The ecclesiastical investigations into Indian religious error--the Extirpation of idolatry--that occurred in the seventeenth-and eighteenth-century Archdiocese of Lima come to life here as the most revealing sources on colonial Andean religion and culture. Focusing on a largely neglected period, 1640 to 1750, and moving beyond portrayals that often view the relationships between indigenous peoples and Europeans solely in terms of repression, opposition, or accommodation, Kenneth Mills provides a wealth of new material and interpretation for understanding native Andeans and Spanish Christians as participants in a common, if not harmonious, history. By examining colonial interaction and "religion as lived," he introduces memorable native Andean and Spanish actors and finds vivid points of entry into the complex realities of parish life in the mid-colonial Andes. Mills describes fitful, sometimes unintentional, and often ambiguous kinds of religious change among Andeans. He shows that many of the Quechua speakers whose testimonies form the bulk of the archival evidence were simultaneously active Catholic parishioners and adherents to a complex of transforming Andean religious structures. Mills also explores the notions of reformation and correction that fueled the extirpating process in the central Andes, as elsewhere. Moreover, he demonstrates wide differences of opinion among Spanish churchmen as to the best manner to proceed against the suspect religiosity of baptized Andeans--many of whom considered themselves Christians. In so doing, he connects this religious history to experiences in other regions of colonial Spanish America and to wider relations between Christian and non-Christian peoples.

There’s a deadly truth behind our nation’s famine. After reading this book, you will understand the deadly grip of sin and its destructive nature for your personal life and community. You will learn how you can repent and seek God for a spiritual awakening in our nation. Sin stops the rain. Moses predicted it at Mount Sinai. Solomon prayed about it at the dedication of the temple in Jerusalem. Israel experienced it under the disastrous reign of Ahab and Jezebel. The sin that particularly plagued ancient Israel was idolatry. The drought they experienced was more than just a lack of water. Amos 8:11 says, “The time is coming, says the Lord God, when I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.” Here in America, the megadrought that has gripped much of the West and portions of the heartland has made headlines. The Mississippi River was so low that barges were getting stuck on the bottom. Lake Mead has been at historically low levels. The Great Salt Lake in Utah is disappearing. Negotiations for allocations of water from the Colorado River are becoming more and more contentious. Could it be that these conditions are only harbingers of a more systemic and serious spiritual famine? Sin stops the rain. In Idolatry in America, Dr. Rod Parsley identifies ten major areas of idolatry that have overtaken our country’s culture. Any one of them is deadly, but together they constitute an unprecedented threat to the very existence of our nation. There is a cure for this cultural epidemic—a way to walk back from the brink of moral and spiritual disaster. The choice is stark. The consequences are severe. The outcome will be stunning.

Abandon dead, dry, religious rule-keeping and embrace the promise of being truly known and deeply loved. Jefferson Bethke burst into the cultural conversation with a passionate, provocative poem titled "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus." The 4-minute video became an overnight sensation, with 7 million YouTube views in its first 48 hours (and 23+ million in a year). Bethke's message clearly struck a chord with believers and nonbelievers alike, triggering an avalanche of responses running the gamut from encouraged to enraged. In his New York Times bestseller Jesus > Religion, Bethke unpacks similar contrasts that he drew in the poem--highlighting the difference between teeth gritting and grace, law and love, performance and peace, despair, and hope. With refreshing candor, he delves into the motivation behind his message, beginning with the unvarnished tale of his own plunge from the pinnacle of a works-based, fake-smile existence that sapped his strength and led him down a path of destructive behavior. Along the way, Bethke gives you the tools you need to: Humbly and prayerfully open your mind Understand Jesus for all that he is View the church from a brand-new perspective Bethke is quick to acknowledge that he's not a pastor or theologian, but simply an ordinary, twenty-something who cried out for a life greater than the one for which he had settled. On this journey, Bethke discovered the real Jesus, who beckoned him with love beyond the props of false religion. Praise for Jesus > Religion: "Jeff's book will make you stop and listen to a voice in your heart that may have been drowned out by the noise of religion. Listen to that voice, then follow it--right to the feet of Jesus." --Bob Goff, author of New York Times bestsellers Love Does and Everybody, Always "The book you hold in your hands is Donald Miller's Blue Like Jazz meets C. S. Lewis's Mere Christianity meets Augustine's Confessions. This book is going to awaken an entire generation to Jesus and His grace." --Derwin L. Gray, lead pastor of Transformation Church, author of Limitless Life: Breaking Free from the Labels That Hold You Back

How is Yahweh to be differentiated from other deities? What is Yahweh's relationship to Israel in exile?".

The world has suffered so much with the terrors of death, sickness and disease, poverty, famine, drought, emotional distress, wars, and political strife. Is there an escape from these? According to Philips, the answer is "Yes!"

This book is a wake-up call for Christians who are suffering from the rampant - yet unrecognized - effects caused by the deception of idolatry. Idolatry is not an outdated practice of extinct religions; it is very much alive and flourishing today. Most Christians who practice idolatry aren't even aware of it. They are suffering spiritually, emotionally, and even physically but can't connect the dots between their misery and their practice of idolatry. How does this happen? Instead of giving the best of our love To The God who deserves it, many Christians have gradually fallen more and more in love with what God created, instead of the Creator Himself. With our lips we tell God we love Him, but our everyday thoughts and actions may be revealing that we have other "lovers." These so called lovers seem innocent enough because they offer to give us what we want. But in the end, they betray us by taking the best of what God has given, only to leave us poor, empty, and dead inside. Now For The Good News: Our God isn't afraid of idols or idolaters! He is a compassionate and merciful God who may be saying to you today, "Do you know why I stopped you from running after your other lovers?" We may even sense His anger, but it is really the passion of a loving God who hates to see His children damaged by the sin of serving false gods. Like any good father, He wants His children to have the best, and it just so happens, HE IS THE BEST! Even though you are a Christian, do you find yourself battling emptiness, hopelessness, loneliness, or despair? it may be that you are suffering from "Too Many Lovers."