Early Americans have long been considered "A People of the Book" Because the nickname was coined primarily to invoke close associations between Americans and the Bible, it is easy to overlook the central fact that it was a book-not a geographic location, a monarch, or even a shared language-that has served as a cornerstone in countless investigations into the formation and fragmentation of early American culture. Few books can lay claim to such powers of civilization-altering influence. Among those which can are sacred books, and for Americans principal among such books stands the Bible. This Handbook is designed to address a noticeable void in resources focused on analyzing the Bible in America in various historical moments and in relationship to specific institutions and cultural expressions. It takes seriously the fact that the Bible is both a physical object that has exercised considerable totemic power, as well as a text with a powerful intellectual design that has inspired everything from national religious and educational practices to a wide spectrum of artistic endeavors to our nation's politics and foreign policy. This Handbook brings together a number of established scholars, as well as younger scholars on the rise, to provide a scholarly overview--rich with bibliographic resources--to those interested in the Bible's role in American cultural formation.

This wide-ranging volume looks at the reception history of the Bible's many texts; Part I surveys the outline, form, and content of twelve key biblical books that have been influential in the history of interpretation. Part II offers a series of in-depth case studies of the interpretation of particular biblical passages or books.

The Clear Word lets the power of ancient texts come through today. As the meaning of Scripture becomes more transparent, you see more of Gods grace. His love shines through even in difficult Old Testament passages. The Clear Word has renewed the devotional lives of thousands of people. Let it renew yours. Now available in the popular two-column format with the text in paragraphs.

The story of a large yet little-known Protestant denomination

This Oxford Handbook contains 39 original essays on Seventh-day Adventism. Each chapter addresses the history, theology, and various other social and cultural aspects of Adventism from its inception up to the present as a major religious group spanning the globe.

When was the last time you went looking for a miracle cure or the Fountain of Youth hoping for something to diminish the signs of living on this sinful earth a little too long? Over the past two decades much research has been done on the effects of the religious life on our emotional, mental, and physical health. The documented results are astounding. Did you know that a regular prayer life, an attitude of gratitude and joy, or a spirit of forgiveness can dramatically impact your overall health? Even church attendance and Scripture reading are intimately connected to health, happiness, and longevity. In Benefits of Belief, Dr. Julian Melgosa uses research and personal stories to reveal the amazing benefits everyone can obtain from following the Lord s ways and living the Christian life. Jesus promises that anyone who follows Him will receive a hundredfold now (Mark 10:30). Dr. Melgosa believes it is reasonable to think that these blessings are not exclusively material, but are also related to the exercise of wisdom, resilience, and endurance that ultimately translate into good health, happiness, and well-being.

"Religious commitment is a motivation, not a substitute, for careful thinking." So writes Fritz Guy in Thinking Theologically: Adventist Christianity and the Interpretation of Faith, a new release from Andrews University Press and a work long awaited by his colleagues and students. Guy offers his philosophy of how North American Seventh-day Adventists ought to go about the business of "doing theology." The work is addressed to theological students, pastors, and serious general readers who are interested in what theological thinking is, why it is important, who needs to be doing it, and how it should be done. - Preface -- What Theological Thinking Actually Is; Basic vocabulary; Basic characteristics; More vocabulary -- Why Everyone Should Think Theologically; An essential task; An inclusive task; A parable -- How Theological Thinking Should Begin; Audiences and motivations; Moral principles; Methodological principles -- Why Theological Thinking is Open-Ended; Limitations and change; Continuing discovery; Kinds of development -- How to Think with Intellectual Integrity; Criteria; Application; Theological fallacies -- Examining the ingredients -- How Scripture Should Function; Priority over subsequent theological tradition; Ellen White as an agent of scripture; Scripture as a whole; Theological Christocentricity; Existential perspective -- What Else Is Involved; Relation to scripture; Varieties of ingredients -- How Culture Makes a Difference; Secularity and secularism; Underlying intuitions; Theological implications -- Envisioning the work -- What Logical Presuppositions Need to Be Identified; Meaning and validity; Belief and trust; Evidence and demonstration -- What Forms Theological Thinking Can Take; Traditional systematic form; Bibliographical excursus:twentieth-century systematic theology; Other ways of organizing theology; Components and dangers -- Why Tripolar Thinking is Essential; Christian gospel; Cultural context; Adventist heritage; The challenge of tripolarity