Reading List For New and Perspective Seminarians

A History of Israel, Revised Edition provides a comprehensive introduction to the history of ancient Israel--from the creation account to the events just prior to the New Testament era. This thoroughly revised edition focuses on Old Testament texts as well as ancient Near Eastern literary and archaeological sources to highlight the important modern controversies surrounding this portion of Scripture. Topics treated include current approaches to the study of Israel's history, common fallacies in modern, secular biblical studies, and the evidence for the historical authenticity of the Old Testament accounts. Kaiser and Wegner thus present an up-to-date, conservative position on matters relating to ancient Israel's past. The volume also includes over 600 photos, charts, and maps that serve as visual aids.

the third president of Gordon-Conwell Theological provides a comprehensive introduction to Old Testament history through the lens of promise-fulfillment, the interpretive framework that guides Dr. Kaiser's Old Testament work.

Helps people read the Bible as a whole; and even when the whole is narrowed to whole books, helps readers to see how each book fits into the grand Story of the Bible.

Two Gordon-Conwell professors, one past and one current, provide an excellent introductory work to the books of the Bible. This work will prepare you for the Old and New Testament surveys that you will take early in your Seminary career. It is also helpful for those who teach in the educational ministry of local congregations and para-church organizations.

Essential to an understanding of the New Testament world is a comprehension of the individuals, events, and social movements that shaped the world from which Jesus and his followers emerged. Unfortunately, the accounts of Josephus and other early historians are complex and often leave students feeling overwhelmed and confused. New Testament History provides a worthy solution to this problem. A well-known expert on the social world of the New Testament, Ben Witherington offers an engaging look into the world that birthed the Christian faith. In this succinct yet readable narrative, Witherington carries the reader from the intertestamental Maccabean wars to the reign of Domitian and the exile of John, focusing especially upon the life of Christ. Witherington closely explores the geographical, political, social, and religious influences that shaped the leaders and social movements of the day. The inferiority complex of Alexander the Great and the stories of "Little Boots" and Nero are a few examples of such case studies. This rich chronicle leaves readers with a better understanding of the social and political climate of the New Testament world, tackling controversies and issues with depth and clarity. Students, pastors, and interested readers will enjoy this stimulating account and appreciate its readable narrative style. New Testament History contains a number of pedagogical features, including illustrations, sidebars, "Closer Look" sections, maps, and charts.

Discover new dimensions of insight with a behind-the-scenes tour of the ancient world You've heard many Bible stories hundreds of times, but how many details are you missing? Sometimes a little context is all you need to discover the rich meaning behind even the most familiar stories of Scripture. That's what the NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible provides. Every page of this NIV Bible is packed with expert insight into the customs, culture, and literature of biblical times. These fascinating explanations will serve to clarify your study of the Scriptures, reinforcing your confidence and bringing difficult passages of Scripture into sharp focus. The Bible was originally written to an ancient people removed from us by thousands of years and thousands of miles. The Scriptures include subtle culturally based nuances, undertones, and references to ancient events, literature and customs that were intuitively understood by those who first heard the texts read. For us to truly understand the Scriptures as they did, we need a window into their world and language. The NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, with notes from Dr. John H. Walton (Wheaton College) in the Old Testament and Dr. Craig S. Keener (Asbury Theological Seminary) in the New Testament, brings the ancient world of Scripture to life for modern readers.  Features: Complete text of the accurate, readable, and clear New International Version (NIV) 2017 ECPA Bible of the Year Recipient Targeted book introductions explain the context in which each book of the Bible was written Insightful and informative verse-by-verse study notes reveal new dimensions of insight to even the most familiar passages Key Old Testament (Hebrew) and New Testament terms are explained and expanded upon in two helpful reference features Over 300 in-depth articles on key contextual topics 375 full-color photos, illustrations, and images from around the world Dozens of charts, maps, and diagrams in vivid color Words of Jesus in red Cross references, a concordance, indexes and other helps for Bible study 8.9-point type size

Christianity Today magazine rated this as one of its top 100 books of the 20th century. An essential book that every Christian should be familiar with, Stott offers a concise introduction to the essence of Christian faith.

You Mean to Say You Don't Know the Meaning of * Monophysitism * Hypostatic Union * Infralapsarian * Traducianism * Chiliastic * Pneumatomachian Cheer up! You don't have to have thousand-dollar vocabulary in order to grasp the priceless basics of Christianity. Christianity 101 bridges the gap between biblical scholarship and people who want to understand the Christian faith. This book presents eight basic doctrines of Christianity--The Bible, God, Christ, Holy Spirit, Human Beings, Redemption, The Church, and The Last Things--in clear, simple language that gives seasoned Christians a fresh understanding of the Bible and its teachings and puts new Christians on familiar terms with Christian doctrine. Gilbert Bilezikian does not shape his analysis of these doctrines in the worn-out, rationalistic categories of older systematic theologies, but in vibrant, dynamic language designed to communicate biblical truths to contemporary believers.

