Washer (Founder and Missions Director, Heart Cry Ministry, Radford, Virginia)
£5.99
Christian Focus Publications Ltd Teaching Ruth & Esther
Book SynopsisRuth and Esther are two prophetic pictures of the same gospel. One speaks of a last–minute rescue from death, the other of a long–awaited filling of a terrible emptiness. One ends with a baby; the other concludes with an annual remembrance of an amazing escape. But neither really ends, until they find their fulfilment in Jesus Christ. Part of the Teaching series, this book is designed to help the pastor/preacher, small group leader, or youth worker in preparing and presenting studies.Trade ReviewFor those looking for help in preaching and teaching Ruth and Esther here it is. Ash informs, instructs, and inspires as he helps the reader understand the meaning and implications of these two biblical books. Ruth and Esther are a part of Holy Scripture and deserve to be preached and taught to Christian congregations. If you are looking for help in communicating the messages of these books, Ash provides it in a stellar form. -- William F. Cook (Professor of New Testament Interpretation, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky)The book begins with a brief, but very helpful, chapter on How to Read Old Testament Stories, and proceeds to exemplify this exquisitely as the reader is led through the contrastingly beautiful and disturbing dramas of Ruth and Esther. Christopher’s characteristic mastery of textual detail married with theological clarity and richness is always stimulating, and preachers who want to apply the wealth of God’s grace and comfort from these ancient Christian Scriptures will find much here to help them do so. -- William J. U. Philip (Minister, The Tron Church, Glasgow)
£8.99
Christian Focus Publications Ltd Exodus: God’s Kingdom of Priests
Book SynopsisExodus is the story of the first redemption of God’s people for Himself. Starting with a people enslaved and oppressed, seemingly forgotten by their God, it culminates with the Tabernacle. God had chosen His people, setting them apart from the other nations: His kingdom of priests. Exodus forms the sub–structure of the Old Testament – and points at every stage to the coming Messiah of the New Testament.Trade ReviewAllan Harman draws on a lifetime of teaching and preaching the Old Testament in this commentary. With careful attention to the Hebrew text of Exodus, he brings out nuances that otherwise might be missed, and shows the connections with other parts of Scripture to underscore the foundational character of this book for the faith of the people of God. -- John A. Davies (Principal Emeritus, Christ College, Sydney)
£11.69
Christian Focus Publications Ltd Training – How Do I Grow as A Christian?
Book SynopsisThe Christian life is many things, so it can be hard to know how exactly we should live it. Training is a guide to show new Christians just that—how you should live and grow. Walking through the basic spiritual disciplines, Training uses short stories to show how you can love God and your neighbor. What does it look like to follow Jesus, listen to God, talk to God, love your spiritual family and love the lost? That’s what this book is all about. Trade ReviewIsaac Adams’ plainly spoken and biblically sound workbook interrupts the cycle of “discipleship apathy,” and gives us ample skills in prayer, evangelism, church, community, and more. We all could use a refresher course in Training, and heed his exhortation to ‘train for eternity’ by helping each other live more wisely today. -- K. A. Ellis (Director, The Center for the Study of the Bible and Ethnicity, Reformed Theological Seminary, Atlanta, Georgia)We cannot force God to give us his grace, but we can position ourselves along the paths where he loves to give it. Let Isaac Adams be your guide to spiritual growth as a divine gift—and a calling for all who claim the name of Christ. -- David Mathis (Executive Editor, desiringGod.org; Pastor, Cities Church, Minneapolis/St Paul)… readers will be spurred on to work hard to be more like Christ, leaning and trusting on the abundant grace available for us. I pray that the Lord will use this book to help believers all over the world to grow in godliness and maturity. -- Harshit Singh (Pastor, Satya Vachan Church (True Word Church), India)Pastor Isaac Adams has written a book about important matters. What’s more, it’s a book that is true, good, simple and clear, filled with very practical advice for the new Christian. Some of this teaching is too rare today. And it is accompanied by a story with some surprising depth. All in all, a tool worth knowing about and using. -- Mark Dever (Senior Pastor, Capitol Hill Baptist Church and President, 9Marks.org, Washington, DC)
£7.19
Christian Focus Publications Ltd Come and Behold Him: Christmas Through Different
