The Captivation of the Will provocatively revisits a perennial topic of controversy: human free will. Highly esteemed Lutheran thinker Gerhard O. Forde cuts to the heart of the subject by reexamining the famous debate on the will between Luther and Erasmus. Following a substantial introduction by James A. Nestingen that brings to life the historical background of the debate, Forde thoroughly explores Luther's "Bondage of the Will" and the dispute between Erasmus and Luther that it reflects. In the process of exposing this debate's enduring significance for Christians, Forde highlights its central arguments about Scripture, God, the will, and salvation in Christ. Luther recognized that the only solution for humans bound by sin is the forgiveness that comes from Christ alone. Convinced that this insight represents the heart of the Christian gospel, Forde concludes with ten sermons that proclaim the message of salvation through Christ alone while elegantly relating theological inquiry to everyday life.

What Wild at Heart did for men, Captivating is doing for women. Setting their hearts free. This groundbreaking book shows readers the glorious design of women before the fall, describes how the feminine heart can be restored, and casts a vision for the power, freedom, and beauty of a woman released to be all she was meant to be.

Gerhard Forde examines the nature of the "theology of the cross, noting what makes it different from other kinds of theology. His starting point is a thorough analysis of Luther's Heidelberg Disputation of 1518, the classic text of the theology of the cross.

“Fascination . . . the most powerful of product attachments . . . this pioneering book helps us approach . . . the concept in a thoughtful . . . practical manner.” —Tom Peters, national bestselling author of In Search of Excellence In an oversaturated culture defined by limited time and focus, how do we draw attention to our messages, our ideas, and our products when we only have seconds to compete? Award-winning consultant and speaker Sally Hogshead turned to a wide realm of disciplines, including neurobiology, psychology, and evolutionary anthropology. She began to see specific and interesting patterns that all centered on one element: fascination. Fascination is the most powerful way to capture an audience and influence behavior. This essential book, newly revised and updated, examines the principles behind fascination and explores how those insights can be put to use to sway: • Which brand of frozen peas you pick in the case • Which city, neighborhood, and house you choose • Which profession and company you join • Where you go on vacation • Which book you buy off the shelf Structured around the seven languages of fascination Hogshead has studied and developed—power, passion, innovation, alarm, mystique, prestige, and alert—Fascinate explores how anyone can use these triggers to make products, messages, and services more fascinating—and more successful. “A transformative work, a beautifully written book that will forever change the way you see the world.” —Seth Godin, author of Linchpin “A riveting journey through the forces of fascination—how it irresistibly shapes our ideas, opinions, and relationships—and how to wield it to your advantage.” —Alan Webber, co-found, Fast Company and author of Rules of Thumb “This slight but practical work packs a big punch.” —Publishers Weekly

Desiderius Eramsus (1466/9-1536) was the most renowned scholar of his age, a celebrated humanist and Classicist, and the first teacher of Greek at Cambridge. An influential figure in the Protestant Reformation, though without ever breaking from the Church himself, he satirised both human folly and the corruption of the Church. Martin Luther (1483-1546) was the founder of the German Reformation. His 95 Theses became a manifesto for reform of the Catholic Church and led to his being tried for heresy. He remained in Germany, Professor of Biblical Exegesis at the University of Wittenburg, until his death, publishing a large number of works, including three major treatises and a translation of the New Testament into German. Comprising Erasmus's "The Free Will" and Luther's "The Bondage of the Will", Discourse on Free Will is a landmark text in the history of Protestantism. Encapsulating the perspective on free will of two of the most important figures in the history of Christianity, it remains to this day a powerful, thought-provoking and timely work.

'This book drags systematic theology out of the study, sticks it into the pulpit, onto the altar, and under the waters of baptism so that it proclaims the gospel. It sets limits within which discussions of ministry and ecumenism must occur, if we are to remain proclaimers of the gospel. Forde's work ought to be the centerpiece for years to come, simply because-in his inimitably impatient way-he has it right.' James M. Kittelson, Professor of History, University of Ohio

Multitudes of sincere and trusting believers are caught in the virtually invisible web of religious captivation in the churches they attend, ministries they are under, and networks they are aligned with...and don't know it!These faithful followers of Christ are unaware victims of spiritual abuse, psychological enslavement, and exploitation perpetrated under the heavy-hand of hyper-authoritarianism. That is to say, the leadership of the church-group of which they are a part is dominating, controlling, manipulating, and exploiting their followers for personal gain and private kingdom-building. Through systematic indoctrination, victims are duped into accepting as biblical and beneficial the oppressive and abusive predominance imposed upon them by unscrupulous, tyrannical church-leaders.Without realizing the spiritual effect of what they are doing, myriads of sincere, faithful believers, in submitting themselves and surrendering unto their spiritual leaders their God-given right to self-governance, have become what God explicitly admonished against: "DO NOT BECOME SLAVES OF MEN!" (1 Cor. 7:23).Authoritarian abuse (aka, "spiritual abuse") is one of the most widespread and troubling problems facing the Church today. Indeed, the truth is that ecclesiastical enslavement and exploitation is pandemic in many sectors of 21st Century Christendom, though those churches and ministries employing it go to great lengths to disguise and conceal it.Though religious predomination is certainly nothing new, and hyper-authoritarianism is by no means limited to the Neo-Pentecostal branch of the Church, it has especially flourished in Charismatic and other Neo-Pentecostal groups since it was infused into the fabric, foundation, and functions of that branch of the Church in the early- to mid-seventies through what became known as the "Discipleship or Shepherding Movement." The doctrines and practices spawned in that false movement remain an integral part of the operations of many churches and groups yet today!Written from an "insider's" perspective by a noted and respected Charismatic minister, Charismatic Captivation, has been appraised and praised by ministers, scholars, theologians, church leaders, and laymen as one of the most comprehensive and convincing volumes written to date on the prevalent problem of authoritarian abuse, yet without the "Charismatic-bashing" characteristic of other books citing Neo-Pentecostal abuses.

Built to Love reveals how companies can create captivating products that energize the marketplace and set the standard for what customers want and expect. Firms often hope the answer is to produce the latest high technology devices - only to find that they fail to light up the marketplace. Or firms rely on ads that overstate or mislead, leaving the customer disappointed and disillusioned. Instead, a deeper emotional engagement between the customer and product is required, regardless of whether the products are physical products, services, technologies, software, systems, or brands. Using a combination of industry - based research and laboratory experiments, the authors demonstrate that customers will richly pay for products that authentically provide emotional fulfillment. They uncover the science behind successful products that create an avid and loyal following, and they present evidence that product emotions increase a product's success in the marketplace as well as a firm's success in the stock market (even when the economy is down!). A practical how - to guide, the book next shows how to analyze customers' emotional needs and translate those needs into features that galvanize customers. Throughout, the book uses revealing case studies that show how to energize customers in both consumer and business - to - business worlds, in both large and small firms.

SHE is a book on communication. It deals with effective and efficient public speaking by showing how anybody can become a master captivator. It brings together several tools and techniques some of the greatest captivators, of all time, have used to enthral their audiences. The author believes captivation is necessary for any person to convey meaning, as intended to any audience, if communication is to be effective. He contends further that captivation is a skill anybody can learn because there are tested facts, principles and methods that are evident in the performance of the greatest captivators. It draws lessons from human psychology and cites the works of several world renowned public speakers to make its point.

This follow-up volume to our book The Age of the World Target collects interconnected entangled essays of literary and cultural theorist Rey Chow. The essays take up ideas of violence, capture, identification, temporality, sacrifice, and victimhood, engaging with theorists from Derrida and Deleuze to Agamben and Rancière.