John Wesley is one of the most enigmatic religious figures in the eighteenth century, this "Guide for the Perplexed" will identify some of the key factors contributing to this perplexity and aid students in their understanding.Arguably the most significant religious figure in eighteenth century England, John Wesley presents a variety of challenges for students. As anyone familiar with both the stereotypes and the scholarship related to Wesley knows, tricky interpretive questions abound. Was Wesley a conservative, high church Tory or a revolutionary proto-democrat or even proto-Marxist politically? Was Wesley a modern rationalist obsessed with the epistemology of religious belief or a late medieval style thinker who believed in demonic possession and supernatural healing? Was Wesley primarily a pragmatic evangelist or a serious theologian committed to the long-haul work of catechesis, initiation, and formation? Was Wesley most deeply formed by Eastern Orthodoxy, German Pietism, or his own native Anglicanism? Finally, was a particular conception of the relationship between faith and works or a robust Trinitarian view of the Christian life the orienting concern of Wesley's theological vision?Despite more than two centuries of scholarly reflection on Wesley's life and work, leading historians still agree on one thing: John Wesley is an elusive, enigmatic figure. Fortunately, recent developments in the study of the long eighteenth century have shed new light on many aspects of Wesley's life and work.

This volume deals with the intellectual Huguenot Refuge (ca 1680-1780), discussing its philosophical, theological, historical, and literary aspects in European context. It uses Berlin as its regional point of departure: In the French-Protestant community of Berlin, the erudites rapidly established networks which pursued a very wide range of interest, communicating with every Protestant scholar who might contribute to the dissemination of Enlightened thought. The first part of the book, therefore, introduces the biggest and most complex centre of the "Refuge" in Germany. Whereas the second and third part examine different fields of knowledge, the fourth focusses on the topic of dissemination. All contributions present new material-be it on 'Huguenot' hermeneutics, journalism, history, or on the relationship between Berlin and the United Provinces. Contributors include: Lutz Danneberg, Joris van Eijnatten, Herbert Jaumann, John Christian Laursen, Fabrizio Lomonaco, Martin Mulsow, Fiammetta Palladini, Sandra Pott, and Annett Volmer.

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

Primarily written for Latter-day Saints, "An Esoteric Approach to Mormonism" is not simply a logistical essay on Mormon doctrine. It is an investigation into the miraculous Atonement and its infinite possibilities. It is a penetrating exploration into holiness and what that actually means. "An Esoteric Approach to Mormonism" explains the very essence of exaltation, delivering in variegated brush strokes a majestic portrait of God, His mercy, and the ineffable stability of justice. The intention of the book is to unfold the realities of salvation through the Atonement of Jesus the Christ by elaborately defining, and in some instances, redefining the doctrines which surround the New and Everlasting Covenant. "An Esoteric Approach to Mormonism" is a sincere effort designed to assist the reader in recognizing the practical as much as the ethereal in the restored gospel. It is a step by step walk through the ordinances describing their purpose, and their effects, while demonstrating their legitimacy and divine origins. -Martin Shaw

'To endure the hardships of the frontier took more than a determined pioneer spirit. It required a faith that everything would work out for the best-that something more was to come other than the meager crops they scratched out of the earth."-from "The Minutes of Salem Baptist Church"Salem Baptist Church was one of the small pioneer churches that nurtured that faith. Located near Birchwood, Tennessee, Salem Baptist Church led the community in the midst of its physical hardships from 1835 to 1941. Through the Civil War, Reconstruction, the migration of its members to Texas for cheap land, the turn of the century, and later, the depression, the small church led its community in faith.The minutes and supporting research provide not only a unique history of the families in the community, but also a unique genealogical record of over 175 families told through church action and membership records. Join Daniel Lee Roark on his journey through the history of this small pioneer church in East Tennessee. Experience the coming together of these families, turning to the Lord in difficult circumstances.

Faith, Reason, and Revelation in the Thought of Theodore Beza investigates the direction of religious epistemology under a chief architect of the Calvinistic tradition (1519-1605). Mallinson contends that Beza defended and consolidated his tradition by balancing the subjective and objective aspects of faith and knowledge. He makes use of newly published primary sources and long-neglected biblical annotations in order to clarify the thought of an often misunderstood individual from intellectual history.

The Oxford History of Anglicanism is a major new and unprecedented international study of the identity and historical influence of one of the world's largest versions of Christianity. This global study of Anglicanism from the sixteenth century looks at how was Anglican identity constructed and contested at various periods since the sixteenth century; and what was its historical influence during the past six centuries. It explores not just the ecclesiastical and theological aspects of global Anglicanism, but also the political, social, economic, and cultural influences of this form of Christianity that has been historically significant in western culture, and a burgeoning force in non-western societies today. The chapters are written by international experts in their various historical fields which includes the most recent research in their areas, as well as original research. The series forms an invaluable reference for both scholars and interested non-specialists. Volume one of The Oxford History of Anglicanism examines a period when the nature of 'Anglicanism' was still heavily contested. Rather than merely tracing the emergence of trends that we associate with later Anglicanism, the contributors instead discuss the fluid and contested nature of the Church of England's religious identity in these years, and the different claims to what should count as 'Anglican' orthodoxy. After the introduction and narrative chapters explain the historical background, individual chapters then analyse different understandings of the early church and church history; variant readings of the meaning of the royal supremacy, the role of bishops and canon law, and cathedrals; the very diverse experiences of religion in parishes, styles of worship and piety, church decoration, and Bible usage; and the competing claims to 'Anglican' orthodoxy of puritanism, 'avant-garde conformity' and Laudianism. Also analysed are arguments over the Church of England's confessional identity and its links with the foreign Reformed Churches, and the alternative models provided by English Protestant activities in Ireland, Scotland and North America. The reforms of the 1640s and 1650s are included in their own right, and the volume concludes that the shape of the Restoration that emerged was far from inevitable, or expressive of a settled 'Anglican' identity.

