This book offers a meticulous reconstruction of the life of Rufus Kinsley - an ordinary New England soldier who during the Civil War became an officer in one of the nations's first and most famous black regiments - and an expertly edited transcription of Kinsley's hitherto unpublished wartime diary. Kinsley's diary sheds light on a long neglected theater of the war - the battle for the bayou country of southwestern Louisiana - and it illuminates the workaday routines of black and white soldiers stationed behind Union lines but thoroughly immersed in the unprecedented improvisations that accompanied the social revolution that was emancipation. Kinsley's perspective is that of a too often neglected type: the absolutely dedicated evangelical abolitionist soldier who believed that the war and its consequences were divine retribution for the sin of slavery. The introductory biography places Kinsley's civil war experience in the context of his life and his times.
What does it mean to be a conqueror in Christ's army? In fact, the question really is, what does it mean to be not only a conqueror, but more than a conqueror and good soldier in Christ's ranks? Oakes, in this wonderful work on answering that question, dives deep into Paul’s statement in Romans 8:37, “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” The truth proclaimed by Oakes is that there is a “more than ordinary triumph” over all those enemies that oppose themselves against the progress and advancement of a Christian in his way to the fruition of the sweet fruits of the everlasting love of God in Jesus Christ. That all true believers have a transcendent, and incomparably glorious conquest and victory in all their severe engagements with the enemies of their peace and happiness, through the love of God in Christ Jesus. Every true believer is a soldier, and engaged in a warfare. Every true believer has a constant fighting work before God, and there is no end of his war in this world, not any time in which he can stop fighting. Yet, a true believer is never totally and absolutely conquered in any engagement with the enemies that war against him. Every true believer manages a successful war, and is sure of a conquest. A believer’s victory and conquest are incomparably glorious. Every believer obtains this glorious victory and conquest through the Lord Jesus Christ. The love of God in Christ is the absolute first cause of those victorious proceedings, and this infallible conquest of believers. These believers are the greatest soldiers who have ever lived, and are comforted in their fight by the blessings of Almighty God through Christ. All believers must know and consider that they are soldiers in Christ’s army, and have a fighting work, a warfare, before them until they reach heaven. They must, as faithful soldiers, improve their skill in fighting, and harness the spiritual power of the everlasting Gospel of Jesus for their victory. We wait, and pray, and look, and long for that glorious day, when our warfare shall be ended, and we shall go out of the field victorious, and triumphant, as absolute conquerors. This work is not a scan or facsimile, has been carefully transcribed by hand being made easy to read in modern English, and has an active table of contents for electronic versions.
Many Bible believing Christians are convinced that God blesses those nations that stand with Israel and curses those that don’t. This belief has had a significant influence on attitudes towards the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the Middle East. Claims made in books like the Scofield Reference Bible and Hal Lindsey’s The Late Great Planet Earth have fed into contemporary Christian Zionism, with radical implications for how we view our faith and the world in which we live. Stephen Sizer contends that this view is based on misinterpretation of the Bible. He provides an introduction to Christian Zionism and a clear response and positive alternative based on a careful study of relevant biblical texts. His intention is to encourage dialogue on the relationship between Israel and the Christian church and offer a more constructive view of the future and our role in it. This accessible volume includes numerous tables and diagrams, questions for Bible study and further reflection, and a glossary of terms. It concludes with a previously unpublished sermon by John Stott on ‘The Place of Israel.’
A beautifully illustrated version of the classic fairy tale about a tin soldier’s adventure and his love for a ballerina, retold with a twist. With her signature warmth and lyricism, Newbery winner Cynthia Rylant has crafted a new version of the classic Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale about a tin soldier who falls in love with a ballerina. As in the original story, the tin soldier’s love for the beautiful ballerina is thwarted by a goblin. The tin soldier is separated from the other toys and washed down a sewer, where he encounters a rat and gets swallowed by a fish, but somehow, against all odds, he manages to end up back home only to be cast into the nursery fire. Rylant adds her own twist to the end of the tale, however, for in this version, the tin soldier and the ballerina are melded to each other, rather than melted, in the heat of the fire, so they’ll never be parted again. Rylant’s expert storytelling paired with Corace’s stunning illustrations create a beautiful, unforgettable tale of everlasting love. Praise for The Steadfast Tin Soldier “Gracefully written. . . . The book’s large format gives plenty of scope for Corace’s distinctive illustrations, precise ink drawings brightened with watercolor, gouache, and acrylic paints. Sometimes brilliantly colorful and sometimes more subdued, the scenes can be crowded with dozens of toys or other visual elements, but they show up well from a distance. The subtle depictions of the goblin and his shadow are particularly fine. A softened vision of the literary fairy tale.” —Booklist “Text and illustrations weave seamlessly to create an involving, fast-paced update of a much-loved tale. Rylant's retelling is abridged, yet sprightly, and Corace’s watercolor, gouache, acrylic, and pen-and-ink illustrations add nuance and whimsy to Andersen's original.” —School Library Journal
Keith Pate has been saved since he was about twelve years old; when faced with the reality of his parents divorce. He didn’t really begin noticing or fully understanding the impact that God was having in his life until he was in the fight for his life. In Soldier for Christ, Pate, a retired Army National Guard Captain, recounts his testimony and narrates how an unexpected circumstance drastically changed his life. He journeys through his time as a high school and college athlete, time in the military, and then a life-altering and unexpected stroke in 2010 at age twenty-nine. He nearly died twice. What followed was a long road of recovery and rehabilitation. In this memoir, Pate recalls how God has used his circumstance to benefit his kingdom. Soldier for Christ narrates an inspiring testimony of Pate’s real-life struggle and survival of an unexpected challenge. He shares a true example of how all things are possible through Christ.
In 'The Chocolate Soldier', C. T. Studd challenges Christians to break free from the confines of passivity and become true soldiers of Christ. Drawing powerful parallels between soldiers at war and believers in their spiritual battles, this Christian-themed pamphlet ignites a call to action.
What did the early church believe about killing? What was its view on abortion? How did it approach capital punishment and war? Noted theologian and bestselling author Ron Sider lets the testimony of the early church speak in the first of a three-volume series on biblical peacemaking. This book provides in English translation all extant data directly relevant to the witness of the early church until Constantine on killing. Primarily, it draws data from early church writings, but other evidence, such as archaeological finds and Roman writings, is included. Sider taps into current evangelical interest in how the early church informs contemporary life while presenting a thorough, comprehensive treatment on topics of perennial concern. The book includes brief introductions to every Christian writer cited and explanatory notes on many specific texts.
