In A Geography of God, popular author and preacher Michael Lindvall describes the life of a Christian as a journey with three parts: "Leaving for Home," "The Way," and "Life on the Road." The first part of the journey struggles with the question, why go anywhere at all, spiritually speaking? The second part names the road, the way found in the ancient map of God called the Trinity. The third part describes life on the road as many others have known it: full of mile markers, road signs, warnings of perilous curves, refreshments for the weary, and notices of lively things to be seen along the way. This wonderfully written book provides readers with some hints about what they may experience during their individual journeys. This book is ideal as devotional reading for all Christians, and it provides helpful explanations of many of Christianity's foundational beliefs for those new to the Christian faith. Educators and pastors will also welcome the book as a help for sermon illustrations and adult and young adult study classes.

Jesus’s teaching gains fresh relevance through this fascinating study of Bible stories separated by centuries, but related by shared geography. In Along the Road, John Beck delves into the conversations that would naturally occur if you had walked with Jesus along a first-century road. Journey with Beck as he weaves the Old Testament context of each locale into Jesus’s experience there, and discover how these easily overlooked geographical and cultural details can enhance your understanding of God's Word.

Geography, Religion, Gods, and Saints in the Eastern Mediterranean explores the influence of geography on religion and highlights a largely unknown story of religious history in the Eastern Mediterranean. In the Levant, agricultural communities of Jews, Christians, and Muslims jointly venerated and largely shared three important saints or holy figures: Jewish Elijah, Christian St. George, and Muslim al-Khiḍr. These figures share ‘peculiar’ characteristics, such as associations with rain, greenness, fertility, and storms. Only in the Eastern Mediterranean are Elijah, St. George, and al-Khiḍr shared between religious communities, or characterized by these same agricultural attributes – attributes that also were shared by regional religious figures from earlier time periods, such as the ancient Near Eastern Storm-god Baal-Hadad, and Levantine Zeus. This book tells the story of how that came to be, and suggests that the figures share specific characteristics, over a very long period of time, because these motifs were shaped by the geography of the region. Ultimately, this book suggests that regional geography has influenced regional religion; that Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are not, historically or textually speaking, separate religious traditions (even if Jews, Christians, and Muslims are members of distinct religious communities); and that shared religious practices between members of these and other local religious communities are not unusual. Instead, shared practices arose out of a common geographical environment and an interconnected religious heritage, and are a natural historical feature of religion in the Eastern Mediterranean. This volume will be of interest to students of ancient Near Eastern religions, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, sainthood, agricultural communities in the ancient Near East, Middle Eastern religious and cultural history, and the relationships between geography and religion.

How do we make sense of God's love among the urban poor, and among the rest of us who are hungry for good news in the hard and sometimes forgotten places of our own lives? Rocke and Van Dyke invite us to discover for ourselves the unexpected nature of grace among those who have been labeled the least, last and lost-and their inextricable link to the forgotten and disturbing stories in the Bible. Graphic but never gratuitous, Rocke and Van Dyke are lyrical, poetic, irreverent, and playful. They are as rigorous in their study of applied theology as they are accessible in their storytelling. The authors share their own discovery of that which has been "hidden since the foundations of the earth," and they do it by standing with those who have stood alone, finding joy in being counted among the transgressors. They offer a new kind of orthodoxy that is as old as the gospel itself. Far from a dogmatic theology, the burden of this book is uncommonly light, but it is not without its demands. If you are up for a life-changing adventure, then get ready to "assume the risks." "In this challenging book, graceful writing meets grace-full theology. The wounds of the world cry out in poetry and poignancy; the call to care crushes complacency; places below rise to expose suffering and healing in the depths; darkness shines upon light, transforming Word and world in reading, hearing and doing." Phyllis Trible, Author of Texts of Terror "This is a beautiful book and a true book, proving again that they are the same thing! You will get to the essentials quickly here, and in a way that will change you both painlessly and painfully." Fr. Richard Rohr, O.F.M. Author and founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation

"The topic of hell has held a strange fascination for believers through the centuries, becoming the subject of paintings, sermons, books, articles, and much more. For many it has been a source of terror, for most a wellspring of questions. Is there such a thing as hell? How long will it last? Who will go there? Is hell fair? In this study, Kim Papaioannou tackles the topic at its most foundational level, in the words and teaching of Jesus. Rather than attempt overarching and all-encompassing answers, he begins instead with a detailed study of the relevant texts and builds from there upwards. The result is a picture that is not only coherent and satisfying, but more importantly, solidly based on biblical exegesis of the most refined nature. Papaioannou concludes by putting hell into a more palatable and biblically sound perspective. Though unreservedly scholarly, the study is written in such a way that lay readers can understand and enjoy it. "

The History and Geography of the Bible Story: A Study Manual by Bob and Sandra Waldron is one of the best resources of its kind for individual and class study. It is important for each student of the Bible to gain information about the history and geography of the Bible in order to better understand the context of the message of salvation. The Waldrons have demonstrated an ability to take difficult material and make it both understandable and usable. The book can do several things for the user: (1) it will provide a complete survey of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation; (2) it will give one a good summary of the history of the nations involved in sacred history; (3) it will acquaint one with the geography of the Bible lands. The good maps add tremendously to the quality and usefulness of the book. There are a total of 52 lessons. The first lessons discusses man as an intelligent being. The next 7 lessons give a brief look at all the Bible Lands. The rest of the lessons (9-52) correlate the Bible history and geography together. There are plenty of full color maps with corresponding blank maps for the student to fill in. Every few lessons, there is a section of review questions. Charts, lists, and easily read narrative make this a great study for your Bible class or personal study.