Enjoy beautiful artwork while you learn the Hebrew language. Feast your eyes on original, full color, full page art for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet and enjoy smaller, full color images to illustrate many Hebrew words. Learn to pronounce consonants and vowel marks and begin to read Hebrew words. Learn to write using the writing practice pages. Learn root words to help build vocabulary. Begin to speak a few phrases. Hebrew: Beginning Your Journey is written for all ages. The older student can study primarily on his own, and a home school parent can guide the younger ones in the family using the lesson plans provided. Many helpful learning exercises are provided, including, picture matching quizzes, fill-in-the blank quizzes, and Hebrew Bible verse and Concordance assignments. Depending on the age and determination of the student(s), the mastering of the material may be accomplished in a forty week school year or less. A good share of the studying is based on inspiring verses from the Tanach (Old Testament) which is very motivating to those who love God's Word and desire to know it better. The hope is that your appetite will be whetted to continue searching the Bible's original Hebrew for more "hidden treasures." From the Foreword by Rabbi Steven J. Weiler of Tampa, FL Recently, God has brought many Jewish people to receive Yeshua (Jesus) as their Messiah, and He has brought many Christians to once again search for their foundational understanding of Scripture - through Jewish eyes as they realize that Jesus and His disciples were Jewish. One of the miracles that God performed in the late 19th century was the revival of the Hebrew language. This revival has generated a new and great interest in learning Hebrew. Hebrew is not just for Israelis, nor is it only for Bar & Bat Mitzvah students. Hebrew is for all of us who want to know better how to "handle accurately the Word of Truth." Hebrew: Beginning Your Journey, by Mary A. Merritt, is a great way for young and old to start the journey of learning Hebrew. It makes great sense. The pictures are informative and visually inspiring. Tying the Hebrew to the Scriptures is motivating and extremely helpful in "hiding the Word in our hearts." The logical progression in this book makes the learning of Hebrew attainable. You have what you need to step-by-step get to the next level: lesson plans, assignments, quizzes, writing practice - the list goes on and on. This is a journey worth taking. May God bless you and your family as you experience the joys of learning Hebrew.

Manufacturing Mennonites examines the efforts of Mennonite intellectuals and business leaders to redefine the group's ethno-religious identity in response to changing economic and social conditions after 1945. As the industrial workplace was one of the most significant venues in which competing identity claims were contested during this period, Janis Thiessen explores how Mennonite workers responded to such redefinitions and how they affected class relations.

Through unprecedented access to extensive private company records, Thiessen provides an innovative comparison of three businesses founded, owned, and originally staffed by Mennonites: the printing firm Friesens Corporation, the window manufacturer Loewen, and the furniture manufacturer Palliser. Complemented with interviews with workers, managers, and business owners, Manufacturing Mennonites pioneers two important new trajectories for scholarship - how religion can affect business history, and how class relations have influenced religious history.

The Siddur Bayit has been complied for individuals or families who have no access to a Synagogue or a Fellowship where Hebrew or Hebraic teaching is available. It has been designed for the non-Hebrew reader. The Sons and Daughters of YHWH (the Elohim of Yisra'el - Israel) who are in exile awaiting Aliyah (a return to Yisra'el). As believers in YHWH it is our duty to learn the traditions of our forefathers in the Hebrew Faith. The intention of the Siddur Bayit is to encourage you to practice and participate in keeping the morning, noon and evening Prayers, Intercessions and Proclamations as well as the Blessings and Dedications of which are essential to developing and maintaining your identity as an Irvit (a Hebrew believer) in the Elohim (God) of Avraham (Abraham), Yitzchak (Isaac), Yaakov (Jacob). This Siddur will teach you the mandated prayers and blessings of YHWH. The word "Siddur" means order and the word "Bayit" means house therefore, literally the Prayer Order for the home.

