Recommendations based on "The Morning Star Vol. 9 No. 4"

“Thousands of people have written to tell me that I am wrong not to believe in God. The most hostile of these communications have come from Christians. This is ironic, as Christians generally imagine that no faith imparts the virtues of love and forgiveness more effectively than their own. The truth is that many who claim to be transformed by Christ’s love are deeply, even murderously, intolerant of criticism. While we may want to ascribe this to human nature, it is clear that such hatred draws considerable support from the Bible. How do I know this? The most disturbed of my correspondents always cite chapter and verse.”So begins Letter to a Christian Nation…www.samharris.org

A compelling insider account by the nephew of a renowned prosperity preacher on the perils of greed and the power of the true gospel. Costi Hinn—nephew of the world-famous televangelist, Benny Hinn—had a front-row seat to the inner workings of the prosperity gospel: "In one sermon I heard growing up, my uncle taught us that if we wanted God to do something for us, we needed to do something for him." In God, Greed, and the (Prosperity) Gospel he gives a chilling account of how prosperity preachers exploit the poor and needy and what it was like to grow up in one of the world's most powerful prosperity dynasties. As Costi began to question the lifestyle he was living and look for an answer to the injustice he saw, he found himself on a journey that eventually led him to abandon the family faith in favor of the overwhelming truth about the real Jesus Christ. This is Costi's story of escape from a false teaching that has ensnared millions. And it’s a call to the church to be salt and light throughout the earth and to stand up for the truth when Jesus Christ is being falsely represented as a commodity. If you want to learn how to reach those caught in deception, or if you've been confused in the past by the insidiously blurred lines between prosperity theology and the true gospel, this book will bolster your faith and encourage your own journey toward the Truth. Spanish edition also available.

The Timeless Novel About a Bus Ride from Hell to HeavenIn The Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis again employs his formidable talent for fable and allegory. The writer finds himself in Hell boarding a bus bound for Heaven. The amazing opportunity is that anyone who wants to stay in Heaven, can. This is a starting point for an extraordinary meditation upon good and evil, grace and judgment. Lewis’s revolutionary idea is the discovery that the gates of Hell are locked from the inside. Using his extraordinary descriptive powers, Lewis’s The Great Divorce will change the way we think about good and evil.

The classic Weight of Glory by C.S. Lewis, the most important Christian writer of the 20th century, contains nine sermons delivered by Lewis during World War Two. The nine addresses in Weight of Glory offer guidance, inspiration, and a compassionate apologetic for the Christian faith during a time of great doubt.

A book that begins before Adam and ends after us. In this magisterial work by the Italian intellectual superstar Roberto Calasso, figures of the Bible and its whole outline emerge in a new light: one that is often astonishing and disquieting, as indeed―more than any other―is the book from which they originateRoberto Calasso’s The Book of All Books is a narration that moves through the Bible as if through a forest, where every branch―every verse―may offer some revelation. Where a man named Saul becomes the first king of a people because his father sent him off to search for some donkeys that had gone astray. Where, in answer to an invitation from Jerusalem’s king, the queen of a remote African realm spends three years leading a long caravan of young men, girls dressed in purple, and animals, and with large quantities of spices, to ask the king certain questions. And where a man named Abraham hears these words from a divine voice: “Go away from your land, from your country and from the house of your father toward the land that I will show you”―words that reverberate throughout the Bible, a story about a separation and a promise followed by many other separations and promises.The Book of All Books, the tenth part of a series, parallels in many ways the second part, The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony. There, gods and heroes of the Greek myths revealed new physiognomies, whereas here many figures of the Bible and its whole outline emerge in a new light: one that is often astonishing and disquieting, as indeed is the book―more so than any other―from which they originate.

