The origin of the Templars, their rise and growth, decline and fall and the fate of the last Grand Master.James Anthony Froude (1818-1894) was Late Regius Professor of Modern History in The University of Oxford. He was a renowned writer and historian, and a close friend and disciple of Thomas Carlyle. He was a controversial figure during his lifetime, and brought down upon himself the wrath of the high church; this did not stop the crowds from attending his lectures, as he was a compelling speaker. As a writer of English prose he has few equals in the nineteenth century.

The debate in many Reformed circles over worship music is only a small part of the larger question of Reformed liturgics. And dancing. All sides admit that the New Testament offers relatively little instruction on liturgy, and so the debate over the regulative principle continues with apparently little hope for resolution. In this study, Peter Leithart's key insight reveals a prominent scriptural example of a liturgy that interprets God's commands for worship in ways far more biblically grounded than traditional regulativism allows. King David's tabernacle worship becomes a rich story, not only in respect to liturgical wisdom, but also to the significance of Zion in the fulfillments of the Christian era.

This is the story of selfless, civic-minded individuals whose passion for historic preservation led them to undertake a monumental task. Unable to locate a precedent to guide them, they were forced to rely on their own ingenuity and technical skills. (Christian Religion)

This comprehensive biography of William Sheppard, the first African American Presbyterian missionary, presents the remarkable story of how an African American born in the South during the era of slavery emerged as one of the most distinguished Presbyterian leaders in American history. The book chronicles Sheppard's journey to the Congo, details his efforts to challenge human rights violations, and describes his impact on the areas of religion, human rights, education, and art.

This interesting volume challenges the long-held assumption thatChristianity in India is nothing but a colonial or Western imposition. Leading experts here chronicle the histories and cultures ofIndia's many Christian communities and show that local Indianleaders were the real agents of religious change in the subcontinent.

These chapters range widely over various facets of Indiansociety and its religious developments. Of crucial importance isthe fact that in exploring their subjects the contributors take painsto avoid the Eurocentric nature of most studies of India and represent Christianity from a genuinely Indocentric perspective. Theresult is an entirely new vista from which to view the history, features, and influence of Indian Christianity.Contributors: Peter B. Andersen
Michael Bergunder
MarineCarrin
Penelope Carson
Gunnel Cederlof
Robert Eric Frykenberg
E. M. Jackson
Heike Liebau
Iwona Milewska
Geoffrey A.Oddie
Indira Viswanathan Peterson
Avril Powell
Paula Richman
Jayeeta Sharma
Harald Tambs-Lyche
Richard Fox Young

Drawing from primary source documents such as diaries, letters, speeches, sermons, essays, and books from seventeenth-century colonial settlements in North America to today, this volume recovers the contributions of women to American religion. With its breadth and richness of sources it will be of interest and use to feminists, church historians, and students.

Dudley's work in Making the Small Church Effective (1978) broke new ground in understanding the dynamics of life in the small congregation. In this revised edition, Dudley revisits the small church, posing new questions reflective of the considerable changes that have swept over small churches in the last two decades. Among the most significant recent developments are shifts in institutional loyalty and individual's sense of identity in relation to larger groups and organizations. Dudley explores the key components that contribute to a small congregation's sense of unity and that motivate its members to more faithfully live out their faith.

The story of a Christian missionary who lived for thirteen years amongst the Ishmaelites of Moab, Edom, and the great peninsula of Arabia. Forder says, "My story is a simple record of ventures just as they occurred, a transcript of personal experiences and beliefs. It is sent forth to what I believe is a sympathetic public."

Details the stories, struggles, hopes, and deepest convictions of women in Scripture and history, drawing connections to the experiences and concerns of contemporary women of faith. Original.

"Shoes Outside the Door is a not only a fine history of the San Francisco Zen Center and Zen in the United States, it is a cautionary tale, valuable to anyone embarked on a spiritual practice." --San Jose Mercury News. Eastern tradition collides with Western individualism in this provocative and compulsively readable investigation of Buddhism, American-style. A genuine spiritual movement becomes strangely entangled with elitist aesthetics, the culture of celebrity, multi-million-dollar investment portfolios, sex scandals, and an unsolved crime.Told Rashomon-fashion by a singular mix of hippies, millionaires, intellectuals, and lost souls whose lives are almost unbelievably intertwined, Shoes Outside the Door is the first book to examine the inner workings of the profoundly influential San Francisco Zen Center. In exploring the history of the most important institution in American Buddhism, author Michael Downing provocatively captures the profound ambivalence of people who earnestly seek both inner peace and worldly satisfaction.

