Theology Study

Eve Tibbs offers a comprehensive, yet very accessible, introduction to the beliefs and practices of the Eastern Orthodox Church for Western listeners. Tibbs has devoted her career to translating the Orthodox faith to an evangelical audience, and she has over 20 years of experience teaching this material to students. Assuming no prior knowledge of Orthodox theology, this survey covers the basic ideas of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, from its origins at Pentecost to the present day.

In his reflections on God, Jesus, suffering, and liberation, James H. Cone relates the gospel message to the experience of the Black community. But a wider theme of the book is the role that social and historical context plays in framing the questions we address to God as well as the mode of the answers provided.

The evolution of the Sacred Worship of Sophia, Mary Magdalene, and Mother Mary are traced through the Gnostic Scriptures. Sophia would come to be considered a force or conduit of the Holy Spirit, in part due to the fact that the Holy Spirit was also considered a feminine and creative force from the Supreme God. As the emerging orthodox church became more and more oppressive to women, later even labeling them "occasions of sin", the Gnostics countered by raising women to equal status.

Interest in the end times is increasing, and there are some critical questions every student of end-time prophecy must come to terms with. How should scripture be understood when it speaks of the Antichrist: Literally or allegorically? And if the Antichrist and his persecution are literal events, will the church have to undergo this terrible time of persecution, or will she be removed before the time of great tribulation begins? Theological thinkers across America today are hotly debating these burning questions, yet the Bible could not be more clear as to the answers.

In his sixth God's Generals volume, Roberts Liardon chronicles some of the great martyrs for the faith - and some of the lesser-known ones. Their inspirational testimony, acts of courage, and even seasons of doubt both encourage and point awareness toward the persecuted church of the 21st century. The audiobook includes profiles on Apostle Paul and Stephen the Faithful (c. 100 AD), martyrs from the 18th, 19th, and 21st centuries, and so many more!

Many Christians struggle to find the balance between ignoring the end times completely and seeing the antichrist in every headline. But Jesus's prophetic teaching was not meant for scholars only. Jesus preached a radical message that "the kingdom of God is at hand."

Einstein’s revolutionary scientific ideas have transformed our world, ushering in the nuclear age. The current pace of scientific and technological progress is simply astounding. So is there any place for faith in such a world? Einstein himself gave careful thought to the deepest questions of life. His towering intellectual status means he is someone worth listening to when we think through the big questions of life.

For 50 years, John B. Cobb, Jr. has been teaching listeners that theology is not confined to biblical and doctrinal exegesis but rightly includes economics, politics, education, and science. His prophetic warnings about climate change date back to the early 1970s; his critiques of higher education and American foreign policy are incisive. But for all the pertinence of his views, Cobb has refrained from giving them full expression until now. In the preface to this book, which he aptly names his confession, Cobb writes:

Three decades after leaving the Mormon faith, Latayne Colvett Scott looks back to her original journey out of Mormonism and the reasons why she left. Revised and updated, this third edition of The Mormon Mirage presents both a fascinating inside look at Mormonism and new and formidable evidence against its claims and teachings.

A significant number of Americans, especially evangelical Christians, believe Earth and humankind were created in their present form sometime in the last 10,000 years or so - the rationale being that this is (presumably) the story told in the book of Genesis. Within that group, any threatening scientific evidence that suggests otherwise is rejected or, when possible, retrofitted into a creationist worldview.

The premise of my Revelation decoder book, End Times Major Clues from Minor Prophets, is that the LORD has awakened His chosen warriors, and we are right now in the epic Battle of Armageddon, fighting the battle of good versus evil. After we defeat our enemies, we will enjoy 1,000 years of peace on Earth. That truth is not just found in the book of the Revelation. That wonderful truth is found all throughout God’s Word. That truth is just exactly what we need to know to have the courage and stamina to keep fighting until the war is over and our enemies are gone!

In 15 New Testament Words of Life, New Testament expert Nijay Gupta explores the most important words found in the New Testament. He makes their meaning clear so that these words can become—once again—life giving words for modern Christians as they were for early Jesus-followers. For those first readers of the New Testament who chose to follow Jesus, these words were words of life and they can be again for Jesus-followers in the modern world.

The letters from Jesus to the Revelation churches must be the most misunderstood chapters in the Bible. Many people dismiss them as too hard, too strange, or too scary. “Did Jesus really say that?” Contrary to what you may have heard, these letters are good news from start to finish. They are love letters from Jesus to all of us, and they reveal the extreme goodness and favor of God. In Letters from Jesus, Paul Ellis unpacks the astonishing good news found in these ancient letters. In them he finds answers to tough questions.

In the book of Colossians, Christ is unveiled to a fuller extent than in any other book in the Bible. Christ is unveiled as the all-inclusive one, having the first place in all things as the mystery and embodiment of God, as the head and constituent of the church, as the allotted portion, life, constituent, and hope of the saints, and as the body of all positive things. In addition to presenting such a Christ as the one person in God's economy, Colossians also presents the cross of Christ as the one way in God's government.

The Book of Enoch: A Complete Guide and Reference is the ultimate reference and guide to the book of 1 Enoch (The Ethiopic Book of Enoch). This guide and reference contains the author's notes and insights on the ancient text, as well as commentary, parallel Bible verses, references to 2 Enoch and 3 Enoch, history, prophecy, and the Calendar of Enoch. The author has included an amazing section on the application of the Calendar of Enoch to the prophecy of Daniel and "Daniel's Week of Years."

From the beloved author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People, deeply moving and illuminating reflections on what it means to live a good life. Distilling the wisdom of an extraordinary career, this profoundly inspiring yet practical guide to well-being is truly the capstone to Kushner's luminous oeuvre.

A survey of the various ways--often unrecognized and overlooked--whereby Christianity has impacted the world, making the world a better place and enriching our everyday living.

Satan's transformation from opaque functionary to chief antagonist is one of the most striking features of the development of Jewish theology in the Second Temple Period and beyond. Once no more than an "accuser" testing members of the human community, Satan, along with his demons, is presented by Jewish apocalyptic texts and the New Testament as a main source of evil in the world. In Satan and the Problem of Evil, noted scholar Archie Wright explores this dynamic in both its historical and theological trajectories.

An accessible introduction to philosophical theology, this book first explains the scope, relevance, and value of philosophical theology and then shows students how its conceptual tools help us to examine core Christian doctrines: the Trinity, the Incarnation, redemption and the atonement, and resurrection and life after death.

Transforming Presence talks you through 10 vital practices that will help you have a new experience of the Holy Spirit. You’ll learn how our relationship with the Holy Spirit changed from the Old Testament to the New Testament, what common misconceptions of the Holy Spirit are, and how to think and speak (and sing) rightly about him. It can be hard to discern what’s right and wrong in a world of gray scales, differing preferences, and emotional highs, but when we start with the Bible, all the secondary things fall into place.