Many Christians today long to become reacquainted with their ancient ancestors in the faith. They see a deeper worship and devotion in the prayers and hymns of the early church. And they believe that the writings of the early church can shed new light on their understanding of Scripture.

But where and how do we begin? Our first encounter with the writings of the church fathers may seem like ...

The pathway to understanding the New Testament leads through the vibrant landscape of the first-century Greco-Roman world. The New Testament is rooted in the concrete historical events of that world. In Jesus the Rise of Early Christianity Paul Barnett not only places the New Testament within that world of caesars and Herods, proconsuls and Pharisees, Sadducees and revolutionaries, but ...

In this volume Oliver Crisp offers a set of essays that analyze the significance and contribution of several great thinkers in the Reformed tradition, ranging from John Calvin and Jonathan Edwards to Karl Barth. Crisp demonstrates how these thinkers navigated pressing theological issues in their historical settings and in what ways contemporary readers can draw important insights from the tradition ...

Ever since John Winthrop told his fellow colonists in 1630 that they were about to establish a City upon a Hill, the idea of having a special place in history has captured the American imagination. Through centuries of crises and opportunities, many have taken up this theme to inspire the nation. But others have criticized the notion because it implies a sense of superiority which can fuel racism, ...

Foreword Book of the Year Award Finalist

The Pilgrims' celebration of the first Thanksgiving is a keystone of America's national and spiritual identity. But is what we've been taught about them or their harvest feast what actually happened? And if not, what difference does it make?

Through the captivating story of the birth of this quintessentially American ...

• Recipient of a Christianity Today 1993 Critics Choice Award

Over the last fifty years God has used InterVarsity Christian Fellowship to shape the lives of thousands of students. This fascinating chronicle begins with the early influences that shaped university witness since its founding. Eventually these influences coalesced to form InterVarsity Christian ...

Does it matter how Christians in other times and places thought? If the Bible alone is God?s revelation, why spend time studying church history? Aren?t history and tradition more of a problem than a solution? For many Christians who believe the Bible is the ultimate authority for faith and life, questions about the role and value of the church's traditions can be difficult to ...

Did you know. . . . . . John Stott's father stood strongly against his desire to be ordained in the Church of England and his pacifist leanings during World War II? . . . John Stott once got lost following birds in the Amazon rainforest? . . . John Stott once dressed up as a street urchin, fashioned a "strong Cockney accent" and lived under a bridge near the Thames in London in order to see ...