Parade Of Faith

Through this lively narrative of church history, readers will discover that the story of Christianity is an exhilarating adventure. Tucker's engaging writing style, informative historical overview, and selection of colorful characters are sure to attract and fascinate students and lay learners alike.

Part storybook, part textbook, part historical overview, Parade of Faith in ebook format presents the history of Christianity in riveting fashion. Ruth Tucker adopts the metaphor of a parade, journey, or pilgrimage to explore the history of Christianity, which began as the Messiah marched out of the pages of the Old Testament and will end one day when “the saints go marching in” to the New Jerusalem. The book is divided into two chronological groupings: first, the advent of Christianity until the German and Swiss Reformations; second, the Anabaptist movement and Catholic Reformation until the present-day worldwide expansion of the church. Yet, ultimately the topic matter is not movements, dates, or a stream of facts, but instead people—people who still have stories to tell other Christians. And with a little help from clues to their own contexts, they can still speak clearly today. This book is laid out systematically to showcase the biographies of such prominent figures within their historical settings. The pages are peppered with sidebars, historical “what if” questions, explorations of relevant topics for today, personal reflections, illustrations, and lists for further reading. Parade of Faith is an excellent introduction for undergraduate students and interested lay readers.

Dean teaches Christian believers how to daily walk in faith with Scripture passages and content that are organized to allow readers to see how God's promises are fulfilled through one's experiences.

Faith is one of the most critical aspects of the Christian life, because it is the means by which we receive all that God has secured for us; yet the nature of faith is one of the most misunderstood concepts of Christianity. Some conceptualize faith as some mental state that one must reach before they are able to “tap into” God’s “resources.” Others view faith as some sort of incorporeal substance that is “out there” for which we must reach. All of these concepts of faith are deficient, if not heretical, and yet all of them are found in the church. Others view faith as a mere fantasy or hope with no basis in reality, and thus religious claims are excluded from the arena of knowledge. “For a number of years my heart has been trilled over the doctrine of faith as it is received and taught among evangelical Christians everywhere. Great emphasis is laid upon faith in orthodox circles, and that is good, but still I am troubled. Specifically, my fear is that the modern conception of faith is not the biblical one; that when the teachers of our day use the word, they do no mean what Bible meant when they used it”. I also share the same concerns with A.W.Tozer, when he said; “the cause of my uneasiness are these”: 1. The lack of spiritual fruits in the lives of so many who claim to have faith. 2. The rarity of a radical change in the conduct and general outlook of persons professing their new faith in Christ as their personal Savior. 3. The failure of our teachers to define or even describe the thing to which the word faith is supposed to refer. 4. The heartbreaking failure of multitudes of seekers is they are even so earnest to make anything out of the doctrine or to receive any satisfying experience through it. 5. The real danger that a doctrine that is parroted so widely and received so uncritically by so many is false as understood by them. 6. I have seen faith put forward as an escape from reality, a refuge from the necessity of hard thinking, a hiding place for weak character, natural optimism, emotional thrills and nervous tics. Therefore, in the pages of this book, I will endeavor to outline for your benefit the dynamics of faith. What is faith? How does faith works? How to grow in faith? The power of faith; the Excellency of faith; the demand of faith; the perseverance of faith; the challenges of faith; the object of faith, the effect of faith; the response of faith; the discipline of faith; the necessity of faith and many more are discussed.

Sharing the Easter Faith with Children is theologically sound, biblically focused, educationally on target, and developmentally appropriate. Carolyn Brown writes clearly and helpfully, with conviction and passion for what to share and how to share one's faith with children. It should be required reading for every parent, educator, and pastor who wants to communicate and celebrate the Easter faith with children. Brown packs a lot of practical suggestions, insights, and activities into this very readable resource. I am confident children will mature in their understanding and affirmation of the Easter faith when they have been nurtured in families and congregations that take seriously what Brown offers. --Donald Griggs, author of Teaching Today’s Teachers to Teach It is easy to share the Christmas story and faith with children. The story is beautiful and lends itself well to pageants and other celebratory events for children. It is not so easy to share the Easter story and faith with children because the message and images are complex. Many parents have trouble articulating what Easter means to them personally much less answering their children’s questions. In many congregations children are featured in palm parades on Palm Sunday, but they are not specifically planned for at other Holy Week services. When schools schedule an Easter break, many families go away and thus unintentionally bypass the whole Easter message for years. This book explores what the Easter message can mean to children as they grow up. The author helps congregations and families share the Easter message with their children and include the children meaningfully in Lent, Holy Week and Easter observances. Included are materials for children from birth (in the church nursery) to age 12, and reproducible pages to create a booklet for parents. The first section of the book describes the particular parts of the Easter faith that are important to children at different ages and comments on the biblical Easter texts from a child’s point of view. The second part of the book works through the Lenten season, describing ways congregations can include children and providing program and worship plans, including: Lenten disciplines for children and their families Ash Wednesday Celebrating Palm Sunday or looking ahead on Passion Sunday Maundy Thursday: Recalling the Last Supper Keeping Good Friday The church-sponsored Easter Egg Hunt Easter Sunday Morning Another part of the book offers help to leaders who want to share the content with teachers, parents, or committees. Also included is a comprehensive list of related resources. This carefully researched and well-grounded, practical resource from a highly regarded Christian educator will strengthen your educational ministry with children and support parents as they shape the faith of their children.

After retiring from the military Heather took on the task of raising young children as well as she could. Having a lifelong relationship with God she trusted Him to provide all the support needed to accomplish her mission. As Joan of Arc trusted her voices guiding her, Heather knew she could trust the path God set before her as well. Her journey along the way is a testament in trusting the guiding forces. With the support of many others she accomplished her most important mission of all.

“A great resource for students in congregational, religious, and urban studies . . . a valuable installment in the resurrection of urban religious ecology.”—Omar McRoberts, University of Chicago Ecologies of Faith in New York City examines patterns of interreligious cooperation and conflict in New York City. It explores how representative congregations in this religiously diverse city interact with their surroundings by competing for members, seeking out niches, or cooperating via coalitions and neighborhood organizations. Based on in-depth research in New York’s ethnically mixed and rapidly changing neighborhoods, the essays in the volume describe how religious institutions shape and are shaped by their environments, what new roles they have assumed, and how they relate to other religious groups in the community. “The book deals with important issues in important ways. New York City is a veritable center of the phenomena being studied.” —Jay Demerath, University of Massachusetts “A valuable contribution to the growing field of congregational studies that places congregations and their agency on the table as one important element to understanding the changing American metropolis.” —Journal of Urban Affairs “An excellent example of religious scholarship.” —Review of Religious Research “Offers nine essays focusing on religious institutions of New York City as they have been impacted by the social dynamics of gentrification, immigration, and entrepreneurial innovation . . . Recommended.” ?Choice “A solid resource for addressing entanglements of religion and urbanism. The case studies have significant richness.” —Critical Research on Religion “A well-developed collection of essays that does an effective job of exploring the breadth of the ecological interaction between religious institutions and their environments in New York City.” ?Sociology of Religion