2000 Years of Amazing Grace is an accessible and easy-reading history of Christianity that focuses on the essentials of the Christian message, centrally, salvation by grace. It presents a luminous and enthusiastic digest of vital Christian beliefs and an account of how Christianity evolved from Jesus to the present. It also features biographical sketches of key figures, extensive citation from founding documents, and discusses Christianity's relationship to other world religions today. What distinguishes this book from other overviews of Christianity is Paul Zahl's lively and accessible style of writing and his vigorous advocacy of orthodox Christian faith. His own personal commitment to Christianity is a guiding force in the book. He also readily acknowledges the ways in which Christians and Christian institutions have failed to live up to the founder's teachings and have distorted his message. This book is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand Christianity's long history, and how that history has led to a thriving faith today.

An exploration of what worship looks like from a biblical standpoint and why the topic of worship can be so contentious among Christians. Because worship is inherently theological--because it's a manifestation of humanity's response to God's holiness--it's important to take seriously how we worship and the roles it serves in personal displays of adoration and in community with other believers. Exploring the Worship Spectrum provides an overview, critique, and celebration of six prominent worship styles: Formal-Liturgical - represented by Paul Zahl Traditional Hymn-Based - represented by Harold Best Contemporary Music-Driven - represented by Joe Horness Charismatic - represented by Don Williams Blended - represented by Robert Webber Emerging - represented by Sally Morgenthaler This unique format allows those with a heart for worship to compare different perspectives and draw their own conclusions on what the Bible teaches. It allows readers to understand the various approaches to worship, carefully evaluate their strengths and weaknesses, and make personal choices without adopting a judgmental spirit. The Counterpoints series presents a comparison and critique of scholarly views on topics important to Christians that are both fair-minded and respectful of the biblical text. Each volume is a one-stop reference that allows readers to evaluate the different positions on a specific issue and form their own, educated opinion.

In this book Paul Zahl seeks a broader understanding of the life and teachings of Jesus. What was it within his message that burst his first-century Jewish context? What was creative, fresh, and universal about his message? What did Jesus maintain, within his own setting and period, that is still true and applicable today?

In pursuing these questions, Zahl swims against the current of modern scholarship, arguing that Jesus was more Christian than Jewish. Jesus' teaching concerning the kingdom of God is replete with Christian perspectives on human nature and salvation, and his insights into original sin and grace are closer to core Christianity than much recent literature acknowledges. Drawing from both Jewish and Christian thinkers, Zahl shows Jesus to be a saving figure, a christological figure, even a radically Protestant figure. Zahl also brings his fresh perspective into present-day focus by showing how Jesus' dynamic teachings still have worldwide impact.

Zahl writes both as a highly trained theologian and as a pastor who recognizes that scholarship stands in the service of discipleship. In "The First Christian" he renders the contemporary quest for the historical Jesus not only "accessible" but also "relevant" to the life of faith. Students of the Bible and general readers alike will be enriched by his compelling portrait of a Christian, universal Jesus.

"This study Bible is a must-have to help us see Jesus Christ throughout the whole Bible." --biblereviewguys.com

The ESV Gospel Transformation Study Bible is designed to help readers see Christ in all of Scripture, and grace for all of life.

It features book introductions, gospel-centered study notes, and a series of all-new articles--written by a team of over 50 pastors and scholars. This content explains passage-by-passage how God's redemptive purposes culminate in the gospel and apply to the lives of believers today.

Readers will be challenged to see how the message of the gospel transforms sinners from the inside out.

- Over 375,000 words of gospel-centered study notes

- Introduction that outlines specific uses for the Bible

- Updated design and typesetting based on the original ESV Gospel Transformation Bible released in 2013

- Includes 5 new articles on topics such as the relationship between the Old and New Testaments, the gospel in the Old Testament, the covenants, and more

- Book introductions

- Concordance

- 80,000 cross-references

- Ribbon marker

- Smyth-sewn binding

- Size: 6.125" x 9.125"

- 9-point Bible text; 8-point study notes

- 2,096 pages

- Single-column, paragraph format

- Packaging: None

Imagine you have ten minutes to live. You're in a near-death situation, like the patient who's being operated on and suddenly finds himself looking down on the action as the doctors try to save his life. What do you need to know when your life's end is near? What is there to know? What can this religion or that religion say to you when you really need some light? "PZ's Panopticon" weighs the world's organized religions, such as Christianity and Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism; but it also weighs "dead" religions like those of the Aztecs, the ancient Egyptians, and the Greeks and Romans. There are also religions that are not called religions, like money and fame and sex; family and your children; ideology; and power. "PZ's Panopticon" is a wild ride. But it's part of a trip we are all going to take.

