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New Booklet Series – The Faithful Learning Series

Posted on by Kim

The Faithful Learning series invites Christian students to dive deeper into a modern academic discipline. The authors, scholars in their fields, believe that academic disciplines are good gifts from God that, when understood rightly, will give students the potential to cultivate a deeper love for God and neighbor. Each of these booklets are $4.99.

   

1. Soci­ol­ogy by Matthew S. Vos
48 pages
Sum­mary: Christ asks us to be in the world but not of it. Matthew Vos shows us how soci­ol­ogy strength­ens our under­stand­ing of the world’s issues and our rela­tion­ships within it.
2. Phi­los­o­phy by James S. Spiegel
48 pages
Sum­mary: Does phi­los­o­phy have any value for our faith? James Spiegel insists that Chris­tians need phi­los­o­phy to dis­cern wrong ideas and shows us how it can enhance bib­li­cal faith and living.
3. An Invi­ta­tion to Aca­d­e­mic Stud­ies by Jay D. Green
40 pages
Sum­mary: Can aca­d­e­mic study cul­ti­vate and nour­ish our faith, as well as the other way around? Jay Green shows how to embrace aca­d­e­mic study for its poten­tial in study­ing God’s world.
4. Literature by Clifford Foreman
48 pages
Summary: Christians don’t always trust literature, but God used it to reveal himself. This exploration of literature and its forms, using respected authors’ examples, shows us its beauty and scriptural value.

 

About the Authors:

Green_Jay Jay D. Green (MA, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School; PhD, Kent State University) has been professor of history at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, since 1998. Jay is also the Faithful Learning series editor.

 

 

Matthew S. Vos (MEd, University of Tennessee at Vos_MatthewChattanooga; PhD, University of Tennessee at Knoxville) is professor of sociology at Covenant Collge in Lookout Mountain, Georgia.

 

 

Spiegel_Jim James S. Spiegel (MA, University of Southern Mississippi; PhD, Michigan State University) is professor of philosophy and religion at Taylor University in Upland, Indiana.

 

 

 

Clif­ford W. Fore­man (MA, PhD, Boston Uni­ver­sity) is pro­Foreman_Cliffordfes­sor of Eng­lish and mod­er­a­tor of the fac­ulty at Covenant Col­lege in Look­out Moun­tain, Geor­gia, where he has taught since 1986.

 

Read An Excerpt from the 1 Year Devotional – The Story: The Bible’s Grand Narrative of Redemption

Posted on by Kim

The Story: The Bible’s Grand Narrative of Redemption, One Year Daily Devotional for Students, is targeted towards high school and college students. It will take you through the entire story of the Bible in one year. You won’t read every single chapter of the Bible, but you’ll read at least portions from every part of the developing story of God’s salvation for his people. Each day, you’ll read a Scripture passage – usually one chapter or so and sometimes just a few verses. After reading the passage, you’ll read an explanation of the passage, which will seek to make the passage clear, remind you of its place in the story, and make an application to your life.

Read a sample devotional below: Day 323*

Colossians 1: 15-23

Jesus is Lord, and Jesus is enough. You could probably sum up the message of the book of Colossians with that simple sentence. To put it in more technical terms, Colossians argues for the supremacy and the sufficiency of Jesus Christ. Jesus is supreme – the infinitely holy, wise, and powerful God of all creation. Jesus is sufficient – more than enough to not only save and forgive people but also to sustain and empower them for the Christian life. Paul’s goal in the letter to the church at Colossae is to lift Jesus high – to exalt him as the glorious Lord who is more than enough for his people. But why does Paul feel the need to send this message to this church?

It seems that as this church grew, certain people who were opponents of the true gospel of grace began to creep into the community. This happens a lot in the New Testament churches; that should be a lesson for us today! While the essence of the “Colossian heresy” is debated, it seems most likely that it was some kind of Jewish-related mysticism – a strange spirituality that promised deeper holiness, truer knowledge, and a more advanced level of spiritual development. Paul’s goal in this letter is to counter this heresy by showing that nothing more than Jesus is needed – either for salvation or for the Christian life.

