Bruce Ashford

ECPA Christian Book Award 2021 Finalist: Biography & Memoir Explore Apologetics through the Lives of History's Great Apologists The History of Apologetics follows the great apologists in the history of the church to understand how they approached the task of apologetics in their own cultural and theological context. Each chapter looks at the life of a well-known apologist from history, unpacks their methodology, and details how they approached the task of defending the faith. By better understanding how apologetics has been done, readers will be better able to grasp the contextualized nature of apologetics and apply those insights to today's context. The History of Apologetics covers forty-four apologists including: Part One: Patristic Apologists Justin Martyr by Gerald BrayIrenaeus of Lyons by Stephen O. PresleyAthenagoras of Athens by W. Brian SheltonTertullian of Carthage by Bryan M. LitfinOrigen by A. Chadwick ThornhillAthanasius of Alexandria by Jonathan MorganAugustine of Hippo by Chad MeisterPart Two: Medieval Apologists John of Damascus by Daniel J. JanosikTheodore Abu Qurrah by Byard BennettTimothy I of Baghdad by Edward L. Smither and Trevor CastorAnselm of Canterbury by Edward N. Martin and Steven B. CowanSaint Thomas Aquinas by Francis J. Beckwith and Shawn FloydRamon Lull by Greg PetersGregory Palamas by Byard BennettPart Three: Early Modern Apologists Hugo Grotius by Bryan BaiseBlaise Pascal by Tyler Dalton McNabb and Michael R. DeVitoJonathan Edwards by Michael McClymondWilliam Paley by Charles TaliaferroJoseph Butler by David McNaughtonPart Four: 19th C. Apologists Simon Greenleaf by Craig A. PartonJohn Henry Newman by Corneliu C. SimutSøren Kierkegaard by Sean A. Turchin and Christian KetteringJames Orr by Ronnie CampbellB. B. Warfield by Kim RiddlebargerPart Five: 20th C. American Apologists J. Gresham Machen by D. G. HartCornelius Van Til by K. Scott OliphintGordon Haddon Clark by Robert A. WeathersFrancis A. Schaeffer by William EdgarEdward John Carnell by Steven A. HeinPart Six: 20th C. European Apologists A. E. Taylor by Michael O. Obanla and David BaggettG. K. Chesterton by Ralph WoodDorothy Sayers by Amy Orr-EwingC. S. Lewis by Alister McGrathDietrich Bonhoeffer by Matthew D. KirkpatrickLesslie Newbigin by Krish KandiahPart Seven: Contemporary Apologists John Warwick Montgomery by Craig A. PartonCharles Taylor by Bruce Riley Ashford and Matthew NgAlvin Plantinga by James BeilbyRichard Swinburne by Greg WeltyWilliam Lane Craig by R. Keith LoftinGary R. Habermas by W. David Beck and Benjamin C. F. ShawAlister E. McGrath by James K. Dew and Jordan SteffaniakTimothy Keller by Joshua D. Chatraw

In our self-help, DIY culture, we love the idea of improvement. We make-over wardrobes and restore houses and commit ourselves to better habits. But we're still left feeling empty and not-quite-enough. That's because what we need is not an upgrade but a complete upending of our lives. We need to be reborn. And it's not something we can do by ourselves. With deep compassion, Clayton King shares the compelling stories of 12 broken people who came face-to-face with Jesus in the New Testament and got a second chance at life. A respected religious leader, an ostracized woman, a despised embezzler, a condemned thief--all of them flawed, sinful, full of regret--encountered Jesus and were never the same. Along with their stories, King shares contemporary stories of people struggling with addiction, lust, greed, and depression, showing that Jesus still meets people right where they are and changes them from the inside out. If you're tired of going through the religious motions by your own power and long to experience the radical life and heart change that Jesus promised, it's time for an encounter with Jesus. It's time to be reborn.

A rich portrayal of living faithfully and happily as a Christian with same-sex attraction that paints a compelling picture of discipleship for every believer. In this powerful and personal book, author Rachel Gilson describes her own unexpected journey of coming out and coming to faith... and what came next. As she does so, she addresses many of the questions that Christians living with same-sex attraction are wrestling with: Am I consigned to a life of loneliness? How do I navigate my friendships? Will my desires ever change? Is there some greater purpose to all this? Drawing on insights from the Bible and the experiences of others, Born Again This Way provides assurance and encouragement for Christians with same-sex attraction, and paints a compelling picture of discipleship for every believer. Whatever your sexuality, this book is an inspiring testimony of how a life submitted to Jesus will be fulfilling and fruitful, but not always in the ways we might expect.

