In The Mystery of Godliness, W. Ian Thomas lays bare the reality of our weakness without God. While godliness may be a mystery, Thomas makes it clear that this is what God intends to create within us through Christ. For all those tired of trying to make it on their own, this book helps guide its readers back into the arms of the only One who can sustain them and make them whole.
The history of Christianity in Asia is little dealt with either by Church historians or by historians of religion. It is generally unknown, even amongst theologians, that there was a long history of Christianity in Persia, India, Central Asia and China before the appearance on the scene of the first missionaries from the West. A systematic history of the Christian Church in Asia before 1500 is needed. Drawing on material hitherto unknown in the English speaking world, this is a timely and important book because there is a heightened interest today in the early forms of Asian Christianity. The Church in Asia today seeks to find forms of religious expression that are in harmony with Asian culture as was the case in the earlier period. The book covers the period up to 1500 CE. The geographical areas dealt with are Palestine, Syria, Mesopotamia, Persia, India, Central and South East Asia, China and Japan. The book takes into account the outward development of the Church in these areas as well as the inner, theological issues.
“Christ in you, the hope of glory.” —Colossians 1:27 Why do we keep failing even in our best efforts to live the Christian life? Because no one other than Jesus Christ can live it, for the simple reason that He is the Christian life! And only He can live it in our lives as well. Major W. Ian Thomas takes a refreshing look at the pure thrill of living victoriously as you embrace the living Savior’s presence within you. The more you become genuinely and relentlessly available to Christ, the more He can take over so that your Christian walk becomes vibrant and effective! This inspiring devotional, along with the application questions at the end of each reading, will help you focus consistently on Jesus Himself so you can serve and enjoy Him at an entirely new level and dimension. You can try to steer clear of sin. Avoid temptation. Refuse to steal, lie, or use drugs and alcohol. You can indeed try to be sinless. But that is still you. And you are still trying. Jesus Christ was not holy because He focused His efforts on avoiding sin. Instead, “He refused to allow there to be any possible explanation for the quality of His life but the Father, as God, dwelling in Him, as Man,” writes Major W. Ian Thomas. So whom do you want dwelling in you? More of you? Or all of Christ? Story Behind the Book Major W. Ian Thomas was twelve years old when he accepted the Lord with a simple prayer. But by nineteen, “I had been reduced to spiritual exhaustion,” he says, “with no hope or reason for going on.” It was then that he discovered the life-transforming secret of the indwelling life of the living Lord Jesus Christ. God gave him a message through Galatians 2:20, where he learned to say, “Lord Jesus, I can’t—You never said I could—but You can, and always said You would. That is all I need to know.” Major Thomas came to understand it was Christ Himself living through him who would do His work. This is the message he has been passionately proclaiming all his life.
This is a book for anyone who cares about where the church is heading. Will the Christian church live or die? Perhaps it will live - if it has the courage and humility to take Ian Fraser's inclusive message to heart. '... challenges all people of God to see
The comprehensive and engaging introduction to contemporary Christianity, revised and updated The second edition of Understanding Christian Doctrine presents a completely updated and revised edition that builds on the most popular features of the first edition to offer a lively overview to the central beliefs of Christianity. Ian S Markham, a noted authority of Christianity, discusses the great thinkers of the Christian tradition and puts them in conversation with contemporary progressive theologies in a book that goes from Augustine, Aquinas, and Luther to Liberationist, Feminist, and Queer theologies. Designed to be a basic primer, the text is written in a manner that assumes the reader has no prior knowledge of theology or Christian doctrine. The book is designed to present the basic options in all the key areas of Christianity as well as information on how to make complex theological decisions. The author tackles all the key questions from creation to eschatology. Furthermore, Markham makes his own distinctive contribution: he argues that theodicy (traditionally seen as a major difficulty with belief) is actually a theme that links many aspects of Christian doctrine. The revised second edition includes a wealth of new information, including: A lively and comprehensive introduction to Christianity that assumes no prior knowledge of the faith An overview to the great thinkers of Christian tradition that puts them in conversation with progressive liberationist theologies Suggestions that help even the most skeptical to learn to understand and possibly embrace theological assertions Breakout boxes that explain the significance of the text’s various philosophical ideas and positions The text is ideal for anyone interested in learning about the foundations of Christianity as well as new ideas about the faith. Christianity is presented in a manner that embraces the richness of the tradition and affirms the central claims of the historical creeds, while engaging with liberationist challenges to the tradition.
