Therese of Lisieux died on 30 September 1897. Nine months later, the now classic Story of a Soul appeared and proved an immediate success. However, when historians had access fifty years later to manuscripts written by Therese they were surprised to discover enormous differences between these texts and the published version of Story of a Soul. Jean-Francois Six has written this new book with two purposes. First, he recalls the history of how Mother Agnes, Prioress of the Carmelite convent and sister of Therese altered and completed Therese's text so that it became a travesty of the original. Secondly he re-establishes the truth of the last months of Therese's life, her authentic spiritual message, and her contribution to the history of mysticism. Here is a key study and a crucial work of rehabilitation.

This unique biography reveals how C. S. Lewis's adolescent years shaped his later writing-tracing themes such as his delight in literature, his key relationships, his suffering and struggles, and his intense pursuit of joy. Volume 1 of a new trilogy.

This historical investigation into the real John the Baptist brings to light one of the most influential figures in Christianity and western civilization, who is also a revered figure in Islam and other religions. Two thousand years later his life and example are still an influence for millions. John the Baptist's importance is such that he appears in all four Gospels, together with the writings of Josephus, and is inextricably linked to the life of Jesus. John was a friend, inspiration and forerunner for Jesus - and a respected figure in his own lifetime - yet the historical facts of his life are unknown to most. Josephine Wilkinson assembles the evidence to show us the man whose views led him to be sentenced to death and beheaded by Herod. Based on the ancient sources, the author gets as close as it is possible to get to a biography of John, including an account of his relationship with Jesus.

Popular podcaster and self-proclaimed control freak Tara Sun shows how "having everything under control" is overrated--not to mention downright dangerous--and reveals the surprising, lifegiving alternative: only radical surrender to God brings the peace and fulfillment we yearn for. Today's culture is peddling a seductive promise, a message that bombards social media feeds and dominates bestseller lists: you can control your circumstances and achieve any goal through positive thinking, organization, and sheer force of will. But anyone who's tried to white-knuckle their way to self-fulfillment has discovered what lies on the other side of this supposedly empowering message: frustration, disappointment, and exhaustion. Tara knows what it's like to be obsessed with control--all under the guise of the supposed virtues of being self-sufficient, organized, and high achieving. When a battle with severe chronic illness demolished her illusions of control, Tara embarked on a journey of discovering the antidote to the burdensome and ultimately empty myth of control: surrender to the God who cares for us and has an infinitely better blueprint for a life filled with joy, peace, and meaning. Readers will identify how the false promises of control and self-sufficiency have warped their view of themselves, their hopes, and their purpose; learn to trust God--in the big events and the small details of their lives; discover practical steps and strategies for letting go of control and moving forward in faith, even in the face of setbacks and disappointments; and be inspired by examples from Tara's life and from the Bible of the strength and purpose that comes through a lifestyle of surrender. For all those who are exhausted from trying to control their lives and disappointed by their unreached plans, Surrender Your Story is a welcome lifeline that opens readers' eyes to the beauty of a life surrendered to the Master Planner.

Most pastors know when they enter the ministry that they will spend time helping others through times of suffering. What they usually do not realize, though, is that they too will suffer. Caught off guard, many of them end up deeply hurt and quit the ministry, deciding that perhaps they misunderstood God's call on their lives or that they simply do not have what it takes. But church history is filled with compelling stories of men who were profoundly afflicted while they carried out their ministry and yet persevered faithfully until death. Now the editors of The Gospel Coalition have collected inspiring stories of twelve faithful men who endured great suffering for the cause of Christ. The stories of the apostle Paul, John Calvin, Charles Spurgeon, John Bunyan, Wang Mindao, and others show that suffering in the context of ministry is expected--and it's never wasted. Pastors and ministry leaders, as well as those who support them, will find in this collection encouragement to run the race with endurance.

This book illuminates important issues faced by Orthodox Judaism in the modern era by relating the life and times of Rabbi Yudel Rosenberg (1859-1935). In presenting Yudel Rosenberg's rabbinic activities, this book aims to show that Jewish Orthodoxy could serve as an agent of modernity no less than its opponents. Yudel Rosenberg's considerable literary output will demonstrate that the line between "secular" and "traditional" literature was not always sharp and distinct. Rabbi Rosenberg's kabbalistic works will shed light on the revival of kabbala study in the twentieth century. Yudel Rosenberg's career in Canada will serve as a counter-example to the often-expressed idea that Hasidism exercised no significant influence on the development of American Judaism at the turn of the twentieth century.

With sound historical scholarship and penetrating insight, Roland Bainton examines Luther's widespread influence. He re-creates the spiritual setting of the sixteenth century, showing Luther's place within it and influence upon it. Richly illustrated with more than 100 woodcuts and engravings from Luther's own time, Here I Stand dramatically brings to life Martin Luther, the great Reformer. A specialist in Reformation history, Roland H. Bainton was for forty-two years Titus Street Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Yale, and he continued his writing well into his twenty years of retirement. Bainton wore his scholarship lightly and had a lively, readable style. His most popular book was Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther (1950), which sold more than a million copies.

