Religion England

Grace is the defining feature of the Christian faith. Once we understand how undeserving we are and how much favor we’ve been given, grace becomes shocking, thrilling, inspiring, and contagious. Best-selling author and Pastor John MacArthur illuminates this profound concept with verse upon verse of Scripture. He also shows that misunderstandings about grace have led to some of the church’s greatest problems, perhaps because grace is her most precious gift.

In 1144 the mutilated body of William of Norwich, a young apprentice leatherworker, was found abandoned outside the city's walls. The boy bore disturbing signs of torture, and a story spread that it was a ritual murder, performed by Jews, in imitation of the Crucifixion as a mockery of Christianity. The outline of William's tale eventually gained currency far beyond Norwich, and the idea that Jews engaged in ritual murder became firmly rooted in the European imagination.

God is both everywhere and always near, yet we often miss him. In our ever-on, busy world, it requires intentionality to encounter God and learn to enjoy him. In Always Near, Robert J. Morgan provides 10 ways we can cultivate the blessings of God’s presence.

England is an ancient land steeped in history and tradition, filled with prehistoric ruins, majestic castles, and a countryside sculpted from millennia of human habitation. Thus, it is not surprising that many believe England is a land filled with ghosts. The Ghosts of London: A Collection of Ghost Stories from the British Capital offers a sampling of the many strange ghost stories and unexplained phenomena that make London such an intriguing place.

You will hear documented evidence that both Roman Catholics and Protestants were originally against Christmas, but why? Like most people, this is probably the first time you are learning that Christmas was outlawed in America and England in the 1650s, and upon discovering this, many would assume these were the actions of anti-Christian politicians that lasted only a few days, weeks, or months, but this is not the case.

A fresh look at stages of spiritual growth shows where you've become stuck and how to get unstuck to experience lasting, fulfilling transformation.

A simple surgery went horribly wrong. Steve Sjogren died on the operating table. He encountered a heavenly world where he felt infinite peace. And then he had to come back - back to a physical reality filled with pain and disability and an endless line of tests. The drama of dying suddenly paled in comparison to the trauma of living. Sjogren could not face this new existence with his same old comfortable understanding of God.

An excellent resource for both individuals and arts ministry teams, the book includes slice-of-church-life scenarios, group discussion questions, and personal action steps.

More fun with the mischievous little Abbey Mice who live high up in a tower of a medieval abbey and their exciting adventures. A trip to visit their cousins in the Caribbean is the venue this time. For children who love to allow their imaginations to run free.

Turning to the Old Testament, John MacArthur presents the simple truth of God's word: his blessing has always had conditions. MacArthur calls the Nation to turn back to God by showing us how we can become a nation that is once again blessed by God.

In Detestable and Wicked Arts, Paul B. Moyer places early New England's battle against black magic in a transatlantic perspective. Moyer provides an accessible and comprehensive examination of witch prosecutions in the Puritan colonies that discusses how their English inhabitants understood the crime of witchcraft, why some people ran a greater risk of being accused of occult misdeeds, and how gender intersected with witch-hunting.

THE RIGHT OF SANCTUARY IN THE ENGLISH TRADITION takes the listener on a historical, criminal, and legal odyssey through the ancient practice of sanctuary, which was granted to fugitives fleeing from justice, by Catholic churches in England, during the Middle Ages. The book begins with a discussion of the origin of sanctuary, being rooted in the six Levitical cities of the Old Testament, and continuing through the Middle Ages and beyond.

London is one of the great cities of Europe, a center of commerce, art, and science for more almost 2,000 years. Visitors today are treated to world-class museums, pulsing nightlife, and fine dining. But one does not have to search far beyond this prosperous and modern façade to glimpse an older and more unusual London; in fact everywhere one looks, ancient traditions and old patterns emerge.

In the year 1700 a large number of the population of the English county of Yorkshire attended a place of worship on a regular basis. By 2011 the national census showed that 60% of people in Yorkshire still identified themselves as Christian but that only 6% regularly attended a place of worship. Sheila McGeown traces this dramatic decline in the fortunes of organised religion in the county over the last three hundred years and chronicles the decline and fall of the various faiths

Collins presents a 'mental diet' of 10 negative attitudes to lose during times of hardship that hinder character development, strain relationships with others, and diminish faith.

The Bishops’ Wars: The History of the Religious Conflicts that Engulfed Britain and Led to the First English Civil War examines one of the most tumultuous periods in England’s history. Along with pictures depicting important people, places, and events, you will learn about the Bishops’ Wars like never before.

The Church is very good at saying all the right things about racial equality. But the reality is that the institution has utterly failed to back up these good intentions with demonstrable efforts to reform. It is a long way from being a place of Black flourishing.

"These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also." That was the startled cry, circa AD 50, from a hastily assembled mob in Thessalonica. These men who have turned the world upside down: their description of Paul and Silas. Holy vandals on the loose, anointed marauders running amok, men out ransacking Roman cities with the gospel. Above all, Your Church Is Too Safe is a biblical reflection and exhortation on why we should be like this.

Read a number of shorter, interesting pieces including one on Rowan Williams and meeting the Pope with Benedictine Camaldolese monks, and a short essay on Elvis Presley singing Gospels. Read also about Lewis Lapham, and even a book review on Christ's last words - all by Peter Menkin.

Just as a physically healthy person - at an ideal weight and with good blood pressure and cholesterol numbers - might not actually be fit enough to run a 5k, so churches can appear healthy - with no obvious issues, maintaining a healthy size - and yet not exhibit fitness. A fit church is one that is not satisfied with merely coasting along with no problems. A fit church is actively making disciples, maturing in faith, developing strong leaders, reaching out to the community, and more.