Search results for ""Christian Faith""

'A superb novel . . . A hugely powerful chronicle of lives lived on the edge' - Sunday Times, Books of the YearIn the tradition of Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, an immensely powerful historical novel about the first encounters between Danish colonists and Greenlanders in the early eighteenth century, of brutal clashes between priests and pagans and the forces that drive each individual towards darkness or light.1728: The Danish King Fredrik IV sends a governor to Greenland to establish a colony, in the hopes of exploiting the country’s allegedly vast natural resources. A few merchants, a barber-surgeon, two trainee priests, a blacksmith, some carpenters and soldiers and a dozen hastily married couples go with him.The missionary priest Hans Egede has already been in Greenland for several years when the new colonists arrive. He has established a mission there, but the converts are few. Among those most hostile to Egede is the shaman Aappaluttoq, whose own son was taken by the priest and raised in the Christian faith as his own. Thus the great rift between two men, and two ways of life, is born.The newly arrived couples – men and women plucked from prison – quickly sink into a life of almost complete dissolution, and soon unsanitary conditions, illness and death bring the colony to its knees. Through the starvation and the epidemics that beset the colony, Egede remains steadfast in his determination – willing to sacrifice even those he loves for the sake of his mission.Translated from Danish by Martin Aitken, Kim Leine's The Colony of Good Hope explores what happens when two cultures confront one another. In a distant colony, under the harshest conditions, the overwhelming forces of nature meet the vices of man.

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A bold new interpretation of Nat Turner and the slave rebellion that stunned the American SouthIn 1831 Virginia, Nat Turner led a band of Southampton County slaves in a rebellion that killed fifty-five whites, mostly women and children. After more than two months in hiding, Turner was captured, and quickly convicted and executed. In the Matter of Nat Turner penetrates the historical caricature of Turner as befuddled mystic and self-styled Baptist preacher to recover the haunting persona of this legendary American slave rebel, telling of his self-discovery and the dawning of his Christian faith, of an impossible task given to him by God, and of redemptive violence and profane retribution.Much about Turner remains unknown. His extraordinary account of his life and rebellion, given in chains as he awaited trial in jail, was written down by an opportunistic white attorney and sold as a pamphlet to cash in on Turner’s notoriety. But the enigmatic rebel leader had an immediate and broad impact on the American South, and his rebellion remains one of the most momentous episodes in American history. Christopher Tomlins provides a luminous account of Turner's intellectual development, religious cosmology, and motivations, and offers an original and incisive analysis of the Turner Rebellion itself and its impact on Virginia politics. Tomlins also undertakes a deeply critical examination of William Styron’s 1967 novel, The Confessions of Nat Turner, which restored Turner to the American consciousness in the era of civil rights, black power, and urban riots.A speculative history that recovers Turner from the few shards of evidence we have about his life, In the Matter of Nat Turner is also a unique speculation about the meaning and uses of history itself.

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Perfect for story time with little ones, this early learning board book introduces babies and toddlers to Easter traditions and the story behind Easter, one of the most important holidays in the Christian Faith. Introduce your little angel to Easter with this beautifull illustrated Easter Board book. It’s ideal for storytime and provides lots of opportunities for parent-and-child interactions. From the donkey that carried Jesus into Jerusalem to church prayers and hymns, this Christian book brings the warmth and celebrations of Easter to life through engaging, real-life photos. It’s clear and easy for babies and toddlers to follow with one main image per page they can focus on. The simple language and short text are great for reading aloud and encourages language development for children 0-3 years olds.This hard-wearing kid’s book has strong board pages made especially for little hands. The chunky pages are easy to grab to help with early motor control. Preschoolers will love turning the pages themselves, naming objects, and learning all about the important time of Easter.A Delightful First Look at EasterPacked with key elements of the Easter story, this children’s book helps little ones understand the true, Christian meaning of Easter in a personal, memorable way. From Palm Sunday and the Last Supper to the wooden cross and Jesus’ resurrection, this baby book is perfect for parents wanting an age-appropriate, early learning book about Easter. This fantastic children’s Christian book would make a beautiful addition to an Easter basket! Inside the pages of this educational book, you’ll find: • Clear pictures of Easter-themed objects and events • Very simple, read-aloud text • Safe, sturdy padded board book with 12 interior pages Complete the SeriesThis is the latest title in the Baby's First Book festivals and celebrations series. This series from DK Books introduces little ones to a diverse mix of religious holidays, festivals, and cultural events from a young age. Other books in this series include Baby’s First St Patrick’s Day, and Baby’s First Thanksgiving.

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Don't settle for half of the story! Discover the Jewish roots to the Christian faith.This study guide has everything you need for a full Bible study experience, including: The study guide itself—with discussion and reflection questions, Bible exploration, video notes, and a leader's guide. An individual access code to stream all six video sessions online. And the physical DVD. Every page of the Old Testament reveals divine mysteries about Jesus, the Messiah. Only by understanding the Old Testament can Christians understand the complete picture of who God is, how he relates to us, and what he is doing today in the world.In this six-session video Bible study (video streaming included), walk with Messianic Rabbi Jason Sobel as he shows you how the Bible fits together as a whole to offer one complete picture of Jesus. In the Mysteries of the Messiah Bible study Rabbi Jason Sobel helps us to... Understand the Jewish roots of our faith and begin to see Jesus' life and ministry from a different perspective. See the signs everywhere in the Old Testament that point to the coming of the Messiah in the New Testament. Continue to dig and find mysteries and new discoveries hidden in God's Word. Sessions and video run times: Finding Jesus in the Story of Creation (22:00) Finding Jesus in the Story of the Patriarchs (22:00) Finding Jesus in the Story of Joseph and Judah (22:30) Finding Jesus in the Story of Moses (22:30) Finding Jesus in the Story of Ruth and Boaz (22:00) Finding Jesus in the Story of David (22:30) Watch on any device!Streaming video access code included. Access code subject to expiration after 12/31/2027. Code may be redeemed only by the recipient of this package. Code may not be transferred or sold separately from this package. Internet connection required. Void where prohibited, taxed, or restricted by law. Additional offer details inside.

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Depicting the lives of the saints in an array of both factual and fictional stories--some preposterous, some profound, and some shocking--The Golden Legend was perhaps the most widely read book, after the Bible, during the late Middle Ages. It was compiled around 1260 by Jacobus de Voragine, a scholarly friar and eventual archbishop of Genoa, whose purpose was to captivate, encourage, and edify the faithful, while preserving a vast store of information pertaining to the legends and traditions of the church. In his new translation, the first in English of the complete text, William Granger Ryan captures the immediacy of this rich, image-filled work, and offers an important guide for readers interested in medieval art and literature and, more generally, in popular religious culture. These stories have the effect of bringing the saints to life as real people, in the context of late thirteenth-century living, but in them the saints do things that ordinary people can only wonder at. There is St. Juliana, who, fed up with the propositions of a dull-witted demon, gives him a sound thrashing and tosses him in the sewer; St. Hilary, who challenges the authority of a corrupt pope and foresees the prelate's death; and St. James the Dismembered, who, with the chopping off of each body part by the Roman executioner, joyfully proclaims yet another reason for loving God. In the course of reading these stories, which are arranged according to the order of saints' feast days throughout the liturgical year, we happen upon many fascinating cultural and historical topics, such as the Christianization of Roman holidays, the symbolism behind the monk's tonsure, Nero's "pregnancy," and the reason why chaste but hot-blooded women can grow beards. At the same time these stories draw abundantly on Holy Scripture to shed light on the mysteries of the Christian faith. The chapters devoted to Christ and to the Blessed Virgin are particularly moving examples of the mingling of doctrine and narrative to give life to dogma.

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Discover the inspiring spiritual legacy of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch in British history. Sharing a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the life of this notoriously private monarch, The Faith of Queen Elizabeth features intimate stories and inspiring reflections on the personal faith behind the Crown.An icon, matriarch, reformer, and the longest-reigning monarch in British history, Queen Elizabeth II intrigued millions around the world with her royal heritage, inspirational character, and profound faith, especially as depicted in award-winning films such as The Queen and the wildly popular Netflix series The Crown.But throughout all her trials and triumphs, Her Majesty credited her personal faith in Jesus Christ as the steadying anchor to her life and reign. In The Faith of Queen Elizabeth, Dudley Delffs unpacks the secret behind Her Majesty's personal devotion and public service, giving you a fuller, richer picture of the woman who led a nation with unwavering faith and resolve, teaching us how we can all: Leave a legacy of faith for future generations Answer the call to serve Align our behavior with our beliefs With testimonies from historic figures such as Winston Churchill, Billy Graham, Mother Teresa, and Margaret Thatcher, this magnificent tribute explores the faith of the world's most famous Queen--and the King she served.Praise for The Faith of Queen Elizabeth:"The faith of Her Majesty the Queen is the diamond in the crown: forged under extreme pressure, a 'beacon of inspiration' the world over, reflecting the light of the Lord she serves. Delffs's book foregrounds this faith with fluency and respect: an absorbing read."--Right Reverend Dr. Jill Duff, Bishop of Lancaster"This book is a wonderful tribute to the life of Queen Elizabeth II and to her devotion to the people of the UK, the Commonwealth, and the Church of England. It describes her clear and authentic Christian faith that has inspired me and many others in following Jesus's example."--Andrew R. Pratt, interfaith advisor to the Bishop of Blackburn

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Professor Joseph Trapp has been Director of the Warburg Institute, and is an authority on Renaissance humanism and the classical tradition. The present volume brings "together twenty-one of Professor Trapp's more recent papers on the illuminated manuscripts of Petrarch, and his lasting "influence. The fifteenth- and sixteenth-century movement which led to a European revaluation of social, political, ethical, literary, artistic and intellectual experience and which we know as the Renaissance was given its decisive early impetus from Italy in the fourteenth by Francesco Petrarca (1304-1374). Petrarch is present, sometimes visibly, sometimes all but invisibly, within all the manifestations of the Renaissance imagination covered by these essays. His presence is most obvious in the first division of this book, Petrarch Illustrated, where a comprehensive survey and a number of specialized studies bring up to date and in other ways augment the great work of the prince d'Essling and Eugène Muntz, published in 1902 and now in need of revision in many respects. In the second section, Petrarch is present by reputation and implication, and through the homage paid to him, directly in pilgrimage to and adornment of places where he lived and the search for personal mementos, or indirectly in the search by generations succeeding him for the authentic image of the classical authors whom he studied, imitated, revered and loved as friends, or in the permeation into Northern Europe of the study of the classics which he saw as the guide to letters and to life and its modification by humanists and Biblical scholars. Erasmus, Thomas More and William Tyndale, widely different in both their Christian faith and their views of the Biblical text in Latin, Greek or English, without consciously being aware of it, owed their preoccupation with the texts ultimately to the example of Petrarch and his Italian successors, particularly the schoolmaster Guarino of Verona and the great philologists Lorenzo Valla and Angelo Poliziano.

