This book reveals whether there is a temple in heaven and what its purpose is. Christ is revealed as our High Priest who intercedes for us. This is the heart of the Seventh-day Adventist message. Issues addressed include: Can we be sure there is a real temple in heaven? What is the purpose of this temple? When does the judgement start? Do we need to keep the Ten Commandments? Should we observe a literal Sabbath? And much more. The heavenly sanctuary reveals Jesus who ever intercedes for us (Hebrews 7:25). ""An extremely thorough, engaging presentation of the framework of Seventh-day Adventist beliefs."" - Kirkus Review

Brigham Young and Thomas L. Kane first met on the plains of western Iowa in 1846 The Mormon prophet and the Philadelphia reformer would go on to exchange more than one hundred letters over the next three decades. This annotated collection of their correspondence reveals a great deal about these two remarkable men, while also providing crucial insight into nineteenth-century Mormonism and the historical moment in which the movement developed. Until his death in 1877, Young guided the religious, economic, and political life of the Mormon community, whose settlements spread throughout the West and provoked a profound political, legal, and even military confrontation with the American nation. Young relied on Kane, 21 years his junior, as his most trusted outside adviser, making Kane the most important non-Mormon in the history of the Church. In return, no one influenced the direction of Kane's life more than Young. The surviving letters offer crucial insights into Young's personal life and views as well as his actions as a political and religious leader. The correspondence reveals the strategies of the Latter-day Saints in relating to American culture and government during these crucial years when the "Mormon Question" was a major political, cultural, and legal issue. The letters also shed important light on the largely forgotten "Utah War" of 1857-58, triggered when President James Buchanan dispatched a military expedition to ensure federal supremacy in Utah and replace Young with a non-Mormon governor. The Prophet and the Reformer offers a complete reproduction of the exchange between Young and Kane, and provides an introduction to each letter that contextualizes and analyzes it.

Including a Foreword by The Rt Revd Dr Graham Tomlin, this volume examines the theology and practice of baptism. It contains a narrative introduction that highlights the different approaches taken to baptism, and the various issues that come with them. The volume also covers how the changing cultural context within Britain has influenced responses to baptism. At the heart of the book is a detailed examination of the theme of covenant running through the Bible and how this shapes its understanding of baptism. Gordon Kuhrt and his son Stephen explore several controversial issues associated with baptism. Believing in Baptism contains an in-depth discussion of the sacramental issues surrounding baptismal 'efficacy', for instance, as well as infant or family baptism. The authors also examine the 'Baptist' view, discrimination in Baptism and the issue of 'Rebaptism'. Finally, they consider the issue of 'Baptism and its Completion?', and make practical recommendations on the ways in which baptism should be taught and lived in the local church.

Negotiating Respect is an ethnographically rich investigation of Pentecostal Christianity-the Caribbean's fastest growing religious movement-in the contemporary Dominican Republic. Within the context of urban poverty in a barrio of Villa Altagracia, Brendan Jamal Thornton considers the role of religious identity in the lives of young male churchgoers who navigate conversion as a transformative means of status acquisition, authority, and transition out of gang life. Thornton shows that conversion offers both spiritual and practical social value because it provides a strategic avenue for prestige and an acceptable way to transcend personal history.