Most biographers of Luther are faced with a choice-focus on Luther's life or focus on his thought. The choice, though real, is false. Luther's thought was inextricably bound up with his life. In this short, engaging volume, Hans Schwarz succeeds in blending the two-creating a volume that introduces Luther's thought in the context of his life story. The book meets the need for a clear and concise introduction to the life and teachings of the great church reformer, Martin Luther. After a brief overview of his life, the book devotes chapters to Luther's thoughts on key areas of the Christian faith and life, including the knowledge of God, church and sacraments, the Scriptures, marriage and parenthood, and vocation. The author incorporates quotations from Luther's own writings to show how Luther's insights have relevance for all Christians today. With questions for reflection and discussion, the book can be used as a study resource for individuals, church groups, or college and seminary classes. For this revised edition, Schwarz has thoroughly reviewed the text and added important new sections on Luther and music, Luther and the economy, Luther and the Jews, and more.

Cotton Mather (1663-1728) was America's most famous pastor and scholar at the beginning of the eighteenth century. People today generally associate him with the infamous Salem witch trials, but that picture has mostly come down to us from one unreliable, antagonistic source. This biography by Rick Kennedy, based largely on new research by an international team of scholars, corrects misconceptions of Cotton Mather and focuses on the way he tried to promote, socially and intellectually, a biblical lifestyle. As older Puritan hopes in New England were giving way to a broader and shallower Protestantism, Mather led a populist, Bible-oriented movement that embraced the new century -- the beginning of a dynamic evangelical tradition that eventually became a major force in American culture.

In this insightful book, Donald K. McKim explores the basic tenets of Presbyterian theology and doctrine, from their beginnings to their meaning for the church today. Throughout McKim emphasizes the how Presbyterian history can inform current and future challenges. Without prescribing solutions to contemporary challenges, McKim's six brief chapters provide the foundation for broadening and strengthening a Presbyterian faith the lives today. Each chapter ends with suggestions for further study.

In Active Spirituality, Brian Hedges allows us to read someone else's mail. In a series of warm pastoral letters, written to a young Christian, the letter's recipient dives into the paradox of grace and effort in the life of faith.

Is my Christian life about trying or trusting? Would I describe my relationship to God as running or resting? Is my life more characterized by grace or effort? The wisdom in the letters makes clear that it is both: trying and trusting, running and resting, dependence on grace and exerting disciplined effort. This balance is not about getting my doctrine right, but is key to living a healthy Christian life.

So, pull up a chair, settle in, and read over the shoulder of Chris, a struggling young adult trying to find a church, overcome discouragement, live a chaste life, and develop a plan for spiritual growth, all while learning to rest in the finished work of Jesus.

This is an annotated transcription of the Rev. Dr. James Muir's personal diary from 1805. Born in Ayrshire, Scotland in 1757, Rev. Muir served as the third minister of the Presbyterian Church in Alexandria, Virginia, now known as the Old Presbyterian Meeting House, from 1789 until his death in 1820. The Old Presbyterian Meeting House was originally known as Alexandria's Presbyterian Church and then as its First Presbyterian Church. Rev. Muir's diary provides a historical document that, in its account of a single calendar year in the life of one individual, both raises and answers questions about a bygone era. It also provides a historical guide to aspects of the remarkable heritage that continues to this day in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia; a heritage that exists today in the vibrant religious community of the Old Presbyterian Meeting House and in the larger community, where the streets that Muir walked, and so many of the houses and places he visited still exist. A discussion of Alexandria in 1805, an examination of the original diary and its transcription, and a biographical sketch of Rev. Muir precede the diary. Appendices include: the diary's title page and handwritten notes that appear on end pages of the diary, a list of the Bible texts of sermons by Rev. Dr. Muir during 1805 (in the order delivered), and a list of the published works of the Rev. Muir. A bibliography and an index to full-names, places and subjects enhance the text.

2013 Reprint of 1963 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. While Morgan's literary portfolio shows remarkable diversity, it is studded with works on Puritanism. "Visible Saints" further solidifies his reputation as a leading authority on this subject. An expanded version of his Anson G. Phelps Lectures of 1962 (presented at New York University), this slender volume focuses on the central issue of church membership. Morgan posits and develops a revisionary main thesis: the practice of basing membership upon a declaration of experiencing saving grace, or "conversion," was first put into effect not in England, Holland, or Plymouth, as is commonly related, but in Massachusetts Bay Colony by non-separating Puritans. Characterized by stylistic grace and exegetic finesse, "Visible Saints" is another scholarly milestone in the "Millerian Age" of Puritan historiography.