This book, with deep reverence for its subject, takes readers along on a journey of consideration to discover the deeper meanings of the Christian life.
Christianity: the Biography charts the life-story of Christianity from its birth and infancy among a handful of followers of Jesus Christ, through its years of development into a global religious movement, spanning continents and cultures, transcending educational and social backgrounds, with over two billion adherents. Ian Shaw offers an introductory orientation to the richness of the Christian tradition and its heritage around the world. This outline of the major phases, developments, movements, and personalities in Christianity’s life story over the two millennia is necessarily painted on a broad canvas. It is designed to open the subject up for more detailed study. As well as covering the well-trodden ground of the history of Christianity in the West, it also has a special concern for the story from the non-Western world. Christianity: the Biography encourages reflection on the lessons to be learned from the past, and seeks to avoid the tendency to draw a distinction between matters of faith or theology and history. Opening up Christianity’s biography should deepen theological understanding and build faith, and inspire a longing to meet the One behind the story. ‘What an original idea. Ian Shaw has presented the current scholarship in church history in a very engaging way. I hope this book is widely read... An absolutely outstanding volume!’ Ian Randall, Senior Research Fellow, Spurgeon’s College
IN ADAM’S FALL Few doctrines of Christian teaching are more controversial than original sin. For how is it possible to affirm the universality of sin without losing sight of the distinct ways in which individuals are both responsible for and suffer the consequences of sinful behavior? In considering the Christian doctrine of original sin, McFarland challenges many prevailing views about it. He shows us that traditional Christian convictions regarding humanity’s congenital sinfulness neither undermine the moral accountability of sin’s perpetrators nor dampen concern for its victims. Responding to both historic and contemporary criticism of the doctrine, In Adam’s Fall reveals how the concept of original sin is not only theologically defensible, but stimulating and productive for a life of faith. Drawing on both the classical formulations of Augustine and the Christology of Maximus the Confessor, McFarland proposes a radical reconstruction of the doctrine of original sin – one that not only challenges contemporary Western visions of human autonomy but emphasizes the integrity of each individual called by God to a unique and irreplaceable destiny. Engagingly written and infused with scholarly sophistication, In Adam’s Fall offers refreshingly original insights into the contemporary relevance of a doctrine of Christian teaching that has inspired fierce debate for over 1,500 years.
This book starts by establishing that all believers in Christ are already, in fact, one with each other in Christ. This leaves us with the challenge, not of creating unity where it does not exist, but of living consistently with the oneness that already exists. The first section explains why living consistently with our oneness is important, including God’s commands and expectations, the benefits of living in oneness and the hazards of living contrary to the truth. Part two explains what oneness is and is not, including the concepts that oneness is a harmony of diverse believers each doing their own part, not unison, unanimity or strict conformity to the same mold. The third section deals with practical barriers to living in oneness—selfishness, misunderstandings, heresy, and incorrect understanding of the origin of the organizational divisions in the universal Church—and suggests how to overcome them.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a relentless condition, the primary symptom being the occurrence of terrifying ideas, images, and urges that jump into a person's mind and return again and again, despite the individual's attempt to remove them. Christians who suffer from OCD may grapple with additional guilt, as the undesired thoughts are frequently of a spiritual nature. Yet people may be surprised to learn that some of the greatest leaders in Christian history also struggled with this malady. What did they experience? How did they cope? Were they able to overcome these tormenting, often violent, obsessions? Where did God fit into the picture? Ian Osborn shares the personal accounts of Martin Luther, John Bunyan, and Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, as well as his own story, in exploring how faith and science work together to address this complex issue.