In the glorious passage you read today, you saw Paul lifting up Jesus as, first, the Creator of the world. Jesus – the eternally existent second person of the Trinity – was active in creation. We must not forget that! Next, Paul points us to the primacy that Jesus has in relation to the church of God. “And he is the head of the body, the church,” writes Paul; he is also the “firstborn from the dead” (1:18). More than all this, Jesus is the one who brings eternal salvation, peace, and forgiveness through his work on the cross. It is in Christ that we are reconciled to God, because of the “blood of his cross” (1:20). Jesus – Creator, head of the church, bearer of the cross. It’s as if Paul is shouting, “Why would you want or need anything else?”

Do you really – practically – believe that Jesus is enough? Enough to say no to sin? Enough to fill you will ultimate joy, satisfaction, and peace? Paul tells us to believe that Jesus is sufficient for us in every way. Today, pray that you would believe this. Ask God to help you rest in your Savior even more!

 

*Excerpt taken from page 339 of The Story: The Bible’s Grand Narrative of Redemption, One Year Daily Devotional for Students by Jon Nielson, copyright 2014, P&R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ.

BOOK HIGHLIGHT – Taken: The Quest For Truth, Book 1 by Brock Eastman

Posted on by Kim

Taken: The Quest for Truth, Book 1 by Brock Eastman

320 pages | $12.99 | Paperback | Published: 2011 | Series: The Quest for Truth

Summary:
“Five—Four—Three—Two—One!”
“We’re out of here!”

Suit up! Jump into hyper flight with the four Wikk kids! Forced into a high stakes hunt for their missing parents by the sinister Cpt. Vedrik, the siblings’ only hope is their parents’ Archeos e-journal. Can Tiffany decipher the clues within it? As time runs out, it’s all up to Oliver and his Federation training to fly the Phoenix and protect his crew. But twins Mason and Austin endanger the mission when they unexpectedly meet . . . the blue boy!

About the Series:

The Quest for Truth series unfolds as the four Wikk kids are thrust into a desperate race to find the mysterious planet Ursprung and stop the Übel renegades from misusing its long-lost secrets. Ancient cities, treacherous villains, high-tech gadgets, the Phoenix—encounter all of these and more on this futuristic, interplanetary adventure!

Taken – Book 1

Risk – Book 2

Unleash – Book 3

The last 2 books in the series are on schedule to be available in 2015 and 2016.

About the Author:

Eastman_Brock 2 Brock D. Eastman is twenty-nine years old and lives at the base of America’s Mountain with his wife and two daughters. He has the pleasure of working for Focus on the Family and on the Adventures in Odyssey brand as a Producer. He loves movie nights with his wife and their stove-popped popcorn, as well as playing pretend or reading with his daughters.

Brock started writing his first series, The Quest for Truth, in 2005 and five years later with his wife’s encouragement signed a publishing deal. He has since published Sages of Darkness and a book in The Imagination Station series. He’s always thinking of his next story and totes a thumb drive full of ideas. Stay tuned for more from Brock and get connected with him through Facebook, twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Google +, or here on WordPress click below.

What Others Say About This Book:

“Taken wastes no time thrusting its readers headlong into the beginning of what promises to be an epic saga.” – Christopher Miller, Coauthor of the Award-winning Codebearers Series

“Taken is a riveting tale of just how far mankind is willing to go . . . for the ultimate prize.” – Wayne Thomas Batson, Bestselling Author of The Door Within Trilogy

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Our mis­sion is to serve Christ and his church by pro­duc­ing clear, engag­ing, fresh, and insight­ful appli­ca­tions of Reformed theology.

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BOOK HIGHLIGHT – Addictions: A Banquet in the Grave by Edward T. Welch

Posted on by Kim

Addictions: A Banquet in the Grave: Finding Hope in the Power of the Gospel by Edward T. Welch

320 pages | $16.99 | Series: Resources for Changing Lives | Published: 2001

Summary: Scripture reveals addicts’ true condition: like guests at a banquet thrown by “the woman Folly,” they are already in the grave. (Prov. 9:13–18) Can we not escape our addictions? Following Jesus, we have “immense hope that God can give power so that we are no longer mastered by the addiction.”

About the Author:

Edward T. Welch (PhD, University of Utah) serves both the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (CCEF) and Westminster Theological Seminary. At CCEF, he is director of counseling and academic dean, as well as a counselor and faculty member. At Westminster, he is professor of practical theology. He is author of Blame It on the Brain and When People Are Big and God Is Small and has contributed to several other books and journals, including the Journal of Psychology and Christianity.

