In The Christian Society, one of the great Christian commentators of the twentieth century describes how the Church came to be a society. The past relationship between the missionary church and the pagan cultures it replaced is discussed alongside more recent delicate ecumenical relationships and the ongoing conflict between the church and atheism. Stephen Neill's perceptiveness as a historian is shown in his masterful summary of the church's story from the days of Jesus to his own time. Meanwhile, his experience as a missionary and ecumenist comes to the fore as he demonstrates how the unity of the church is integral to its place in modern society, and its power to create a society. Throughout, his approach is empirical, and he considers 'all who have claimed the Christian name, without making preliminary judgements as to their orthodoxy or their standing within the general body of Christian people.' The result is a comprehensive depiction of Christianity as a social phenomenon that is as relevant today as when it was written.

From the Ice Age to the Cold War and beyond, from Reykjavik to Riga, from Archimedes to Einstein, Alexander to Yeltsin, here between the covers of a single volume Norman Davies tells the story of Europe, East and West, from prehistory to the present day. The book's absorbing narrative lays down the chronological and geographical grid on which the dramas of European history have been played out. It zooms in from the distant focus of Chapter One, which explores the first five million years of the continent's evolution, to the close focus of the lasttwo chapters, which cover the twentieth century at roughly one page per year. In between, Norman Davies presents a huge and sweeping canvas packed with fascinating detail, analysis, and anecdote. Alongside Europe's better-known stories - human, national, and continental - he brings into focus areasoften ignored or misunderstood, remembering the stateless nation as well as the nation-state. Minority communities, from heretics and lepers to Jews, Romanies, and Muslims have not been forgotten. This masterly history reveals not only the rich variety of Europe's past but also the many and rewarding prisms through which it can be viewed. Each chapter contains a selection of telephoto 'capsules', illustrating narrower themes and topics that cut across the chronological flow. Davies thenconcludes with a wide-angle 'snapshot' of the whole continent as seen from one particular vantage point. The overall effect is stunning: a kind of historical picture album, with panoramic tableaux interspersed by detailed insets and close-ups. Never before has such an ambitious history of Europe been attempted. In range and ambition, the originality of its structure and glittering style, Norman Davies's Europe represents one of the most important and illuminating history books to be published by Oxford. Time Capsules 201 fascinating articles interspersed throughout the narrative focus on incidents or topics as various as The Iceman of the Alps, Erotic Graffiti at Pompeii, Stradivarius, and Psychoanalysing Hitler. Each capsule can be tasted as a separate self-contained morsel; or can be read in conjunction withthe narrative into which it is inserted. Snapshots 12 panoramic overviews across the changing map of Europe freeze the frames of the chronological narrative at moments of symbolic importance, such as Knossos 1628 BC, Constantinople AD 330, and Nuremberg 1945. A fully illustrated history Incorporates over 100 superbly detailed maps and diagrams, and 32 pages of black and white plates.

This book challenges standard accounts of early Christian exegesis of the Bible. Professor Young sets the interpretation of the Bible in the context of the Graeco-Roman world - the dissemination of books and learning, the way texts were received and read, the function of literature in shaping not only a culture but a moral universe. For the earliest Christians, the adoption of the Jewish scriptures constituted a supersessionary claim in relation to Hellenism as well as Judaism. Yet the debt owed to the practice of exegesis in the grammatical and rhetorical schools is of overriding significance. Methods were philological and deductive, and the usual analysis according to 'literal', 'typological' and 'allegorical' is inadequate to describe questions of reference and issues of religious language. The biblical texts shaped a 'totalizing discourse' which by the fifth century was giving identity, morality and meaning to a new Christian culture.

Evangelism in a Post-Christian Culture is the challenge facing the church today. Alastair Ferrie brings more than thirty years experience of preaching the gospel and sharing his faith. One of the greatest needs of the growing church is a training program for the whole church in evangelism. Those engaged in ministry will find this work invaluable, and those committed Christians in the pews will find this book a framework which will revolutionize their effectiveness in evangelism. Many Christians will admit to not knowing where to begin. This book explains and outlines an approach that can be used effectively in sharing the gospel. The material will also be useful for preaching and for use in Bible discussion groups. A companion volume to this work, Step-by-Step: Aftercare for New Christians is also published by iUniverse. Credit for Cover: Ray Ferrie The book begins with a discussion on worldview which explains the difficulty we often have in communicating the gospel with a world that has truly become post-Christian. A five fold foundational Christian worldview is put forward and contrasted with a Darwinian model so prevalent in the world today. This is followed by several chapters outlining an approach to evangelism based on the seven signs of John's gospel. "These things are written that you might believe." The book is rounded off with several chapters with the theme, "I believe because..." These are arguments that the author has presented in many home Bible studies to help people to see some reasons for believing. The world is constantly presented with reasons for NOT believing, and it is time for the church to step forward with some reasons for believing.

This book originated in the Donatio Universitatis Carolinae award and research support that Professor Petr Pokorný received in 2017. It was envisioned, designed, and originally conducted as a project exploring the biblical roots of Christian culture. Experts in various theological and philosophical disciplines, both from the Czech Republic and abroad, were to probe this topic from their particular perspectives. The hoped-for output was to be a coherent collective study of the proposed topic. However, due to the unexpected passing away of Prof. Pokorný in early 2020, the project could not be executed according to the original plan. Rather than a collective monograph, therefore, the present book is a collection of essays that investigate various aspects of the Bible and Christianity in their relation to culture as a broad human phenomenon. The book is divided into two sections. While the first section focuses on particular issues in the Bible, the second addresses historical, philosophical, and cultural developments. As Petr Pokorný was actively and importantly involved in the initial stages of the project, two essays are written by him personally. The whole book, then, is dedicated in his honor.