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A rare look into the history, theory, and craft of the black mages and sorcerers of Russia Born in the Soviet Union and descended from a matrilineal line of witches, Natasha Helvin offers a rare look into the secret practices of Russian black magic, passed down from teacher to disciple for generations both orally and through their grimoires bound in black. Drawing from her own experience, Helvin provides insight into the fundamental ideology of black magic practitioners, from the universal laws of magic to the principles of morality. She explains a mage’s view on fate and predestination, how the world was created, and their relationship with the demons that grant them their power. She examines the demonic pantheon as well as how a black sorcerer is able to influence the forces in the universe and pass on his or her powers and knowledge to further generations. Exploring the history of occult practices in Russia, including how Christianity had a profound effect upon magic and witchcraft, Helvin shows how attempts to forcibly convert the Russian population to the Christian faith were widely resisted, and instead of these ancient pagan practices disappearing, they blended with Christian belief. Authorities repainted old pagan gods as demons in order to eradicate ancient traditions. Black magic became labelled as defiantly anti-Christian simply for preserving the old ways, and as a result, some branches of black magic evolved as a reaction against enforced Christianity and practitioners proudly accepted the label of “blasphemer” or “heretic.” Through this book, readers can explore the Left-Hand path of Russian magic and its spells and rituals. The author explains about cemetery magic, sacrifices, the creation of Hell Icons, and places of power, such as crossroads, swamps, and abandoned villages, as well as the best times to practice black magic, how to choose the best grave for your spell, and how to summon demons. Providing many concrete examples of spells, Helvin demonstrates the broad range of what can be accomplished by those who practice the black arts, if they commit themselves to the craft.

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It is commonly assumed that the creation story of Genesis and its chronology were the only narratives openly available in medieval and early modern Europe and that the discovery of geological time in the eighteenth century came as a momentous breakthrough that shook the faith in the historical accuracy of the Bible. Historians of science, mainstream geologists, and Young Earth creationists alike all share the assumption that the notion of an ancient Earth was highly heterodox in the pre-modern era. The old age of the world is regarded as the offspring of a secularized science. In this book, Ivano Dal Prete radically revises the commonplace history of deep time in Western culture. He argues that the chronology of the Bible always coexisted with alternative approaches that placed the origin of the Earth into a far, undetermined (or even eternal) past. From the late Middle Ages, these notions spread freely not only in universities and among the learned, but even in popular works of meteorology, geology, literature, and art that made them easily accessible to a vernacular and scientifically illiterate public. Religious authorities did not regard these notions as particularly problematic, let alone heretical. Neither the authors nor their numerous readers thought that holding such views was incompatible with their Christian faith. While the appeal of theories centered on the biblical Flood and on a young Earth gained popularity over the course of the seventeenth century, their more secular alternatives remained vital and debated. Enlightenment thinkers, however, created a myth of a Christian tradition that uniformly rejected the antiquity of the world, as opposed to a new secular science ready to welcome it. Largely unchallenged for almost three centuries, that account solidified over time into a still dominant truism. Based on a wealth of mostly unexplored sources, On the Edge of Eternity offers an original and nuanced account of the history of deep time that illuminates the relationship between the history of science and Christianity in the medieval and early modern periods, with lasting implications for Western society.

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Don't settle for half of the story! Discover the Jewish roots to the Christian faith.This study guide has everything you need for a full Bible study experience, including: The study guide itself—with discussion and reflection questions, Bible exploration, video notes, and a leader's guide. An individual access code to stream all six video sessions online (you don't need to buy a DVD!). Every page of the Old Testament reveals divine mysteries about Jesus, the Messiah. Only by understanding the Old Testament can Christians understand the complete picture of who God is, how he relates to us, and what he is doing today in the world.In this six-session video Bible study (video streaming included), walk with Messianic Rabbi Jason Sobel as he shows you how the Bible fits together as a whole to offer one complete picture of Jesus. In the Mysteries of the Messiah Bible study Rabbi Jason Sobel helps us to... Understand the Jewish roots of our faith and begin to see Jesus' life and ministry from a different perspective. See the signs everywhere in the Old Testament that point to the coming of the Messiah in the New Testament. Continue to dig and find mysteries and new discoveries hidden in God's Word. Sessions and video run times: Finding Jesus in the Story of Creation (22:00) Finding Jesus in the Story of the Patriarchs (22:00) Finding Jesus in the Story of Joseph and Judah (22:30) Finding Jesus in the Story of Moses (22:30) Finding Jesus in the Story of Ruth and Boaz (22:00) Finding Jesus in the Story of David (22:30) Watch on any device!Streaming video access code included. Access code subject to expiration after 12/31/2027. Code may be redeemed only by the recipient of this package. Code may not be transferred or sold separately from this package. Internet connection required. Void where prohibited, taxed, or restricted by law. Additional offer details inside.

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First modern edition and translation of the homilies of one of the most important religious figures of his time. Ælfric of Eynsham stands supreme as a distinguished homilist, translator, and moralist - one whose writings were sought by the most powerful churchmen and landed warlords of his day. In his sermons, the dead are raised to life, innocents are betrayed, civilizations come to ruin, prophecies are finally fulfilled, and sorrow is swallowed up in salvation. He offers guidance regarding sex, financial counsel, botanical excursuses, etymological asides, lions cowed by roosters, arch-heretics disemboweled, and seemingly inconsequential figures receiving everlasting crowns. He also considers the origin of Antichrist, recounts supernatural visions of damnation and deliverance, teases out the tension between predestination and free will, explores the multifarious nature of the soul, seeks to categorize creation, and presses the boundaries of conceptual capacity in describing the divine nature. Treatises take up such subjects as the Holy Spirit, cognition, penitence, and proper comportment. Private prayers appear alongside public declarations of the Christian faith found in the Paternoster and the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds. The thirty-one texts presented here, with facing translations, span the course of his career: Old English and Latin, ordinary and alliterative prose, pithy prayers and exhaustive exegesis. Nine appear in print for the first time; others for the first time in well over 100 years. Introductions to the texts offer overviews of the content, composition, and circulation of each work, using the fruits of the latest research to envision real-world contexts for their use in specific places, among particular groups, and by certain individuals. Meanwhile, the commentary traces Ælfric's role in the history of ideas, examining his relationship to over 100 sources, 200 other Ælfrician works, and over 1,000 biblical passages; it seeks to clarify Ælfric's compositional aims and further to establish the authorship and date of these remarkable writings from early England.

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BONNIE KRISTIAN shows that a vibrant diversity within Christian orthodoxy-which is simply to say a range of different ways to faithfully follow Jesus-is a strength of our faith, not a weakness.It is all too easy to fail to grasp the diversity of the Christian faith-especially for those who have grown up in one branch of the church and never explored another. We fail to realize how many ways there are to follow Jesus, convinced that our own tradition is the one Christian alternative to nonbelief.A FLEXIBLE FAITH is written for the convinced and confused believer alike. It is a readable exploration of the lively theological diversity that stretches back through church history and across the spectrum of Christianity today. It is an easy introduction to how Christians have historically answered key questions about what it means to follow Jesus. Chapters will include 17 big theological questions and answers; profiles of relevant figures in church history; discussion questions; single-page Q&As-profiles of more unusual types of Christians (e.g., a Catholic nun or a member of an Amish community); and a guide to major Christian denominations today.As Bonnie shares her wrestlings with core issues-such as who Jesus is, what place the Church has in our lives, how to disagree yet remain within a community, and how to love the Bible for what it actually is-she teaches us how to walk courageously through our own tough questions.Following Jesus is big and it is something that individual believers, movements, and denominations have expressed in uncountably different ways over the centuries. In the process of helping us sort things out, Bonnie shows us how to be comfortable with diversity in the Body. And as we learn to hold questions in one hand and answers in the other, we will discover new depths of faith that will remain secure even through the storms of life.

