First Century

Familiarity and dishonor kill the anointing. The Jews, being the fathers and mothers of the faith, were dishonored and replaced by other church fathers that, along with Emperor Constantine, crafted a religious system that dishonors the Jews and all things Jewish. As a result, the anointing left, and miracles ceased. This distorted religious system affects many Christians until this day.

In Masters of Modern Soccer, Sports Illustrated writer Grant Wahl asks: How do some of the game's smartest figures master the craft of soccer? By profiling players in every key position (American phenomenon Christian Pulisic, Mexican superstar Javier "Chicharito" Hernández, Belgium's Vincent Kompany, Spain's Xabi Alonso, Germany's Manuel Neuer) and management (Belgium coach Roberto Martínez and Borussia Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc), Wahl reveals how elite players and coaches strategize on and off the field and execute in high pressure game situations.

Follow Legionnaire Asher from his horrific first mission in Bethlehem through three decades, as he is changed by the amazing events of the first century, ending at an empty tomb near Jerusalem.

Lazarus and Y'shuah (Jesus' Hebrew name) grow up like brothers in the hills of Galilee. Both apprentice to their fathers as builders and carpenters until tragedy forces them to support their families. Lazarus refuses to believe his friend could be the Messiah of the Jews. He moves with his sisters to Judea and works alone until he suffers a crippling injury. His sisters learn that Y'shuah has become known in Galilee as a healer and teacher, so they summon him. Lazarus suffers an agonizing death.

A simple shepherd witnesses angels announcing Jesus' birth but finds he is an outcast for speaking of the event. For three decades he is plagued by guilt yet unsure what he's supposed to do. Twice he meets the Messiah and is again shocked and awed as he begins to recognize his role in God's plan. An encounter with an old enemy finally causes him to commit to a key role in early Christianity.

I was just eight-years-old when Asa Calhoun became my one true love. He was my brother's best friend. He was stoic and solemn, and always believed everything in life had to be perfect. But I saw past his eccentric mannerisms. I found him fascinating. I was 17 when I had my debutante ball. Throughout the years, there was a gradual shift between us. I stopped being the little sister he's always known me as and transformed into a lady. By the end of that night, he found me fascinating.

The year was 1922: World War I had just come to a close, the Ottoman Empire was in decline, and Asa Jennings, a YMCA worker from upstate New York, had just arrived in the quiet coastal city of Smyrna to teach sports to boys. Several hundred miles to the east in Turkey's interior, tensions between Greeks and Turks had boiled over into deadly violence. Mustapha Kemal, now known as Ataturk, and his Muslim army soon advanced into Smyrna, a Christian city, where a half a million terrified Greek and Armenian refugees had fled in a desperate attempt to escape his troops.

Aliza, the wife of a simple fisherman named Simon, is thunderstruck when her husband announces he and his business partner are quitting their jobs to follow a man known as Jesus of Nazareth. She is suddenly without income and nearly destitute! For three years Aliza sees Simon, now known as Peter, only occasionally.

The Christian church of the early centuries spread throughout much of Asia, Africa, and Europe, spoke many languages, was situated within diverse cultural settings, and had varied worship practices; yet it maintained a vital unity on core teachings. In The Global Church - The First Eight Centuries: From Pentecost through the Rise of Islam, author Donald Fairbairn helps listeners understand both the diversity and unity of the church in this pivotal era.

In this book, historian Robert C. Stern analyzes the Battle of the Coral Sea, the first major fleet engagement where the warships were never in sight of each other. Unlike the Battle of Midway, the Battle of the Coral Sea has received remarkably little study. Stern covers not only the action of the ships and their air groups but also describes the impact of this pivotal engagement.

Maybe you've heard about the biblical book called "Revelation" which millions of Christians believe contains prophesies about events that will signal the end of the world, with more than a few claiming these signs are already happening! But how many of these believers have actually bothered to read and study the book of Revelation to find out if these claims are true? Sadly, the vast majority have not ever read through it even one time!

God Is in the Crowd is an original and provocative blueprint for Judaism in the 21st century. Presented through the lens of Tal Keinan’s unusual personal story, it a sobering analysis of the threat to Jewish continuity. As the Jewish people has become concentrated in just two hubs - America and Israel - it has lost the subtle code of governance that endowed Judaism with dynamism and relevance in the age of Diaspora.

It wasn't a privileged childhood, but it was a happy one. Sybil and Lizzie Cream, brought up in a fisherman's cottage on the edge of the cold North Sea, were content to leave privilege where it belonged: with their friends the Wintertons. Christina Winterton was the same age as Sybil, and the two girls were inseparable, but it was Lizzie whom Ralph Winterton, three years older, found irresistible. Then war came to East Anglia, and so did Manchester-born Fenn Kitzmann, now of the American Army Air Force.

The Great War of 1914-1918 confronted the United States with one of the most wrenching crises in the nation's history. It also left a residue of disruption and disillusion that spawned an even more ruinous conflict scarcely a generation later. Over Here is the single most comprehensive discussion of the impact of World War I on American society.

In this gripping narrative we hear of many historical events that cause perilous times for the fledgling church. Gaius tells of the fall of Jerusalem and the martyrdom of Christians torn apart by wild animals in the Colosseum and of others perishing as human torches in Nero's garden.

Based on the book of Acts this is the story of the Apostle Paul's third journey. Told through the eyes of Paul's companion Timothy this is the tale of the journey to Ephesus and Paul's time in the city. Unlike his earlier journeys the third journey is spent mostly in one city where Paul not only raises up a church but trains young men to take on the mission of raising up the next generation of churches after his death. This is also the story of the church in Corinth and Paul's letters to that riotous, chaotic gathering.

David Bell emphasizes the astonishing sense of human possibility that Napoleon represented. Bell emphasizes the importance of the French Revolution in understanding Napoleon's career. The revolution made possible the unprecedented concentration of political authority that Napoleon accrued. Without the political changes brought about by the revolution, Napoleon could not have fought his wars. Without the wars, he could not have seized and held onto power. Though his virtual dictatorship betrayed the ideals of liberty and equality, his life and career were revolutionary.

In ancient Palestine, three survivors struggle to find solace in a world of injustice and repression. Azara is studious and committed to her ideals. Jonah is pure and virtuous, but his heart has been darkened by the evils of man. And Vitus is a Roman soldier battling for order and progress. Separated by miles of dangerous lands, and decades of turbulent history, these three wandering souls set off on a journey beyond their imagination. Their travels will test their faith and culminate in an encounter with a rabbi from Galilee, who upends their lives with his revolutionary message.

How did the first believers in Jesus know that the Gospel was true? Acts 17:11 says, "The Bereans…received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” But which “Scriptures” were they examining? Paul was teaching at a Jewish synagogue, so the scriptures were the Tanakh, which we call the Old Testament. Thus, to be "true", everything Paul said had to agree with the Old Testament!

When most of us think of nuns, we picture hands clasped in prayer, solemn shuffles down cloistered halls, and that iconic habit silhouette. But what about the nuns who ate spiderwebs, erupted into jealous fights over makeup, or chain-produced manuscripts for extra cash? In reality, these women were no one-dimensional martyrs. 16th- and 17th-century nuns were resourceful, rebellious, and refreshingly relatable—and their lives hold surprising lessons for us today.