It can no longer be assumed that most people--or even most Christians--have a basic understanding of the Bible. Many don't know the difference between the Old and New Testament, and even the more well-known biblical figures are often misunderstood. It is getting harder to talk about Jesus accurately and compellingly because listeners have no proper context with which to understand God's story of redemption.
In this basic introduction to faith, D. A. Carson takes seekers, new Christians, and small groups through the big story of Scripture. He helps readers to know what they believe and why they believe it. The companion leader's guide helps evangelistic study groups, small groups, and Sunday school classes make the best use of this book in group settings.

Ce volume recueille des etudes d'oeuvres quebecoises et francaises considerees dans leur relation au fait religieux. A partir des ecrits des jesuites et des moniales en Nouvelle-France, en passant par les modeles offerts par Moliere et Chateaubriand, on suit le parcours, sinueux et parfois paradoxal, de l'autonomisation progressive du champ litteraire. Les analyses portent sur les strategies d'affirmation, de contournement, d'oubli ou de detournement du religieux adoptees par des auteurs comme Rejean Ducharme, Anne Hebert, Michel Tournier ou Nelly Arcan. Cette perspective diachronique et transatlantique contribue a faire emerger les points de contact entre les oeuvres, en creant un jeu de miroirs et de reflets fecond, dans lequel la relation au religieux s'impose comme un enjeu, parfois sous-jacent mais pourtant central, de la litterature contemporaine.

Dieser Band ist die erste deutsche UEbersetzung von Ishaq Armales Buch uber den Voelkermord im Osmanischen Reich. Der syrisch-katholische Chorepiskopos Ishaq Armalesbeschreibt in der bereits 1919 veroeffentlichten Originalausgabe ausfuhrlich das grausame Schicksal, das die Christen in den Stadten Mardin, Diyarbakir, ar-Ruha (Edessa, Urfa, Urhay), Aleppo, Sindschar, Cizre, Siirt, Kfarboran, Tur 'Abdin sowie in den Doerfern in dieser Umgebung ereilte. Der Autor berichtet uber die Unterdruckung der Menschen und berichtet uber Entfuhrungen, Vertreibungen, und Massakern, die sich im Jahre 1895 und in den Jahren 1914 bis 1919 zugetragen haben. Die UEbersetzung ist ein wichtiges Zeugnis in der Erinnerung an die Menschen, die dem Voelkermord zum Opfer fielen.

When Jesus commissioned his followers, he was not just inaugurating the historical church, he was founding a missionary movement.Originally released by Missional Press and now revised and expanded to include a multi-session discussion guide, Steve Addison's Movements That Change the World draws from biblical, historical and contemporary case studies to isolate the essential elements of a dynamic missionary movement. The church fulfills its mission today to the extent that it honors these essential elements, modelled perfectly in Jesus? missionary enterprise: white-hot faith commitment to the cause contagious relationships rapid mobilization adaptive methods Throughout the ages Jesus' followers have been called to continue his movement in the power of the Holy Spirit. Like many such movements, it changed the world. Unlike most movements, which have their historical moment and then fade away, Christianity is actively, continually changing the world for the better.

This book returns to the true nature of the gospel, justification by grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone. Fundamental to the book's argument is a rejection of the biblical truth and the faithful heritage of the gospel. By tracing the development of Reformation theology in Luther and Calvin, the giants in the American Great Awakening and the Korean revivals are brought up for analysis: Jonathan Edwards, Timothy Dwight, Sun-Ju Kil, Ik-Doo Kim, Yong-Do Lee, and Sung-Bong Lee. Paul ChulHong Kang makes clear what can be at stake not merely for academic theologians but for all Christians -- the gospel itself.

Unthinkable only decades ago, America is now raising up generations of people who are "radically unchurched"-those who have had little contact with a Christ-centered church and have no clear understanding of the gospel message. This state of affairs isn't likely to change unless Christians can communicate the significance of their message to a culture that regards the church as irrelevant and outmoded.

Calling for a passionate overhaul of how Christians see and interact with individuals outside the church, Alvin Reid demonstrates a clear understanding of the distinction between the changeless basics of the faith and negotiable traditions, programs, and artifacts. He examines the causes behind the loss of America's Christian identity and the resulting failure of the American church to understand and utilize the New Testament pattern of penetrating an indifferent culture with the gospel. Reid offers proven strategies for touching people who desperately need to be confronted with life-changing Christianity.