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How did a Jewish teacher, healer, sage and mystic become the vehicle for so much hatred and harm directed against his own people? "Dialogue is demanding and difficult. It is often painful. It entails deep listening, letting others define themselves and being willing to confront and transform deep-rooted prejudices in ourselves. It requires the courage to re-envision absolutely everything we tend to cherish and protect, and to relinquish our entrenched vainglorious ego attachments, our inflated sense of 'I, me and mine.' This challenge to grow beyond tribalism, to approach others in a fair and reasonable way, is an essential step in our human evolution." —from the Invitation to the Reader Judaism and Christianity have had a volatile relationship in their two-thousand-year history. Anger, rivalry, insensitivity, bloodshed and murder have marred the special connection these two Abrahamic faiths share. In the last several decades, scholars, activists, laypeople and clergy have attempted to expose and eliminate the struggles between Jews and Christians. This collaborative effort brings together the voices of Christian scholar Ron Miller and Jewish scholar Laura Bernstein to further explore the roots of anti-Semitism in Christian faith and scripture. In a probing interfaith dialogue, Miller and Bernstein trace the Jewish-Christian schism to its very source in the first book of the New Testament, the Gospel of Matthew. Illuminating the often misunderstood context of Matthew’s gospel—a persecuted Christian minority writing some sixty years after Jesus’s death—this examination of a foundational Christian text discerns the ways in which the Jewishness of Jesus was forgotten and Jews and Judaism became Christianity’s foil. More important, it takes a renewed look at Matthew with contemporary retellings that present a new and better future of conciliation and compassion between the two faith traditions.

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In 1517, Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of Wittenberg's castle church. Luther's seemingly inconsequential act ultimately launched the Reformation, a movement that forevertransformed both the Church and Western culture. The repositioning of the Bible as beginning, middle, and end of Christian faith was crucial to the Reformation. Two words alone captured this emphasis on the Bible's divine inspiration, its abiding authority, and its clarity, efficacy, and sufficiency: sola scriptura . In the five centuries since the Reformation, the confidence Luther and the Reformers placed in the Bible has slowly eroded. Enlightened modernity came to treat the Bible like any other text, subjecting it to a near endless array of historical-critical methods derived from the sciences and philosophy. The result is that in many quarters of Protestantism today the Bible as word has ceased to be the Word. In The Reformation and the Right Reading of Scripture , Iain Provan aims to restore a Reformation-like confidence in the Bible by recovering a Reformation-like reading strategy. To accomplish these aims Provan first acknowledges the value in the Church's precritical appropriation of the Bible and, then, in a chastened use of modern and postmodern critical methods. But Provan resolutely returns to the Reformers' affirmation of the centrality of the literal sense of the text, in the Bible's original languages, for a right-minded biblical interpretation. In the end the volume shows that it is possible to arrive at an approach to biblical interpretation for the twenty-first century that does not simply replicate the Protestant hermeneutics of the sixteenth, but stands in fundamental continuity with them. Such lavish attention to, and importance placed upon, a seriously literal interpretation of Scripture is appropriate to the Christian confession of the word as Wordâthe one God's Word for the one world.

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A fresh look at the earliest Christian movement reveals what made the new faith so compelling...and what we need to change today to make it so again. Once upon a time there was a version of the Christian faith that was practically irresistible. After all, what could be more so than the gospel that Jesus ushered in? Why, then, isn't it the same with Christianity today?Author and pastor Andy Stanley is deeply concerned with the present-day church and its future. He believes that many of the solutions to our issues can be found by investigating our roots. In Irresistible, Andy chronicles what made the early Jesus Movement so compelling, resilient, and irresistible by answering these questions: What did first-century Christians know that we don't—about God's Word, about their lives, about love? What did they do that we're not doing? What makes Christianity so resistible in today's culture? What needs to change in order to repeat the growth our faith had at its beginning? Many people who leave or disparage the faith cite reasons that have less to do with Jesus than with the conduct of his followers. It's time to hit pause and consider the faith modeled by our first-century brothers and sisters who had no official Bible, no status, and little chance of survival. It's time to embrace the version of faith that initiated—against all human odds—a chain of events resulting in the most significant and extensive cultural transformation the world has ever seen.This is a version of Christianity we must remember and re-embrace if we want to be salt and light in an increasingly savorless and dark world.

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This two-volume work examines far-reaching debates on the concept of courage from Greek antiquity to the Christian and mediaeval periods, as well as the modern era. Volume 1 begins with Homeric poetry and the politics of fearless demi-gods thriving on war. The tales of lion-hearted Heracles, Achilles, and Ulysses, and their tragic fall at the hands of fate, eventually give way to classical views of courage based on competing theories of rational wisdom and truth. Fears of the enemy and anxieties about suffering and death are addressed through the lenses and teachings of medicine, geography, military history, moral philosophy, and metaphysics. For early Christian thinkers, the ethics of fear, fate, and fealty to the Almighty supplant the voice of reason and the wisdom of virtue. Much of Christian doctrine's history is a long journey towards bridging the gap between Greek philosophy and devotion to God and spirits in heaven. Some Church Fathers attempt to dispel the fear of suffering through a joyful craving for martyrdom and the eternal blessings that follow. Others show openness to one or more of the following principles: the abstractions of moral philosophy, the metaphysics of Gnostic enlightenment, the gift of free will and intentionality, the growth of church authority and hegemony, and the intrinsic worth of life on Earth. Augustine, Ambrose, Cassian, and Chrysostom play a central role in revisiting the foundations of Christian fortitude along some or all of these lines. They lay the groundwork for the scholastic adaptations of faith-based rationalism proposed by Peter Lombard, Philip the Chancellor, Albert the Great, and Thomas of Aquinas. The mediaeval period ends with church dissidents and Protestant Reform leaders condemning Rome’s corruption and calling for a return to early Christian faith and the courage of godly fear, submission, suffering, and fate.

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A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERFormer Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spearheaded the Trump Administration’s most significant foreign policy breakthroughs. Now, he reveals how he did it, and how it could happen again.As the only four-year national security member of President Trump’s Cabinet, he worked to impose crushing pressure on the Islamic Republic of Iran, avert a nuclear crisis with North Korea, deliver unmatched support for Israel, and bring peace to the Middle East. Drawing on his commitment to America’s founding principles and his Christian faith, his efforts to promote religious freedom around the world were unequaled in American diplomatic history. Most importantly, he led a much-needed generational transformation of America's relationship with China.Blending remarkable and often humorous stories of his interactions with world leaders and unmatched analysis of geopolitics, Never Give an Inch tells of how Pompeo helped the Trump Administration craft the America First approach that upended Washington's wisdom—and made him America’s enemies’ worst nightmare. It is a raw account of what it took to deliver winning outcomes, including answers to questions like:--Why Trump thought his Secretary of State was too tough on China--What he said to Kim Jong-un that set him apart from other American negotiators--How Mike Pence could have lost his spot on the 2020 ticket--Who still has him high on their list of enemiesA road map of the trends and players shaping the world today, Never Give an Inch is more than a historical review of the Trump Administration's greatest victories. It is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the challenges of the future. And it is an inspirational story of leadership through dangerous times that will leave you with a greater appreciation for America.

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Are robots going to take my job? How are smartphones affecting my kids? Do I need to worry about privacy when I get online or ask Siri for directions? Whatever questions you have about AI, The Age of AI gives you insights on how to navigate this brand-new world as you apply God's ageless truths to your life and future.We interact with artificial intelligence, or AI, nearly every moment of the day without knowing it. From our social media feeds to our smart thermostats and Alexa and Google Home, AI is everywhere--but how is it shaping our world?In The Age of AI, Jason Thacker, associate research fellow at the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, helps us navigate our digital age in this thoughtful exploration of the social, moral, and ethical challenges of our ongoing interactions with artificial intelligence.Applying God's Word to this new AI-empowered age, Thacker sheds light on: How Christian truth transforms the way we use AI How AI affects us individually, in our relationships, and in our society at large How to navigate the digital age wisely With theological depth and a wide awareness of the current trends in AI, Jason is a steady guide who reminds us that while technology is changing the world, it can't shake the foundations of the Christian faith.Praise for The Age of AI:"The Age of AI informs us and assists us in envisioning a future that is filled with tools, influences, opportunities, and challenges relating to artificial intelligence. While many may fear the unknown future before us, Jason Thacker presents the imperative need to always lift up the constancy of the image of God and the dignity of all human life as presented in the Holy Scriptures, the Bible. I am thankful Jason's book can help churches, pastors, theologians, and Christian leaders in all vocations to wrestle through this current topic, always being committed to what this book states profoundly: God-given dignity isn't ours to assign or remove."--Dr. Ronnie Floyd, president and CEO, Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee

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From the age of ten, looking up at the stars, Jerry Ross knew that he wanted to journey into space. This autobiography tells the story of how he came not only to achieve that goal, but to become the most-launched astronaut in history, as well as a NASA veteran whose career spanned the entire US Space Shuttle program. From his childhood in rural Indiana, through education at Purdue University, and a career in the US Air Force, Ross charted a path to NASA after overcoming many setbacks—from failing to qualify for Air Force pilot training because of “bad” eyesight, to an initial failure to be selected into the astronaut program.The majority of the book is an insider’s account of the US Space Shuttle program, including the unforgettable experience of launch, the delights of weightless living, and the challenges of constructing the International Space Station. Ross is a uniquely qualified narrator. During seven spaceflights, he spent 1,393 hours in space, including 58 hours and 18 minutes on nine space walks. Life on the ground is also described, including the devastating experiences of the Challenger and Columbia disasters.For readers who have followed the space program from Mercury through the International Space Station and wonder what comes next, this book provides fascination; for young people interested in space exploration and reaching for their dreams, whatever they might be, this book provides inspiration. Full of stories of spaceflight that few humans have ever experienced, told with humor and honesty, Spacewalker presents a unique perspective on the hard work, determination, and faith necessary to travel beyond this world.Key Points: An insider’s account of the US Space Shuttle program, from before its first launch through the final landing, and the building of the International Space Station. A firsthand account of life in space from the first human to fly seven missions. An inspirational story of a personal journey from rural Indiana to outer space, powered by a deep Christian faith.

