LITMIR.BIZ

Mormon Prophet and Tenth President, Joseph Fielding Smith, once said:
Mormonism, as it is called, must stand or fall on the story of Joseph Smith. He was either a prophet of God, divinely called, properly appointed and commissioned, or he was one of the biggest frauds this world has ever seen. There is no middle ground. If Joseph Smith was a deceiver, who willfully attempted to mislead the people, then he should be exposed; his claims should be refuted, and his doctrines shown to be false . . . The doctrines of false teachers will not stand the test when tried by the accepted standards of measurement, the Scriptures. –Doctrines of Salvation, 1:188.
Brigham Young, Prophet and Second President offered this challenge:
Well, now examine the character of the Savior, and examine the character of those who have written the Old and New Testament; and then compare them with the character of Joseph Smith, the founder of this work . . . and you will find that his character stands as fair as that of any man's mentioned in the Bible. We can find no person who presents a better character to the world . . . than Joseph Smith. –Journal of Discourses, Vol. 14, p. 203.
Combining their research in Mormonism to author this work, Charles A. Crane and his son, Steven A. Crane, would like to accept the challenge and show why many, even among the LDS faith, are Ashamed of Joseph.

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Too many students are disappointed. They want to make a difference in their chosen professions. They are inspired by successful visionaries, but they have little idea how to follow in their oversized footsteps. Their colleges and universities promise more professional development than they can possibly deliver, especially in terms of moral development for the professions. Experts coming from a range of perspectives in higher education agree that moral formation for the professions must increasingly take place in higher education. Tragically, the recent evolution of teaching has stripped educators of much of the rationale for moral formation. The recent record of moral lapses by managers testifies to this crisis of moral education. The authors call for a revival of moral formation in higher education for the professions. They supply the needed resources to redesign classic as well as cutting-edge teaching and learning toward practical moral education in the professions. This book is carefully designed to apply traditional Christian principles appropriately to evolving professional practices. The authors' strategies address the problems surrounding calling, vocation, and the growing need for virtue training in the professions. In particular, the authors provide clear direction for how to meet the need for professional profiles that meet the standards of the marketplace. Practice and Profile provides the reader with a tested and proven model of faith formation appropriate to the professions. It also goes into specific, useful detail as to how the model mobilizes learning in classroom and professional settings. It aids institutions of higher learning in their struggle with demands for new learning environments and new moral competencies. Foremost, it gives students a grasp of how to become dedicated professionals who make a difference.

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Secret Scrolls is the very first examination of some forty novels in which someone discovers a new gospel. Sometimes it turns out to be a hoax; will it be debunked before it can work its mischief? If it proves genuine, will it be brought to light? Or will corrupt church officials manage to prevent it? The book evaluates what each author has to say about historical Jesus scholarship or New Testament research in general. Sometimes the authors have done their homework; other times they haven't bothered, and they wind up dishing up crazy rewrites of history and outlandish theories. These novels deal with abiding issues of faith, even without some new discovery. As soon as one engages in biblical apologetics, one has stepped onto the marshy ground of probabilistic arguments, an entirely different epistemology that automatically replaces simple faith. And so one comes to hold one's religious convictions more tentatively, having become genuinely vulnerable to new evidence. One may not remain a believer for long. On the other hand, one invites fanaticism if one's faith is dangerously predicated on the assurance that no new discovery will send one back to the drawing board. Secret Scrolls assesses what each author imagines it would take to derail and debunk Christianity. How mighty a blow must be dealt before the religion would fall? Dan Brown's notion that a married Jesus would debunk the Nicene Creed is laughable. As Wilbert Francis Howard once argued in his brief and fascinating history of New Testament research, there is a genuine «romance of New Testament scholarship,» and many of us are delighted to have the adventure continue in the speculative imaginations of capable novelists. These books can both entertain and educate, and so will Secret Scrolls.

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Divorce, the termination of marriage, currently affects approximately one out of two marriages in the United States. There is no guarantee for those attending church required marital preparation classes or by celebrating a religious ceremony that the union will not conclude in the tragedy of divorce. As the Church lists marriage as a vocation (a call from God), it is quite evident that in many cases God is not a part of the lived out experience of many married couples. Though much literature has been written on this topic, December Roses details the thought processes associated with the planning and execution of a divorce and the painful emotions and feelings which occur, while at the same time providing a means of prayerful healing for those involved in the divorce situation. Divorce touches many issues and feelings. As marriages die and friendships are broken, the pain cries out for healing. Pastorally, through case study, reflection, and prayer, the issues inherent in any divorce are brought forward to the healing movements of God. As a priest for twenty-six years, I have witnessed, counseled, and cried with family, friends, and parishioners as divorce took its toll on very good people. This book is written with the faith that God is greater than our human moments of grief. Through God's compassion, healing is possible.

