Study Commentaries

Duffy engages with some of the central aspects of Western religion in the thousand years between the decline of pagan Rome and the rise of the Protestant Reformation. In the process, he opens windows on the vibrant and multifaceted beliefs and practices by which medieval people made sense of their world: the fear of death and the impact of devastating pandemic, holy war against Islam and the invention of the blood libel against the Jews, provision for the afterlife and the continuing power of the dead over the living, the meaning of pilgrimage and the evolution of Christian music.

In a world that is “woke”, how many Christians are actually awake? This short theologically sound primer is a resource for pastors, ministry leaders, community leaders, and other thinking Christians that explains carefully and clearly what critical race theory and wokeness truly are, what the Bible teaches about race and ethnicity, why wokeness is distinct from Christianity and should be rejected, and how the church can work for unity based in the gospel of grace.

Ce livre a pour vocation de vous faire naviguer vers l'âme du monde. Il n'a pas pour prétention de détenir l'ultime "vérité" mais de vous faire voyager sur de nouveaux chemins de réflexions philosophiques, grâce à l'apport actuel de nos connaissances scientifiques. La meilleure chose que je puisse vous y promettre est qu'en parcourant cette analyse, chacun y découvrira LA réponse adaptée à son propre niveau de conscience et tout le potentiel qu'il recèle au fond de lui.

From time immemorial, prayer has provided comfort in our darkest hours, stirred us to action beyond what we thought possible, and shown us the way through seemingly insurmountable challenges. In this engaging tour of world history, author and historian Jean-Pierre Isbouts takes us on an inspiring tour of 10 prayers that played a pivotal role in world events.

The Mengzi is one of the very greatest works of world literature and philosophy, and it is perhaps the single most influential Confucian text of all time. Of all the Confucian classics, it is also the one most likely to speak to a contemporary audience. The Mengzi contains the dialogues, debates and sayings of Mengzi, a Confucian sage of the fourth century BCE. (He is also known by the Latinization of his name, 'Mencius'.)

Two thousand years ago, the church at Colossae faced similar challenges. The Apostle Paul wrote a letter outlining the only way we can live complete lives: Christ. What can we learn today from this ancient church? Called by many scholars the "most profound letter Paul ever wrote," Colossians warrants a careful, faithful study. In this short, but exciting letter, Paul makes the case for the supremacy of Christ in all things. Best selling author and teacher Warren Wiersbe calls your attention to Paul's essential thoughts on living a complete life—Christ alone—in this easy-to-use commentary.

Exploring the relationship between Christianity and Zen, especially through his dialogue with the great Zen teacher D.T. Suzuki, the book makes an excellent introduction to a comparative study of these two traditions, as well as giving the listener a strong taste of the mature Merton. Never does one feel him losing his own faith; rather, one feels that faith getting deeply clarified and affirmed. Just as the body of "Zen" cannot be found by the scavengers, so too, Merton suggests, with the eternal truth of Christ.

For over 40 years Barbara Seaman has been a leading women’s health advocate. Now she blows the lid off the estrogen industry in this fascinating book that holds the power to improve—possibly even save—women’s lives. In America 30 million women take estrogen. Seaman shows that this powerful hormone is hardly the cure-all some claim it is. In fact, estrogen treatments may increase the risk of cancer, heart disease, and osteoporosis.

The two books of Samuel form a basic foundational study in the Old Testament. An understanding of this basic history is essential, not only to understanding the Old and New Testaments, but in gaining a valid perspective of eschatological issues as well.

The Gospel according to John has always been recognized as different from the "synoptic" accounts of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. But what explains the difference? In this new translation and verse-by-verse commentary, Michael Pakaluk suggests an answer and unlocks a 2,000-year-old mystery. Mary's Voice in the Gospel According to John reveals the subtle but powerful influence of the mother of Jesus on the fourth Gospel.

The gospel of John comes alive in N. T. Wright's updated, listener-friendly translation and insightful commentary. He guides the listener through the world of the New Testament, explaining the ideas and events that shaped the gospel writer's account of the life of Jesus. Breaking down the gospel of John into brief, easy-to-study segments, Wright shows how the message of this ancient book speaks powerfully to the spiritual longings of contemporary listeners. New Christians and longtime followers of Jesus alike will find inspiration and practical wisdom for their journey within this book.

Reaching out to listeners of all religious backgrounds, Desmond Tutu shows us how to transform suffering into joy both in our lives and in our world. He tells us that God dreams of a world where laughter, love, and peace reign, and where we realize that we are all members of one family, God's family. In this extremely personal and liberating message, Father Tutu helps us "see with the eyes of the heart" and cultivate the qualities of forgiveness, humility, generosity, and courage.

Is it really possible to love one's enemies? That's the question that sparked a fascinating and, at times, terrifying journey into the heart of the Middle East during the summer of 2008. It was a trip that began in Egypt, passed beneath the steel-and-glass high-rises of Saudi Arabia, then wound through the bullet-pocked alleyways of Beirut and dusty streets of Damascus, before ending at the cradle of the world's three major religions: Jerusalem.

An examination of sex and the Bible by one of the leading biblical scholars in the United States. For several decades, Michael Coogan's introductory course on the Old Testament has been a perennial favorite among students at Harvard University. In God and Sex, Coogan examines one of the most controversial aspects of the Hebrew Scripture: What the Old Testament really says about sex, and how contemporary understanding of those writings is frequently misunderstood or misrepresented.

Best-selling author Peter Kreeft presents a series of brilliant essays about many of the issues that increasingly divide our Western civilization and culture. He states that "these essays are not new proposals or solutions to today's problems. They are old. They have been tried, and have worked. They have made people happy and good. That is what makes them so radical and so unusual today. The most uncommon thing today is common sense".

Another seven great chapters that reveal where we are in the last days. Chapter one - One Blood: The Biblical Answer to Racism by Ken Ham. How science proves we all came from Adam...and its ramifications. Chapter two - 50 Reasons the Rapture's Close by Chuck Missler. Chuck takes you on an incredible journey through 50 Bible prophecy verses and how each is being or has been fulfilled. And much more!

God has many ways of teaching us. Jesus taught by example. Men looked at how he lived, and decided to walk that way also. He also taught by precept, speaking directly to people, in a way we might call teaching today. But his favorite way of teaching was through the use of the parable. He loved to tell stories—stories with spiritual meanings. "In the fall of 1987," Jamie said, "I visited Israel with a camera crew. We had obtained permission from the Israeli government to set up cameras at ten of the sites where Jesus told his best-known parables.

Encircling London like a noose, the M25 is a road to nowhere, but when Iain Sinclair sets out to walk this asphalt loop - keeping within the 'acoustic footprints' - he is determined to find out where the journey will lead him. Stumbling upon converted asylums, industrial and retail parks, ring-fenced government institutions and lost villages, Sinclair discovers a Britain of the fringes, a landscape consumed by developers. London Orbital charts this extraordinary trek and round trip of the soul, revealing the country as you've never seen it before.

For more than fifty years, Madeleine L'Engle has delighted and inspired readers/listeners with her warm, eloquent prose and inspirational poetry. She continues this tradition with Miracle on 10th Street, a collection of poignant writings and reflections that give listeners a glimpse of how the wonder of Christmas resonates in her personal life, which deeply involves her family and faith: "I think back to that Christmas when my husband and I did not know whether our little girl would live to grow up," she writes.

This thoroughly enjoyable new commentary, The Pillar of the Truth, gives background for the three letters, brings out parallels between the Apostolic age and Israel's time in the wilderness, and, in step-by-step fashion, shows how the Apostle Paul was preparing the nascent Church for institutionalization.