Christian Soldiers

They have money, influence, power - and they turn out to vote. "They" are groups like Focus on the Family, Family Research Council, and Concerned Women for America (all parts of the Christian Right. But, are they a serious threat to religious liberty, bent on creating a theocratic state, or the last defenders of religion and family values in America). Bringing the story of the religious right up to the Obama administration, this revised fourth edition explores the history of the movement in twentieth and early twenty-first century American politics. The authors review the expansion of the Christian Right through George W. Bush's second administration and evaluate how the religious right fared in the 2006 and 2008 elections. Although figureheads of the religious right remain in the news, their power in Washington may be declining, and the authors consider the fate of the religious right under the Obama administration. Examining how the religious right both does and does not fit into the proper role of religious groups in American politics, Onward Christian Soldiers? is an essential addition to the Dilemmas in American Politics series.

Many Bible believing Christians are convinced that God blesses those nations that stand with Israel and curses those that don’t. This belief has had a significant influence on attitudes towards the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the Middle East. Claims made in books like the Scofield Reference Bible and Hal Lindsey’s The Late Great Planet Earth have fed into contemporary Christian Zionism, with radical implications for how we view our faith and the world in which we live. Stephen Sizer contends that this view is based on misinterpretation of the Bible. He provides an introduction to Christian Zionism and a clear response and positive alternative based on a careful study of relevant biblical texts. His intention is to encourage dialogue on the relationship between Israel and the Christian church and offer a more constructive view of the future and our role in it. This accessible volume includes numerous tables and diagrams, questions for Bible study and further reflection, and a glossary of terms. It concludes with a previously unpublished sermon by John Stott on ‘The Place of Israel.’

Have you ever wondered why individuals who claim to have a personal relationship with a Holy God, through His Son Jesus Christ; sometimes perform some of the most unholy acts? Or, why a brother or sister that has faithfully walked with Lord for many years, backslides into the world of sin and degradation? Or, why individuals that have been in ministries or positions in the church for many years, ends up committing gross sins. Or, maybe you - whom you know, loves the Lord dearly - ends up failing him miserably, by committing a sin you never though possible. Maybe you struggle with a besetting sin, which grieves your heart every time you give into its lure and temptation, but you do have a desire to please the Lord - simply because you love Him. This book answers these and many other questions by showing, from scriptures, what is required to live as our Lord and Savior commands. He said "...Be ye Holy, for I am Holy." Our master deserves no less; for He has also admonished us: "...Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." Praise His Holy name; for He alone deserves all honor, all glory and all praise! This book is not a quick fix. On the contrary, it shows from the Word of God, the simple, practical means which our loving heavenly father has laid out for us, His children, to have lasting victory over the flesh, the world, and the devil; who are every second of the day conspiring to make us fail the master's Holy name. The scripture calls it denying self. In a word - Discipline! Winston Abrams - a sinner saved by grace! "...But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound." Romans 5:20

Like a mighty army moves the church of God; Brothers, we are treading where the saints have trod. We are not divided, all one body we. One in hope and doctrine, one in charity. -- From the nineteenth-century hymn "Onward, Christian Soldiers" What keeps America a country of religious practice and traditional values? How has the U.S. avoided suc-cumbing to total secularism? The answer to these provocative questions is found in the religious commun-ities of America today: In the past thirty years, the religiously active voter has migrated to the Republican Party, and the story behind this shift, evidenced in the emergence of Evangelical dominance over mainstream Protestantism and the defeat of liberal Catholicism, is at the heart of this fascinating cultural history. In Onward, Christian Soldiers, the Washington insider who was at the vanguard of the sea change in religious and political history that propelled George W. Bush into the White House offers an intimate perspective on those remarkable years -- and their influence over the ones to come. Deal W. Hudson analyzes how, steadily over-coming age-old misjudgments and misunderstandings that separated them, conservative Catholics and Evangelical Christians drew together because of what they viewed as profound assaults on shared core beliefs. They became allies to battle the forces of secularization, relativism, and atheism. And together they forged a grassroots movement across America that astonished political activists and surprised commentators as well as members of traditional religious organizations. How, exactly, was this coalition achieved and who were its movers and shakers? What enabled them to deepen, enrich, and activate the resurgence of traditional values in society to make America radically different from the secularized Europe that was so widely believed to be on the verge of becoming the model for the United States? Deal W. Hudson details this phenomenon by examining the leading figures and institutions on both sides of the debate, exposing the dramatic encounters between those espousing fundamental Judeo-Christian beliefs and those heralding the "death of God" and the new age of secular humanism. Dealing with today's hot-button issues, Onward, Christian Soldiers provides an unprecedented look at the confrontation of the religious right with secularists in America, a confrontation that is not only timely but also timeless in its impact.

