"Christianity is a religion founded on the mystery of the cross of Christ." --Leo the Great At the center of Christianity sits the cross of Christ. From the beginning, Christ's followers celebrated the cross as a symbol of their faith. It was honored in church worship, carved into rough tombstones, pressed onto loaves of bread and set out as a sign of sanctuary. The cross represented what Christians believed, who they hoped for and how they approached life. In this thoughtful book Judith Couchman takes up forty images of the cross from early Christianity. As we discover the meaning and significance of each of these uses, we learn a little more about the early church. More than that, she helps us focus on the meaning of the cross and the Savior's sacrifice. Ideal for Lenten devotional reading and appropriate for any season of the church calendar, this book includes original illustrations of each cross image. The Mystery of the Cross will enrich your understanding of Christian tradition and draw you into Christ's presence.

As a Christian, why do you wear a cross? That single question sparked a fire in Mike Beecham to understand why the dominant symbol of Christianity was the instrument of Jesus's death. His passion led him to a lifelong pursuit to better understand the deeper meanings, symbolisms, and complexities of the cross. In Understanding the Mystery of the Cross Mike Beecham shares his discoveries regarding: • the connection between the original fall of man and Jesus's crucifixion • the multifaceted purpose of the cross • the ramifications of Jesus's crucifixion today • the irrational contempt for the cross in modern society • and the symbolic nature of the cross Through scripture and the knowledge gained from years of biblical research, Mike Beecham will guide you to a better appreciation of the cross. This book will you give you greater insight into what Jesus sacrificed at his crucifixion. You will have a better sense of everything that the cross truly symbolizes. You will gain knowledge on your purpose as a Christian that can only be found by Understanding the Mystery of the Cross.

“This book is a little masterpiece: it informs and it explores, it recounts history and it provokes a religious quest. It is a personal book, yet it explores the great questions of theology; it is full of learning, but not ponderous; it is written from the perspective of faith, but is not off-putting to the inquirer.” -Thomas O’Loughlin, Professor of Historical Theology University of Wales Lampeter “Andreopoulos explains the gesture and meaning and history of why Christianity has needed symbols and signs through the ages. Throughout, his writing is as inspiriting as a restorative benediction.” -ALA Booklist “The book succeeds at translating the significance of the sign of the Cross into something personal and immediate.” -Publishers Weekly “The Christian of today grows quickly from the innocent child into adulthood and demands understanding of any simple behavior. ‘Why to sign with the crossing? Where did this practice begin? When and how?’ Andreas Andreopoulos, with his book, helps to answer these questions.... [H]e immerses us into the illuminating obscurity of the Holy Tradition.” -Protopresbyter Kyrillos Leret-Aldir, Orthodox Christian Comment

In Preaching and Preachers, the author states unapologetically his attitudes about his role in the church and explains his methodology, all the while addressing various problems and questions that have been put to him.

Why do tragedies occur? Why do the innocent have to suffer? Why do so many of us experience pain and desolation during our lives? In these profound reflections drawn from his homilies and speeches over a period of twenty years, Cardinal Basil Hume shares his own questioning, his searching, his anguish. He joins with us as a fellow pilgrim on the pathway through life, and meditates on the deep mysteries and uncertainties of our journey. The central mystery of our faith, says the Cardinal, is the cross: In the midst of the pain and suffering that it brings, it offers the possibility of hope and resurrection. Drawing on the liturgy of the Church, especially the Easter liturgy, he gently reminds us that Christ shared our pain and that "our suffering brings us closer to Christ and closer to God." He opens and closes the book with beautiful, specially written reflections on the mystery and power of the Mass. Until his death in June 1999, Basil Hume, OSB, was the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster and a monk of Ampleforth Abbey in Great Britain. One of the best-known and best-loved religious figures in the United Kingdom, he wrote several books, including To Be a Pilgrim, Searching for God, The Mystery of Love, Basil in Blunderland, and Footprints of the Northern Saints.

James Patterson's blockbuster Alex Cross series has sold over 100 million copies – and now he's bringing those thrills to a new generation! Alex's son Ali is eager to follow in his father's footsteps as a detective, but when his best friend goes missing, what price will he have to pay to solve the mystery? Ali Cross has always looked up to his father, former detective and FBI agent Alex Cross. While solving some of the nation's most challenging crimes, his father always kept his head and did the right thing. Can Ali have the same strength and resolve? When Ali's best friend Gabe is reported missing, Ali is desperate to find him. At the same time, a string of burglaries targets his neighborhood -- and even his own house. With his father on trial for a crime he didn't commit, it's up to Ali to search for clues and find his friend. But being a kid sleuth isn't easy -- especially when your father warns you not to get involved! -- and Ali soon learns that clues aren't always what they seem. Will his detective work lead to a break in Gabe's case or cause even more trouble for the Cross family?

In The Mystery of Suffering—a timeless classic first written in 1963—celebrated British Benedictine monk, author, and sculptor Hubert van Zeller (1905-1984) offers an eloquent response to the question of human suffering: Those who endure suffering with hope and trust in Divine Providence will embark on an ever-deeper path to holiness that leads to eternal glory. Van Zeller believed that those who surrender to the pain and embrace it as a way to identify with the Passion of Christ discover its deeper meaning, replacing fear with trust, resistance with peace, and defeat with the “triumph of grace.”

How can I know God if he is incomprehensible? Is it possible to know God in a way that takes seriously the fact that he is beyond knowledge? Steven Boyer and Christopher Hall argue that the "mystery of God" has a rightful place in theological discourse. They contend that considering divine incomprehensibility invites reverence and humility in our thinking and living as Christians and clarifies a variety of theological topics. The authors begin by investigating the biblical, historical, and practical foundations for understanding the mystery of God. They then spell out its implications for theological issues and practices such as the incarnation, salvation, and prayer, rooting knowledge of God in a concrete life of faith. Evangelical yet ecumenical, this book will appeal to theology students, pastors, church leaders, and all who want intellectual and practical guidance for knowing the unknowable God.

The Mystery of the Cross and the Narrow Gate Revealed is a search to reconcile apparent contradictions in the Bible, especially those passages pertaining to salvation. Beginning with the premise of the infallibility of the Bible, it argues that both the Reformers understanding of the atonement and their doctrine of salvation are invalid, since they are contradicted by numerous scriptures. In the end, the result of this search is a new understanding of both the atonement and salvation and the development of doctrines on these subjects, which will enable us to read canonically without seeing contradictions. Through faith and reason, a sound hermeneutic and careful exegesis, The Mystery of the Cross and the Narrow Gate uncovers the internal coherence of scripture, with the principal objective of restoring truth and bringing reform to a church that fails to grasp that the Holy Spirit is given to humankind to enable us to become holy and be made fit for the kingdom in heaven-refer www.themysteryofthecross.com.