Empfehlungen basierend auf "Apocrypha"

The Bible tells us that Jesus was called a lot of names by people. Many of the religious leaders of the day were jealous of his success and wanted to discredit him in the eyes of the public, so they said all sorts of crazy things about him. They whispered that he was an illegitimate child. They accused him of being demon-possessed. They denounced him to the Roman authorities as a rioter and a threat of public peace. In this five-session video Bible study (DVD/digital videos sold separately), pastor and author Rich Wilkerson, Jr. reveals how one of their nicknames for Jesus was true: “Here is a . . . friend of tax collectors and sinners” (Luke 7:34). In the religious leaders’ minds this was one of the greatest indictments imaginable, but for Jesus it was a sign of success because it was the very definition of his mission. Today, Jesus still calls us “friends,” not because of who we are or what we have done but because of who he is. While he was on earth, he knew that people needed to feel as if they belonged before they would want to behave. Rich shows that by following his example, we can have the same clear conviction and compassion for the lost that Jesus did. When we embrace the truth that we all need Jesus equally, and when we trust him to bring transformation in people’s hearts, we will walk as Jesus walked, experiencing the glory of God in our own lives and in the lives of those around us. The Friend of Sinners Study Guide includes video discussion questions, Bible exploration, and personal study and reflection materials for in-between sessions. Sessions include: Missed Message Weight Shift Lost and Found Comfortably Uncomfortable How to Be Great Designed for use with the Friend of Sinners Video Study (sold separately).

The last command Jesus gave the church before he ascended to heaven was the Great Commission, the call for Christians to "make disciples of all the nations." But Christians have responded by making "Christians," not "disciples." This, according to brilliant scholar and renowned Christian thinker Dallas Willard, has been the church's Great Omission."The word disciple occurs 269 times in the New Testament," writes Willard. "Christian is found three times and was first introduced to refer precisely to disciples of Jesus. . . . The New Testament is a book about disciples, by disciples, and for disciples of Jesus Christ. But the point is not merely verbal. What is more important is that the kind of life we see in the earliest church is that of a special type of person. All of the assurances and benefits offered to humankind in the gospel evidently presuppose such a life and do not make realistic sense apart from it. The disciple of Jesus is not the deluxe or heavy-duty model of the Christian -- especially padded, textured, streamlined, and empowered for the fast lane on the straight and narrow way. He or she stands on the pages of the New Testament as the first level of basic transportation in the Kingdom of God."Willard boldly challenges the thought that we can be Christians without being disciples, or call ourselves Christians without applying this understanding of life in the Kingdom of God to every aspect of life on earth. He calls on believers to restore what should be the heart of Christianity -- being active disciples of Jesus Christ. Willard shows us that in the school of life, we are apprentices of the Teacher whose brilliance encourages us to rise above traditional church understanding and embrace the true meaning of discipleship -- an active, concrete, 24/7 life with Jesus.

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of C. S. Lewis’s death, a special annotated edition of his Christian classic, The Screwtape Letters, with notes and excerpts from his other works that help illuminate this diabolical masterpiece.Since its publication in 1942, The Screwtape Letters has sold millions of copies worldwide and is recognized as a milestone in the history of popular theology. A masterpiece of satire, it offers a sly and ironic portrayal of human life and foibles from the vantage point of Screwtape, a highly placed assistant to “Our Father Below.” At once wildly comic, deadly serious, and strikingly original, The Screwtape Letters comprises the correspondence of the worldly-wise devil Screwtape and his nephew Wormwood, a novice demon in charge of securing the damnation of an ordinary young man.For the first time, The Screwtape Letters will be presented in full-text accompanied by helpful annotations in a striking two-color format. These annotations will give fans a deeper, more nuanced understanding of the popular book, providing background information, explanations of terms, historical significance, and excerpts from Lewis’s other works that more fully explain the ideas in this volume.For both expert Lewis fans and casual readers, The Screwtape Letters: Annotated Edition will be a beautiful and insightful guide to a beloved classic.

