World Theology

In our modern age the biblical Genesis flood account has been probed and analyzed for answers to scientific, apologetic, and historical questions. It is a text that has called forth flood geology, fueled searches for remnants of the ark on Mount Ararat, and inspired a full-size replica of Noah's ark in a biblical theme park. Some claim that the very veracity of Scripture hinges on a particular reading of the flood narrative. But do we understand what we are reading? Longman and Walton urge us to ask, what might the biblical author have been saying to his ancient audience?

The Zondervan Biblical and Theological Lectures series provides a unique audio learning experience. Unlike a traditional audiobook's direct narration of a book's text, Evangelism in a Skeptical World: Audio Lectures includes high-quality live recordings of college-level lectures that cover the...

Written by a preeminent religious historian, this book provides an introduction to early Christian thought. Focusing on major figures such as St. Augustine and Gregory of Nyssa, as well as s host of less well known thinkers, Robert Wilken chronicles the emergence of a specifically Christian intellectual tradition.

Piper has gathered many of Jesus' demands from the four Gospels and puts the demands in a redemptive, historical context, then concisely examines each. The result is an accessible introduction for thoughtful inquirers and new believers, as well as meditative meat for veteran believers who want to know Jesus better.

Western civilization is becoming increasingly pluralistic,secularized, and biblically illiterate. Many people todayhave little sense of how their lives have benefited fromChristianity’s influence, often viewing the church withhostility or resentment.How Christianity Changed the World is a...

Revised, adapted, and condensed for a broader audience, this companion edition of What about Evil? shows how sin, evil, corruption, and death fit into redemptive history and magnify God's glory.

For most of my life I have been telling Bible stories to children. I’ve told the historical accounts of God’s people and the miracles the LORD worked time and time again. I love God’s Word. I love each and every historical account. I could tell them all day long and in my sleep! They are the most riveting and inspiring stories ever…and most importantly, they are the foundation of our confidence of the Lord’s sovereignty, his great power, and his great love for humanity.

The gloves come off in this electric exchange, originally hosted by Christianity Today, as leading atheist Christopher Hitchens (author of God Is Not Great) and Christian apologist Douglas Wilson (author of Letter from a Christian Citizen) go head-to-head on this divisive question. The result is entertaining and provocative—a glimpse into the ongoing debate.

Find comfort when your life feels chaotic and uncertain. Life on earth isn't easy. How do we reach for hope in the midst of a world that can be so discouraging? Encouraging Words for a Discouraging World, from beloved Bible teacher and author Dr. David Jeremiah, reveals the hope, purpose, and...

Profiled on the front page of the Wall Street Journal, Iranian-born scholar Vali Nasr has become one of America's leading commentators on current events in the Middle East, admired and welcomed by both media and government for his "concise and coherent" analysis (Wall Street Journal). In this "smart, clear and timely" book (Washington Post), Nasr brilliantly dissects the political and theological antagonisms within Islam. He provides a unique and objective understanding of the 1,400-year bitter struggle between Shias and Sunnis, and sheds crucial light on its modern-day consequences—from the nuclear posturing of Iran's President Ahmadinejad to the recent U.S.-enabled shift toward Shia power in Iraq and Hezbollah's continued dominance in Lebanon.

In a world of spiritual options, people constantly tell us what to believe. Yet while we hear these pleas, we're already functioning with existing beliefs—even if they are beliefs by default. So how do we choose what to believe, especially in the area of faith? Do we need to choose? In Choosing Your Faith, Mark Mittelberg encourages us, as Socrates does, not to lead an unexamined life. He invites us to examine why we believe what we believe. This examination will resonate with Christians and seekers alike.

The call to make the world a better place is inherent in the Christian belief and practice. But why have efforts to change the world by Christians so often failed or gone tragically awry? And how might Christians in the twenty-first century live in ways that have integrity with their traditions and are more truly transformative? In To Change the World, James Davison Hunter offers persuasive answers to these questions.

In Counter Culture, New York Times best-selling author David Platt shows Christians how to actively take a stand on such issues as poverty, sex trafficking, marriage, abortion, racism, and religious liberty—and challenges us to become passionate, unwavering voices for Christ. Drawing on compelling personal accounts from around the world, Platt presents an unapologetic yet winsome call for Christians to faithfully follow Christ into the cultural battlefield in ways that will prove both costly and rewarding.

In this collection of original writing, 16 of the most revered teachers in religion and psychology celebrate their personal experiences with the divine. Their words will inspire and challenge you to improve the quality of your life, and in turn, of the world around you. You'll hear the highly-regarded actors Candace Barrett and Raye Birk read from the works of the Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa, Sue Bender, Jean Shinoda Bolen, Wayne Dyer, Barbara De Angelis, Riane Eisler, Shakti Gawain, Brooke Medicine Eagle, Thich Nhat Hanh, Andrew Harvey, Harold Kushner, David Steindl-Rast, Marsha Sinetar, Huston Smith, and Marianne Williamson.

In The Victory of Reason, Rodney Stark advances a revolutionary, controversial, and long overdue idea: that Christianity and its related institutions are, in fact, directly responsible for the most significant intellectual, political, scientific, and economic breakthroughs of the past millennium. In Stark's view, what has propelled the West is not the tension between secular and non-secular society, nor the pitting of science and the humanities against religious belief. Christian theology, Stark asserts, is the very font of reason.

If you're tired of hearing the watered-down Christian teaching and hungry for a deeper spiritual life - one that gives real answers to your hardest questions - Stop Calling Me Beautiful teaches you how. Jesus doesn't offer a powerless salvation. He makes your brokenness part of his whole redemption story - if you allow him to. Don't settle for a feel-good faith. If you want victory over insecurity, fear, shame, and the circumstances you are facing, it's time to embrace Jesus. All of him.

Since ancient times, accounts of supernatural activity have mystified us. Ghost stories as we know them did not develop until the late 19th century, but the restless dead haunted the premodern imagination in many forms, as recorded in historical narratives, theological texts, and personal letters. The Penguin Book of the Undead teems with roving hordes of dead warriors, corpses trailed by packs of barking dogs, moaning phantoms haunting deserted ruins, evil spirits emerging from burning carcasses in the form of crows, and zombies with pestilential breath.

Duane Elmer asked people around the world how they felt about Western missionaries. The response? "Missionaries could be more effective if they did not think they were better than us". The last thing we want to do in cross-cultural ministry is to offend people in other cultures. Unfortunately, all too often and even though we don't mean it, our actions communicate superiority, paternalism, imperialism, and arrogance.

Though most Christians refrain from predicting exactly when our world will end, many believe that when Earth's finale does arrive, it will be a catastrophe. Details vary, but the general assumption is the same: Things will get much, much worse before they get better. But is this really what the Bible teaches? Leaving aside the theological terms that often confuse and muddle this question, Douglas Wilson instead explains eschatology as the end of the greatest story in the world.

Something is terribly wrong in the world—we all feel it. The elite controlling our society commit heinous crimes with no punishment while Christians silently await a rescue rapture. Most in the Church expect increasing cultural demise before we escape. However, through His prophets of old, God already showed us what would happen—we just got the ending wrong. This book presents compelling, yet provocative evidence that Christians fail to discern the times, leading to unfulfilled destinies and needless fear-based paralysis.