Historical Theology

After years of searching for meaning through drugs, Buddhism, sex, and Eastern philosophy, a long-haired hippie musician walked his bare feet into a little country church and encountered the living God. Confounded by the simplicity of the gospel, a young Chuck Girard dedicated his life to Jesus during the height of the sexual revolution and civil unrest that characterized the decade of the '60s.

John Owen is widely regarded as one of the most influential English Puritans. As a pastor, he longed to see the glory of Christ take root in people’s lives. As a writer, he continues to encourage us toward discipline and communion with God. His high view of God and deep theological convictions flowed naturally into practical application and a zeal for personal holiness. Barrett and Haykin guide us through the seventeenth-century theologian’s life and doctrine, giving us a glimpse into the majestic vision that served as the foundation for his approach to the Christian life.

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.

Embark on a worldwide journey with renowned scholar of comparative religion, Jacob Needleman, as he gathers together ancient texts and writings of the modern practitioners of essential Christianity. Needleman demonstrates that a more effective, contemplative tradition existed in the early church and continues today in the lives of extraordinary people whose stories he retells in the course of his own personal explorations into the realms of the spirit.

In this culmination of his highly acclaimed Cultural Liturgies project, James K. A. Smith examines politics through the lens of liturgy. What if, he asks, citizens are not only thinkers or believers but also lovers? Smith explores how our analysis of political institutions would look different if we viewed them as incubators of love-shaping practices—not merely governing us but forming what we love.

Where did Jesus spend his teenage years? Did he really study in India? And how did this allegedly shape his mission? Discover the shocking coincidences between the spiritual teachings of the Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians, and the truth behind Jesus’ alleged trip to ancient India, where he presumably lived from his 13th to his 29th year, as told by The Life of Saint Issa (1895), Mystic Christianity (1908), and The Aquarian Gospel (1911).

Do you have a nagging feeling that something’s missing from your church experience? You’re not alone. And it’s time to discover a better way. Church-reform advocate and Bible scholar Peter DeHaan, PhD, is a strong proponent of meaningful Christian community. In Jesus’s Broken Church, he uses Scripture to guide us into right practices and away from the off-track customs that most every church adheres to. The problem is that today’s church follows an Old Testament model.

Postcolonial Politics and Theology seeks to reform and reimagine the field of political theology—uprooting it from the colonial soil—using the comparative lenses of postcolonial politics and theology to bring attention to the realities of the Global South. Kwok Pui-lan traces the history of the political impacts of Western theological development, and the need to shift these interlocking fields toward non-Western traditions in theory and practice.

Contemporary Theology: An Introduction by Kirk MacGregor introduces major thinkers and schools of thought from the beginning of the 19th century to the present, including non-Western voices, evangelical perspectives, and philosophical developments alongside the widely acknowledged main streams of modern theology.

Alan Scott Haft provides the first-hand testimony of his father, Harry Haft, a holocaust victim with a singular story of endurance, desperation, and unrequited love. Harry Haft was a 16-year-old Polish Jew when he entered a concentration camp in 1944. Forced to fight other Jews in bare-knuckle bouts for the perverse entertainment of SS officers, Harry quickly learned that his own survival depended on his ability to fight and win. Haft details the inhumanity of the "sport" in which he must perform in brutal contests for the officers.

The 12th-century Christian mystic Hildegard of Bingen has been described as "...a visionary, scientist, diplomat, and poet." Created by Dr. Nancy Fierro, CSJ, Hildegard of Bingen and Her Vision of the Feminine transports us through space and time to the medieval cloisters where Hildegard struggled to express her spirituality. How she succeeded in a world open only to men holds lessons for every woman in every age.

John Montgomery examines Martin Luther and the German Reformation; Ulrich Zwingli and the Swiss Reformation; the principles for interpreting the Bible by comparison of the approaches of Zwingli and Luther; the life, times, and thought of John Calvin; and the influence of the Bible Reformers, especially Martin Luther, on artists such as Bach and Mendelsohn compared to 20th century artists such as Picasso.

Before the gospels were written, there were proto-gospels, notes, lists, and collections used to construct the gospels we have today. Some gospels were used and built upon to form other, expanded gospels. The “Q” Document was used as a memory tool and literary scaffolding by Matthew and Luke in the writing of their gospels. Although many scholars believe Mark had access to the oldest parts of Q, others believe he did not. Since Mark predates Matthew and Luke, they believe Mark was used as a template for Matthew and Luke.

The third of Martin Luther’s 1520 treatises, also referred to as A Treatise on Christian Liberty, this work focuses on the topics of justification and total salvation. Boldly, unmistakably, and directly contrasting the teachings of the church, Luther argued for the truth he found in studying the Bible on his own. Introducing, for the first time to many people, the argument for justification through faith alone, he knocked down the idea of being dependent on additional sacraments, penances, and works for salvation.

What happens to us after we die? For the first 500 years after Christ, most Christians believed that God would ultimately redeem all of his creation. Hell was real, but it didn't last forever. Its purpose was to restore, not just to punish. Then beliefs changed. For the past 1,500 years we’ve been told that most of the billions of people who have lived on this earth will remain separated from the love and mercy of God for all eternity.

Who can make sense of the book of Revelation? Actually, James Jordan can explain it—not in all of its mystical intrigue and many-layered prophecies—but in at least one solid interpretation. Many people lament that they have never read a single take that makes sense. This real-life explanation can get one started in unraveling the enigmatic book. Jordan's insights and beautiful comparisons of imagery make this commentary more than just an explanation. It is an experience.

Sound interesting? The author thinks so too! Listen to At the Precipice of Time and learn about the hardcore, often-intimidating, and difficult-to-understand commentary on the Book of Daniel.

Throughout the ages, Satan has tried to thwart the Divine Redemptive Plan of God with an ultimate conspiracy, which began when Satan convinced Eve, the wife of Adam, to disobey God’s command not to eat the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge in the midst of the Garden of Eden.

The Christian church is strong, thanks in large part to the devotion of its adherents. However, many have attempted to weaken the church over the millennia - particularly those under the influence of Satan.

Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971) was an inner-city pastor, ethics professor, and author of the famous Serenity Prayer. Time magazine's March 8, 1948, cover story called him "the greatest Protestant theologian in America since Jonathan Edwards". Cited as an influence by public figures ranging from Billy Graham to Barack Obama, Niebuhr was described by historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr. as "the most influential American theologian of the 20th century".