Religious Life

James the Just is one of the most important and enigmatic figures in the history of early Christianity. He is best remembered for being the brother of Jesus, as documented by several sources, including the Gospels, the Epistle of James, and other noncanonical texts. He was also the first bishop of Jerusalem before he was put to death in AD 62 or 69. Biblical scholars have long been fascinated by James as a historical figure, especially in trying to determine his relationship to Jesus.

The daughter of a Pentecostal evangelist and a race-car driver, Jessi Colter played piano and sang in church before leaving Arizona to tour with rock n' roll pioneer Duane Eddy, whom she married. Colter became a successful recording artist, appearing on American Bandstand and befriending stars such as the the Everly Brothers and Chet Atkins while her songs were recorded by Nancy Sinatra, Dottie West, and others. Her marriage to Eddy didn't last, however, and in 1969 she married the electrifying Waylon Jennings.

One part biography, one part prayer book, The Life and Prayers of Saint Padre Pio is an essential for any Christian. The foundation for Padre Pio's work in the world was love. His love of God became intertwined with his love of humanity so that the two became inseparable and unwavering. Padre Pio is notable not for his erudition or even his teachings, per se, but for the man he was and the intercessor he continues to be. Pio gave himself to Christ as a spiritual victim for the souls of sinners.

At age 14, Wendy Gossard was drawn by the tranquil blue eyes and personal magnetism of a man known as Yahowah, leader of a spiritual group called the Source Family. Fleeing her own family and becoming a fugitive from justice in the state of California, Wendy followed the 1970s cult group across settlements in California and Hawaii on a quest for spiritual direction, communal harmony, and basic survival. Growing up, the teenager, called Mushroom by Yahowah, had questions about her pregnancy, relationships, and place in the universe.

Rick Warren is arguably the most influential man in American religion today. Megachurch pastor, friend of world leaders, and trend-setting spiritual entrepreneur, he is widely recognized as the new public face of evangelical Christianity in America. No other modern churchman has matched his success as a leader and motivator of Christians.

Laura has just three weeks to go before her Jewish "coming of age" ceremony, called a Bat Mitzvah, when she is assigned a special project. She is to read the diary of Sara Gittler, a young girl her own age who was imprisoned by the Nazis in the Warsaw Ghetto during the Holocaust. Sara never had the chance to celebrate her coming of age, so Laura is to learn about Sara's life and then share her Bat Mitzvah with her "twin" by speaking of her at the ceremony.

She has become a legend. Brilliant, personable, and passionate, she is arguably the most gifted of all Irish woman writers of Christian literature. Until her death in 1951, she devoted 50 years of her life to rescuing babies and children from dangerous backgrounds in India. As Bingham tried to uncover the heart and conscience of this extraordinarily self-effacing legend, he is on record as saying that it proved to be one of the greatest spiritual experiences of his life, and in this biography, listeners will find spiritual gold.

People in Glass Houses tells how a small church in a suburban Australian school hall became a multimillion-dollar tax-free enterprise and a powerful international force. Providing memorable portraits of charismatic leaders Brian and Bobbie Houston, this is a powerful, personal, and at times very funny exploration of an all-singing, all-swaying mega church. The church is more than a faith—it’s a brand. And one fraught with scandal.

In this provocative spiritual autobiography, Diarmuid O'Murchu explores the many paschal journeys in his personal life as well as in the life of the church and the world. He shows how the paschal paradox—the movement through death and resurrection—is at the heart of God's creation and gives meaning to all life.

Psicóloga experiente, Gabriela sempre tratou a religião como crendice ou truque da mente. Quando sua mãe fica doente, ela acaba se aproximando do capelão do hospital, padre José, mais em busca de apoio do que por uma questão de fé. Após o falecimento da mãe, Gabriela mantém contato com o sacerdote, confortável pelo fato de ele não procurar convertê-la. Porém, depois de pouco mais de um mês, a psicóloga tem uma notícia devastadora: uma grave doença se alastra por seu corpo. Como lidar com a mente dos pacientes se a sua própria já não parece funcionar mais?

The Mystic Heart chronicled Brother Wayne Teasdale's journey into a multifaceted spirituality blending his traditional Catholic training and the Eastern way of sannyasa (Indian monkhood). A Monk in the World tells what the journey has meant for him - living as a monk outside the monastery, integrating teachings from the world's religions with his own Catholic training, combining his vigorous spiritual practice with the necessities of making a living, and pursuing a course of social justice in a major American city.

It was hard for Little Acorn to believe he would ever be a big, strong oak tree. Soon Little Acorn grew into Little Oak. But now what was he to do? He couldn't grow oranges like the orange tree or flowers like the rose bush. He just grew and grew until he became Big Oak, and his branches were big and strong - but still he didn't know what he was to do. Then one day Big Oak found that his strong branches were just right for a very special purpose. The Oak Inside the Acorn is the story of the miracle inside each of us.

Saved at an early age, Gerry Gallimore gave his life to serving God. God blessed him with a great job, a new home, a Mercedes Benz, a beautiful wife, and his first child. Then, he was tested. God called him to leave all the trappings of success to work in the Mission field. Filled with unbelievable experiences, explained only by the fact that Rev. Dr. Gerry Gallimore Lived by faith.

Ruth Bell Graham is a tender and touching portrait of Ruth Bell Graham as seen in the lives of those who know and love her. Reflecting both her roots as the child of missionary parents, her commitment to family, her love of the Lord and her ongoing personal ministry, this tribute to Ruth Bell Graham is a behind the scenes look at her unique lifetime of service to the Lord that includes personal speaking, writing and mentoring others for the cause of Christ.

There was only one man who was so important that his birth caused our calendar to split in two (B.C./A.D). There was only one man who, despite being tempted, did not sin even once. There was only one man who died for your sins and mine, and by whom we can have eternal life. That man was Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

Thirty short-yet-powerful morning and evening reflections offer encouragement, hope, and inspiration to people dealing with a life-threatening illness, and to their family members and caretakers. Here are honest insights and personal stories from a pastor who continues his own journey with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's disease".

Francis of Assisi is Catholicism's most popular saint. Tens of millions of spiritual seekers summon his name and example. But the real Francis - both his complicated personality and his complex theology - have been misunderstood for centuries. In 1228, Pope Gregory IX rushed to canonize St. Francis only two years after his death. Soon thereafter, the Church eliminated significant aspects of his biography from the public record.

Aussi improbable que cela puisse paraître, Gladys était certaine que Dieu l’appelait en Chine en tant que missionnaire. Et voilà qu’à l’âge de vingt-sept ans, elle venait d’être renvoyée de l’école de formation à la mission pour avoir échoué au cours d’étude de la Bible!

Chosen by the Guardian as one of the one hundred best nonfiction books of all time, Olaudah Equiano’s searing first-person account helped awaken contemporary readers to the nightmare of slavery.

Five years after his brilliantly successful, Pulitzer Prize-winning book about God as portrayed in the Old Testament, Jack Miles gives us his striking consideration of Christ. He presents Christ as a hero of literature based only in part on the historical Jesus, asking us to take the idea of Christ as God Incarnate not as a dogma of religion but as the premise of a work of art, the New Testament.