English Church

At a time when men and women were prepared to kill - and be killed - for their faith, the Protestant Reformation tore the Western world apart. Acclaimed as the definitive account of these epochal events, Diarmaid MacCulloch's award-winning history brilliantly recreates the religious battles of priests, monarchs, scholars, and politicians - from the zealous Martin Luther and his 95 Theses to the polemical John Calvin to the radical Igantius Loyola, from the tortured Thomas Cranmer to the ambitious Philip II.

"This is, in my opinion, the best book on the complementarian / evangelical egalitarian debate. Buy a copy, buy copies for friends, lend it widely. It highlights the truth that the gospel sets the oppressed free. The Bible from cover to cover is good news for men and women." —Dr. Kevin Giles, author of What The Bible Actually Teaches on Women "Terran Williams develops a meticulous case that shows God’s moral compass always points to the unity of men and women, in creation, in the church, and in Christ. A terrific resource for anyone wrestling with this topic.” —Dr. Michael Bird, ...

While many histories of Christian worship exist, this project undertakes a task both more focused and more urgent. Rather than survey the whole history of the Christian church, it focuses on the formative period between the first and fifth centuries CE, when so many of the understandings and patterns of Christian worship came to be. And rather than include such developments as the monastic hours of prayer and the history of ordination, the authors deal primarily with those aspects of worship that recur on a weekly or regular basis: preaching, Eucharist, and baptism.

Best-selling author and ministry leader Thom S. Rainer drew an exceptional response when he posted a 500-word declaration about church membership to his daily blog. Thoughtfully expanded to book form, I Am a Church Member begins to remedy the outbreak of inactive or barely committed church members, addressing without apology what is expected of those who join a body of believers.

Discover the fascinating story behind the global headline! For the first time in history, an American ascends to the throne of St. Peter. But who is Robert Prevost and what unlikely journey took him from Chicago to the Vatican? Uncover the secrets of a man’s life breaking barriers and shaping the future of the Catholic Church. Have you ever wondered how an American missionary in Peru became the leader of over a billion Catholics? This exclusive e-book delves deep into the life of Robert Prevost, revealing the pivotal moments, impactful decisions and unwavering faith that led him to the ...

At the approach of the first millennium, the Christians of Europe did not seem likely candidates for future greatness. They saw no future beyond the widely anticipated Second Coming of Christ. But when the world did not end, the peoples of Western Europe suddenly found themselves with no choice but to begin the heroic task of building a Jerusalem on Earth. In The Forge of Christendom, Tom Holland masterfully describes this remarkable new age, a time of caliphs and Viking sea kings, the spread of castles, and the invention of knighthood.

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.

When autumn arrives in Frederickport, it brings surprises-some welcomed. Meanwhile, the residents of Beach Drive learn there are some things more frightening than ghosts.

Western civilization has given us modern science, the wealth of free-market economics, the security of law, a sense of human rights and freedom, charity as a virtue, splendid art and music, philosophy grounded in reason, and innumerable other gifts we take for granted.

When the invitation to attend the press opening of a luxury Swiss hotel—owned by reclusive billionaire Marcus Leidmann—arrives, it’s like the answer to a prayer. Three years after the birth of her youngest child, Lo Blacklock is ready to reestablish her journalism career, but post-pandemic travel journalism is a very different landscape from the one she left ten years ago.

Best-selling author, Thom S. Rainer, guides listeners toward a practical framework and game plan for making a difference for those who visit their church to help make churches more hospitable to guests.

Marriage is more than just a piece of paper. It’s hating your spouse for ten Tuesdays in a row and on a random Wednesday remembering why you chose them. The end goal is the same, to spend this lifetime and the next with your person. It’s the reason you signed your name on the dotted line that makes the difference. Lashonda and Kenneth Fleet tied the knot because their hands were tied. Both coming from Christian families, they were forced to marry at the announcement of a pregnancy. The pressure from their churchy parents, crushed their union before they were ever introduced as Mr. and ...

Looking for a spiritual home that welcomes your questions, your story, and your authentic self? This brief, powerful book offers an inspiring introduction to Unitarian Universalism from the perspective of Rev. John T. Crestwell, Jr.—a longtime minister, spiritual teacher, and passionate voice for love and justice. With warmth and clarity, Rev. John shares what Unitarian Universalism means to him and how it can offer guidance, community, and purpose to those seeking a more inclusive and evolving faith. This collection of accessible reflections, selected sermons, and personal insights gives...

How did a libertine who lacks even the most basic knowledge of the Christian faith win 81 percent of the white evangelical vote in 2016? And why have white evangelicals become a presidential reprobate's staunchest supporters? Jesus and John Wayne is a sweeping account of the last 75 years of white evangelicalism, showing how American evangelicals have worked for decades to replace the Jesus of the Gospels with an idol of rugged masculinity and Christian nationalism.

Leading from the Second Chair will raise awareness of the need for strong leaders in secondary positions. It will describe the value they can bring to their organization and to primary leaders when they are serving at their full potential. It will reshape the way they view their role, with an emphasis on their own responsibility as leaders. It recognizes the unique challenges and frustrations of serving in a subordinate position and equips these leaders with the attitudes and skills that they will need to survive and thrive in this new paradigm.

We've seen the news stories and heard the rumors. Maybe we ourselves have been hurt by a narcissistic church leader. It's easy to throw the term around and diagnose others from afar. But what is narcissism, really? And how does it infiltrate the church?

No one wants to see a church die. And yet, far too many churches are dying. For more than 25 years, Dr. Thom Rainer has helped churches grow, reverse the trends of decline, and has autopsied those that have died. From this experience, he has discovered 12 consistent themes among those churches that have died. Yet, it's not gloom and doom because from those 12 themes, lessons on how to keep your church alive have emerged.

In a bold and moving book that is sure to spark heated debate, the novelist and cultural critic James Carroll maps the profoundly troubling 2,000-year course of the Church’s battle against Judaism and faces the crisis of faith it has provoked in his own life as a Catholic. More than a chronicle of religion, this dark history is the central tragedy of Western civilization, its fault lines reaching deep into our culture.

Despite considerable press coverage and a lengthy trial, the full story of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints has remained largely untold. Only one man can reveal the whole, astounding truth: Sam Brower, the private investigator who devoted years of his life to breaking open the secret practices of the FLDS and bringing Warren Jeffs and his inner circle to justice.

Beginning with the life of Jesus, Robert Louis Wilken narrates the dramatic spread and development of Christianity over the first thousand years of its history. Moving through the formation of early institutions, practices, and beliefs to the transformations of the Roman world after the conversion of Constantine, he sheds new light on the subsequent stories of Christianity in the Latin West, the Byzantine and Slavic East, the Middle East, and Central Asia.