Religious Theology

We live in a multifaith society: an ever-growing, diverse cultural climate, where no religion is viewed as having a monopoly on truth. It is important when that Christ-followers not only share the Word of God but also listen and learn how to interact meaningfully with those of diverse...

From John Calvin until today, Reformed theology and worship have acknowledged Word and sacrament as central to its Christian identity. By exploring key liturgies, confessions, directories for worship, and theological movements, this book examines common theological themes and commitments that have undergirded worship as well as ways that our understandings and practices have developed in light of new contexts and challenges.

A spectacular stretch of earth, the Eastern Sierra region of California, reveals volcanic reefs, desert sand dunes, majestic mountains, and snow-fed lakes and rivers. Drawing on 40 years of college teaching on the world's religions, Professor Brad Karelius is your guide, uncovering deep spiritual dimensions in this achingly beautiful place. This book shares crystallizations of religious wisdom collected through the ages, and finely tuned descriptions of holy sites which you may visit, that will draw you deeper in your personal encounters with world spiritualities.

If the saints have never made you laugh or drop your jaw, they will in this book. Best-selling author Shaun McAfee (Reform Yourself!, Filling Our Father’s House) and guest writers illustrate how the saints were not just stone-faced old men. Some of them had quirky habits and outrageous personalities and did breathtaking deeds...but they all had epic faith.

How does a person learn to counsel others with the truth of God’s Word? Bob Kellemen believes that the best way to learn counseling is by doing it—by giving and receiving biblical counseling in the context of real, raw Christian community. Gospel Conversations explores the four...

This short 19th-century book explores the evolution of the belief in the Devil, including historical, cultural, and religious influences. Who is this character Satan? Is he an adversary of man working on behalf of the Divine? Is he the archenemy of God, a hideous personification of the worst evil? Does the Devil truly exist, or is this a convenient way to rid humans of personal responsibility for their own evil inclinations? Revisiting the witch burnings in the Middle Ages—justified by alleged allegiance to a dark lord—the author questions the efficacy of such a belief.

Jesus promised, “Where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them" (Matthew 18:20). Writing in a positive, friendly, engaging style, the author encourages you to claim that promise and experience that presence, and walks you through it with practical how-to advice.

Do you want God to tell you more about His specific plan for your life? You are not alone! Each day, as you spend 10 minutes in prayer asking God to mentor you in his specific purposes for your life, read about how God has mentored 60 influential Christian women such as Ruth Graham, Kay Warren...

With a unique combination of research, interviews, personal experience, and theological reflection, author Matthew McGuire takes the listener on a journey to re-examine his or her presuppositions about the nature of the world we inhabit. Is this universe nothing more than Bertrand Russell's accidental collocations of atoms, or are there deeper, spiritual dimensions to the cosmos?

Jeden Tag endlos lange To-do-Listen. Das hektische Tempo des modernen Lebens. Der stetige Kampf, als Unternehmen am Markt relevant zu bleiben. Die sehr reale Bedrohung von Superbazillen und Terroranschlägen in unserem Alltag... Es ist unschwer zu erkennen, weshalb heutzutage so viele Menschen unter Stress, Sorgen und Angstattacken leiden. Leider sind das keine harmlosen Gefühlszustände - sie können sich schleichend zu chronischen Depressionen und psychosomatischen Erkrankungen entwickeln.

Are We Sure We Know God? The question is sometimes answered, "Sure, I know God." And if most children were asked if they know their mommies and daddies, likewise, they might reply, "Yes." And most parents would agree that they do, but only in a child's perspective. Could that be how most of us know God? Since the Bible speaks of knowing God as essential for gaining eternal life, wouldn't it make sense to spend time getting to know Him better? Especially since God's enemy has distorted our view of Him by twisting His requirements into impossibilities.

We live in a genuinely unique period of human history, one in which the alarmist's hackneyed warning that "the end is near!" could actually come true. The world is cluttered with increasingly powerful advanced technologies. Global warming and biodiversity loss are unchecked catastrophes that will likely push society to the brink of collapse. How are we to respond to this situation? What can we do to maximize the probability of a positive outcome for our species?

John Newton is famous for his legendary hymn "Amazing Grace". Many have celebrated his dramatic conversion from a life in the slave trade to his eventual work to end it. But often overlooked are Newton's 40 years as a pastor ministering to parishioners and friends unsettled by the trials, doubts, and fears of life. Newton is perhaps the greatest pastoral letter writer in the history of the church. He took up his pen day after day to help others fix their eyes on Christ, which, he writes, is the underlying battle of the Christian life.

Throughout history, Christians have pictured the relationships between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit through analogies. Such illustrations—some from the West but also from Latin America, Asia, Africa, and other places—come laden with theological ramifications that the church has rejected (heresies) or embraced (doctrines). In Three in One, William David Spencer shares a lifetime of insights from teaching within the global church, bringing fresh images and analogies of the Trinity to deepen our theological vocabulary.

The sacred meal that is part of our faith does more than connect us to the holy, it connects us to each other. "I think Jesus wanted his disciples and everyone who came after him to remember what they had together. What they made together. What it meant to be together. How the things he did...

People today encounter a dizzying array of religious options. We might consider mystical faiths like Buddhism and Hinduism, historical religions like Islam and Mormonism, or more nebulous modern expressions of being spiritual but not religious or religious but not spiritual. How do we know what is true? Is one faith just as good as another? Trial lawyer Mark Lanier presents the claims made by the world's great religions, discusses their histories, and cross-examines their witnesses (their scriptures and traditions) to determine whether their claims are worthy of belief.

Can scientific explanation ever make reference to God or the supernatural? The present consensus is no; indeed, a naturalistic stance is usually taken to be a distinguishing feature of modern science. Science Without God?: Rethinking the History of Scientific Naturalism shows that the history of Western science presents us with a more nuanced picture.

Biblical Guidance for Ministering God’s Love in a Sexually Diverse Culture In a time when sexual norms are changing rapidly, how can a local church be a place of grace—a loving community for all kinds of people—where everyone can flourish and disagreements are overcome in a Christlike...

Outreach to those who struggle with same-sex attraction is severely lacking in most churches. As a result, most Christians learn more about homosexuality from movies, the internet, television, and so-called diversity training than they learn in their own congregations. Many people who struggle...

The Good Book collects new pieces by writers from many different faiths and ethnicities, including literary fiction writers (Colm Tóibín, Edwidge Danticat, Tobias Wolff, and Rick Moody); best-selling nonfiction writers (A. J. Jacobs, Ian Frazier, Adam Gopnik, and Thomas Lynch); notable figures in the media (Charles McGrath, Cokie Roberts, and Steven V. Roberts); and social activists (Al Sharpton and Kerry Kennedy).