Impossible People: Christian Courage and the Struggle for the Soul of Civilization

The church in the West is at a critical moment, facing militant assaults from aggressive secularism and radical Islam. What is needed, says Os Guinness, are "impossible people," followers of Christ who are willing to face reality without flinching and respond with a faithfulness that is unwavering. Christians are called to be impossible people, full of courage and mercy in challenging times.

We live in a world that seems to be on the verge of coming apart. Shootings. Killer viruses. The threat of nuclear war. All of it is just too real. Why does the apocalypse craze in movies and video games appeal to so many people so strongly? One answer is it shows us the primal foundations of our existence. In the same way, what's happening in our world today is moving Christians to return to the foundations of our spiritual existence. Believers everywhere must get back to what matters most. We must always remember that our battle, at its most basic level, is spiritual. So, what are the spiritual tools--the essentials--that Scripture tells us we must remember and use as the end draws near? In The End Times Survival Guide, you will discover ten spiritual tools the Bible relates directly to our preparation for the Lord's coming--ten biblical survival strategies to live out in these last days so you and your family can prosper in an increasingly decaying, darkening world. These strategies won't guarantee your physical or financial well-being, but they are guaranteed to bring life and vitality to your spiritual health and welfare as you cling to the immovable rock of God's Word. When life is whittled down to its essence, the real issue is our spiritual condition before God. Discover how you can protect yourself and your family spiritually in these dark days.

Contrasting two Protestant justices who hold distinctively different worldviews, Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist and Justice Harry A. Blackmun, this book explores how each came to hold his worldview, how each applied it in Supreme Court rulings, and how it led them to differing outcomes for liberty, equality, and justice. This clash of worldviews between Rehnquist, whose religious and philosophical influences were anchored in the Reformation, and Blackmun, whose Reformation theology was modified by Enlightenment philosophy, provide the context to examine the true nature of justice, liberty, and equality and to consider how such ideals can be maintained in a society with increasingly divergent worldviews.

How do we make the most of life and the time we have? In the midst of our harried modern world, Os Guinness calls us to consequential living, reorienting our notion of history not as cyclical nor as meaningless, but as linear and purposeful. We can seek to serve God's purpose for our generation, read the times, and discern our call for this moment in history.

Imagine Imagine someone with a mind so healthy that he doesn’t need to see a psychiatrist. Ever. Yet that person runs the gauntlet of taunting, mockery and false accusations. People turn against him. Friends disown and desert him. He stands alone. Amazingly, two thousand years after his death, the taunts still fly. Films and books appear with fresh accusations and oh-so-convincing arguments. How can this man be discredited and silenced for once and for all? More to the point, can he? As psychiatrists, we need to speak up. Enough is enough. Shadow us as we examine what we believe to be the most fascinating mind in all of history. Dare you imagine a different reality? And what will this mean in practice? Jesus had greater influence than any other person who ever lived. Yet atheistic detractors often portray him as insane or deranged. Claims gather momentum. Often they are left unchallenged. Is there any basis for such claims? The authors, respected psychiatrists, consider Jesus's words, actions and teaching, and use fascinating insights from psychiatry to make an assessment. We need confidence to weigh up the evidence and reach robust conclusions. The authors enable us to articulate a strong defence of Jesus's mental health. They help us dispel doubts, affirm our faith and present a captivating portrait of Jesus. Foreword by John Lennox Part 1 Showing that Jesus was not mentally ill 1 The mind of Christ through a psychiatrist's eye 2 Out of his mind - was Jesus psychotic? 3 A man of sorrows - did Jesus suffer from any other mental disorder? Part 2 Showing that Jesus had a health mind, proved by the coherence of his words and deeds 4 The test of his character - and the crowds were amazed 5 The test of a consistent life - what evil has he done? I find no crime in him 6 The test of meaningful relationships - encounters that transformed lives 7 The test of adversity - lessons without words in suffering 8 The test of influence - his power to change people Epilogue The test of his claims - who do you say I am?

An internationally renowned speaker and author offers a new perspective on the controversial issue of relevance of the church.

The Bible teaches, and history confirms, that to the degree that nations have applied the principles of the Bible in all spheres of life is the degree to which they have prospered, been free, and acted justly. Learn biblical principles as they apply to various spheres of life. Examine the role of the church, the family, the media, and civil government in a nation, and learn what you can do to bring Godly reform.

This professional baseball player shares the mountaintops and valleys of his experiences, including setting a modern-day pitching record for the National League and his decision to accept Jesus Christ as his Savior.

