2016 Winner of the Gospel Coalition Book Awards A friend of the late Christopher Hitchens offers insight about the promise of faith and the dangers of pride in this one-of-a-kind look into the last days of the world's most famous atheist--now in paper back. "If everyone in the United States had the same qualities of loyalty and care and concern for others that Larry Taunton had, we'd be living in a much better society than we do." ~ Christopher Hitchens At the time of his death, Christopher Hitchens was the most notorious atheist in the world. And yet, all was not as it seemed. "Nobody is not a divided self, of course," he once told an interviewer, "but I think it's rather strong in my case." Hitchens was a man of many contradictions: a Marxist in youth who longed for acceptance among the social elites; a peacenik who revered the military; a champion of the Left who was nonetheless pro-life, pro-war-on-terror, and after 9/11 something of a neocon; and while he railed against God on stage, he maintained meaningful-though largely hidden from public view-friendships with evangelical Christians like Francis Collins, Douglas Wilson, and the author Larry Alex Taunton. In The Faith of Christopher Hitchens, Taunton offers a very personal perspective of one of our most interesting and most misunderstood public figures. Writing with genuine compassion and without compromise, Taunton traces Hitchens's spiritual and intellectual development from his decision as a teenager to reject belief in God to his rise to prominence as one of the so-called "Four Horsemen" of the New Atheism. While Hitchens was, in the minds of many Christians, Public Enemy Number One, away from the lights and the cameras a warm friendship flourished between Hitchens and the author; a friendship that culminated in not one, but two lengthy road trips where, after Hitchens's diagnosis of esophageal cancer, they studied the Bible together. The Faith of Christopher Hitchens gives us a candid glimpse into the inner life of this intriguing, sometimes maddening, and unexpectedly vulnerable man. "This book should be read by every atheist and theist passionate about the truth." --Michael Shermer, publisher, Skeptic magazine

Dermot Mansfield presents a clear and vivid account of the life of John Henry Newman, a man who was subject to much misunderstanding and suspicion in the Catholic Church. Heart speaks to heart, the motto he chose when made a cardinal late in life, shows that his whole life was interwoven with a range of people, high and low, both Anglican and Catholic. This book offers a fresh perspective on Newman's life, with contemporary Church issues and questions of faith and unbelief never far from mind. Ultimately, though, it is Newman's extraordinary care for truth that is apparent throughout. This being the year of Newman's beatification by Pope Benedict XVI, it is a timely book that tells in a meaningful way the story of his long life.

Reintroducing Kenneth Silverman's Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of the most celebrated of all New England Puritans, at once a sophisticated work which succeeds admirably in presenting a complete portrait of a complex man and a groundbreaking study that accurately portrays Mather and his contemporaries as the first true American rather than European expatriates.

A bold, insightful biography of Martin Luther "[A] richly detailed portrait."-D.G. Hart, Wall Street Journal "Even-handed and engaging. . . . A nuanced portrait of Luther as a complex person of many roles."-Marilyn J. Harran, Theological Studies The sixteenth-century German friar whose public conflict with the medieval Roman Church triggered the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther was neither an unblemished saint nor a single-minded religious zealot according to this provocative new biography by Scott Hendrix. The author presents Luther as a man of his time: a highly educated scholar and teacher and a gifted yet flawed human being driven by an optimistic yet ultimately unrealized vision of "true religion." This bold, insightful account of the life of Martin Luther provides a new perspective on one of the most important religious figures in history, focusing on Luther's entire life, his personal relationships and political motivations, rather than on his theology alone. Relying on the latest research and quoting extensively from Luther's correspondence, Hendrix paints a richly detailed portrait of an extraordinary man who, while devout and courageous, had a dark side as well. No recent biography in English explores as fully the life and work of Martin Luther long before and far beyond the controversial posting of his 95 Theses in 1517, an event that will soon be celebrated as the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.

