The Book of Martyrs by John Foxe written in the 16th century has long been the go-to source for studying the lives and martyrdom of the apostles. Whilst other scholars have written individual treatments on the more prominent apostles such as Peter, Paul, John, and James, there is little published information on the other apostles. In The Fate of the Apostles, Sean McDowell offers a comprehensive, reasoned, historical analysis of the fate of the twelve disciples of Jesus along with the apostles Paul, and James. McDowell assesses the evidence for each apostle’s martyrdom as well as determining its significance to the reliability of their testimony. The question of the fate of the apostles also gets to the heart of the reliability of the kerygma: did the apostles really believe Jesus appeared to them after his death, or did they fabricate the entire story? How reliable are the resurrection accounts? The willingness of the apostles to die for their faith is a popular argument in resurrection studies and McDowell offers insightful scholarly analysis of this argument to break new ground within the spheres of New Testament studies, Church History, and apologetics.

Ortberg demonstrates how doubt is very much a part of faith and how uncertainty can lead to trust. "The beliefs that really matter," he writes, "are the ones that guide our behavior. We cannot hope without faith, and so we must not hope for something but someone--Jesus Christ.

Cliffe Knechtle offers clear, reasoned and compassionate responses to the tough questions skeptics ask.

Unleashing the Passion of Young People in Your Church Is Possible! Churches are losing both members and vitality as increasing numbers of young people disengage. Based on groundbreaking research with over 250 of the nation's leading congregations, Growing Young provides a strategy any church can use to involve and retain teenagers and young adults. It profiles innovative churches that are engaging 15- to 29-year-olds and as a result are growing--spiritually, emotionally, missionally, and numerically. Packed with both research and practical ideas, Growing Young shows pastors and ministry leaders how to position their churches to engage younger generations in a way that breathes vitality, life, and energy into the whole church. Visit www.churchesgrowingyoung.org for more information.

MEANT FOR THIS is for anyone with a dream inside their heart they can't ignore. The kind of dream that feels too big, or too impossible to ever become a reality. Whether you've put it on the back burner for years, or you've been working towards it your whole life, this book will breathe new life into it and create a whole new world of possibility. As artists and dreamers, we're flooded with discouraging rhetoric: "That dream is going to be really hard." "Good luck winning the lottery!" "Do you really want to be a starving artist?" Not only does this tempt people to pursue something more "realistic," but it also robs us of hope and sticks us with a dead end. Meant For This is just the opposite. Finally, a book that understands the artist's journey and guides you with a refreshingly motivating perspective. Through 20 chapters of personal stories, exercises, and actionable content, Hollywood's Success Coach Erica Wernick shows you the strategies and mindset that has helped countless artists turn their biggest dreams into reality. Erica has built a career providing support and strategy in a way that was desperately needed in the Hollywood industry. Between Erica and her clients, they've booked work on over 60 television shows and films on Netflix, Hulu, HBO and every other major network under the sun, working with A-listers, starting their own companies, and landing opportunities they never had before. This book will: Give you permission to dream as big as you possibly can Show you how to access your Star Power to unlock bigger opportunities Help you map out a brand new strategy for your biggest dream Make you feel seen and heard as an artist like you've never felt before Inspire you to stop settling and finally lead the extraordinary life you desire Erica first walks readers through the mindset of a High Achiever. It's about accessing your Star Power and taking on a set of beliefs that unleash your potential like never before. You want to achieve the exceptional? You want to achieve what most people never will? It starts within. You have to be exceptional to achieve the exceptional. Then Erica shows you how to tangibly make your dreams happen. Once you become the person you're meant to be, you can take the actions that will propel you forward. Erica digs in deep to practical strategies about making connections, asking for what you want, and creating the most effective plan for even the biggest dreams. The last section of the book covers the edge. It's the power behind the truly exceptional results. From breaking the rules, to expecting miracles from the Universe, this section is the cherry on top of the cake. It's what successful people do differently, beyond the principles we've heard before. People who succeed at high levels do things differently. Meant For This will show you exactly what they're doing and how you can achieve everything you feel meant for. This book gives stars permission to call themselves Stars. It gives dreamers the courage to do the big things in their heart. When you don't achieve something you feel you're meant for, the agony is one of the most excruciating experiences. This book ends that pain, replaces it with joy and epic fulfillment, and subsequently expands the light in a ripple effect of dreams realized. No dream is too big or too impossible. If it keeps whispering to you, it's time to answer the call and live the life you've always dreamed of.

