Historical Theology

In this book, Stephen Cooper provides an overview of one of the greatest theologians of the early church: Augustine of Hippo. Through the discussing the Confessions, Cooper introduces the life and thought of Augustine and examines his theological views that emerged through the important controversies of his time.

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.

The extremes to which the church and its leaders have gone in order to protect and justify various decisions regarding points of faith is fascinating, but tends to obscure the truth. Revisionist history, coercion, greed, lust, and propaganda were the order of the day when the major items of doctrine were being decided. In fact, many of those truths that we hold so dear in our Christian faith were decided, if not invented, through or because of political and financial aims, and not by theological insight. Many doctrines went well beyond what the early church held as truth.

This book provides a fresh approach to the Lenten season and can be used as a devotional or study for both individuals and groups. Once you’ve learned about the characters of Easter, meet those who witnessed the birth of Christ in the companion title The Characters of Christmas.

Among the traditional tenets of the Christian faith is the belief that God chooses or elects people for salvation. For some Christians, such an affirmation is an indication of God's sovereign and perfect will. For others, such a notion is troubling for it seems to downplay the significance of human agency and choice. Throughout the church's history, Christians have sought to understand the meaning of relevant biblical texts and debated this theological conundrum.

This 1754 work by Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) is subtitled An Inquiry into the Modern Prevailing Notions of the Freedom of the Will Which Is Supposed to Be Essential to Moral Agency, Virtue and Vice, Reward and Punishment, Praise and Blame. Edwards was a Christian reformer, theologian, and author in the Calvinist tradition, and in this work he explores the necessity of divine grace for the redeeming of the damaged will of humanity. He contends that free will is an extension of, and connected to, the grace of God.

In this magisterial volume Charles E. Curran surveys the historical development of Catholic moral theology in the United States from its 19th century roots to the present day. He begins by tracing the development of pre-Vatican II moral theology that, with the exception of social ethics, had the limited purpose of training future confessors to know what actions are sinful and the degree of sinfulness.

Few figures have had such an influence on history as Jesus of Nazareth. His teachings have inspired discussion, arguments, even war. Yet few have ever held forth as movingly as Jesus on the need for peace, forgiveness, and mercy.

After the conversion of St. Paul on the road to Damascus, the dramatic conversion of St. Augustine - as he himself tells it in his Confessions - is the most significant conversion story in Christian history. Augustine's experience speaks to his dilemma that many people have understood when counting the cost of converting to Christ. He had come to intellectual certainty about the truth of Christianity but he could not embrace it in faith.

En este mensaje fundamental del autor más vendido de When Heaven Invades Earth, Bill Johnson comparte la importancia de Jesús en la comprensión del amor de Dios por la humanidad. Las interpretaciones modernas y la teología apuntan a Dios como enojado, vengativo y genocida, atribuyéndole algunos de los peores aspectos de la condición humana. En Jesucristo es la Teología perfecta, Bill Johnson revela cómo Jesús completa la imagen de Dios presentada en la Biblia, y nos proporciona la medida por la cual debemos juzgar todas las cosas.

The Life and Teachings of Jesus is a comprehensive and insightful exploration of the historical, cultural, and spiritual context of Christianity. Written by a team of expert scholars and theologians, this book offers listeners a nuanced and thought-provoking perspective on the life and teachings of Jesus, from his birth and early life, to his ministry, miracles, and crucifixion, and ultimately to his resurrection and the establishment of the Christian Church.

A man rose from the dead! You just don’t get any more awesome than that, right? So that’s it, then. That’s what we are supposed to learn from his resurrection, right? Not exactly. Jesus performed lots of miracles. John said it best when he said that there would not be room in the whole world to describe all that he did. It’s easy to look at the stories of miracles and see them for what they’re worth: miracles. But that’s a shame. If the miracle is in the Bible, there’s a reason for it. It’s not just there because it was miraculous.

Martin Luther was a German professor of theology, composer, priest, monk, and a seminal figure in the Protestant Reformation. Luther came to reject several teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money, proposing an academic discussion of the practice and efficacy of indulgences in his 95 Theses of 1517.