Showing titles in Bible Study

Ninety percent of Americans own a copy of the Bible, and while it's the most widely read book, it's also the least understood. Regardless of your religion, understanding the Bible brings much of Western art, literature, and public discourse into greater focus. The Bible for Dummies appeals to people of all faiths, as well as those who don't practice any particular religion, by providing interfaith coverage of the entire Bible and the often fascinating background information that makes the Bible come alive.

God's gifts are a trust, placed in the hands or the body of an individual, and never forget that. No gift of the Spirit is ever given for personal glory or for "show." The Holy Spirit will magnify and glorify only one person, and that one person is Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus Himself told us that the Holy Spirit "will glorify me," and He will glorify, He will magnify, He will bring attention to Jesus only.

Lost for nearly 1,700 years, newly restored and authenticated, the Gospel of Judas presents a very different view of the relationship between Jesus and Judas. Rather than paint Judas as a traitor, it portrays him as acting at Jesus' request.

In this highly accessible discussion, Bart Ehrman examines the most recent textual and archaeological sources for the life of Jesus, along with the history of first-century Palestine, drawing a fascinating portrait of the man and his teachings. Ehrman shows us what historians have long known about the Gospels and the man who stands behind them. Through a careful evaluation of the New Testament (and other surviving sources, including the more recently discovered Gospels of Thomas and Peter), Ehrman proposes that Jesus can be best understood as an apocalyptic prophet.

If you put aside what you think you know about Jesus and approach the Gospels as though for the first time, something remarkable happens: Jesus emerges as a teacher of the transformation of consciousness. Cynthia Bourgeault is a masterful guide to Jesus' vision and to the traditional contemplative practices you can use to experience the heart of his teachings for yourself.

David Bentley Hart undertook this new translation of the New Testament in the spirit of "etsi doctrina non daretur", "as if doctrine is not given". Reproducing the texts' often fragmentary formulations without augmentation or correction, he has produced a pitilessly literal translation, one that captures the texts' impenetrability and unfinished quality while awakening listeners to an uncanniness that often lies hidden beneath doctrinal layers.

This collection brings together for the first time Ajahn Chah's most powerful teachings, including those on meditation, liberation from suffering, calming the mind, enlightenment and the "living dhamma". Most of these talks have previously only been available in limited, private editions and the publication of Food for the Heart, therefore, represents a momentous occasion: the hugely increased accessibility of his words and wisdom.

In this book of pastoral reflections, N. T. Wright explores how the Lord's Prayer sums up what Jesus was all about in his first-century setting. Wright locates the Lord's Prayer, clause by clause, within the historical life and work of Jesus and allows the prayer's devotional application to grow out of its historical context. The result is a fresh understanding of Christian spirituality and the life of prayer. This deeply devotional book will refresh and stimulate the heart and mind of any listener.

In the tradition of Bertrand Russell's Why I Am Not a Christian and Sam Harris' The End of Faith, Christopher Hitchens makes the ultimate case against religion. With a close and erudite reading of the major religious texts, he documents the ways in which religion is a man-made wish, a cause of dangerous sexual repression and a distortion of our origins in the cosmos.

The universal symbol of the Christian faith is neither a crib nor a manger, but a gruesome cross. Yet many people are unclear about its meaning, and cannot understand why Christ had to die. In this magisterial and best-selling book, John Stott explains the significance of Christ's cross and answers the objections commonly brought against biblical teaching on the atonement.

The Bible tells a story. The events of the Bible are exciting and awe inspiring, but often the story can get lost among the laws, genealogies, and poetry. Here, Dr. William Marty retells the entire story of the Bible in one accessible, chronological account. All the stories you remember, and many of those you don't, are part of one grand narrative. It's the must-listen story of God's pursuit of you - one you'll want to hear again and again.

The book of Romans is the Bible’s most comprehensive summary of salvation by Jesus Christ. Beloved for its profound theological depths, this letter of Paul’s has captured the minds and warmed the hearts of Christians throughout history. It remains a favorite New Testament epistle for its rich presentation of the gospel, the power of God to redeem people from sin and transform them into the likeness of His Son. This daily devotional lets you spend a year in Romans with Dr. R.C. Sproul as your guide.

If you've wondered what about the difference between your role and God's role in your spiritual formation, this book will show you how to rest in Christ while pursuing a life of holiness.

The Bible comes alive in this superb production with all the passion and profound insight that our mighty Creator intended. Bible Alive! is a ground-breaking, dramatized recording of the clear, easy-to-understand New Living Translation. Featuring the brilliant, contemporary voice of Emmy Award-winning narrator Stephen Johnston, Bible Alive! lets you experience the Bible in all of its magnificence and power, inspiration and intrigue.

This beginner-friendly audiobook thoroughly explains all 66 chapters in detail. You will find that there is little to no room for misinterpretation or confusion. This audiobook guides you from the beginning (in Genesis) to the end (in Revelations).

