This volume presents the history of the modern era in story form, giving proper emphasis to dates, central characters, and key concepts in each era. End of chapter reviews and other material highlight dates and events, characters in history, and definitions of key terms. The central consideration of this volume is how modern ideas, institutions, and culture have developed from the high centuries of Christian culture. Drawing on the guidance of Catholic thinkers and the popes (particularly Leo XIII, Pius XI, Pius XII, John Paul II, and Benedict XVI), this history presents the hope that Christian thought and work hold for the future.

There is a growing body of literature about the missional church, but the word missional is often defined in competing ways with little attempt to ground it deeply in Scripture. Michael Goheen, a dynamic speaker and the coauthor of two popular texts on the biblical narrative, unpacks the missional identity of the church by tracing the role God's people are called to play in the biblical story. Goheen shows that the church's identity can be understood only when its role is articulated in the context of the whole biblical story--not just the New Testament, but the Old Testament as well. He also explores practical outworkings and implications, offering field-tested suggestions for contemporary churches.

Walter Kaiser questions the notion that the New Testament represents a deviation from God's supposed intention to save only the Israelites. He argues that--contrary to popular opinion--the older Testament does not reinforce an exclusive redemptive plan. Instead, it emphasizes a common human condition and God's original and continuing concern for all humanity. Kaiser shows that the Israelites' mission was always to actively spread to gentiles the Good News of the promised Messiah. This new edition adds two new chapters, freshens material throughout, expands the bibliography, and includes study questions.

'Mission is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exist because worship doesn't. Worship is ultimate.' John Piper's contemporary classic draws on key biblical texts to demonstrate that worship is the ultimate goal of the church and that proper worship fuels missionary outreach. Piper offers a biblical defence of God's supremacy in all things, providing a sound theological foundation for missions. He examines whether Jesus is the only way to salvation and issues a passionate plea for God-centredness in the missionary enterprise, seeking to define the scope of the task and the means for reaching 'all nations'. Let the Nations Be Glad! is a trusted resource for missionaries, pastors, church leaders, youth workers, seminary students, and all who want to connect their labours to God's global purposes. This third edition has been revised and expanded throughout and includes new material on the 'prosperity gospel'.

A Light to the Nations is a singularly well-organized survey of ancient Israel in its historical continuity, with special attention to the literature of the Old Testament viewed through the lens of historical-critical method. The book interweaves literary, historical and theological approaches, combining the best features of other scholarly texts that are strong in only one of these points of view. Thus it is not just an exegesis of the biblical books, nor simply a history of Israel, nor purely a theological study, but a synthesis of the interests and values of all three. Throughout, connections between the faith of Israel and that of the later synagogue and church are stressed. An immensely useful section on Canon and Text gives the student a knowledge of the Old Testament's ancestry that is foundational to studying the biblical text. The book is richly supplied with maps, illustrations, a glossary, recommended further reading, and translations of eleven chief ancient Near Eastern texts related to the Bible.

From the beginning to 1940. Written for both students and adults. The author intersperses the history with many brief, interesting biographies of famous people, and at the end of each chapter he quotes briefly from a famous writing of the era, blending a medley of elements into a comprehensive historical composition that is at once brilliant and fascinating. A story of the Church unparalleled in its scope, depth, variety and impact, and a book all Catholics should read.