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While some intellectuals at the end of the 19th century argued that scientific progress would eventually cause the demise of religion, it is evident that this has not been the case and that contemporary science is in fact not necessarily inimical to a religious worldview. So, a fruitful dialogue between science and religion has become a reality. But there is also a more fundamental question that arises, which is not simply the relationship of the sciences or of other disciplines to religion, but rather whether faith can and should have an impact on teaching and research. The majority of the essays in this volume hold that the Christian faith provides definite cognitive advantages and that to leave one's faith at the entrance of the campus, thus separating faith from reason, leads to a schizophrenic view of the Christian's intellectual life. This volume thus shows how the religious faith of intellectuals - not all of whom are Christian - exercises a real influence on their scholarship. In consonance with the thought of Pope John Paul II, it is the contention of the scholars whose essays make up this volume that a faith that imbues research and teaching will effect a transformation not only in themselves, but also in their students and eventually in society. Hence, a faith that is fully received, thought out and lived, will penetrate culture; and there is no doubt that present-day culture stands in need of transformation. In fact, the encyclical ""Fides et Ratio"", from which a number of the essays draw inspiration, attributes the secularization of the West in great part to the separation of faith from culture. Jacques Maritain himself, more than fifty years ago, recognized that modern and contemporary culture had severed its ties with the sacred and in so doing had turned its back on humanity. Now in the 21st century, as always, human beings have a profound need for meaning and transcendence, a need which scholarly reflection such as that found in this volume can help to satisfy.

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A vivid portrayal of Kivebulaya's life that interrogates the role of indigenous agents as harbingers of change under colonization, and the influence of emerging polities in the practice of Christian faiths. Apolo Kivebulaya was a practitioner of indigenous religion and a Muslim before he became in 1895 a Christian missionary from Buganda to Toro and Ituri. He is still admired as a churchman and missionary in the Anglican churches ofUganda, Congo, Tanzania and Kenya, and is a significant civic figure in school curricula in Uganda. This book provides insight into religious encounter in the Great Lakes region of Africa, in which individuals like Kivebulaya remade themselves through conversion to Christianity and re-ordered social relations through preaching a transnational religion which brought technological advantage. In re-examining Apolo's life the author reveals the historic social processes and the cultural motivations which provoked religious and socio-political change in colonial east Africa. She explores the processes of his religious adherence, his travels and church planting, his commitment to Bible translation and its role in developing national sensibilities, and his engagement with missionaries, the Ganda political elite, and the peoples of the Ituri forest, as well as British and Belgian colonial polities. Kivebulayautilized Christian repertoires of memory-making - the Bible, hymns, prayers and fellowship - in creating communities of disciples, and was instrumental in creating new forms of Christian identity in the region, fashioned by levelsof acceptance and resistance. By focusing on the role of indigenous agents as harbingers of change, the author offers a new perspective on the history of the northern Great Lakes region of Africa. Emma Wild-Wood is Senior Lecturer of African Christianity and African Indigenous Religions and Co-director of the Centre for the Study of World Christianity at the University of Edinburgh. Her books include Migration and Christian Identity in Congo (Brill, 2008) and editing, with Joel Cabrita and David Maxwell, Relocating World Christianity: Interdisciplinary Studies in Universal and Local Expressions of the Christian Faith (Brill, 2017). Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan: Twaweza Communications

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Hirst’s Psalm paintings allude to Gothic stained glass windows and the circular patterns of Buddhist mandalas This beautifully illustrated book constitutes a comprehensive survey of Damien Hirst's Psalm paintings. The 150 works in the series are made up of iridescent butterfly wings and paint on canvas, which combine to form kaleidoscopic patterns reminiscent of Gothic stained glass windows. Dating from 2008, the paintings address some of Hirst's most enduring and important themes: beauty, art, belief, life and death. Each of the fully illustrated paintings is accompanied by the Old Testament prayer from which its title is derived, the text rendered on images of individually selected marble samples. Also included is a complete list of works, and essays by art writers Michael Bracewell and Amie Corry. In his essay, Bracewell writes: "The Psalm paintings can't help but bring together, in literal form, such fundamental concepts as beauty, and power over death through prayer and belief, while simultaneously seeming to propose solely their own—albeit spectacular—abstraction. As they take their place within the greater canon of Hirst's art, these paintings extend his fascination with natural history and the potentially synonymous relationships between life, death, art and 'beauty,' and the language of Christian faith and religion." The Complete Psalm Paintings is an exquisite companion to one of Hirst's most beautiful series.Damien Hirst was born in Bristol in 1965. He first came to public attention in 1988 when he conceived and curated Freeze, an exhibition of his own work and that of his contemporaries staged in an abandoned London warehouse. Since then Hirst has become widely recognized as one of the most influential artists of his generation. Alongside over 80 solo exhibitions, he has worked on numerous curatorial projects. In 2008, Hirst took the unprecedented step of bypassing gallery involvement by selling 244 new works at a Sotheby's, London auction. He was awarded the Turner Prize in 1995 and received a major solo retrospective at Tate Modern, London. He lives in Devon, England.

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Professor Joseph Trapp has been Director of the Warburg Institute, and is an authority on Renaissance humanism and the classical tradition. The present volume brings "together twenty-one of Professor Trapp's more recent papers on the illuminated manuscripts of Petrarch, and his lasting "influence. The fifteenth- and sixteenth-century movement which led to a European revaluation of social, political, ethical, literary, artistic and intellectual experience and which we know as the Renaissance was given its decisive early impetus from Italy in the fourteenth by Francesco Petrarca (1304-1374). Petrarch is present, sometimes visibly, sometimes all but invisibly, within all the manifestations of the Renaissance imagination covered by these essays. His presence is most obvious in the first division of this book, Petrarch Illustrated, where a comprehensive survey and a number of specialized studies bring up to date and in other ways augment the great work of the prince d'Essling and Eugène Muntz, published in 1902 and now in need of revision in many respects. In the second section, Petrarch is present by reputation and implication, and through the homage paid to him, directly in pilgrimage to and adornment of places where he lived and the search for personal mementos, or indirectly in the search by generations succeeding him for the authentic image of the classical authors whom he studied, imitated, revered and loved as friends, or in the permeation into Northern Europe of the study of the classics which he saw as the guide to letters and to life and its modification by humanists and Biblical scholars. Erasmus, Thomas More and William Tyndale, widely different in both their Christian faith and their views of the Biblical text in Latin, Greek or English, without consciously being aware of it, owed their preoccupation with the texts ultimately to the example of Petrarch and his Italian successors, particularly the schoolmaster Guarino of Verona and the great philologists Lorenzo Valla and Angelo Poliziano.

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In one of the most brutal wars of the twenty-first century, millions of Syrians fled for a safer life elsewhere. Dr A was one of the few medical doctors that stayed. This is the story of a penniless boy, raised in poor family, whose only hope of pursuing his life's dream of becoming a doctor, was to study hard, be the top grade student at his school, to win a scholarship to study free at medical school.Driven by his Christian faith, Dr A risked his own safety, and that of his family, to care for innocent lives caught in the epicentre of a war zone through the most aggressive years of the Syrian war. As his world exploded and collapsed around him, he lost his home and hospital, while his friends, colleagues, relatives and neighbours were either kidnapped or killed, or fled from the country. Yet he remained uncompromising in his commitment to serve his people, through these near-apocalyptic events. After years of service as a doctor, when his turn came for military conscription, Dr A was forced to make one of his toughest decisions yet. To avoid being conscripted, he opted for nearly four years of isolation to evade being found, and was unable to use his skills and experience as a doctor to help those in need. It was there, at his most vulnerable, that Dr A was humbled to a deeper faith rooted in the love and service of Jesus. In spite of his withdrawal from obvious society, he managed to continue supporting his people working through a small and trusted team. Rejoining society after these life-changing years, he emerged with renewed commitment to rebuild the broken world and community he was part of, both challenging and inspiring those around him to pick up the pieces of their lives.Up From the Ashes is a gripping story of sacrifice and endurance - fuelled by prayer and bound by hope.

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A popular and respected trades unionist, Tom Chapman was elected a divisional organiser of the Amalgamated Engineering Union in 1958, beating his communist opponent by one vote. This pitched him into the bitter struggle between the moderates and the hard-left who, in many cases, were financed and directed from Moscow. Such conflict could be treated as an ugly memory best forgotten, but as the hard left gained control of more unions, Marxist economic philosophy, with its essentially divisive nature, pitting labour and capital against each other, is returning to bedevil industrial relations and damage the economy. To stand for moderation and fair play in such circumstances needs courage and resourcefulness, as Chapman discovered when he was subjected to harassment and obstruction in carrying out his official duties. Despite this, he remained scrupulously fair, even fighting for a hard-left activist and known troublemaker who had been wrongfully dismissed. Chapman's strength was his Christian faith, unfettered by humbug, and his "secret weapon" was an all-inclusive love, by no means sentimental, that always tried to build bridges between opposing factions. Applied to industrial relations, he saw clearly that: "There are always two sides to every conflict in negotiation, but it is also true that both sides have a common objective. This common objective is the continued success or prosperity of the company, the industry, or even the nation". After leaving union employment, he was appointed liaison officer to the Church of England's Board of Social Responsibility, where he sometimes acted as the Archbishop of Canterbury's envoy to resolve damaging and protracted strikes at Vickers, Pilkingtons and Linwood. Later he formed the European Christian Industrial Movement to continue his lifelong work of building bridges between people. When a boy of 12, Tom Chapman dedicated his life to Christian service. This book is an account of how he kept that promise and gives a glimpse of how another Battle of Britain was fought where "so much [was] owed by so many to so few".