New expressions of church that are proliferating among Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, and other non-Christian religious communities, including so-called insider movements, have raised intense discussion in missiological circles. In Seeking Church, Darren Duerksen and William Dyrness address these issues by exploring how all Christian movements have been and are engaged in a "reverse hermeneutic," where the gospel is read and interpreted through existing cultural and religious norms. Duerksen and Dyrness draw on the growing social-scientific work on emergent theory-the concept that social communities arise over time in ways that reflect specific historical and cultural dynamics. This is a missiological process, they argue, in which God has always worked through people and their culture to shape his witness in the world. They illustrate emergent theory through historical and contemporary case studies and consider the church's contextualized nature by exploring biblical models of the church, worship practices as emergent, and ecclesial markers that identify emerging churches and their distinctive witness. For missiologists, theologians, practitioners, and all who ponder the challenge and opportunities of mission among other religious communities, Seeking Church offers a multidisciplinary conceptual framework with which to understand the global diversity of the body of Christ. The Spirit is constantly drawing people toward God's community, causing new expressions of church to emerge and thus displaying new facets of his work and character. Missiological Engagements charts interdisciplinary and innovative trajectories in the history, theology, and practice of Christian mission, featuring contributions by leading thinkers from both the Euro-American West and the majority world whose missiological scholarship bridges church, academy, and society.

Jeffrey P. Greenman and Gene L. Green edit this collection of essays from the proceedings of the 2011 Wheaton Theology Conference. The essays explore the past, present and future shape of biblical interpretation and theological engagement in the Majority World. Leading scholars from around the world interact with the key theological issues being discussed in their regions. In addition, some theological voices from minority communities in North America address issues particular to their context and which often overlap with those central in Majority World theology. Contributors include Vince Bacote, Samuel Escobar, Ken Gnanakan, James Kombo, Mark Labberton, Terry LeBlanc, Juan Mart?nez, Ruth Padilla DeBorst, Lamin Sanneh, Andrew Walls, K. K. Yeo and Amos Yong.

Der deuteronomische Bruderbegriff hat innerhalb des Volkes Israel seinen Platz und gilt fur dieses. Diese Studie befasst sich mit den 'wirtschaftlichen' und 'politischen' Hintergrunden der Bruderthematik, wie sie sich in den sozialrechtlichen Teilen des deuteronomischen Gesetzes sowie des Heiligkeitsgesetzes einerseits und im deuteronomischen AEmterrecht andererseits zeigen. Leitfragen sind: Besteht eine theologische Verbindung zwischen dem sozialrechtlichen und amterrechtlichen Gedankengut der untersuchten Brudertexte? Warum wird in ihnen das Wort 'Bruder' und nicht ein Synonym wie 'Nachbar' oder 'Volksgenosse' verwendet? Wo hat die Bezeichnung 'Bruder' in diesen Rechtskorpora historisch gesehen ihren Ursprung? Diesen Fragen wird mithilfe von altorientalischem Vergleichsmaterial sowie von synchronen und diachronen exegetischen Methoden nachgegangen.

With practical, biblical wisdom, this book casts a vision for the local church as the engine of world missions-for the joy of all people and the glory of God.

Throughout the nineteenth century the relationship between the State and the Established Church of England engaged Parliament, the Church, the courts and - to an increasing degree - the people. During this period, the spectre of Disestablishment periodically loomed over these debates, in the cause - as Trollope put it - of 'the renewal of inquiry as to the connection which exists between the Crown and the Mitre'. As our own twenty-first century gathers pace, Disestablishment has still not materialised: though a very different kind of dynamic between Church and State has anyway come into being in England. Professor Evans here tells the stories of the controversies which have made such change possible - including the revival of Convocation, the Church's own parliament - as well as the many memorable characters involved. The author's lively narrative includes much valuable material about key areas of ecclesiastical law that is of relevance to the future Church of England.

In the decades before colonial partition in Africa, the Church Missionary Society embarked on the first serious effort to evangelize in an independent Muslim state. Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther led an all-African field staff to convert the people of the Upper Niger and Confluence area, whose communities were threatened or already conquered by an expanding jihadist Nupe state. In this book, Femi J. Kolapo examines the significance of the mission as an African-rather than European-undertaking, assessing its impact on missionary practice, local engagement, and Christian conversion prospects. By offering a fuller history of this overlooked mission in the history of Christianity in Nigeria, this book reaffirms indigenous agency and rethinks the mission as an experiment ahead of its time.

In 1925, Elsie Cuthbertson sailed to China to become a missionary. She met and married Clifford Cook, also a missionary. Enduring hostility when the Chinese shouted ""Yang kuei tsi"" ("foreign devils") at them in the street, they knew the dangers of the changing political spectrum. Under the Kuomintang, anti-Western demonstrations were common. They had to escape by barge, return and flee again from the Japanese invasion by hitching a ride in an American pilot's plane. They suffered poverty, lack of medical care and the death of their own infants from lack of hygiene with remarkable equanimity. A record of values and times forever gone.

Raymond Cook, born in China, is the son of Elsie and Clifford Cook.

