Revising dominant accounts of Puritanism and challenging the literary history of sentimentalism, Sympathetic Puritans argues that a Calvinist theology of sympathy shaped the politics, religion, rhetoric, and literature of early New England. Scholars have often understood and presented sentimentalism as a direct challenge to stern and stoic Puritan forebears; the standard history traces a cult of sensibility back to moral sense philosophy and the Scottish Enlightenment, not Puritan New England. Abram C. Van Engen has unearthed pervasive evidence of sympathy in a large archive of Puritan sermons, treatises, tracts, poems, journals, histories, and captivity narratives. He demonstrates how two types of sympathy -- the active command to fellow-feel (a duty), as well as the passive sign that could indicate salvation (a discovery) -- permeated Puritan society and came to define the very boundaries of English culture, affecting conceptions of community, relations with Native Americans, and the development of American literature. Van Engen re-examines the Antinomian Controversy, conversion narratives, transatlantic relations, Puritan missions, Mary Rowlandson's captivity narrative -- and Puritan culture more generally -- through the lens of sympathy. Demonstrating and explicating a Calvinist theology of sympathy in seventeenth-century New England, the book reveals the religious history of a concept that has previously been associated with more secular roots.

Prostitute, apostle, evangelist—the conversion of Mary Magdalene from sinner to saint is one of the Christian tradition’s most compelling stories, and one of the most controversial. The identity of the woman—or, more likely, women—represented by this iconic figure has been the subject of dispute since the Church’s earliest days. Much less appreciated is the critical role the Magdalene played in remaking modern Christianity. In a vivid recreation of the Catholic and Protestant cultures that emerged in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, The Magdalene in the Reformation reveals that the Magdalene inspired a devoted following among those eager to find new ways to relate to God and the Church. In popular piety, liturgy, and preaching, as well as in education and the arts, the Magdalene tradition provided both Catholics and Protestants with the flexibility to address the growing need for reform. Margaret Arnold shows that as the medieval separation between clergy and laity weakened, the Magdalene represented a new kind of discipleship for men and women and offered alternative paths for practicing a Christian life. Where many have seen two separate religious groups with conflicting preoccupations, Arnold sees Christians who were often engaged in a common dialogue about vocation, framed by the life of Mary Magdalene. Arnold disproves the idea that Protestants removed saints from their theology and teaching under reform. Rather, devotion to Mary Magdalene laid the foundation within Protestantism for the public ministry of women.

No other book in the Bible presents Jesus Christ and his ministry more clearly than the Book of John. No other guide makes his ministry more understandable than The Smart Guide to the Bible: The Book of John. Walk with Jesus as he recruits the twelve disciples. Sit down on the hillside and listen as he teaches the parables. Watch as Jesus performs miracle after miracle. And at every step along the way, understand the critical concepts and life-changing lessons Jesus wants you to learn. The Smart Guide to the Bible is a series of simplified commentaries designed to uncomplicate God's word for everyday Bible readers. Every page contains handy features or learning aids like these: cross-references to other Scriptures brief commentaries from experts points to ponder the big picture of how passages fit with the entire Bible practical tips for applying biblical truths to life simple definitions of key words and concepts interesting maps, charts, and illustrations wrap-ups of each biblical passage study questions Whether you're new to the Bible, a long-time student of Scripture, or somewhere in between, you'll appreciate the many ways The Smart Guide to the Bible: The Book of John goes far beyond your typical Bible study tool. The practical, relevant helps on each page lead you to get the most out of God's word.

The eleven essays in Emancipating Calvin: Culture and Confessional Identity in Francophone Reformed Communities demonstrate the vitality and variety of early modern Francophone Reformed communities by examining the ways that local contexts shaped the reception and implementation of reforming ideas emanating especially from John Calvin and the Reformed church of Geneva. The articles address three main themes important for understanding the development of Reformed communities: the roles of consistories in Reformed churches and communities, the development of various Reformed cultures, and the ways in which ritual and worship embodied the theology and cultural foundations of Francophone Reformed churches. This Festschrift honors the pioneering work of Raymond Mentzer and reflects his influence in modern Francophone Reformed studies.

A deep study on the doctrine of eternal security Does one moment of faith secure a person's eternal destiny with God--even if that person later stops following and trusting in Jesus? Or does a person have to keep on trusting and following Jesus to remain in a saving relationship with God? Now expanded with new chapters and research, this landmark book continues to offer one of the most penetrating studies on the controversial doctrine of eternal security, perseverance, and apostasy in the New Testament. Calling into question the popular "once saved, always saved" belief, internationally respected pastor and scholar Dr. Robert Shank reveals that the question we should be asking is not, "Is the believer secure?" but rather, "What does it mean to be a believer?" Straightforward, thorough, and grounded in biblical understanding, this book warns Christians about dangers that could potentially lead a believer to become an unbeliever (falling away from faith) and share in the unbeliever's eternal condemnation.

At present the battle over who defines our future is being waged most publicly by secular and religious fundamentalists. 'Hope and the Longing for Utopia' offers an alternative position, disclosing a conceptual path toward potential worlds that resist a limited view of human potential and the gift of religion. In addition to outlining the value of embracing unknown potentialities, these twelve interdisciplinary essays explore why it has become crucial that we commit to hoping for values that resist traditional ideological commitments. Contextualized by contemporary writing on utopia, and drawing from a wealth of times and cultures ranging from Calvin's Geneva to early twentieth-century Japanese children's stories to Hollywood cinema, theseessays cumulatively disclose the fundamental importance of resisting tantalizing certainties while considering the importance of the unknown and unknowable. Beginning with a set of four essays outlining the importance of hope and utopia as diagnostic concepts, and following with four concrete examples, the collection ends with a set of essays that provide theological speculations on the need to embrace finitude and limitations in a world increasingly enframed by secularizing impulses. Overall, this book discloses how hope and utopia illuminate ways to think past simplified wishes for the future.

The purpose of this book is to provide an understanding of the rules of Bible interpretation and to lay the groundwork for testing the validity of one's interpretation and application.. Expository Hermeneutics breaks new ground in developing principles and strategies for the historico-grammatical, or 'literal', interpretation of scripture.

The doctrine of salvation is the watershed doctrine of Scripture. Flowing from that doctrine will be not only all other doctrine but also personal practice and Christian ministry. The major controversy concerning salvation is whether it is a result of the sovereign grace of God alone or a mixture of "God's part" and "man's part." Addressing that issue is absolutely critical to the very foundations of Christianity itself. Whichever one of those premises is correct, we should expect to find it everywhere we look in Scripture, and that is precisely what we find. There is no truth that permeates the Bible more than the doctrines of God's sovereign grace. From Genesis to Revelation, in literally hundreds of verses, these doctrines call, capture, and command our attention. Of the many books of the Bible we could choose, the Gospel of John is among the most compelling because of its foundational nature. It is there we find some of the most profound teaching on the Doctrines of Grace in all Scripture. Examining more than one hundred verses in John, this small volume presents these great biblical and historical doctrines directly from the lips of our Lord.

"While Edwards's theology has been studied extensively since 1950s, no published monograph on his millennialism is available. The standing controversial issues include Edwards's awareness of the millennial chronology and geography, his contributions to Puritan millennial thoughts, and the political or apolitical nature of his millennialism. Living in eighteenth-century New England Colony, Edwards was confronted with several theological and intellectual challenges, which include Arminianism, Arianism, Socinianism as well as Deism, humanistic rationalism and religious skepticism. In this context, Edwards went on developing his millennialism in light of his Christological, Judeo-centric and cosmic theological visions"--