Sticky Faith delivers positive and practical ideas to nurture within your kids a living, loving faith that lasts a lifetime. Research indicates that almost half of high school seniors drift from their faith after graduation. Struck by this staggering statistic, and recognizing its ramifications, the Fuller Youth Institute (FYI) conducted the "College Transition Project" in an effort to identify the relationships and best practices that can set young people on a trajectory of lifelong faith and service. This easy-to-read guide presents both a compelling rationale and a powerful strategy to show parents how to actively encourage their children’s spiritual growth so that it will stick with them into adulthood and empower them to develop a living, lasting faith. Written by Fuller Youth Institute Executive Director Dr. Kara E. Powell and youth expert Chap Clark--authors known for the integrity of their research and the intensity of their passion for young people--Sticky Faith is geared to spark a movement that empowers adults to develop robust and long-term faith in kids of all ages. Further engage your family and church with the Sticky Faith Guide for Your Family, Sticky Faith curriculum, and Sticky Faith youth worker edition. Sticky Faith is also available in Spanish, Cómo criar jóvenes de fe sólida.

Sam Harris dismantles the most common justification for religious faith--that a moral system cannot be based on science.

Critiques the radical mindset that rages against religion and faith, and identifies the pillars of the new atheist belief system, revealing that the stringent rules and rigid traditions in place are as strict as those of any religious practice. The new atheists, led by Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens and Sam Harris, do not make moral arguments about religion. Rather, they have created a new form of fundamentalism that attempts to permeate society with ideas about our own moral superiority and the omnipotence of human reason. Journalist Hedges makes a case against both religious and secular fundamentalism.--From amazon.com.

"There are two ways of getting home; and one of them is to stay there. The other is to walk round the whole world till we come back to the same place." -G.K. Chesterton What, if anything, is it that makes the human uniquely human? This, in part, is the question that G.K. Chesterton starts with exploration of human history in this classic. Responding to the evolutionary materialism of his contemporary H.G. Wells, Chesterton in this work affirms human uniqueness and the unique message of the Christian faith. Writing at a time when social Darwinism was increasingly popular, Chesterton argued that the idea that society has been steadily progressing from a starting point of primitivism towards civilization, and of Jesus Christ as simply another charismatic figure, is completely inaccurate. Chesterton saw in Christianity a rare blending of philosophy and mythology, which he felt satisfies both the mind and the heart. Here, as so often in Chesterton, we sense a lived, awakened faith. All that he writes derives from a keen intellect guided by the heart's own knowledge.

From the author of the bestselling novel The Shack and the New York Times bestsellers Cross Roads and Eve comes a compelling, conversational exploration of twenty-eight assumptions about God—assumptions that just might be keeping us from experiencing His unconditional, all-encompassing love. In his wildly popular novels, Wm. Paul Young portrayed the Triune God in ways that challenged our thinking—sometimes upending long-held beliefs, but always centered in the eternal, all-encompassing nature of God’s love. Now, in Wm. Paul Young’s first nonfiction book, he invites us to revisit our assumptions about God—this time using the Bible, theological discussion, and personal anecdotes. Paul encourages us to think through beliefs we’ve presumed to be true and consider whether some might actually be false. Expounding on the compassion fans felt from the “Papa” portrayed in The Shack—now a major film starring Sam Worthington and Octavia Spencer—Paul encourages you to think anew about important issues including sin, religion, hell, politics, identity, creation, human rights, and helping us discover God’s deep and abiding love.