World Theology

This in-depth discussion of New Testament scholarship and the challenges of history as a whole proposes Bayes's Theorem, which deals with probabilities under conditions of uncertainty, as a solution to the problem of establishing reliable historical criteria. The author demonstrates that valid historical methods - not only in the study of Christian origins but in any historical study - can be described by, and reduced to, the logic of Bayes's Theorem. Conversely, he argues that any method that cannot be reduced to this theorem is invalid and should be abandoned.

Duane Elmer asked people around the world how they felt about Western missionaries. The response? "Missionaries could be more effective if they did not think they were better than us". The last thing we want to do in cross-cultural ministry is to offend people in other cultures. Unfortunately, all too often and even though we don't mean it, our actions communicate superiority, paternalism, imperialism, and arrogance.

Christians believe that history is moving toward a dramatic conclusion - that one day Jesus Christ will return in glory to judge the living and the dead. But there seem to be so many different views about how this will happen and when it will take place. How can we make sense of it all? This short, listenable book explains clearly and simply the liberating reality of what the Bible is actually saying about the return of Christ and the end of the world.

It used to be that Christians conceived of the world as a battleground. They believed in sin and the devil and hell as constituting one force and in God and righteousness and heaven constituting the other. How different it is today. People think of the world not as a battleground but as a playground. In This World: Playground or Battleground?, Tozer calls us to see the real world of the spiritual realm that lies beyond the physical that so ensnares us. The audio is short and to the point, abrupt but full of vigor, profound, and downright relevant today.

Since ancient times, accounts of supernatural activity have mystified us. Ghost stories as we know them did not develop until the late 19th century, but the restless dead haunted the premodern imagination in many forms, as recorded in historical narratives, theological texts, and personal letters. The Penguin Book of the Undead teems with roving hordes of dead warriors, corpses trailed by packs of barking dogs, moaning phantoms haunting deserted ruins, evil spirits emerging from burning carcasses in the form of crows, and zombies with pestilential breath.

This is the finger of God! You’ve heard the biblical story of Moses and Pharaoh, the 10 plagues, the exodus, and the parting of the Red Sea. Now discover the spiritual world behind the story. It’s even more supernatural than you first thought. Written by respected Christian author Brian Godawa, known for his popular book When Giants Were Upon the Earth, About Nephilim Giants, Watchers, Angels, Demons, Pagan Gods, and Other Supernatural Oddities in the Bible and the Unseen Realm.

The Antichrist is a book by the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, originally published in 1895. The reference to the Antichrist is not intended to refer to the biblical Antichrist but is rather an attack on the slave morality and apathy of Western Christianity. Nietzsche's basic claim is that Christianity is a poisoner of western culture and perversion of the words of and practice of Jesus.

Join a veteran author, pastor, and Christian leader as he captures the 10 astonishing, compassionate, life-giving, joy-awakening, hope-sustaining truths that have held everything together for him.

Creation Care: Audio Lectures bring together expertise in biblical studies and science, as Doug and Jonathan Moo trace key themes through Scripture in an effort to situate the created world within biblical theology. Lessons offer reflection on the biblical mandate to embody and live out God’s perspective on the created world.

In Islam and World Peace, the message is that oneness is the most important aspect of Islam. Protecting our neighbors from danger is primary, and then embracing them—that is Islam. Sufi teacher M. R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen—revered by thousands from all social, religious, and ethnic backgrounds—demonstrates that Islam teaches us we must not kill each other. Instead, we must wage war against evil qualities within ourselves. He emphasizes that Islam is equality, peacefulness, and unity—and seeks to join us together as one, accepting of all.

Something is terribly wrong in the world—we all feel it. The elite controlling our society commit heinous crimes with no punishment while Christians silently await a rescue rapture. Most in the Church expect increasing cultural demise before we escape. However, through His prophets of old, God already showed us what would happen—we just got the ending wrong. This book presents compelling, yet provocative evidence that Christians fail to discern the times, leading to unfulfilled destinies and needless fear-based paralysis.

The Bible is filled with stories of God using ordinary people in extraordinary ways to change the world. Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, and others were just regular, imperfect people who chose to obey God's call - and what a difference that made! God is still in the business of transforming his followers into world changers, and that includes you.

People today encounter a dizzying array of religious options. We might consider mystical faiths like Buddhism and Hinduism, historical religions like Islam and Mormonism, or more nebulous modern expressions of being spiritual but not religious or religious but not spiritual. How do we know what is true? Is one faith just as good as another? Trial lawyer Mark Lanier presents the claims made by the world's great religions, discusses their histories, and cross-examines their witnesses (their scriptures and traditions) to determine whether their claims are worthy of belief.

Africa has played a decisive role in the formation of Christian culture from its infancy. Some of the most decisive intellectual achievements of Christianity were explored and understood in Africa before they were in Europe. If this is so, why is Christianity so often perceived in Africa as a Western colonial import? How can Christians in Northern and sub-Saharan Africa, indeed, how can Christians throughout the world, rediscover and learn from this ancient heritage?

With a unique combination of research, interviews, personal experience, and theological reflection, author Matthew McGuire takes the listener on a journey to re-examine his or her presuppositions about the nature of the world we inhabit. Is this universe nothing more than Bertrand Russell's accidental collocations of atoms, or are there deeper, spiritual dimensions to the cosmos?

In Reclaimed, author and cultural critic Andy Steiger explores the trend toward dehumanization that underlies our fraught times. People on both sides of the political aisle and from all walks of life share a deep desire for better understanding, justice, and human dignity. Yet we're uncertain how to achieve these aims. Steiger points to Jesus as the basis for rediscovering our common ground and our shared humanity.

In his subtle and engaging investigation into the life and times of Jesus, Thomas Cahill shows us Jesus from his birth to his execution through the eyes of those who knew him and in the context of his time—a time when the Jews were struggling to maintain their beliefs under overlords who imposed their worldview on their subjects. Here is Jesus the loving friend, itinerate preacher, and quiet revolutionary, whose words and actions inspired his followers to journey throughout the Roman world and speak the truth he instilled.

With his trademark brilliance, generosity of spirit, and clear pastoral calling, Brian McLaren synthesizes an accessible and inviting understanding of what it means to follow Jesus.

Building on the foundation of the New York Times bestseller, Love Does, the Love Does study (guide sold separately) is a case study in love done - a love that's practical, functional, active. Not a "love" that has all the right answers. Not a "love" with ulterior motives. Not a "love" that's all talk or paralyzed by doubt. But a radically alive love that's an intentional participation in God's world.

Best-selling author John Ortberg shares how Jesus' influence has swept over history and how his vision of life continues to impact humanity today. Jesus' impact on our world is highly unlikely, widely inescapable, largely unknown, and decidedly double-edged. It is unlikely in light of the severe limitations of his earthly life; it is inescapable because of the range of impact; it is unknown because history doesn't connect dots; and it is doubled-edged because his followers have wreaked so much havoc, often in his name.