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A Westerner’s travels among the persecuted and displaced Christian remnant in Iraq and Syria teach him much about faith under fire. Gold Medal Winner, 2018 IPPY Book of the Year Award Silver Medal Winner, 2018 Benjamin Franklin Award Finalist, 2018 ECPA Christian Book Award Inside Syria and Iraq, and even along the refugee trail, they’re a religious minority persecuted for their Christian faith. Outside the Middle East, they’re suspect because of their nationality. A small remnant of Christians is on the run from the Islamic State. If they are wiped out, or scattered to the corners of the earth, the language that Jesus spoke may be lost forever – along with the witness of a church that has modeled Jesus’ way of nonviolence and enemy-love for two millennia. The kidnapping, enslavement, torture, and murder of Christians by the Islamic State, or ISIS, have been detailed by journalists, as have the jihadists' deliberate efforts to destroy the cultural heritage of a region that is the cradle of Christianity. But some stories run deep, and without a better understanding of the religious and historical roots of the present conflict, history will keep repeating itself century after century. Andreas Knapp, a priest who works with refugees in Germany, travelled to camps for displaced people in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq to collect stories of survivors – and to seek answers to troubling questions about the link between religion and violence. He found Christians who today still speak Syriac, a dialect of Aramaic, the language of Jesus. The uprooted remnant of ancient churches, they doggedly continue to practice their faith despite the odds. Their devastating eyewitness reports make it clear why millions are fleeing the Middle East. Yet, remarkably, though these last Christians hold little hope of ever returning to their homes, they also harbor no thirst for revenge. Could it be that they – along with the Christians of the West, whose interest will determine their fate – hold the key to breaking the cycle of violence in the region? Includes sixteen pages of color photographs.

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'For me, the life of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, is an inspiration and an anchor in my life. A role-model of reconciliation and forgiveness, he stretched out his hands in love, acceptance and healing.' The Queen's Christmas Broadcast, December 2014 An inspiring and collectible volume to mark the first anniversary of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Majesty is a beautifully presented anthology of Christian artworks and wisdom, interlaced with quotes from the Queen's Christmas broadcasts. Images and text are brought together by the expert commentary of former Bishop of Oxford and House of Lords life peer Richard Harries. Written with a deep sense of respect and gratitude to Her Majesty, this book celebrates the Queen's spiritual legacy, spanning over eight decades. In a life given over to service, her steadfast faithfulness was rooted in her Christian faith, the beating heart of her spiritual life and reign as monarch. From Caravaggio to Van Gogh, Raphael to Rembrandt, Majesty features high-quality images of 50 iconic paintings, from both the Royal Collection and museums around the globe, including The Met and MOMA in New York, the National Gallery and Victoria and Albert Museum in London, Vatican Museums in Rome, the Hermitage in St Petersburg, and many more. The artworks illustrate key scenes from the life of Christ, accompanied by the words and teachings of Jesus that are found in the Gospels. With these, Richard Harries juxtaposes words from Her Majesty's Christmas broadcasts, relating her faith to the life of Christ and his wisdom, while simultaneously reflecting on how the artists have depicted the scenes. The perfect gift for admirers of the Queen throughout the world, and especially those who share her faith and admiration for the life of Jesus, Majesty brings together the inspiring words of Queen Elizabeth II with the beauty of Christian art and teachings from the Gospels.

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How can Christians effectively engage today's world while staying true to Scripture? Calling us to listen well to both the Word and the world, John Stott shows how Christianity can preserve its authentic identity and remain relevant to current realities. With the God's Word for Today series, pastor Tim Chester has updated Stott's classic and bestselling book The Contemporary Christian and made it accessible to new generations of readers. In The Gospel, Stott declares that Christianity is not a religion but God's good news for the world. To present the gospel faithfully, we must emphasize both the human need for true freedom and the historical work of Christ. Beginning with the question "What does it mean to be human?" Stott explains a biblical perspective on the human paradox: our dignity and our depravity. He then considers common objections to the gospel message, the importance of Jesus' physical resurrection, and what affirming that Christ is Lord means for all of life. The gospel is truth from God that has been committed to our trust. The Gospel offers a trustworthy guide for readers to understand the essence of the Christian faith and share the good news in a way that connects with people around us. Chapter 1: The human paradox looks at what the Bible teaches and what our experience endorses: the glory and shame of our humanness, both our dignity as creatures made in God's image and our depravity as sinners under his judgement. Chapter 2: Human freedom: what is traditionally called 'salvation', seen in terms of 'authentic freedom'. Chapters 3 and 4: The central themes of the death and resurrection of Jesus, securing our freedom. This section also looks at a number of objections and denials. Chapter 5: The far-reaching implications, both for faith and for life. Radical indeed is the discipleship which takes all of this and Christ's lordship seriously. It's nothing short of a life-changing message.

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An honest and realistic look at why how we work matters. There is no such thing as untested Christian faith. The Bible shows us how testing experiences are common to every Christian and are part of God’s good work in making us the people he wants us to be. As we spend so much of our time working, (whether in the home, in voluntary work, study or in a paid job), our work, like every part of our life, provides opportunities to prove for ourselves that God is real and at work in his world for good. Graham Hooper has written this challenging and encouraging book for all Christians, but particularly for those struggling to ‘live out’ their faith at work, or questioning the worth of what they are doing. Graham writes with the conviction that the Bible’s teaching about work is inclusive, covering every type of work at every stage of life; that the Bible is a message of good news with a universal application; and that it is also honest and realistic about the pressures of daily work and the way these often test our faith in a just and loving God. It’s this truly biblical view of work, grounded in Graham’s own experience, which he presents in this book. Chapter headings include: Part A: Understanding our Motives Necessity Getting Ahead Ambition Competition Rewards Contentment or Adventure? Pride Self–Image Part B: Living Our Values Accountability Faithfulness Service Dealing with Corruption Living with Integrity Prayer at Work A Witness to What? Setting Priorities Part C: Transforming Relationship Being the Boss Working for the Boss Bullying and Harassment Dealing with Conflict The Blame Game Exploitation Loneliness Part D: Testing Situations Trapped Frustrated Bored Stifled Creativity Pressured to Conform Aimless Envious Setback Redundant Stressed Part E: Keeping Focused… on ‘the Big Picture’ God at Work Not in Vain Identity and Worth The Right Work? Career or Calling Measuring Success Leaving a Legacy

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John Robert Lee’s Christian faith is always present in his perceptions of experience and in the shaping of his art, and even those who don’t share his faith should be grateful for this because he gives us a poetry of an empathetic sensitivity to human frailty, celebrations of the beauty of enduring love, prophetic anger in calling out injustices and a sense of the sacredness of the natural world and the terrible insults we offer it. It's a magnificent and varied collection in which different kinds of voices -- all JRL -- mesh together: the observational, the sacramental, the elegiac, the prophetic and the personal. It’s a collection in which four major suites of poems give the whole an organic unity, which is not to say that the individual poems that fall outside the suites don't make their fine contribution. The ‘Belmont Portfolio’, dedicated to Earl Lovelace, records a time spent on his own in the unfamiliar streets of Belmont in Trinidad in poems that catch the sense of being on the edge of adventure, that see the numinous behind the ordinary. The ‘Office Hours’ suite, with its gracious nods to W.H. Auden, is both an engagement with the hours of divine office and the Bible readings that go with it, and a very human series of reflections on that most universal of experiences – how we live through our diurnal cycles. There is the rousing, prophetic, Old Testament righteous anger of the ‘Watchman’ sequence, which reflects on the hell of living in Babylon and the gap between the deceits of ‘liberal democracies’ and the ghastly realities of their global crimes. In the last sequence, ‘What Remains to be Said’ the poet emerges to the front of the stage and speaks directly and confidentially to the reader. It is a sequence that gathers together what must be treasured as sustenance through ‘this Purgatorio’ of our times, reflections on how one can speak in an era where you are “collared in faith in agnostic seasons”, where the frequency of the deaths of those with whom you have shared the struggle is a “haunting against my faith in the Tree of Life” – and a wondering, slightly tongue-in-cheek: “approaching mid-seventies, what do I know?”

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Winner of the Frederick Streng Book Award for Excellence in Buddhist-Christian Studies This work provides the first systematic discussion of the Bodhisattva path and its importance for constructive Christian theology. Crucified Wisdom examines specific Buddhist traditions, texts, and practices not as phenomena whose existence requires an apologetic justification but as wells of tested wisdom that invite theological insight. With the increasing participation of Christians in Buddhist practice, many are seeking a deeper understanding of the way the teachings of the two traditions might interface. Christ and the Bodhisattva are often compared superficially in Buddhist–Christian discussion. This text combines a rich exposition of the Bodhisattva path, using Śāntideva’s classic work the Bodicaryāvatāra and subsequent Tibetan commentators, with detailed reflection on its implications for Christian faith and practice. Author S. Mark Heim lays out root tensions constituted by basic Buddhist teachings on the one hand, and Christian teachings on the other, and the ways in which the Bodhisattva or Christ embody and resolve the resulting paradoxes in their respective traditions. An important contribution to the field of comparative theology in general and to the area of Buddhist–Christian studies in particular, Crucified Wisdom proposes that Christian theology can take direct instruction from Mahāyāna Buddhism in two respects: deepening its understanding of our creaturely nature through no-self insights, and revising its vision of divine immanence in dialogue with teachings of emptiness. Heim argues that Christians may affirm the importance of novelty in history, the enduring significance of human persons, and the Trinitarian reality of God, even as they learn to value less familiar, nondual dimensions of Christ’s incarnation, human redemption, and the divine life. Crucified Wisdom focuses on questions of reconciliation and atonement in Christian theology and explores the varying interpretations of the crucifixion of Jesus in Buddhist–Christian discussion. The Bodhisattva path is central for major contemporary Buddhist voices such as the Dalai Lama and Thích Nhât Hanh, who figure prominently as conversation partners in the text. This work will be of particular value for those interested in “dual belonging” in connection to these traditions.