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John Williamson Nevin, architect of the nineteenth-century movement, the Mercersburg Theology, has increasingly gained respect as one of the most important theologians of American history and the broader Reformed tradition. Accompanied by the great historian, Philip Schaff, Nevin faced a headwind of American individualism, subjectivism, and sectarianism, but nevertheless forged ahead in articulating a churchly, sacramental theology rooted in the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. Drawing from the well of German Idealism and Romanticism, Nevin proposed a theological hermeneutic that was greatly at odds with the prevailing methods of his day. Nevertheless, Nevin persisted in his efforts, confident that the concepts of organic unity, catholicity, and incarnation offered a vital corrective to the tendencies of the American church and society. Hence, Nevin's theological polemics, while often focused on matters of ecclesiology and sacraments, also have much to offer in the way of a much broader theology of history, mankind, and culture. In this latest contribution to studies in the Mercersburg Theology, Borneman extracts from the Nevin corpus those writings which speak to the predominant social and political trends of the antebellum era, trends which have endured to the present day. Nevin's efforts toward a liturgically-oriented, unified, prophetic church stood over and against many of these trends. Bringing to the fore the implications of Nevin's efforts, Borneman joins a chorus of recent scholars and theologians who insist that Nevin has just as much to say to the church of the present as he did to the church of the nineteenth century.

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The Passion of Christ is observed by people all around the world as one of the more significant days on the Christian calendar. In certain parts of the world, such as the Philippines, the re-enactments of the crucifixion can go so far as to include actual nails driven through the hands of participants as they wail in pain. Is this the way we are to learn about the crucifixion? Will a re-enactment teach us the truth of the cross? The text of John 18 and 19 teaches us clearly the facts of the crucifixion and is surrounded by intrigue and mystery. For too long, Protestant Christianity has neglected the years of scholarship in pre-reformation and post-reformation Roman research. In The Trials and Passion of Christ, Michael Cannon brings together the best of Protestant and Roman scholasticism to uncover significant details surrounding the trials and the drama of the crucifixion on Golgotha. This book is a journey, reading nearly like an eye-witness report, through the trials, the suffering, and the passion of Christ.

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Prayer is an often practiced, more often neglected, and less often understood practice of Christendom. Counselors prescribe prayer as a means to reduce stress and lower blood pressure. Some approach prayer as Eastern meditation, some as an expression of tongues, and other traditions offer chants in a strict liturgical form. John 17 offers the reader an unusual opportunity to listen to a prayer. Some might say the prayer in John 17 is the prayer of all prayers, the true definition of the Lord's prayer. Drawing on classic commentators, Michael Cannon casts John 17 in a pastoral light showing the grace, wisdom, and love of Christ for his people as he pours his heart out before his heavenly Father on their behalf. While these were messages originally preached in the context of worship, they also serve as a detailed commentary on one of the most beloved passages of Scripture.

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In 1989 Dr. Robert Vande Kappelle cycled solo cross-country. The 3,400-mile trip was the seed project for the Washington County (Pennsylvania) chapter of Habitat for Humanity. For forty-two days he went «Homeless for Habitat,» placing himself and his personal needs in the hands of strangers he met along the way. At the beginning he cycled across some of the most mountainous–and spectacular–terrain in America. After he crossed the Rockies, a nagging headwind arose, which only intensified with time. That, coupled with a deteriorating bicycle–along one of the most desolate stretches of the journey–produced spiritual testing of epic proportions.
He was tempted to compromise the integrity of the trek, then to quit the trek, and finally to curse his circumstances. He sensed he was climbing an invisible mountain, whose top could not be reached. After venting his anger and frustration, he discerned that tailwinds and flat terrain rarely evoke wisdom. Insight flows freely, however, from the watershed atop life's invisible mountains.
The Invisible Mountain narrates the account of that trek. The story examines the trek as adventure, spiritual odyssey, and as metaphor for the journey of life.
In the words of Millard Fuller, co-founder of Habitat for Humanity International and The Fuller Center for Housing: «Ride with [Bob Vande Kappelle] as you read. You will enjoy the trip and you will gain all sorts of insights . . . and perhaps most importantly, you will learn about yourself and grow spiritually as you experience vicariously the wonderful adventure of this 'journey of faith.'»

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Alister McGrath's work on the relationship between Science and Theology makes the most notable contribution to the subject written by an evangelical in recent history. McGrath holds earned doctorates in both science and theology, and his three volume set, A Scientific Theology, is the culmination of three decades of his work on the subject. In this book, James K. Dew explores McGrath's contribution to the issue and highlights the benefits of adopting a critical realist perspective such as his own. In particular, Dew argues that McGrath's approach helps establish a unified theory of knowledge, and holds significant advantages for scientists and theologians alike.

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A Land Like Your Own explores the ways the Bible has reused previous traditions and has subsequently been reused by both Jews and Christians. The ten essays included cover a broad range of topics in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and subsequent traditions, but they all highlight the many ways in which the traditions associated with Israel have impacted communities. A Land Like Your Own will interest anyone involved in biblical studies (students and scholars alike) through its wide-ranging array of topics, highlighting how interconnected the many biblical studies subdisciplines truly are.

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