Denominations. The word itself often sparks strong reactions, causing us to wonder if there are merits to our factions and if it's possible to come together as one. Showing how denominational affiliation can be natural without being negative, and how evangelical identity can help rather than hinder Christian unity, Why We Belong explains both the personal and doctrinal reasons each of the following contributors fit not only in their church, but also in the Church: Gerald L. Bray (Anglican) Timothy F. George (Baptist) Douglas A. Sweeney (Lutheran) Timothy C. Tennent (Methodist) Byron D. Klaus... View More...
Who were Jupiter Hammon, Lemuel Haynes and Daniel Alexander Payne? And what do they have in common with Martin Luther King Jr., Howard Thurman and James Cone? All of these were African American Christian theologians, yet their theologies are, in many ways, worlds apart. In this book, Thabiti Anyabwile offers a challenging and provocative assessment of the history of African American Christian theology, from its earliest beginnings to the present. He argues trenchantly that the modern fruit of African American theology has fallen far from the tree of its early predecessors. In doing so, Anyabwi... View More...
Biblically and practically instructs church members in ways they can labor for the health of their church. What Is a Healthy Church Member? takes its cue from Mark Dever's book What Is a Healthy Church?, which offered one definition of what a healthy church looks like biblically and historically. In this new work, pastor Thabiti Anyabwile attempts to answer the natural next question: "What does a healthy church member look like in the light of Scripture?" God intends for us to play an active and vital part in the body of Christ, the local church. He wants us to experience the local church as a... View More...
Biblically and practically instructs church members in ways they can labor for the health of their church. What Is a Healthy Church Member? takes its cue from Mark Dever's book What Is a Healthy Church?, which offered one definition of what a healthy church looks like biblically and historically. In this new work, pastor Thabiti Anyabwile attempts to answer the natural next question: "What does a healthy church member look like in the light of Scripture?" God intends for us to play an active and vital part in the body of Christ, the local church. He wants us to experience the local church as a... View More...
Is the Black Church dying? The picture is mixed and there are many challenges. The church needs spiritual revival. But reviving and strengthening the Black Church will require great wisdom and courage. Reviving the Black Church calls us back to another time, borrowing the wisdom of earlier faithful Christians. But more importantly, it calls us back to the Bible itself. For there we find the divine wisdom needed to see all quarters of the Black Church live again, thriving in the Spirit of God. It's pastor and church planter Thabiti Anyabwile's humble prayer that this book might be useful to pas... View More...
Every church leader knows the qualifications for elders and deacons that are spelled out in the Bible, but actually finding other leaders who fulfill the biblical qualifications can be difficult. Thabiti Anyabwile writes from his expertise as a pastor and elder, showing how to identify and reproduce legitimate leaders and willing servants throughout the ranks of the local church. Balancing thoughtful analysis of pertinent passages with thorough application for practical use in a contemporary context, Anyabwile answers the questions, "Who should we look for to lead and serve in the church?" and... View More...
Our world is fractured on every level--from the family to international relations. The news constantly reports broken relationships, strife-ridden communities and warring nations.So what hope is there for a world of fractured relationships? Discover the Bible's surprising answer: the local church.This revised and updated edition of Christopher Ash's Bible overview takes readers through the big sweep of Scripture, following the theme of scattering and gathering God's people. It shows how the local church is at the heart of the Bible story and at the center of God's plan for remaking a broken wo... View More...
This durable study edition of the Book of Confessions includes the official texts of the eleven confessional statements of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Each creed is introduced by an informative essay providing historical and theological background.
Money Matters in Church helps leaders to discover a one-stop, comprehensive model for managing finances and fundraising. It guides leaders of any size church or ministry to create a culture of giving that supports savvy, faithful, and legal financing. The authors present a biblical theology of stewardship that supports ways to develop donors and maximize contributions, enact a strategic budget and effective audit process, project income and expenses, work with banks, compensate staff, and address debt. The book's practical step-by-step approach makes finance issues understandable for leaders w... View More...
First published in 1999, Advanced Strategic Planning explains why planning is so important to carrying out the church's mission. Now in its third edition, this classic resource offers
-a nine-step strategic thinking and acting model -useful ideas for developing a ministry strategy -diagrams to help illustrate concepts -a new section on spiritual formation
The methods in this book are proven to work, having already helped many churches articulate their vision and implement their mission. View More...
Heartfelt, incisive, and timeless, The Confessions of Saint Augustine has captivated readers for more than fifteen hundred years. Retelling the story of his long struggle with faith and ultimate conversion -- the first such spiritual memoir ever recorded -- Saint Augustine traces a story of sin, regret, and redemption that is both deeply personal and, at the same time, universal. Starting with his early life, education, and youthful indiscretions, and following his ascent to influence as a teacher of rhetoric in Hippo, Rome, and Milan, Augustine is brutally honest about his proud and amibitiou... View More...
In Garry Wills's biography of Saint Augustine for the Penguin Lives series, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author brilliantly documented the life of the great Christian thinker. His translations of passages of Saint Augustine's influential Confessiones were hailed as "sizzling" (Peter Brown, New York Review of Books). James Wood, writing for the London Review of Books declared, "Augustine flourishes in Wills's hand". Now, Wills has taken on a translation of the first of four books of the Confessiones, "Childhood".Wills's broad-ranging and incisive discussion of the style, structure, and themes of ... View More...
One of the great works of Western literature, from perhaps the most important thinker of Christian antiquity, in a revolutionary new translation by one of today's leading classicists Sarah Ruden's fresh, dynamic translation of Confessions brings us closer to Augustine's intent than any previous version. It puts a glaring spotlight on the life of one individual to show how all lives have meaning that is universal and eternal. In this intensely personal narrative, Augustine tells the story of his sinful youth and his conversion to Christianity. He describes his ascent from a humble farm in Nor... View More...
More than an autobiography, The Confessions of St. Augustine is one of the most influential religious books in the Christian tradition. A great work of Western literature, it recalls crucial events and episodes in the author's life, in particular, life with his devoutly Christian mother and his origins in rural Algeria in the mid-fourth century A.D.; the rise to a lavish life at the imperial court in Milan; his struggle with sexual desires; eventual renunciation of secular ambitions and marriage; and recovery of his Catholic faith.This intensely personal narrative -- among the first in which s... View More...
D. L. Moody's reaction was quick and to the point. "No A thousand times no I have no intentions of standing off here in New York City and approving something I know so little about. But I'll think it over, Emeline. Then one of these days, I'll come out to Chicago and we can talk some more about it."Moody's initial reaction to that "something" was to change through God's leading. That "something" is now the world-renowned Moody Bible Institute, which trains hundreds of men and women each year to understand and use the Scriptures.D. L. Moody dared to take up a challenge and see what God could ... View More...
Mobilize...Activate...Deploy! A call is going out for believers to rise up. It's time for action! It's time to get in your place, be who God says you are, and transform the world around you! We have taken our first steps into a great awakening, and Gene Bailey, host of Flashpoint and Revival Radio TV, sounds the alarm for the Church to wake up, get up, and suit up as a people ready to advance the Kingdom in this critical hour. In Flashpoint of Revival: The Third Great Awakening and the Transformation of Our Nation, Gene reminds us that God is not in a panic, trying to come up with a respon... View More...