Evolution--or the broader topic of origins--has enormous relevance to how we understand the Christian faith and how we interpret Scripture.Four Views on Creation, Evolution, and Intelligent Design presents the current "state of the conversation" about origins among evangelicals representing four key positions: Young Earth Creationism - Ken Ham (Answers in Genesis) Old Earth (Progressive) Creationism - Hugh Ross (Reasons to Believe) Evolutionary Creation - Deborah B. Haarsma (BioLogos) Intelligent Design - Stephen C. Meyer (The Discovery Institute)The contributors offer their best defense of their position addressing questions such as: What is your position on origins - understood broadly to include the physical universe, life, and human beings in particular? What do you take to be the most persuasive arguments in defense of your position? How do you demarcate and correlate evidence about origins from current science and from divine revelation? What hinges on answering these questions correctly?This book allows each contributor to not only present the case for his or her view, but also to critique and respond to the critiques of the other contributors, allowing you to compare their beliefs in an open forum setting to see where they overlap and where they differ.

Professor of theology Stephen Wellum considers Christ's singular uniqueness and significance biblically, historically, and today, in our pluralistic and postmodern age. Christ Alone is a much-needed study and defense of the doctrine that provides coherency to the Christian faith. If the church is to proclaim the same Christ as the Reformers, we must understand and embrace solos Christus with the same clarity, conviction, urgency, and abundance of joy as the Reformers. To that end, Wellum: Recovers the Reformers' basic insights by focusing first on two teachings: the exclusive identity of Christ and his sufficient work. Follows the historical roots of the doctrine and its developments to show how the uniqueness of Christ has come under specific attack today. Retraces the storyline of Scripture, from Christ's unique identity and work as prophet, priest, and king, to the application of his work to believers and our covenantal union with him. Christ Alone seeks to recover a robust biblical and theological doctrine of Christ's person and work—and a renewed understanding that apart from Christ there is no salvation—in the face of today's challenges, unpacking why a fresh appraisal of the Reformation understanding of Christ alone is so important today. —THE FIVE SOLAS— Historians and theologians have long recognized that at the heart of the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation were five declarations, often referred to as the "solas." These five statements summarize much of what the Reformation was about, and they distinguish Protestantism from other expressions of the Christian faith: that they place ultimate and final authority in the Scriptures, acknowledge the work of Christ alone as sufficient for redemption, recognize that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone, and seek to do all things for God’s glory. The Five Solas Series is more than a simple rehashing of these statements, but instead expounds upon the biblical reasoning behind them, leading to a more profound theological vision of our lives and callings as Christians and churches.

Selected from sermons delivered by C. S. Lewis during World War II, these nine addresses show the beloved author and theologian bringing hope and courage in a time of great doubt. Addressing some of the most difficult issues we face in our day-to-day lives, C.S. Lewis’s ardent and timeless words provide an unparalleled path to greater spiritual understanding. Considered by many to be Lewis’s finest sermon of all, and his most moving address, ‘The Weight of Glory’ extols a compassionate vision of Christianity an dincludes lucid and compelling discussions on faith. Also included in this volume are "Transposition," "On Forgiveness," "Why I Am Not a Pacifist," and "Learning in War-Time".

A fresh, deeply biblical account of God's expanding grace and mercy, tracing how the Bible's narrative points to the full inclusion of LGBTQ people in Christian communitiesDiscussions of the Bible and human sexuality often focus on a scattered handful of specific passages. But arguments about this same set of verses have reached an impasse, two leading biblical scholars believe; these debates are missing the forest for the trees.In this learned and beautifully written book, Richard and Christopher Hays explore a more expansive way of listening to the overarching story that scripture tells. They remind us of a dynamic and gracious God who is willing to change his mind, consistently broadening his grace to include more and more people. Those who were once outsiders find themselves surprisingly embraced within the people of God, while those who sought to enforce exclusive boundaries are challenged to rethink their understanding of God's ways.The authors--a father and son--point out ongoing conversations within the Bible in which traditional rules, customs, and theologies are rethought. They argue that God has already gone on ahead of our debates and expanded his grace to people of different sexualities. If the Bible shows us a God who changes his mind, they say, perhaps today's Christians should do the same. The book begins with the authors' personal experiences of controversies over sexuality and closes with Richard Hays's epilogue reflecting on his own change of heart and mind.

