Systematics

7 Books That Rocked the Church, by Daniel Crane, explores controversial books throughout history that the Christian church has famously disavowed--and asks the question why?

Engagingly written and thoughtfully researched, this book explores what the "fuss" was all about with books ranging in date from the second century after Christ to more contemporary authors. Books by Karl Marx, Charles Darwin, Galileo Galilei, and many others profoundly upset the church by calling into question foundational Christian doctrines or beliefs. Most of the books discussed here were banned at some time by Christian authorities.

The author's aim is to challenge Christians to respond critically but open-mindedly to books that oppose a Christian worldview. Readers of 7 Books That Rocked the Church will come away better equipped to answer the charge that the church is intolerant of competing ideas. They will also develop the ability to interact with new and possibly dangerous ideas that comport with Jesus' admonition to be wise as serpents but gentle as doves. This book also includes discussion questions for further study.

1. Valentinus the Gnostic: Who Doesn't Love a Conspiracy Theory? (Think The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown)

2. Galileo Galilei: A Scandal of Religion, Science, and Politics

3. Voltaire's Candide, Enlightenment Rationalism, and the Church's Thin Skin

4. Darwin's Origin of Species: The Many Faces of Evolutionary Theory

5. Marx's Communist Manifesto: The Red Bull of the Masses

6. Sigmund Freud's Ego

7. Joseph Campbell: Christianity as an (Almost) Enlightened Myth (A book that strongly influenced George Lucas's Star Wars films)

A.G. Voigt's Biblical Dogmatics is a short and comprehensive account of Christian Theology from a Lutheran perspective. Voigt uses the traditional Loci method of Lutheran Scholasticism, while being sensitive to the best of early twentieth century Biblical scholarship. He covers all major topics in Christian theology, and does so in a manner that is readable and exegetically sensitive. This is an ideal introduction to Lutheran Dogmatics. Among the topics covered in this work are: Theology proper, the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, the nature of salvation, the sacraments, the church, and eschatology. Voigt's approach to these issues is Biblical and Confessional.

Description: ""The Church, who is she?"" asks Bo Giertz in this book, which, he adds, ""is first of all for those who have some notion of the life which is present within the church walls and also have some desire to understand that life better and know more about it."" If you're among the tens of thousands who've read Giertz's bestselling novel The Hammer of God about ordinary people in their relation to the Church and her message, then you know his ability to engage you in the dramatic events of everyday life. Giertz shows the same engaging ability, when he in Christ's Church takes you on a walk from her biblical roots toward her glorious future. Endorsements: ""Christ's Church demonstrates the resilient vigor of Bo Giertz's literary work. First published under the dark clouds of an erupting world war in 1939, Christ's Church has not lost its power to convict and comfort. If anything the vitality of Giertz's book is even more potent in our day of pluralism, doctrinal indifference, and inbred suspicion of all religious institutions. Confident of the church's oneness in Christ, built secure on the foundation of the apostolic Word, Giertz sees the church as a living legacy of God's faithfulness. This is a book that speaks with clarity and conviction to seasoned Christians at home in the Father's house as well as to those who stand outside but peep in the window, seeking a glimpse of life lived in God's family"" --John T. Pless Assistant Professor of Pastoral Ministry and Missions Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana ""One of the most insightful thinkers in the rich tradition of Swedish theology, Bo Giertz drew deeply from the biblical roots of the church's understanding of itself out of the midst of his daily routine as parish pastor. Anchored in the incarnation, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Bo Giertz's succinct but penetrating synthesis of biblical teaching on God's people assembled by the Holy Spirit rings true around the world seventy years after its composition. Giertz aids readers to embrace the catholic practice of the church and to bring the Gospel to those around us at the beginning of the twenty-first century."" --Robert A. Kolb Missions Professor of Systematic Theology, Emeritus Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri-- About the Contributor(s): Bo Giertz (1905-1998), Bishop of Gothenburg in the Lutheran Church of Sweden, was voted the most influential Swedish church leader during the 1900s. He penned no less than thirty books. Christ's Church was his first, written at the age of thirty-three.

The faithful practice of closed Communion is challenged in our day both culturally and ecclesiastically. As Western culture careens down a path of individualism and autonomy, the privatization of faith leads many to regard participation in the Sacrament as a matter of personal entitlement.

This book documents today's rising rates of cremation in the West, and notes that these rates now include many deceased Christians, a stark contrast to Christians in the past who had consistently rejected cremation from their earliest years in pagan Rome to the mid-1960s. Christians opposed and spurned cremation for a number of reasons, discussed in this book. By mid-fourth century, Christianity's rejection of cremation influenced pagan Rome to abandon cremation. Earth burial became the only acceptable way to dispose of deceased humans, resulting in a major cultural change in the West. Converts to Christianity had to promise they would never be cremated. Graveyards were named coemeteria, Latin for where dead people "sleep;" from which we get the word "cemetery," a name now contradicted by cremation.

This book is a clarion call to Christians. Dr. Schmidt has amassed historical, biblical, theological, and practical evidences that the modern Christian church will only refuse to hear to its great loss, both now and at the judgment Seat of Christ where we each shall receive what is due to for things done "while in (might we add "to") the body" (2 Corinthians 5:10).

--Craig A. Parton, M.A., J.D. United States Director,

International Academy of Apologetics, Santa Barbara, California.

This powerful apologetic clearly establishes that cremation fails to find endorsement in the inspired Holy Scriptures. Dr. Schmidt's research will prove invaluable for those who might query the need for burial rather than cremation. Hopefully, this book will have a wide influence on Christian thought and practice.

--Donald Howard, Pastor Emeritus, Anglican Church, Diocese of Sydney,

NSW, Australia. Author of Burial or Cremation: Does It Matter?

I heartily recommend Dr. Schmidt's excellent book Cremation, Embalmment, or Neither?A Biblical/Christian Evaluation to clergy and faithful laypeople alike concerned with the increasing rates of cremation among Christians. This will be in keeping with the Apostle Paul's admonition: "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of the world" (Romans 12:2).

--Archpriest Victor S. Potapov, Rector,

Russian Orthodox Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, Washington, DC.

This book provides an excellent opportunity for Christians to engage in deep theological thought regarding end of life decisions. Dr. Schmidt has thoroughly documented the historical roots for Christian burial. A must read for all Christians.

--Beth Hoeltke, Ph.D., Librarian, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, MO.

The 18 essays in this volume offer a cross-section of Preus's research and commentary on the doctrine of justification and on the Lutheran Confessions and their application in the life of the church today. Also included in this volume are 4 reflections on the life and ministry of Robert Preus provided by David P. Scaer, John Stephenson, Kurt Marquart and Daniel Preus.

Preface and introduction written by Klemet I. Preus, Robert's son.

Many factors contributed to the Protestant Reformation, but one of the most significant was the debate over the doctrine of justification by faith alone. In fact, Martin Luther argued that justification is the doctrine on which the church stands or falls. This comprehensive volume of 26 essays from a host of scholars explores the doctrine of justification from the lenses of history, the Bible, theology, and pastoral practice--revealing the enduring significance of this pillar of Protestant theology.