"Drawing insights from gender studies and the environmental humanities, Demonic Bodies analyzes how ancient Christians constructed the Christian body through its relations to demonic adversaries. Case studies on New Testament texts, early Christian church fathers, and "Gnostic" writings trace how early followers of Jesus construed the demonic body in diverse and sometimes contradictory ways, as both embodied and bodiless, "fattened" and ethereal, heavenly and earthbound. Across this diversity of portrayals, however, demons consistently functiond as personfications of "deviant" bodily practices such as "magical" rituals, immoral sexual acts, gluttony, and "pagan" religious practices. This demonization served an exclusionary function whereby Christian writers marginalized fringe Christian groups by linking their ritual activities to demonic modes of (dis)embodiment. Demonic Bodies demonstrates, therefore, that the formation of early Christian cultures was part of the shaping of broader Christian "ecosystems," which in turn informed Christian experiences of their own embodiment and community"--

There was a time when society was inspired by Christian principles. Art, government, society emulated, as much as possible, the search for perfection dictated by the call to virtue. Ultimately, the twentieth century's many disasters and Christendom's failure to stop revolution and world war have discredited Christianity itself in the eyes of many. Nevertheless, I am convinced that only Christianity can revitalize a culture that has lost most of its connection with beauty and that glorifies banality, variety, and diversity as ends in themselves. However, this would not be a retread of historical Christendom, but a new vision, predicated on the new realities of an increasingly Neo-pagan and Transhumanist West. According to Ivan Ilyin, "The Gospel teaches not flight from the world, but the Christianization of the world. Thus, the sciences, the arts, politics, and the social order can all be those spiritual hands with which the Christian takes the world. And the calling of a Christian is not to chop off those hands, but to imbue their work and toil with the living spirit of Christ. Christianity has a great calling, which many do not ever realize. This purpose can be defined as the creation of a Christian culture." This book is Ivan Ilyin's spiritual and practical handbook at creating Christian culture in an increasingly post-Christian world. Translated by Nicholas Kotar

Syriac Christianity developed in the first centuries CE in the Middle East, where it continued to flourish throughout Late Antiquity and the Medieval period, while also spreading widely, as far as India and China. Today, Syriac Christians are found in the Middle East, in India, as well in diasporas scattered across the globe. Over this extended time period and across this vast geographic expanse, Syriac Christians have built impressive churches and monasteries, crafted fine pieces of art, and written and transmitted a sizable body of literature. Though often overlooked, neglected, and even persecuted, Syriac Christianity has been – and continues to be – an important part of the humanistic heritage of the last two millennia. The present volume brings together fourteen studies that offer fresh perspectives on Syriac Christianity, especially its literary texts and authors. The timeframes of the individual studies span from the second-century Syriac translation of the Hebrew Bible up to the thirteenth century with the end of the Syriac Renaissance. Several studies analyze key authors from Late Antiquity, such as Aphrahat, Ephrem, Narsai, and Jacob of Serugh. Others investigate translations into Syriac, both from Hebrew and from Greek, while still others examine hagiography, especially its formation and transmission. Reflecting a growing trend in the field, the volume also devotes significant attention to the Medieval period, during which Syriac Christians lived under Islamic rule. The studies in the volume are united in their quest to explore the richness, diversity, and vibrance of Syriac Christianity.

Culture is the totality of a people's way of life. It is the sum of those distinctive behaviors that differentiate a group of people from other groups. Culture is the thing that gives people a name and identity. The character of God also referred to in this book as Christian culture is God's spiritual accent. Communication is often made very difficult when the people involved have different tonal accents. In the same way, communication or relationship with God is made difficult, if not impossible, when believers possess behavioral accents different from that of their God. This book, Christian Culture: The Accent of God will take you on an explorative journey of the character of God and much more things; and will challenge you to model your life after God's character. To purchase this book, go to: www.xulonpress.com www.thespiritborn.org www.amazon.com Barnes and Noble and most major Christian book stores. Watch out for another book by this author, The Violent Takers, to be released soon. About The Author Brother Everest Ezeh was ordained a Minister of the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ in 2002 at God Is In Control Church, Waldorf, Maryland, USA under the umbrella of Pure Love International Church. He has been involved in ministry work since 1993 and between 1999 and 2003 was the coordinator of an outreach program, The Church In Your Room, which aim was to reach the un-churched, right in their rooms every Sunday with customized church services. He is a graduate of both, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria and the School of Healing, Evangelism and Ministry (SOHEM) Nsukka, Nigeria. Brother Ezeh is married and blessed with three children and currently fellowships at Harvest Life Changers Church, Woodbridge Virginia, USA under the dynamic leadership of Bishop Lyle Dukes and Pastor Deborah Dukes.

This book is a study of the writings of a group of Chinese Christian apologists in the seventeenth century, focussing on Xu Guangqi. Eleven of his shorter writings are included in Chinese and in translation. The first part of the book is devoted to a study of Latin Christian apologists within the Roman Empire to provide a comparison for the analysis of Xu Guangqi's work. Minucius Felix, Tertullian and Lactantius are shown to have faced, in regard to imperial power and Graeco-Roman culture, a situation comparable to that of Xu Guangqi, Li Zhizao and Yang Tinqyun in regard to imperial power and culture in the late Ming period. The final chapters of the book reconsider general issues of confrontation and adaptation in the inculturation of Christianity.