If believers are right in the significance they claim for religion, how can they tolerate uncertainties, or preach a Gospel of good news if they are uncertain what they are to talk about? Is religious conviction something which no honest man can profess? Do believers in fact speak with one voice? These are some of the questions that prompted this book, which embodies the F.D. Maurice lectures delivered at King's College London in 1961. It discusses topics that were causes of as much concern to Maurice as they are in our own day: 'eternal' punishment; Christian social duty; the problem of subscription ex animo to Articles. Professor Ramsay argues that it is reasonable to be sure in religion while being tentative in theology. In the course of his discussion he compares Maurice and Newman in relation to their views on theological certainty, and also considers the question whether the time has come for revision of the Thirty-nine Articles.
For 2000 years, debate has raged - who is Jesus Christ? Is he a great teacher or is he God? Is there even a reason to believe in God in our modern scientific world? In the past decade, the war on Belief has become more vocal with the rise of 'New Atheism' advocates like Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris and the late Christopher Hitchens. Throw in media favorites like John Spong, Karen Armstrong or Lloyd Geering, and you'd be forgiven for thinking the atheists had won, the debate was over. Except for one thing. The atheists got it wrong. Investigative journalist Ian Wishart decided to put the best arguments against Christianity to the test. What he found will stun you. None of the most quoted evidence against Jesus Christ or the existence of God stands up to close scrutiny. Whether you're a Christian or not, your questions, and the answers, are here. "One of the best Christian apologetic books I have read" - The NZ Catholic "He takes the "inaccuracies" of Dawkins, Hitchens, Harris, Spong and others and pulls them apart, looking deep into the facts and issues around them and explaining with clarity the real story that is behind them. The second half of the book deals much more specifically with the Biblical claims (the existence of Christ, His resurrection, miracles and prophecy are all included)" - The Bible Geek
Understanding Christian Leadership offers an examination of a distinctly Christian understanding of leadership offering a critical appraisal of insights from secular theories of leadership, exploring biblical and other theological insights into the nature and practice of leadership. Whilst arguing for a form of leadership which is widely dispersed and collaborative, the book seeks to explain the distinctive role of leaders within such a leadership economy. It also seeks to establish a proper relationship between sacred and secular leadership thinking, tackling some of the common philosophical and theological reservations to do with leadership discourse, whilst offering a critical framework for discerning the suitability for the Church of different sources of leadership thinking. Designed as core reading for leadership modules currently taught by the author across a large number of training contexts in the UK, this book is an indispensable text for those taking undergraduate or postgraduate-level qualifications in Christian leadership as well as those in other less formal leadership training contexts. Foreword by Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury
Traill examines the issue of why God put Adam and Eve out of the Garden. He asks whether it because of the eating of the fruit of disobedience or if there is more to the picture.
A vivid picture of how this earth matters to God—our work, our communities, and the physical world." —Scott B. Rae Beginning with the creation of the heavens and earth and ending with the New Jerusalem, the storyline of Scripture reveals God's commitment to the physical world that he created. Our final destiny is not some disembodied, heavenly existence but rather life with God on a renewed earth. How does this understanding of our future home affect our lives today? What role should Christians play in meeting physical needs? Are spiritual realities more significant than physical? This book will help us understand God's eternal vision for the renewal of this earth and discover purpose in all of our daily, real-world endeavors, such as work, the arts, social justice, ecology, medicine, and more.
This ground-breaking book challenges readers to rethink the dividebetween liberal and orthodox approaches which characterisesChristianity today. Provides an alternative to the liberal / orthodox divide incontemporary Christianity. Defends Christianity’s engagement with non-Christiantraditions. Includes important discussion of theological method. Illustrated with case studies involving human rights,interfaith tolerance, economics, and ethics.
