This book begins at the Bible's account of a discovered empty tomb three days after Jesus' death. Considering scholarship from both sides of the aisle, it explains why there is good reason to conclude that this tradition is a legend. Following up on this possibility, this book turns its attention to the earliest recorded Christian beliefs that Jesus was raised on the third day and that he appeared to many people. Covering many topics often encountered in discussions about Jesus' resurrection, this book proposes an answer to the question: What plausibly could have caused the rise of these extraordinary beliefs if there never was a discovered empty tomb and Jesus did not actually rise from the dead?

Bridges (a Baptist minister in Alabama who holds a doctorate in systematic theology) explores the central role of spirituality in African-American culture and history, arguing that its roots lie in the African spiritual worldview inherited by African-Americans. Chapters describe the quest for identi

What was it like to be a slave in colonial South Africa? What difference did freedom make? John Edwin Mason presents complex answers after delving into the slaves' experience within the slaveholding patriarchal household, primarily during the period from1820 to 1850.

Everyone agrees that America is polarized, with ever-hardening positions held by people less and less willing to listen to one another. No one agrees on what to do about it. One solution that hasn’t yet been tried, says Adam Hamilton, is for thinking persons of faith to model for the rest of the country a richer, more thoughtful conversation on the political, moral, and religious issues that divide us. Hamilton rejects the easy assumptions and sloppy analysis of black and white thinking, seeking instead the truth that resides on all sides of the issues, and offering a faithful and compassionate way forward. He writes, "I don't expect you to agree with everything I've written. I expect that in the future even I won't agree with everything I've written here. The point is not to get you to agree with me, but to encourage you to think about what you believe. In the end I will be inviting those of you who find this book resonates with what you feel is true, to join the movement to pursue a middle way between the left and the right - to make your voices heard - and to model for our nation and for the church, how we can listen, learn, see truth as multi-sided, and love those with whom we disagree." Read more about this title Adam Hamilton's Seeing Gray Blog Now available! Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White - DVD UPC: 843504001902 A five-session video resource featuring Adam Hamilton teaching these concepts on DVD for group or individual study. Includes leader's guide as well as bonus video. Click below to view a preview of each video session. Where Faith and Politics Meet Christ Christians and the Culture Wars How should we live, The Ethics of Jesus Spiritual Maturity and Seeing Gray What Would Jesus Say to America?

"This is the gripping, true story of te Conants' struggle beginning with Nancy's diagnosis--multiple sclerosis. First, her eyesight becomes impaired. Next, her ability to walk is affected. Eventually many of the functions normally taken for granted become difficult. Pronouncements are powerful, and this wife, mother and business owner became defined by the disease Depression sank in as she believed God overlooked her healing and she had become too much of a burden to her own family. Isolated from healthy peer relationships and right thinking, er 'life crash' was too much to bear, so Nancy deliberately ended her life on Easter, 2009. However death could not hold her, and the medical community is stunned after God sends her back, alive, with a plan for new life, healing and truth that would only be found in Christ."--Back cover.

Reading Scripture from the perspective of Black church tradition can help us connect with a rich faith history and address the urgent issues of our times. Demonstrating an ongoing conversation between the collective Black experience and the Bible, New Testament scholar Esau McCaulley shares a personal and scholarly testament to the power and hope of Black biblical interpretation.

This book scientifically challenges earlier radiocarbon testing and presents new evidence in determining the Shroud of Turin's true age.