Five hundred years ago, Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses caught Europe by storm and initiated the Reformation, which fundamentally transformed both the church and society. Yet by Luther's own estimation, his translation of the Bible into German was his crowning achievement. The Bible played an absolutely vital role in the lives, theology, and practice of the Protestant Reformers. In ...
For centuries, revivals—and the conversions they inspire—have played a significant role in American evangelicalism. Often unnoticed or unconsidered, however, are the particular theologies underlying these revivals and conversions to faith. With that in mind, church historian Robert Caldwell traces the fascinating story of American revival theologies from the First Great Awakening through the ...
Laurie Guy provides an illuminating, broad-brush survey of the early church in its first four centuries. Her highly readable account is a welcome supplement to chronological histories of the early church, providing something of an aerial view that lets us see patterns in the historical terrain. From the apostolic fathers to the great ecumenical councils, we see the church undergoing persecution ...
In his first letter to the church in Corinth, Paul writes, "I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures" (1 Cor 15:3-4 ESV). Reflecting on Paul's summary of the gospel, sixteenth-century biblical commentator, theologian, ...
"As they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, 'Take, eat; this is my body.'"
How should one interpret these words of Jesus?
The sixteenth-century Reformers turned to Scripture to find the truth of God's Word, but that doesn't mean they always agreed on how to interpret it. For example, when approaching ...
In Reading Scripture with the Reformers, Timothy George takes readers through the exciting events of the sixteenth century, showing how this dynamic period was instigated by a fresh return to the Scriptures. George immerses us in the world of the Reformation, its continuities with the ancient and medieval church, and its dramatic upheavals and controversies. Most of all, he uncovers the ...
Protestant is shorthand for a spreading family tree of church and theological traditions. Each tradition embodies a historically shaped perspective on the beliefs, practices and priorities that make up a Christian community. Whether you are an insider to one tradition, a hybrid of two or three, or--as many Christians today--an outsider to all, Exploring Protestant Traditions is ...
Scholar and teacher Paul Wesley Chilcote provides a full and clear introduction to the dynamic faith of John and Charles Wesley. The vital theology of John is skillfully gleaned from his voluminous writings. The corresponding faith of Charles is culled from his enduring hymns. For students and general readers this book illuminates the vital balance the Wesleys found in Christian teaching that ...
The story of the making of the New Testament is one in which scrolls bumped across cobbled Roman roads and pitched through rolling Mediterranean seas, finally finding their destinations in stuffy, dimly lit Christian house churches in Corinth or Colossae. There they were read aloud and reread, handled and copied, forwarded and collected, studied and treasured. And eventually they were brought together ...
The early church did not descend from heaven on a golden string. Nor did it spring full-grown from the mind of Jesus or the apostles. The church emerged as the result of God's decisive action within a particular people, Israel, their story and their historical context. The focal point of this action was Jesus--his ministry, death and resurrection. But there were challenges, setbacks and conflicts, ...