Key Christian leaders from a variety of countries and cultures share Bible teaching and personal testimonies in the context of: 'God in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself'. An excellent contribution to the church worldwide which deserves to be read and referred to again and again. Guaranteed to enlarge your vision of what God can do and what you should be doing.

A challenging and encouraging manual for day-to-day life in ministry written specifically for couples who want to do more than survive the process of church planting and leadership-who want to actually thrive and grow in faith together as a family. Though we may feel like we can't show it, every aspect of planting a church is personal. Church planters and those in ministry leadership roles give so much to starting and growing healthy, thriving churches that when some people inevitably criticize the church, or leave altogether, it's hard not to take it personally. Brian and Amy Bloye know firsthand the emotional and relational toll that planting churches can take. In It's Personal-part of the Exponential series, inspiring and equipping next-generation church planters-the Bloye's get personal about finding the right balance of family and ministry. Planting a church is more than a ministry-it's a calling that touches every aspect of your life in very personal ways. With intimacy and wisdom, Brian and Amy discuss topics like: How to protect your marriage while planting a church. How to respond to growth and change. How to lead well while still maintaining space and time for family. How to know when it's becoming too personal. With a forward by Andy Stanley, It's Personal will challenge and encourage you to avoid some of the pitfalls of planting a church and be equipped to build both strong and prevailing ministries, and healthy marriages and families. Each chapter includes interviews with church-planting couples who share their personal joys and struggles, giving you authentic insight into the issues families face when planting a church.

In recent decades scholars have rediscovered a handwritten source of historical documentation from the eighteenth-century transatlantic religious movement known as "The Great Awakening." The McCulloch Examinations manuscripts contain more than a hundred first-person conversion narratives from the Cambuslang Revival of 1742 that have never before been published in their entirety. Collected and compiled by Reverend William McCulloch in what was Scotland's first oral history project, these personal accounts open a unique window into the early modern Scottish soul and shed new light upon an important chapter of British and American history. In this first complete, unabridged and fully annotated edition of the Examinations, the editor offers an introduction and analysis of these fascinating narratives, and provides supplementary resources that will illuminate the text for the reader. In addition to preserving the narrative accounts in their original frame, the edition includes the proposed redactions and marginal comments of four prominent Church of Scotland clergy who assisted McCulloch with the project. Keith Edward Beebe is Professor of Church History in the Department of Theology at Whitworth University, Spokane, Washington, and an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church, USA.

Lesslie Newbigin, one of the twentieth century's most important church leaders, offered insights on the church in a pluralistic world that are arguably more relevant now than when first written. This volume presents his ecclesiology to a new generation. Michael Goheen clearly articulates Newbigin's missionary understanding of the church and places it in the context of Newbigin's core theological convictions. Suitable for students as well as church leaders, this book offers readers a better understanding of the mission of the church in the world today. Foreword by N. T. Wright.

Our world is hungry for salvation, but we don't always know how to talk about it. Christians agree that God cares about people's lives both in this world and into eternity. But the ways we describe salvation often separate the spiritual from the material. Many groups emphasize one at the expense of the other, limiting the picture of what God has to offer. Mark Teasdale works to bridge the gaps by taking up Jesus' language of abundant life. This life is something Jesus invites us to participate in-to seek both for ourselves and for others. It's rich and multidimensional, not splitting spirits and minds from bodies and material needs. By connecting biblical perspectives of holistic salvation to contemporary concepts of well-being, Teasdale also shows how Christians can both better communicate in secular settings as well as partner with all people regardless of their faith to seek the common good. Incorporating concepts of material standard of living and subjective quality of life, Teasdale argues, gives Christians common language to share the promise of abundant life with those who hold to secular commitments. Yet we must also boldly present Jesus' invitation to eternal life and discipleship. For churches, ministry leaders, and laypeople Teasdale offers ideas to improve and measure methods of promoting all dimensions of salvation for the good of others.

How music makes worship and how worship makes music in Evangelical churches Music is a nearly universal feature of congregational worship in American churches. Congregational singing is so ingrained in the experience of being at church that it is often misunderstood to be synonymous with worship. For those who assume responsibility for making music for congregational use, the relationship between music and worship is both promising and perilous - promise in the power of musical style and collective singing to facilitate worship, peril in the possibility that the experience of the music might eclipse the worship it was written to facilitate. As a result, those committed to making music for worship are constantly reminded of the paradox that they are writing songs for people who wish to express themselves, as directly as possible, to God. This book shines a new light on how people who make music for worship also make worship from music. Based on interviews with more than 75 songwriters, worship leaders, and music industry executives, Shout to the Lord maps the social dimensions of sacred practice, illuminating how the producers of worship music understand the role of songs as both vehicles for, and practices of, faith and identity. This book accounts for the human qualities of religious experience and the practice of worship, and it makes a compelling case for how - sometimes - faith comes by hearing.

