This book examines how missionaries of the Anglican Church in North America, the Caribbean, and Africa initially spread a religiously-grounded understanding of human diversity that stressed the essential unity of all people but over time developed the idea that slavery and Christianity were entirely compatible and could be mutually beneficial, leading the Church to become an institutional opponent of the abolition movement.
How to resist temptation, strengthen your will, govern your thoughts, and find balance of soul! This is the book you need for those times in your life when even your most strenuous efforts to follow Christ end in frustration. Christian Self-Mastery explains why following Him can be so difficult — and how you can start now to make progress even in the most vexing areas of your life. Author Fr. Basil W. Maturin insists that no matter how hard you're trying now, you can have a better relationship with God and greater self-mastery — if you follow his simple steps to getting your passions in check and improving your knowledge of your own motives, desires, and fears. Fr. Maturin emphasizes the crucial role that self-discipline plays in your spiritual life and gives you solid ways you can distinguish it from counterfeits and avoid common mistakes people make when they try to change their habits and live for God. This extraordinary book will help you in myriad ways to rise above your limitations and truly meet God! Start on the way to true self-mastery as you learn: Two things you must know in order to make any progress at all in your spiritual life Why it's dangerous for you to try to adopt a large number of spiritual disciplines all at once Self-knowledge: why it involves so much more than its contemporary counterfeit, self-analysis Two ways to avoid self-deception when you look at yourself (caution: you'll probably be surprised at who you really are!) Why self-control and self-denial are not morbid and gloomy, but hopeful and even joyful - when undertaken properly Self-discipline: how it will restore your soul to its full power. Three things you must have in order to gain this power The mistake many people make when trying to rid themselves of evil thoughts: are you falling into this trap too? Love: the holy school that will purify and ennoble yours - and help you steer clear of prevalent modern counterfeits And more that will show you the value of self-mastery - and give you solid directions for attaining it!
Bestselling author Pastor Rob Morgan provides ten Bible-based laws for productive people by answering the question: How do I gain control over my life right now? A lifelong student of the Bible, Rob Morgan has spent forty years reading thousands of pages about maximizing each day and becoming purposeful and productive. Now he has found a simple plan that works—featuring ten biblical principles that transcend human wisdom. These life patterns can be implemented today whether you’re a student or a senior adult, a novice or an executive. They can help anyone, anytime, anywhere develop a perpetually effective life. 1. Listen to a twelve-year-old: Jesus’ first statement was: Be about your Father’s business. 2. Redeem the time: Wasted hours can never be regained. 3. Clear the decks: God isn’t disorganized; why should we be? 4. Maximize the morning: Schedule a standing appointment with God. 5. Pull off at rest stops: Routinely replenish your inner resources. 6. Operate on yourself: Diagnose and treat yourself spiritually. 7. Live “As If”: Act by faith even when your emotions aren’t cooperating. 8. Bathe in the Dead Sea: Experience the buoyancy of biblical joy. 9. Practice the power of plodding: Effectively complete major tasks by persistently working in small increments. 10. Remember there are two of you: It’s Christ in you Who’s achieving significance. Based on actual Scriptures, this simple, hope-filled plan for mastering life before it’s too late will put you on the path toward a lifetime of success.
Although many people suggest that Christianity is declining, research indicates that it continues to be the world's most popular worldview. But even so, the Christian faith includes many controversial beliefs that non-Christians find hard to accept. This book explores 12 issues that might cause someone to dismiss orthodox Christianity—issues such as the existence of suffering, the Bible's teaching on gender and sexuality, the reality of heaven and hell, the authority of the Bible, and more. Showing how the best research from sociology, science, and psychology doesn't disagree with but actually aligns with claims found in the Bible, these chapters help skeptics understand why these issues are signposts, rather than roadblocks, to faith in Christ.
Many business books point to certain values or habits to be practiced and cultivated. But we need more than abstract principles to guide us in the pursuit of good business. More significantly, we need a genuine experience of the dynamic presence of God at work in our work. Businessman and CEO John Beckett calls us to the transformation of the workplace into a place where the kingdom of God is experienced. Through sharing his own story, as well as looking to biblical and modern-day examples, Beckett offers role models that serve as companions on the journey to faithful and fruitful work. Drawing on a lifetime of wisdom and business acumen, Beckett invites us to enter into the privilege of working in active partnership with God himself. Join the international movement of those whose faith is transforming their work. Master your Mondays by bringing them under the realm of the Master.