Americans today are frustrated and anxious. Our economy is sluggish, and leaves workers insecure. Income inequality, cultural divisions, and political polarization increasingly pull us apart. Our governing institutions often seem paralyzed. And our politics has failed to rise to these challenges. No wonder, then, that Americans -- and the politicians who represent them -- are overwhelmingly nostalgic for a better time. The Left looks back to the middle of the twentieth century, when unions were strong, large public programs promised to solve pressing social problems, and the movements for racial integration and sexual equality were advancing. The Right looks back to the Reagan Era, when deregulation and lower taxes spurred the economy, cultural traditionalism seemed resurgent, and America was confident and optimistic. Each side thinks returning to its golden age could solve America's problems. In The Fractured Republic, Yuval Levin argues that this politics of nostalgia is failing twenty-first-century Americans. Both parties are blind to how America has changed over the past half century -- as the large, consolidated institutions that once dominated our economy, politics, and culture have fragmented and become smaller, more diverse, and personalized. Individualism, dynamism, and liberalization have come at the cost of dwindling solidarity, cohesion, and social order. This has left us with more choices in every realm of life but less security, stability, and national unity. Both our strengths and our weaknesses are therefore consequences of these changes. And the dysfunctions of our fragmented national life will need to be answered by the strengths of our decentralized, diverse, dynamic nation. Levin argues that this calls for a modernizing politics that avoids both radical individualism and a centralizing statism and instead revives the middle layers of society -- families and communities, schools and churches, charities and associations, local governments and markets. Through them, we can achieve not a single solution to the problems of our age, but multiple and tailored answers fitted to the daunting range of challenges we face and suited to enable an American revival.

Jesus' Great Commission is one of the key pillars of the church's evangelistic work and has been the guiding principle for missionaries throughout church history. In 40 Questions about the Great Commission, scholars Daniel Akin, Benjamin Merkle, and George Robinson unpack the meaning, history, theology, and practical applications of Jesus' command to go and make disciples. Ideal for personal or group study, this volume will reignite your passion for evangelism while answering key questions like:Where do we stand in relation to fulfilling the Great Commission?How do baptism and teaching relate to the Great Commission?What is the meaning of "I am with you always, to the end of the age"?How does the Old Testament relate to the Great Commission?What is the special contribution of each Gospel's version of the Great Commission?What is the responsibility of the local church to the Great Commission?What are some mobilization resources that can help churches and individuals to become Great Commission focused? Other highlights include an overview of some of the great evangelists and missionaries in church history, and a collection of notable quotations on the Great Commission, ideal for teaching and preaching. "40 Questions About the Great Commission is an indispensable text for any pastor, professor, or student who cares about the Christian mission. In it, a biblical scholar, missiologist, and seminary president join forces to answer every question you've ever asked―or never asked―about our Lord’s parting commission to his disciples. Substantive, lucid, and compelling." --Bruce Ashford, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary "The church has one job. It is called the Great Commission. Every Christian soldier should know the who, the what, the why, and the where of the marching orders left by our Lord and Commander-in-Chief, and this book does just that in an engaging and encouraging way. Read it and then get on with it!" --James Merritt, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary "This book is a succinct and at the same time wide-ranging exposition of the commission of Jesus given to the disciples and thus to the church to proclaim the gospel far and wide. The authors elucidate the meaning of key passages in Scripture and thus present the geographical scope, the theological content, and important historical parameters of the mission of the church. This book deserves to be read by every Christian believer committed to the glory of God in all the world and to the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ." --Eckhard J. Schnabel, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

Discover God in the messiness of your marriage, as popular marriage and family columnist Joshua Rogers offers spouses hope with real-life stories from his own marriage and helps you see how God is at work in the ordinary and extraordinary of your relationship. Confessions of a Happily Married Man is a husband's painfully honest account of his first ten years of marriage. It offers a window into the perspective of a man who went from "hello" to "I do" in nine months and then figured out how hard marriage could be. When Joshua Rogers thought back on the marriage books he had read or sermons about marriage he had heard, it occurred to him that he could only remember one thing about them: the stories. That's why this book is anchored by stories that other couples will relate to and can easily learn from. The stories are cringe-worthy, humorous, inspiring, heart-breaking, and full of wisdom--but the author isn't telling the reader what to do with that wisdom. He's letting the reader learn along with him as he's gradually becoming more self-aware, increasingly grateful for his wife, and surprised to discover what God is doing in the middle of it all.

What you believe about politics matters. The decades since the Cold War, with new alignments of post–9/11 global politics and the chaos of the late 2010s, are swirling with alternative visions of political life, ranging from ethnic nationalism to individualistic liberalism. Political ideologies are not merely a matter of governmental efficacy, but are intrinsically and inescapably religious: each carries certain assumptions about the nature of reality, individuals and society, as well as a particular vision for the common good. These fundamental beliefs transcend the political sphere, and the astute Christian observer can discern the ways―sometimes subtle, sometimes not―in which ideologies are rooted in idolatrous worldviews. In this freshly updated, comprehensive study, political scientist David Koyzis surveys the key political ideologies of our era, including liberalism, conservatism, nationalism, democracy, and socialism. Koyzis gives each philosophy careful analysis and fair critique, unpacking the worldview issues inherent to each and pointing out essential strengths and weaknesses, as well as revealing the "narrative structure" of each―the stories they tell to make sense of public life and the direction of history. Koyzis concludes by proposing alternative models that flow out of Christianity's historic engagement with the public square, retrieving approaches for both individuals and the global, institutional church that hold promise for the complex political realities of the twenty-first century. Writing with broad international perspective and keen analytical insight, Koyzis is a sane and sensible guide for Christians working in the public square, culture watchers, political pundits, and all students of modern political thought.