Not every Christian needs to go to seminary, but there are certain teachings of the Bible that every Christian should know. Whether you're a relatively new believer in Jesus or a mature Christian looking for a better understanding of basics of the faith, Christian Beliefs is for you.

This readable guide to twenty basic Christian beliefs condenses Wayne Grudem's award-winning book Systematic Theology, prized by pastors and teachers everywhere. He and his son, pastor Elliot Grudem, have boiled down the essentials of theology for everyday Christians and made them both clear and applicable to life. Each brief chapter concludes with questions for personal review or group discussion.

In this revised and updated edition of Christian Beliefs, you will learn about:

• The Bible and its authority for our lives
• The characteristics of God
• The importance of prayer
• Angels and the reality of spiritual warfare
• What it means that we are created in the image of God
• What God has done for us in Christ
• The purpose of the church
• What will happen when Christ returns
• The biblical understanding of heaven
• And much more

Christian Beliefs is the ideal book for every Christian who wants a solid foundation for understanding the most basic and essential teachings of the Bible.

You are alive right now for a reason--your purpose predestined for such a time as this. As the world slips deeper into darkness, most Christians feel stuck, powerless to effect change. Yet changing the world--your world--starts with you, right where you are, with a heart full of fire for Jesus. Grounded in biblical teaching and drawing from his own renewal experiences, pastor and revivalist Glen Berteau emboldens you to get fed up with the ineffectual status quo, showing you how to * ignite the supernatural power God has placed in you * be filled up with the Holy Spirit * get fired up for what God can do through you * see beyond your current circumstance * and live a faith without limits You're a Kingdom weapon, energized by God's mighty power and forged to stand strong for what you believe, tear down strongholds, eradicate hatred and bring dead things to life. You are chosen to change the world. "Jesus calls passionate followers. My dear friend Glen Berteau provides a necessary spark for those growing indifferent toward their faith and needing revival."--JOHN BEVERE, bestselling author and minister; cofounder, Messenger International

God, as depicted in popular evangelical literature, is loving and friendly, described in heartfelt, often saccharine prose evocative of nostalgia, comfortable domesticity, and familial love. This emotional appeal is a widely-adopted strategy of the writers most popular among American evangelicals, including such high-profile pastors as Max Lucado, Rick Warren, and Joel Osteen. Todd M. Brenneman offers an in-depth examination of this previously unexplored aspect of American evangelical identity: sentimentality, which aims to produce an emotional response by appealing to readers' notions of familial relationships, superimposed on their relationship with God. Brenneman argues that evangelicals use sentimentality to establish authority in the public sphere-authority that is, by its emotional nature, unassailable by rational investigation. Evangelicals also deploy sentimentality to try to bring about change in society, though, as Brenneman shows, the sentimental focus on individual emotion and experience can undermine the evangelical agenda. Sentimentality not only allows evangelicals to sidestep intellectual questioning, but sets the stage for doctrinal change as well as weakening the evangelical vision of transforming society into the kingdom of God.

The second of three volumes devoted to Wesley s theological writings contains two major sets of material. The first set (edited by Paul Chilcote) contains writings throughout Wesley s ministry devoted to defense of the doctrine of Christian perfection, including "A Plain Account of Christian Perfection." The second set (edited by Kenneth Collins) collects Wesley s various treatises focused on predestination and related issues, often in direct debate with Calvinist writers, including "Predestination Calmly Considered."