Ian McDonald brings Christian ethics into the pressing issues of modern society, making full use of case studies and the shared insights of a team of researchers. Concentrating on the personal and social aspects of human life, this study examines the person, including conscience, virtue, character and motive; the Bible and ethics; relationships and their importance; family values; sexual orientation. In addition, special studies concentrate on political reconciliation; community care and development; communication in the media age; and integrity in business. In fully working out the theory and practice of Christian ethics in relation to particular experiences, this book is a pioneering textbook in the field and will be valued by everyone with an interest in finding moral courses of action today, as well as students in Christian ethics.
Mere Catholicism explains in easily accessible, non-technical language the fundamental doctrines of Catholicism. It also shows how these doctrines follow naturally from the fundamental doctrines common to orthodox Christians ("mere Christianity"). Catholicism can mystify or even repel other Christians, while its complexities can confuse Catholics themselves. Ian Ker's stimulating book makes Catholicism come alive as the fullness of Christianity.
The debate about women serving in ministry has been just as vigorous and heated in the past as it is today. It has been argued by many and almost all are saying they are coming from a Biblical perspective. Thus the question I ask is, “If this is the case what does the Bible say?” A personal note before we go too far. My focus is about preaching Christ crucified and risen to deliver to man salvation, and the only part man has to play is to believe and repent. I am about the Fathers business. I would only wish we could do books on men’s role and responsibility to ministry.
Evangelical Christians around the world have debated for years the extent to which they should be involved in ministries of social action and concern. In Evangelicals and Social Action Ian J. Shaw offers clarity to these debates by tracing the historical involvement of the evangelical church with issues of social action. Focusing on thinking and practices from John Wesley, one of the architects of eighteenth century evangelicalism, to John Stott's work in the second half of the twentieth century, he explores whether evangelism and social action really have been intimately related throughout the history of the church as Stott contended. After an overview of Christian social action prior to Wesley, from the early church through to the eighteenth century, Evangelicals and Social Action explores in detail responses from the evangelical church around the world to eighteen key issues of social action and concern - including poverty, racial equality, addiction, children 'at risk,' slavery, unemployment, and learning disability - encountered between the 1730s and the 1970s. Drawn from a wide range of contexts, these examples illuminate and clarify how Evangelical Christianity has viewed and been a part of ministries of social action over the last three centuries. With an assessment of the issues raised by this historical survey and its implications for evangelicals in the contemporary world, Evangelicals and Social Action is a book that will help better inform the debates around the evangelical church and social action still happening today. This is a book for anyone wanting to deepen their knowledge of the history of the evangelical church, and anyone wanting to better understand Christian social action from an evangelical perspective.
Wilson uses Scriptures, noncanonical writings, and research from a variety of disciplines to penetrate pious mythology and historical distortions. To committed Christians, this book offers a fascinating new perspective on their beliefs. To the skeptic, it provides a convincing explanation of why the beliefs centered on this one man have proven so powerful and pervasive. Illustrated.
Jesus Christ is God, the living Word, who became flesh through His miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit and His virgin birth. Therefore, He is perfect Deity and true humanity united in one person forever. He lived a sinless life and voluntarily atoned for the sins of men by dying on the cross as our substitute, thus satisfying divine justice and accomplishing salvation for all who trust in Him alone. It is His life, the ‘Word made flesh’, that we will look at in detail in this book. His personality and ministry as set out in the Gospels. By understanding His personality I hope to develop a revelation in your heart of how Emmanuel, “God with us” can enable you to see how Jesus can identify with your infirmities. By studying His personality and His ministry it is hoped that all readers will develop a fuller understand of His attributes so that all can have a healthy perspective of who He is. The reason I say this is that many artists have tried to capture the personality Jesus Christ on canvas, but sad to say they have never been able to encapsulate every attribute or a true perspective of our great God, Jesus. Jesus is the Living Word and therefore we need only to delve into the written Word of God to get a clear picture of Him. He is found in the Word of God and that will leave a deep impression in your heart.
