Reading The Bible In The Age Of Francis

Pope Francis has taken the world by storm. He is the most prominent Christian voice in our world today. How does he incorporate Scripture into his ministry and what does Scripture say about those things he emphasizes? This book will explore within Scripture the bedrock themes of Francis' time as Pope, such as the poor, women, a God of surprises, mercy, the environment, and excessive legalism. What we find is that a diversity of biblical perspectives provide deep theological support or precedent for Francis' agenda. Both Francis and Scripture call Christians today to live in dramatically new ways in our world.

Francis Schaeffer's Classic Analysis of the Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture Civilizations throughout history have built societies around their own limited value systems including rulers, finite gods, or relativism—only to fail. The absence of a Christian foundation eventually leads to breakdown, and those signs are visible in present-day culture as well. Can modern society avoid the same fate? In this latest edition of How Should We Then Live?, theologian Francis A. Schaeffer traces the decline of Western culture from the fall of Rome, through the Middle Ages and the Enlightenment, and up to the twentieth century. Studying humanism's impact on philosophy, science, and religion, he shows how this worldview historically results in apathy, chaos, and decline. Schaeffer's important work calls on readers to live instead by Christian ethics, placing their trust in the infinite personal God of the Bible. Originally written in 1976, How Should We Then Live? remains remarkably applicable today. A Theology Classic: Written by renowned Christian philosopher Francis A. Schaeffer For Those Interested in Philosophy and History: Engages with the ideas of Plato, John Locke, Thomas Jefferson, and Voltaire, and examines the art, architecture, and ideas that shaped modern society Explores the Importance of a Christian Worldview: A practical assessment of the evolution of culture and the steadfast alternative offered by the biblical perspective

"A Franciscan priest, Scripture scholar, and teacher, Fr. Hilarion Kistner explores how Francis heard, lived, and proclaimed the Gospel"--Back cover.

A new addition to the I Can Read brand, the I Can Read My Illustrated Bible teaches children about the Bible while helping them grow more confident in their own reading skills as they build their vocabulary. This Level 1 storybook Bible for early readers presents over 30 classic Bible stories that children can read all by themselves. Stories include Noah’s Ark, David and Goliath, Miriam and baby Moses, Queen Esther, the Birth of Jesus, Jesus Walks on Water, and many more from the Old and New Testaments. With charming illustrations and simple, easy-to-understand language, I Can Read My Illustrated Bible will help children develop a lifelong habit of making faith their own by spending quality time with God. I Can Read My Illustrated Bible: Is part of the I Can Read! Brand—the premier line of books for beginning readers Is a trusted tool to assist in developing biblical literacy among young readers Helps children develop a lifelong habit of spending quality time with God and his Word

Stories of fourteen outstanding Christians whose words and deeds set an example for believers today.This book recounts the life stories of outstanding Christians who inspire and challenge readers to live more godly lives. These fourteen men and women—some well known and others not—come from many parts of the world and from the 14th to the 20th centuries. These brief biographies highlight the events and special contributions each person has made to the church. Figures presented are Francis Asbury, Duncan Campbell, Oswald Chambers, Jonathan Goforth, Madame Guyon, Frances Ridly Havergal, John Hyde, Adoniram Judson, Dwight L. Moody, Evan Roberts, Girolamo Savonarola, Amanda Smith, John Smith, and Bishop William Taylor.

How do children read the Bible? This book makes a major contribution to this underexplored area by analyzing how children interpret Bible stories, focused around an empirical investigation of one group of eleven- to fourteen-year-old children, and their readings of the Gospel of Luke. The first section of the study establishes the nature of the text and the readers in this project: exploring the Gospel of Luke as a narrative of Jesus' birth, life, death, and resurrection, and then looking at the developmental traits of children as readers. The next section offers a model account of how biblical scholars can investigate empirical readings of Scripture, by describing the methods used to bring together one group of child readers and Luke. The third section then analyzes the resulting multitude of interpretations that the children offered in their reading of the book, concentrating on the key trends in their interpretive strategies. It critiques the children's readings of Luke, but it also points to some of the surprising and beneficial results of reading Luke using the interpretive strategies of a child.

In a secular age which dismisses once-revered matters such as Bible reading, is there still a point to reading and studying Christianity’s foundational text? This book will answer an unequivocal “Absolutely[!].” Why? For us located in the West, the Bible is a vital part of our “spiritual ancestry,” a dominant idea of the book. Hence, learning how to read and interpret the Bible properly (particularly, the New Testament) is like getting to know our spiritual ancestry better. The main strategy that this work will suggest is to treat the New Testament as a metaphorical textual village where some of our most important spiritual ancestors continue to live. If we learn some good strategies to communicate with them, we will be able, as it were, to visit this village, have meaningful conversations with our spiritual ancestors and, thus, become better grounded in our spiritual ancestry here in the West. With that, we can return to our secular context, better equipped both to embrace and wrestle with that spiritual ancestry. Hopefully, that will also help us to create for ourselves a meaning-system or spirituality that would be appropriate for our present world while being well grounded in our spiritual tradition.

From Biblical Criticism to Biblical Faith offers cutting-edge essays in the three discipline areas of theological education: History and Exegesis, Canon and Theology, and Christian Life and Ministry.