Kirchliche Dogmatik

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Kallistos Ware

This book is a general account of the doctrine, worship and life of Orthodox Christians. It raises the basic issues of theology: God as hidden yet revealed; the problem of evil; the nature of salvation; the meaning of faith; prayer; death and what lies beyond. Throughout the book, Bishop Kallistos Ware shows the meaning of Orthodox doctrine for the life of the individual Christian. Doctrinal issues are seen not as abstract propositions for theological debate but as affecting the whole of life. --From publisher's description.

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Kimm Crandall

God's Empowering Love for Us in the Midst of Our Mess Life is messy. And Christians are not exempt. Unfortunately, this is not the message we tend to hear. We're told to be moral, look good, and set a positive example. After all, as some people may tell us, we're the only Jesus some people see-so we better make him look good. That's a heavy burden. And so we work feverishly to hide our messes from each other and from God for fear of judgment ... 'll the while wondering how we can ever be loved. But Christianity is not about being less of a mess. It's about admitting that we need to be saved from trying to clean ourselves up. In Beloved Mess, author and blogger Kimm Crandall frees Christians to live with the assurance that God loves us right here, right now. He's not waiting for us to clean up our act before we're worthy to come to him. He wants us to stop trying to fix the mess so that we can allow him to wash it away for us. Endorsements "Kimm unpacks the wonder of God's mercy with honesty and courage and shows how it reaches all the way down to every dimension of our hearts and lives."--Justin S. Holcomb, author, On the Grace of God "Read this short but life-changing book, go back to it again and again, and see yourself falling more in love with the One who loved us and gave himself for us."-Jessica Thompson, author of Everyday Grace

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Richard T. Hughes

The idea of the United States as a Christian nation is a powerful, seductive, and potentially destructive theme in American life, culture, and politics. Many fundamentalist and evangelical leaders routinely promote this notion, and millions of Americans simply assume the Christian character of the United States. And yet, as Richard T. Hughes reveals in this powerful book, the biblical vision of the "kingdom of God" stands at odds with the values and actions of an American empire that sanctions war instead of peace, promotes dominance and oppression instead of reconciliation, and exalts wealth and power instead of justice for the poor and needy. With conviction and careful consideration, Hughes reviews the myth of Christian America from its earliest history in the founding of the republic to the present day. Extensively analyzing the Old and New Testaments, Hughes provides a solid, scripturally-based explanation of the kingdom of God--a kingdom defined by love, peace, patience, and generosity. Throughout American history, however, this concept has been appropriated by religious and political leaders and distorted into a messianic nationalism that champions the United States as God's "chosen nation" and bears little resemblance to the teachings of Jesus. Pointing to a systemic biblical and theological illiteracy running rampant in the United States, Hughes investigates the reasons why so many Americans think of the United States as a Christian nation despite the Constitution's outright prohibition against establishing any national religion by law or coercion. He traces the development of fundamentalist Christianity throughout American history, noting especially the increased power and widespread influence of fundamentalism at the dawn of the twenty-first century, embodied and enacted by the administration of President George W. Bush and America's reaction to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Timely and provocative, Christian America and the Kingdom of God illuminates the devastating irony of a "Christian America" that so often behaves in unchristian ways.

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Stanley J. Grenz

People today are searching for something to believe in. How can they choose between conflicting belief systems and find answers to their questions? In this book, Stanley Grenz presents the central tenets of Christian faith clearly and concisely, answering the most commonly asked questions: Why believe at all? Which God? Who is Jesus and what did he do? What am I searching for and how do I find it?