In Giving Glory to God in Appalachia, Howard Dorgan explores the worship practices of Primitive, Regular, Old Regular, Union, Missionary, and Free Will Baptists. The worship practices of the denominations under consideration are varied and often exuberant, and Dorgan's writing is highly evocative, conveying in rich detail the joy and pathos of worship in these mountain churches.As Dorgan states in the introduction, he is less concerned with academic theorizing and more concerned with presenting a vivid, first-hand account of all that he has seen and heard. And in the nearly fifteen years he spent researching his book, Dorgan saw quite a lot: spirited, vociferous sermons, creek baptisms, foot washings, home comings, dinners on the ground, and evangelistic radio broadcasts. Dorgan's prose is at its most enchaining when he presents tableaus of these phenomena: a foot washing precipitates the erasure of interpersonal turmoil between two women; a preacher uses his lively mode of sermonic delivery to orchestrate the rapturous shouts and "hollers" of a group of women; a radio evangelist exhorts a recent widower to except salvation. The wonderful pictures interspersed throughout the book and the transcription of sermons help to further reify the worship scenes that Dorgan describes.At times, Dorgan's prose is intensely personal. Dorgan is always aware that he is writing about sets of shared values and worship practices that mean a great deal to the congregations he is studying, and Dorgan treats his subjects and their beliefs with tremendous sensitivity and respect. Ultimately, Dorgan is writing about people and the ways in which they invest their lives with meaning and purpose. This gives Giving Glory to God in Appalachia a universal appeal: even readers who find the religious settings in the book completely alien will be able to sympathize with the congregations' search for meaning.To sum up: Dorgan has written a beautiful, enthralling book. Don't think--just buy. And while you're at it, you might want to consider Airwaves Of Zion: Radio Religion In Appalachia(ISBN-10: 0870497979), also by Dorgan.

Studying church history is like learning your genealogy, with ample helpings of family recipes, scandalous disputes, inspiring heroes, quirky uncles and scrapbooks of photos thrown in. Someone needs to point out what's important and remind you of the facts as you learn to tell the story on your own. The Pocket Dictionary of Church History is designed to help students identify the people, places, events, movements and ideas that checker the story of the church through the ages. Among the three-hundred-plus definitions you'll find terms, from ad fontes to via media leaders and theologians, from Abelard to Zwingli "isms," from Arminianism to Unitarianism places and events, from the Azusa Street Mission to the White Horse Inn councils, from Nicaea to Vatican II Here is an indispensable glossary, the perfect companion to your study and reading of church history.

The call of Deep Church is not just for theologians and church leaders; it is also about each individual Christian experiencing and knowing that Jesus rescues from the depths and changes them deeply In this book Frog and Amy Orr-Ewing explore the concept of Deep Church in a 21st-century context. They argue that a missionary congregation needs to be deeply evangelical and evangelistic, deeply reliant on the power of the Holy Spirit, deeply engaged with its surrounding culture and community, deeply realistic about its limitations and temptations, and deeply convinced of its faith, in the face of all other worldviews and alternatives. Deep Church is about restoring the heart of the Christian faith within a rapidly changing and demanding culture, without lurching from one new methodology to another, rescuing today's church from unnecessary disillusionment, and wholeheartedly embracing Christ and his Kingdom.

This book is inspiring to all ages and very beneficial to young adults and teenagers, who will learn and educate themselves towards situations and conditions we all face from day to day, and boldly be able to deal with them, solve some of them and sidestep most of them and be on the right roads to success or improvement, with respect for others and receive respect from others. There are things which we know and have to do and yet we fumble with how, and what to get them done, because we think that we can do it without using instructions, or forget by not using the guidelines. So we need the reminder to remember not to forget to "Place Yourself" at the top, the middle, or the bottom but don't stay there.VICKLYN GUILLAME GRANT was born in Grenada West Indies in 1954. She traveled from afar to live the purpose God has planned for her life. For many years she lived in New York City where she manifested her greatest dreams. She accomplished many business ventures. Vickie started building her faith has a child. Vickie has a strong spiritual background in God. She moved to the USA where she completed her education. Vicklyn is a proud mother of five kids her daughter Perline, Janelle, Tiffany, and two sons Brandon, and Kevin Guillame. Vickie is a beacon of light to many people. She is a big donor to her community. Vickie is a firm believer in allowing God to direct her life. She expresses throughout her daily lifestyle that perseverance is a key to become successful.

Do Not Be Deceived is a redemptive-historical, presuppositional-apologetical Christian Worldview response to the three perspectives of the Gay Theological Worldview (Liberal, Evangelical, and Queer). It addresses the flawed epistemological foundation, as well as the hermeneutical errors, of this growing movement and provides a thorough exegesis of the relevant Biblical texts on human sexuality.

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.

J. C. Ryle's classic guide for Christians, wherein he outlines the principles of sin, sanctification, spiritual growth and the importance of Christ is published here complete. The spiritual excellence displayed in J. C. Ryle's writings cannot be underestimated: a lengthy introduction tells us the seven aspirations which Ryle holds when teaching his fellow Christian. Delving into great detail to explain each aim, and supporting his statements by citing scripture, the author displays an impressive devotion both to the Lord and to all believers who choose to read his words. Moses is identified as being foremost among God's saints, standing among the best examples of men ever lived. His surrender of a high ranked position, his abstentious attitude to worldly pleasures and wealth, and his opting for an ascetic life full of hardships and pain in service of the Lord are mentioned. Moses' followers were despised by others, yet he took up and ultimately proved their cause.

To date, constructive theology hasn't been viewed or conceptualized as a movement or trend in theology on its own as a whole. Questions arise as to what constructive theology is, where it came from, why it considers itself "constructive," and why constructive is something different from the ways in which theology has been done in the past. This book traces the overall historical arc of constructive theology, from proto-movement through the present. Inklings of constructive theology emerged well before it began to take any formalized shape. At the same time, an important shift occurred when a group of theologians decided to create the Workgroup on Constructive Theology. Further, even as the workgroup continues to work collectively, producing textbooks, statements, and methodologies concerning theology, many theologians who are not part of the workgroup or may not even know it exists have adopted the moniker of "constructive theologian." The book also considers the term "constructive" itself, offering possible reasons and historical contexts that led to this distinction being made in contrast to "systematic" theology and its subcategories. Constructive theology speaks to a very specific, historically situated emergence in the academy generally and in theology's attempts to engage those shifts specifically.

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.