Description: Israel's Messiah and the People of God presents a rich and diverse selection of essays by theologian Mark Kinzer, whose work constitutes a pioneering step in Messianic Jewish theology. Including several pieces never before published, this collection illuminates Kinzer's thought on topics such as Oral Torah, Jewish prayer, eschatology, soteriology, and Messianic Jewish-Catholic dialogue. This volume offers the reader numerous portals into the vision of Messianic Judaism offered in Kinzer's Postmissionary Messianic Judaism (2005). An introductory essay by editor Jennifer M. Rosner sets Kinzer's thought and writings in context. Endorsements: ""Mark Kinzer is a 'break-through' thinker who has taken Messianic Judaism to a new level of theological sophistication. No one who cares deeply about the relationship between Judaism and Christianity can afford to ignore these essays."" --Richard J. Mouw President of Fuller Theological Seminary ""This book is a welcome successor to Mark Kinzer's 2005 groundbreaking work, Postmissionary Messianic Judaism . . . It is the kind of theological inquiry that both the Jewish Roots movement and the Messianic Jewish movement are so greatly in need of. Jennifer Rosner's collaboration in this project is a promising sign that a new generation of Messianic Jewish scholars may be ready to accept the challenge."" --Isaac Rottenberg First Chairperson of the National Council of Churches Office on Christian-Jewish Relations ""This is a significant book. Although it is a collection of articles and addresses, it has a far greater coherence than such collections normally possess. This coherence flows directly from the coherence of Mark Kinzer's life-project--to develop a form of Messianic Judaism that is authentically Jewish, and at the same time truly Messianic in the sense of fully recognizing the centrality of Jesus in God's purpose for Israel and for the world."" --Monsignor Peter Hocken Member of International Doctrinal Commission for Catholic Charismatic Renewal ""Whether one welcomes the Messianic Jewish movement wholeheartedly, with reservations, or not at all, the increasing importance of its voice in contemporary theological discussion is certain. This collection of essays by Mark Kinzer demonstrates again why the issues raised by Messianic Judaism are so fundamental in nature, and why Kinzer himself is widely regarded as the movement's foremost theologian."" --R. Kendall Soulen Professor of Systematic Theology, Wesley Theological Seminary About the Contributor(s): Mark S. Kinzer is President Emeritus of Messianic Jewish Theological Institute, and the author of Postmissionary Messianic Judaism (2005). Jennifer M. Rosner is a doctoral candidate at Fuller Theological Seminary.

The 1993 event at Mt. Carmel shocked all of America and has since spawned a plethora of books regarding the "truth" about the Branch Davidians. Memories of the Branch Davidians is the story told from the inside. The oral history of Bonnie Haldeman, the mother of Vernon Howell (David Koresh), offers an intimate, first-hand account of how a boy named Vernon Howell became David Koresh. Haldeman paints a picture of Koresh that could only be told by one who knew both his greatest strengths and his deepest faults.

Despite the sensational nature of its subject, Lost in Translation- Rediscovering the Hebrew Roots of our Faith is written in simple, clear, rational language that relies 100 percent on the Bible as the ultimate authority. The authors shed light on centuries of confusion surrounding subjects that are seldom addressed in modern sermons and Bible studies. Using ancient Hebrew language and culture, the authors clarify many of the Bible's so-called "mysteries" and help the reader uncover the treasure of foundational truths that have been "lost in translation." Topics include: *Who is the Bride of Messiah? *Is there a difference between covenant and testament? *How does the rainbow reflect God's plan for mankind? *What is the difference between devils, demons, and Nephilim? Join us on an exciting adventure to rediscover the treasures still buried within the pages of The Book that reveal the pathway to the heart of God.

There are over 600 New Religious Movements (NRMs) in Great Britain alone, and more than 2000 in the United States. A Reader in New Religious Movements provides an introduction to the main teachings of a selection of these organizations, focusing on those that are well established in the West. The contemporary and in some cases controversial NRMs covered include the Unification Church, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, the Family, Osho, Soka Gakkai International and the Western Buddhist Order.

In Taking Up Serpents: A History of Snake Handling Kimbrough explains the history and practice of serpent-handling believers from the perspective of a respectful and scholarly participant-observer. While this is a story of Kimbrough's experiences with the Saylor family of eastern Kentucky, Kimbrough explains the origins of serpent handling as they emerged in the teachings of George Hensley of the Grasshopper community near Cleveland, Tennessee.

