Religious Biographies

Twenty-four of the Buddha's most distinguished disciples are brought to life in ten chapters of rich narration. They include monks who were very close to him throughout his life, including Sariputta and Mahamoggallana; his cousin and companion Ananda; his principal women disciples, including the nun Isidasi and his lay disciple, the courtesan Ambapali; and the serial killer Angulimala, whose character was transformed after meeting the Buddha.

There are many editions of the writings of St. Francis, and many biographies about him, but here in one volume are both, plus the complete text of the late medieval work The Little Flowers, which did more to establish the legend of the man than any other work. This edition includes the complete Road to Assisi, Paul Sabatier's groundbreaking and foundational biography of the saint, first published in French in 1894; the complete Francis in His Own Words: The Essential Writings; and The Little Flowers, thus offering the best introduction to St. Francis yet available between two covers.

Rarely has a book had such an impact on so many of us here at Ignatius Press. It is one of the most powerful and moving books we have come across. If you can only buy one book this season, this must be the one. Here is the astonishing true story of the harrowing experiences of a young German seminarian drafted into Hitler’s dreaded SS at the onset of World War II.

Ida Scudder was sure she would never follow in the footsteps of her medical missionary father. But when she witnessed Indian women dying because their religious beliefs didn't allow male doctors to treat them, Ida heard herself pray, "God, if You want me to, I will spend the rest of my life in India trying to help these women." Serving for nearly sixty years, Dr. Ida Scudder lived out the truth and compassion found in Christ.

Although born into a devout Christian family, Clarence Jones wasn't interested in religion. It was this Midwesterner's ear for music that led him to play trombone at Chicago's Moody Church, where he gave his life to Christ and volunteered for mission work. Clarence's work began in Chicago, where he helped pioneer something unheard of-Christian radio broadcasts. Soon God called Clarence to "go south with radio." Led to Ecuador, Clarence worked unswervingly to cofound Radio HCJB and the World Radio Missionary Fellowship.

The Magi of nativity scenes are romanticized as well-dressed wisemen bringing gifts to Jesus. Traditional Chrstians tell of a miraculous star that guided exotic kings from Persia, India, and Africa. Academics dismiss both accounts as no more than a pious legend. Who is right? In The Mystery of the Magi, Dwight Longenecker shows that all sides are wrong and the Magi were diplomats from Petra, the capital of the Nabatean kingdom of Arabia.

Not So Shiny Not So Happy People is Clint Heacock's brutally honest and poignant story of growing up in a family living under the teachings of Bill Gothard. Clint spent years pursuing the victorious Christian life he had been taught to expect. He watched helplessly as the rigid interpretation of Christianity taught by Gothard inflicted severe damage on his family. He graduated from Bible college, served in pastoral roles, and earned two master's degrees and a Ph.D. in theology while still searching for that supernatural level of living promised in the New Testament.

Kristen LaValley grew up a church kid through and through. She said “the sinner’s prayer” before she could write her name―and spent the next few decades trying to prove she meant it; in a body that couldn’t rest, with a mind she didn’t yet understand, under a God she was afraid to disappoint. She learned to perform the kind of faith that got praised: one that hid pain and swallowed questions. In Growing Up Saved, Kristen maps the slow undoing of a faith formed in certainty and what it took to find God in the middle of her unraveling.

From the young Vietnamese girl who turned down freedom in order to share the gospel in her Communist homeland, to the Australian missionary who spread the message of forgiveness and healing across India after her husband and sons were burned alive, these women overcame Extreme adversity to become leaders and ministers of the underground church in Pakistan, India, Romania, the former Soviet Union, China, Vietnam, Nepal and Indonesia.

New York Times bestseller One of PW’s Best Books of the Year One of Amazon’s Best Books of the Month Why is religion still around in the twenty-first century? Why do so many still believe? And how do various traditions still shape the way people experience everything from sexuality to...