Book SynopsisThe basic outline of the Christmas story is so familiar we might think we have no more to learn from it. But try looking at the Christmas story through different eyes. Through the eyes of Micah and Isaiah who foretold it; Anna and Simeon who witnessed it; and Paul and John who reflected on it. Wonder anew at this amazing story of the birth of the Son of God as a baby.Trade ReviewNo part of Scripture is better known than the Christmas story – and none is more widely misunderstood. David Randall … reveals the story’s dynamic, life–changing truth as seen through the eyes of its prophets and participants. Easy to read, enhanced by excellent illustrations and thoroughly grounded in God’s Word, Come and Behold Him will open your eyes, stimulate your mind and warm your heart. I strongly recommend it. -- John Blanchard (Internationally known Christian preacher, teacher, apologist and author)Does Christmas feel consumer–driven, or overly–sentimental, or even over–familiar? I heartily recommend this book as a refreshing and inspiring antidote! We see the story through the eyes of many different witnesses across scripture, providing us with a fresh perspective which is Christ–centred, faith–building and heart–warming – the best Christmas book I have read for many years! -- Jonathan Lamb (Minister–at–large for Keswick Ministries, IFES Vice President, and former Director, Langham Preaching)Through the eyes of fourteen biblical characters, David focusses us powerfully and precisely on the real Character at the heart of Christmas, Jesus Christ. Whether you’re a Christian who struggles to get excited about Christmas, or a seeker wondering what all the fuss is really about, this is a beautifully written invitation to come and behold the One at the heart of Christmas, Immanuel, God with Us. -- Andy Bannister (Director of Solas (Centre for Public Christianity), UK)
£7.59
Christian Focus Publications Ltd Around the Wicket Gate: Help For Those Who Only
Book SynopsisThe greatest of all tragedies must be that of the person who dies just outside the gate of life. They are standing, as it were, just outside the wicket gate to the church grounds – seeing the beauty of the building, knowing the people going in – but not stepping over the threshold themselves. Almost saved but altogether lost. This is a book of immeasurable value to those who have some knowledge of the Christian Faith but who are resisting God’s call to commit their lives to him. No Christian should be without a copy, to either lend or give away to a friend or acquaintance who may be lingering at the gate. Around the Wicket Gate is written in Spurgeon’s unique style – sharp, penetrating, and easily readable. One of the most quoted preachers of modern times, his sermons have proved to be a blessing to millions. For someone thinking about Christianity, who has yet to accept Christ as their saviour, reading this book could help them towards the most important step they ever take.Trade ReviewReading Around the Wicket Gate again brought back to mind the moment that both my wife and I trusted in Jesus for salvation– together! We had been asked by a friend to church and the word preached had a powerful and profound effect on us both. But it was later through reading this book that we came to trust in Jesus by simply accepting the gift of salvation. I hope this little book will be used again by The Lord to bring many others to himself. -- Iain MacAskill (Pastor, Stirling Free Church of Scotland, Stirling)… combines razor–sharp spiritual diagnoses, timeless and helpful illustrations, and a clear route back to Jesus Christ as the only source of personal freedom, forgiveness and future hope. -- Alasdair MacLeod (Minister, Smithon Church, Inverness, Scotland)… one of the most famous books that the kind, loving, extraordinary Christian, C. H. Spurgeon, ever wrote. If you are just mildly interested in what is a Christian and how people become followers of Jesus Christ, then there is no more straightforward and fascinating book for you to read but this. -- Geoff Thomas (Conference Speaker and author, Aberystwyth, Wales)With … deep and profound simplicity, Spurgeon adorns every page of this evangelistic booklet. Read this book for your own edification and give it to a lost friend for a clear explanation of the gospel and an earnest and friendly appeal to believe. -- Tom Nettles (Senior Professor of Historical Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky)If you grew up with a vague familiarity with Christianity, but it never meant much to you, read this book. Like no one else, Spurgeon lays out the simplicity, the power and the truth of the good news of Jesus. This classic gospel appeal … may be life–changing for you. -- John Folmar (Senior Pastor, United Christian Church of Dubai)
£7.59
Christian Focus Publications Ltd Get Preaching: Why Expository Preaching
Book SynopsisAt its simplest expository preaching is preaching which allows the Biblical text to direct the contents of the message, by which the church grows and flourishes. But why is it so important? In this short book David Jackman explains the motivation behind this method of preaching, gives instruction for putting it into practise, and works through a couple of examples of expository sermons. This book will be a crucial tool for anyone engaged in teaching God’s flock. The Get Preaching series is for all preachers. These short books will help the novice preacher on a course of faithful preaching, the experienced preacher to hone their skills, and preaching groups sharpen each other. However you use this book we hope that it will achieve its twin aims. That you would get preaching (understanding the task at hand) and get preaching (doing more preaching).
