For 450 years, churches throughout the world have been using the Heidelberg Catechism (1563) to instruct God's people in foundational Christian doctrine. When Elector Frederick III (1515-1576) commissioned the preparation of a manual for instructing the youth and guiding the pastors and teachers of his domain, he could not have imagined the profound effect it would have on future generations of Christians. The most widely used, most influential Reformation catechism, the "Heidelberger" shines forth the blessed truths of the gospel in 129 questions and answers, beginning with the memorable, ever-enduring subject of our "only comfort in life and in death." In A Faith Worth Teaching , edited by Jon Payne and Sebastian Heck, an array of faithful pastor-scholars celebrate the Heidelberg Catechism on its 450th anniversary with a collection of essays on its dynamic history, rich theology, and fruit-bearing practice that will be an encouragement to pastors and laypersons alike. Table of Contents: Foreword: the Heidelberg Catechism: the Secret of its Success - Herman J. Selderhuis Part 1: The History and Background of the Heidelberg Catechism 1. The History and People Behind the Heidelberg Catechism - Lyle D. Bierma 2. The Heidelberg Catechism in the United States - D. G. Hart Part 2: The Heidelberg Catechism and the Means of Grace 3. Holding Firmly to the Heidelberger: The Validity and Relevance of Catechism Preaching - Joel R. Beeke 4. Preaching the Catechism Today - Joel R. Beeke 5. "Washed from All My Sins" The Doctrine of Baptism in the Heidelberg Catechism - Sebastian Heck 6. "As Certainly As I See and Taste" The Lord's Supper and the Heidelberg Catechism - Jon D. Payne Part 3: Christian Doctrine and the Heidelberg Catechism 7. Gathered, Protected, and Preserved: The Church in the Heidelberg Catechism - Michael S. Horton 8. Grace and Gratitude: Justification and Sanctification in the Heidelberg Catechism - Cornelis P. Venema 9. The Christology of the Heidelberg catechism - Mark Jones 10. "Prophet, Doctor Jesus" the Son of God as "Our High Priest and Teacher" in the Heidelberg Catechism - Victor E. d'Assonville 11. The Spirit-Filled Catechism: The Heidelberg Catechism and the Holy Spirit - Daniel R. Hyde Part 4: The Heidelberg Catechism As Catechetical Tool 12. The Heidelberg Catechism Among the Reformed Catechisms - W. Robert Godfrey 13. The Heidelberg Catechism: A Catechetical Tool - Willem Verboom 14. Scholasticism in the Heidelberg Catechism? - Willem van 't Spijker

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) is widely acknowledged as one of the most brilliant religious thinkers and multifaceted figures in American history. A fountainhead of modern evangelicalism, Edwards wore many hats during his lifetime--theologian, philosopher, pastor and town leader, preacher, missionary, college president, family man, among others. With nearly four hundred entries, this encyclopedia provides a wide-ranging perspective on Edwards, offering succinct synopses of topics large and small from his life, thought, and work. Summaries of Edwards's ideas as well as descriptions of the people and events of his times are all easy to find, and suggestions for further reading point to ways to explore topics in greater depth. Comprehensive and reliable, with contributions by 169 premier Edwards scholars from throughout the world, The Jonathan Edwards Encyclopedia will long stand as the standard reference work on this significant, extraordinary person.

Based on the National Study of Youth and Religion--the same invaluable data as its predecessor, Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers--Kenda Creasy Dean's compelling new book, Almost Christian, investigates why American teenagers are at once so positive about Christianity and at the same time so apathetic about genuine religious practice. In Soul Searching, Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton found that American teenagers have embraced a "Moralistic Therapeutic Deism"--a hodgepodge of banal, self-serving, feel-good beliefs that bears little resemblance to traditional Christianity. But far from faulting teens, Dean places the blame for this theological watering down squarely on the churches themselves. Instead of proclaiming a God who calls believers to lives of love, service and sacrifice, churches offer instead a bargain religion, easy to use, easy to forget, offering little and demanding less. But what is to be done? In order to produce ardent young Christians, Dean argues, churches must rediscover their sense of mission and model an understanding of being Christian as not something you do for yourself, but something that calls you to share God's love, in word and deed, with others. Dean found that the most committed young Christians shared four important traits: they could tell a personal and powerful story about God; they belonged to a significant faith community; they exhibited a sense of vocation; and they possessed a profound sense of hope. Based on these findings, Dean proposes an approach to Christian education that places the idea of mission at its core and offers a wealth of concrete suggestions for inspiring teens to live more authentically engaged Christian lives. Persuasively and accessibly written, Almost Christian is a wake up call no one concerned about the future of Christianity in America can afford to ignore.