Sword Of The Spirit Shield Of Faith

A richly detailed, profoundly engrossing story of how religion has influenced American foreign relations, told through the stories of the men and women—from presidents to preachers—who have plotted the country’s course in the world. Ever since John Winthrop argued that the Puritans’ new home would be “a city upon a hill,” Americans’ role in the world has been shaped by their belief that God has something special in mind for them. But this is a story that historians have mostly ignored. Now, in the first authoritative work on the subject, Andrew Preston explores the major strains of religious fervor—liberal and conservative, pacifist and militant, internationalist and isolationist—that framed American thinking on international issues from the earliest colonial wars to the twenty-first century. He arrives at some startling conclusions, among them: Abraham Lincoln’s use of religion in the Civil War became the model for subsequent wars of humanitarian intervention; nineteenth-century Protestant missionaries made up the first NGO to advance a global human rights agenda; religious liberty was the centerpiece of Franklin Roosevelt’s strategy to bring the United States into World War II. From George Washington to George W. Bush, from the Puritans to the present, from the colonial wars to the Cold War, religion has been one of America’s most powerful sources of ideas about the wider world. When, just days after 9/11, George W. Bush described America as “a prayerful nation, a nation that prays to an almighty God for protection and for peace,” or when Barack Obama spoke of balancing the “just war and the imperatives of a just peace” in his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, they were echoing four hundred years of religious rhetoric. Preston traces this echo back to its source. Sword of the Spirit, Shield of Faith is an unprecedented achievement: no one has yet attempted such a bold synthesis of American history. It is also a remarkable work of balance and fair-mindedness about one of the most fraught subjects in America.

“A battle manual for every Christian.” —Sinclair B. Ferguson The Christian life is a battle. We are in a daily struggle against the world, sin, and Satan. But God didn’t leave us to fend for ourselves. He gave us his own armor—armor that Jesus has already worn on our behalf all the way to the cross. The same power that raised Christ from the dead is now at work inside of us. This book unpacks each of the pieces of spiritual armor Paul describes in Ephesians 6, inviting us to take up the armor each day, all while resting in the finished victory of Christ and the assurance that our strength for the battle comes from him.

The essence of John MacArthur, Jr.'s worldwide ministry is his preaching and teaching of God's Word through verse-by-verse exposition. Each radio or tape message reaches thousands with the practical, applied Word of God. John MacArthur's Bible studies consist of the study notes from Dr. MacArthur's messages and tapes. Each book in the series coincides with radio and tape messages and is an in-depth look at a particular topic. The apostle Paul says that if you are a Christian and are living as a believer should, you'll run head on into the enemy. So Paul concludes Ephesians with an impressive list of armor to protect us in the battle against Satan. Study Ephesians 6:10-24 in The Believer's Armor for a detailed description of every piece of that armor. - Back cover.

For the first time since his two-year imprisonment in North Korea, Kenneth Bae recounts his dramatic ordeal in vivid detail. While leading a tour group into the most shrouded country on the planet, Bae is stopped by officials who immediately confiscate his belongings. With his computer hard drive in hand the officers begin their interrogation and Bae begins his unexpected decent into North Korean obscurity. Bae’s family and friends make immediate appeals to the United States government asking for his release. With his family waiting patiently for any news of Kenneth’s well-being, Bae is forced to rely solely on his faith for his survival. At his lowest point, Bae is confronted with the reality that he may not make it out alive. Not Forgotten is a riveting true story of one man’s fight for survival against impossible odds.

What does Paul's missions strategy mean for today? A century ago Roland Allen published Missionary Methods: Saint Paul's or Ours?, a missiological classic which tackled many important issues, including what biblically rooted missions looks like in light of the apostle Paul's evangelistic efforts. Although Allen's work is still valuable, new understandings have been gained regarding Paul's milieu and missionary activity, and how his practices ought to inform missions in our ever-changing world. Using the centennial anniversary of Allen's work as a springboard for celebration and reflection, the contributors to Paul's Missionary Methods have revisited Paul's first-century missionary methods and their applicability today. This book examines Paul's missionary efforts in two parts. First Paul is examined in his first-century context: what was his environment, missions strategy and teaching on particular issues? The second part addresses the implications of Paul's example for missions today: is Paul's model still relevant, and if so, what would it look like in modern contexts? Experts in New Testament studies and missiology contribute fresh, key insights from their fields, analyzing Paul's missionary methods in his time and pointing the way forward in ours. Contributors include Michael F. Bird Eckhard J. Schnabel Benjamin L. Merkle Christoph W. Stenschke Don N. Howell Jr. Craig Keener David J. Hesselgrave Michael Pocock Ed Stetzer M. David Sills Chuck Lawless J. D. Payne

Some Christians believe strongly in the existence of demons and spiritual warfare. Others downplay or even ignore the idea. With such divergent views, how are Christians supposed to know the truth about demonic forces at work in this world? The Invisible War examines what every believer needs to know about Satan, demons, and spiritual warfare, offering a balanced look at this controversial subject. This provocative book will help Christians understand what the Bible says about these threats and will show them how they can safeguard themselves and their families through prayer. Now repackaged for a new generation, The Invisible War offers a balanced look at what is going on in the spiritual realm and what believers can do to defend themselves.

European empires were transformed and in some cases destroyed; in the Middle East, the change was enormous, beginning with the final collapse of Ottoman hegemony in the region. Fascism and communism, mass migration, independence, militarism, an influenza epidemic, the rise of Wall Street and American economic power, a slowdown in the process of globalization, and the pursuit of world peace by an organization based on collective security numbered among the most significant and lasting legacies of this conflict. Beyond 1917 explores how and why the war has become an integral milepost for human history, reflects the importance of the conflict, the forces that led to it, and the forces it unleashed. On the occasion of the centennial commemorations, an international group of scholars considers the long-term policy, political, social, economic, and cultural consequences of the war for the United States itself and for the world.