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Winner of the Frederick Streng Book Award for Excellence in Buddhist-Christian Studies This work provides the first systematic discussion of the Bodhisattva path and its importance for constructive Christian theology. Crucified Wisdom examines specific Buddhist traditions, texts, and practices not as phenomena whose existence requires an apologetic justification but as wells of tested wisdom that invite theological insight. With the increasing participation of Christians in Buddhist practice, many are seeking a deeper understanding of the way the teachings of the two traditions might interface. Christ and the Bodhisattva are often compared superficially in Buddhist–Christian discussion. This text combines a rich exposition of the Bodhisattva path, using Śāntideva’s classic work the Bodicaryāvatāra and subsequent Tibetan commentators, with detailed reflection on its implications for Christian faith and practice. Author S. Mark Heim lays out root tensions constituted by basic Buddhist teachings on the one hand, and Christian teachings on the other, and the ways in which the Bodhisattva or Christ embody and resolve the resulting paradoxes in their respective traditions. An important contribution to the field of comparative theology in general and to the area of Buddhist–Christian studies in particular, Crucified Wisdom proposes that Christian theology can take direct instruction from Mahāyāna Buddhism in two respects: deepening its understanding of our creaturely nature through no-self insights, and revising its vision of divine immanence in dialogue with teachings of emptiness. Heim argues that Christians may affirm the importance of novelty in history, the enduring significance of human persons, and the Trinitarian reality of God, even as they learn to value less familiar, nondual dimensions of Christ’s incarnation, human redemption, and the divine life. Crucified Wisdom focuses on questions of reconciliation and atonement in Christian theology and explores the varying interpretations of the crucifixion of Jesus in Buddhist–Christian discussion. The Bodhisattva path is central for major contemporary Buddhist voices such as the Dalai Lama and Thích Nhât Hanh, who figure prominently as conversation partners in the text. This work will be of particular value for those interested in “dual belonging” in connection to these traditions.

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A groundbreaking, comprehensive, and interdisciplinary analysis of women’s experiences in World Christianity Women in World Christianity: Building and Sustaining a Global Movement is the first textbook to focus on women’s experiences in the founding, spread, and continuation of the Christian faith. Integrating historical, theological, and social scientific approaches to World Christianity, this innovative volume centers women’s perspectives to illustrate their key role in Christianity becoming a world religion, including how they sustain the faith in the present and their expanding role in the future. Women in World Christianity features findings from the Women in World Christianity Project, a groundbreaking study that produced the first quantitative dataset on gender in every Christian denomination in every country of the world. Throughout the text, special emphasis is placed on women in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, the period of Christianity’s shift from the global North to the global South. Easily accessible chapters – organized by continent, tradition, and select topics – introduce students to the wide variety of Christian belief and practice around the world. The book also discusses issues specifically relevant to women in the church: gender-based violence, ecology, theological education, peacebuilding and more. This textbook: Provides a balanced view of women’s involvement in Christianity as a world religion and how they sustain the faith today Introduces students to female theologians around the world whose scholarship is generally overlooked in Western theological education Discusses women’s essential contributions to Christian mission, leadership, education, relief work, healthcare, and other social services of the church Complements the growing body of literature about Christian women from different continental, regional, national, and ecclesiastical perspectives Explores the contributions of contemporary Christian women of all major denominations in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America, and Oceania Helps students become more aware of the unique challenges women face worldwide, and what they are doing to overcome them Women in World Christianity: Building and Sustaining a Global Movement is an excellent primary textbook for introductory courses on World Christianity, History of Christianity, World Religions, Gender in Religion, as well as undergraduate and graduate courses specifically focused on women in World Christianity.

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Religious faith is under assault. In books, movies, and on television, secular critics are attacking religion and the religious with ever-increasing intensity. These "new atheists" typically repeat a two-part mantra: They claim that only an idiot could believe in God, and that idiots who do so have been responsible for most of the hate and violence that have plagued humanity. Abandon religion, they urge, and the world will finally know peace. Surprisingly few books have emerged to defend faith from this onslaught. Yet when it comes to this second argument--the behavior of religious people in the world--abstract claims can be tested by reference to objective facts. In Defense of Faith examines the historical record and demonstrates that far from encouraging hate and aggression, the Judeo-Christian tradition has been the West's most effective curb on these dangerous defects of human nature. In Defense of Faith asserts that the belief in the sanctity and equality of all humans at the core of both Judaism and Christianity--what Brog calls the "Judeo-Christian idea"--has been our most effective tool in the struggle for humanity. The Judeo-Christian idea, Brog argues, has provided the intellectual foundation for human rights. Even more importantly, he maintains, the Judeo-Christian idea has repeatedly inspired the faithful to devote their lives to, and often risk their lives in, the fulfillment of these high ideals. In Defense of Faith also convincingly demonstrates that when we abandon religion as the critics urge, peace does not break out. Instead, we quickly revert to the most base instincts of our selfish genes. Written by a Jewish author who works closely with the Christian faith community, In Defense of Faith will appeal to secular and religious readers alike. This book will challenge the secular to reconsider the role of religion in Western civilization. It will inspire the religious to embrace a proud legacy of faith in action for the sake of humanity.

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Catholic political identity and engagement defy categorization. The complexities of political realities and the human nature of such institutions as church and government often produce a more fractured reality than the pure unity depicted in doctrine. Yet, in 2003 under the leadership of then-prefect Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI), the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a "Doctrinal Note on Some Questions Regarding the Participation of Catholics in Political Life." The note explicitly asserts, "The Christian faith is an integral unity, and thus it is incoherent to isolate some particular element to the detriment of the whole of Catholic doctrine. A political commitment to a single isolated aspect of the Church's social doctrine does not exhaust one's responsibility toward the common good." "Catholics and Politics" takes up the political and theological significance of this "integral unity," the universal scope of Catholic concern that can make for strange political bedfellows, confound predictable voting patterns, and leave the church poised to critique narrowly partisan agendas across the spectrum. "Catholics and Politics" depicts the ambivalent character of Catholics' mainstream "arrival" in the U.S. over the past forty years, integrating social scientific, historical and moral accounts of persistent tensions between faith and power. Divided into four parts - Catholic Leaders in U.S. Politics; The Catholic Public; Catholics and the Federal Government; and International Policy and the Vatican - it describes the implications of Catholic universalism for voting patterns, international policymaking, and partisan alliances. This book reveals complex intersections of Catholicism and politics and the new opportunities for influence and risks of cooptation of political power produced by these shifts. Contributors include political scientists, ethicists, and theologians. This book will be of interest to scholars in political science, religious studies, and Christian ethics and all lay Catholics interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the tensions that can exist between church doctrine and partisan politics.

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The first comprehensive biography of Elihu Palmer tells the life story of a freethinker who was at the heart of the early United States' protracted contest over religious freedom and free speech. When the United States was new, a lapsed minister named Elihu Palmer shared with his fellow Americans the radical idea that virtue required no religious foundation. A better source for morality, he said, could be found in the natural world: the interconnected web of life that inspired compassion for all living things. Religions that deny these universal connections should be discarded, he insisted. For this, his Christian critics denounced him as a heretic whose ideas endangered the country. Although his publications and speaking tours made him one of the most infamous American freethinkers in his day, Elihu Palmer has been largely forgotten. No cache of his personal papers exists and his book has been long out of print. Yet his story merits telling, Kirsten Fischer argues, and not only for the dramatic account of a man who lost his eyesight before the age of thirty and still became a book author, newspaper editor, and itinerant public speaker. Even more intriguing is his encounter with a cosmology that envisioned the universe as interconnected, alive with sensation, and everywhere infused with a divine life force. Palmer's "heresy" tested the nation's recently proclaimed commitment to freedom of religion and of speech. In this he was not alone. Fischer reveals that Palmer engaged in person and in print with an array of freethinkers—some famous, others now obscure. The flourishing of diverse religious opinion struck some of his contemporaries as foundational to a healthy democracy while others believed that only a strong Christian faith could support democratic self-governance. This first comprehensive biography of Palmer draws on extensive archival research to tell the life story of a freethinker who was at the heart of the new nation's protracted contest over religious freedom and free speech—a debate that continues to resonate today.

