Like many women in the Church, Joy Loewen didn't fully understand Muslim women or their roles in the Muslim culture and religion. In fact, she was afraid of them and not particularly interested in befriending them. But with prayer, wisdom, and a lot of love, Joy overcame these obstacles, found that she actually liked them, and that many of these women are irresistibly attracted to the love of Jesus. For the last thirty years she has used this knowledge to build authentic connections with Muslim women, reaching out to them in a sensitive, effective way.
In this practical and very personal book, Joy shares not only her insights into befriending Muslim women, but many helpful stories from her own experiences. Her goal is to help readers "move from fear to love and compassion" so that they, too, can love as Christ does. Woman to Woman is essential reading for Christian leaders, ministries, and any layperson who wants to grow in love for and understanding of Muslims.

Drawing from research conducted in Nigeria, Senegal, and Uganda, Christianity, Islam, and Liberal Democracy offers a deeper understanding on how Christian and Islamic faith communities affect the political attitudes of those who belong to them and, in turn, prospects for liberal democracy. While many analysts have thought that religious diversity in developing countries is most often an obstacle to liberal democracy that creates political instability, the book concludes just the opposite. Robert A. Dowd draws on narrative accounts, in-depth interviews, and large-scale surveys to show that Christian and Islamic religious communities are more likely to support liberal democracy in religiously diverse and integrated settings than in religiously homogeneous or segregated settings. Religious diversity, in other words, is good for liberal democracy. In religiously diverse environments, religious leaders tend to be more encouraging of civic engagement, democracy, and religious liberty. The evidence, Dowd argues, should prompt policymakers interested in cultivating religiously-inspired support for liberal democracy to aid in the formation of religiously diverse neighborhoods, cities, and political organizations.

How the Jesuit accomodation to internal events in China laid the foundation for modern study of China in the West.

Originally published many years ago, this outstanding book, now revised, is still fresh and challenging us today. It tells the story of a group of children - mostly street beggars and orphans - living in Adullam Rescue Mission in Yunan Province, China, under the care of missionaries H.A. Baker and his wife. These children experienced an immense and incredible outpouring of the Holy Spirit - so great that they literally 'experienced heaven' through visions, were aware of the prescence of angels, and were able to describe in great detail what they saw. The result of these intense experiences of God was a fervent passion for worship, the Word of God, and prayer.

A collection of essays that demonstrates that to be effective in the twenty-first century, mission must be prophetic as it encounters other cultures and religious traditions.

"When we speak as mission as dialogue, then, we are about as far away from imagining mission as 'conquering the world for Christ' and missionaries as 'marines of the Catholic Church' as we probably can get. There has indeed been a radical shift, both in the world in which the church does mission and within the church's own consciousness of the goodness and even holiness of that world." These words from one of the essays in this superb collection clearly demonstrate the changing of mission today.

In this volume, Fathers Bevans and Schroeder address a primary challenge faced by Christians missioners today: How can they bring the Christian tradition to interact respectfully and effectively with members of other cultures and traditions from around the globe and still be prophetic?

Ride the subway or a bus in New York, London, Los Angeles, or any number of other cities around the country or around the world, and you will be impressed by a cacophony of languages, a crazy quilt of skin colors and a ceaseless array of cultural histories. Excitingly and sometimes confusingly, this is the world the church now serves. Pastor Stephen Rhodes, in whose congregation thirty-two nationalities gather weekly, fervently believes Christians should embrace the varied cultures that now surround us. In Where the Nations Meet he sets forth a biblical, ministry-tested pastoral theology of multiethnic ministry. He shows how God's creation was always intended to be multicultural, how the church is called to evangelize, serve and include all ethnicities, how the church can bring healing to increasing conflict in a world of so much difference, and much more. Peppered his prose with inspiring and challenging stories from multicultural congregations, Rhodes not only provides a theological basis for multicultural ministry but also suggests how such ministry can be successfully conducted in all churches. He offers a valuable guide for all pastors and laypersons who want their church to be a place of unbounded celebration where the nations meet.

You have a passionate desire to take the church outside its four walls and make the love of Jesus practical, visible, and lived out in daily life. But how? How do you put into action what is stirring in your heart? Indispensable Church provides you and your church real-world, hands-on steps to create a revolution of service to your local community in the name of Christ. By exploring the life of Jesus and the strategic ways he modeled serving the people around him, pastor Chris Sonksen shows you how to put love into action in your neighborhood and your city. The step-by-step instructions, biblical challenges, and teaching resources will help you take love to the streets and make an impact right where you live.

BUILDING A CHURCH TO LAST tells the remarkable story of the phenomenal growth and transformation that occurred at a 250 year old mainline congregation located in Pawleys Island, South Carolina after its senior pastor and his rag-tag army of believers implemented a first century worship and leadership model. BUILDING A CHURCH TO LAST describes a proven method for planting new churches and for re-planting existing ones, especially those within mainline denominations.BUILDING A CHURCH TO LAST is a God story-a beautiful example of what can happen when the Lord grabs hold of a small congregation and turns it on its head. Dr. Luis Palau, Luis Palau Association, Portland, OregonWith sober precision, Ross Lindsay unfolds the narrative, and all who long for God to show his hand more widely in our midst today will find this book an absorbing page-turner.Dr. J. I. PACKER, Regent College, Vancouver, CanadaMy sincere belief is that the first century worship and leadership model expounded upon in this book can enable any local congregation to experience the many blessings that All Saints Pawleys has.Canon Malcolm Widdecombe, Pip 'n' Jay, Bristol, EnglandROSS M. "BUDDY" LINDSAY, III, M.A., J.D., L.L.M., Ph.D. is a successful lawyer, CPA, and hotelier. After experiencing first-hand the growth and transformation that occurred at All Saints Church in Pawleys Island, South Carolina, he earned a Ph.D. in Church Growth from Brunel University and an L.L. M. in Canon Law from Cardiff University Law School. Today he serves as President of Sonship Ministries, Inc. where he coaches church planters and entrepreneurs who want to move from empire building to Kingdom building.

In this book, Theodore Mascarenhas examines three Psalms-most representative of the missionary function in the Psalter-to determine if there is a missionary function assigned to Israel. The Masoretic text is examined critically, a translation is provided, the poetic techniques and the unity of each Psalm are discussed, and its links to the Psalm surrounding it are investigated. Mascarenhas considers other instances in the Psalter, which hint at a missionary function for Israel. He concludes that the Psalter repeatedly affirms Israel's election and privileged position, which paradoxically compels it to bring others to its God. In the end, Mascarenhas applies his conclusions to a current situation (India) that exhibits striking similarities and parallels to ancient Israel.

In May 1873, Father Damien De Veuster voluntarily became the first resident clergyman and part-time physician for the leper colony on Moloka'i's remote Kalaupapa peninsula. This volume traces the life of Father Damien from his boyhood in rural Belgium to his death at Kalaupapa after sixteen years of remarkable accomplishments. It analyzes much new information about Damien and his years in Hawai'i, giving a fuller understanding of the extent of Damien's work at the settlement and the tensions underlying his relations with Church bureaucrats. It is the story of one humble man with faith in God and in himself, who faced gargantuan challenges and triumphed.