What Others Say About This Book:

“One of the most helpful books providing practical theology on addictions. Welch’s assessment of addictions as a problem that proceeds from the heart, involving issues of worship and idolatry, is central to helping people grow and change. This is vital reading for church leaders, and for friends and family desiring to help those struggling with addictions.” — John Freeman, Harvest USA

“Destroys the myth that addiction is a disease and sin is a sickness. Welch shows that the hopeless cycle of ‘sickness, recovery, and relapse’ must be replaced with the biblical view of sin, salvation, and sanctification. As a pastor, biblical counselor, and redeemed (not recovering) ex-heroin addict, I believe Welch has given every pastor, parishioner, and anyone caught in the bondage of idolatry/addiction a biblical road map to lasting freedom.” — Peter Garich, Dayspring Center for Biblical Counseling

“Biblically sound, practical, filled with Christ-like compassion. . . . This much-needed book offers real hope and the promise of victory in Jesus to those struggling with addiction.” — Robert A. Emberger, Whosoever Gospel Mission

 

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Our mis­sion is to serve Christ and his church by pro­duc­ing clear, engag­ing, fresh, and insight­ful appli­ca­tions of Reformed theology.

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Author Interview with Stanley Gale

Posted on by Kim

This week’s author interview is with Stanley Gale, author of 3 P&R titles: The Prayer of Jehoshaphat: Seeing Beyond Life’s Storms, What is Spiritual Warfare?, and Why Do We Pray?.

  • Question #1 – Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I am the husband of one wife (Linda), father of four children (Samantha, Luke, Sarah, Nathan), and grandfather of eight (Ruby, Isaac, Weston, Kaylie, Jasper, Asher, Gryphon, Penelope).  I hold Bachelor of Arts and Master of Education degrees from the University of Delaware, a Master of Divinity degree from Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis. I am an ordained pastor in the Presbyterian Church in America and have served my current charge in West Chester, Pennsylvania, since 1988.  In my spare time I enjoy reading, writing and playing tennis.

 

  • Question #2 – Did you always enjoy writing?

I’ve always been a reader and have had an interest in verbal expression, helped in part by my Catholic school education where I learned to diagram sentences and rules of grammar. It’s only in the last dozen years that I turned my attention to writing books and articles. I’m part of a writers’ group where five of us exchange the latest 5-10 pages of books we’re working on. As the only religious nonfiction writer in the group, I have the opportunity to reach out through sharing biblical teaching and to encourage them in their writing. I write as a first student, where my study ministers first to me and then to others. I consider writing a kingdom extension of my ministry as a pastor-teacher.

 

  • Question #3 – Other than the Bible, do you have a favorite book?

It’s hard to narrow it down to a single book, but certainly Knowing God by J. I. Packer is one of the most influential books in my life, setting my trajectory of thought as a young Christian. I’m also a big mystery reader.

 

  • Question #4 – Do you have a favorite quote?

Among my favorite is one I discovered in researching spiritual warfare. It’s by John Bunyan in his book, The Holy War and describes Lucifer’s strategy to neutralize the church (Mansoul). “Let those engaged in this business for us, and let Mansoul be taken with much business, and if possible with much pleasure and this is the way to get ground of them.  Let us but cumber and occupy and amuse Mansoul sufficiently, and they will make their castle a warehouse for goods instead of a garrison for men of war.” Looks like Satan’s tactics have not changed much over the centuries.

 

  • Question #5 – Do you have a favorite book you have written?

P&R has published three of my books, The Prayer of Jehoshaphat, What is Spiritual Warfare?, and Why Do We Pray?, the latter two part of the Basics of the Faith Series. While I like The Prayer of Jehoshaphat to help believers process their trials through the lens of God’s providence and privilege of prayer, it is my contributions to the BoF Series that are my favorite because I believe they bring important dimensions to bear for Christian discipleship. The perspective of spiritual warfare is foundational to a biblical worldview, something for which God equips us in His Word and integral to the believer’s walk and service. Seeing prayer as God’s means not only for communion with Him but given us for the advancement of His kingdom is essential to the walk of the Christian and work of the church.

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Interested in learning more about Stanley and his work?

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