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A Bible that is affordable, easy-to-share, and has enough study content and helpful features to help those who are new to Scripture. The NKJV Outreach Bible, Study Edition meets those needs, making it the perfect study Bible for outreach and discipleship settings alike. With the full text of the trusted and best-selling New King James Version, this Bible offers new believers and seekers the features and study helps they need to gain a better understanding of God’s Word.Features include: Complete text of the beautiful and trustworthy New King James Version More than 350 in-text articles covering Christian teachings, practical application, cultural insights, and more to expand your understanding of the Bible Over 40 charts outlining key aspects of Scripture and Christian theology Book introductions and outlines provide a concise overview of the background and historical context of the book about to be read A Visual Survey of the Bible provides an easy-to-understand overview of the Bible A New Believer’s Guide to Scripture and the Christian Faith to understand the basics of the Bible Expanded Table of Contents showing sections of Scripture Getting to Know God plan of salvation is a clear and simple overview of how to have a personal relationship with God Miracles and Parables of Jesus call out important stories and events Jesus uses to teach important spiritual lessons Harmony of the Gospels details the life and ministry of Jesus in chronological order showing where each event and teaching occur in the Gospels. Teachings and Illustrations of Christ Prophecies of the Messiah Fulfilled in Christ provides 43 Old Testament prophecies and where they have been fulfilled in the New Testament. Between the Testaments article provide context to the events leading up to the New Testament Prayers of the Bible include nearly 100 prayers in the Bible, who prayed them, and what they prayed about Easy-to-use Dictionary-Concordance for looking up a word’s definition and occurrences throughout the Bible Easy-to-read 8-point type

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The atonement—where God in Jesus Christ addresses sin and the whole of the human predicament—lies at the heart of the Christian faith and life. Its saving power is for all people, and yet a deep hesitancy has prevented meaningful discussion of the cross' relevance for people with disabilities. Speaking of disability and the multifaceted concept of the atonement has created an unresolvable tension, not least because sin and disability often seem to be associated within the biblical text. While work in disability theology has made great progress in developing a positive theological framework for disability as an integral part of human diversity, it has so far fallen short of grappling with this particular set of interpretive challenges presented by the cross.In Accessible Atonement, reflecting on his experience as both a pastor and a theologian, David McLachlan brings the themes and objectives of disability theology into close conversation with traditional ideas of the cross as Jesus' sacrifice, justice, and victory. From this conversation emerges an account of the atonement as God's deepest, once-for-all participation in both the moral and contingent risk of creation, where all that alienates us from God and each other is addressed. Such an atonement is inherently inclusive of all people and is not one that is extended to disability as a "special case." This approach to the atonement opens up space to address both the redemption of sin and the possibilities of spiritual and bodily healing.What McLachlan leads us to discover is that, when revisited in this way, the cross—perhaps surprisingly—becomes the cornerstone of Christian disability theology and the foundation of many of its arguments. Far from excluding those who find themselves physically or mentally outside of assumed "norms," the atoning death of Christ creates a vital space of inclusion and affirmation for such persons within the life of the church.

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Contemporary scholarship tends to view Albert Camus as a modern, but he himself was conscious of the past and called the transition from Hellenism to Christianity “the true and only turning point in history.” For Camus, modernity was not fully comprehensible without an examination of the aspirations that were first articulated in antiquity and that later received their clearest expression in Christianity. These aspirations amounted to a fundamental reorientation of human life in politics, religious, science, and philosophy. Understanding the nature and achievement of that reorientation became the central task of Christian Metaphysics and Neoplatonism. Primarily known through its inclusion in a French omnibus edition, it has remained one of Camus’s least-read works, yet it marks his first attempt to understand the relationship between Greek philosophy and Christianity as he charted the movement from the Gospels through Gnosticism and Plotinus to what he calls Augustine’s “second revelation” of the Christian faith. Ronald Srigley’s translation of this seminal document helps illuminate these aspects of Camus’ work. His freestanding English edition exposes readers to an important part of Camus’ thought that is often overlooked by those concerned primarily with the book’s literary value and supersedes the extant McBride translation by retaining a greater degree of literalness. Srigley has fully annotated the book to include nearly all of Camus’ original citations and has tracked down many poorly identified sources. His introduction and new preface places the text in the context of Camus’ better-known later work, explicating its relationship to those mature writings and exploring how its themes were reworked in subsequent books. He included a new preface to highlight Camus’ relationship with Christianity, especially to St. Augustine. As the only stand-alone English version of this important work – and a long-overdue critical edition – Srigley’s fluent translation is an essential bench-mark in our understanding of Camus and his place in modern thought.

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The successive sets of Studia Patristica contain papers delivered at the International Conferences on Patristic Studies, which meet for a week once every four years in Oxford. These papers range over the whole field, both East and West, from the second century to a section on the Nachleben of the Fathers. The majority are short papers dealing with some small and manageable point; they raise and sometimes resolve questions about the authenticity of documents, dates of events, and such like, and some unveil new texts. The longer papers put such matters into context and indicate wider trends. The whole reflects the state of Patristic scholarship and demonstrates the vigour and popularity of the subject. The sack of the "Eternal City" of Rome by the Visigoths led by the infamous Alaric on August 24, 410 caused great dismay throughout the Roman Empire. In addition to being a political and socio-economic disaster, it was mainly a symbolic shock - the 9/11 of Late Antiquity. Many wondered whether this tragic event heralded the end of an era. At the request of his dear friend Marcellinus, Augustine of Hippo (354-430) wrote his De civitate Dei, in which he offered an apologetic response to the external criticism that the Christian faith was responsible for the decline of the Roman Empire. At the same time, he answered the internal Christian concern that the fall of Rome also threatened the future of the Church. Augustine’s De civitate Dei is a comprehensive synthesis of theology, historiography, political philosophy, and so much more, which has been copied, read, consulted, quoted, interpreted and discussed by an extremely diverse audience: monks and politicians, historians and philologists, theologians and philosophers, Christians and non-Christians - past and present. This work is still food for thought, not only for the study of Late Antiquity in general and Augustine in particular, but also for the wider debates regarding religion, philosophy, history and politics. This volume offers a sample of the broad and diverse interest in this grandiose book that has undeniably influenced the culture and thinking of the West.

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Recovering Origins is a healing program offered to adult children of divorced parents who now, with a certain distance from the practical difficulties that burden younger children, wrestle with the core problem at the heart of those difficulties. Having lost the community that brought them into the world, they have suffered a "primal loss." Children are the literal embodiment of that community. When it is voluntarily dismantled, and worse–wished never to have been–the effect is not negligible. Children of divorce, by their own description, are now "pulled apart" as if "between two worlds." They are "torn asunder."Paradoxically the idea for Recovering Origins was occasioned by this straight talk about divorce. For, by going to the depths of the loss of one's primal community one can be opened up to the Community that stands at the root of it. "Deep calls unto deep," as the Psalmist says. In short, Recovering Origins invites participants to move through the broken image of love that they see in their parents, to the loving Origin which is more fundamental than any human reflection of it, broken or not.Recovering Origins begins with an invitation to look honestly at the actual experience of divorce, beyond all the "happy talk" about the "good divorce." Participants are then invited to follow the path of the Lord's Prayer, to recover what is at once challenging and precious to those whose very identities are on uncertain ground: the memory of God the Father, the goodness of their lives, and the real possibility of a good future. In this way, the program offers adult children of divorce a path to healing in the deepest sense.Recovering Origins offers an occasion to encounter the Christian Faith more deeply, especially where it bears on fundamental question faced by children of divorce in a particularly dramatic way. Recovering Origins addresses adult children of divorce, then, not only as individuals in need of pastoral care, but as potential witnesses to something they can, perhaps, see more clearly: the goodness and fidelity of the One on whom their lives ultimately depend and the possibility (and need) that that be reflected in an irrevocable and fruitful love between the creatures made in his image.

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Theology today is faced with increasing amounts of religious and theological pluralism. What is distinctive about Christian theology? Why do these ideas matter? And the biggest question of all: Who cares? Key aspects of orthodox theology are seen as speculative and irrelevant to "authentic" Christianity and to personal spirituality. While not succumbing to the pragmatism of the age, this book shows that key elements of Christian theology ground an integrated worldview and are essential for spiritual formation.Engaging Theology is an introductory theology textbook that grounds a treatment of standard systematic topics in the wider context of life and practice and shows the relevance of each doctrine to the church. The book treats the essential doctrines of Christian orthodoxy by following the pattern of story, doctrinal exposition, theological relevance, and spiritual relevance: Story: Each chapter begins with a brief and engaging account of the historical situation out of which the doctrine arose or where it played an essential role in the development of the church, showing students that orthodox theology matters and introducing them to most of the key theologians in the history of the church. Doctrinal Exposition: The heart of the chapter is exposition of key elements of the doctrine, highlighting core and debated elements while clarifying heterodox perspectives. Integrated with the narrative account this section also models the contextualized nature of theology. Each chapter includes biblical, historical, and contemporary views on the issue and notes key figures in the debates and their influence. Theological Relevance: While theological relevance is clear throughout each chapter, this section highlights relevance to the modern setting and concerns, including interaction with heterodox and non-Christian faiths. It identifies current theological problems besetting the church and shows how a proper understanding and integration of orthodox theology addresses these problems. It also points to other problems the church is facing for interesting discussion starters. Spiritual Relevance: Since orthodox theology has a direct influence on one's own spiritual formation and practice, each chapter concludes with practical encouragements and discussions about how each doctrine can be integrated in one's personal and corporate life. Engaging Theology is ideal for students and everyday people living in a post Christian era to help them seriously engage with the Christian faith.

