Despite all the hype surrounding the "New Atheism," the United States remains one of the most religious nations on Earth. In fact, 95% of Americans believe in God--a level of agreement rarely seen in American life. The greatest divisions in America are not between atheists and believers, or even between people of different faiths. What divides us, this groundbreaking book shows, is how we conceive of God and the role He plays in our daily lives. America's Four Gods draws on the most wide-ranging, comprehensive, and illuminating survey of American's religious beliefs ever conducted to offer a systematic exploration of how Americans view God. Paul Froese and Christopher Bader argue that many of America's most intractable social and political divisions emerge from religious convictions that are deeply held but rarely openly discussed. Drawing upon original survey data from thousands of Americans and a wealth of in-depth interviews from all parts of the country, Froese and Bader trace America's cultural and political diversity to its ultimate source--differing opinions about God. They show that regardless of our religious tradition (or lack thereof), Americans worship four distinct types of God: The Authoritative God--who is both engaged in the world and judgmental; The Benevolent God--who loves and helps us in spite of our failings; The Critical God--who catalogs our sins but does not punish them (at least not in this life); and The Distant God--who stands apart from the world He created. The authors show that these four conceptions of God form the basis of our worldviews and are among the most powerful predictors of how we feel about the most contentious issues in American life. Accessible, insightful, and filled with the voices of ordinary Americans discussing their most personal religious beliefs, America's Four Gods provides an invaluable portrait of how we view God and therefore how we view virtually everything else.

What do you believe about existence in general and yours in particular? If you think it’s random and you’re an evolutionary complex dancing to DNA, then read no further. There’s nothing here for you. However, if you tend to believe that you and the rest of the universe were designed and created by a transcendent being who most likely defies human understanding, then you’ll appreciate the discourse in this book. Donald A. Prue, a born-again believer, looks to the Bible to explore what it means to function as we were designed. He offers insights on topics such as: The Christian life as a relational delight rather than a religious duty Understanding and relating to our Creator beyond emotion and religion. Belonging to God and becoming like Christ as prerequisite for functioning as designed. Thinking through the logical consequences of the fact that God designed and created us for a purpose, the author concludes that everyone’s life is infused with meaning. Join the author as he examines what it means for human beings to function as designed.

Renowned biblical scholar Thomas Schreiner looks at the historical and biblical roots of the doctrine of justification and offers an updated defense of this pillar of Reformed theology. Reinvigorating one of the five great declarations of the Reformation—sola fide—Schreiner: Summarizes the history of the doctrine, looking at the early church and the writings of several of the Reformers. Walks readers through an examination of the key biblical texts in the Old and New Testament that support the Reformed understanding of justification. Discusses whether justification is transformative or forensic and introduces readers to some of the contemporary challenges to the Reformation teaching of sola fide, with particular attention to the new perspective on Paul. Five hundred years after the Reformation, the doctrine of justification by faith alone still needs to be understood and proclaimed. In Faith Alone you will learn how the rallying cry of “sola fide” is rooted in the Scriptures and how to understand this doctrine in a fresh way. —THE FIVE SOLAS— Historians and theologians have long recognized that at the heart of the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation were five declarations, often referred to as the "solas." These five statements summarize much of what the Reformation was about, and they distinguish Protestantism from other expressions of the Christian faith: that they place ultimate and final authority in the Scriptures, acknowledge the work of Christ alone as sufficient for redemption, recognize that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone, and seek to do all things for God’s glory. The Five Solas Series is more than a simple rehashing of these statements, but instead expounds upon the biblical reasoning behind them, leading to a more profound theological vision of our lives and callings as Christians and churches.

Who Are You? is a thought-provoking foray into the many-faceted issues surrounding the growing trend toward transhumanism. Why, as Christians, should we be wary of what transhumanism offers? To start with, we need to look at our origins. Did we evolve? Were we created? The answers we give to these questions are the basis of our worldview and how we respond to transhumanism. An equally important question is, Do we believe and trust the Word of God? Many people have a picture in their minds regarding Jesus Christ. The real Jesus can only be found in the pages from Genesis to Revelation. We need a picture of this Jesus in order to address the issues of transhumanism. I hope that this book will take you along the first few steps of the journey.

This book is a daily devotional organized around the theme of living a deeper, more Christ-like life with selections from writers past and present associated with this theme.

Frustrated by years of neglecting her creativity, Colleen Warren finally vowed in a New Year’s resolution to do something creative every day, a decision that literally transformed her life. This book tells her story and reveals the ideas, mindsets, habits, and practices she adopted that enabled that change. The First Verb offers the encouraging message that creativity is every person’s possession, by virtue of being created in the image of a creative God. Readers will be inspired by the book’s celebration of God’s own creative attributes, spiritually strengthened by its theological affirmation of creativity, motivated by exploring the benefits of creativity and the qualities of creative people, and energized by engaging in activities that enlarge creativity.

David O. Brown demonstrates how it is possible to embrace deism, without that leading to those problems deism presents to the Christian, namely, the denial of providence, and rejection of the incarnation.

Shopping in a Roman market, praying at Jerusalem's Western Wall, and reading the Acts of the Apostles in Ephesus were all part of the five month sabbatical journey of Father Chet Snyder as he followed in the footsteps of Jesus, Saint Peter and Saint Paul. A Sabbath Shared is his spiritual travelogue written in Italy, Israel, Turkey, Greece and England. The ruins of the Roman Forum, Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the ancient temples of the Acropolis in Athens provide the setting for Father Snyder's reflections and questions on the nature of faith, the mission of the church and the mystery of the human person. With wit and wisdom he shares his experiences and encourages us to rejoice in our dignity as children of God and accept Jesus' invitation to have life, and live it to the full. Whether he is praying on the Mount of Olives, conversing with a Jerusalem tour guide or bargaining with a carpet salesman in Istanbul, Father Snyder draws lessons from the experiences of everyday life that invite his readers to travel with him and share the blessings of an extended Sabbath in places ever on his mind and close to his heart.