Churches that practice snake handling have dotted the Appalachian mountains for over 100 years, but not until now has their story been so consistently and faithfully written by an author who is both a participant-observer and a Ph.D. historian. Having an Appalachian background himself, David Kimbrough studied, observed, participated with, and befriended many individuals in this unique expression of faith: the handling of snakes. This activity is understood not as a test of God's care and protection, but in fulfillment of the command of Jesus himself, that if done in his name then no harm would come to them. The exception to this is if the person is not right with God, then injury and/or death could follow. It was a test of the person's faith.

Believing wholeheartedly that such an act was not only appropriate but commanded, churches practicing the handling of snakes and the drinking of poisons have often been labeled as cultic in nature, but, according to Kimbrough, nothing could be further from the truth. These are people who truly believe in taking the words of the New Testament seriously.

This wonderfully-researched and engrossing book is the most complete account of the people and the churches that practice the handling of snakes intheir worship of God.

Swami Abhishiktananda (1910-1973), the name adopted by Fr. Henri le Saux after his move to India in 1948, pioneered an integration of Christian and Hindu spirituality that forged a unique spiritual path and made a strong impact on interreligious dialogue.

His Majesty Requests beautifully prepares the Bride of Christ for the marriage supper to the Lamb of God using the Hebrew wedding customs portrayed in scriptures. Like flipping pages through a wedding album, this devotional illuminates the spiritual significance of these ancient traditions and how the Messiah fulfilled each one. The restoration and brilliance of these lost pictures are sure to fill the believer's heart with a renewed love for their Heavenly Bridegroom, while others will flash new insight into the teachings and ways of a Jewish Savior.

There are some Jews who believe that the Messiah has already returned. Although these Jews are considered cult members or apostates by many, Carol Harris-Shapiro-herself a rabbi-engages one community of Messianic Jews to see what their presence says about American Jewish identity, religious affiliation, and the emergence of hybrid faiths in a secular society.
When first published, "Messianic Judaism" stirred controversy throughout the country. The first book to critically examine the role of Messianic Jews in American religious life, it traces the history of this faith that that accepts Jesus as the savior from its late nineteenth-century origin in evangelical Christian missions. Reconstructionist Rabbi Carol Harris-Shapiro bases this portrait on her conversations with members of a large Messianic Jewish community. "Messianic Judaism" adds significant new insights into the nature and varieties of religious experience in United States.

Of the many sects that broke from the official Russian Orthodox church in the eighteenth century, one was universally despised. Its members were peasants from the Russian heartland skilled in the arts of animal husbandry who turned their knives on themselves to become "eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake.' Convinced that salvation came only with the literal excision of the instruments of sin, they were known as Skoptsy (the self-castrated). Their community thrived well into the twentieth century, when it was destroyed in the Stalinist Terror.

In a major feat of historical reconstruction, Laura Engelstein tells the sect's astonishing tale. She describes the horrified reactions to the sect by outsiders, including outraged bureaucrats, physicians, and theologians. More important, she allows the Skoptsy a say in deeming the contours of their history and the meaning behind their sacrifice. Her deft handling of their letters and notebooks lends her book unusual depth and pathos, and she provides a heartbreaking account of willing exile and of religious belief so strong that its adherents accepted terrible pain and the denial of a basic human experience. Although the Skoptsy express joy at their salvation, the words of even the most fervent believers reveal the psychological suffering of life on society's margins.

No foreign tribe or exotic import, the sect drew its members from the larger pant society where marriage was expected and adulthood began with the wedding night. Set apart by the very act that guaranteed their redemption, these "lambs of God" became adept at concealing their sectarian identity as they interacted with their Orthodox neighbors. Interaction was necessary,Engelstein explains, since the survival of the Skoptsy depended upon recruitment of new members and on success in agriculture and trade.

Realizing that some prejudices have changed little over the centuries, Engelstein cautions that "we must not cast the shadow of our own distress on the story of the Skoptsy. Their physical suffering was something they willingly embraced." In Castration and the Heavenly Kingdom, she has produced a remarkable history that also illuminates the mysteries of the human heart.

Covers the story of "The Nine O'Clock Services" which received heavy publicity in 1995, following the exposure of scandals and abuses at the hands of the leader, Chris Brain. This book follows the development of the church and draws comparisons with other alternative churches.

