Faith In The Time Of Plague

Examines how our beliefs and sources of faith determine our understanding of the afflictions of our time and the ways in which we respond to them personally, professionally, and publicly, from a Christian perspective. Looks at how various European and American authors present issues as plagues, and offers choices for decisions and the placing of our faith. Authors discussed include Camus, Thoreau, Dickens, Hesse, and Dickinson. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

What does the Bible reveal about plagues? What are God's five purposes for sending a plague? What are four faith-filled responses to a plague?

Recreates the struggles within plague-stricken Italy, relating events that led to a confrontation between the advocates of science and the followers of faith.

The history of the church is filled with stories. Stories of triumph, stories of defeat, stories of joy, and stories of sorrow. These stories are a legacy of God's faithfulness to His people. In this book, Dr. Stephen J. Nichols provides postcards from the church through the centuries. These snapshots capture the richness of Christian history with glimpses of fascinating saints, curious places, precious artifacts, and surprising turns of events. In exploring them, Dr. Nichols takes the reader on a lively and informative journey through the record of God's providence to encourage, challenge, and enjoy. This is our story--our family history. "THE CENTURIES OF CHURCH HISTORY GIVE US A LITANY OF GOD'S DELIVERANCES. GOD HAS DONE IT BEFORE, MANY TIMES AND IN MANY WAYS, AND HE CAN DO IT AGAIN. HE WILL DO IT AGAIN. AND IN THAT, WE FIND COURAGE FOR TODAY AND FOR TOMORROW."

This very timely and advantageous work is truly a godly help to Christ’s church, a present help in a time of plague. It is filled with godly directions from various authors who took time to thoughtfully set down specific biblical directions, pleading with the people of God to forsake sin, and follow Christ’s prescription for holiness and righteousness. These authors are all of one mind, though they lived at different times over a span of almost 200 years. This is because all godly directions taken from careful Scriptural study will always end up in the same place. It is true, each writer deals with various texts, from various angles. But, still, their conclusions are the same, and they all offer the church today godly directions that will deliver the church from under the heavy hand of God’s judgments. The authors are well known to those who have taken an interest in the preachers of old, and in times of reformation. The works included have been chosen to be helpful, not overbearing. They are, however, clear in their content, though more examples could certainly be added (having whole books written on this subject of the plague). There are four sermons, one by John Hooper (on Mark 1:15) which is a shortened homily, a sermon by Lancelot Andrewes (on Psa. 106:29–30), one by John Owen (on 2 Timothy 3:1) and one by Thomas Manton (on Psalm 119:67). There is an extended prayer given by William Crashaw (which is amazing and experimentally helpful) coupled by an exhortation given by him about the plague, as well as an extended exhortation by Henry Burton on self-denial and humiliation (on Luke 9:23). Finally, Thomas Draxe sets down a series of simple questions and answers to the difficulty of a plague and how the godly should conduct themselves. In all of these the church around the world would do well to heed their godly directions in this time, that God would hear from heaven, and forgive their sin, and remember his covenant for their good.

Combines professional insights along with the author's own experience and insights to speculate on how believers can make sense of their Christian faith when confronted with tragedy and suffering.

Celebrated religious and social historian Rodney Starktraces the extraordinary rise of Christianity through its most pivotal andcontroversial moments to offer fresh perspective on the history of the world’slargest religion. In The Triumph of Christianity, the author of God’sBattalions and The Rise of Christianity gathers and refines decadesof powerful research and discovery into one concentrated, concise, and highlyreadable volume that explores Christianity’s most crucial episodes. The uniqueformat of Triumph of Christianity allows Stark to avoid densechronologies and difficult back stories, bringing readers right to the heart ofChristian history’s most vital controversies and enduring lessons.