Intellectuals Don't Need God is for people who are not convinced by the arguments of classical, rationalistic apologetics, for people who feel that Christianity must have a broader appeal that to reason alone if it is to be persuasive to non-Christians. Alister McGrath shows convincingly that reason is only one of many possible points of contact between the non-Christian and the gospel. In today's world, nonrational concerns -- such as a sense that life lacks focus, an unconscious fear of death, a deep sense of longing for something unknown we don't have but know we need -- are much more effective points of contact for apologetics. In this book, Dr. McGrath (who is both a theologian and a scientist with a Ph.D. in microbiology) combines the clarity of a brilliant scientific mind with a deep commitment to Christ and to reaching non-Christians. Intellectuals Don't Need God is for anyone who has questions about the validity of Christianity as well as for students, pastors, and lay leaders. Anyone who works with students and young people especially needs to read this book. As McGrath says, "apologetics is not about winning arguments -- it is about bringing people to Christ."

Introduction by Martin E. Marty A veteran theologian and minister offers his wise counsel to beginners in the field on the difficulties of practicing theology in a church often skeptical of theological pursuit. Thielicke stresses the importance of maintaining one's spiritual health in the course of technical theological inquiry.

A New York Times bestseller people can believe in--by "a pioneer of the new urban Christians" (Christianity Today) and the "C.S. Lewis for the 21st century" (Newsweek). Timothy Keller, the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, addresses the frequent doubts that skeptics, and even ardent believers, have about religion. Using literature, philosophy, real-life conversations, and potent reasoning, Keller explains how the belief in a Christian God is, in fact, a sound and rational one. To true believers he offers a solid platform on which to stand their ground against the backlash to religion created by the Age of Skepticism. And to skeptics, atheists, and agnostics, he provides a challenging argument for pursuing the reason for God.      

Voted one of Christianity Today's 1998 Books of the Year!For more than thirty years, The Universe Next Door has set the standard for a clear, readable introduction to worldviews. In this new fifth edition James Sire offers additional student-friendly features to his concise, easily understood introductions to theism, deism, naturalism, Marxism, nihilism, existentialism, Eastern monism, New Age philosophy and postmodernism. Included in this expanded format are a new chapter on Islam and informative sidebars throughout.The book continues to build on Sire's refined definition of worldviews from the fourth edition and includes other updates as well, keeping this standard text fresh and useful. In a world of ever-increasing diversity, The Universe Next Door offers a unique resource for understanding the variety of worldviews that compete with Christianity for the allegiance of minds and hearts.The Universe Next Door has been translated into over a dozen languages and has been used as a text at over one hundred colleges and universities in courses ranging from apologetics and world religions to history and English literature.Sire's Naming the Elephant: Worldview as a Concept provides a useful companion volume for those desiring a more in-depth discussion of the nature of a worldview.

This is history at its best. From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya is readable, informative, gripping, and above all honest.From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya helps readers understand the life and role of a missionary through real life examples of missionaries throughout history. We see these men and women as fallible and human in their failures as well as their successes. These great leaders of missions are presented as real people, and not super-saints. This second edition covers all 2,000 years of mission history with a special emphasis on the modern era, including chapters focused on the Muslim world, Third World missions, and a comparison of missions in Korea and Japan. It also contains both a general and an "illustration" index where readers can easily locate particular missionaries, stories, or incidents. New design graphics, photographs, and maps help make this a compelling book.From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya is as informative and intriguing as it is inspiring--an invaluable resource for missionaries, mission agencies, students, and all who are concerned about the spreading of the gospel throughout the world.

Here is a real-life story of the transforming power of Jesus Christ and one man's response to Jesus' call to love others. John Perkins, founder of Voice of Calvary ministries, was born in New Hebron, Mississippi, in 1930. His family was made up of sharecroppers, and he grew up in grinding poverty) part of a system char preserved prejudice and racism. After his brother was killed, Perkins left Mississippi for California where he found job opportunities, racism of another kind, and faith in Jesus Christ. He returned to Mississippi to share the gospel and help his own people find equality, justice and economic independence through self-help cooperative efforts. And he made progress-too much progress. Everything came to a head early in 1970 when John Perkins and others went through an unbelievable night of torture at the hands of white law enforcement officers. Beaten almost to death, Perkins somehow survived and so did his work, which moves ahead today with a threefold strategy: biblical evangelism and Christian education, the kind of social action that should come out of knowing Jesus Christ as Savior, visible community development that is creating new models for black housing, economic independence, education and health care Book jacket.

Mark A. Noll presents a fresh and accessible history of Protestantism from the era of Martin Luther to the present day. Beginning with the founding of Lutheran, Reformed, Anglican, and Anabaptist churches in the sixteenth-century Reformation, he also considers the rise of other importantChristian movements like Methodism and Pentecostalism. Focussing on worldwide developments, rather than just the familiar European and American histories, he considers the recent expansion of Protestant movements in Africa, China, India, and Latin America, emphasising the on-going and rapidlyexpanding story of Protestants worldwide.Noll examines the contributions from well-known figures including Martin Luther and John Calvin, along with many others, and explores why Protestant energies have flagged recently in the Western world yet expanded so dramatically elsewhere. Highlighting the key points of Protestant commonalityincluding the message of Christian salvation, reliance on the Bible, and organization through personal initiative, he also explores the reasons for Protestantism's extraordinary diversity.