..". solid scholarship.... It] will not only serve as a model for those studying the New Religious Movements of the late twentieth century, but will offer help to mainline and other religious institutions who are struggling with problems of identity and change in our complex society today." Church History

..". a thoroughly enjoyable book that would fit well into a graduate readings seminar on new religious movements....The book deserves a wide reading." Nova Religio

"Lucas s study provides a model of how best to combine the methodologies and analyses of the history of religions and sociology. He has provided the groundwork for continued tracking of developments in this new religious movement for comparative purposes." Journal of the American Academy of Religion

..". a carefully researched and well-written history of one of the important new religious movements to appear in the United States during the 1960s... the volume can be heartily recommended to all students of American religion." American Historical Review

"Lucas has written one of the best informed studies of the evolution of a metaphysical cult into mainline eastern orthodoxy." The Reader s Review

"This is an important book for libraries with holdings in American religion." Choice

..". a fascinating narrative... a rich feast for the investigator of the subculture of esoteric religion... " American Studies International

..". especially welcome. It offers an in-depth, meticulously documented history of a church, the Holy Order of MANS, that arose from the Christian esoteric mystery tradition and then metamorphosed into a traditionalist Orthodox Christian sect. This unlikely tale has more twists and turns than a whodunit... this volume is that rarest of finds: an academic book that is a delight to read." Gnosis Magazine

Traces the journey of a new religious movement from its start as a monastic-style New Age order to its transformation into the more conventional Christ the Savior Brotherhood, an Eastern Orthodox sect. A remarkable story of social and spiritual change in contemporary America."

One of the most influential and dynamic evangelists of the twentieth century, Aimee Semple McPherson (1890-1944) was a complex, lively, and controversial figure with a flair for the dramatic. Against the backdrop of the Roaring Twenties, Sister Aimee, as she was widely known, cultivated her ministry, preaching the "old-fashioned gospel" and calling for a return to simple biblical Christianity. A religious leader who strongly identified with ordinary folk, she attracted hundreds of thousands of loyal followers throughout the United States and Canada. Edith L. Blumhofer's thorough biography is grounded in extensive research and academic scholarship, yet written for the general reader as much as the historian. Blumhofer offers unique insights into McPherson's Canadian and Salvation Army roots and her relationship with Pentecostalism and uses her experiences to test stereotypes about mainstream Protestantism and Pentecostalism. Blumhofer has also had access to resources not available to previous biographers - selected minutes of The International Church of the Foursquare Gospel - and she had contact with both of McPherson's children, Roberta Semple Salter and Rolf McPherson. Dozens of photographs also help illustrate McPherson's multiple roles as missionary, radio broadcaster, editor, mother, wife, and - above all - dramatic and inspiring evangelist.

Beginning with a handful of members in 1830, the church that Joseph Smith founded has grown into a world-wide organization with over 12 million adherents, playing prominent roles in politics, sports, entertainment, and business. Yet they are an oddity. They are considered wholesome, conservative, and friendly on one hand, and clannish, weird, and self-righteous on the other.
Mormonism: A Very Short Introduction explains who Mormons are: what they believe and how they live their lives. Written by Richard Lyman Bushman, an eminent historian and practicing Mormon, this compact, informative volume ranges from the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the contentious issues of contemporary Mormonism. Bushman argues that Joseph Smith still serves as the Mormons' Moses. Their everyday religious lives are still rooted in his conceptions of true Christianity. They seek revelation to solve life's problems just as he did. They believe the authority to seal families together for eternity was restored through him. They understand their lives as part of a spiritual journey that started in a "council in heaven" before the world began just as he taught. Bushman's account also describes the tensions and sorrows of Mormon life. How are Mormons to hold on to their children in a world of declining moral standards and rampant disbelief? How do rational, educated Mormons stand up to criticisms of their faith? How do single Mormons fare in a church that emphasizes family life? The book also examines polygamy, the various Mormon scriptures, and the renegade fundamentalists who tarnish the LDS image when in fact they're not members.
In a time when Mormons such as Mitt Romney andHarry Reid are playing prominent roles in American society, this engaging introduction enables readers to judge for themselves how Mormon teachings shape the character of believers.

