"Draws on Positioning Theory to offer a fresh reading of Philemon and challenge traditional interpretations that argue for a pro-slavery perspective in the letter"--

JOHN W. MAUCK provides an exciting new way of understanding the Book of Acts. With great skill and powerful arguments, the author contends that Acts was written primarily to defend Paul for his forthcoming trial in Rome. After reading Mauck's volume, the read we will not only gain a fuller understanding of Acts, but also obtain rock-solid arguments for defending Christianity and understanding its Jewish roots. What's Inside: A fresh study of Acts as a legal "brief" Insights gained from understanding of Roman law Numerous Charts that outline Luke's "argument" Recorded speeches viewed as "witness testimony" A section-by-section review of all of Acts A powerful apologetic defending the claims of Christianity Endorsements: "The book is a terrific addition to any lawyer's library. It makes the Book of Acts come alive with new and useful insights." -- Samuel B. Casey, Executive Director, Christian Legal Society "It makes a constructive, fresh, and fascinating contribution to the understanding of Acts." -- Dr. Donald Hagner, Author of Matthew in WBC, Fuller Theological Seminary

In this “compulsively readable exploration of the tangled world of Christian origins” (Publishers Weekly), religious historian James Tabor illuminates the earliest years of Jesus’ teachings before Paul shaped them into the religion we know today. This fascinating examination of the earliest years of Christianity reveals how the man we call St. Paul shaped Christianity as we know it today. Historians know almost nothing about the two decades following the crucifixion of Jesus, when his followers regrouped and began to spread his message. During this time Paul joined the movement and began to preach to the gentiles. Using the oldest Christian documents that we have—the letters of Paul—as well as other early Chris­tian sources, historian and scholar James Tabor reconstructs the origins of Christianity. Tabor shows how Paul separated himself from Peter and James to introduce his own version of Christianity, which would continue to develop independently of the message that Jesus, James, and Peter preached. Paul and Jesus illuminates the fascinating period of history when Christianity was born out of Judaism.

We looked like a cup of human fruit cocktail dumped onto the top of the house, each piece different but all out of the same can. So begins a book unlike any other, half comics and half text, about a family that lives with autism -- and the strange life that is ordinary to them. The oldest son, David, recites Superman episodes as he walks around the living room. A late-night family poker game spirals into a fog-driven duel. A thug from an old black-and-white rerun crawls out of the television. A housekeeper transforms into an avenging angel. A broken plate signals a terrible change in the family that none of them can prevent...until it's too late. This groundbreaking work was excerpted in The New York Times for its ability to honestly, eloquently, and respectfully set forth what life is like with autism in the family. What sets The Ride Together apart is its combination of imagination and realism -- its vision of a family's inner world -- with David at the center.

On the ancient plains of Krynn arise new perils. The village of Yala-tene is flourishing. Twelve years of peace and plenty have allowed the little settlement to grow into a thriving town. But its peace is threatened--from within by an ambitious priest of the dragon cult, and from without by a savage horde of warriors, bent on conquest. Against this array of evil, Chief Amero and the bronze dragon Duranix strive to hold the fragile threads of civilization together. Best-selling writing team Thompson and Cook return to the world of Dragonlance in the second book of the epic Barbarians trilogy.

In The Heavenly Man, you learned the story of how God took a young half-starved boy from Henan Province and enabled him to stand strong on the frontlines for Jesus Christ, braving horrific opposition and impossible odds. Living Water is a collection of Brother Yun’s dynamic teachings that evolved from his life experiences of persecution and revival in China. Brother Yun shares how the grace of God sustained him during his darkest hours and how that darkness transformed into the infectious joy and zeal for the Lord that are the hallmark of his ministry today. This unique book teaches us that radical faith is not for a chosen few, but for every believer who dares to call Jesus Christ Lord.

Bart D. Ehrman, the New York Times bestselling author of Jesus, Interrupted and God’s Problem reveals which books in the Bible’s New Testament were not passed down by Jesus’s disciples, but were instead forged by other hands—and why this centuries-hidden scandal is far more significant than many scholars are willing to admit. A controversial work of historical reporting in the tradition of Elaine Pagels, Marcus Borg, and John Dominic Crossan, Ehrman’s Forged delivers a stunning explication of one of the most substantial—yet least discussed—problems confronting the world of biblical scholarship.

While most Christians might accurately identify Timothy as an associate of the apostle Paul, they probably conjure up images of Timothy and his relationship with Paul in twenty-first-century terms. In Timothy: Pauls Closest Associate, Bruce J. Malina ventures off the path of modern biography toward a more likely description of Timothy, providing readers with fresh and plausible insights that lead to a greater appreciation not only for Timothy but, more important, for the gospel of God that Paul enjoined on him to proclaim: the Godof Israel raised Jesus from the dead, making him Lord and Messiah.

From the author of the international bestseller The Last Station, a superb historical novel of the Apostle Paul, whose tireless and epic preaching of the message of Jesus brought Christianity into existence and changed human history forever. In the years after Christ's crucifixion, Paul of Tarsus, a prosperous tentmaker and Jewish scholar, took it upon himself to persecute the small groups of his followers that sprung up. But on the road to Damascus, he had some sort of blinding vision, a profound conversion experience that transformed Paul into the most effective and influential messenger Christianity has ever had. In The Damascus Road novelist Jay Parini brings this fascinating and ever-controversial figure to full human life, capturing his visionary passions and vast contradictions. In relating Paul's epic journeys, both geographical and spiritual, he unfolds a vivid panorama of the ancient world on the verge of epochal change. And in the alternating voice of the Gospel writer Luke, Paul's travel companion, scribe, and ghostwriter, a cooler perspective on his actions and beliefs emerges -- ironic but still filled with wonder at Paul's unshakable commitment to the Christ and his divinity.