Quick answers to tough questions about Jesus' life, ministry, and divinity.Is there archeological proof that Jesus existed? Did Jesus ever actually claim to be God? Is Jesus really the only way? There's a good chance that every Christian will be asked tough questions like these at some point in their lives, whether from combative skeptics, curious seekers, or even doubts in their own minds.To help followers of Christ answer questions quickly and confidently, Josh and Sean McDowell adapted the wisdom from their apologetics classic Evidence That Demands a Verdict into an accessible resource that provides answers to common questions about Jesus.Evidence for Jesus answers these questions and more:Is there evidence that Jesus was real?Did Jesus ever actually claim to be God?What makes Jesus unique from other religious figures?Is Christianity a copycat religion?What does the Old Testament teach about the coming Messiah?Did Jesus really rise from the dead?Why does the resurrection of Jesus matter?Evidence for Jesus will equip brand new believers and lifelong Christians alike with time-tested rebuttals to defend their faith in Jesus against even the harshest critics.

ECPA Christian Book Award 2021 Finalist: Biography & Memoir Explore Apologetics through the Lives of History's Great Apologists The History of Apologetics follows the great apologists in the history of the church to understand how they approached the task of apologetics in their own cultural and theological context. Each chapter looks at the life of a well-known apologist from history, unpacks their methodology, and details how they approached the task of defending the faith. By better understanding how apologetics has been done, readers will be better able to grasp the contextualized nature of apologetics and apply those insights to today's context. The History of Apologetics covers forty-four apologists including: Part One: Patristic Apologists Justin Martyr by Gerald Bray Irenaeus of Lyons by Stephen O. Presley Athenagoras of Athens by W. Brian Shelton Tertullian of Carthage by Bryan M. Litfin Origen by A. Chadwick Thornhill Athanasius of Alexandria by Jonathan Morgan Augustine of Hippo by Chad Meister Part Two: Medieval Apologists John of Damascus by Daniel J. Janosik Theodore Abu Qurrah by Byard Bennett Timothy I of Baghdad by Edward L. Smither and Trevor Castor Anselm of Canterbury by Edward N. Martin and Steven B. Cowan Saint Thomas Aquinas by Francis J. Beckwith and Shawn Floyd Ramon Lull by Greg Peters Gregory Palamas by Byard Bennett Part Three: Early Modern Apologists Hugo Grotius by Bryan Baise Blaise Pascal by Tyler Dalton McNabb and Michael R. DeVito Jonathan Edwards by Michael McClymond William Paley by Charles Taliaferro Joseph Butler by David McNaughton Part Four: 19th C. Apologists Simon Greenleaf by Craig A. Parton John Henry Newman by Corneliu C. Simut Søren Kierkegaard by Sean A. Turchin and Christian Kettering James Orr by Ronnie Campbell B. B. Warfield by Kim Riddlebarger Part Five: 20th C. American Apologists J. Gresham Machen by D. G. Hart Cornelius Van Til by K. Scott Oliphint Gordon Haddon Clark by Robert A. Weathers Francis A. Schaeffer by William Edgar Edward John Carnell by Steven A. Hein Part Six: 20th C. European Apologists A. E. Taylor by Michael O. Obanla and David Baggett G. K. Chesterton by Ralph Wood Dorothy Sayers by Amy Orr-Ewing C. S. Lewis by Alister McGrath Dietrich Bonhoeffer by Matthew D. Kirkpatrick Lesslie Newbigin by Krish Kandiah Part Seven: Contemporary Apologists John Warwick Montgomery by Craig A. Parton Charles Taylor by Bruce Riley Ashford and Matthew Ng Alvin Plantinga by James Beilby Richard Swinburne by Greg Welty William Lane Craig by R. Keith Loftin Gary R. Habermas by W. David Beck and Benjamin C. F. Shaw Alister E. McGrath by James K. Dew and Jordan Steffaniak Timothy Keller by Joshua D. Chatraw

You've heard people say "Who you are matters more than what you do". Does the Bible really teach that? In Garden City, popular pastor and speaker John Mark Comer gives a fresh take on our calling and our purpose, with a surprisingly counter-culture take. Through his creative and conversational style, Comer takes a good look at Genesis and the story of a man, a woman, and a garden. He unpacks God's creation and his original intent for how we are meant to spend our time. Here, you'll find answers to questions like "Does God care where I work?" "What about what I do with my free time or how much rest I get?" "Does he have a clear direction for me?" Practical and theologically rich, Garden City speaks to twenty and thirty-somethings who are figuring out next steps and direction in their lives. Garden City is the Purpose Driven Life for the next generation--the book that helps us answer why we are here and what should we do about it.