Father Ed is the first biography of Father Edward Dowling, SJ, whose guidance transformed Alcoholics Anonymous founder Bill Wilson’s life and deepened the spirituality of the twelve-step movement.

The first monotheistic religion was born in ancient Persia, more than 2000 years before any other under the leadership of Zoroaster. As a lone philosopher and wanderer, Zoroaster traveled Persia to spread his teachings facing persecution, assassination attempts, and more. Dive into both Zoroaster's life and the beliefs of the faith practice Zoroastrianism, which is still alive today. Just as in ancient times, many practitioners are forced to survive persecution and violence in order to keep their cultural heritage alive.

Henry Bennion Eyring was born on May 31, 1933, in Princeton, New Jersey, bearing the first name of his father, who was fast building a reputation as a brilliant scientist, and the family name of his mother, who didn't care for the name "Henry" and insisted that he be called Hal. In 1970, Hal received an impression to make a daily record of his activities. Years of journals form the backbone of this personal biography, a candid look at his walk through life with his beloved companion, Kathy.

How does a kid raised by atheists end up in a convent? In her forties, Celia McBride abandoned her worldly life to follow a “sense of call” and explore the idea of becoming a Catholic nun. There was only one problem: she wasn’t Catholic. Discerning the call to become something she wasn’t turned into the greatest spiritual challenge of her life, as she was forced to confront her deepest values and beliefs and make a humble decision.

Récit d’une vie tout entière vouée à la foi, Espère est la première autobiographie jamais publiée par un pape de son vivant. Le pape François avait d’abord souhaité que ce document exceptionnel ne paraisse qu’après sa mort, mais les exigences de notre temps l’ont résolu à rendre public ce précieux héritage.

Since resigning from the papacy in 2013, the first pope in more than 700 years to do so, Pope Benedict has lived quietly in a convent in the Vatican gardens in Rome. He has devoted himself to a life of prayer and study and has vowed to remain silent, until now. So much controversy still surrounds Pope Benedict’s time in office - in this book, written with best-selling German author Peter Seewald, he addresses the issues of his papacy and reveals how, at his late age, governing and reforming the Church was beyond him.

Rico en revelaciones, anécdotas y reflexiones iluminadoras, ESPERANZA es un libro de memorias emocionante, tremendamente humano y conmovedor, no exento de toques de auténtico sentido del humor. La autobiografía del papa Francisco es al mismo tiempo la «novela de una vida» y un testamento moral y espiritual destinado a conquistar a los lectores de todo el mundo y a convertirse en un legado de esperanza para las generaciones futuras.

On April 27, 1934, a little boy was born who grew up to become a vagabond evangelist in patchwork pants fiercely daring us to believe a line too good to be true—God loves you as you are and not as you should be. His name was Brennan Manning. He boldly preached of the love of Jesus vast, unmeasured, boundless, and free. And he always faithfully pointed to a tender, elemental fury that blows where it wills; in a word, grace.

David Livingstone was one of the most consequential individuals who lived in the 19th century. An unpretentious Scottish missionary doctor, explorer, and abolitionist, he opened the door for Christianity in southern Africa. He was a man who overcame many deprivations and discouragements, and displayed the utmost measure of courage, self-control, faith, wisdom, and ingenuity. Christie takes a balanced look at Livingstone’s amazing achievements, but also at his very real flaws. This gripping and in-depth biography is a must-listen insight into a fascinating man.

Este libro ofrece un recorrido claro, profundo y humanizado por la vida y el pensamiento de Tomás de Aquino, una de las figuras más influyentes de la historia intelectual de Occidente. Desde sus orígenes nobles en el siglo XIII, su batalla interior por la vocación y sus años de estudio en París, hasta la construcción de sus grandes obras y el impacto de su legado, el lector descubre no sólo al teólogo y filósofo, sino también al hombre: el fraile corpulento y silencioso, el profesor paciente, el creyente que al final llamó “paja” a todo lo que había escrito ante el misterio de Dios.