Arthur Herman has now written the definitive sequel to his New York Times bestseller, How the Scots Invented the Modern World, and extends the themes of the book—which sold half a million copies worldwide—back to the ancient Greeks and forward to the age of the Internet. The Cave and the Light is a magisterial account of how the two greatest thinkers of the ancient world, Plato and Aristotle, laid the foundations of Western culture—and how their rivalry shaped the essential features of our culture down to the present day. Plato came from a wealthy, connected Athenian family and lived a comfortable upper-class lifestyle until he met an odd little man named Socrates, who showed him a new world of ideas and ideals. Socrates taught Plato that a man must use reason to attain wisdom, and that the life of a lover of wisdom, a philosopher, was the pinnacle of achievement. Plato dedicated himself to living that ideal and went on to create a school, his famed Academy, to teach others the path to enlightenment through contemplation. However, the same Academy that spread Plato’s teachings also fostered his greatest rival. Born to a family of Greek physicians, Aristotle had learned early on the value of observation and hands-on experience. Rather than rely on pure contemplation, he insisted that the truest path to knowledge is through empirical discovery and exploration of the world around us. Aristotle, Plato’s most brilliant pupil, thus settled on a philosophy very different from his instructor’s and launched a rivalry with profound effects on Western culture. The two men disagreed on the fundamental purpose of the philosophy. For Plato, the image of the cave summed up man’s destined path, emerging from the darkness of material existence to the light of a higher and more spiritual truth. Aristotle thought otherwise. Instead of rising above mundane reality, he insisted, the philosopher’s job is to explain how the real world works, and how we can find our place in it. Aristotle set up a school in Athens to rival Plato’s Academy: the Lyceum. The competition that ensued between the two schools, and between Plato and Aristotle, set the world on an intellectual adventure that lasted through the Middle Ages and Renaissance and that still continues today. From Martin Luther (who named Aristotle the third great enemy of true religion, after the devil and the Pope) to Karl Marx (whose utopian views rival Plato’s), heroes and villains of history have been inspired and incensed by these two master philosophers—but never outside their influence. Accessible, riveting, and eloquently written, The Cave and the Light provides a stunning new perspective on the Western world, certain to open eyes and stir debate. Praise for The Cave and the Light “A sweeping intellectual history viewed through two ancient Greek lenses . . . breezy and enthusiastic but resting on a sturdy rock of research.”—Kirkus Reviews “Examining mathematics, politics, theology, and architecture, the book demonstrates the continuing relevance of the ancient world.”—Publishers Weekly “A fabulous way to understand over two millennia of history, all in one book.”—Library Journal “Entertaining and often illuminating.”—The Wall Street Journal

This introduction to contemporary theology looks at the origin and history of each movement, their major figures, and doctrinal emphases. The author evaluates the teachings and practices of each system in light of biblical Christianity.

A forthright but compassionate work that examines the problem of doubt thoroughly, in a way that will respond to people's questions, settle their fears and strengthen their faith.

An internationally known writer and speaker on religion and public life brilliantly analyzes the causes of our current moral malaise. Os Guinness examines how perilously close we have come to losing the shared beliefs, traditions, and ideals that have helped shape America and sets forth a compelling view of a new role for religion and faith.

Our world is changing dramatically, yet many Christians still rely on cookie-cutter approaches to evangelism and apologetics. In his magnum opus, Os Guinness presents the art and power of creative persuasion—the ability to talk to people who are closed to what we are saying. Discover afresh the persuasive power of Christian witness.

Now in paperback, this helpful volume by pastor and best-selling author John MacArthur guides readers in cultivating a biblical worldview on a wide range of issues. What we think shapes who we are. That's why the Bible tells us, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind" (Romans 12:2a). In a world of differing voices competing for our allegiance, we must learn to "think biblically" so we can distinguish good from evil. God is the Creator of this world; his voice-his Word-must guide our thoughts and our lives. With the Bible in their hands, John MacArthur and other scholars and teachers from the Master's College confront the false worldviews that dominate our postmodern world. The authors provide models for cultivating a biblical mind-set on worship, psychology, gender, science, education, history, government, economics, and literature. This book will help anyone who is striving to think biblically in today's culture.

Cultural observer Os Guinness argues that the American experiment in freedom is at risk. Guinness calls us to cultivate the essential civic character needed for ordered liberty and sustainable freedom. True freedom requires virtue, which in turn requires faith. Only within the framework of what is true, right and good can freedom be found.

Is society beyond all hope of redemption as the Christian faith seems more and more irrelevant in our modern world? In Renaissance, Os Guinness declares that the church can once again change the world and become a renewing power in our society if we answer the call to a new Christian renaissance.

An influential pastor, podcaster, and thought leader believes it's not only possible to predict life's hardest moments, but also to alter outcomes, overcome challenges, and defeat your fiercest adversaries. Founding Pastor of one of North America's most influential churches, Carey Nieuwhof wants to help you avoid and overcome life's seven hardest and most crippling challenges: cynicism, compromise, disconnectedness, irrelevance, pride, burnout, and emptiness. These are challenges that few of us expect but that we all experience at some point. If you have yet to confront these obstacles, Carey provides clear tools and guidelines for anticipation and avoidance. On the other hand, if you already feel stuck in a painful experience or are wrestling with one of these challenges, he provides the steps you need to find a way out and a way forward into a more powerful and vibrant future.

The searing record of four decades of terror and oppression distilled into one abridged volume Drawing on his own experiences before, during, and after his eleven years of incarceration and exile, Solzhenitsyn reveals with torrential narrative and dramatic power the entire apparatus of Soviet repression. Through truly Shakespearean portraits of its victims, we encounter the secret police operations, the labor camps and prisons, the uprooting or extermination of whole populations. Yet we also witness astounding moral courage, the incorruptibility with which the occasional individual or a few scattered groups, all defenseless, endured brutality and degradation. Solzhenitsyn’s genius has transmuted this grisly indictment into a literary miracle.

Recognizing that tyranny takes on secular as well as traditional guises, Os Guinness seeks a return to the first principles of religious and political freedom. Hearkening back to the "soul liberty" of English Puritan Roger Williams, Guinness argues that a society's greatest bulwark against abuse lies in its people's freedom of conscience.