Why Do You Wear A Cross? Why is the universal symbol of Christianity the method of Jesus execution? Is this morbid fascination with crucifixion Biblical? Is the death of Jesus to be the dominant theme of Christianity? What is the reason for the irrational contempt and hatred for the Cross in todays culture? In Understanding the Mystery of the Cross, author Mike Beecham explains why only crucifixion could redeem humanity no other death would do. Some of the topics addressed in this book: How man was separated from God and reconciled to God at a tree. The similarities between Adams fall and Jesus crucifixion. How God used the blueprint of mans fall in the Garden of Eden as a pattern to follow to provide mans redemption at the Cross of Christ. How this ancient event impacts our life today. Join the author on a journey to discover not only what happened to Jesus on that cross, but what happened to you!

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.

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.

"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.

“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

With warm, Christian compassion, Van Zeller shows how the answer to the problem of evil can be found only in Christ. (June)

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.

Most drawings of the scene at Calvary show three crosses -- the one on which Jesus hung and two on which the thieves hung. But are these drawings correct in their portrayals? Discover the relevance of the four crosses to our walk with Christ. Understanding this concept will tie together many other precious Truths that God has recorded in both the Old and New Testaments.

Humans have long searched for an adequate answer to an age-old question: If God is good, why do we suffer? An entire book of the Bible, Job, is dedicated to the problem of God and human suffering. Theologians across continents and centuries have debated the intricacies, inconsistencies, and assumptions the question elicits. And of course, many have turned to Jesus's own suffering, and his horrible death at the cross, in search of understanding. All too often, the resulting approaches to the mystery of suffering, though linked to the Jewish and Christian Scriptures and traditions, fail to satisfy contemporary hearts and minds. The Mystery of God and Suffering draws guidance from the Gospel of John and the letters to the Colossians and the Ephesians, and focuses on God's overflowing love in creation as a foundation for understanding Jesus's death and its implications for those who follow him. This work offers an alternative vision, one emphasizing incarnation over atonement, for all those who find themselves uneasy or even oppressed by the notion of a vindictive God who demands the suffering and death of his son. The Mystery of God and Suffering also speaks to a larger audience, comprised of all those who suffer and search for meaning in their suffering. With a focus on the eternal concepts of life and love that are not simply integral to but inseparable from a God who is good, as well as on insights of believers through the ages, The Mystery of God and Suffering offers wise guidance for our journey into the abyss of suffering.

A landmark in the conversation about race and religion in America. "They put him to death by hanging him on a tree." Acts 10:39 The cross and the lynching tree are the two most emotionally charged symbols in the history of the African American community. In this powerful new work, theologian James H. Cone explores these symbols and their interconnection in the history and souls of black folk. Both the cross and the lynching tree represent the worst in human beings and at the same time a thirst for life that refuses to let the worst determine our final meaning. While the lynching tree symbolized white power and "black death," the cross symbolizes divine power and "black life" God overcoming the power of sin and death. For African Americans, the image of Jesus, hung on a tree to die, powerfully grounded their faith that God was with them, even in the suffering of the lynching era. In a work that spans social history, theology, and cultural studies, Cone explores the message of the spirituals and the power of the blues; the passion and of Emmet Till and the engaged vision of Martin Luther King, Jr.; he invokes the spirits of Billie Holliday and Langston Hughes, Fannie Lou Hamer and Ida B. Well, and the witness of black artists, writers, preachers, and fighters for justice. And he remembers the victims, especially the 5,000 who perished during the lynching period. Through their witness he contemplates the greatest challenge of any Christian theology to explain how life can be made meaningful in the face of death and injustice.