Showing titles in Religious Figures

John Bunyan's life was an exciting one. That's what he had wanted as a young man. He had left the security of his father's workshop to join the Parliamentary troops fighting against King Charles. There was no way he was going to settle for a boring life, but over time, the thirst for excitement was replaced with a longing for something more. A friend takes him aside in the heat of battle and asks him if he has a faith. And for the first time, John Bunyan hears about the only way to get to heaven, which is through the Lord Jesus Christ and his sacrifice on the cross.

Over 1600 years ago, God raised up a man named Patrick to take the Gospel of Christ to the people of Ireland. Seldom in church history has any missionary been blessed with a more fruitful ministry. The preaching of Patrick was used by God to transform many of the Irish people from idol-worshiping pagans into servants of the one true God of Scripture.

In his 95 years, Norman Vincent Peale made a profound difference. The son of a minister in Lynchburg, Ohio, he went on to preach the Lord's word at Manhattan's now-famous Marble Collegiate Church, where he served as pastor for 52 years and oversaw the church's growth from 600 members to more than 5,000. He had a popular radio program for more than half a century and appeared regularly on television.

According to legend, when the founder of Zen Buddhism was asked about the main principle of his holy teaching, he replied that there was "nothing holy about it!" Now, a millennium and a half later, Tim Burkett reveals how and why the wisdom of nonholiness is the key to a joyful heart. You don't need to go looking for something sacred - the happiness you seek is right where you are.

Marcantonio Colonna's The Dictator Pope has rocked Rome and the entire Catholic Church with its portrait of an authoritarian, manipulative, and politically partisan pontiff. Occupying a privileged perch in Rome during the tumultuous first years of Francis' pontificate, Colonna was privy to the shock, dismay, and even panic that the reckless new pope engendered in the Church's most loyal and judicious leaders.

How did one man-a humble monk and Bible professor-spark a religious rebellion that changed the course of history? What made Martin Luther's theology so explosive in 16th-century Europe? How did this late-medieval man launch the Protestant Reformation and help create the modern world? And how should we think of him: hero or heretic, rebel or tormented soul? Find out the answer to these questions and more in this series of 24 engaging lectures.

Fans of Chuck Norris may see him as an action hero in the John Wayne mold, but his autobiography presents a different image of the "Walker, Texas Ranger" star. Norris describes himself as a shy youth who finally blossomed while studying martial arts as a soldier in South Korea. His...

Deborah Feldman, author of the explosive New York Times–bestselling memoir Unorthodox, returns with an extraordinary follow-up that traces her new life as an independent young woman and single mother, and her search for an authentic and personal Jewish identity...

Sex. In a world overwhelmingly obsessed with it, why is the church so silent about it? While our secular culture twists, perverts, cheapens, and idolizes sex, there are gaping holes in the church's guidance of young people. The result is generations of sexually illiterate people drowning in the repercussions of overwhelming sin struggles. Enough is enough, says Mo Isom. With raw vulnerability and a bold spirit, she shares her own sexual testimony, calling listeners back to God's original design for sex - a way to worship and glorify him. 

The engrossing, moving biography of one of China's better-known Christians, the dedicated evangelist and gifted Bible teacher Watchman Nee.

For the first time, the remarkable couple depicted in The Blind Side tells their own deeply inspiring story First came the bestselling book, then the Oscar-nominated movie—the story of Michael Oher and the family who adopted him has become one of the most talked-about true stories of our time...

You've watched Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey, the top 5 true-crime docuseries on Netflix. Now discover the revealing memoir of one woman featured in the series who was forced into polygamous marriage and her brave struggle to protect others from the same fate. Rebecca Musser grew up in fear...

Part of the Jewish Encounter series From one of our most trusted spiritual advisers, a thoughtful, illuminating guide to that most fascinating of biblical texts, the book of Job, and what it can teach us about living in a troubled world. The story of Job is one of unjust things happening to a...

New York Times bestselling author Nadia Bolz-Weber takes no prisoners as she reclaims the term "pastrix" (a term used by some Christians who refuse to recognize female pastors) in her messy, beautiful, prayer-and-profanity laden narrative about an unconventional life of faith.? "I've given away...

"There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends." —John 15:13. Just days before Chad Williams was scheduled to report for basic training at the Great Lakes naval base, he turned on the television and was greeted with the horrifying image of his mentor and training...

In 1974 Charles W. Colson pleaded guilty to Watergate-related offenses and, after a tumultuous investigation, served seven months in prison. In his search for meaning and purpose in the face of the Watergate scandal, Colson penned Born Again. This unforgettable memoir shows a man who, seeking...

Jonathan Edwards was just an ordinary American boy but he was different too. The country he lived in wasn't the America of today - but a new world full of adventure and opportunity. Battles and Tomahawks were just some of the thrilling adventures that his family lived through. But Jonathan also loved the small things in life too. In an age of scientific discovery, Edwards saw God's beauty displayed most perfectly through nature. His journals are filled with drawings of plants, animals, and spiders because he knew that each one of them reflected the creativity of its creator.

In A Sinner in Mecca, author and filmmaker Parvez chronicles his pilgrimage as a very openly gay Muslim to Saudi Arabia, where Islam's heart beats . . . and where being true to himself is punishable by death. Risking his life, Parvez embarks on a Jihad of the self—filming his experience along the way. Already under fire for his documentary A Jihad for Love, which looks at the coexistence of Islam and homosexuality, he would undoubtedly face savage punishment if exposed—from being thrown off a cliff to public beheading.

Many looked on Gladys Aylward's expedition to mainland China as foolhardy and dangerous. It was. On her own, as a single female, she carried her passport and other documents, along with the only money and belongings that she had, in a small briefcase with a teapot and a saucepan tied to the handle. After having purchased her one-way ticket to China, she left the UK with a single-minded determination to do what God had commanded her. She knew she was meant to go to China - even if no mission was prepared to support her.

Hudson Taylor was a sickly child. He was often ill and had very poor eyesight. But God chose him to evangelize the Chinese. So, at the age of 21, Hudson Taylor left the United Kingdom to sail half way around the world to China. Why did he do this? He did it to tell the Chinese people about the good news of Jesus Christ and to give them a message of hope. This story covers Hudson's childhood and traumatic teenage years as well as his life as a well-known pioneer missionary.