Billy Graham stands among the most influential Christian leaders of the twentieth century. Perhaps no single doctrine, practice, political position, or preacher has united the sprawling and diverse world of evangelicalism like Billy Graham. Throughout his six-decade career, Graham mainstreamed evangelicalism and through that tradition brought about major changes to American Christianity, global Christianity, church and state, the Cold War, race relations, American manhood, intellectual life, and religious media and music. His life and career provide a many-paned window through which to view the history and character of our present and recent past. Billy Graham: American Pilgrim offers groundbreaking accounts of Graham's role in shaping these phenomena. Graham stayed true to evangelical precepts yet journeyed to positions in religion, politics, and culture that stretched his tradition to its limits. This books distinguished contributors capture Grahams evolution and complexity. Like most people, he grew in fits and starts. But Graham's growth occurred on an international stage, influencing the world around him in ways large and small. This book delves into this influence, going beyond conventional subjects and taking a fresh and nuanced look at the complex life and legacy of one of the most important figures of the last century.

You can't kidnap someone's hope.

They were teachers, engineers, nurses, students, and artists from around the world who answered God's call to help Afghan refugees rebuild their lives following decades of war. But as international tensions reached inferno levels in 2001, extremists set out to rid Afghanistan of anyone who posed a threat to Islam and the influence of the Taliban.

The Shelter Now International (SNI) humanitarian effort led by Christians from Western countries topped the Taliban's list.

"Kabul 24" is the story you didn't see on CNN. It's the story of the human heartbeats behind the headlines that captivated the world during one of the most volatile political windows in rencent history. Relive the harrowing, true account of how eight humanitarian aid workers imprisoned behind enemy lines would survive and even thrive in the midst of betrayal, inhumane conditions, and the massive Allied bombing raids―conducted by their own countries―following the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

From peacemakers to pawns in a story of political and religious turmoil, the eight would individually and collectively discover a level of hope that would free them from captivity long before their dramatic rescue by American Special Forces 105 days after their abduction.

Holy Habits is an initiative to nurture Christian discipleship. It explores Luke's model of church found in Acts 2:42-47, identifies ten habits and encourages the development of a way of life formed by them. These resources, which include an introductory guide, have been developed to help churches explore the habits in a range of contexts and live them out in whole-life, missional discipleship.

Crafted to be an easy-to-carry large print Bible with cross references and striking verse imprinted on the cover allows this Bible to be an ideal choice to take with you wherever you go. This edition is published in large KJV Comfort Print type, which was designed exclusively for Thomas Nelson to be the most readable at any size. The KJV Personal Size Reference Bible is a feature-rich edition with easy-to-read large Comfort Print type. Including features like words of Christ in red, book introductions, end-of-page references, and a concordance, this Bible offers the tools to dive deeply into God's Word. As part of the Verse Art Cover Collection, this edition is in an easy-to carry format with an inspiring cover designed to encourage readers to spend more time in God's Word regardless of where they are. Features include: Presentation page to personalize this special gift by recording a memory or a note Extensive end-of-page cross-references allow you to find related passages quickly and easily Book introductions provide an overview of background and historical context Miracles and parables of Jesus call out important events during Jesus' earthly ministry Concordance for looking up a word's occurrences throughout the Bible Full color maps show the layout of Israel and other biblical locations for better context Words of Christ in red help you quickly identify Jesus' teachings and statements One-year reading plan which guides you through the entire Bible Two double-faced satin ribbons make it easy navigate and keep track of where you were reading Easy-to-read 10-point KJV Comfort Print

One Step at a Time shows readers how God has a way of throwing responsibilities at people that are far too big for them, but never too big for him. Elmer and Eileen Lehman's story describes how God took two quite ordinary people and led them on a missionary pilgrimage for more than sixty years of marriage. God's path led them from a rural farm in northern New York State to a children's home in Puerto Rico, then to academic study in Virginia followed by twenty-two years in Costa Rica, and then further study in Virginia, culminating with a ministry of teaching, Missions administration, church planting, and retirement in Ohio. One Step at a Time includes eight key lessons they learned along the way that speak to others' journeys as well. Their prayer is that others would be encouraged to step out and respond to God's call upon their lives and risk their future for Him.

