John Leland (1754-1841) was one of the most influential and entertaining religious figures in early America. As an itinerant revivalist, he demonstrated an uncanny ability to connect with a popular audience, and contributed to the rise of a "democratized" Christianity in America. A tireless activist for the rights of conscience, Leland also waged a decades-long war for disestablishment, first in Virginia and then in New England. Leland advocated for full religious freedom for all-not merely Baptists and Protestants-and reportedly negotiated a deal with James Madison to include a Bill of Rights in the Constitution. Leland developed a reputation for being "mad for politics" in early America, delivering political orations, publishing tracts, and mobilizing New England's Baptists on behalf of the Jeffersonian Republicans. He crowned his political activity by famously delivering a 1,200-pound cheese to Thomas Jefferson's White House. Leland also stood among eighteenth-century Virginia's most powerful anti-slavery advocates, and convinced one wealthy planter to emancipate over 400 of his slaves. Though among the most popular Baptists in America, Leland's fierce individualism and personal eccentricity often placed him at odds with other Baptist leaders. He refused ordination, abstained from the Lord's Supper, and violently opposed the rise of Baptist denominationalism. In the first-ever biography of Leland, Eric C. Smith recounts the story of this pivotal figure from American Religious History, whose long and eventful life provides a unique window into the remarkable transformations that swept American society from 1760 to 1840.

In this book William Tyndale, one of the most renowned religious scholars of the Reformation, writes his explanations of justification by faith. The Parable of the Wicked Mammon is the very first work which carries William Tyndale's name. Selecting chapter sixteen from the Book of Luke as a basis, Tyndale explains crucial differences between emerging Protestant beliefs and the established Catholic system. By choosing this passage, Tyndale is able to explain justification and the fruits of it, thereby highlighting a central motivation behind the ensuing Reformation. Notably, this work sees the author acknowledge for the first time his new translation of the Biblical New Testament. Writing in part to blunt the blame levied upon the Protestant cause as being behind outbreaks of violence in Europe, Tyndale sought to frame his arguments in religious terms. By admitting his translation of the Bible, Tyndale reveals that he is opposed to keeping the scripture out of the hands of the common people.

The thrilling narrative of Rosanna McGonegal Yoder, the Irish Catholic baby girl, who lived with an Amish woman, Elizabeth Yoder. All the episodes of "Rosanna of the Amish" are based on fact. Joseph W. Yoder gives an honest, sympathetic, straightforward account of the religious, social, and economic customs and traditions of the Amish.