This book examines three aspects of Rolle's thinking used throughout this work: his ontology, phenomenology, and sound ecology. These facets of his work invoke both a way of understanding being in the world, an opening up of the body in queer ways to experience the divine, and a way to consider divine contemplation in terms of singing the body. Queering Richard Rolle considers how Rolle navigates queer, eremitic conduct in order to create an identity always in process

Severos, patriarch of Antioch, was one of the most important ecclesiastical figures of the first half of the sixth century, a time when the reception, or not, of the Council of Chalcedon (451) was still a matter of much dispute. As an opponent of the Council, Severos had to flee from his patriarchal see to Egypt in 518 when Justin came to the throne and imperial policy changed. Summoned by Justinian to Constantinople in 536, he won over Anthimos, the patriarch of Constantinople, but in the reaction to this unexpected turn of events, both he and Anthimos were anathematised at a synod in the capital and his writings were condemned to be burnt. Regarded as a schismatic by the Greek and Latin Church, he is commemorated as a saint in the Syrian Orthodox Church, and so it is only in Syriac translations from Greek that the majority of his voluminous writings are preserved. The first of the two biographies translated in this volume was written by Zacharias, a fellow law student in Beirut. The purpose of the work was to counter a hostile pamphlet and it happens to shed fascinating light on student life at the time; composed during Severos' own lifetime, it covers up to his election as patriarch in 512; the second biography comprises Severos' whole life, and its author, writing only shortly after Severos' death in 538, was probably a monk of the monastery of Qenneshre, on the Euphrates, a stronghold of Severos' supporters. In this volume for the Translated Texts for Historians series, the Anonymous Life of Severos is translated for the first time into English alongside a fully annotated translation of the Life of Severos by Zacharias scholastikos, all of which is preceded by an introduction providing the historical setting and background.

Presenting forty-four essays, Freedom Fighter is L. Ron Hubbard s long and unblinking look at precisely what plagues 21st century Earth the whys, wherefores, and what we can do about it. Included is Mr. Hubbard s incisive essay, Strong Voices in the Land.

D. D. Home (1833 1886), the famous spiritualist and medium, here documents the extraordinary psychic events in his life. Originally published in 1863, this is the first of two autobiographical volumes by Home, the second appearing nine years later. Home describes mysterious phenomena from his very first vision at the age of thirteen to the s ances he held for the rich and famous in England, France, Italy and Russia. He astonished his receptive audiences with startling paranormal feats including levitation. His hosts included Napoleon III, Prince Humbert (later Humbert I of Italy), Charles Darwin's cousin Sir Francis Galton, and many other celebrities and aristocrats. Interwoven with these high-profile activities, Home describes his personal life - the early death of his first wife, his subsequent financial difficulties, and his ongoing battle with tuberculosis. Incidents in My Life presents a fascinating insight into the phenomenon of spiritualism during the Victorian period.

A True-Life Thriller That Will Leave You Breathless! In the anniversary edition of this electrifying real-life story, readers are gripped from the first page by the harrowing account of a young man who risked his life to smuggle Bibles through the borders of closed nations. Now, sixty years after Brother Andrew first prayed for God's miracle protection, this expanded edition of a classic work encourages new readers to meet this remarkable man and his mission for the first time. Working undercover for God, a mission that continues to this day, has made Brother Andrew one of the all-time heroes of the faith. His narrow escapes from danger to share the love of Jesus will encourage and embolden believers in their own walks of faith.

The Irish Buddhist is the biography of an extraordinary Irish emigrant, sailor, and migrant worker who became a Buddhist monk and anti-colonial activist in early twentieth-century Asia. Born in Dublin in the 1850s, U Dhammaloka energetically challenged the values and power of the British Empire and scandalized the colonial establishment of the 1900s. He rallied Buddhists across Asia, set up schools, and argued down Christian missionaries-often using western atheist arguments. He was tried for sedition, tracked by police and intelligence services, and died at least twice. His story illuminates the forgotten margins and interstices of imperial power, the complexities of class, ethnicity and religious belonging in colonial Asia, and the fluidity of identity in the high Victorian period. Too often, the story of the pan-Asian Buddhist revival movement and Buddhism's remaking as a world religion has been told 'from above,' highlighting scholarly writers, middle-class reformers and ecclesiastical hierarchies. By turns fraught, hilarious, pioneering, and improbable, Dhammaloka's adventures 'from below' highlight the changing and contested meanings of Buddhism in colonial Asia. Through his story, authors Alicia Turner, Brian Bocking, and Laurence Cox offer a window into the worlds of ethnic minorities and diasporas, transnational networks, poor whites, and social movements. Dhammaloka's dramatic life rewrites the previously accepted story of how Buddhism became a modern global religion.