Scholar, priest and monk, Dom Gueranger began his work in the aftermath of the French revolution, when religious life was effectively abolished in all of Europe. Aiming to restore all aspects of monastic life, the preservation of Gregorian chant - the sung liturgy of the church - was an essential part of Dom Gueranger's goal. He re-founded the Abbey of St. Peter in Solesmes, France, which flourishes today as the worldwide center of Gregorian chant spirituality and performance. For all who have been attracted to the beauty and deep spirituality of Gregorian chant, Solesmes and Dom Gueranger is an inspiration.

The Worship Workshop, rather than providing simply another manual for doing worship, offers instead an interactive workshop that helps worship teams develop more meaningful and memorable worship for the congregation. By combining liturgical history and the creative process, The Worship Workshop encourages worship teams and staff to break out of the traditional worship box in order to create diverse ways to present the Good News in worship.

Through a variety of activities, ideas, and informational handouts, The Worship Workshop helps worship committees, planners, and designers evaluate the state of their current worship, get more people involved in the planning and designing process, explore the diverse designs of congregational worship, learn the history of worship, and utilize the arts and artists in worship.

Prepare everyone in the congregation for a meaningful Lenten season with this worship guide for Reconciliation. Designed to be used each weekday during the season of Lent, it encourages individuals to read short sections from the Bible, then reflect on the meaning of the readings in their own lives.
Six study guides for group discussion enable small groups to discuss how reconciliation is working in their own lives. Stimulating questions will lead to a shared experience and closer ties among church members.
A Companion volume of sermon outlines and program ideas is available.
Karen Helsel has served as a missionary in Bangkok, Thailand, an associate pastor of outreach and youth, and a case manager for a women's shelter for the homeless. She attended Warner Pacific College in Portland and Gulf Coast Bible College in Houston, and received her B.A. degree in Psychology from Anderson University in Indiana.

Are small membership churches simply places where attendance is dropping, the building is out of date, the programs are boring, and people don't want to change? Jeffrey Patton says absolutely not! Small churches can become explosive centers of witness and mission. In If It Could Happen Here . . . Patton describes six "levers" for transforming a small membership church: prayer, discerning a clear vision, indigenous worship, growth groups, membership recruitment, and lay pastoring.

Creative, inspiring aids to prayer in corporate worship from one of today's best known preachers and teachers.

"John Killinger has been helping us to worship the true, living, and interesting God for a long time. John loves words, particularly words spoken to God by those who have heard God speak. This is a wonderful collection of prayers." --William H. Willimon, Dean of the Chapel and Professor of Christian Ministry, Duke University Chapel, Durham, North Carolina

"Lost in Wonder, Love, and Praise is a book of worship resources and prayers that is practical in nature and poetic in quality. An artist with words, Dr. Killinger takes our common experiences and illuminates them with deep spiritual insight." --Dr. Walter J. Vernon, Consulting Minister, First Congregational Church, Los Angeles, California

"In the tradition of Buttrick, Fosdick, Baillie, and Samuel Miller, a great preacher has shared with the church a timely and unique collection of his prayers and other aids to public and private worship. John Killinger is a wordsmith who weaves together images that lead us to the very heart of God. Pastors will find their own prayer lives deepened by this volume and congregations will discover language that bridges classical and contemporary liturgy. One cannot read Killinger's words and not be 'Lost in Wonder, Love, and Praise.' " --William B. Oden, Resident Bishop, Dallas Area, The United Methodist Church

Paul Jones offers a fundamental and comprehensive approach to spiritual direction. He describes the eight major types of spiritual direction and indicates basic characteristics expected of a spiritual director. In addition to providing insights for personal spiritual direction, Jones advances a chapter for doing communal spiritual direction based on John Wesley's model of covenant groups.

While examining foundational principles of spiritual direction, Jones's book rests in concrete clarity. He concerns himself with teaching people how to do spiritual direction. Jones explores Christian faith as a process of redemption, detailing how spiritual direction particularizes healing for each unique person.

This comprehensive manual employs case studies. The book includes appendixes that include Group Consensus Discernment, Myers-Briggs usages, the Enneagram, TDF Inventory, Family Systems, and the Jo-Hari Window. Jones's approach makes this book an exceptional textbook for colleges and seminaries as well as for those who seek understanding of spiritual direction.

The Lord's Supper is the world in miniature; it has cosmic significance. Within it we find clues to the meaning of all creation and all history, to the nature of God and the nature of man, to the mystery of the world, which is Christ. It is not confined to the first day, for its power fills seven. Though the table stands at the center, its effects stretch out to the four corners of the earth.