The twentieth century marked the end of an era in western relations with Asia and Africa, and in Christian missionary enterprise. The Gospel had reached the ends of the earth, and the churches founded as a result of missionary effort, albeit representative of precarious minorities, had a new relationship with their mother churches, and had taken up their own evangelistic tasks. Were missions an historical contingency? Is there theological necessity for the churches to continue, in an ecumenical area, to send missionaries across secular and national boundaries? A re-examination of the Biblical basis of mission was an essential part of the search for an answer to this question. Blauw has surveyed what twentieth-century theologians felt about the problem. Blauw bases his account of the foundation and motivation for mission on theological and biblical research. The Author shows that: 'a 'theology of mission' cannot be other than a 'theology of the Church', as the people of God called out of the world, placed in the world, and sent to the world.'

This volume provides an authoritative account of evangelicalism from the 1790s to the 1840s, skilfully balancing British and American developments and also encompassing Canada, Australia, the West Indies and elsewhere. An account of the formative impact of revivalism is followed by discussion of spirituality and worship, and the place of evangelicalism in the lives of women, men and the family. The book then explores the broader social and political impact of the movement, giving particular attention to the slavery question. Major figures, such as Lyman Beecher, Thomas Chalmers, Charles Finney, Hannah More and William Wilberforce, are surveyed alongside other fascinating, lesser-known personalities. The concluding coverage of the 1846 London meeting of the Evangelical Alliance - one of the few grand gatherings of evangelicals from the Atlantic world and beyond - contributes key insights into the movement as a whole.

Chris Wright's pioneering 2006 book, The Mission of God, revealed that the typical Christian understanding of "missions" encompasses only a small part of God's overarching mission for the world. God is relentlessly reclaiming the entire world for himself. In The Mission of God's People, Wright shows how God's big-picture plan directs the purpose of God's people, the church. Wright emphasizes what the Old Testament teaches Christians about being the people of God. He addresses questions of both ecclesiology and missiology with topics like "called to care for creation," "called to bless the nations," "sending and being sent," and "rejecting false gods." As part of the Biblical Theology for Life Series, this book provides pastors, teachers, and lay learners with first-rate biblical study while at the same time addressing the practical concerns of contemporary ministry. The Mission of God's People promises to enliven and refocus the study, teaching, and ministry of those truly committed to joining God's work in the world.

A two-volume study in the strategy of Christian evangelism as developed by two of its greatest exponents, set in the framework of biographical studies. Volume I covers the life and thought of Blaise Pascal, while Volume II covers the life and thought of Soren Kierkegaard, each volume standing in their own right as scholarly contributions to the literature of their respective subjects. Although far separated in time and tradition, Pascal and Kierkegaard both insisted that self-complacent humanity needs first to be disturbed, and then comforted, by the Gospel. Most of the book is occupied by a thorough review of the lives and works of the two men, in such a way as to ring out their significant place in the spiritual history of modern Europe. But the author's purpose throughout is not merely biographical. He goes on to compare the conception and execution of their evangelistic tasks in a way which brings out the remarkable consensus between them; and in an epilogue he draws conclusions relating this historical study to the tasks and methods of modern evangelism.

Christ has ascended. Yet his work continues. Much has been made of a "missional" view of the church in recent theological literature, but largely overlooked in this discussion has been the contribution that T. F. Torrance, the late Church of Scotland minister and theologian, can make to this discussion. Addressing this lacuna, theologian and pastor Joseph Sherrard considers how Torrance's theology can inform the church's understanding of its ministry and mission-in particular, his appeal to the church's participation in the ascended Christ's threefold office as king, prophet, and priest. Through the ministry of the church, Christ is still at work. Featuring new monographs with cutting-edge research, New Explorations in Theology provides a platform for constructive, creative work in the areas of systematic, historical, philosophical, biblical, and practical theology.

