It is not really clearly understood what this book is exactly: nor how it came about and so forth; therefore, all that we can really do to best offer a description of this book is to provide a sample of it that one may read > And the king shall appoint unto himself a couple of knights to be his horsemen; and sometimes the knights of the king shall be able to run in the beginning even before his chariots run; for the horsemen shall be able to leap over the chariots and run out into the battle-field ahead of the pawns. And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them strategically upon the Chess-board in order to plow his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots and so forth. And until one memorizes the patterns which result in victory, one must simply take each move step by step and play it by ear. Let the people which want a king to rule over them, study to play this board game which I have made available as an ensample of what your lives will be like from the day that you appoint one of your fellow-men to have rule over your own souls. And the king, whom you set up for yourselves to have dominion over you, will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers, and to be his virgins. For the king will take the virginity of every daughter before he suffers her to lie in the same bed as her husband. The king will require the flower from every girl which is betrothed to an husband. For the reasoning of the counselors and scribes and (Bishops) of the kingdom shall be that the king is better than the average citizens of the kingdom; and therefore, it shall be preferred to breed kings into the earth, rather than to breed peasants and farmers and servants and so forth. And the king, whom you set up for yourselves to have dominion over your own souls, will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive yards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. And at the counsel of the (Bishops) which will stand next to the king and queen, filling their heads with ideas of how best to oppress the kingdom (which is you) in order to satisfy their lust of greed for the sake of more filthy lucre; they shall advise their kings to build fancy church buildings and establish rituals regarding tithes & offerings. And the king, whom you will worship, will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his own servants. And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your strongest donkeys, and your choicest rooks, and your female asses, and put them all to his own idea of work. And so, Samuel (with help) from some wood-cutters, carved sculptures which were symbolic of kings and queens and knights and bishops and rooks and pawns and created an animated pattern of war and oppression; hoping that the people would realize the results of war and shun the ideas of violence and turn from the illusiveness of division in consciousness, and cease to view distinctions between so-called kingdoms and cultures which perceive that they are not (one) based off of the deceitful divisiveness of imaginary borders. Howbeit, the people craved killing, and the spilling of blood was an excitement for them, and they loved the board game, and they used it for entertainment, rather than for an actual illustration of the consequences of what would manifest if they set kings over themselves in order to rule and oppress them and have dominion over their own souls and render themselves like as unto the beasts. And all the people shouted, and said, God save the king. And that began to be the object of the game of kings and queens. To save the king from being trapped into a snare which they named Check-Mate became the goal of the game which they named Chess. Now behold; this book is not for those which have no faith. For they shall profit nothing from it.

Malls, stadiums, and universities are actually liturgical structures that influence and shape our thoughts and affections. Humans--as Augustine noted--are "desiring agents," full of longings and passions; in brief, we are what we love. James K. A. Smith focuses on the themes of liturgy and desire in Desiring the Kingdom, the first book in what will be a three-volume set on the theology of culture. He redirects our yearnings to focus on the greatest good: God. Ultimately, Smith seeks to re-vision education through the process and practice of worship. Students of philosophy, theology, worldview, and culture will welcome Desiring the Kingdom, as will those involved in ministry and other interested readers.

A thorough study of the nature of the kingdom, its fulfillment in the world, and its consummation with the Second Advent. Includes a comprehensive analysis of the parables and the Sermon on the Mount.

A new epic fantasy series from the New York Times bestselling author chosen to complete Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time® Series

Concise, pithy chapters with dozens of charts, highlighted summaries and study questions make Graeme Goldsworthy's introductory text enormously useful for understanding how the Bible fits together as the unfolding story of God's plan for salvation.

FIND WHAT MATTERS MOST. BUILD YOUR LIFE AROUND IT. In an age of distraction, everyone is looking for something that gives purpose and perspective on life. Jesus says it's the kingdom of God. But the kingdom is not just another religious idea. Rather, God's loving reign brings clarity and coherence to all of life - identity, work, play, relationships, justice, character - in a way that is profound and practical. Seek First brings theology to the streets, giving a vision for the kingdom that will truly change your life. "Treat presents the message of the kingdom in a way that gives us a grander vision for life, whether in the workplace or on the basketball court." - CHRIS BROUSSARD, NBA analyst and sports broadcaster "Few books do as good a job as this one in showing us how giving up everything for Christ and his kingdom is the pathway to our greatest gain. Seek First is a gem!" - SCOTT SAULS, author and senior pastor, Christ Presbyterian Church "With insight and passion Treat reveals why we ought to reorient our lives and reprioritize our loves . . . practical and powerful." - MARIELLE WAKIM, editor, Los Angeles magazine "A prophetic and urgent note to the generations . . . a clearly written and much-needed book!" - KEVIN J. VANHOOZER, professor, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

2013 Word Guild Award (Academic) How does worship work? How exactly does liturgical formation shape us? What are the dynamics of such transformation? In the second of James K. A. Smith's three-volume theology of culture, the author expands and deepens the analysis of cultural liturgies and Christian worship he developed in his well-received Desiring the Kingdom. He helps us understand and appreciate the bodily basis of habit formation and how liturgical formation--both "secular" and Christian--affects our fundamental orientation to the world. Worship "works" by leveraging our bodies to transform our imagination, and it does this through stories we understand on a register that is closer to body than mind. This has critical implications for how we think about Christian formation. Professors and students will welcome this work as will pastors, worship leaders, and Christian educators. The book includes analyses of popular films, novels, and other cultural phenomena, such as The King's Speech, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest, and Facebook.

Originally published in the Aleut (Eskimo) language in 1833, this book is a simple yet challenging introduction to Christianity from one of the greatest teachers of the Russian Orthodox Church: sainted Russian Bishop and missionary Innocent Veniaminov. Timeless and universal, this updated edition--which includes a new section entitled "Points for Reflection" at the end of each chapter--discusses what it means to know God and have a relationship with Jesus. It will appeal to those seeking to understand their own faith more fully.

The final book of the Bible, Revelation prophesies the ultimate judgement of mankind in a series of allegorical visions, grisly images and numerological predictions. According to these, empires will fall, the "Beast" will be destroyed and Christ will rule a new Jerusalem. With an introduction by Will Self.