This volume is a comprehensive collection of articles on Bunyan as well as including several broader views of the Nonconformist tradition.

One of the most significant developments within contemporary American Christianity, especially among younger evangelicals, is a groundswell of interest in the Reformed tradition. In Reformed Resurgence, Brad Vermurlen provides a comprehensive sociological account of this phenomenon - known as New Calvinism - and what it entails for the broader evangelical landscape in the United States. Vermurlen develops a new theory for understanding how conservative religion can be strong and thrive in the hypermodern Western world. His paradigm uses and expands on strategic action field theory, a recent framework proposed for the study of movements and organizations that has rarely been applied to religion. This approach to religion moves beyond market dynamics and cultural happenstance and instead shows how religious strength can be fought for and won as the direct result of religious leaders' strategic actions and conflicts. But the battle comes at a cost. For the same reasons conservative Calvinistic belief is experiencing a resurgence, present-day American evangelicalism has turned in on itself. Vermurlen argues that in the end, evangelicalism in the United States consists of pockets of subcultural and local strength within the "cultural entropy" of secularization, as religious meanings and coherence fall apart.

This study of recruitment to the ministry of the Church of England in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries overturns many long-standing assumptions about the education and backgrounds of the clergy in late HanoverianEngland and Wales. This study of recruitment to the ministry of the Church of England in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries overturns many long-standing assumptions about the education and backgrounds of the clergy in late HanoverianEngland and Wales. It offers insights into the nature and development of the profession generally and into the role that individual bishops played in shaping the staffing of their dioceses. In its exploration of how it was possible for boys of relatively humble social origins to be promoted into the pulpits of the established Church, it throws light on mechanisms of social mobility and shows how aspirant clergy went about fashioning a credible social andprofessional identity. By examining how would be clergymen were educated and professionally formed, the book shows that, alongside the well-known route through the universities, there was an alternative route via specialist grammar schools. Prospective ordinands might also seek out clerical tutors to help them to study for the academic parts of ordination exams and to prepare for the spiritual and pastoral aspects of their role. These alternativemethods of ordination preparation were sometimes under the cognizance of bishops, and occasionally under their control, but they were generally authored by parish clergy and were small-scale, self-supporting, bottom-up solutions to the needs of upcoming generations of clergy. This book has much to interest historians of religion, culture, class and education, and illustrates how in-depth prosopographical study can offer fresh perspectives. SARA SLINN is Research Fellow at the School of History & Heritage, University of Lincoln.

An accessible and academic reading of the doctrine of justification by faith. It is often assumed that the Reformation taught justification by faith as if there was a monolithic view of the doctrine. Since We Are Justified By Faith is a collection of important essays that dispel this myth, demonstrating the diverse theologies of that period. Experts in the field, including Cameron MacKenzie, Aaron OKelly, Jeff Fisher, Kirk MacGregor, Mary Patton Baker, Karin Spiecker Stetina, David Hall, Bonnie Pattison, Timothy Shaun Price, Andre Gazal, and Chris Ross, write on the theologies of Luther, Melanchthon, Oecolampadius, Marpeck, Calvin, and the English reformers to give a nuanced reading of the doctrine in sixteenth-century Protestant theology.

Balthasar Hubmaier remains one of the most significant figures in the radical reformation of the sixteenth century. A Pledge of Love is close and thorough examination of Hubmaiers view of the sacraments within the context of worship. This ground-breaking work examines the distinctive theology of this important Anabaptist and his possible influence upon others.

Exploring the parameters of the African Methodist Episcopal Church's dual existence as evangelical Christians and as children of Ham, this book explains how the denomination relies on the rhetoric of evangelicalism and heathenism to construct an identity. A. Nevell Owens shows how the Voice of Mission, the missionary newspaper of the church, played an integral role in the definition of the denomination as evangelical vis-a-vis the "heathen African." By looking at the Voice of Mission as a primary source document, this book further examines the extent to which the African Methodist Episcopal Church affectively lived out its existence in two different worlds that were more often than not diametrically opposed to each other.

Mormon studies is one of the fastest-growing subfields in religious studies. For this volume, Terryl Givens and Philip Barlow, two leading scholars of Mormonism, have brought together 45 of the top scholars in the field to construct a collection of essays that offers a comprehensive overview of scholarship on Mormons. The book begins with a section on Mormon history, perhaps the most well-developed area of Mormon studies. Chapters in this section deal with questions ranging from how Mormon history is studied in the university to the role women have played throughout Mormon history. Other sections examine revelation and scripture, church structure and practice, theology, society, and culture. The final two sections look at Mormonism in a larger context. The authors examine Mormon expansion across the globe-focusing on Mormonism in Latin America, the Pacific, Europe, and Asia-in addition to the interaction between Mormonism and other social systems, such as law, politics, and other faiths. Bringing together an unprecedented body of scholarship in the field of Mormon studies, The Oxford Handbook of Mormonism will be an invaluable resource for those within the field, as well as for people studying the broader, ever-changing American religious landscape.

This series of four volumes honors the lifetime achievements of the distinguished activist and scholar Elise Boulding (1920-2010) on the occasion of her 95th birthday. This first anthology documents the breadth of Elise Boulding's contributions to Peace Research, Peacemaking, Feminism, Future Studies, and Sociology of the Family. Known as the "matriarch" of the twentieth century peace research movement, she made significant contributions in the fields of peace education, future studies, feminism, and sociology of the family, and as a prominent leader in the peace movement and the Society of Friends.