New Church

Churches committed to following Christ's example want this world changed for the sake of eternity. While the supernatural piece of making that happen goes without saying, how does a body of believers do its part to be in that "sweet spot" where true spiritual transformation occurs?

How did the movement founded by Jesus transform more in the first 75 years after his death than it has in the 2,000 years since? This book tells the story of how the Christian movement, which began as relatively informal, rural, Hebrew- and Aramaic-speaking, and closely anchored to the Jewish synagogue, became primarily urban, Greek-speaking, and gentile by the early second century, spreading through the Greco-Roman world with a mission agenda and church organization distinct from its roots in Jewish Galilee.

The growth of information makes for an ever-changing world. However, the importance of Scripture remains unchanged. To ensure the enduring value of inspired sacred texts, Friendship Press, together with the National Council of Churches and in partnership with the Society of Biblical Literature, has undertaken the careful task of updating the NRSV Edition of the Bible. We are pleased to present you with what we can in full confidence call the world’s most meticulously researched, rigorously reviewed, and faithfully accurate English-language Bible translation.

A collection of inspired writings (originally in Greek) about the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, the apostles, and other followers of Jesus Christ. The New Testament is commonly divided into the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, Paul’s epistles, the general epistles, and the book of Revelation. The four Gospels - the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John - are accounts of the life of Christ. The Book of Acts records the history of the Church and the apostles, especially Paul’s missionary travels, after Christ’s death.

Bring the Bible into your daily activities with this single-voice version of the complete Bible in the NKJV. With clear and uncluttered narration from Audie Award-winning narrator Simon Bubb, this Bible speaks plainly and makes it easy for you to enter God’s Word. Not only is this audio Bible perfect for busy people looking to find more time to dive into the Word at work or on the go, it makes a great audio companion to Bible studies, devotionals, and quiet times.

In this exciting book, Paula Fredriksen explains the variety of New Testament images of Jesus by exploring the ways that the new Christian communities interpreted his mission and message in light of the delay of the Kingdom he had preached. A new introduction reviews the most recent scholarship on Jesus and its implications for both history and theology.

Jan Karon's millions of fans can't wait to spend time with her heartwarming and hilarious characters, who have a way of becoming family. In fact, fans and booksellers across the country kept Out to Canaan and At Home in Mitford on The New York Times best-seller list for months. In A New Song, Mitford's longtime Episcopal priest, Father Tim, retires. However, new challenges and adventures await when he agrees to serve as interim minister of a small church on Whitecap Island. He and his wife, Cynthia, soon find that Whitecap has its own unforgettable characters.

The New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVue) Audio Bible is now available, ready for you to start listening to Scripture today. This audio Bible includes the entire New Testament so you can listen to Jesus’ own words and more. The NRSVue is intended to be as literal as possible so that the meaning of Scripture can be as clear to the lay person as it is to the dedicated biblical scholar.

This book offers a brief introduction to the Acts of the Apostles. Acts is a substantial book, sitting right in the middle of the New Testament, looking back to the four Gospels and ahead to the mission of the early church. It provides a framework for our understanding of the letters; but it does more than that. It offers a sophisticated and nuanced view of what it means to think of the gospel of Jesus, Israel's Messiah, going out into the world over which Israel's Messiah claims the status of Lord.

As many have said, the church must always be reforming. It must continually move closer to a truer, more faithful expression of the gospel. The risen Christ’s powerful letters to the seven churches in Revelation are a guide to just that. Based on John MacArthur’s exposition of these letters, Christ’s Call to Reform the Church is a plea to the modern church to heed these divine warnings, to reform before it succumbs to the kinds of compromise and error that invite God’s judgment.

The New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVue) Audio Bible is now available on audio, ready for you to start hearing Scripture today. This audio Bible includes the entire Old Testament and New Testament, as well as the Apocrypha. The NRSVue is intended to be as literal as possible so that the meaning of Scripture can be as clear to the lay audience as it is to the dedicated biblical scholar. The NRSV translation has become known as the most accurate of English-language translations, based on available manuscript evidence, textual analysis, and current philological understanding.

The letterbox clatters and sitting on the mat is a piece of paper, in black and white, with everything needed to blow Anna’s perfect life apart. A baby scan photo. Anna and Jon have been trying for a baby with no success, so after years of disappointment, this feels like a kick in the teeth. Who sent it? And why?

In contrast to the oppressive Roman military occupation of the first century, Crossan examines the meaning of the non-violent Kingdom of God prophesized by Jesus and the equality advocated by Paul to the early Christian churches. Crossan contrasts these messages of peace with the misinterpreted apocalyptic vision from the Book of Revelation, which has been misrepresented by modern right-wing theologians and televangelists to justify US military actions in the Middle East.

The Honest Guide to Church Planting is for those toiling in the trenches, those about to bail out, and those considering jumping into the work of planting churches. Tom Bennardo writes candidly of the challenges so planters and sending agencies can embrace a realistic picture of church planting that leads to thriving, fruitful ministry.

Is there a new reformation happening in the church? It depends on who you ask. The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) is a popular and fast-growing new movement of Christians who emphasize signs and wonders, and teach that God is giving new revelation through new apostles and prophets. But is this biblical Christianity? In Counterfeit Kingdom, apologists and NAR experts Holly Pivec and Douglas Geivett show how the NAR’s key tenets distort the gospel, twist the Scriptures, are influenced by New Age practices, and lead faithful Christians to shipwreck their faith.

THE CHRONOLOGICAL BOOK OF END TIMES Some will most likely open the first page of this book and say, "Oh no, another book about the end of the world." I can almost imagine the smile on their face as they roll their eyes in unbelief that someone would dare write about the end of the age and destruction of humanity. Especially when it seems we could be on the brink of a global war. The end is going to happen. God’s Word declares it. Key events must occur leading up to that moment we call “The Day of the Lord.” God’s Word also declares this to be true. It is a fact that “What We Don't...

In the 1970s, many campus radicals raised in Christian homes brought neo-Marxist ideas from college back to church with them. At first, figures like Jim Wallis, Ron Sider, and Richard Mouw made great gains for their progressive evangelical cause. But, after the defeat of Jimmy Carter, the religious right stole the headlines. Today, a new crop of mainstream evangelicals has taken up the cause of the New Left, whether they know it or not.

Forced into the new First Lady role at Shady Hill Missionary Baptist Church, Leah Westchester-Jackson’s true gifts and passions are stamped out by impossible expectations. To cope, Leah creates a fake identity, attempting to appease her father and husband. Already suffering from the effects of family drama, including sibling rivalry, favoritism fueled by colorism, and a lack of maternal bonding, Leah finally loses all restraint when her heart shatters into millions of pieces from the chaos of betrayal, legalism, and hypocrisy. Leah plummets onto a search for completion outside of the ...

Sex and money scandals. An exploding divorce rate. Drug-addicted youths. And an ever-growing worldliness. Today's evangelical church is fighting battles on all fronts. And we seem to be losing these battles to the relentlessly encroaching world. Perhaps the answers to our problems are not in the present, but in the past. Because there was time when Christians were able to stand up to world.

Ever feel lost in translation? With the NET Full-notes Edition of the Holy Bible, you don’t need to be. Modern listeners can find it challenging to connect with the ancient words and cultural contexts of the biblical writers. The NET offers a completely new solution: pairing a listenable, everyday English translation with the largest set of translators’ notes ever created for a Bible. It is an indispensable resource for every Bible listener.