The Ten Commandments need no introduction. In fact, we probably think we know all there is to know about these divine dos and don'ts. But as this imaginative and vivid account reveals, there is a lot more to this ancient biblical code than Moses and Mount Sinai. Situating the Ten Commandments within the context of modern America, prominent historian and engaging story-teller Jenna Weissman Joselit takes the reader from Indian burial mounds in 19th-century Ohio to the sand dunes of 1920s California and into the civic squares of the 1950s to reveal the centrality of the Ten Commandments to the nation's identity. Rich in incident and story and inhabited by a lively cast of characters whose ranks include forgers and filmmakers, architects and archaeologists, ordinary citizens and politicians, this book compels us to take another look at the Ten Commandments and see them afresh. Through a series of deftly-rendered vignettes, this compelling account recasts the cultural impact of the Ten Commandments in American society not as a legal code or theological imperative, but as a physical, material, and visual phenomenon. We come away with the understanding that they are not cast in stone but a fertile repository of American history.

"It's not a process," one pastor insisted, "rehabilitation is a miracle." In the face of addiction and few state resources, Pentecostal pastors in Guatemala City are fighting what they understand to be a major crisis. Yet the treatment centers they operate produce this miracle of rehabilitation through extraordinary means: captivity. These men of faith snatch drug users off the streets, often at the request of family members, and then lock them up inside their centers for months, sometimes years. Hunted is based on more than ten years of fieldwork among these centers and the drug users that populate them. Over time, as Kevin Lewis O'Neill engaged both those in treatment and those who surveilled them, he grew increasingly concerned that he, too, had become a hunter, albeit one snatching up information. This thoughtful, intense book will reframe the arc of redemption we so often associate with drug rehabilitation, painting instead a seemingly endless cycle of hunt, capture, and release.

In an age when the church is sometimes viewed as irrelevant and inauthentic, leading Pentecostal theologian Terry Cross calls the people of God to a radical change of structure and mission based on theological principles. Cross, whose work is respected by scholars from across the ecumenical landscape, offers an introduction to ecclesiology that demonstrates how Pentecostals can contribute to and learn from the church catholic. A forthcoming volume by the author, Serving the People of God's Presence, will focus on the role of leadership in the church.

Mr Brown has written an assessment of the Evangelical revival in the Church of England at the beginning of the nineteenth century. He makes a number of important points about the Evangelicals: who they were, what they tried to do, how they tried to do it, and what success they had. He establishes how much they made the later Victorian age what it was and also suggest how the movement came to lose its hold on the foremost minds if the age in the third generation. This is a most extraordinary and brilliant introduction to the change of mind between two ages, and it is as interesting to the student of literature and the general reader as to the historian. What real part was played by Wilberforce and the Clapham sect? How is it that the time of Jane Austen is noticeably more refined than that of Fielding, and the age of George Eliot even more so? All these questions are answered in Mr Brown's book; a dazzling performance, and an enlightening one.

This is an important book written by Pete Beck Jr. for the perilous times in which we Christians find ourselves. The maturing of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ is what is happening and is absolutely paramount to the Holy Spirit. It will not happen without mature and spiritual leaders. He wants to make it a truly apostolic church going forward with apostolic doctrine to win the nations. Apostles in the other five-fold ministry gifts, prophets, evangelistics, pastors and teachers are being raised up as never before across the world. They are being raised up as a team. The Bible is clear that satan will attempt to produce false apostles to weaken or mislead the church. Many do not seem to even understand the principles of God laid out in the Scriptures. Ambition and a love for money and recognition dominate some who claim to be apostles. When speaking to the church at Ephesus, the risen Christ commended them for discerning those who were true apostles and rejecting those who proved false.

What Faith Is teaches believers how to lay hold of the desires of hope and bring them into the realm of reality.

