What is a church? This can be a difficult question to answer and Christians have offered a variety of perspectives. Gregg Allison thus explores and synthesizes all that Scripture affirms about the new covenant people of God, capturing a full picture of the biblical church. He covers the topics of the church's identity and characteristics; its growth through purity, unity, and discipline; its offices and leadership structures; its ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper; and its ministries. Here is a rich approach to ecclesiology consisting of sustained doctrinal reflection and wise, practical application. Part of the Foundations of Evangelical Theology series.

An epic novel set in the rugged interior of British Columbia, the first volume of a trilogy which traces the lives of four generations of a family of exiles. Beginning in 1900, and concluding with the climactic events leading up to the Millennium, the series follows Anne and Stephen Delaney and their descendants as they live through the tumultuous events of this century. Anne is a highly educated Englishwoman who arrives in British Columbia at the end of the First World War. Raised in a family of spiritualists and Fabian socialists, she has fled civilization in search of adventure. She meets and eventually marries a trapper-homesteader, an Irish immigrant who is fleeing the "troubles" in his own violent past. This is a story about the gradual movement of souls from despair and unbelief to faith, hope, and love, about the psychology of perception, and about the ultimate questions of life, death and the mystery of being. Interwoven with scenes from Ireland, England, Poland, Russia, and Belgium during the War, Strangers and Sojourners is a tale of the extraordinary hidden within the ordinary. It is about courage and fear, and the triumph of the human spirit.

Arthur Thurner tells of the enormous struggle of the diverse immigrants who built and sustained energetic towns and communities, creating a lively civilization in what was essentially a forest wilderness. Their story is one of incredible economic success and grim tragedy in which mine workers daily risked their lives. By highlighting the roles women, African Americans, and Native Americans played in the growth of the Keweenaw community, Thurner details a neglected and ignored past. The history of Keweenaw Peninsula for the past one hundred and fifty years reflects contemporary American culture--a multicultural, pluralistic, democratic welfare state still undergoing evolution. Strangers and Sojourners, with its integration of social and economic history, for the first time tells the complete story of the people from the Keweenaw Peninsula's Baraga, Houghton, Keweenaw, and Ontonagon counties.

"Controversies in politics and religion, customs of family life and society, obligations of labor and chances to play, questions of free will, democracy, the separation of church and state, religious toleration, treatment of Indians---these form the matter of this book." -- Publisher's description.

Historical Theology presents the key pillars of the contemporary church and the development of those doctrines as they evolved from the history of Christian thought. Most historical theology texts follow Christian beliefs in a strict chronological manner with the classic theological loci scattered throughout various time periods, movements, and controversies—making for good history but confusing theology. This companion to the classic bestseller Systematic Theology is unique among historical theologies. Gregg Allison sets out the history of Christian doctrine according to a topical-chronological arrangement—one theological element at a time instead of committing to a discussion of theological thought according to its historical appearance alone. This method allows you to: Contemplate one tenet of Christianity at a time, along with its formulation in the early church—through the Middle Ages, Reformation, and post-Reformation era, and into the modern period. Become familiar with the primary source material of Christian history's most important contributors, such as Cyprian, Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, Barth, and others. Understand the development of evangelical doctrine with a focus on the centrality of the gospel. Discern a sense of urgent need for greater doctrinal understanding in the whole church. Historical Theology is an easy-to-read textbook for any Christian who wants to know how the church has come to believe what it believes today. Gregg Allison's clear and concise structure make this resource an ideal introduction to Christian doctrine.

Those looking for a single resource that collects clear teachings on the most important doctrines of Christianity need look no further than Gregg Allison's 50 Core Truths of the Christian Faith. This volume covers foundational doctrines of the nature and works of God, the Bible, God's created beings, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, salvation, the church, and the end times. And each chapter features clear guidance for how to teach and apply the doctrine today. Pastors, Sunday school teachers, and lay students of theology will find this an indispensable resource for understanding and teaching Christian theology.

The modern world is full of diasporas. African Americans, and Muslims and Hindus in Europe, are some of the best known among them. The concept of 'diaspora' has spread rapidly in academic writing and the popular press. But what is a diaspora ? Derived from Jewish tradition, the word is now often applied to any minority which has migrated from its place of origin. Increasingly, the criterion used by journalists and academics for identifying such minorities is ethnic identity rather than religious allegiance. The present volume explores the ways in which the term 'diaspora' has been applied in past and present to various religious communities in different contexts. It considers under what circumstances people may be classified as living in a diaspora, and the consequences this has for their position in society. Specific chapters study Africans in modern Europe, Jews in ancient Egypt, Syrians throughout the Roman empire, Hindus in Britain and Muslims in the Netherlands today, and other so-called diaspora communities.