"An example of the independent press at its best" (Wilson Library Bulletin), this book "makes available the spiritual message of some of the most outstanding mystics in an accessible language" (Seyyed Hossein Nasr, professor of Islamic Studies, George Washington University). "Reading The Spiritual Athlete makes one want to go into training immediately".--Huston Smith, author of The Religions of Man. (Joshua Press)

An extensively researched guide to understanding the teachings of major cults and how they deviate from Christianity. Especially helpful in grasping the challenge of the unorganized but pervasive New Age movement. Table of Contents 1. Mormonism 2. Jehovah's Witnesses 3. Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church 4. Herbert w. Armstrong's Worldwide Church of God 5. The Way International 6. Some Hinduism-based Movements 7. The New Age Movement 8. Scientology 9. Christian Science 10. Spiritualism 11. Other Current Movements

Centuries after the brutal slaughter of the Cathars by papally endorsed Northern French forces,and their suppression by the Inquisiton the medieval Cathars continue to exert a powerful influence on both popular culture and spiritual seekers. Yet few people know anything of the beliefs of the Cathars beyond vague notions that they believed in reincarnation, were vegetarians, were somehow Gnostic, and had some relation to Mary Magdalene. The Lost Teachings of the Cathars explores the history of this Christian dualist movement between the 12th and 14th centuries, offering a sympathetic yet critical examination of its beliefs and practices.

As well as investigating the origin of the Cathars, their relationship to the ancient Gnostics of the early centuries AD and the possibility that they survived the Inquisition in some way, the author also addresses recent renewed interest in Catharism.

Eccentric esotericists initiated a neo-Cathar revival in the Languedoc which inspired the philosopher Simone Weil. The German Otto Rahn, who has been called the real-life Indiana Jones, believed that the Cathars were protectors of the Holy Grail and received support from Heinrich Himmler. Arthur Guirdham, a psychiatrist from the West of England, became convinced that he and a circle of patients had all been Cathars in previous lives.

Tourists flock to the Languedoc to visit Cathar country. Bestsellers such as Kate Mosse's timeslip novel Labyrinth continue to fascinate readers. But what did the Cathars really believe and practice?

Based on extensive interviews with mostly former cult members, this book chronicles the history of the Church of God of Union Assembly from its beginning around World War I up to recent times. Founded by a charismatic, unlettered leader, C. T. Pratt, who forcefully broke away from the Holiness COG organization, the church eventually found its home base in Dalton, Georgia. It grew steadily at first and then more rapidly as the great Depression ravaged workers in the mostly rural area of north Georgia. The group set up communal living practices and spread branches of the church across the country, recruiting among the most displaced with a message of social uplift and anti-capitalism, even as its religious practices became increasingly authoritarian and exploitative. If C. T. Pratt exhibited some characteristics of a violent cult leader, his son, who took over the church as his father suffered from ill-health, took these tendencies to a new level that eventually caught the attention of secular authorities. His son, in turn, was even worse--and placed the church on the path to financial ruin. Amazingly, the church survived its three authoritarian leaders and still exists

New Religious Movements (NRMs) came into being as a distinct subfield of academic study in the 1970s in response to the explosion of non-traditional religions that took place in the waning years of the Sixties counterculture. (The designation 'New Religion' is a direct translation of a Japanese term coined for the many new religions that emerged in the wake of the Second World War, and was adopted by Western scholars in the late Sixties/early Seventies in preference to the pejorative term 'cult'.) These movements, and those termed 'sects' and 'cults', initially attracted the attention of American and European sociologists of religion because of the controversy that arose in response to their expansion. Religious Studies, which at the time was still in the process of establishing itself as a legitimate discipline distinct from Theology and traditional Biblical Studies, was only too happy to leave NRMs to Sociology. This situation gradually changed, however, so that at present at least as many scholars of NRMs come from Religious Studies backgrounds as come from the social sciences. The collection consists of four volumes which together provide a one-stop source for crucial information on-and theoretical/methodological approaches to-contemporary New Religions. The set brings together thinking on a wide variety of themes associated with NRMs (e.g. apocalypticism, typologies, conversion, gender) and major works on the NRMs that have attracted the most scholarly attention (e.g. the 'Moonies', The Family International, Osho Rajneesh). Some influential 'anti-cult' articles (normally not considered part of mainstream scholarship) have also been included as well. Sects, Cults, and New Religions is fully indexed and includes a comprehensive introduction, newly written by the editor, and is destined to be valued as a vital research resource.