In this popular introduction to church history, now in its third edition, Mark Noll isolates key events that provide a framework for understanding the history of Christianity. The book presents Christianity as a worldwide phenomenon rather than just a Western experience. Now organized around fourteen key moments in church history, this well-received text provides contemporary Christians with a fuller understanding of God as he has revealed his purpose through the centuries. This new edition includes a new preface; updates throughout the book; revised "further readings" for each chapter; and two new chapters, including one spotlighting Vatican II and Lausanne as turning points of the recent past. Students in academic settings and church adult education contexts will benefit from this one-semester survey of Christian history.

One of the top 50 books that have shaped evangelicals (Christianity Today, 2006)Platinum Book Award, Evangelical Christian Publishing AssociationFor over 40 years, J. I. Packer's classic has been an important tool to help Christians around the world discover the wonder, the glory and the joy of knowing God. In 2006, Christianity Today voted this title one of the top 50 books that have shaped evangelicals. This edition is updated with Americanized language and spelling and a new preface by the author.Stemming from Packer's profound theological knowledge, Knowing God brings together two important facets of the Christian faith-- knowing about God and also knowing God through the context of a close relationship with the person of Jesus Christ. Written in an engaging and practical tone, this thought-provoking work seeks to transform and enrich the Christian understanding of God. Explaining both who God is and how we can relate to him, Packer divides his book into three sections: The first directs our attention to how and why we know God, the second to the attributes of God and the third to the benefits enjoyed by a those who know him intimately. This guide leads readers into a greater understanding of God while providing advice to gaining a closer relationship with him as a result.

In the classic Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis, the most important writer of the 20th century, explores the common ground upon which all of those of Christian faith stand together. Bringing together Lewis' legendary broadcast talks during World War Two from his three previous books The Case for Christianity, Christian Behavior, and Beyond Personality, Mere Christianity provides an unequaled opportunity for believers and nonbelievers alike to hear this powerful apologetic for the Christian faith.

A short work that has inspired many Christians for hundreds of years.

Now available together in a single volume, these two classics were written by seventeenth-century England’s most famous prisoner of conscience, Baptist John Bunyan (1628-1688). Imprisoned for twelve years for his preaching, he wrote first a dramatic allegory of Christian life and followed it with the compelling story of his own conversion. Both have been beloved by generations of spiritual seekers and still speak powerfully to modern readers. Pilgrim’s Progress recounts the perilous journey of Christian from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City, and in its second part, follows the journey of his wife, Christiana. Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners is Bunyan’s fervent memoir of his own spiritual regeneration. Both works are enduring masterpieces of English prose, uniting the simple power of Biblical language with the vivid bluntness of untutored speech.

A milestone in the history of popular theology, The Screwtape Letters is an iconic classic on spiritual warfare and the dynamics of temptation. This profound and striking narrative takes the form of a series of letters from Screwtape, a devil high in the Infernal Civil Service, to his nephew Wormwood, a junior colleague engaged in his first mission on earth, trying to secure the damnation of a young man who has just become a Christian. Although the young man initially looks to be a willing victim, he changes his ways and is "lost" to the young devil. Dedicated to Lewis's friend and colleague J. R. R. Tolkien, The Screwtape Letters is a timeless classic on spiritual conflict and the psychology of temptation which are part of our religious experience.

How to Read a Book, originally published in 1940, has become a rare phenomenon, a living classic. It is the best and most successful guide to reading comprehension for the general reader. And now it has been completely rewritten and updated. You are told about the various levels of reading and how to achieve them -- from elementary reading, through systematic skimming and inspectional reading, to speed reading, you learn how to pigeonhole a book, X-ray it, extract the author's message, criticize. You are taught the different reading techniques for reading practical books, imaginative literature, plays, poetry, history, science and mathematics, philosophy and social science. Finally, the authors offer a recommended reading list and supply reading tests whereby you can measure your own progress in reading skills, comprehension and speed.

The Norton Field Guide to Writing's flexibility and ease of use have made it the leading rhetoric text on the market--and a perfect choice for committees representing varying teaching styles. With just enough detail -- and color-coded links that send students to more detail if they need it -- this is the rhetoric that tells students what they need to know but resists the temptation to tell them everything there is to know. The Fourth Edition includes new chapters on summarizing and responding, on developing academic habits of mind, and on writing literary analysis.The Norton Field Guide to Writing is also available with a handbook, an anthology, or both. To make the book more helpful for multilingual writers, the versions with the handbook include new chapters on idioms, prepositions, and Englishes; to accommodate instructors and programs teaching literary analysis, the versions with the anthology include two student essays that analyze literature and five short stories and poems for analysis. All versions are available as low-cost ebooks and in mobile-compatible formats for smart phones and tablets.

"They Say / I Say" identifies the key rhetorical moves in academic writing, showing students how to frame their arguments in the larger context of what others have said and providing templates to help them make those moves. And, because these moves are central across all disciplines, the book includes chapters on writing in the sciences, writing in the social sciences, and--new to this edition--writing about literature.