Showing results by author "Barry Clay" in All Categories

In the title "Predestination and Free Will", Mr. Clay explored the tension between two seemingly irreconcilable theological positions. He explained that there were two main camps, and he explained why they disagree, and how he believed the two positions could be combined to a more correct understanding of the scriptures. In this chapter taken from his book "Solid Ground", Mr. Clay talks about the Reformed doctrines of eternal security, total depravity, irresistible grace, limited atonement, and the preservation of the saints. He contrasts them with the opposing positions and explains which ...

Short, absolutely true reflections about amusement parks from Walt Disney World to the completely unknown, written by a man who dislikes roller coasters -- that is sure to make you laugh. This account is also included in the anthology "Molded by Humor."

While the "Solid Ground" titles which were taken from the book "Solid Ground" discuss various aspects of biblical doctrine and why they are important, "Meat and Drink Issues" explore those differences among Christians that aren't really important, how we should handle those differences, and how we can tell the difference between what's important and what isn't.

Can we believe anything we want? Does what we believe matter? This edition is an excerpt from the book "Solid Ground." It explores the importance of belief and how it affects our lives even while it discusses how belief in doctrine is, by itself, limited. It was written with both believers and unbelievers in mind, and it forms the foundation on which the "Solid Ground" series is built. It also discusses "cults", what they are, and how we should react when they come knocking at our doors.

Discover the truth about the government consuming your tax dollars from a now-retired federal employee of more than thirty-seven years. Chock full of amusing (and sometimes horrific) anecdotes (as well as the author's entertaining cartoons), no one who pays taxes and wonders how their money is being spent should miss this book. It’s only one man’s look at one federal organization’s inefficiency, but are the other ones any better? We can only hope. But if they aren’t and if you read this book, you can also chuckle at the lunacy.

Has someone ever told you (generally with a sneer) that the Bible endorses slavery and then asks how you can believe the Bible because of that? In this excerpt from his book, "Solid Ground," Mr. Clay demonstrates that what you've heard about the Bible and the question of slavery isn't quite true and presents a full picture of what the Bible says, and God really wants.

Have you ever encountered a Christian whose representation of God struck you as – cruel? In all likelihood, that Christian was Reformed. Christian thought is varied, but among those Christians who take their Bibles seriously, there are two main threads of Christian thought. One is the Calvinist (also called Reformed) camp. It is named after John Calvin, a 16th century French theologian. The other camp is the Arminian camp, named after Jacobus Arminius, a Dutch theologian who lived shortly after Calvin. Christians have been arguing over these two competing views for centuries. Often, non-...

The Psalmist asked "What is Man that You are mindful of him?" This excerpt from the book, "Solid Ground" explores that topic thoroughly but briefly. Drawing from the statements in the Bible, Mr. Clay reveals how man was created and how man has changed since the day of his creation.

Almost every Christian denomination practices at least two sacraments: communion and baptism. In this excerpt from the book "Solid Ground", Mr. Clay discusses the different modes of water baptism, and what is important -- and not important -- for the believer to understand. As in all the "Solid Ground" titles, Mr. Clay tackles a difficult topic in a book small enough to be read in one sitting, and yet he discusses the topic thoroughly enough that no other book may be necessary!

It should come as no surprise to hear than God had a plan when He created the world. This excerpt from the book "Solid Ground" discusses that plan. It begins with His temporary plan, Moses and the Old Covenant, and ends with the glorious good news of the Gospel. And we talk about the Man who made it possible to move from animal sacrifice and the Ten Commandments to faith in God, Jesus Christ. If you want to understand Christianity better, do not miss reading this excerpt. This is the central portion of the Christian faith. Everything either leads here or comes from here, and every Christian...

Jesus famously said "You cannot serve God and Mammon." But how do we serve God and not serve Mammon? Don't we work for money and purchase the necessities of life with it? What exactly did Jesus mean? What do we do with our money? This chapter from the book "Solid Ground" explores this topic in a way that is sure to astonish many a Christian. Mr. Clay challenges each believer to return to the Bible and discover what it really says about God and Gold. The answer may surprise you.

