An easy-to-learn, easy-to-use tool for in-depth Bible study

With a patented reference system beloved and acclaimed for more than five generations, the Thompson® Chain-Reference® Bible is unparalleled in its ability to enrich personal devotions, topical study, and sermon preparation. This easy-to-learn, easy-to-use system enables you to see the breadth of Scripture’s teachings on thousands of topics. With over 100,000 references listed in the Bible’s margins, covering over 8,000 topics, the chain-reference system is an ideal tool for comprehensive topical study. You can also expand your Bible study with even more tools, including biographical sketches, an archeological supplement, and outlines of each book of the Bible. The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible allows Scripture to interpret itself without commentaries.

Features:

• Full text of the English Standard Version (ESV)
• Easy to understand Chain-Reference System with over 100,000 references in the margins
• References cover over 8,000 topics, each with its own pilot number for exhaustive topical study
• Complete alphabetical and numerical indices listing all 8,000 topics with corresponding pilot numbers and Bible references for comprehensive topical study
• Bible study aids such as biographical sketches of the most prominent people in the Bible, an archeological supplement, glossary, concordance, Bible harmonies, and outlines of each book of the Bible
• Key Verses and Key Thoughts provide basic information you can use to develop your own study
• Verse Analysis shows the topics and themes of every verse and provides easy reference to other verses with the same topics or themes
• 16-page full-color map section
• Words of Christ in red
• Presentation page for gift-giving
• Satin ribbon marker
• 8.3-point type size

Vroue speel nog altyd 'n sentrale rol in ons samelewing. Hul rol as versorgers word erken, maar wat van oa in die kerk of sakewêreld? Het die vrou se rol oor die jare verander? Bettina Wyngaard ontleed die kwessie in 'n gesprek tussen toeka en nou en Bybel en grondwet. Sy gaan kyk na die sogenaamde "text of terrors" en hoe die eerste vroue bygedra het tot die vryheid wat vroue vandag het in alle sfere van die samelewing geniet. Maak nie saak hoe stadig hul vorentoe beweeg nie, hul beweeg.

In 1950, the famous Dominican theologian Yves Congar stated that there were three kinds of reform in Church history, to cure three kinds of corruption. Doctrinal orthodoxy was reformed by General councils. Institutional shortcomings were reformed by administrative means (like codifying Church law). Moral failings were remedied best by the preaching of religious orders. He also added that in the 20th century, since the Church suffered neither heresy nor moral laxity, the only area was institutional reform. He died before the sexual abuse of children came to light. If Congar got it wrong, it suggests that the Church cannot reform itself: or can it? Michael Winter was ordained priest for the Catholic diocese of Southwark in 1955. He worked for nine years as curate and parish priest in a variety of parishes. Later he pursued further studies in theology at the universities of London, Cambridge and Fribourg (Switzerland), where he was awarded the Doctorate in Theology in 1977. He resigned from the clergy in 1986 and turned to university teaching, and writing. Subsequently.

Dit is nie maklik om vandag ’n geestelike leier te wees nie. Roedolf Botha probeer die tye waarin ons leef navigeer aan die hand van die Markus-evangelie, met klem op die volgende kwessies: Hoe lei ons getrou aan die missie ons opgelê, wat is die ingesteldhede, aksies en toerusting wat ons nodig het en watter innerlike transformasie vra dit van ons? Hierdie toeganklike boek sal jou help om die duistere waters van ons deurmekaar tye die hoof te bied. “Roedolf Botha neem ons op ’n boeiende reis deur die Markusevangelie om die hartklop van egte leierskap ver en diep te ontgin” - Stephan Joubert