Long captivated by the idea of one-way love or "God's grace," Paul Zahl has often contended with accusations of being "long on grace but short on law." "Grace in Practice" begins with Zahl's response to the classic tension between law and grace. He then sets up the four pillars of his own theology of grace: humanity, salvation, Christ, and the Holy Spirit in the Trinity. Having discussed grace in theological terms, Zahl goes on to address the practicality of grace, developing a systematic theology of grace that is radically understood from the Bible and consistently applied to everyday life. After helpfully narrowing down specific fields of grace, asserting throughout that grace always trumps both law and church, Zahl concludes with an expanded view of grace in everything, extending this good news to all creation.

Books on the history of the Reformation are filled with the heroic struggles and sacrifices of men. But this compelling volume puts the spotlight on five strong and intellectually gifted women who, because of their absolute and unconditional commitment to the advancement of Protestant Christianity, paid the cost of their reforming convictions with martyrdom, imprisonment, and exile. Anne Boleyn (1507-1536) introduced the Reformation to England, and Katharine Parr (1514-1548) saved it. Both women were riveted by early versions of the "justification by faith" doctrine that originated with Martin Luther and came to them through France. As a result, Anne Boleyn was beheaded. Katharine Parr narrowly avoided the same fate. Sixteen-year-old Jane Grey (1537-1554) and Anne Askew (1521-1546) both dared to criticize the Mass and were pioneers of Protestant views concerning superstition and symbols. Jane Grey was executed because of her Protestantism. Anne Askew was tortured and burned at the stake. Catherine Willoughby (1520-1580) anticipated later Puritan teachings on predestination and election and on the reformation of the church. She was forced to give up everything she had and to flee with her husband and nursing baby into exile. Paul Zahl vividly tells the stories of these five mothers of the English Reformation. All of these women were powerful theologians intensely interested in the religious concerns of their day. All but Anne Boleyn left behind a considerable body of written work - some of which is found in this book's appendices. It is the theological aspect of these women's remarkable achievements that Zahl seeks to underscore. Moreover, he also considers what the stories of these women have to say about the relation of gender to theology, human motivation, and God. An important epilogue by Mary Zahl contributes a contemporary woman's view of these fascinating historical figures. Extraordinary by any standard, Anne Boleyn, Anne Askew, Katharine Parr, Jane Grey, and Catherine Willoughby remain rich subjects for reflection and emulation hundreds of years later. The personalities of these five women, who spoke their Christian convictions with presence of mind and sharp intelligence within situations of life-and-death duress, are almost totemic in our enduring search for role models.

A user-friendly summary of the essentials of Christian belief. This short systematic theology is a refreshing alternative to works on Christian doctrine that are too large or demanding for personal or group study. Paul Zahl offers a concentrated summary of the whole Christian faith in three concise, biblically correct chapters at once serious and popular, scholarly and contemporary. Arranged around twenty-five theses that cover the core Christian beliefs, the book clearly explains the person and nature of Jesus Christ, the meaning of the atonement, and the life that results from Christian freedom. Encompassing a great wealth of knowledge in a user-friendly, easy-to-follow format, A Short Systematic Theology is one of the best resources available for church, group, and personal study.

This volume tells a story that is virtually unknown today: The Protestant background and history of Anglican Christianity. Through a fascinating exploration of the development of Anglicanism and its wider Protestant context, Paul Zahl attempts to show-contrary to the opinion of many present-day "Anglican writers"-that Anglicanism is not just a via media (between Rome and Geneva, for example) but has been stamped decisively by classic Protestant insights and concerns. He also discusses the implications of Anglicanism's Protestant history for our own age, suggesting that this dimension has an important contribution to make to the worldwide Christian community in the new millennium.