There has been a marked increase of interest in the art of spiritual direction in recent decades. Yet in many circles, especially in ecumenical and interfaith contexts, it is unclear what grounds the practice of this ancient art. As a tradition's practice of spiritual direction expresses its particular theology, which, in turn, is shaped by its unique history, this work explains that ecumenical spiritual direction must make and retain the tri-perspective of history, theology, and method that faithfully reflects each tradition's distinctives as requisite for true ecumenical enrichment. The importance of this trinocular vision is brought into sharp focus through a comparative study of Ignatius of Loyola and John Calvin, where points of continuity and discontinuity between the Ignatian and Reformed traditions underscore the importance of this work's thesis.

Dr. R.C. Sproul is one of today’s preeminent theologians. For more than fifty years his solid, practical messages have impacted and inspired generations of believers. The “Classic Theology Series” continues Dr. Sproul’s legacy. How Then Shall We Worship? is a landmark look at God’s design for authentic worship. Today’s church cannot seem to agree on what corporate worship should look like. Some choose contemporary forms, others prefer traditional expressions. Yet pop culture or the status quo do not hold the answers. God’s Word does. Dr. Sproul digs deep into rich Scripture passages to provide a guide for worship today. Readers will discover that God intends worship to be an unforgettable encounter between Himself and His people—a joyous experience engaging the worshiper’s entire being.

We all long to experience a sense of inner wholeness and guidance, but today's notions of healing and recovery too often keep us focused on our brokenness, on our deficiencies rather than our strengths. Wayne Muller's luminous new book gently guides us to the place where we are already perfect, already blessed with the wisdom we need to live a life of meaning, purpose and grace. He starts, as do so many spiritual teachers, with simple questions: Who am I? What do I love? How shall I live, knowing I will die? What is my gift to the family of the earth? He then takes us deeper, exploring each question through transformative true stories. We meet men and women--Wayne's neighbors, friends, patients--who have discovered love, courage, and kindness even in the midst of sorrow and loss. And through them we glimpse that relentless spark of spiritual magic that burns within each of us. Woven throughout are contemplations, daily practices, poems, and teachings from the great wisdom teachings. Page by page, we become more awake to the joy and mystery of this precious human life, and to the unique gifts every one of us has to offer the world.

Though much has been written about ethic of care and its importance in education, little is available to guide Christian educators who desire to demonstrate a disposition of care toward self, learners, colleagues, and community. As this book makes clear, a Christian ethic of care serves to illuminate our relationship with God while also helping to flesh out what care looks like in various contexts, including and especially teaching and teacher education. How Shall We Then Care? invites engagement with questions not just about what teachers should know about care, but about how they are to care for those in their circle of influence, what it means to care, what counts as care, what practices nurture care, and how care is experienced. The authors are teachers and teacher educators who, like you, have struggled to find answers to these questions. The settings for these explorations span the spectrum from K-12 classrooms to Christian and public higher education, covering issues such as trauma-informed classroom practice, the use of role-playing games for teaching ethics, the transition from teacher candidate to novice teacher, the crucial interface between care and inclusive education, and the vital role empathy plays in educational care.

Great for stimulating discussion in small groups, this study guide helps individuals probe deeper into the issues raised by Colson in "How Now Shall We Live?."

Henry and Richard Blackaby, Garry Friesen, and Gordon T. Smith present three principal views on God's will and how his will should affect our everyday decisions as Christians.

James Kugel’s essential introduction and companion to the Bible combines modern scholarship with the wisdom of ancient interpreters for the entire Hebrew Bible. As soon as it appeared, How to Read the Bible was recognized as a masterwork, “awesome, thrilling” (The New York Times), “wonderfully interesting, extremely well presented” (The Washington Post), and “a tour de force...a stunning narrative” (Publishers Weekly). Now, this classic remains the clearest, most inviting and readable guide to the Hebrew Bible around—and a profound meditation on the effect that modern biblical scholarship has had on traditional belief. Moving chapter by chapter, Harvard professor James Kugel covers the Bible’s most significant stories—the Creation of the world, Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah and the flood, Abraham and Sarah, Jacob and his wives, Moses and the exodus, David’s mighty kingdom, plus the writings of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and the other prophets, and on to the Babylonian conquest and the eventual return to Zion. Throughout, Kugel contrasts the way modern scholars understand these events with the way Christians and Jews have traditionally understood them. The latter is not, Kugel shows, a naïve reading; rather, it is the product of a school of sophisticated interpreters who flourished toward the end of the biblical period. These highly ideological readers sought to put their own spin on texts that had been around for centuries, utterly transforming them in the process. Their interpretations became what the Bible meant for centuries and centuries—until modern scholarship came along. The question that this book ultimately asks is: What now? As one reviewer wrote, Kugel’s answer provides “a contemporary model of how to read Sacred Scripture amidst the oppositional pulls of modern scholarship and tradition.”

Gospels -- Faith -- Wealth -- Health -- Victory -- American blessing -- Megachurch table -- Naming names.

Have you ever asked yourself what changed when you were "born again?" You look in the mirror and see the same reflection - your body hasn't changed. You find yourself acting the same and yielding to those same old temptations - that didn't seem to change either. So you wonder, Has anything really changed? The correct...