Shaker Fancy Goods tells the story of the Shaker Sisters of the nineteenth and early twentieth century who responded to the economic perils of the Industrial Revolution by inventing a lucrative industry of their own-Fancy Goods, a Victorian term for small adorned household objects made by women for women. Thanks to their work ethic, business savvy, and creativity, the tireless Shaker Sisters turned a seemingly modest trade into the economic engine that sustained their communal way of life, just as the men were abandoning the sect for worldly employment. Relying on journals and church family records that give voice to the plainspoken accounts of the sisters themselves, the book traces the work they did to establish their principal revenue streams, from designing the products, to producing them by hand (and later by machine, when they could do so without compromising quality) to bringing their handcrafts to market. Photographs, painstakingly gathered over years of research from museums and private collections, present the best examples of these fancy goods. Fancy goods include the most modest and domestic of items, like the pen wipes that the Sisters shaped into objects such as dolls, mittens, and flowers; or the emeries, pincushions, and needle books lovingly made back in an era when more than a minimal competency in sewing was expected in women; to more substantial purchases like the Dorothy cloaks that were in demand among fashionable women of the world; or the heavy rib-knitted sweaters, cardigans, and pullovers that became popular items among college boys and adventurous women.

Three evil powers have joined forces to deceive you, rob you and imprison you in religious structures. It's time to fight back. For years a controlling Jezebel spirit has seduced the unsuspecting, even in the Church. Now the destructive forces of her daughter, Athaliah, and Delilah are becoming evident as well. The joining together of this "threefold cord" is the enemy's secret weapon--and it is gaining alarming momentum against believers. This is no time for fear; it is time for action. God wants to provide His people with wisdom and anointing to expose and defeat these destructive spirits. An outpouring of godly expansion and growth awaits all who seek His direction. Discover how to break free of the confinement of old generational cycles and gain a stronger foothold in your stand against evil. Learn to discern and defeat the plans of the enemy against you. Join the battle and claim your righteous destiny through greater revelation and divine prayer strategy. "The truths found within this book will set the reader free to live a victorious Christian life and fulfill his or her destiny."--from the foreword by Dr. Bill Hamon, bishop, Christian International Apostolic Network (CIAN); author, The Day of the Saints "This book will help pastors, leaders and saints who long to move into the fullness of their destiny and inheritance. I highly recommend this book."--Barbara Yoder, senior pastor, Shekinah Christian Church; apostolic leader, Breakthrough Apostolic Ministries Network "This book not only opened my eyes to how these diabolical spirits attack and devour our destinies, but it gives awesome scriptural principles and prayers for casting down their strongholds for eternity."--Dr. Gary L.Greenwald, apostle, Eagle's Nest Ministries "A masterpiece that will help believers defeat the networking of the spirits of Jezebel, Athaliah and Delilah. I highly recommend this book for all who want to live the victorious life promised by Jesus!"--Barbara Wentroble, founder, International Breakthrough Ministries; author, Prophetic Intercession and Praying with Authority Sandie Freed and her husband, Mickey, are the founders and directors of Zion Ministries. She is an ordained prophetess with Christian International and travels extensively, ministering deliverance and life transformation to God's people. She is the author of four books, including Destiny Thieves and Strategies from Heaven's Throne.

The spiritual text that forms the basis of Mormonism?in the last edition edited by its founder, Joseph Smith, Jr.
"THE BOOK OF MORMON" is one of the most influential? as well as controversial?religious documents in American history, and is regarded as sacred scripture by followers around the world, including members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the fourth-largest religious body in the United States. According to Mormon belief, "The Book of Mormon" was inscribed on golden plates by ancient prophets. I t contains stories of ancient peoples migrating from the Near East to the Americas, and also explains that Jesus Christ appeared to the New World after his resurrection. The golden plates were discovered in upstate New York and translated by Joseph Smith, Jr., under the guidance of an angel, Moroni. From this divine revelation, Smith founded the Mormon sect, which is now comprised of more than 12.5 million members worldwide.

