Unity In The Faith

Established in 1800, edinoverie (translated as "unity in faith") was intended to draw back those who had broken with the Russian Orthodox Church over ritual reforms in the 17th century. Called Old Believers, they had been persecuted as heretics. In time, the Russian state began tolerating Old Believers in order to lure them out of hiding and make use of their financial resources as a means of controlling and developing Russia's vast and heterogeneous empire. However, the Russian Empire was also an Orthodox state, and conversion from Orthodoxy constituted a criminal act. So, which was better for ensuring the stability of the Russian Empire: managing heterogeneity through religious toleration, or enforcing homogeneity through missionary campaigns? Edinoverie remained contested and controversial throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, as it was distrusted by both the Orthodox Church and the Old Believers themselves. The state reinforced this ambivalence, using edinoverie as a means by which to monitor Old Believer communities and employing it as a carrot to the stick of prison, exile, and the deprivation of rights. In Unity in Faith?, James White's study of edinoverie offers an unparalleled perspective of the complex triangular relationship between the state, the Orthodox Church, and religious minorities in imperial Russia.

Churches all over the world work to spread the gospel of Christ, but this work is done in many different ways by many different denominations. Jesus and Paul were quite clear that the church of God was to be in total unityespecially with regard to the teachings of the gospel. So how do we bring the many denominations into a unity that will enhance a genuine team effort to present the true gospel to the world? In Unity in the Faith, author Bradford Mark Rosenquist shows why church unity across all denominations is an absolutely necessary work that must be accomplished for gospel success. First outlining what church unity is and what has been a historical obstacle to this unity, Rosenquist goes on to show how integral unity is to the gospel message of Christ. In the end, Unity in the Faith provides both an analysis of unity as well as a roadmap that Christians and church leaders can use to promote true unity in their congregations. It takes a cooperative effort to reach the world with the truth about Jesus and the kingdom of God. The universal body of Christ must therefore overcome the current disunity so that as one we can live up to Christs admonition to go into all the world and preach the gospel.

Established in the wake of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947-8 by the Australian army officer Major-General Walter Cawthorne, then Deputy Chief of Staff in the Pakistan Army, Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) for years remained an under-developed and obscure agency. In 1979, the organisation's growing importance was felt during the Soviet war in Afghanistan, as it worked hand in glove with the CIA to support the mujahideen resistance, but its activities received little coverage in news media. Since that time, the ISI has projected its influence across the region -- in 1988 its involvement in Indian Kashmir came under increasing scrutiny, and by 1995 its mentoring of what became the Afghan Taliban was well attested. But it was the organisation's alleged links with Al Qaeda and the discovery of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, at the heart of Pakistan's military zone, that really threw it under the spotlight. These controversies and many more have dogged the ISI, including its role in Pakistan's testing of a nuclear weapon in 1998 and its links with A.Q. Khan. Offering fresh insights into the ISI as a domestic and international actor based on intimate knowledge of its inner workings and key individuals, this startlingly original book uncovers the hitherto shady world of Pakistan's secret service.

This poetry book implores ways to recognize contemporary circumstances in an unorthodox and nostalgic manner so as to draw attention to life’s raw deal. There is contempt but with a noble motive: the desire to bring change in the thinking of the reader. Its principle reason over the long range is to bring about change through peace, hope and inspiration. One might say that it seeks to give us a fresh viewpoint on the incongruities and evils we live among, the evil we ignore or the evil that we, ourselves are. Faith, Unity and Discipline is a collection of thoughts, a compilation of memories, a basket of hope, and a plea for humanity. Some pieces question the accepted norms of everyday life and some pieces try to put together the puzzles of faith and sincerity of effort. Each poem should be read under individual light as they were written in a spirit of independent thinking. If found and read after the life of the poet, the reader is urged to try to imagine the thoughts that must have affected the poet. After all, imagination is the most spectacular sense we, the humans possess.

The principles taught in the Unity spiritual community are ancient ideas that run like a thread through most of the world's religions. In this book, longtime minister Paul John Roach takes the five universal principles taught in Unity and looks at how they are expressed in other faith traditions-Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Christianity, and more-with extensive quotes from the luminaries of each religion.An excellent reference book that is also highly readable, Unity and World Religions is a treasure trove of ideas and stories about the many ways human beings relate to the Presence we all feel.

Christians cannot remain indifferent to the divisions in the Church today. In this study guide companion, Chan draws on the gospel infused message of Until Unity to remind readers that Church unity is not optional. This study guide includes: Deeper exploration of every chapter in Until Unity Free original videos with Francis Chan Tips for leading and participating in a small group Scripture passages and reflection questions Prompts for group and individual prayer Chan’s emphasis on worship and praise, along with his passionate teaching, make this guide a unique and life-changing exploration of why unity is not just God’s wish for His Church—it’s His command.