The Old Testament prophets spoke to Israel in times of historical and moral crisis. They saw themselves as being a part of a story that God was weaving throughout history--a story of repentance, encouragement, and a coming Messiah. In this updated introductory book, each major and minor prophet and his writing are clustered with the major historical events of their time. Our generational distance from the age of the prophets might seem to be a measureless chasm. Yet we dare not make the mistake of assuming that passing years have rendered irrelevant not only the Old Testament prophets, but also the God who comprehends, spans, and transcends all time. In these pages, C. Hassell Bullock presents a clear picture of some of history's most profound spokesmen--the Old Testament prophets--and the God who shaped them.

David F. Wells's award-winning book No Place for Truth - called "a stinging indictment of evangelicalism's theological corruption" by TIME magazine - woke many evangelicals to the fact that their tradition has slowly but surely capitulated to the values and structures of modernity. In God in the Wasteland Wells continues his trenchant analysis of the cultural corruption now weakening the church's thought and witness with the intent of getting evangelicals to rethink their relationship to the "world." Wells argues that the church is enfeebled in part because it has lost its sense of God's sovereignty and holiness. "The fundamental problem in the evangelical world today," says Wells, "is that God rests too inconsequentially upon the church.^

His truth is too distant, his grace is too ordinary, his judgment is too benign, his gospel is too easy, and his Christ is too common." God has become weightless to the extent that the church no longer allows him to shape its character, outlook, and practice. Evangelicals have become heavily invested in the mind-set of modernity - a mind-set that Wells correlates with the biblical concept of the "world." They have become enamored of advanced management and marketing techniques, have blurred the distinctions between Christ and culture, and have largely abandoned their traditional emphasis on divine transcendence in favor of an emphasis on divine immanence. In doing so, they have produced a faith in God that is of little consequence to those who believe. An extensive survey of students at seven evangelical theological seminaries - the results of which are included in this book - indicates that the next generation of evangelical leaders is as caught up in these trends as the laity.^

Arguing that the church's diminished appetite for truth will not be restored without repentance and a fresh encounter with the holy God, Wells makes a compelling case for urgently needed reform in the evangelical church. Without such reform, he says, evangelical faith will be lost in and to the modernity that has invaded the church.

The kingdom of God is the called out people of God (Col. 1:1314) from the world of darkness as the spiritual family of Christ. The kingdom of God is bound up in the age of grace and truth and is the fulfillment of Gods promise to Abraham to bless all nations of people. The kingdom of God in prophecy started during the Roman rule (Dan. 2:44) with the Jews at Pentecost in Jerusalem (ca. 33 AD) and then to the Gentile world to include our present age. Jesus reigns as Lord and Christ over His church / the kingdom of God in the twenty-first century and continues to call people of every nation to walk with Him by faith, repentance, and baptism in His name until the consummation of all things and His second return. The Christian Age is the eschatology (Last Day events) of Jesuss reign under the leadership of the Holy Spirit through the preached Word. The salvation of the Gentile nations is the final work of God to restore what was lost in heaven through Satan and his angels (Rev. 12:710). When Jesus appears, his reign ends, and the spiritual family and the church of Christ / kingdom of God will go home.

John Calvin is the most notable figure from the Reformed tradition. Unfortunately, he is often characterized as a stern and cerebral individual who had little concern for practical matters. However, Calvin was actually influential in promoting a profound sense of piety among early Protestantism. In The Soul of Life , Joel R. Beeke presents the life and ministry of Calvin with a special emphasis on Calvin's efforts for cultivating healthy spirituality among the churches. The selections from Calvin's own work will give readers a firsthand look at Calvin's emphasis on godliness, and by God's grace, will be a means for spurring on greater godliness in our day. Table of Contents: The Life of John Calvin The Piety of John Calvin Section One: The Definition and Importance of Piety Section Two: Piety's Supreme Goal, Soli Deo Gloria Section Three: Theological Dimensions Piety's Profound Root: Mystical Union Piety's Double Bond: The Spirit and Faith Piety's Double Cleansing: Justification and Sanctification Section Four: Ecclesiological Dimensions Piety Through the Church Piety of the Word Piety in the Sacraments Piety in the Psalter Section Five: Practical Dimensions Prayer Repentance Self-Denial Cross-Bearing The Present and Future Life Obedience Recommended Books by or about Calvin Series Description Seeking, then, both to honor the past and yet not idolize it, we are issuing these books in the series Profiles in Reformed Spirituality . The design is to introduce the spirituality and piety of the Reformed Profiles in Reformed Spirituality tradition by presenting descriptions of the lives of notable Christians with select passages from their works. This combination of biographical sketches and collected portions from primary sources gives a taste of the subjects' contributions to our spiritual heritage and some direction as to how the reader can find further edification through their works. It is the hope of the publishers that this series will provide riches for those areas where we are poor and light of day where we are stumbling in the deepening twilight.