Clergy have historically been represented as figures of authority, wielding great influence over our society. During certain periods of American history, members of the clergy were nearly ever-present in public life. But men and women of the clergy are not born that way, they are made. And therefore, the matter of their education is a question of fundamental public importance. In Clergy Education in America, Larry Golemon shows not only how our conception of professionalism in religious life has changed over time, but also how the education of religious leaders have influenced American culture. Tracing the history of clergy education in America from the Early Republic through the first decades of the twentieth century, Golemon tracks how the clergy has become increasingly diversified in terms of race, gender, and class in part because of this engagement with public life. At the same time, he demonstrates that as theological education became increasingly intertwined with academia the clergy's sphere of influence shrank significantly, marking a turn away from public life and a decline in their cultural influence. Clergy Education in America offers a sweeping look at an oft-overlooked but critically important aspect of American public life.

The Reception of John Chrysostom in Early Modern Europe explores when, how, why, and by whom one of the most influential Fathers of the Greek Church was translated and read during a particularly significant period in the reception of his works. This was the period between the first Neo-Latin translation of Chrysostom in 1417 and the final volume of Fronton du Duc's Greek-Latin edition in 1624, years in which readers and translators from Renaissance Italy, the Byzantine Empire, and the Basel, Paris, and Rome of a newly-confessionalised Europe found in Chrysostom everything from a guide to Latin oratory, to a model interpreter of Paul. By drawing on evidence that ranges from Greek manuscripts to conciliar acts, this book contextualises the hundreds of translations and editions of Chrysostom that were produced in Europe between 1417 and 1624, while demonstrating the lasting impact of these works on scholarship about this Church Father today.

"The Sleeping Giant" is the fastest-growing minority group in the U.S.--the Hispanic community. Hispanics, especially Puerto Ricans, Cubans and Mexicans, are changing society and the church. As a second-generation Puerto Rican, born and reared in El Barrio of New York City, Manuel Ortiz knows first-hand what it is like to be a Hispanic in the U.S. As a sociologist, he recognizes the exciting potential for the future of the church--if leadership development is undertaken. Oritz first explores the unique needs and concerns of Hispanics in the U.S. Then he turns to key missiological issues, including Protestant-Catholic relationships, justice, racial reconcilliation and ecclesiastical structures. Ortiz has interviewed numerous Hispanic leaders working in a variety of contexts and describes their models for ministry. Finally, the book focuses on leadership training and education, with a particular emphasis on developing second-generation leadership. The sleeping giant must not be ignored. This is a book that will awaken awareness of the possibilities of the Hispanic church.

In this new book on the rise of commercial black 'mega churches,' Mary Hinton examines the rich legacy of the historic black church from the dual perspectives of theology and religious education. She explores the new religious models emerging from the tradition of the historic black church and questions whether they are continuing to operate and practice according to the wisdom of this unique form of American religion. Two mega church ministries, those of T. D. Jakes and Creflo Dollar, are examined in detail with regards to how they align with black church religious history. Hinton concludes by proposing that the fastest growing religious phenomenon within and outside of the black community in the United States-the mega church-should no longer be analyzed based on size alone. Instead, Hinton urges readers to consider the ecclesiastical structures of churches in making appropriate assessments in determining should and should not be classified as a commercial church.

