Come, Lord Jesus!' The hope of every weary believer who waits for this tired world to come to its consummation. The desire of every longing disciple who hungers to see everything made new. The expectation of every faithful Christian who longs to see Jesus face to face. In this world of pain, regret and brokenness, people regularly wonder about the future. Yet Christians find confidence in one secure truth: Jesus is coming back. Directing readers to this ultimate hope, Phil Ryken encourages Christians to live each day longing for Christ's return and anticipating the coming of his kingdom. This book overflows with engaging anecdotes, contemporary illustrations and insightful reflections on Scripture, offering readers a powerful reminder of the glorious future promised to all who trust in Christ and who long for his appearing.

How can we grasp the significance of what Jesus Christ did for us? Might literature help us as we seek to understand the Christian faith? J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings has generated much discussion about the relationship between Christianity and literature. It is well known that Tolkien disliked allegory. Yet he acknowledged that his work is imbued with Christian symbolism and meaning. Based on the inaugural Hansen Lectureship series delivered by Philip Ryken, this volume mines the riches of Tolkien's theological imagination. In the characters of Gandalf, Frodo, and Aragorn, Ryken hears echoes of the threefold office of Christ-his prophetic, priestly, and royal roles. Guided by Ryken, readers will discover that they can learn much about the one who is the true prophet, priest, and king through Tolkien's imaginative storytelling. Based on the annual lecture series hosted at Wheaton College's Marion E. Wade Center, volumes in the Hansen Lectureship Series reflect on the imaginative work and lasting influence of seven British authors: Owen Barfield, G. K. Chesterton, C. S. Lewis, George MacDonald, Dorothy L. Sayers, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Charles Williams.

For those of us who are performance-oriented or for those who have long since thrown in the towel, a word about grace is in order.

Within these pages are 9 key messages on the grace of God. These are masterful lessons, built on Scripture, edifying and applicable for all who want to experience the freedom that comes from resting on the promise of God's unmerited favor.

Helping us to understand that we are not defined by what we do--but rather by who Jesus is and what he has done, this book powerfully addresses the transforming power of grace that is essential for every Christian.

Everyone has questions about God and what matters most in life. When we ask those questions, we are asking about theology. Isn't talk about God really a guessing game? What good is the Old Testament? How can we have free will if God controls everything? The virgin birth. Really? What does an earthquake say about God? Is the Holy Spirit still at work in churches today? What did Jesus think about getting married? Does being a Christian mean having particular political views? While books about doctrine supply description and analysis of the classic questions of the faith, they often miss the contemporary questions on the minds of readers. This book fills that gap. Organized around the key topics of Jesus, the Bible, church, the Holy Spirit, evil, salvation and hope, the sometimes-provocative questions on these topics aim to ring true with the lived experience of real people. Even more, they look to inspire reflection, debate, disagreement, and above all, engagement in what the Christian faith is all about.

In one systematic volume, James Montgomery Boice provides a readable overview of Christian theology. Both students and pastors will benefit from this rich source that covers all the major doctrines of Christianity. With scholarly rigor and a pastor's heart, Boice carefully opens the topics of the nature of God, the character of his natural and special revelation, the fall, and the person and work of Christ. He then goes on to consider the work of the Holy Spirit in justification and sanctification. The book closes with careful discussion of ecclesiology and eschatology. This updated edition includes a foreword by Philip Ryken and a section-by-section study guide. Both those long familiar with Boice and those newly introduced to him will benefit from his remarkable practicality and thoroughness, which will continue to make this a standard reference for years to come.

Throughout the history of English literature, church ministers have figured prominently in novels, plays, morality tales, and even poetry. "Pastors in the Classics" is a unique, unprecedented collection of relevant literary masterpieces in which the pastor's experience is a major part of the story.
Part 1 is a reader's guide to twelve important classics written over four centuries and covering seven different nationalities. Each chapter not only describes and interprets the work in question, it also highlights a specific feature of pastoral ministry explored in the work. Part 2 is a handbook that defines the canon of literary masterpieces that deal with the pastor's experience, offering reading suggestions for both ministers and lovers of literature.
From the familiar ("The Canterbury Tales"; "Cry, the Beloved Country"; and "The Scarlet Letter") to the lesser-known ("Silence," "Witch Wood") to the surprising ("A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man"), this collection uncovers the good, the bad, and the ugly ways in which pastors have been presented to the reading public for the past half millennium.