Religious Biographies

Just days before Chad Williams was scheduled to report for basic training at the Great Lakes naval base, he turned on the television and was greeted with the horrifying image of his mentor and training partner, US Navy SEAL Scott Helvenston, being brutally murdered in a premeditated ambush on the streets of Fallujah, Iraq. Steeled in his resolve, Chad committed himself to completing the US military’s most difficult training to become a Navy SEAL - and avenge his friend’s death.

In For a Greater Purpose: The Life and Legacy of Walter Bradley, authors Robert Marks and William Dembski detail the story of this remarkable man whose passion for God, science, higher education, and human empowerment provides an excellent model of someone who integrates faith and learning.

Herman Bavinck looms large as one of the nineteenth century's greatest Christian thinkers, contributing much to modern Reformed theology. Yet, despite his theological prowess, Bavinck was first and foremost concerned with being “a worthy follower of Jesus.” In this book, John Bolt―editor of the English edition of Bavinck’s four-volume masterpiece, Reformed Dogmatics―brings the great Dutch theologian’s life and work to bear on following Jesus in the twenty-first century, helping us see the direct connection between robust theology, practical holiness, and personal joy.

A journey through the life of Swami Vivekananda is a study of the Indian civilization, its ethos and value system. Not only did his message of tolerance, based on knowledge, make him an exemplary spokesperson of the country, but his life's mission of creating an order of monks who dedicated their lives for others made him a prophet and a leader. His teachings continue to be relevant even today, especially in the light of the prevailing intolerance and fanaticism in the nation, and the increasing turmoil in the world.

As a child, Elias Chacour lived in a small Palestinian village in Galilee. When tens of thousands of Palestinians were killed and nearly one million forced into refugee camps in 1948, Elias began a long struggle with how to respond. In Blood Brothers, he blends his riveting life story with historical research to reveal a little-known side of the Arab-Israeli conflict, touching on questions such as: What behind-the-scenes politics touched off the turmoil in the Middle East?

In the early 1970s, Swami Kriyananda asked Asha to start taking notes for the book he knew she would someday write. He explained himself to her in a way he did to only a few others. Since then, she has stayed in constant contact with him, as a devotee, friend, personal assistant, and eventually, a spiritual teacher in her own right. It's a rare gift to live with a true teacher. Experience it for yourself, as Asha brings you into meetings, conversations, personal counseling, living rooms, classrooms, long walks, meetings, and meditations.

En este clásico de la literatura espiritual, Paramahansa Yogananda narra la inspirativa historia de su vida, que incluye los encuentros que mantuvo con numerosos santos y sabios, los diez años de entrenamiento espiritual que recibió en la ermita de un maestro iluminado, y los más de treinta años en los que vivió en Estados Unidos difundiendo las liberadoras enseñanzas del Kriya Yoga. Esta obra, que es una profunda exposición de la ciencia y la filosofía Yoga, revela la unidad básica existente entre las grandes religiones de Oriente y Occidente.

He played video games, excelled athletically and academically, manifested contagious joy and wit — even in suffering — and befriended all those he met. St. Carlo Acutis (1991–2006), already hailed “the greatest saint of the century,” was a Thomas Aquinas in blue jeans. It’s almost unheard of that parents take part in the beatification of their own child. So, too, is it uncommon for parents to miraculously be brought back to the Faith and dedicated Christian living by their child.

There are times when looking back helps to fuel our future. Looking back at the life of evangelist Maria Woodworth-Etter, you will be emboldened by the truth that nothing is impossible to the believer who surrenders to God. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Maria Woodworth-Etter, the grandmother of the Pentecostal movement, astounded many Americans as she traveled across the country holding revivals. At these meetings, the worst sinners in the town were saved, the most diseased were healed, and her biggest critics were proven wrong.

The hope-infused audio of On My Worst Day reveal the redemption you’ve longed for. Discover firsthand how the narrative of your life changes as you dare to believe that your worst days do not define you. With each impactful story, you will be awakened to the undeniable power of the cross that sets you free. Whether for the first time or the first time in a long time, you will encounter the voice of God, who has adored you from the beginning, and you will hear his words to you: You are enough, my child. Surpassingly enough.

