Life Conquers Death


Book Description

How can we come to understand more fully our own story of sin and redemption? This beautiful series of meditations addresses that need. Each chapter moves us one step along the path, and we’re also guided by the author’s metaphors of wood, trees, and the cross of Christ as we travel. We start in the garden of Eden, and end at the Tree of Life in the New Jerusalem.Along the way, we encounter biblical passages, pictures by Rembrandt, and insights from such great works of Russian literature as “A Tree Falls in Siberia” as the author brings important questions to our attention. John Arnold has created a series of contemplative readings that will remain with the reader long after reading them.




The Slavery of Death


Book Description

According to Hebrews, the Son of God appeared to "break the power of him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil--and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death." What does it mean to be enslaved, all our lives, to the fear of death? And why is this fear described as "the power of the devil"? And most importantly, how are we--as individuals and as faith communities--to be set free from this slavery to death?In another creative interdisciplinary fusion, Richard Beck blends Eastern Orthodox perspectives, biblical text, existential psychology, and contemporary theology to describe our slavery to the fear of death, a slavery rooted in the basic anxieties of self-preservation and the neurotic anxieties at the root of our self-esteem. Driven by anxiety--enslaved to the fear of death--we are revealed to be morally and spiritually vulnerable as "the sting of death is sin." Beck argues that in the face of this predicament, resurrection is experienced as liberation from the slavery of death in the martyrological, eccentric, cruciform, and communal capacity to overcome fear in living fully and sacrificially for others.




Hope for This Present Crisis


Book Description

Our culture has lost its mind. Now, we are waging a bigger fight—a war for our soul. Is it possible our world has gone mad? We are under siege and the war is not from without; it is from within. The collapse of the Roman Empire occurred in a single generation and was not so much the result of invasions by their enemies but the result of moral decay and internal corruption. Similar patterns are emerging in America. We neglected or abandoned our traditional institutions long ago, but now it’s time to take them back. Today, forces are at work to strip the principles and precepts of faith from public venues or minimize their significance. Many progressive leaders are convinced that when Christianity disintegrates it will create peace on earth. But the loss of our heritage will merely create a spiritual vacuum that will be filled with folly, crammed with chaos, or invaded by Islam. The reality is: Western civilization will become so decadent and reckless that America will collapse like a house of cards. In Hope for This Present Crisis, Dr. Youssef provides a diagnosis of the insanity of the current culture and a seven-step prescription for restoring sanity to a world gone mad. Here’s the seven-step path to restoring a world gone mad: Remember the Truth – Stand firm on the truth of the gospel. Restore the Soul – Seek God’s approval─ not the approval of other people. Revitalize theFamily – Guard your children from the horrors of the Internet. Reestablish the Classroom – Support conscientious, caring public school teachers. Respect our Freedoms – Know your rights. Reform our Society – Morally and spiritually purify yourself. Revive the Church – Demonstrate the forgiving love of Jesus at all times. This book will teach you how to stand up to attacks on your faith, and defend Christianity as a meaningful contribution to society.




Life After Death


Book Description

This volume looks in detail at the life-after-death doctrines of seven world religions and asks many questions such as: are there important parallels between the many accounts of near-death experiences, and what happens to us when we actually die?; is there a part of us that conquers death?; If so, will that entity have a personal or universal encounter with it's creator at some point? The author draws out many corresponding features in reported near-death experiences, and demonstrates the unity of all religions in their approach to death and the afterlife.




What Happens After Death?


Book Description

Is death the end of human existence and consciousness, or do we continue in some other place or state of being? Do we go to a place of everlasting reward or eternal torment? Are we destined to be reincarnated, coming to life again in a different body in a seemingly endless cycle of living and dying? Will we ever see deceased loved ones again? Is there somewhere you can go to find the answers to these questions? The Bible tells us exactly what happens after death. It tells us what happens to those who have done right (will they go to heaven?) and wrong (or be tormented in an ever-burning hell?) and reveals the fate of the billions of people who have never known God and His way of life. Most churches claim to teach what the Bible says—but what does it really reveal? You need to discover the answers yourself inside this Bible Study aid, What Happens After Death?. You'll be shocked when you find out what the Bible really teaches! Chapters in this ebook: -- What Happens After Death? -- The Wondrous Gift of Life -- The Mystery of Death -- Do Some Bible Verses Teach That We Have an Immortal Soul? -- The History of the Immortal-Soul Teaching -- What About Reported Life-After-Death Experiences? -- God's Plan of Redemption -- The Promise of Life After Death -- Ancient Pagan Belief in Heaven -- Words of Encouragement -- Are There Saved Human Beings in Heaven -- Did Paul Expect to Be Conscious in Heaven Right After Dying? -- How Eternal Life Will Ultimately Be Offered to All -- The Biblical View of 'Hell' -- Will the Torment of the Wicked Last Forever? -- Are the Wicked Punished in an Ever-Burning Hell? -- Are Some Tortured Forever in a Lake of Fire? -- Lazarus and the Rich Man: Proof of Heaven and Hell? -- Steps in Dealing With Grief -- How Can We Help Those Who Are Grieving? -- Everlasting Life Conquers Death Inside this Bible Study Aid ebook: "...those who have died are unconscious, as if they are sleeping a dreamless sleep, awaiting their time to be called out of the grave and resurrected to a new life." "Many people, however, believe in a perpetual, ever-burning hellfire or a condition of spiritual torment in which evil people are tortured throughout eternity. But the Bible’s simple teaching conveys nothing like this." "Understanding the meaning of life, death and what follows this physical life can give priceless comfort and hope in the face of death. It should also have a great impact on the kind of person you are, motivating you to live carefully and make wise choices."