Variety is the spice of life we are told. Well, there's a fair amount of variety in this collection of novelettes comprising mystery, humor, science fiction, and horror. In "The Case of the MelRoy Theatre Ghost", Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John H. Watson tackle a haunting by a ghost of a man who may not be dead. In the winner of the 1984 Samuel Freiberg Memorial award for mystery, a young man discovers that "The Name of the Frame" is his own when he discovers a dead body in his third story apartment. In an all too possible future world, Clone Tank Nurse Susan Bachman learns that her job wasn't...

From the author of The Darkened Village and The Medium of Death comes two new novellas detailing the exploits of the world’s first consulting detective, Sherlock Holmes, and his faithful chronicler, Dr, John H. Watson. In “The Extraordinary Disappearance of the Carstairs Special,” Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard hires Sherlock Holmes to find a train commissioned by a rich man that disappears—along with its passengers and crew—between two railway stations, vanishing without a trace. Someone proposes an unlikely solution to the mystery: Martians. Sherlock Holmes is not amused. ...

"There is probably no more enjoyable treatise for a believer to write in a book on doctrine than the one that describes our salvation, its nature, and how we can be saved." This is how Mr. Clay begins this except from his book, Solid Ground. Mr. Clay addresses the question "How can you be saved?" along with " What might prevent you from being saved?" With great pleasure springing from a faith that has lasted for over 50 years, Mr. Clay explores how we are saved, and with great sorrow he explains what prevents people from being saved. If you are believer, this title will provide you with a ...

Jesus said, "Do this in remembrance of Me." What does communion mean to the Christian, and how should it be observed? This short title, taken from a chapter from the book "Solid Ground" discusses how believers should approach the communion table, at what communion means.

"How does good literature get lost?" Barry Clay asks in the forward of "The Adventures of Romain Kalbris." Clay has rescued a nearly forgotten work of the popular French children's author, Hector Malot, the "Rick Riordan" of his day. Clay has translated and adapted it for a modern audience with new illustrations by Joshua McClymont. "The Adventures of Romain Kalbris" tells the story of a boy who wants nothing more than to follow in is father's footsteps and be a sailor. But when his father dies at sea, heroically saving members of a crew in mortal peril, his mother sends him to live with ...

Spiritual Authority is not a topic of most sermons and generally absent from any discussion of Christian life, and yet it is essential in many ways to the challenges facing the Christian in the 21st century. In this excerpt from his book, "Solid Ground", Mr. Clay explores 1) how authority works for the church, home, and world, 2) how these spheres differ, and 3) how the Christian should interact with them - particularly when they are wrong. If you have ever wrestled with obeying authority in your life, this is a title that will help you understand what God would have you do.

In this controversial excerpt from his book "Solid Ground," Mr. Clay enters territory on which, he says, angels fear to tread, and attempts to answer the question: are there God-designed differences between a man and a woman, and, if so, what are they? No matter your opinion on this topic, you are sure to benefit from Mr. Clay's explanation of what the Bible says about men and women, and how their differences are designed to forward the family and the kingdom of God.

One of Job's friends tells him, "Man is born for trouble as sparks fly upwards." The media talks about wars, famines, tsunamis, mud slides, rapes, murders, and untimely deaths from disease. Atheists point to these tragedies and claim that this proves God doesn't exist, or if He exists, He isn't good. Or, if He's good, He isn't powerful enough to do anything about it. In this excerpt from his book, "Solid Ground", Mr. Clay explains that the answer to this question isn't difficult for the Christian because this topic is explored deeply and with great wisdom in the Bible. God is both good and ...

Both believers and unbelievers have found the end of the world as we know it to be a fascinating topic. The Mayans predicted the end of the world in 2012, and many Christian authors have confidently predicted the future based on their interpretation of the scriptures only to be overtaken by actual events. "How It All Ends" is a collection of chapters from the book "Solid Ground" that explores what we can and can't know from the Bible about the end of the world. Mr. Clay explores the topic of the end of the world with humility where the Bible isn't clear and with confidence in those areas ...