Irene Spencer did as she felt God commanded in marrying her brother-in-law, Verlan LeBaron, becoming his second wife. When the government raided the fundamentalist, polygamous Mormon village of Short Creek, Arizona, Irene and her family fled to Verlan's brothers' Mexican ranch. They lived in squalor and desolate conditions in the Mexican desert with Verlan's six brothers, one sister, and numerous wives and children.

The election of Pope Leo XIV signals a defining moment for the Catholic Church. As he steps onto the world stage, the first pontiff ever to hail from the United States inherits the throne of St. Peter, the legacy of Pope Francis, and the challenges of a rapidly changing Church. In Pope Leo XIV, veteran Vatican correspondent Christopher White delivers an authoritative account of the conclave that shaped this momentous transition, the forces that propelled Pope Leo XIV to the papacy, and the vision he brings to the Church’s future.

« Le docteur a dit qu’il n’y avait plus rien à faire. » Nous sommes en 1943 à La Malbaie. À 6 ans, le petit André Larouche est condamné par la maladie. Sa mère, Rose-Yvonne Lapointe, qui a une grande dévotion envers le frère André, demande son aide. Elle est exaucée. Durant les années qui suivent, le frère André deviendra le protecteur d’André Larouche. Il lui procurera de grandes joies et l’aidera à donner un sens à une vie qui lui avait réservé plus tard le pire des drames.

Sands Hall chronicles her slow yet willing absorption into the Church of Scientology. Her time in the Church, the 1980s, includes the secretive illness and death of its founder, L. Ron Hubbard, and the ascension of David Miscavige. Hall compellingly reveals what drew her into the religion - what she found intriguing and useful - and how she came to confront its darker sides.

At the age of 17, Spurgeon became pastor to a handful of believers at Waterbeach in Cambridgeshire, meeting in what had been a dovecote. Within five years, he had become the best-known minister in London. Two years later, following the Sepoy Mutiny, he conducted a service of national humiliation in the Crystal Palace that was attended by 24,000 people. But this volume is far from being a record of human fame and success....

Foxe: Voices of the Martyrs unites past Christians with believers today. Building on over fifty years of ministry to persecuted Christians, The Voice of the Martyrs organization shares sixty-seven stories of Christians who have stood faithfully to the death since 2000. Their courage in the face of ISIS and the Taliban, brutal dictatorships, and government crackdowns will inspire you to boldness and remind you that the same Spirit of Christ who strengthened Stephen, Peter, and Paul is at work in you today.

In this concise biography, best-selling author John Piper introduces listeners to this incredible Christian who - although he never served abroad himself - inspired the modern missionary movement that gave rise to such figures as William Carey and Hudson Taylor. Working tirelessly to raise funds for missionaries in the field and championing the importance of sound doctrine for fruitfulness in missions, Fuller stands as an example to all Christians eager to devote themselves to the true gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth.

Considered one of the greatest novels of simple and triumphant religious faith to be published in the 20th century, how the The Song of Bernadette came to be written is an inspirational - even miraculous - story in its own right. In June 1940, famed Austrian author Franz Werfel and his beautiful wife, Alma Mahler, were on a desperate flight across France, seeking to escape certain death at the hands of the Nazi invaders. Franz had written many articles and given many radio speeches denouncing their tyranny.

Brigham Young was a rough-hewn craftsman from New York whose impoverished and obscure life was electrified by the Mormon faith. He trudged around the United States and England to gain converts for Mormonism, spoke in spiritual tongues, married more than 50 women, and eventually transformed a barren desert into his vision of the Kingdom of God. While previous accounts of his life have been distorted by hagiography or polemical exposé, John Turner provides a fully realized portrait of a colossal figure in American religion, politics, and westward expansion.

Join Ken Isaacs on his personal journey from answering God’s “Are you serious?” call through three decades of boots-on-the-ground stories showing us how to be a Good Samaritan no matter where we are. Offering a fascinating behind-the-scenes look into the incredible work of Samaritan’s Purse, this action-packed memoir takes us from the 1989 Ethiopian famine to the 1994 Rwandan genocide to the 2011 Japanese tsunami up to today’s worldwide crises—and the countless decisions, dangers, and prayers along the way.