Tracing the rise of Christianity to its key role in Europe's maritime and colonial expansion, this text sheds light on the ways in which societies in Africa, Asia, and Latin America have been drawn into the Christian orbit.

Our six authors from four continents representing several branches of Evangelicalism are united in affirming the classical Christian understanding of God as Trinity as crucial for knowing God, understanding the world, and serving God honestly. Their essays lead up to a compilation of classical creeds regarding this foundational proclamation. Thomas K. Johnson: ""The Trinity is a matter of knowing God in his complexity, totally different from us in our singularity yet radically similar in having personality in his image, then letting this knowledge of God become the pattern of a renewed Christian mind."" Brian Edgar: ""This presentation of the consummate dimensions of the Trinity . . . tells us that the life of God as Trinity is something in which we participate rather than something to be intellectually comprehended."" J. Scott Horrell: ""The suggestion, humbly submitted, is especially for a missional Trinitarian worldview--not missional as from one culture to another, but missional as each body of believers seeks to engage and express Trinitarian faith within their own culture."" William P. Atkinson: ""As the Father's kenotic 'leadership' of the Trinity thereby exalts the Son and the Spirit, so too we can expect that the sort of servant-leadership that answers Jesus' high-priestly prayer will lift those who are being led."" Pavel Hosek: ""The Enlightenment reductionist rationalism in theology is going through a serious crisis, and the relativistic postmodern alternatives do not provide any firm epistemological basis for responsible theological thinking. I suggest that the trinitarian intellectual framework which Comenius and Lewis tried to develop offers a promising and inspiring way forward for Christian theologians faithful to the orthodox teachings of the church who are struggling with the intellectual challenges of contemporary culture."" Tersur Aben: ""The Trinity is the heart of God's self-disclosure to and involvement with humans on earth. . . . The mission of the church is thus to proclaim the gospel of salvation and the restoration of humans back to God, which the Son accomplished on Calvary and the Holy Spirit applies to believers on Pentecost.""

In All in the Name, Mark tells his story first of trading his conventional Baptist upbringing for the emotional buzz and fiery preaching of Oneness Pentecostal worship, and for the thrill of thinking that he was among an elite group of believers who followed the true faith where so many others had strayed. His experience echoes that of many other Christians who are leaving orthodox Christianity for a growing movement that claims: -Speaking in tongues is a necessary sign of receiving the Holy Spirit and thus a condition for salvation; -Only those baptized "in the name of Jesus"not "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" are true Christians; -Jesus is not the eternal Son of God but rather the Father manifested on earth But an inquisitive mind, careful study, and the action of the Holy Spirit finally led Mark out of Oneness Pentecostalism and into the Catholic Church. A faith-strengthener for Catholics and an intriguing challenge to those who reject the Trinity.

This volume offers partristic commentary edited by Gerald L. Bray on the first article of the Nicene Creed. Readers will gain insight into the history and substance of what the early church believed about God the Father.

A History of the Popes tells the story of the oldest living institution in the Western world—the papacy. From its origins in Saint Peter, Jesus' chief disciple, through Pope Benedict XVI today, the popes have been key players in virtually all of the great dramas of the western world in the last two thousand years. Acclaimed church historian John W. O'Malley's engaging narrative examines the 265 individuals who have claimed to be Peter's successors. Rather than describe each pope one by one, the book focuses on the popes that shaped pivotal moments in both church and world history. The author does not shy away from controversies in the church, and includes legends like Pope Joan and a comprehensive list of popes and antipopes to help readers get a full picture of the papacy. This simultaneously reverent yet critical book will appeal to readers interested in both religion and history as it chronicles the saints and sinners who have led the Roman Catholic Church over the past 2000 years. The author draws from his popular audio CD lecture series on the topic, 2,000 Years of Papal History, available through Now You Know Media (www.nowyouknowmedia.com).

The Faith Explained is an all-in-one handbook to help you understand, explain, and defend the great truths of the Catholic Faith. In brief and readable chapters, it explains the purpose of human existence, God and His perfections, the creation and fall of man, the Incarnation, the redemption, the sacraments, sacramentals, prayer, the importance of the Bible, and much more. Perfect for RCIA classes, this book is also a magnificent refresher course on the Faith for Catholics and an illuminating resource for non-Catholics with questions about the Church.

For the Spirit, being somewhat forgotten is an occupational hazard. The Holy Spirit is so actively involved in our lives that we can take his presence for granted. As they say, familiarity breeds contempt. Just as we take breathing for granted, we can take the Holy Spirit for granted simply because we constantly depend on him. Like the cane that soon feels like an extension of the blind man’s own body, we too easily begin to think of the Holy Spirit as an extension of ourselves. Yet the Spirit is at the center of the action in the divine drama from Genesis 1:2 all the way to Revelation 22:17. The Spirit’s work is as essential as the Father’s and the Son’s, yet the Spirit’s work is always directed to the person and work of Christ. In fact, the efficacy of the Holy Spirit’s mission is measured by the extent to which we are focused on Christ. The Holy Spirit is the person of the Trinity who brings the work of the Father, in the Son, to completion. In everything that the Triune God performs, this perfecting work is characteristic of the Spirit. In Rediscovering the Holy Spirit, author, pastor, and theologian Mike Horton introduces readers to the neglected person of the Holy Spirit, showing that the work of God’s Spirit is far more ordinary and common than we realize. Horton argues that we need to take a step back every now and again to focus on the Spirit himself—his person and work—in order to recognize him as someone other than Jesus or ourselves, much less something in creation. Through this contemplation we can gain a fresh dependence on the Holy Spirit in every area of our lives.