This hand sized NKJV edition is the perfect travel companion for readers who like to take their Bibles with them throughout the day. Though it fits easily into backpacks and purses, you won't have to sacrifice readability or study resources. The exclusive Thomas Nelson NKJV Comfort Print (R) typeface was designed to be easy to read at any size, so you can experience deeper engagement in God's Word. This edition also includes over 73,000 cross-references, a concordance, and full-color maps so you have everything you need for serious study at your fingertips. Features include: Presentation page Red letter words of Christ 73,000+ cross-references trace the connections in Scripture Concordance Full-color maps Satin ribbon marker Clear and readable 7-point NKJV Comfort Print Commissioned in 1975 by Thomas Nelson, 130 international and multi-denominational Bible scholars, church leaders, and lay Christians worked for seven years to create a completely new, modern translation of Scripture that retained the purity and stylistic beauty of the King James Version. The New King James Version is faithful to the original Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic text, and provides transparency to the recent research in archaeology, linguistics, and textual studies in the footnotes. The result is a Bible translation that is both beautiful and uncompromising-perfect for serious study, devotional use, and reading aloud.

A bold and original study of German missionaries in China, who catalyzed a revolution in thinking among European Christians about the nature of Christianity itself In this accessibly written and empirically based study, Albert Wu documents how German missionaries-chastened by their failure to convert Chinese people to Christianity-reconsidered their attitudes toward Chinese culture and Confucianism. In time, their increased openness catalyzed a revolution in thinking among European Christians about the nature of Christianity itself. At a moment when Europe's Christian population is falling behind those of South America and Africa, Wu's provocative analysis sheds light on the roots of Christianity's global shift.

"A religious fundamentalist, a political operative, a primitive sermonizer, and an accomplice of worldly secular powers. Her mission has always been of this kind. The irony is that she has never been able to induce anybody to believe her. It is past time that she was duly honored and taken at her word."
Among his many books, perhaps none have sparked more outrage than THE MISSIONARY POSITION, Christopher Hitchens's meticulous study of the life and deeds of Mother Teresa.
A Nobel Peace Prize recipient beatified by the Catholic Church in 2003, Mother Teresa of Calcutta was celebrated by heads of state and adored by millions for her work on behalf of the poor. In his measured critique, Hitchens asks only that Mother Teresa's reputation be judged by her actions-not the other way around.
With characteristic elan and rhetorical dexterity, Hitchens eviscerates the fawning cult of Teresa, recasting the Albanian missionary as a spurious, despotic, and megalomaniacal operative of the wealthy who long opposed measures to end poverty, and fraternized, for financial gain, with tyrants and white-collar criminals throughout the world."

Gaining form and momentum over the second half of the 20th century, the Church Growth movement has become an enormous shaping force on the Western church today. You may love it, you may hate it, but you can t deny its impact. But what exactly is Church Growth? In what ways has the movement actually brought growth to the church, and how effective has it been in doing so? What are its strengths and weaknesses? This timely book addresses such questions. After providing a richly informative history and overview, it explores---in a first-ever roundtable of their leading voices---five main perspectives, both pro and con, on the classic Church Growth movement: *Effective Evangelism View (Elmer Towns) *Gospel in Our Culture View (Craig Van Gelder) *Centrist View (Charles Van Engen) *Reformist View (Gailyn Van Rheenan) *Renewal View (Howard Snyder) As in other Counterpoints books, each view is first presented by its proponent, then critiqued by his co-contributors. The book concludes with reflections by three seasoned pastors who have grappled with the practical implications of Church Growth. The interactive and fair-minded nature of the Counterpoints format allows the reader to consider the strengths and weaknesses of each view and draw informed, personal conclusions. The Counterpoints series provides a forum for comparison and critique of different views on issues important to Christians. Counterpoints books address two categories: Church Life and Exploring Theology. Complete your library with other books in the Counterpoints series."

The Problem of God explores answers to the most difficult questions raised against Christianity. A skeptic who became a Christian and then a pastor, author Mark Clark grew up in an atheistic home. After his father's death, he began a skeptical search for truth through the fields of science, philosophy, and history, eventually finding answers in the last place he expected: Christianity. In a winsome, persuasive, and humble voice, The Problem of God responds to the top ten interrogations people bring against God, and Christianity, including: Does God even exist in the first place? What do we do with Christianity's violent history? Is Jesus just another myth? Can the Bible be trusted? Why should we believe in Hell anymore today? Each chapter answers the specific challenge using a mix of theology, philosophy, and science. Filled with compelling stories and anecdotes, The Problem of God presents an organized and easy-to-understand range of apologetics, focused on both convincing the skeptic and informing the Christian. The book concluding with Christianity's most audacious assertion: how should we respond to Jesus' claim that he is God and the only way to salvation.