God the Son Incarnate


Book Description

Nothing is more important than what a person believes about Jesus Christ. To understand Christ correctly is to understand the very heart of God, Scripture, and the gospel. To get to the core of this belief, this latest volume in the Foundations of Evangelical Theology series lays out a systematic summary of Christology from philosophical, biblical, and historical perspectives—concluding that Jesus Christ is God the Son incarnate, both fully divine and fully human. Readers will learn to better know, love, trust, and obey Christ—unashamed to proclaim him as the only Lord and Savior. Part of the Foundations of Evangelical Theology series.




The End of the Christian Life


Book Description

We're all going to die. Yet in our medically advanced, technological age, many of us see death as a distant reality--something that happens only at the end of a long life or to other people. In The End of the Christian Life, Todd Billings urges Christians to resist that view. Instead, he calls us to embrace our mortality in our daily life and faith. This is the journey of genuine discipleship, Billings says: following the crucified and resurrected Lord in a world of distraction and false hopes. Drawing on his experience as a professor and father living with incurable cancer, Billings offers a personal yet deeply theological account of the gospel's expansive hope for small, mortal creatures. Artfully weaving rich theology with powerful narrative, Billings writes for church leaders and laypeople alike. Whether we are young or old, reeling from loss or clinging to our own prosperity, this book challenges us to walk a strange but wondrous path: in the midst of joy and lament, to receive mortal limits as a gift, an opportunity to give ourselves over to the Lord of life.







Four Views on Hell


Book Description

Recent years have seen much controversy regarding a unified Christian doctrine of hell: Do we go to heaven or hell when we die? Or do we cease to exist? Are believers and unbelievers ultimately saved by grace in the end? By focusing on recent theological arguments, Four Views on Hell: Second Edition highlights why the church still needs to wrestle with the doctrine of hell. In the fair-minded and engaging Counterpoints format, four leading scholars introduce us to the current views on eternal judgment, with particular attention given to the new voices that have entered the debate. Contributors and views include: Denny Burk – representing a principle of Eternal Conscious Torment John Stackhouse – representing a principle of Annihilationism (Conditional Immortality) Robin Parry – representing a principle of Universalism (Ultimate Reconciliation) Jerry Walls – representing a principle of Purgatory Preston Sprinkle concludes the discussion by evaluating each view, noting significant points of exchange between the essayists. The interactive nature of the volume allows the reader to reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of each view and come to an informed conclusion. BONUS CONTENT: Includes entire first edition of Four Views on Hell to help readers grasp the history of the discussion and how it has developed over the last twenty years.




Holy Beauty


Book Description

"The philosophical and theological study of aesthetics has a long and rich history, stretching back to Platos identification of ultimate goodness and beauty, together representing the eternal form. Recent trends in aesthetic theory, however, characterised by a focus on the beautiful at the expense of the good, have made it an object of suspicion in the Orthodox Church. In its place, Greek theologians have sought to emphasise philokalia as a truer theological discipline. Seeking to reverse this trend, Chrysostomos Stamoulis brings into conversation a plethora of voices, from Church fathers to contemporary poets, and from a Marxist political theorist to a literary critic. Out of this dialogue, Stamoulis builds a model for the re-appropriation of Orthodoxys patristic and Byzantine past that is no longer defined in antithesis to the Western present. The openness he proposes allows us to perceive afresh the world shot through with divinity, if only we can lift our gaze to see it. Dismantling the false dichotomy, philokalia or aesthetics, is the first step."