The America we know and love is in danger as never before in its history. The Land of George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and the uniquely great American Constitution is under deadly attack. It has already been distorted and heavily damaged. America is being assaulted from within and without by forces of atheism, legalized immorality, socialism, communism, and Islam. Some of these forces go by the deceptive names of "progressives," "social democrats," "leftists," as well as socialism, communism, and atheism, but they have their basis in vile hatred of America, and they work assiduously to malign and defame our country, and overthrow it. Their method is constant lying and deception in every form imaginable. We witness preposterous lies every day from these individuals and groups in their quest to defame America, conservatism, Republicans, and any individual or group that opposes them. They have as their goal the revolutionary overthrow of America, and its replacement by socialism, communism, or Islam and Sharia law. All of these forces have a long historical record of inhuman cruelty, genocide, and democide. The destructive revolutionary activities of the 1960s opened up these avenues of attack, and they have increasingly evolved and been institutionalized since the 1970s and 80s. They run throughout our educational institutions, the courts, the media, entertainment, and have even infiltrated our government. Our universities have been corrupted and politicized by them. Many professors who teach our young people today are avowed Marxists, socialists, and communists. Many of these professors are also radical feminists who are atheists, Marxists, communists, and lesbians. They also express great hatred for America, and seek to radically change it to some form of Marxism, socialism, or communism. The ACLU, an atheist and communist organization from its start in 1920, is now a highly financed organization that actually seeks to legally overthrow Constitutional American liberties, and promote a totally different world of anarchic, atheistic freedom, divorced from God and moral law, and which will be intolerant of anything else. America began as a Christian democratic nation, with Presidents who stood staunchly for liberty under God, Christianity, the Bible, and freedom of worship. They warned us against the results of immorality-tyranny, despotism, corruption, and decline. Constitutional liberties have already been largely swept away by a Supreme Court that now places atheistic autonomy above everything else-above God, the Bible, morality, our country, our flag, marriage, and the family. The current President has even declared that we are no longer a Christian nation. This book not only seeks to describe these corrupting developments, but to suggest how and why they have risen to dominance.

This elegant Bible edition honors the beauty and richness of the New King James Version featuring wide margins for notes and reflections to enhance your study of God's Word. This wide margin New King James Version edition reflects the legacy and majesty of the King James Version Bible produced more than 400 years ago, but in language updated for today. This beautiful Bible, which contains design flourishes that pay tribute to the Bible produced in 1611, comes in a convenient size with extended margin space, essential study tools and traditional red-letter text for the Words of Christ. The Sovereign Collection continues Thomas Nelson's long history and stewardship publishing Bibles, featuring elegant letter illustrations leading into each chapter combined with clear and readable Comfort Print (R), connects you to the legacy of faith, and inspires your time in the Word to be enjoyable and fruitful. Features include: Line-matched classic 2-column format for a comfortable reading experience Wide outer margins for notes and reflections to engage in deeper study Book introductions provide a concise overview of the background and historical context of the book about to be read Words of Christ in red help you quickly identify Jesus' teachings and statements Extensive end-of-page cross references allow you to find related passages quickly and easily Translation notes provide a look into the thinking of the translators with alternative translations that could have been used and textual notes about manuscript variations Presentation page to personalize this special gift by recording a memory or a note Concordance for looking up a word's occurrences throughout the Bible Full-color maps show a visual representation of Israel and other biblical locations for better context Two satin ribbon markers for you to easily navigate and keep track of where you were reading Gilded page edges help protect the edge of the page and provide a polished look Durable and flexible Smyth-sewn binding so the Bible will lay flat in your hand or on a desk Easy-to-read 9-point NKJV Comfort Print (R)

Written at a time of very lax standards in the parish ministry, this short, classic text by George Herbert exudes the wisdom, humility, and love for the priestly life for which the poet became renowned in his short life.

Here is Friedrich Nietzsche's great masterpiece The Anti-Christ, wherein Nietzsche attacks Christianity as a blight on humanity. This classic is essential reading for anyone wishing to understand Nietzsche and his place within the history of philosophy. "We should not deck out and embellish Christianity: it has waged a war to the death against this higher type of man, it has put all the deepest instincts of this type under its ban, it has developed its concept of evil, of the Evil One himself, out of these instincts-the strong man as the typical reprobate, the 'outcast among men.' Christianity has taken the part of all the weak, the low, the botched; it has made an ideal out of antagonism to all the self-preservative instincts of sound life; it has corrupted even the faculties of those natures that are intellectually most vigorous, by representing the highest intellectual values as sinful, as misleading, as full of temptation. The most lamentable example: the corruption of Pascal, who believed that his intellect had been destroyed by original sin, whereas it was actually destroyed by Christianity " -Friedrich Nietzsche