In Wayward Christian Soldiers, leading evangelical theologian Charles Marsh offers a powerful indictment of the political activism of evangelical Christian leaders and churches in the United States. With emphasis on repentance and renewal, this important work advises Christians how to understand past mistakes and to avoid making them in the future. Over the past several years, Marsh observes, American evangelicals have achieved more political power than at any time in their history. But access and influence have come at a cost to their witness in the world and the integrity of their message. The author offers a sobering contrast between the contemporary evangelical elite, which forms the core of the Republican Party, and the historic Christian tradition of respect for the mystery of God and appreciation for human fallibility. The author shows that the most prominent voices in American evangelicalism have arrogantly redefined Christianity on the basis of partisan politics rather than scripture and tradition. The role of politics in distorting the Christian message can be seen most dramatically in the invasion of Iraq, he argues: Some 87% of American evangelicals supported going to war, while every single evangelical church outside the United States opposed it. The Jesus who storms into Baghdad behind the wheel of a Humvee, Marsh points out, is not the Jesus of the Gospel. Indeed, not since the nazification of the German church under Hitler has the political misuse of Christianity led to such catastrophic global consequences. Is there an alternative? This book proposes that the renewal of American churches requires a season of concentrated attention to faith's essential affirmations--a time of hospitality, peacemaking, and contemplative prayer. Offering an authentic Christian alternative to the narcissistic piety of popular evangelicalism, Wayward Christian Soldiers represents a unique entry into the increasingly pivotal debate over the role of faith in American politics. "With Wayward Christian Soldiers, Charles Marsh again shows that he is one of the most astute observers of evangelicalism today." --Jim Wallis, author of God's Politics

You've probably heard someone say, "I go to a Bible believing church." The implication is pretty clear: if you go somewhere else you're attending a "Bible doubting" church. Some fundamentalist and evangelical pastors actually say just that from their pulpits. It's branding genius! It's also dismissive of most of Christianity. In this book I hope to reclaim words like "moderate" and "progressive" as a style of spirituality that actually reflects Jesus' teaching. My goal is to present a scriptural basis for the beliefs of the other half of American Protestantism. I hope that those who read this book see that our differences from fundamentalist and evangelical congregations are grounded on an abiding trust in God's goodness, especially as we see it in Jesus. It's my desire to establish how discipleship in our communities is driven by the belief that the sacrificial love we see expressed by Jesus for us, should also be expressed by us in our everyday lives. Jesus calls us to follow his way of life, which is reflected in the Beatitudes. That kind of Christianity looks a lot different from what is being taught in most big-box churches across the country.

Arthur Sullivan is best known as W. S. Gilbert's collaborator in the Savoy Operas, However, Sullivan was far from being simply a composer of light operettas. At the height of his fame and popularity in late Victorian Britain, Sullivan was regarded as the nation's leading composer of sacred oratorios on a par with Mendelssohn and Brahms. Yet despite his contemporary popularity and enduring legacy, little attention has been given to Sullivan's sacred work. The last twenty years have seen a considerable revival of interest in and critical appreciation for this aspect of Sullivan's work. Lost Chords and Christian Soldiers provides the first detailed, comprehensive, critical study and review of Sullivan's church and sacred music. As well as exploring issues of repertoire and ecclesiology involved in these and other formative influences and experiences, consideration will be given to how far Sullivan's own personal beliefs and faith influenced his settings of sacred texts and the extent to which his own spiritual and theological leaning are expressed in his choice of material and style of setting. Sullivan's motivation in setting religious texts will be probed and comparison will be made with the motivation, output and approach of his closest contemporaries in this field, most notably Stainer.