Great Religious

These are the end times. We hear this sentiment in one way or another from various sources, from the fundamentalist preacher, to the scientist warning us of climate change. This is a time of economic uncertainty, political oppression, and cultural unraveling. Apocalypse, in the ancient world and today, is the experience of disconnection and of unraveling. It is when old gods are dying and the old stories no longer have meaning.

Apocalyptic millennialism is one of the most powerful strands in evangelical Christianity. It is not a single belief, but across many powerful evangelical groups there is general adhesion to faith in the physical return of Jesus in the Second Coming, the affirmation of a Rapture heavenward of "saved" believers, a millennium of peace under the rule of Jesus and his saints and, eventually, a final judgement and entry into deep eternity. A key figure in this process was John Nelson Darby.

From one of Italy’s most renowned historians of religion, an exciting new portrait of one of Christianity’s most complex - and most misunderstood - figures: Mary Magdalene.

Gregory the Great (bishop of Rome from 590 to 604) is one of the most significant figures in the history of Christianity. His theological works framed medieval Christian attitudes toward mysticism, exegesis, and the role of the saints in the life of the church. The scale of Gregory's administrative activity in both the ecclesial and civic affairs of Rome also helped to make possible the formation of the medieval papacy.

Have you ever found something so special you would do anything to keep it? Come sit by the sparkling Sea of Galilee and listen as Jesus tells two of His most wonderful stories. In this beautifully retold narrative, you'll meet Elian, a hardworking farmer who stumbles upon a dazzling treasure buried in a field, a secret that fills him with so much happiness he breaks into a joyful dance in the dirt! Then, travel to a bustling city and meet Liana, a merchant who has spent her whole life searching for the most perfect pearl in the world.

This book tells the story of the most wonderful promise of all. It’s a journey that begins with the sound of a great trumpet and the opening of the King's most special book—the Book of Life. Discover what happens when the sky rolls up like a scroll and you finally get to meet the King on His Great White Throne.

The parish, the lowest level of hierarchy in the medieval church, was the shared responsibility of the laity and the clergy. Most Christians were baptized, went to confession, were married, and were buried in the parish church or churchyard; in addition, business, legal settlements, sociability, and entertainment brought people to the church, uniting secular and sacred concerns.

Fourteen centuries ago, Irish saints brought the Word of God to the Hebrides and Scotland's Atlantic shore. These "white martyrs" sought solitude, remoteness, even harshness, in places apart from the world where they could fast, pray, and move closer to an understanding of God: places where they could see angels. Columba, who founded the famous monastery at Iona, was the most well-known of these courageous men who rowed their curraghs towards danger and uncertainty in a pagan land, but the many others are now largely forgotten by history.

When his brother Kartikeya challenges him to a race around the world, Ganesha knows he cannot win with speed. He may not be as fast as Kartikeya, but clever Ganesha knows that every problem has more than one solution! A celebration of the dynamic bond between siblings and a loving tribute to family, Ganesha’s Great Race is the story of their most famous contest and will delight readers with a tale of muscles, mangoes, and the meaning of the world.

Slavery confuses Caroline Allerton. The compassionate twelve-year-old can't understand why her friend was given a young slave as a Christmas present, nor why her friend mistreats the miserable Caribbean girl. Caroline also befriends a little girl who lives with her mother in the poorer area of Boston. Caroline’s actions are greatly misunderstood by her friends and she discovers that she must make difficult choices to stand for what she knows is right.

To coincide with the bicentennial of Thoreau's birth in 2017, this thrilling, meticulous biography by naturalist and historian Kevin Dann fills a gap in our understanding of one modern history's most important spiritual visionaries by capturing the full arc of Thoreau's life as a mystic, spiritual seeker, and explorer in transcendental realms.

What will it take to solve the biggest issues of our time: extreme and needless poverty, global warming and environmental degradation, terrorism and the endless cycle of violence, racism, human trafficking, health care and education, and other pressing problems? While Washington offers only the...

One of the leading Christian figures of this generation, Billy Graham has preached in more than eighty countries to over 110 million people. His simple yet profound delight in God's Word continues to influence lives and win souls for Jesus Christ.

In 1144 the mutilated body of William of Norwich, a young apprentice leatherworker, was found abandoned outside the city's walls. The boy bore disturbing signs of torture, and a story spread that it was a ritual murder, performed by Jews, in imitation of the Crucifixion as a mockery of Christianity. The outline of William's tale eventually gained currency far beyond Norwich, and the idea that Jews engaged in ritual murder became firmly rooted in the European imagination.

Following the execution of the king in 1649, the new Commonwealth and then Oliver Cromwell set out to drive forward a puritan reformation of manners. They wanted to reform the church and its services, enforce the Sabbath, suppress Christmas, and spread the gospel. They sought to impose a stern moral discipline to regulate and reform sexual behaviour, drinking practices, language, dress, and leisure activities ranging from music and plays to football.

Nathaniel and his awkward son Willis take a summer road trip to reunite with their quirky relatives in the Deep South. His plan is simple. A relaxing vacation will offer an escape from the pressures that he left behind. The fresh air and slow pace of the country are just the remedy he needs to put his life back in order. However, plans do not always work out as intended. The Great Willis Tate gives an account of a father and son's journey as they struggle to find their footing in a strange place that they once called, home.

Monologist Mike Daisey presents a dazzling new work: four "bio-logues" about megalomania and desire constructed from the interleaved life stories of Bertolt Brecht, P.T. Barnum, Nikola Tesla, and L. Ron Hubbard. Over four nights Daisey explores the nature of genius and wrestles with the pride, insanity, and chauvinism that bind these men together, and reveals how the heights and depths of their gifts have much to teach us about ourselves.

King Solomon was one of the greatest superachievers of all time and fabulously wealthy. He also had a reputation as the wisest man in the world. But at the end of his life, he was so unhappy that he felt moved to cry out "all is vanity" and wish he had never been born.

1916. At the onset of war, Nurse Pru le Cuirot left her home in Jersey to care for injured soldiers at Ashbury Manor, Dorset. She wanted to do her bit but she never expected to meet Canadian pilot, Jack Garland, so unlike any man she has ever met. When Jack is sent on a dangerous mission and vanishes, Pru is forced to make an agonising decision…one that will haunt them both forever.

From the outset, the implications of this book are terrifying. In this thorough, and sometimes disquieting, investigation of the biblical predictions, the Great Apostasy emerges, not as a foreboding future event, but as the very essence of today's postmodern Church. Like tares in the wheat field, false adherents are presently growing up alongside true believers. But how will we know them? This is where Steve Gallagher is at his best. He exposes the prevailing self-centeredness, widespread sensuality, and rebellion to authority that epitomizes this false part of the Body.