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Books > Christianity > Protestantism & Protestant Churches
Virulent anti-Catholicism was a hallmark of New England society
from the first Puritan settlements to the eve of the American
Revolution and beyond. Thus America's tactical decision during the
Revolution to form alliances with Catholics in Canada and France
ignited an awkward debate. The paradox arising out of this
partnership has been left virtually unexamined by previous
historians of the Revolution.
In Necessary Virtue Charles P. Hanson explores the disruptive
effects of the American Revolution on the religious culture of New
England Protestantism. He examines the efforts of New Englanders to
make sense of their own shifting ideas of Catholicism and
anti-Catholicism and traces the "necessary virtue" of religious
toleration to its origins in pragmatic cultural politics. To some
patriots, abandoning traditional anti-Catholicism meant shedding an
obsolete relic of the intolerant colonial past; others saw it as a
temporary concession to be reversed as soon as possible. Their Tory
opponents meanwhile assailed them all as hypocrites for making
common cause with the "papists" they had so recently despised. What
began as a Protestant crusade succeeded only with Catholic help and
later culminated in the First Amendment's formal separation of
church and state. The Catholic contribution to American
independence was thus controversial from the start.
In this felicitously written and informative book, Hanson raises
questions about difference, tolerance, and the role of religious
belief in politics and government that help us see the American
Revolution in a new light. Necessary Virtue is timely in pointing
to the historical contingency and, perhaps, the fragility of the
church-state separation that is very much a poltical and legal
issue today.
From its inception the Christian Church thought of worship and
prayer in Trinitarian terms. At the heart of this Trinitarian
concept lay the doctrine of the priesthood of Christ, which in its
liturgical expression, presented Christ not merely as the object of
prayer, but also as its mediator - prayers were directed to the
Father through Christ.;The author traces the idea of the priesthood
of Christ, and its effects on Christian worship and prayer, to its
origins with the earliest Christians and through the Arian and
Apollinarian debates. He then focuses on the Reformed tradition,
and the influences of John Calvin, John Knox, John Craig, John
McLeod Campbell, William Milligan, Theodore Beza, William Perkins,
federal theology and the Westminster tradition, through to the
present day.;The book is a history of an important doctrine, but it
also shows in a remarkable way how the doctrinal struggles within
the church have been reflected in the actual worshipping life of
the church and how they continue to be reflected today.;Redding
concludes with a number of key affirmations for a reformed
understanding of prayer and also a critique of some modern
tendencies and practices in the church.
In 1786, the Reverend James MacGregor (1759-1830) was dispatched
across the North Atlantic to establish a dissenting Presbyterian
church in Pictou, Nova Scotia. The decision dismayed MacGregor, who
had hoped for a post in the Scottish Highlands. Yet it led to a
remarkable career in what was still the backwoods of colonial North
America. Industrious and erudite, MacGregor established the
progressive Pictou Academy, opposed slavery, and promoted
scientific education, agriculture, and industry. Poet and
translator, fluent in nine languages, he encouraged the
preservation of the Gaelic language and promoted Scottish culture
in Nova Scotia. Highland Shepherd finally bestows on MacGregor the
recognition that he so richly deserves. Alan Wilson brings
MacGregor and his surroundings to life, detailing his numerous
achievements and establishing his importance to the social,
religious, and intellectual history of the Maritimes.
Pentecostalism is the fastest growing religious movement of our
time. The unexpected birth of the modern-day Pentecostal movement
at the doorsteps of the twentieth century is as perplexing as its
continuing existence and unprecedented expansion worldwide. Once
marginalized from public discourse, Pentecostals have entered into
mainstream culture, religion, politics, academia, and social
action. However, the unprecedented growth of Pentecostalism in all
its diversity has led to characterizations ripe with platitudes,
stereotypes, and misrepresentations. This Guide for the Perplexed
sheds light on the most persistent contrasts characterizing the
Pentecostal movement: the tension between local manifestations and
global Pentecostalism, the inconsistency between spiritual
discernment and charismatic excess, the gap between rampant
denominationalism and the pursuit of Christian unity, the disparity
between poverty among many Pentecostals and the popularity of the
prosperity gospel, the division between Oneness Pentecostals and
their trinitarian counterparts, and the worldview of Pentecostals
beyond the confines of a religious movement. Those tensions form
the essence of global Pentecostalism and represent the emergence of
a global Christian world.
Korea has had a miraculous history of Christian church growth. But
it came at a price of much suffering, death, persecution, and
hardship. Korean Church history of modern times has been
intertwined with American history, such as involving World War 2,
and American church politics, such as the Fundamentalist Debate of
early 1900s. In this biography of a key figure in Korean Church
history, Rev. Sang-Dong Han (the founder of the Korean Presbyterian
Church in Korea, Koshin, denomination), Rev. Koon Sik Shim, a
personal friend of Rev. Sang-Dong Han and person who also
experienced various stages of Korean history as "a living witness"
recounts the life and work of Rev. Sang-Dong Han. This book is a
"must have" for all those who are interested in Korean history and
learning how it relates to American and world church history.