£6.23
Christian Focus Publications Ltd Deuteronomy: A Mentor Expository Commentary
Book SynopsisThe book of Deuteronomy finds the Israelites on the cusp of entering the land that had been promised to them since the days of Abraham. This second giving of the law is to be the bedrock of the society they build – to be people identified as the people of Yahweh. Douglas F. Kelly helpfully exposits this book considering not only its importance to the original hearers, but also the impact it has for the church today. The Mentor Expository Series holds to an inerrant view of Scripture. The series is thoroughly researched with helpful practical application. This is a resource for pastors and Bible teachers who want to draw on Christ–centered expository teaching and for the lay reader who wants to delve more deeply into the riches of the Word of God.Trade ReviewDr. Kelly’s exceptional preaching skills and insightful application make this a page turner. The importance of Deuteronomy, both in Moses’ time and later in the reforms of King Josiah make it uniquely important for our time. Dr. Kelly will inspire a host of preachers to take up Deuteronomy and preach it. -- Derek W. H. Thomas (Senior Minister of Preaching and Teaching, First Presbyterian Church, Columbia, South Carolina)Dr. Kelly drills down into the word of God to tap into the well of biblical truth. His exposition flows with the living water of the gospel that equips for every good work—he points the church to Christ so we can seek the grace of God for salvation and godly living. -- J. V. Fesko (Harriet Barbour Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson, Mississippi)… an excellent, lucid exposition of Deuteronomy. He presents the message of the book in a clear and accessible way. Free from jargon and technicalities, while yet informed by scholarly discussion, this should be of great value for pastors and lay readers alike. -- Robert Letham (Wales Evangelical School of Theology, Bridgend, Wales)Here, faithfully proclaimed, is the book of the Bible to which Christ turned three times in a row when tempted by the devil, applied to our homes and hearts. Highly recommended! -- Joel R. Beeke (Chancellor, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan)
£23.99
Christian Focus Publications Ltd Track: Womanhood: A Student’s Guide to Womanhood
Book SynopsisA short, readable guide for young adults to what the Bible says about being a woman What does it mean to inhabit a female body, a female mind? In what ways do women reflect God’s glory? What does the Bible say about the role Christian women play? Abigail Dodds’ short, readable book tackles this important topic and shows the beauty of the role that God has created for women. Crucial reading for any young woman who seeks to glorify God. Track is a series of books designed to disciple the next generation in the areas of culture, doctrine and the Christian life. While the topics addressed aren’t always simple, they are communicated in a manner that is. Trade ReviewWomanhood is God’s good gift to humanity, and this book is a gift to the church. Crucial for today’s cultural climate when our kids are being conformed to the world’s ideas of identity, Track: Womanhood compellingly calls girls and young women to rejoice in who they truly are. Moms, discuss this book with your daughters! Youth group leaders, pass these out generously! Pre–teen and teenage girls, read Track: Womanhood and think deeply about what it means for you to be a woman. -- Keri Folmar (Author, Delighting in the Word Bible Study series and ‘The Good Portion: Scripture’ and co–host of Priscilla Talk)Today, many claim that the Bible is bad news for women. Nothing could be further from the truth! In this accessible and engaging book, Abigail Dodds shows that God’s creation design is good news – for all of us! -- Sharon James (Social Policy Analyst, The Christian Institute)Do you know that there is eternal purpose and meaning to your womanhood? It runs deeper than your skin, your clothes, your relationships, and even your self–perception. With honesty, wisdom, and clarity, Abigail Dodds reveals that God’s vision for our gender, our bodies, our singleness, our marriage, is so much bigger than that of the world. And Abigail strengthens our arms: demonstrating that though we live in a battle to preserve God’s biblical womanhood, we are not victims but women victorious in Christ! -- Natalie Brand (Bible teacher and author of ‘Priscilla, Where Are You? A Call to Joyful Theology’)
£5.62
Christian Focus Publications Ltd God’s Rascal: The Jacob Narrative in Genesis
Book SynopsisBeloved author Dale Ralph Davis looks at one of the most fascinating characters in the Bible, and the God who was faithful to him. The character of Jacob that we meet in chapters 25–35 of Genesis is a fascinating one. A kaleidoscopic blend of deviousness and doggedness, of trickery and tenacity, of folly and faith. As readers we can’t help being drawn into his story. With his trademark wit and perceptive comments Dale Ralph Davis guides us through the story of this rogue and traces the evidence of grace, providence, blessing throughout his life. Taking us chapter by chapter through this fundamental section of scripture, Davis highlights not only the character of Jacob, but the character of the God who cared for him and faithfully kept his promises to him.Trade Review… a taste of Dr. D’s clever wit, rich illustrations, expositional precision as well as his gift for explaining a text in ways that engages both biblical scholar and everyday man in the streets. Every pastor would benefit from having Dr. Davis’ collection in his library. -- Pat Davey (Assistant Pastor, Eastern Shore Presbyterian Church, Fairhope, Alabama)This is the kind of book to … bring all of God’s people to lift up their hearts to a faithful, durable God who has rascals in His family, and knows how to save them despite themselves. Davis will leave readers and disciples with more hope than they’ve had in ages. -- Michael W. Philliber (Senior Pastor, Heritage Presbyterian Church (PCA), Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)God’s Rascal is vintage Davis. Whether you are a first–timer to Ralph’s expositions or a groupie like me, you will greatly benefit from this book on Genesis 25–35. Jacob is indeed ‘God’s Rascal,’ but he is a rascal saved by grace. -- Chris O’Brien (Pastor, First Presbyterian Church, Picayune, Mississippi)
£9.49
