For decades the accepted wisdom has been that America's mainline Protestant churches are in decline, eclipsed by evangelical mega-churches. Church and religion expert Diana Butler Bass wondered if this was true, and this book is the result of her extensive, three-year study of centrist and progressive churches across the country. Her surprising findings reveal just the opposite-that many of the churches are flourishing, and they are doing so without...

Do you ever wonder what the difference is between one denomination and another? Why are there so many kinds of Baptist or Presbyterian or Lutheran churches? Where do those names come from, anyway? You can find answers in this concise but comprehensive guide. Learn about the leaders, teachings, and history of most of the church families in America. In addition to membership statistics, you'll find... • a brief explanation of how the denomination...

In this book, Adam Hamilton presents a welcoming, inspiring vision of eight Christian denominations and faith traditions. Comparing the Christian family to our own extended families, he contends that each denomination has a unique, valuable perspective to offer on the Christian faith. The traditions he examines are Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Lutheranism, Presbyterianism, Anglicanism, Baptists, Pentecostalism, and Methodism. For each group, Hamilton...

The Southern Baptist Convention's Conservative Resurgence officially began in June of 1979. That summer the SBC elected Adrian Rogers as its President. Chuck Kelley notes that Rogers' election "proved to be the beginning of an earthquake that would eventually reshape the Southern Baptist Convention ..." From the election of Rogers, through the Peace Committee report in 1987, the quake's shockwaves rumbled to their peak intensity twenty-one years...

Health care. Public education. War and peace. Science and religion. The economy. Christian social action. Spiritual growth. 21st century political talking points? Hardly just that. John Wesley, an 18th century British clergyman, addressed these very issues in his own time. His creative answers may open your eyes to new responses for our own frenzied "postmodern" concerns. Gooch opens the fascinating character of Wesley by looking at these strikingly...

This resource for individual and group study explores what it means to be a deacon in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Addressing both the leadership and spiritual requirements of the position, Your Calling as a Deacon offers new and seasoned deacons the direction, understanding, and encouragement to serve God and church.

The Christian church was born in the Middle East and grew there for centuries. Its interaction with Islam turned Christianity in this once predominantly Christian region into a marginalized jewel, surviving at great peril within a difficult, even sometimes hostile, political and religious climate. Of course, the story of Christianity over the last 1,300 years is not solely one of conflict, marginalization, and persecution but is also about accommodation,...

I frequently comment about the great energy in the local church in the 70's. The services were powerful and the fellowship electrifying. Acts chapter 2 was alive and fully functional. What has happened? Has God changed? Of course not! The church has shifted to a reclusive state and that atmosphere of disunity has affected multitudes of Christians. The fertile ground and foundation of the church are intact and ready to be built upon, once again.

It is reported that on average Americans change their religious affiliation at least once during their lives. Today, a number of evangelical Christians are converting to Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Anglicanism. As such, there is great need for a resource that cogently presents an evangelical response to these competing faith traditions. Evangelical Christians, however, need not only theological answers, but a deeper understanding of the obvious...

Self-identifying as "evangelical" is risky business these days. What is Evangelicalism? Is it a historical artifact? A political philosophy? A set of doctrines? A litmus test for genuine faith? Perhaps more important, what will come to mind when future generations hear something described as "evangelical"? The authors of Routes and Radishes approach this issue from various points of influence within evangelical organizations, denominations, and institutions....