Now back in print, this short biography of St. Therese of Lisieux by Dorothy Day expresses the surprising yet profound connection between Day - the founder of the Catholic Worker movement who was praised by Pope Francis for her passion for justice and dedication to her faith - and the beloved saint best known for her Little Way. Whether you are called to the active life like Day or a more hidden existence like Therese, you will discover that these paths have much in common and can lead you to a love that has the power to transform you in ways that are unexpected and consequential. Written originally for nonbelievers or those unaware of Therese, the book reflects how Day came to appreciate Therese's Little Way, not as an abstract concept, but as a spirituality that she had already been living. Day's life, like Therese's, was filled with all the humble, self-effacing jobs that were a part of this work. She found in Therese a kindred spirit, one who saw these simple hidden tasks as the way to heaven.

George Whitefield proclaimed the Christian message to more people in history than anyone else, before or since, who spoke with an unaided voice. A preacher of revival almost from his childhood, when he prophesied his own destiny, he had a profound impact on the social, religious and political life of both Britain and America. He crossed the Atlantic thirteen times, and merged as a celebrity figure, whose message captivated both rich and poor alike. Whitefield heralded a new kind of revival that was both spiritually powerful and entertaining at the same time. He was also a man of contradictions. He loved the Anglican liturgy but would happily break canon law. He was a devoted Puritan yet he was also able to befriend those with more liberal morals, Above all, Whitefield was a driven man, and his overwhelming passion was to preach New Birth in Christ - the theme he was to speak on over a thousand times. He valued education, opposed slavery, cared for orphan children and changed the course of both British and American history.

First full-length study of the life and career of John Henry Williams, one of the most fascinating figures of the eighteenth-century church. John Henry Williams was the vicar of Wellesbourne in south Warwickshire from 1778 until his death some fifty years later. A dedicated pastor, displaying an `enlightened and liberal' outlook, his career illuminates the Church of England's condition in the period, and also a clergyman's place in local society. However, he was not merely a country parson. A `political clergyman', Williams engaged fervently in both provincial and national political debate, denouncing the war with revolutionary France between 1793 and 1802, and published a series of forceful sermons condemning the struggle on Christian principles. To opponents, he appeared insidious and blinkered, but to admirers he was 'a sound divine, and not a less sound politician'. This book, the first to examine Williams' career in full, is a detailed, vivid, and sometimes moving, study of a man who occupies an honorable and significant position in the Church of England's history and in the history of British peace campaigning. Dr COLIN HAYDON teaches in the Department of History at the University of Winchester.

At the end of the nineteenth century, Augustus Strong emerged as one of the most influential church leaders and theologians in America. But, as Grant Wacker reveals in this masterful study, Strong also proved to be as tragic a figure as he was influential. Strong was forced to choose between conceptual worlds that were, to him, equally incompatible and compelling. Strong wrestled with how the critical study of history, exemplified in the method commonly called "historicism" (or "historical consciousness"), can be reconciled with the many ahistorical assumptions embedded in the claims of traditional Christianity. Is the notion of human sinfulness, for example, simply an artifact of time and place? Or does it carry an underlying truth that endures, independent of the biblical context and interpretation of classic Christian thinkers? Strong acquired a historical awareness considered rare among conservative scholars. Despite cultivating this historical sensibility, he struggled with its implications. In the end, Wacker writes, Strong "clung to the conviction that the faith once delivered unto the fathers somehow stands above the vicissitudes of history, even as he became increasingly conscious that all things human are fragile creations of time and place." This edition, complete with a new preface, reveals why Strong remains relevant today. Strong, though a man of his time, illustrates the perennial conflict created by competing interests of theology and history, a conflict that still torments those who seek to be faithful to the obligations of both the church and academy.

At the end of the nineteenth century, Augustus Strong emerged as one of the most influential church leaders and theologians in America. But, as Grant Wacker reveals in this masterful study, Strong also proved to be as tragic a figure as he was influential. Strong was forced to choose between conceptual worlds that were, to him, equally incompatible and compelling. Strong wrestled with how the critical study of history, exemplified in the method commonly called "historicism" (or "historical consciousness"), can be reconciled with the many ahistorical assumptions embedded in the claims of traditional Christianity. Is the notion of human sinfulness, for example, simply an artifact of time and place? Or does it carry an underlying truth that endures, independent of the biblical context and interpretation of classic Christian thinkers? Strong acquired a historical awareness considered rare among conservative scholars. Despite cultivating this historical sensibility, he struggled with its implications. In the end, Wacker writes, Strong "clung to the conviction that the faith once delivered unto the fathers somehow stands above the vicissitudes of history, even as he became increasingly conscious that all things human are fragile creations of time and place." This edition, complete with a new preface, reveals why Strong remains relevant today. Strong, though a man of his time, illustrates the perennial conflict created by competing interests of theology and history, a conflict that still torments those who seek to be faithful to the obligations of both the church and academy.

For more than twenty years, John Milton Bernhisel negotiated with the federal government on behalf of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Bruce W. Worthen illuminates the life and work of the man whose diplomacy steered the Church's relationship with Washington, D.C. from its early period of dangerous conflict to a peaceful and pragmatic coexistence. Having risen from a Pennsylvania backcountry upbringing to become a respected member of the upper class, Bernhisel possessed a personal history that allowed him to reach common ground with politicians and other outsiders. He negotiated for Joseph Smith's life and, after the Church's relocation to the Utah Territory, took on the task of rehabilitating the public image of the Latter-day Saints. Brigham Young's defiance of the government undermined Bernhisel's work, but their close if sometimes turbulent relationship ultimately allowed Bernhisel to make peace with Washington, secure a presidential pardon for Young, and put Utah and the Latter-day Saints on the road to formally joining the United States.