In Roland Allen: A Theology of Mission, a companion work with Roland Allen: A Missionary Life, Steven Richard Rutt completes a portrait of Roland Allen (1868-1947) in this intellectual biography. Extensive archival evidence discloses how apostolic principles formed the basis for Allen's missionary theology. Although it is well-known that Allen's hermeneutical ideas were born of Pauline principles, Steven Richard Rutt expounds the ways in which Allen's missionary experiences had profoundly impacted Allen's theological beliefs. Allen wrote about his findings in letters, sermons, articles and books, some of which were never published. Allen's writings tenaciously challenged the methodology of colonial missionary societies and exposed the causes hindering Church expansion: failures occurred in missions due to the imposition of Western missionary paternalism and institutional devolution. Allen advocated the empowerment of indigenous churches to apply the principles of self-government and self-support. He asserted the importance of the Pauline concept of 'Spirit and order', which encompasses both the doctrine of the Holy Spirit as well as that of the Church. Allen's diagnosis of the missionary situation and the proposed ways to restore apostolic order presented contemporary controversy but since his death, we have seen the importance of Allen's ideas in Mission studies grow steadily. With an expert evaluation of Allen's theological insight, Roland Allen: A Theology of Mission also offers a superb contribution to the discipline of historical theology and historical missiology as Rutt delves into a contextual assay into the missionary landscape of the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries.

What are the origins of Ottoman Islam in the 15th century? From what soil did it grow, and what nourished its development? This study follows the lives and ideas of the Yaz?c?o?lu brothers Mehmed Yaz?c?o?lu and Ahmed Bican, Sufis of the frontier city of Gelibolu and authors of the most popular religious writings in Ottoman Turkish.It places the Yaz?c?o?lus' durable religious vision within their dynamic historical moment on the contested Ottoman borderlands. Examining how these non-elite writers deployed their own intellectual resources, it considers how they approached the religious sciences of the wider Islamic world, and how they created a religious synthesis appropriate for their own community, the growing Turcophone Muslim population of the Balkans and Anatolia.

"Ablaze with passion for the one essential task of the monk: total inner transformation." --Brother David Stendl-Rast

"Libraries offering titles on mysticism, inner transformation, or dealing with grief will find this a unique and welcome addition."--"Library Journal"

This powerful book, written by an Episcopal priest, tells of her intense relationship with Brother Raphael Robin, a seventy-year-old Trappist monk and hermit. Both believed that a relationship can continue beyond this life, and here Cynthia Bourgeault describes her search for that connection before and after Robin's death. Bourgeault's previous books include "The Wisdom Jesus" and "Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening."

That Muhammad succeeded as a prophet is undeniable; a prominent military historian now suggests that he might not have done so had he not also been a great soldier. Best known as the founder of a major religion, Muhammad was also Islam's first great general. While there have been numerous accounts of Muhammad the Prophet, this is the first military biography of the man.In Muhammad: Islam's First Great General, Richard A. Gabriel shows us a warrior never before seen in antiquity-a leader of an all-new religious movement who in a single decade fought eight major battles, led eighteen raids, and planned thirty-eight other military operations. Gabriel's study portrays Muhammad as a revolutionary who introduced military innovations that transformed armies and warfare throughout the Arab world. Gabriel analyzes the environment in which Muhammad lived and the religion he inspired as they relate to his military achievements. Gabriel explains how Muhammad changed the social composition of Arab armies by replacing traditional ways of fighting with a new command structure. Muhammad's transformation of Arab warfare enabled his successors to establish the core of the Islamic empire-an accomplishment that, Gabriel argues, would have been militarily impossible without Muhammad's innovations. Richard A. Gabriel challenges existing scholarship on Muhammad's place in history and offers a viewpoint not previously attempted.

Heaven Come Down is the stunningly powerful testimony of someone growing up with severe dysmorphia and gender dysphoria, in a broken dysfunctional family, and their discovery of hope, love and faith through the healing power of God. Chrissie Chevasutt's tumultuous journey has taken her through drug addiction, prostitution, and begging on the streets of India, before being led to the feet of Jesus. It is a story of hope for anyone who has or is suffering from addictions, suicidal ideation, homelessness, mental illness and the crisis of sexual or gender identity conflict, and seeks to build bridges in places where the Church and the transgender community have been divided.