Christian Books

It takes charisma and inspiration to lead any group of people, be it a family, a community or a nation. It requires truly miraculous skills to go on leading people even after your death. Throughout history there have been only a handful of people capable of this form of leadership. They include Jesus Christ, Moses, Mohammed and Buddha, without whom the major religions of this world simply would not exist. LEADERS WHO CHANGED THE WORLD explores the lives and careers of such extraordinary individuals as Confucious, Mahatma Gandhi, Eleanor of Aquitaine and Nelson Mandela. Some have slogged and suffered in order to change the world for the better, others like Adolf Hitler or Osama Bin Laden have only succeeded in damaging humanity. What does it take to become a great leader?

How is the church being affected by globalization? What does wider and more direct contact between the world religions mean for Christians? What is God doing in the midst of such change? This important volume explores the implications of today's emerging global society for local churches and Christian mission. Prominent scholars, missionaries, and analysts of world trends relate Christian theology and ethics to five clusters of issues-stewardship, prosperity, and justice; faith, learning, and family; the Spirit, wholeness, and health; Christ, the church, and other religions; and conflict, violence, and mission-issues that pastors and congregations will find critical as they think through the mission of the church in our time. Contributors: David Befus Susan Power Bratton Ronald Cole-Turner Tim A. Dearborn Ian T. Douglas Kosuke Koyama John Mbiti James H. Ottley Richard Osmer Scott R. Paeth Cecil M. Robeck Jr. Lamin Sanneh William Schweiker Donald W. Shriver Jr. Max L. Stackhouse Mary Stewart Van Leeuwen Allen Verhey John Witte Jr.

"No Longer a Slumdog" speaks to the heart with real stories of transformation and redemption. It's not just a book; it's an eye-opening journey that invites you to witness the resilience and hope of children in South Asia's slums and villages. Let it stir your empathy and perhaps inspire action, as it reveals the power of God’s love through the work of K.P. Yohannan and Gospel for Asia.

Marco Politi takes us deep inside the power struggle roiling the Roman Curia and the Catholic Church worldwide, beginning with Benedict XVI, the pope who famously resigned in 2013, and intensifying with the contested and unexpected election of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, archbishop of Buenos Aires, now known as Pope Francis. Politi's account balances the perspectives of Pope Francis's supporters, Benedict's sympathizers, and those disappointed members of the Catholic laity who feel alienated by the institution's secrecy, financial corruption, and refusal to modernize.Politi dramatically recounts the sexual scandals that have rocked the church and the accusations of money laundering and other financial misdeeds swirling around the Vatican and the Italian Catholic establishment. Pope Francis has tried to shine a light on these crimes, but his work has been met with resistance from entrenched factions. Politi writes of the decline in church attendance and vocations to the priesthood throughout the world as the church continues to prohibit divorced and remarried Catholics from receiving the communion wafer. He visits European parishes where women now perform the functions of missing male priests--and where the remaining parishioners would welcome the admission of women to the priesthood, if the church would allow it.Pope Francis's emphasis on pastoral compassion for all who struggle with the burden of family life has also provoked the ire of traditionalists in the Roman Curia and elsewhere. He knows from personal experience what life is like for the poor in Buenos Aires and other metropolises of the globalized world, and highlights the contrast between the vital, vibrant faith of these parishioners and the disillusionment of European Catholics. Pope Francis and his supporters are locked in a battle with the defenders of the traditional hard line and with ecclesiastical corruption. In this conflict, the future of Catholicism is at stake--and it is far from certain Francis will succeed in saving the institution from decline.

In 1949, film star Ingrid Bergman fled to Europe following a public outcry and her denunciation by the U.S. Senate. The charge? She had an adulterous affair with director Roberto Rossellini resulting in a pregnancy, actions for which one senator called her "a horrible example of womanhood and a powerful influence for evil." Would any star flee the country over so minor an offense today?Author Rebecca Price Janney examines how people in other eras throughout American history conducted their relationships. How did they fall short of God's ideal as presented in the Scriptures? How often did they get it right? What has led us to becoming a culture of "anything goes" morality? And conversely, have there been any surprising improvements in recent years?This book is not a culture-wars creed, but rather a historical look at the American family, showing that the pattern is more complicated than a downward spiral of morality from our country's founding to the present. In addition, one of the intriguing features of the book is the author's close look at marriage and relationships within subcultures that are not often considered, including those of Native Americans, Conquistadors, and slaves.In order to better understand the state of marriage and relationships in the U.S. today, Christians need to better understand not just Scripture, but our nation's history -- and Then Comes Marriage? gives readers an accessible, broad, and thought-provoking introduction to both.

Today the church in America stands at a crossroads. . . we must awaken from our slumber.Today followers of Christ are still challenged by this question which causes each of us to put our own morality in perspective. Red Sky in the Morning urges every Christian to answer the question, "What would Jesus do about the moral and spiritual decline in America today?"Bill Bright answers that question. This book, co-written with John Damoose, is a must for every youth, college and adult Sunday school class. It will take you on an exciting adventure exploring how God birthed this nation and how we can help bring about a moral and spiritual rebirth in our beloved country.

We are living in a world of transformation, and the world tomorrow will be very different from the world today, or the world of yesterday. This extraordinary book will be fascinating to anyone concerned about the future of our world. Defining 6 key areas to discuss; society, religion, environment, science& technology, business, and politics, the authors draw a roadmap to the future. They investigate how unexpected changes and developments are transforming the social and business landscape of the 21st century. They have invited some of the world experts and specialists to contribute to this book, creating a virtual team spanning over all continents.

An in-depth historical, philosophical, theological--and practical--exploration of work from an evangelical perspective. Hardy discusses several historical views of work from the ancient Greeks onward, highlighting the Christian concept of vocation as articulated by Luther and Calvin; these expositions lead to practical applications regarding the personal issue of career choice and the important (but often neglected) social issue of job design.