William Gadsby

Collected writings from both past and present preachers of God's Gospel of Free and Sovereign Grace through Jesus Christ. Includes works by William Tiptaft, Tobias Crisp, William Huntington, William Gadsby, Robert Murray M'Cheyne, J.C. Philpot, John Kershaw, James Bourne, Eli Ashdown, Francis Covell, John Vinall, John Warburton, Don Fortner, Henry Mahan, Don Bell, Gary Shepard, Todd Nibert, Tom Harding, Peter Meney and Benjamin A. Ramsbottom. The book also includes an Introduction on 'Sovereign Grace', background information about each author and a useful appendix containing much information about other works written by or about the authors. These works are by authors whose lives span several hundred years, yet their message is the same - they proclaim the grace of God which brings salvation - because the One of whom they speak never changes, He is "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever".

This valuable contribution to the debate about the relation of religion to the modern city fills an important gap in the historiography of early nineteenth-century religious life. Although there is some evidence that strict doctrine led to a more restricted response to urban problems, extensive local and personal variations mean that simple generalizations should be avoided. Ian J.Shaw argues against earlier prejudiced views and shows that high Calvinists played a vigorous and successful part in the response of early nineteenth-century churches to the process of urbanization. The study includes six substantial case studies of ministers and their churches in Manchester and London. Four high Calvinist ministers are considered, with two studies of ministers holding to an evangelical Calvinist doctrine also included to provide instructive contrasts. Detailed social analysis of the congregations is based upon extensive use of manuscript and printed sources, sermons, and local and denominational press.

Atlanta's destruction during the Civil War is an iconic moment in American history. Award-winning journalist Marc Wortman depicts its siege and fall in The Bonfire, and reveals an Atlanta of unexpected paradoxes. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution called it “a tale of divided loyalties, political intrigue, and tremendous human suffering… [an] invaluable history and a gripping read.”