Charles Hodge viewed Calvin's doctrine of the union of believers with Christ's humanity in the Lord's Supper as an uncongenial foreign element in Calvin's thought, having no root in the system. Robert L. Dabney found Calvin's doctrine to be a strange opinion, which he had to reject because it is not only incomprehensible, but impossible. Were these eminent theologians correct, or did they miss the genius of Calvin's thinking at this point? Back in print at last, Ronald Wallace's classic study is a careful examination of Calvin's Commentaries, Institutes, Sermons, and Tracts, designed to clarify the teaching of the great Reformer. The following two sentences from the preface aptly sum up the author's intention: ÒWhat is most important in the study of Calvin today is to reveal what the Reformer himself actually said, in order that misconceptions about his teaching may be cleared away. Therefore this work is not a critical study of Calvin, but an attempt to express his teaching as copiously, fairly, and sympathetically as possible. Dr. Wallace's book is also valuable for the insight it gives into Calvin's method of interpreting Scripture, especially the Old Testament.

A Study Guide and a Teacher’s Manual Gospel Principles was written both as a personal study guide and as a teacher’s manual. As you study it, seeking the Spirit of the Lord, you can grow in your understanding and testimony of God the Father, Jesus Christand His Atonement, and the Restoration of the gospel. You can find answers to life’s questions, gain an assurance of your purpose and self-worth, and face personal and family challenges with faith.

This small and simple spiritual gem offers a profound contemplation of the Seven Last Words of Christ, with specific application to the seven sacraments he instituted. Adrienne von Speyr leads us to the foot of the Cross, where she gazes upon the crucified Christ and listens deeply as he cries out in suffering and opens the portals of divine grace. The Cross: Word and Sacrament will challenge and encourage the reader to participate more deeply in the Paschal Mystery through a greater appreciation and understanding of the sacraments and their source in the Cross. The words Jesus utters in his agony, as recorded in the Gospels, contain not only the gifts experienced in the sacraments of the Church but also questions: Do you truly understand what is being offered to you? Will you accept these gifts? Will you suffer the mystery contained in such love? In short, this book calls the reader to conversion, which is a continual process of turning toward the Son, who leads us, in union with the Holy Spirit, into an ever-deepening relationship with the Father. Thus is the reader invited to enter the very life of the Trinity, that communion of love without end.

Evangelical. Sacramental. Pentecostal. Christian communities tend to identify with one of these labels over the other two. Evangelical churches emphasize the importance of Scripture and preaching. Sacramental churches emphasize the importance of the eucharistic table. And pentecostal churches emphasize the immediate presence and power of the Holy Spirit. But must we choose between them? Could the church be all three? Drawing on his reading of the New Testament, the witness of Christian history, and years of experience in Christian ministry and leadership, Gordon T. Smith argues that the church not only can be all three, but in fact must be all three in order to truly be the church. As the church navigates the unique global challenges of pluralism, secularism, and fundamentalism, the need for an integrated vision of the community as evangelical, sacramental, and pentecostal becomes ever more pressing. If Jesus and the apostles saw no tension between these characteristics, why should we?

N.T. Wright explores all aspects of evil and how it presents itself in society today. Fully grounded in the story of the Old and New Testaments, this presentation is provocative and hopeful; a fascinating analysis of and response to the fundamental question of evil and justice that faces believers.

A revised and expanded edition of the 1994 classic. In the 10 years since this book was first published, the ELCA has been engaged in the multi-year Renewing Worship initiative. Lathrop's text has been revised to encompass new developments and directions suggested by this churchwide initiative and its provisional phase of development towards a new core worship resource.

In five major parts, this volume surveys the views of ministry regnant i all of the major time periods of Church history. Each part begins again at the beginning in order to look at the literature and traditions of Christianity from a different perspective.