For at least the past two decades, international Anglicanism has
been gripped by a crisis of identity: what is to be the dynamic
between autonomy and interdependence? Where is authority to be
located? How might the local relate to the international? How are
the variously diverse national churches to be held together 'in
communion'? "A Still More Excellent Way" presents a comprehensive
account of the development and nature of metropolitical authority
and the place of the 'province' within Anglican polity, with an
emphasis on the contemporary question of how international
Anglicanism is to be imagined and take shape. The first
comprehensive historical examination of the development of
metropolitical authority and provincial polity within international
Anglicanism, the book offers hope to those wearied by the deadlock
and frustration around questions of authority which have dogged
Anglicanism.
The Anglican Communion is in turmoil. One of the great historic
pillars of Christianity, embraced by 70 million people in 164
countries, faces the real and immediate possibility of dismberment,
as the spectre of schism looms ever closer. Yet why is gay
sexuality the tinderbox that could rip the Anglican Communion
apart, and put an end to a century-old and hugely-prized
international unity, when such contentious issues as the ordination
of women, or unity discussions with other churches, failed to cause
a split? In answering this question, Stephen Bates will show that
unity has been coveted by some above integrity, and has been the
cause of vicious infighting and internal politics. In the run-up to
publication of A Church At War the author will be in the front
line, as he files regular reports on the twists and turns of
battle. His eagerly awaited book will be the only one to assess the
current state and historical context of the row, the strengths and
weaknesses of the protagonists' positions, and the tactics that
they are employing to win the day. A Church At War promises
compelling insights into a power struggle between factions
seemingly united only by their mutual antipathy, and conducted,
paradoxically, in the name of true communion.'
Is the longevity of the Catholic Church what Rome says it is? Were
Christ's Apostles the original Catholics? Did Mary the mother of
Jesus really help her Son to redeem mankind? Was the Gospel Jesus
left to His disciples incomplete and in need of many additions to
perfect it? This book, written by a convert from Catholicism to
biblical Christianity, puts the chief claims and doctrines of the
Catholic religion under the divine light of God's Word; searches
for them in the halls of history; combs through the writings of
apostolic fathers for evidence of their veracity.
Chapter by chapter, Scripture by Scripture, the facade of
holiness and patristic authority is peeled away, and the true
apostate nature of Catholicism is exposed. For evangelical
Christians, this work is a gold mine of information about Catholic
doctrines and how to deal with the deeply embedded beliefs of those
who call themselves Roman Catholics. To the devout Catholic, this
book will be either a source of enduring anger, or a bright neon
arrow pointing to the eternal, soul-saving Word of God.
The Southern Baptist published beliefs from the years 1833 through
2000 and particularly as adopted by the Southern Baptist
Convention, 14 June 2000 are reviewed. The questions are asked; "As
published do they clearly show the plan of salvation?" and "does
the average Southern Baptist know and understand them?" If not,
they represent some type of tool for the leadership who in some
instances seem to show an almost pathological dedication to them,
even overshadowing the Scriptures. (They are "a witness to the
world." Baptist Faith and Message 2000, p. 3) The Baptist Faith
& Message Statement has always created controversy. The one
from the year 2000 created the most, however, not nearly as much as
Jesus created. Even Calvin (1509-1564) noted, "Tumult and unrest
often accompany the true proclamation of God's word." (Shepherds
Notes, Calvins Institutes, Broadman and Holman Publishers, 1998
p.14) These conclusions have come from discussions and written
reviews by senior Baptists, some who have, at least
psychologically, left the Southern Baptist Convention. I am
reminded of the words of Paul, "I am debtor to the barbarians; and
both to the wise and unwise." (Romans 1:14) There is no doubt in my
mind that if Christ were to return in this century as He did 2000
years ago He would be crucified again; this time probably by
Baptists instead of the Jews. Major issues will be discussed.
Baptists have always had the right to discuss and compare their
beliefs. I can clearly remember my father, who was the best true
Christian that I have ever known saying, "Son, I am a Southern
Baptist because I believe they are closer to what the Bible teaches
than anyone else." This book is really 18 books in one. It reviews
many "big" current religious issues including: refuting the concept
of the original sin, clarification of predestination, what is truth
(The question Pilate asked Jesus and did not wait for an answer),
the Philosophy of War (effects of religion, pacifists, the "Just
War," Terror-Us (A new word for crime in America.), shame in our
churches, our children moving from television to video games and
further away from the Bible, the false concept and security of
Baptist in the non-biblical widespread belief of a pre-tribulation
rapture, the Biblical warnings that must happen before Christ comes
again, a description of the End of the World, and America going to
hell reading religious novels. I mentioned to a friend the
distraction of reading two novels a week instead of reading the
Bible. The answer, " I don't care, I'm going to read them." This is
a classic example of the addiction of reading novels and their
substitution as an idol. No one will be Left Behind. Everyone will
either be flown to Heaven or thrown into Hell.
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