Das vorliegende Werk analysiert die staatliche Strafverfolgung des Pfarrklerus, vornehmlich des Bistums Trier, im Kulturkampf zwischen 1873 und 1880, und zwar wegen unbefugter Vornahme geistlicher Amtshandlungen wie Gottesdienstzelebrierungen, Sakramentspendungen, Trauungen und Beerdigungen. Naherhin geht es um die genaue Bestimmung der strafbaren Amtshandlungen und strafbedrohten Priester, um die polizeilichen Exekutivmethoden, -probleme, -erfolge und -defizite, um die fortgesetzten Verbotsubertretungen trotz Gefangnisstrafen, um die staatlichen Versuche zur Widerstandsbrechung mittels Amtsenthebung, Ausweisung, Internierung und Ausburgerung und um die Solidaritat der Gemeinden mit ihren Geistlichen. Diese ausserte sich in Beherbergung, Beschutzung, Versorgung, Versteck- und Fluchthilfe, Verhaftungsbehinderung und feierlichem Empfang bei der Ruckkehr aus dem Gefangnis. Band 1 beinhaltet die Kapitel I bis VIII. Band 2 beinhaltet die Kapitel IX bis XI, Statistik- und Quellenanhange sowie das Quellen- und Literaturverzeichnis.

Das vorliegende Werk analysiert die staatliche Strafverfolgung des Pfarrklerus, vornehmlich des Bistums Trier, im Kulturkampf zwischen 1873 und 1880, und zwar wegen unbefugter Vornahme geistlicher Amtshandlungen wie Gottesdienstzelebrierungen, Sakramentspendungen, Trauungen und Beerdigungen. Naherhin geht es um die genaue Bestimmung der strafbaren Amtshandlungen und strafbedrohten Priester, um die polizeilichen Exekutivmethoden, -probleme, -erfolge und -defizite, um die fortgesetzten Verbotsubertretungen trotz Gefangnisstrafen, um die staatlichen Versuche zur Widerstandsbrechung mittels Amtsenthebung, Ausweisung, Internierung und Ausburgerung und um die Solidaritat der Gemeinden mit ihren Geistlichen. Diese ausserte sich in Beherbergung, Beschutzung, Versorgung, Versteck- und Fluchthilfe, Verhaftungsbehinderung und feierlichem Empfang bei der Ruckkehr aus dem Gefangnis. Band 1 beinhaltet die Kapitel I bis VIII. Band 2 beinhaltet die Kapitel IX bis XI, Statistik- und Quellenanhange sowie das Quellen- und Literaturverzeichnis.

Ce travail traite, dans une approche canonique, le droit a la remuneration juste et a la protection sociale du clerge diocesain des Eglises africaines. " Comment faire pour offrir aux pretres et a l'ensemble des citoyens des conditions de vie digne ? ", cette question touche l'ensemble des citoyens dans plusieurs pays africains et constitue un defi social et pastoral pour les dirigeants politiques et religieux. Au niveau ecclesial, elle invite a promouvoir des relations interecclesiales respectant le principe de subsidiarite encourageant une gestion autonome et responsable de chaque Eglise. Une Eglise devrait etre en mesure de definir son modele d'Eglise et son paradigme pastoral pour relever les multiples defis lies a l'evangelisation et a la lutte contre toutes formes d'injustice et des inegalites sociales.

We live in a world in which the church inhabits a deep existential anxiety about its future, feels pushed to the edges of society and doesn't deal well with its marginalisation. Kosuke Koyama's writing most notably in his famous Three mile an Hour God acts as an antidote for the preoccupation with speed, size and the spectacular - "God walks slowly because He is love." In The God Who Walks Slowly, missiologist Ben Aldous explores how Koyama's theology encourages an approach to mission which truly reflects the rhythm, pace, vision and surrender of Christ.

Jede Rede uber das Wesen Gottes ist Mythologie. Gott lasst sich nur durch seine Handlungen erkennen und nur in Korrelation mit dem Menschen. Die Tiefenpsychologie arbeitet mit den gleichen Ansatzen: Die Handlungen des Menschen zu befreien/erloesen, um sie zur vollen Bewusstheit/Heiligkeit kommen zu lassen. Das Ziel ist (Freud) und Weg zur Entwicklung des geistigen Instinkts, Entwicklung zum Selbst. (Jung) Ungeklart bleibt "...mit welchem geistigen Impuls die fragliche geistige Bewegung ihren Anfang nimmt, so dass sie in diesem Impuls ihren Ursprung zu erkennen hatte." (H. Cohen) Die Tiefenpsychologie arbeitet wesentlich mit der Negation als Privation: Jedes bewusste Etwas wird von Nicht-Bewusstem in Frage gestellt, um eine neue Bewusstheit zu erzeugen.