Are rebellious, fallen angels masquerading as aliens and UFOs today? In this book, Rick Renner — historian and Bible teacher with extensive knowledge of New Testament Greek — clears up some rampant erroneous theories while uncovering brand-new revelations from the Bible. He uses archaeological findings, the writings of Church fathers, trusted historical documents, and Scripture to answer these and other questions, such as: When was the first recorded rapture? What does it tell us about the rapture of the Church?

Through the study and application of mental laws, you can find the way to health, harmony, peace, and prosperity. Scientific prayer is the practice of the presence of God.

With eloquent clarity, Hitchens frames the argument for a more secular life based on science and reason, in which the heavens are replaced by the Hubble Telescope's awesome view of the universe, and Moses and the burning bush give way to the beauty and symmetry of the double helix.

Are you ready for a new level of boldness, faith, and authority? God is inviting you to join a new breed of spiritually enabled prophetic warriors who have been given a set of extraordinary powers.

The assumption that Jesus existed as a historical person has occasionally been questioned in the course of the last hundred years or so, but any doubts that have been raised have usually been put to rest in favor of imagining a blend of the historical, the mythical, and the theological in the surviving records of Jesus. Historian and philosopher Richard Carrier reexamines the whole question and finds compelling reasons to suspect the more daring assumption is correct.

Violence in the Old Testament has long been a stumbling block for Christians and skeptics alike. God Is a Man of War offers a fresh interpretation of Old Testament accounts of violence, by exploring them through the twofold lens of Orthodox tradition and historical context. Father Stephen De Young examines what these difficult passages reveal about the nature of Christ and His creation, bearing witness to a world filled not only with pain and suffering - often of human making - but also with the love of God.

Forget about redesigning your living room or adding “curb appeal” - how about redesigning the world? Author Bill Johnson reveals the secrets of using God's unlimited supply of everything to transform your family and community, your job or business, the nation and the world. You were created to be a “design star” by using your unique imagination, creativity, wisdom, and dreams. God has given you a blank check to create a better world - just sign your name!

The crucifixion and resurrection of Christ are central events in our salvation. Yet few Christians have a good grasp of the first-century historical and religious context in which the crucifixion took place, nor of its true significance for the people of that time - and hence for our time as well. Biblical scholar and attorney Dr. Jeannie Constantinou puts modern listeners in the center of the events of Christ's Passion, bringing the best of modern scholarship to bear while keeping her interpretation faithful in every particular to the Orthodox tradition.

What would it be like for modern listeners to sit down beside Jesus as he explained the Bible to them? What life-changing insights might emerge from such a transformative encounter? Lois Tverberg knows the treasures that await listeners willing to learn how to see the Bible through Jewish eyes. By helping them understand the Bible as Jesus and his first-century listeners would have, she bridges the gaps of time and culture in order to open the Bible to listeners today.

Richard Carrier, Ph.D., philosopher, historian, blogger, has published a number of papers in the field of ancient history and biblical studies. He has also written several books and chapters on diverse subjects, and has been blogging and speaking since 2006. He is known the world over for all the above. But here, together for the first time, are all of Dr. Carrier's peer reviewed academic journal articles in history through the year 2013, collected with his best magazine articles, research papers, and blog posts on the same subjects.

Mary Magdalene is one of the most influential symbols in the history of Christianity - yet, if you look in the Bible, you'll find only a handful of verses that speak of her. How did she become such a compelling saint in the face of such paltry evidence? In her effort to answer that question, Cynthia Bourgeault examines the Bible, church tradition, art, legend, and newly discovered texts to see what's there.

The question of the historicity of Jesus' resurrection has been repeatedly probed, investigated, and debated. And the results have varied widely. Perhaps some now regard this issue as the burned-over district of New Testament scholarship. Could there be any new and promising approach to this problem? Yes, answers Michael Licona. And he convincingly points us to a significant deficiency in approaching this question: our historiographical orientation and practice.

Do you feel like you are struggling with getting to sleep, or even confidence and growth? Are you going through life on autopilot? You're not alone. Millions of people live their lives passively, struggling to get good sleep, and find the confidence to do so. Practice gratitude and more. You can start to change your life with just five, ten, or fifteen minutes at night - less than the time it takes to watch an episode on Netflix. By choosing to find the time to focus on your well-being, you are making a decision which not only benefits you, but also helps those you love.

Marriage in the Bible: What Do the Texts Say? is an honest engagement with the relevant passages in the two primary Testaments of the Christian Bible. Rather than making the Bible confirm a specific stance on marriage, the author invites her readers to be honest about what these biblical stories, laws, commands, and sayings meant in their original contexts.

Deep within you lies the same faith and longing that sent Peter walking across the wind-swept Sea of Galilee toward Jesus. In what ways is the Lord telling you, as he did Peter, "Come"? Out on the risky waters of faith, Jesus is waiting to meet you in ways that will change you forever, deepening your character and your trust in God. The experience is terrifying. It's thrilling beyond belief. It's everything you'd expect of someone worthy to be called Lord.