Ian Parkinson shares his experience of partnering with God to transform two very different local churches. He weaves stories from his own congregations, and draws on his experience of ministering in an inherited traditional but declining church, revealing what he has done to turn them around. The transformation of such churches is critical: there are relational links to build on within communities; there are resources in place; and most importantly, God desires to renew his people in their sense of identity, vision, calling and anointing, even when they lose their way. In order for this to happen, there need to be leaders who are enthused and equipped to share in God's vision to be agents of change in the church for the sake of the world. This is transformational leadership. Such leadership comes about when we are gripped by a compelling vision of how God intends His Church to be, and a passion to see it move it forwards. Ian Parkinson begins with a brief overview of the true calling and identity of the Church, before examining the catalytic role of leaders in establishing practices and habits which enable the congregation to see vision become reality.
Beyond Christian Zionism tracks the journey of a Christian pastor/theologian from his initial enthusiasm for Christian Zionism in the heady days of the early 1980s, to something approximating a volte-face as a result of hermeneutical revision and political engagement. Given that the church he has pastored for the last twenty years was once an epicenter of Christian Zionism, and is now a multi-ethnic community, the travelogue is as much a reflection on the mission and unity of the Christian community as it is upon the politics of the Middle East. But given the ongoing conflict in the Holy Land, it also carries a prophetic note of warning to lay aside theological fundamentalism and to engage in the painstaking work of peacemaking.
What are the origins of Jesus' reputation for healings and exorcisms? Few questions in Jesus studies are more hotly contested or elicit more diverse responses. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach and in dialogue with recent scholarly literature, The Galilean Wonderworker offers a compelling account. Recognizing the reciprocal relationship between personal and communal well-being within Israelite faith, this study offers new insights into how sickness and healing were understood in first-century Palestine. This, in turn, supplies the backcloth for a fresh evaluation of the evidence for Jesus' healings and exorcisms, where the emphasis falls firmly upon the dynamics of personal encounter. Jesus emerges as a spirit-person, capable of engendering faith and exercising authority to the extent that sufferers experienced liberation from debilitating symptoms and oppressive behaviors, many of which reflected contemporary sociopolitical conditions. Further, by vesting theological significance in these outcomes, they simultaneously constituted manifestations of God's sovereign presence, signaling restoration of covenantal well-being. Acknowledging that Jesus expected his disciples to heal and exorcize, the investigation concludes with an overview of how this legacy was embraced by the early church--noting how exorcism becomes incorporated into Christian initiation while spiritual healing, though continuing, is eclipsed by pastoral care and conventional medical practice.
In this highly accessible, passionately argued and scholarly book, Ian Bradley presents fundamentalism, born a hundred years ago in the United States of America, as the great twentieth-century heresy and aberration. He identifies and seeks to reclaim for the twenty first century a liberal theological tradition existing in Christianity, Islam, Judaism and the other major world faiths. This liberal heart is found in their scriptures and was often to the fore in their foundational stages but has more recently been overlaid with conservative reaction, fundamentalism and fear. He defines this liberal theology in terms of the four values of grace, order, openness and diversity which he suggests can be read by Christians as key attributes of the three persons of the Trinity and of God in Trinity as a whole. This book counters the growing influence of narrow, exclusive judgemental religious conservatism with a powerful reassertion of the liberal gospel of God's grace, goodness and generosity.
If I Perish, I Perish examines the Christian life through the lens of an allegorical interpretation of the Old Testament book of Esther. The character of Esther, representative of the human spirit, depicts that the call of the Lord Jesus on the Christian is to be crucified with Christ and become alive in the Spirit.
The second coming is perhaps the most confusing, controversial, and contentious of biblical doctrines. In The Lost Message of the End Times, Ian Miller guides the reader through the many Old and New Testament prophecies that speak of Jesus’s return. As he does so, he brings their powerful, hope-filled, faith-inspiring, and life-changing message to life. With clear and easily understood explanations, this book will show you how the Scriptures reveal a world of promise, not fear; a kingdom present, not to come; and the powerful bride as she is, not one that needs to be raptured away.