ANNA WEEPS over the phone with her best friend as she describes a marriage that feels hopeless and lifeless. No matter what she tries, her husband cannot seem to see her, care about her, or change the behavior that is destroying their marriage and their family. Jake is alone. He assumed that by age thirty he would be well on his way to his dream of a successful career, marriage, and starting a family. Instead, Jake works an unmotivating job and can't seem to gain the courage to talk to the woman he admires from afar. Even after losing significant weight, Lily still views herself as several sizes larger than she is and doesn't connect someone discussing"a thin woman" as describing her. Can you relate to these scenarios and forms of shame? Perhaps your experiences have been different, but despite its manifestation, shame is something we all endure. WHAT IS SHAME? Shame is the feeling of "not good enough," according to our own standard or our perception of someone else's standard for us. It's what keeps us from being honest about our struggles, sins, and less-than-perfect moments. Whereas guilt is associated with actions, shame taints your entire identity. At its core, shame is fear of weakness, failure, or unworthiness being unveiled for all to see. It commonly masquerades as embarrassment, and it shows up when you attempt something new, or when you're unsure of your place in a group. The ultimate origin of shame is no less dark than the Accuser of our souls himself, Satan. The Evil One always wants us to doubt whether we belong to the kingdom, whether God loves us, and whether we are truly forgiven and free of our sin and others' sin against us. THE GREAT SHAME EXCHANGE How can we break the cycle of reacting to shame with more shame? In the "great shame exchange," Jesus took our shame and clothed us with joy. The gospel--the good news of Jesus Christ--means that through Jesus's life, death on a cross, and resurrection from the grave, all of our shame is exchanged for honor, beauty, joy, comfort, justice, favor, and freedom. This shame exchange is costly. It is very costly for Christ, but not for us. All it costs us is the humility of admitting we cannot cover our own shame. We receive honor; he took our shame. We are lavished with grace; he was stained with our sin. We receive salvation; he experienced damnation. When Jesus cried, "It is finished" from the cross, he bore our sin, guilt, and shame, that we might know forgiveness, redemption, and freedom. Consider the good news Jesus offers: - Jesus comes to give honor instead of dishonor. - Jesus clothes you with beauty, removing the ashes of shame you've worn for your sin or for the sinful atrocities committed against you. - He comforts you as you mourn. - Whether in this life or the one to come, he brings justice for the injustice you've suffered. - Jesus brings favor instead of the vague cloud of constant disapproval. FIGHTING THE BATTLEAGAINST SHAME Bringing Shame into the Light of Community Shame thrives in secrecy. But fighting against shame moves you out of your lonely bunker of one into vibrant community. It does so one brave conversation at a time. It does so one relationship at a time. It will not be smooth and seamless. Expect your initial attempts to be flawed and broken and bumpy. Meeting Shame with the Grace of Forgiveness The Bible is unique in its approach to community because it holds in tension both the ideal vision of people living in harmony with one another and the reality that our sin and brokenness will often disrupt this harmony. It allows for repair of the inevitable fissures that happen as we try to love one another perfectly with hearts that are imperfect. Living in the reality of God's forgiveness of us requires a posture of forgiveness toward others. And when we receive forgiveness from others, it makes us grateful for God's forgiveness of us, and the cycle of redemption rolls along like the reassuring tide of the ocean's waves. Scripture provides God's instruction for living in community: Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. (Colossians 3:12-13) FREEDOM FROM SHAME The battle against shame is definitively won through the gospel of Jesus and his victory over sin and death--the freedom that follows Christ's victory arrives through something as simple and as hard as faith. This type of faith agrees you cannot rescue yourself from your shame, that your attempts to clothe yourself have been as futile as the fig-leaf loin cloths our first parents in Adam and Eve crafted. It's a faith that addresses the complication of shame mingled with guilt. This faith gives you an underlying confidence that your sin has truly been atoned for and taken away by a dying-now-resurrected Savior. By faith, we know that there will be no more mourning or tears or death in the life to come. We look back to the Garden of Eden to see that there was no shame before sin. Unashamed. It's where we began, and it's our destiny as the redeemed ones in Christ. The Christian's ultimate hope for shame is that we will be clothed in the honor of Jesus Christ when we stand before God in all his glory. Focusing on this sure and true shame-free destiny gives us hope to keep going--to keep battling shame's dark lies, to enlist others into our journeys with us, and to seek to make our church communities a small though imperfect taste of the life to come.

Passing the Plate shows that few American Christians donate generously to religious and charitable causes -- a parsimony that seriously undermines the work of churches and ministries. Far from the 10 percent of one's income that tithing requires, American Christians' financial giving typically amounts, by some measures, to less than one percent of annual earnings. And a startling one out of five self-identified Christians gives nothing at all.
This eye-opening book explores the reasons behind such ungenerous giving, the potential world-changing benefits of greater financial giving, and what can be done to improve matters. If American Christians gave more generously, say the authors, any number of worthy projects -- from the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS to the promotion of inter-religious understanding to the upgrading of world missions -- could be funded at astounding levels. Analyzing a wide range of social surveys and government and denominational statistical datasets and drawing on in-depth interviews with Christian pastors and church members in seven different states, the book identifies a crucial set of factors that appear to depress religious financial support -- among them the powerful allure of a mass-consumerist culture and its impact on Americans' priorities, parishioners' suspicions of waste and abuse by nonprofit administrators, clergy's hesitations to boldly ask for money, and the lack of structure and routine in the way most American Christians give away money. In their conclusion, the authors suggest practical steps that clergy and lay leaders might take to counteract these tendencies and better educate their congregations about the transformative effects of generous giving.
By illuminating the social and psychological forces that shape charitable giving, Passing the Plate is sure to spark a much-needed debate on a critical issue that is of much interest to church-goers, religious leaders, philanthropists, and social scientists.

Reclaiming an Evangelical History of Activism In recent years, there has been renewed interest by evangelicals in the topic of biblical social justice. Younger evangelicals and millennials, in particular, have shown increased concern for social issues. But this is not a recent development. Following World War II, a new movement of American evangelicals emerged who gradually increased their efforts on behalf of justice. This work explains the important historical context for evangelical reengagement with social justice issues. The authors provide an overview of post-World War II evangelical social justice and compassion ministries, introducing key figures and seminal organizations that propelled the rediscovery of biblical justice. They explore historical and theological lessons learned and offer a way forward for contemporary Christians.

In a post-9/11 world, Christian. Muslim. Friend. lays out a path toward authentic friendship between Christians and Muslims. Most similar books either teach Christians to evangelize Muslims or else downplay their Christian commitments. The author, who has lived and worked among and befriended Muslims for more than fifty years, offers readers a third way: holding onto the Christ-centered commitments of their faith while cultivating peaceful friendship with Muslims.