This is a penetrating, yet sympathetic and constructive inquiry into the gut predicaments of being a minister. It is a kind of meditation for those brave enough to step away from their own tactical problems and reflect unguardedly on their style, identity, self-image-that is, on why they are called to be ministers and on how they are fulfilling that call. Few books written for ministers are …
This book is an essay in the interpretation of Protestant Christianity. It has grown out of conviction that the nature and meaning of Protestantism can be seen only in the light of historical development. We have, therefore, deliberately abandoned many of the usual patterns for interpreting Protestant life and thought. Survey descriptions of the various Protestant denominations almost invariabl…
Unusually for Dickens, Hard Times is set, not in London, but in the imaginary mid-Victorian Northern industrial town of Coketown with its blackened factories, downtrodden workers and polluted environment. This is the soulless domain of the striet utihuarism Thomas Gradigrind and the heartless factory qwner Josiah Bounderby. However, human joy is not excluded thanks to Mr Sleary's Horse-Riding c…
The Evening arrived; the boys took their places. The master, in his cook's uniform, stationed himself at the copper, his pauper assistants ranged themselves behind him; the gruel was served out; and a long grace was said over the short commons. The gruel disappeared; the boys whispered each other, and winked at Oliver, while his next neighbours nudged him. Child as he was, he was desperate with…
This Dover edition, first published in 2010, is an unabridged republication of the text from "A Christmas Carol" (1843) and "The Chimes" (1844) both published by Chapman and Hall, London; "The Cricket on the Hearth" (1845) and "The Haunted Man and The Ghost's Bargain" (1848) both published by Bradbury and Evans, London; "The Seven Poor Travellers" (1854) and "The Holly-Tree" (1855) both publish…
If there is "nothing new under the sun," perhaps the main task now facing the Western church is not to reinvent or be relevant, but to remember. The truth of the gospel is still contained within vintage faith statements. Within creeds and catechisms we can have our faith strengthened, our knowledge broadened, and our love for Jesus deepened. In The Good News We Almost Forgot, Kevin DeYo…
What makes for a healthy church? A large congregation? Plentiful parking? Vibrant music? You may have read books on this topic before?but not like this one. This new expanded edition of Nine Marks of a Healthy Church is not an instruction manual for church growth. It is a pastor?s recommendation of how to assess the health of your church using nine crucial qualities that are neglected by many o…
In this previously unpublished material, a pioneer in Reformed biblical theology examines the hopes, expectations and understanding of Old Testament saints regarding the future. Compiled from several manuscripts relating to Geerhardus Vos's course on Old Testament eschatology, this volume weaves together the most complete text of his study on the subject. Vos addresses a wide range of questions…
Martin Luther contended that the church stands or falls on the doctrine of justification. With challenges to the Reformer's view coming from several directions today, R. C. Sproul finds the appearance of Francis Turretin's Justification "a welcome relief." Is the ground of our justification "the righteousness of Christ in us or the righteousness of Christ for us?" In the introduction, Sproul fi…
The night was full of the sounds and movements of other nocturnal creatures Erik could only guess at. There were times when the noises in the dark sounded awfully close. Sometimes it seemed that whatever was making them had to be very big. But Erik wasn't afraid, and it wasn't apprehension that kept him awake. He'd never felt quite so alive, and he didn't want to miss anything on this first nig…