Could slaves become Christian? If so, did their conversion lead to freedom? If not, then how could perpetual enslavement be justified? Christian Slavery shows how debates about slavery transformed the practice of Protestantism and the language of race in the early modern Atlantic world.
Uncovers the often overlooked participation of African Americans and Native Americans in early Protestant churches Phillis Wheatley was stolen from her family in Senegambia, and, in 1761, slave traders transported her to Boston, Massachusetts, to be sold. She was purchased by the Wheatley family who treated Phillis far better than most eighteenth-century slaves could hope, and she received a thorough education while still, of course, longing for her freedom. After four years, Wheatley began writing religious poetry. She was baptized and became a member of a predominantly white Congregational church in Boston. More than ten years after her enslavement began, some of her poetry was published in London, England, as a book titled Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral. This book is evidence that her experience of enslavement was exceptional. Wheatley remains the most famous black Christian of the colonial era. Though her experiences and accomplishments were unique, her religious affiliation with a predominantly white church was quite ordinary. Dividing the Faith argues that, contrary to the traditional scholarly consensus, a significant portion of northern Protestants worshipped in interracial contexts during the eighteenth century. Yet in another fifty years, such an affiliation would become increasingly rare as churches were by-and-large segregated. Richard Boles draws from the records of over four hundred congregations to scrutinize the factors that made different Christian traditions either accessible or inaccessible to African American and American Indian peoples. By including Indians, Afro-Indians, and black people in the study of race and religion in the North, this research breaks new ground and uses patterns of church participation to illuminate broader social histories. Overall, it explains the dynamic history of racial integration and segregation in northern colonies and states.
In the eighteenth century, missionaries of the radical, Pietist Moravian Church wandered from Germanic Europe to the edges of the known world in search of tolerance and a closer relationship to God. This open-minded, cosmopolitan undertaking led to unintended consequences, however, both for the Moravians and for the other persecuted peoples—European, African, and Indigenous—they sought to convert. Religion on the Margins examines the complexities of early modern Moravians as a cosmopolitan community focused on an eschatological global vision while having to negotiate diverse cultures and, most importantly, the institution of slavery. Drawing on a transatlantic archive of teachings, letters, and diaries, Benjamin M. Pietrenka sheds light on how a professedly anti-colonial cast of characters navigated and found themselves taking part in a deeply colonial narrative. Ultimately, Pietrenka shows how the Moravians, operating from within the constraints of mission work, became complicit in the European imperial project in spite of their stated values and their own experience of marginalization. For scholars of early modern religion, empire, and politics, Pietrenka’s book challenges tendencies in the field to equate modernity with secularization and invites us to consider how non-elite actors understood religion and ethnicity through each other, in ways that contributed to the emergence of modern scientific racism and white supremacy.
div This original and persuasive book examines the moral and religious revival led by the Church of England before and after the Glorious Revolution, and shows how that revival laid the groundwork for a burgeoning civil society in Britain. After outlining the Church of England's key role in the increase of voluntary, charitable, and religious societies, Brent Sirota examines how these groups drove the modernization of Britain through such activities as settling immigrants throughout the empire, founding charity schools, distributing devotional literature, and evangelizing and educating merchants, seamen, and slaves throughout the British empire—all leading to what has been termed the “age of benevolence.”/DIV
A 40-day journey to calm your restless, anxious thoughts and listen for the voice of Jesus. In the stress, noise, and activity of modern life, there is a way of finding inner peace and contentment. In the Presence of Jesus will help you learn to quiet your mind and focus your attention on the grace and love that is only available in God's presence. Deeply faithful to Scripture and infused with the truth of Christ's unwavering love on every page, In the Presence of Jesus is an easy-to-understand, step-by-step, daily guide that will empower you to transfer the truth of His everlasting love for you from your head to your heart. This 40-day journey will help you focus on the character of Jesus and open your spirit to His presence in your life. Every day, you'll experience: an invocation welcoming Christ's presence into your devotional time a personal note as if it were written by Jesus to you, drawn carefully from Scripture and opening your heart to the grace of Christ Bible verses to meditate on daily prayers, reflection activities, and blessings to help you focus on Christ's presence with you throughout your day. Awaken moment by moment to the presence of a loving God--and find peace for your mind and soul.