The influence of evangelicalism within the Christian churches has never been stronger. This new study reveals the breadth and range of what has been described as ‘the slumbering giant in the world of spirituality’. Evangelicalism has its origins in the evangelical revival of the eighteenth century, but it has strong links with the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century and the English Puritan movement of the 17th century. An ideal introduction for readers of every background to a vital tradition of spirituality not confined to one country or one denomination. Ian Randall describes the characteristic features of evangelism and the major strands within the tradition, and shows how much evangelical spirituality has changed and developed over time.
A Christian who doesn’t study the Word of God will not be able to live to the fullness of what God has promised to him or her. The enemy is trying to steal away our peace, and finally destroy us, hoping we will turn away from God. 2Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as an approved worker who has nothing to be ashamed of, handling the word of truth with precision. (ISV) Here we see we are to study His Word, to be approved workers, which is right, but let us look at the second part of this statement. handling the word of truth with precision. The word precision has an implication of importance and we need to know how to handle it in our defence against the enemy. We need to understand the Word of God clearly, so that we can extinguish the fiery arrows of the enemy.
“There is no such thing as ‘dead Calvinism,’” writes author Ian Hamilton. Calvinism, simply put, is biblical Christianity. No mere human devised theological system, Calvinism is rooted in and shaped by God’s revelation in Holy Scripture. Hamilton asserts that Calvinism is “natively experiential.” In What Is Experiential Calvinism? , the author shows us that Calvinism is far richer and more profound than five points and helps us see that the lives and ministries of those who are true Calvinists pulse with living, Spirit-inspired, Christ-glorifying, God-centred truth.
This book is for all those who have been hurt by political division, offended by weak and faulty Christians, abused by money-hungry charlatans, imprisoned by rules of men and led astray by non-essentials in the name of the Church. Because of the sins of the Church, some people have erroneously concluded that Christianity itself is crap. However, if we can look past all the human flaws, we will find the most significant words ever spoken on this planet, the most wonderful doctrines ever taught, the Christianity of Jesus Christ.
In 1935, Fascist Italy invaded the sovereign state of Ethiopia--a war of conquest that triggered a chain of events culminating in the Second World War. In this stunning and highly original tale of two Churches, historian Ian Campbell brings a whole new perspective to the story, revealing that bishops of the Italian Catholic Church facilitated the invasion by sanctifying it as a crusade against the world's second-oldest national Church. Cardinals and archbishops rallied the support of Catholic Italy for Il Duce's invading armies by denouncing Ethiopian Christians as heretics and schismatics and announcing that the onslaught was an assignment from God. Campbell marshals evidence from three decades of research to expose the martyrdom of thousands of clergy of the venerable Ethiopian Church, the burning and looting of hundreds of Ethiopia's ancient monasteries and churches, and the instigation and arming of a jihad against Ethiopian Christendom, the likes of which had not been seen since the Middle Ages. Finally, Holy War traces how, after Italy's surrender to the Allies, the horrors of this pogrom were swept under the carpet of history, and the leading culprits put on the road to sainthood.
This book is for all those who have been hurt by political division, offended by weak and faulty Christians, abused by money-hungry charlatans, imprisoned by rules of men and led astray by non-essentials in the name of the Church. Because of the sins of the Church, some people have erroneously concluded that Christianity itself is crap. However, if we can look past all the human flaws, we will find the most significant words ever spoken on this planet, the most wonderful doctrines ever taught, the Christianity of Jesus Christ.
Ian Cowie sheds new light on what the healing miracles of Jesus were. Re-translating the original Greek of the Gospels, he carefully dissects the actions and words of Jesus and draws conclusions which are often at odds with current interpretations. He concludes that there is no justification for saying that 'miracles' break the laws of nature, but that such events are a natural result of using untapped human and divine resources in a universe that is totally consistent.
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