With the development of instantaneous global communication, it is vital to communicate effectively across cultural boundaries. This addition to the acclaimed Encountering Mission series is designed to offer contemporary intercultural communication insights to mission students and practitioners. Authored by leading missionary scholars with significant intercultural experience, the book introduces intercultural communication; explores the foundations that lay beneath, and the cultural values that show up in, patterns of intercultural communication; and examines areas in which communicating effectively in a new cultural setting is important. Features such as case studies, tables, figures, and sidebars are included, making the book useful for classrooms.

A religious studies scholar argues that in antebellum America, evangelicals, not Transcendentalists, connected ordinary Americans with their spiritual roots in the natural world. We have long credited Emerson and his fellow Transcendentalists with revolutionizing religious life in America and introducing a new appreciation of nature. Breaking with Protestant orthodoxy, these New Englanders claimed that God could be found not in church but in forest, fields, and streams. Their spiritual nonconformity had thrilling implications but never traveled far beyond their circle. In this essential reconsideration of American faith in the years leading up to the Civil War, Brett Malcolm Grainger argues that it was not the Transcendentalists but the evangelical revivalists who transformed the everyday religious life of Americans and spiritualized the natural environment. Evangelical Christianity won believers from the rural South to the industrial North: this was the true popular religion of the antebellum years. Revivalists went to the woods not to free themselves from the constraints of Christianity but to renew their ties to God. Evangelical Christianity provided a sense of enchantment for those alienated by a rapidly industrializing world. In forested camp meetings and riverside baptisms, in private contemplation and public water cures, in electrotherapy and mesmerism, American evangelicals communed with nature, God, and one another. A distinctive spirituality emerged pairing personal piety with a mystical relation to nature. As Church in the Wild reveals, the revivalist attitude toward nature and the material world, which echoed that of Catholicism, spread like wildfire among Christians of all backgrounds during the years leading up to the Civil War.

Between 1594 and 1598, a preacher named Francois converted 72,000 Protestants to the Catholic Faith. These are his words. ONE OF the most remarkable and well-documented events in Catholic history began when a young priest, Francis de Sales, volunteered to re-evangelize the Calvinists of the Chablais. Finding his preaching forcefully rejected, Francis de Sales shrewdly switched tactics and began a written apologetics campaign, posting pamphlets on walls and slipping them beneath doors under the cover of night. His defense of the Faith was so clear and thorough that at the end of four years nearly the entire population of 72,000 had returned to the Catholic Faith These powerful little tracts are as relevant today as they were in the late 1500s. De Sales draws support from Scripture, the Fathers and Doctors of the Church to address questions still frequently posed by modern Protestants. Revered as some of the most cogent arguments against Protestantism ever penned; they present a defense of the Catholic Faith that has never been equaled. "A full and complete demonstration of the Catholic religion." -Pope Pius IX

In search of holistic Christian witness, missionaries have increasingly sought to take into account all the dimensions of people's cultural and religious lives-including their songs, dances, dramatic performances, storytelling, and visual arts. Missiologists, educators, and practitioners are cultivating new approaches for integrating the arts into mission praxis and celebrating creativity within local communities. And in an increasingly globalized and divided world, peacemaking must incorporate the use of artistic expressions to create understanding among peoples of diverse faiths. As Christians in all nations encounter members of other religions, how do they witness among these neighbors while respecting their distinct traditions? Building on sessions at the 2018 Missiology Lectures at Fuller Seminary, this book explores the crucial role of the arts in helping people from different cultures and faiths get caught up in the gospel story. Scholars and practitioners from throughout the world present historical and contemporary case studies and analyses. Their subjects include the use of Christian songs during the Liberian civil war and Ebola crisis, social critiques in contemporary Chinese art, interreligious dialogue through choir music in Germany, aesthetic practices of the Zapatista movement in Chiapas, Mexico, and how hip-hop music empowers urban young people in globalizing Mozambique. These essays foster a conversation about the work that missiologists, art critics, ethnodoxologists, and theologians can do together to help guide church leaders in promoting interfaith and intercultural relationships. While honestly identifying weaknesses in the church's practice, the contributors call all Christians to understand the power of art for expressing cultural and religious identity, opening spaces for transformative encounters, bridging divides, and resisting injustice. Missiological Engagements charts interdisciplinary and innovative trajectories in the history, theology, and practice of Christian mission, featuring contributions by leading thinkers from both the Euro-American West and the majority world whose missiological scholarship bridges church, academy, and society.

By tracing the origins of mission right back to God's character, and then seeing how it unfolds throughout the storyline of the Bible, we begin to understand how important it is to him. As we see his heart for mission and the nations, we are challenged to discover God's plan for us too. Will this change our priorities as individuals and churches? Dare we see our place in God's plan and own the task of reaching the unreached? This practical, thought-provoking and accessible resource is the latest in the popular IVP/Keswick Ministries series of study guides.