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If you asked a millennial or younger person in your church, "What do I need to believe to be a Christian?" what would they say? At a time when "truth" is up for grabs, a journalist-turned-pastor wants to help believers understand what they believe. How? By using the simple lyrics "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so." In this winsome book, bestselling author John S. Dickerson clearly and faithfully explains essential Christian beliefs, using simple stories that have resonated with his congregation of thousands. He guides readers into these basic beliefs, and most importantly, he illustrates why these beliefs matter. The result is an easy-to-read primer, designed for a time when Christianity is questioned and challenged. It is a great study for young adults, new believers, and long-time believers who want to reclaim the essentials. For anyone who wants their small group, church, or loved ones to embrace the authority of Scripture and the nonnegotiable doctrines of Christianity. "What does it mean to be a genuine Jesus follower in an age when most people, including many self-described Christians, believe that God is well-pleased with a life lived in alignment with a 'designer faith' of their own making? In Jesus Loves Me, John Dickerson answers that question with a deep dive into the simple but profound gospel that Jesus taught as the only kind of faith the Heavenly Father would be well-pleased with. As Dickerson points out, we can't be true Jesus followers if we don't know who He is or what He said and never bother to actually live like He told us to live. Whether you are a brand-new Jesus follower or a longtime veteran, this book will help you nail down the basics of what it means to genuinely know and follow Jesus."--Larry Osborne, author and pastor, North Coast Church "Most Christians would tell you they believe the Bible to be God's Word. And yet many of those same Christians could not even articulate what the core beliefs are to the Christian faith. In Jesus Loves Me, John Dickerson does a great job of helping believers understand the basic teachings of Scripture. This is a great resource for any Christian who needs to build a stronger foundation to their faith."--Steve Poe, lead pastor of Northview Church, Carmel, Indiana

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Mark’s gospel has an urgency to it that’s hard to ignore. It's as if he is breathless, trying to get the information out as quickly as he can. A few decades have passed since Jesus’ ministry, and with persecution intensifying, some believers were tempted to compromise or simply give up on being a follower of the Messiah. So, Mark needed to take the early Christians back to the basics and get them ready to move!In this six-session study (video streaming code included), pastor Jeff Manion takes you and your group through the gospel of Mark to answer such urgent questions about the Christian faith as: Who is this Jesus? What does he expect of me? Is suffering a normal part of the Christian life? What will encourage and strengthen my trust in Jesus? These questions are not born of a lack of faith but serve to strengthen and stabilize our relationship with the Savior. So, lace up your running shoes. Open your heart and mind. And come with your questions! Get ready to move as Mark’s Gospel reveals what it means to follow Jesus.This study guide has everything you need for a full Bible study experience, including: The study guide itself—a 40 Day reading plan through Mark with discussion and personal reflection questions, video notes, and a leader's guide. An individual access code to stream all six video sessions online (you don't need to buy a DVD!). 40 Days Through the Book series:Each of the studies in this series, taught by a different pastor or Bible teacher on a specific book of the Bible, is designed to help you more actively engage with God's Word by understanding its background and culture and applying it in a fresh way to your life. Throughout each study, you'll be encouraged to read through the corresponding book in the New Testament at least once during the course of 40 days.Watch on any device!Streaming video access code included. Access code subject to expiration after 12/31/2027. Code may be redeemed only by the recipient of this package. Code may not be transferred or sold separately from this package. Internet connection required. Void where prohibited, taxed, or restricted by law. Additional offer details inside.

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We're told that the Bible is beautiful, uplifting and a joy to read - but, while we know this is how we're supposed to feel about it, in reality many of us find the very opposite. On opening the Bible, we are faced with a multitude of problems; from its form and historical content to its sheer size and often distasteful stories, we can be left feeling overwhelmed and disheartened. But the problem is not with the Bible - and it's not with us either.The problem is we've been misinformed. And so, we end up believing things about the Bible that the Bible never claims for itself. But the Bible won't politely sign up to the neat categories and terms we force on it. That's why it's badly behaved. We want to control the Bible and tame it so that we can ride it into battle; but the Bible bucks and rears and throws us off. We want to pin the Bible down so that it proves our theology; but the Bible evades capture and plays hide and seek. We want answers; but the Bible keeps firing questions. We want it to tell us what to do; but the Bible keeps telling us to think. We want to make the Bible dance to our tune: but the Bible has music of its own. The Bible is an invitation and a call. The breath of God lifts its pages, and they rise and fall with his breathing.In his honest and accessible style, Nick Page urges us to re-discover a fresh look at the Bible as thescriptural bedrock of the Christian faith, to learn how we can undo unhelpful ways of reading it anddemystifying its purpose and scope.Nick tackles what the Bible is and what it isn't, how we can critically read this inspired text and how we approach the difficulties in its content.Alongside helpful analysis and practical advice - including kickstarting his one-man campaign to ban"Bible study" - Nick helps us re-discover how to rediscover the Bible as Holy Ground, as a place where we meet and encounter God.

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Be refreshed by the power and beauty of faithful Christ-centered teaching. Engage the issues of today. Build a firm foundation for this generation—and the next.To be an evangelical is to believe in life-changing truth; it is to believe that the Bible not only gives us the key to eternal life in Jesus but also the way to live today. This is news worth sharing. But how do we do this in a rapidly changing culture that appears to be shifting from a general disinterest in the gospel to a more active opposition to it? When it feels like our faith is being challenged in every area, how should we respond?The Evangelical Study Bible will rejuvenate your faith through the unchanging truth of the gospel. With verse-by-verse commentary and interesting sidebars that dig deeper into the historical and contextual background of Scripture, it will help you grow in your understanding and appreciation of the life-changing truths of the Christian faith.Also included are more than fifty articles designed to help you better understand your faith and effectively share it with others. Many of these articles address the most pressing issues of our day, equipping you to engage others with confidence, and laying a foundation of truth for the next generation.Features include: Commentary, articles, notes, and word studies developed in partnership with scholars from Liberty University's School of Divinity: Verse-by-verse commentary on the entire Bible for a better understanding of the passage being read Over 200 short articles on Christian teachings and doctrine for a systematic study of themes in God’s Word 100 articles to equip readers to navigate the cultural engagement issues of today 100 cultural background notes help you relate to how people lived in Bible times 100 archeological notes draw attention to biblical places and related archeological discoveries 550 Word Studies to explore key terms of the Bible Biographies of 150 biblical figures give overviews of key men and women in the Bible Full-color maps, charts, and family trees for a visual representation of concepts and where key events in the Bible took place Book introductions, with outlines and reading plans provide a concise overview of the background and historical context of the book about to be read Topical indexes make it easy to find important topics in Scripture Extensive cross-references drawing connections between texts Concordance provides an alphabetical listing of important passages by key words Large Print 10.5-point NKJV Comfort Print®

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Mark’s gospel has an urgency to it that’s hard to ignore. It's as if he is breathless, trying to get the information out as quickly as he can. A few decades have passed since Jesus’ ministry, and with persecution intensifying, some believers were tempted to compromise or simply give up on being a follower of the Messiah. So, Mark needed to take the early Christians back to the basics and get them ready to move!In this six-session study (video streaming code included), pastor Jeff Manion takes you and your group through the gospel of Mark to answer such urgent questions about the Christian faith as: Who is this Jesus? What does he expect of me? Is suffering a normal part of the Christian life? What will encourage and strengthen my trust in Jesus? These questions are not born of a lack of faith but serve to strengthen and stabilize our relationship with the Savior. So, lace up your running shoes. Open your heart and mind. And come with your questions! Get ready to move as Mark’s Gospel reveals what it means to follow Jesus.This study guide has everything you need for a full Bible study experience, including: The study guide itself—a 40 Day reading plan through Mark with discussion and personal reflection questions, video notes, and a leader's guide. An individual access code to stream all six video sessions online. And the physical DVD. 40 Days Through the Book series:Each of the studies in this series, taught by a different pastor or Bible teacher on a specific book of the Bible, is designed to help you more actively engage with God's Word by understanding its background and culture and applying it in a fresh way to your life. Throughout each study, you'll be encouraged to read through the corresponding book in the New Testament at least once during the course of 40 days.Watch on any device!Streaming video access code included. Access code subject to expiration after 12/31/2026. Code may be redeemed only by the recipient of this package. Code may not be transferred or sold separately from this package. Internet connection required. Eligible only on retail purchases inside the United States. Void where prohibited, taxed, or restricted by law. Additional offer details inside.

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These poems tell of a continuing journey and reveal a subtly changing voice. They represent a consistent and rewarding attempt to hold together in one space the things that matter. This is seeking first the kingdom of God; maintaining the community of men and women who incarnate that kingdom and make life meaningful; the beauties of St Lucia’s natural world and its rich traditions of folkculture; and the challenges and demands of poetry.John Robert Lee’s Collected Poems tell both of a continuing journey and a subtly changing voice but also of an underlying, consistent attempt to hold together in one space the things that matter. This is seeking first the kingdom of God; maintaining the community of men and women who incarnate that kingdom and make life meaningful; the beauties of St Lucia’s natural world and its rich traditions of folk-culture; and the challenges and demands of poetry.Whilst sometimes Lee’s poems involve a quiet self-communing, more often they are conversations with God and with those people who are close to him. At points they rise to being canticles of praise that express the experience of, or the yearning for the transcendent through the imagery of the visible world. And whilst the poems connect to the wider world of travel and world affairs, their touchstone is always St Lucia. Like Derek Walcott, like Kendel Hippolyte, Jane King and now Vladimir Lucien, John Robert Lee’s poems demonstrate how possible it is to find an enriching, puzzlingly complex and intellectually stimulating world in a small island society.The journey the poems tell is from the young man enthused with the energy of the radical decolonizing spirit of the 1970s, the years of deepening of Christian faith to the present of maturity and the acceptance of loss as well as gain, and the stamina needed for the continuing struggle for St Lucia to emerge from its colonial past and be ever more itself. In the later poems there are more glimpses of the private man who recognises that “My heart holds rooms I’ve never entered/ doors concealed, secret entrances.” And whilst over the forty years of the poems one hears always a personal, signal voice, over time the poems increasingly invest in the Kweyol language of the St Lucian folk as well as the voice of the English master and, latterly, display an growing interest in the relationship between poetry and the visual arts.

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