A modern classic of Christian testimony and devotion, The Knowledge of the Holy shows us how we can rejuvenate our prayer life, meditate more reverently, understand God more deeply, and experience God’s presence in our daily lives.The Knowledge of the Holy by beloved evangelical author and Christian mystic A.W. Tozer illuminates God’s attributes—from wisdom, to grace, to mercy—and in doing so, attempts to restore the majesty and wonder of God in the hearts and minds of all Christians. Informative as well as inspirational, The Knowledge of the Holy returns the towering Christian concept of God to the center of the religious mind, fostering a renewed appreciation of the magnitude of God’s glory.This timeless gift breathes a spirit of devotion for all Christians, from those who are newly arrived to those who are committing themselves anew to Jesus Christ.

Know the Theologians is an introduction to the most important thinkers throughout church history and a demonstration of their ongoing relevance for believers today.The Bible describes the church as a kind of family. Those who believe in Christ are sisters and brothers in the faith, whether they live at the same time or are separated by centuries. For that reason, believers today need to know our family members who have come before and shaped our beliefs and practices now. In Know the Theologians, professors and authors Jennifer Powell McNutt and David W. McNutt introduce the most significant thinkers in the church's history.McNutt and McNutt survey over a dozen primary figures, including Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant theologians, who represent the breadth and depth of the church's theology. The book explores how they fit into their own time period and also draws attention to the theological voices of women throughout the church's history. Every chapter includes short sidebars on figures contemporary to the main theologians, bringing in additional important voices.This book has everything you need for a full personal or group study experience. As part of the KNOW series, Know the Theologians is designed for either personal study or classroom use, and it will also be an accessible resource for small groups and adult education in churches. Chapters end with reflection questions and recommended reading for further study. An individual access code to stream all video sessions online. (You don’t need to buy a DVD!)Sessions and video run times:0. Introduction (6:30)1. Irenaeus of Lyons (17:00)2. Athanasius of Alexandria (24:30)3. The Cappadocian Four (16:00)4. Augustine of Hippo (14:30)5. John of Damascus (17:00)6. Anselm of Canterbury (19:00)7. Julian of Norwich (20:30)8. Thomas Aquinas (19:00)9. Martin Luther (22:00)10. John Calvin (25:30)11. Menno Simons (21:30)12. Teresa of Avila (19:30)13. The Wesley Brothers (21:00)14. Friedrich Schleiermacher (12:00)15. Karl Barth (14:00)16. Gustavo Gutiérrez (30:30)Streaming video access code included.?Access code subject to expiration after 4/2/2029. Code may be redeemed only by the recipient of this package. Code may not be transferred or sold separately from this package. Internet connection required. Void where prohibited, taxed, or restricted by law. Additional offer details inside.

Was God telling the truth when he said, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart”? In his #1 bestseller The Case for Christ, Lee Strobel examined the claims of Christ, reaching the hard-won verdict that Jesus is God’s unique son. In The Case for Faith, Strobel turns his skills to the most persistent emotional objections to belief―the eight “heart barriers” to faith. This Gold Medallion-winning book is for those who may be feeling attracted to Jesus but who are faced with difficult questions standing squarely in their path. For Christians, it will deepen their convictions and give them fresh confidence in discussing Christianity with even their most skeptical friends. “Everyone―seekers, doubters, fervent believers―benefits when Lee Strobel hits the road in search of answers, as he does again in The Case for Faith. In the course of his probing interviews, some of the toughest intellectual obstacles to faith fall away.” ―Luis Palau “Lee Strobel has given believers and skeptics alike a gift in this book. He does not avoid seeking the most difficult questions imaginable, and refuses to provide simplistic answers that do more harm than good.” ―Jerry Sittser, professor of religion, Whitworth College, and author of A Grace Disguised and The Will of God as a Way of Life

The first edition of The Gospel According to Jesus won wide acclaim in confronting the 'easy-believism' that has characterized some quarters in evangelical Christianity. This expanded edition deepens the debate over 'lordship salvation' and the biblical understanding of faith and works in adding three new chapters and an appendix. The new chapters: - The Vine and the Branches - The Promise of Justification - Tetelestai! The Triumph is Complete -- The appendix contains answers to the most often asked questions on the subject of what Jesus really meant when he said 'Follow me.'

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.