John may be the most artful and poetic of the gospels; it demands and rewards study of its literary shape, the power of its metaphors (eg - "I am's), Jesus' deep discourses, and the beauty of his unfolding passion throughout its chapters. Jesus, the Word made flesh, emerges powerfully and personally, so it is no surprise that John sums up his Gospel's message as "so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name" (John 20:31). John offers a theologically deep answer and a compelling historical narrative as to the identity and purpose of God's anointed Son. - Publisher.

The NIV is the world's best-selling modern translation, with over 150 million copies in print since its first full publication in 1978. This highly accurate and smooth-reading version of the Bible in modern English has the largest library of printed and electronic support material of any modern translation.

The ecumenical movement of the 20th century was a quest for unity born of a missionary concern for the world. Thus, from the beginning of present-day ecumenism, mission has been inextricably linked with unity. This volume explores the themes of unity, mission, and their relationship. Seventeen Roman Catholic and Protestant scholars offer essays in honour of George Vandervelde, a leading evangelical ecumenist from the Reformed tradition.

When Your Knowledge of the Original Languages of the Bible Is Limited and You Don't Want to Lose Anything in the Translation If you want to get all the rich nuances and shades of meaning of the original Bible languages, the Amplified Bible is for you. No knowledge of Greek or Hebrew is required-just a desire to know all that God says in his Word. With its unique system of brackets, parentheses and italics, the Amplified Bible defines and expands key words and phrases right in the text. Verse by verse, the full meaning of Scripture unfolds as you read. And this Bible features other study aids as well to help you clearly understand God’s Word: - Footnotes-provide concise historical and archaeological information and devotional insights, plus hundreds of references to select sources and authors. - Book Introductions-tell you about the book’s author, background, purpose, and themes. - Concordance-helps you find the location of verses (25,000 entries). - Bibliography and Glossary-give you a handy list of the sources cited in the study notes and the most frequent amplifications in the text.

The national directory addresses the dimensions and perspectives in the formation of deacons and the model standards for the formation, ministry, and life of deacons in the United States. It is intended as a guideline for formation, ministry, and life of permanent deacons and a directive to be utilized when preparing or updating a diaconate program in formulating policies for the ministry and life of deacons. This volume also includes Basic Standards for Readiness for the formation of permanent deacons in the United States, from the bishops' Committee on the Diaconate, and the committee document Visit of Consultation Teams to Diocesan Permanent Diaconate Formation Programs.

The publication of the King James version of the Bible, translated between 1603 and 1611, coincided with an extraordinary flowering of English literature and is universally acknowledged as the greatest influence on English-language literature in history. Now, world-class literary writers introduce the book of the King James Bible in a series of beautifully designed, small-format volumes. The introducers' passionate, provocative, and personal engagements with the spirituality and the language of the text make the Bible come alive as a stunning work of literature and remind us of its overwhelming contemporary relevance.