Don't let detours become dead ends that hinder you from fulfilling your destiny! Christianity in the Crosshairs will help you to avoid the many tantalizing shortcuts that appear along life's way seeking to minimize cost, increase energy and save time. You will learn how to: Walk in faith as you face impossible situations. Remain faithful when others abandon the cause. Persevere in the midst of challenging situations. Enter into your own destiny and make your dreams come true. Overcome doubt and despair in the midst of hopeless circumstances. Tested in the fires of life these truths are not peppered with religious rhetoric but are living principles that will encourage, motivate and hopefully provoke you into action as you stand in the crosshairs of the Enemy who seeks to destroy your dream.

An insightful and (surprisingly) encouraging biblical explanation as to why trouble and persecution are inevitable for Christians. Since they are a peculiar people, are in the world but not of the world, and follow a Master who is offensive to many, Christians are naturally the objects of disdain and hostility. Understanding the nature of the enmity between the world and the Christian is critical for living in a world where Satan is its prince. The book is an attempt to start a conversation about the reality of Christian persecution. It is a wake-up call to the modern church, especially in the United States. "My hope for all who read this volume," writes the author, "is a strengthened faith. One of the most surprising aspects of studying persecution has been its effect on me. I thought I would feel woeful and defeated after hearing of such great suffering. However, the opposite is true. The Gospel, with its resurrection power, is able to take the worst situations and reframe them in victory. Hearing stories of triumph through suffering has been nothing short of glorious."

Is there a War on Christmas? This book surveys the history of the world's most popular festival and the never-ending battles it has engendered ever since its hotly-contested invention in the Roman Empire.

Themelios is an international, evangelical, peer-reviewed theological journal that expounds and defends the historic Christian faith. Themelios is published three times a year online at The Gospel Coalition (http://thegospelcoalition.org/themelios/) and in print by Wipf and Stock. Its primary audience is theological students and pastors, though scholars read it as well. Themelios began in 1975 and was operated by RTSF/UCCF in the UK, and it became a digital journal operated by The Gospel Coalition in 2008. The editorial team draws participants from across the globe as editors, essayists, and reviewers. General Editor: D. A. Carson, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School Managing Editor: Brian Tabb, Bethlehem College and Seminary Consulting Editor: Michael J. Ovey, Oak Hill Theological College Administrator: Andrew David Naselli, Bethlehem College and Seminary Book Review Editors: Jerry Hwang, Singapore Bible College; Alan Thompson, Sydney Missionary & Bible College; Nathan A. Finn, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary; Hans Madueme, Covenant College; Dane Ortlund, Crossway; Jason Sexton, Golden Gate Baptist Seminary Editorial Board: Gerald Bray, Beeson Divinity School Lee Gatiss, Wales Evangelical School of Theology Paul Helseth, University of Northwestern, St. Paul Paul House, Beeson Divinity School Ken Magnuson, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Jonathan Pennington, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary James Robson, Wycliffe Hall Mark D. Thompson, Moore Theological College Paul Williamson, Moore Theological College Stephen Witmer, Pepperell Christian Fellowship Robert Yarbrough, Covenant Seminary

Pastor and former police officer Philip De Courcy calls on Christians to take refuge in God (Psalm 46:1), drawing on lessons he learned in law enforcement to affirm that true security is not the absense of danger, but the presence of God. Identifying the major dangers today's Christian faces—including crime, North Korea, Islamic terror, aggressive secularism, and spiritual warfare—De Courcy shows us how we can take cover in God-given promises and protections.

“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” It is the most dangerous and loving cause in the universe: rescuing sinners from eternal suffering and bringing them into the eternal joy of relationship with Jesus. Jesus himself said that for every person who does not believe, the wrath of God remains on him (John 3:36). And for the peoples of the world who have no access to the gospel, the wrath of God does just that. World missions is the marvelous venture of crossing cultures to rescue unreached peoples from eternal suffering, renovate their broken lives, and see them reflect God’s glory through joy in Christ. There is no better reason to lose your life and no greater way to live it. Cross captures, for a new generation, this great summons to the unreached and unengaged peoples of the world. Inspired by the inaugural Cross student missions conference, this book includes contributions from John Piper, David, Platt, Matt Chandler, Thabiti Anyabwile, Kevin DeYoung, D. A. Carson, and more.

As the Protestant Reformers did, so twenty-first-century Christians also recognize the need to distinguish between the true and false church. Thus, they find themselves looking closely at the modern church to determine whether it is a true and faithful church. Today’s Christians know that proper criteria are necessary to discern the true church. The most common criteria, wrote John Calvin, are that the Word of God is rightly preached and heard and that the sacraments are administered according to Christ’s institution. Moreover, Martin Luther said that suffering is a telltale sign of God’s people, while Anabaptist and Reformed Christians included discipline among the distinguishing marks of the church. These standards take on particular poignancy today: The global church continues to live under severe persecution, and the American church, characterized by a lack of discipline, has been wounded by its own sins of chasing sex and power. In this collection of essays, first given at annual meetings of the Evangelical Theological Society, the authors take time to reflect on the Reformational marks of the church in order to help reform Christ’s bride. With contributions from: Edward W. Klink III Duane Litfin J. Stephen Yuille J. V. Fesko Keith D. Stanglin Greg Cochran Jeremy M. Kimble Guy Waters Justin L. McLendon