This book uncovers and examines the contributions made by black Pentecostals in the Church of God in Christ (COGIC) to civil rights struggles in Memphis during the 1950s and 1960s. This book provides detailed description of prominent Memphis COGIC activists' engagements with local civil rights organizations.

Mason Temple, the headquarters of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC), looms large in the history of the Civil Rights Movement because of its connection to the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who delivered his last sermon there during the Sanitation Workers Strike on April 3, 1968. This book highlights the unsung contributions local activists from the COGIC made to the historic strike and to the broader civil rights struggle in Memphis. It troubles the rigid otherworldly versus this-worldly binary that has inaccurately framed black religious activism and bolstered the view that saints’ theology influenced their detachment from the civil rights struggle. It explores the Memphis Movement from the angle of activist saints and describes their involvements in civil rights organizations such as the Ministers and Citizens League, the Memphis Branch of the NAACP, and the Community on the Move for Equality. Ultimately, analysis of Memphis saints’ activism reveals local grassroots activists’ vigorous commitment to working to galvanize and mobilize black pastors and churches to work collaboratively to advance the freedom struggle, including through coordinating voter registration drives, aiding desegregation efforts, and assisting sanitation workers in their struggle for economic justice. This work provides a historical blueprint and a source of inspiration for fostering collective activism among denominationally diverse black churches in the 21st century.

The war is on. The Devil plots to defeat you. Meet some battle-tested warriors who fight at your side. Satan is real. He’s a formidable foe who wants to snatch us away from God, and the thought of doing battle with him can seem daunting. Even so, the saints who have gone before us have engaged the Devil, armed with the power of Christ … and emerged victorious! These fellow warriors in heaven now fight on our behalf. In Saints Who Battled Satan, Paul Thigpen, author of Manual for Spiritual Warfare, details the heroic combat of 17 saints who defeated the Enemy. In Saints Who Battled Satan, discover: How Satan attacks us through extraordinary assaults and everyday temptations. How these 17 saints used prayer, Scripture, the sacraments, and other spiritual weapons against the Enemy.How the virtues served these saints as combat armor. How these victorious saints now offer their aid to those of us still battling on earth. Read the inspiring and triumphant stories of Padre Pio, Francis of Assisi, Catherine of Siena, Teresa of Avila, John Vianney, and a dozen other saints who battled Satan. You’ll find the strength, the courage, and the faith to win your own war against the Enemy.

There are many complexities associated with ministering to another person. Where does a helper begin? What’s important to notice? Is there an overall ministry strategy that’s beneficial? Saints, Sufferers, and Sinners by author and counselor Michael R. Emlet outlines a model of one-another ministry based on how God sees and loves his people. Emlet helps readers use Scripture to find foundational categories for understanding and approaching one another, which serve as guideposts for wise care. Filled with everyday illustrations as well as counseling examples, Emlet demonstrates what it looks like to approach fellow believers simultaneously as saints, sufferers, and sinners. As part of CCEF's Helping the Helper series, this guide for ministry provides an overall framework for wisely helping any person, balancing all three aspects of our experience as Christians.

Lions of the Faith tells the story of the struggle between the worlds of Christendom and Islam as lived through the great men and women of the Catholic Church. Written in an easy to understand and engaging manner, Lions of the Faith breaks ground through its chronicling the lives of great Catholics whose feats changed history but are seldom remembered today. Researched in a dozen languages and from sources across three continents and fourteen centuries, Lions of the Faith is a rare gem in weaving together the amazing and uncensored story of the Catholic Church's history with Islam."--Cover back.

One terrible night in 2011, Brin Miller’s life is upended when she learns that her teenage stepson has been sexually abusing her two daughters. Once this secret is discovered, Brin’s marriage, already crumbling and unable to sustain itself, breaks apart. But against all odds, Brin and her husband, along with their daughters, are gradually able to learn resilience, forgiveness, strength, and courage, and—miraculously—Brin’s marriage begins to heal. Haunting and horrible yet hopeful and beautiful, Buried Saints is a fast and raw memoir of forgiveness and resilience, a revelatory look into a family deeply destroyed by deceit, and a truly astonishing story about the intense, unpredictable love of two parents who have to decide whether to fall or flourish in a tragic situation.

Is the world better off without Christianity? Combining narrative with keen critique of contemporary debates, author and historian John Dickson gives an honest account of 2,000 years of Christian history that helps us understand what Christianity is and what it's meant to be. To say that the Christian Church has an "image problem" doesn't quite capture it. From the Crusades and the Inquisition to the racism and abuse present in today's Church--both in Catholic and Protestant traditions--the institution that Christ established on earth has a lot to answer for. But the Church has also had moments throughout history when it has been in tune with Jesus' teachings--from the rise of charity to the invention of hospitals. For defenders of the faith, it's important to be able to recognize the good and bad in the church's history and be inspired to live aligned with Christ. For skeptics, this book is a thought-provoking introduction to the idea that Christianity is, despite all, an essential foundation of our civilization. Bullies and Saints will take you on a big-picture journey from the Sermon on the Mount to the modern church: Giving contextual accounts of infamous chapters of Christian history, such as the Crusades, and acknowledging their darkness. Outlining the great movements of the faith and defending its heroes and saints, some of whom are not commonly recognized. Examining the Church beside the teachings and life of Jesus and how it has succeeded in its mission to imitate Christ.