In this compilation of essays, experts in the field provide an in-depth look at the long-lasting impact of the Protestant Reformation. Readers will gain new insights into the legacies of theology, spiritual formation and personal worship, catechism and preaching, and the missions and martyrs of the Reformation. Celebrating the Legacy of the Reformation will inspire and challenge readers to learn from the past for the sake of the future.
In a church rocked by controversies over vernacular Scripture, iconoclasm, and the power of clergy, men and women arose in protest. Today we call this protest movement the Protestant Reformation. At its heart, the Reformation was a great revival of the church centered on the recovery of biblical truth and the gospel of free grace. This movement continues to instruct and inspire believers even into the present day. Reformation 500 celebrates the Reformation and probes the ways it has shaped our world for the better. With essays from an array of disciplines, this book explores the impact of the Reformation across a wide range of human experience. Literature, education, visual art, culture, politics, music, theology, church life, and Baptist history all provide prisms through which the Reformation legacy is viewed. From Augustine to Zwingli, historical figures like Luther, Calvin, Barth, Bonhoeffer, Rembrandt, Bach, Bunyan, and Wycliffe all find their way into this amazing 500-year story. From Anglicans to Baptists, scientists to poets, Reformation 500 weaves these many historical threads into a modern-day tapestry.
Have you wondered what Martin Luther's 95 Theses actually said? You're not alone. But most people today have never read them and don't understand them. Let Martin Luther's 95 Theses change that.
Among Christian devotional works, My Utmost for His Highest stands head and shoulders above the rest, with more than 13 million copies sold. But most readers have no idea that Oswald Chambers's most famous work was not published until ten years after his death. The remarkable person behind its compilation and publication was his wife, Biddy. And her story of living her utmost for God's highest is one without parallel. Bestselling novelist Michelle Ule brings Biddy's story to life as she traces her upbringing in Victorian England to her experiences in a WWI YMCA camp in Egypt. Readers will marvel at this young woman's strength as she returns to post-war Britain a destitute widow with a toddler in tow. Refusing personal payment, Biddy proceeds to publish not just My Utmost for His Highest, but also 29 other books with her husband's name on the covers. All the while she raises a child alone, provides hospitality to a never-ending stream of visitors and missionaries, and nearly loses everything in the London Blitz during WWII. The inspiring story of a devoted woman ahead of her times will quickly become a favorite of those who love true stories of overcoming incredible odds, making a life out of nothing, and serving God's kingdom.
Too often, the Reformers and their doctrines have been caricatured, misrepresented or misappropriated in the service of agendas they would never have recognized, let alone endorsed. Happily, there has been a great deal of fine scholarship in recent years that has exploded some of these myths, but it has not always been accessible to non-specialists. The intention of Celebrating the Reformation is that Christians today will find new cause to rejoice in what God did in the sixteenth century through weak and fallible men and women. These people sought, in their own context, to submit themselves to the word of God and lead his people in a godly and faithful response to the gospel of grace. Three sections deal with the chief Reformers, key doctrines and the Reformation in retrospect. Each contribution seeks to connect its subject to the present, making clear its relevance for today. The Reformation is not a dead movement but a living legacy that can still capture the imagination and encourage men and women in their own Christian discipleship. The contributors are Andrew Bain, Colin R. Bale, Rhys S. Bezzant, Gerald Bray, Martin Foord, David A. Höhne, Chase Kuhn, Andrew Leslie, Edward Loane, John McClean, Joe Mock, Michael J. Ovey, Tim Patrick, Mark D. Thompson, Stephen Tong, Jane Tooher and Dean Zweck.
Scripture is the foundation for all of Christian life and ministry, but in our current age it is being challenged, doubted, and, in many cases, simply ignored. Wayne Grudem, one of evangelicalism's best-known theologians and authors, has worked tirelessly throughout his life to demonstrate the necessity, sufficiency, and centrality of Scripture. In his honor, Grudem's friends and colleagues, including John Piper, Thomas R. Schreiner, Sam Storms, Vern S. Poythress, John M. Frame, Gregg R. Allison, Erik Thoennes, and John DelHousaye, have compiled a series of essays on various topics central to Grudem's life and teaching. Exploring topics such as the nature of Scripture, the relationship between Scripture and doctrine, and the role of Scripture in life and ministry, this volume stands as a testimony to the enduring worth of God's Word.
Featuring easy-to-understand storytelling and whimsical illustrations, this accessible and informative book offers kids a fun way to learn about key events, ideas, and people from the Reformation. Written for kids ages three to six, but engaging enough for the whole family.
The history of the church is filled with stories. Stories of triumph, stories of defeat, stories of joy, and stories of sorrow. These stories are a legacy of God's faithfulness to His people. In this book, Dr. Stephen J. Nichols provides postcards from the church through the centuries. These snapshots capture the richness of Christian history with glimpses of fascinating saints, curious places, precious artifacts, and surprising turns of events. In exploring them, Dr. Nichols takes the reader on a lively and informative journey through the record of God's providence to encourage, challenge, and enjoy. This is our story--our family history. "THE CENTURIES OF CHURCH HISTORY GIVE US A LITANY OF GOD'S DELIVERANCES. GOD HAS DONE IT BEFORE, MANY TIMES AND IN MANY WAYS, AND HE CAN DO IT AGAIN. HE WILL DO IT AGAIN. AND IN THAT, WE FIND COURAGE FOR TODAY AND FOR TOMORROW."
There is much to be said for men and women who courageously evangelize on college campuses, in prisons, and near shopping centers. After all, the Bible indicates that disciples are primarily made by going out to meet lost people where they are. But make no mistake about it: if you're a parent, The Great Commission has come to you-in a bassinet, a booster seat, or a bunk-bed. While other parenting philosophies rely on "what seems to work" (i.e. pragmatism), "what we've always done" (i.e. traditionalism), or "what's right for us" (i.e. relativism), a better perspective is founded upon a biblical approach: teaching the full counsel of God and allowing Scripture to do its work in a child's heart. How do we accomplish this? We must examine the Bible's instructions for pastors, and then apply those principles in the home. In other words, just as the preacher must be committed to expository preaching, so too must the parent be committed to expository parenting.