The history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' temple doctrine begins in 1823, when the angel Moroni teaches Joseph Smith of the ancient prophet Elijah's mission. Following the restoration of the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods in 1829 and the conferral of priesthood keys through other divine messengers in 1836, temple ordinances were introduced through Joseph Smith. After Smith's death in 1844, Brigham Young refined the rituals according to Smith's instructions, administered new ordinances, and suspended others as the Church and circumstances evolved. In 1894, the prophet Wilford Woodruff received a revelation regarding generational family sealings that would resolve unsettled issues and establish modern temple worship. Over the seventy-one years following Smith's introduction to Elijah's mission, Woodruff was a witness to and catalyst in the implementation of temple ordinances and practices. His experiences in Kirtland and Nauvoo prepared him to receive additional revelations regarding temple worship. Through the years he continued the pattern of seeking revelation in order to clarify rites and effect changes based on practical experience. Jennifer Mackley's meticulously researched biographical narrative chronicles the development of temple doctrine through the examination of Wilford Woodruff's personal life. The account unfolds in Woodruff's own words, drawn from primary sources including journals, discourses, and letters. It follows Woodruff's experiences and perspectives on decisions made by Smith, Young, and John Taylor in relation to the temple ceremonies and ordinances during their tenures as leaders of the church. The book explores how Woodruff came to firmly believe in revelation and the role of prophets but not expect perfection in either. Ultimately, the narrative emphasizes the personal side of Woodruff's historically significant life, conveying the depth of his sacrifices for his beliefs, the importance he placed on the redemption of his extended family-both living and dead-and the impact this level of focus had on his daily pursuits. Mackley elucidates the doctrine's sixty-year progression from Old Testament practices of washings and anointings in the 1830s, to the endowment, sealings, and priesthood adoptions in the 1840s, through all of the vicarious ordinances for the dead in the 1870s, to the sealing of multigenerational families in the 1890s-all in a user-friendly reference work for members of the LDS church and anyone else interested in its history and development. Her narrative is enhanced by 120 archival images (some previously unpublished), as well as extensive footnotes and citations for the reader's further study. Many existing books discuss specific temple ordinances, but the complete history of all temple ordinances has never been included in a single volume-until now.

Of the thirty-seven million Latinos living in the United States, nearly five million declare themselves to be either Pentecostal or Charismatic, and more convert every day. "Latino Pentecostal Identity" examines the historical and contemporary rise of Pentecostalism among Latinos, their conversion from other denominations, and the difficulties involved in reconciling conflicts of ethnic and religious identity. The book also looks at how evangelical groups encourage the severing of ethnic ties in favor of spiritual community and the ambivalence Latinos face when their faith fails to protect them from racial discrimination.

Latinos are not new to Pentecostalism; indeed, they have been becoming Pentecostal for more than a hundred years. Thus several generations have never belonged to any other faith. Yet, as Arlene M. S?nchez Walsh articulates, the perception of adherents as Catholic converts persists, eliding the reality of a specific Latino Pentecostal population that both participates in the spiritual and material culture of the larger evangelical Christian movement and imprints that movement with its own experiences. Focusing on three groups of Latino Pentecostals/Charismatics -- the Assemblies of God, Victory Outreach, and the Vineyard -- S?nchez Walsh considers issues such as the commodification of Latino evangelical culture, the Latinization of Pentecostalism, and the ways in which Latino Pentecostals have differentiated themselves from the larger Latino Catholic culture. Extensive fieldwork, surveys, and personal interviews inform her research and show how, in an overwhelmingly Euro-American denomination, diverse Latino faith communities -- U.S. Chicano churches, pan--Latin American immigrant churches, and mixed Latin American and U.S. Latino churches -- have carved out their own unique religious space.

This book critically examines contemporary Pentecostalism in South Africa and its influence on some of the countries that surround it. Pentecostalism plays a significant role in the religious life of this region and so evaluating its impact is key to understanding how religion functions in Twenty-First Century Africa. Beginning with an overview of the roots of Pentecostalism in Southern Africa, the book moves on to identify a current "fourth" wave of this form of Christianity. It sets out the factors that have given rise to this movement and then offers the first academic evaluation of its theology and practice. Positive aspects as well as extreme or negative practices are all identified in order to give a balanced and nuanced assessment of this religious group and allow the reader to gain valuable insight into how it interacts with wider African society. This book is cutting-edge look at an emerging form of one of the fastest-growing religions in the world. It will, therefore, be of great use to scholars working in Pentecostalism, Theology, Religious Studies and African Religion as well as African Studies more generally.