Drawing on their research involving urban pastors from across the United States, Bryan Stone and Claire Wolfteich identify and examine spiritual practices that foster excellence in urban ministry. After discussing the specific challenges facing urban pastors and presenting the kinds of excellence required of them, Stone and Wolfteich explore several practices that help sustain ministers working in urban contexts, such as cultivating holy friendships, practicing Sabbath, maintaining lives of prayer and study, and setting appropriate boundaries. Throughout, the authors weave together stories from urban pastors from a variety of denominations with insights from the history of Christian spirituality and theology to chart a theological course for the formation and renewal of pastors in diverse contemporary contexts.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1876.

New York Jews, so visible and integral to the culture, economy and politics of America's greatest city, has eluded the grasp of historians for decades. Surprisingly, no comprehensive history of New York Jews has ever been written. City of Promises: The History of the Jews in New York, a three volume set of original research, pioneers a path-breaking interpretation of a Jewish urban community at once the largest in Jewish history and most important in the modern world.

Chinedu Daniel Obasi’s latest literary contribution, The Green Sabbath and the Last Vista of Hope, is the result of a careful examination of numerous newsworthy occurrences transpiring on the world stage and their apocalyptic implications. Readers will be soberly intrigued by how intertwined these occurrences are, and how they crystalize and verify the predictions made by Daniel, the apostle John, and other Bible prophets. Obasi begins by highlighting several environmental and ecological developments and their parallels to what Jesus called the early birth pangs of end-time unfolding. From here he points to the responses from political and ecclesiastical leaders regarding these developments, and how this is all laying the foundation for the diminishing of religious and civil liberty, as foretold in Revelation 13. While this well-researched book discusses many topics, including global warming, Catholicism, the old and new covenants, and Islam, the author skillfully ties everything together to alert as many as possible to the solemn times in which we live and the need to increase awareness and preparedness. However, his greatest emphasis is on the One who is truly in charge of the past, present, and future—the One in whom we can place our confidence.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1883.