FREE SAMPLE Offer (postage only) If you are not familiar with this annual worldwide call to Christians to participate in prayer for the Muslim world, you may want to order this free 2009 editio...[More]

FREE SAMPLE Offer (postage only) If you are not familiar with this annual worldwide call to Christians to participate in prayer for the Muslim world, you may want to order this free 2009 edition booklet (while the content is new in each annual edition, the approach and design is similar enough to give you a good impression as to what you can expect in the current year's edition). The 30 Days Muslim Prayer Focus is for Christians to learn about and pray for Muslims during each year's Ramadan (Islam's important annual month of fasting and religious observance).

Each year a new illustrated prayer guide booklet is published in dozens of languages and locations around the world (the North American edition can be ordered here; it is in full-color). The booklet contains daily reading pages with prayer points, informative background articles, and resources for further study and involvement. While it is primarily produced for use during Ramadan, many individuals and churches use it also at other times throughout the year.

The 2011 edition will become available in May (Ramadan in 2011 starts August 1.)

ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITY: If you have a ministry, project, resource, seminar, event, etc. that focuses on the Muslim world and you want to advertise it in the upcoming booklet, click here; your potential audience could not be more interested![Less]

Building Bridges in Muslim Evangelism In order to understand and minister to Muslims, Christians must first understand the Qur'an. This guide for Christians explains the central messages of the...[More]

Building Bridges in Muslim Evangelism In order to understand and minister to Muslims, Christians must first understand the Qur'an. This guide for Christians explains the central messages of the Qur'an in simple terms and illustrates how knowledge of Islam's sacred text can aid evangelism and religious understanding. In "A Christian Guide to the Qur'an," Raouf and Carol Ghattas have created a tool that can build bridges of understanding between Christians and Muslims. Drawing upon their years of experience working in Muslim cultures and their extensive knowledge of Islam, the authors outline the worldview set forth in the Qur'an with a focus on evangelism. The authors also helpfully provide a glossary of Arabic terms and three appendices detailing important dates in Islam, biblical names found in the Qur'an, and biblical references in the Qur'an.[Less]

A Congressman's Quest to Bridge the Muslim-Christian Divide. Former Congressman and Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Mark D. Siljander takes us on an eye-opening journey of personal, rel...[More]

A Congressman's Quest to Bridge the Muslim-Christian Divide. Former Congressman and Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Mark D. Siljander takes us on an eye-opening journey of personal, religious, and political discovery. In the 1980s, Siljander was a newly minted Reagan Republican from Michigan who joined Congress in the same generation as Newt Gingrich and Tom DeLay, ready to remake the world. A staunch member of the Religious Right, he once walked out of the National Prayer Breakfast when a speaker quoted from the Qur'an.

But after losing reelection, Siljander dove into the Bible to look for the passage in which the Bible says it is our job as Christians to convert others in order to save them from eternal damnation. He couldn't find it; in fact, he couldn't even find a passage saying that Jesus set out to form a new religion. This discovery was the first step on a spiritual and political journey that started with an in-depth linguistic study of the Bible and led to the discovery that Christianity and Islam share many base words and concepts. In his role as ambassador to the United Nations Siljander began sharing his insights on the connections between Islam and Christianity, with surprising results.

"A Deadly Misunderstanding" recounts Siljander's amazing discoveries as he travels to some of the most remote and hostile places in the world--deep into Libya, Sudan, Pakistan, and India--forging deep ties with both heads of state and religious leaders. What he has learned could radically shift the contemporary religious landscape and help heal the rift between Islam and the West. No Christian or Muslim will be unaffected after reading this book.

A friend of mine in Washington recommended this book to me as a must read. I have to say that I do not think that I have read a more important book in the last few years that has serious implications for all peoples of faith, government and civil servants and diplomats. This book is about "a deadly misunderstanding dividing our world today that need not do so tomorrow." It is about common ground that we all share that will be key to our future of living together. -- Steve Good YWAM Mercy Ministries[Less]

Sometimes the world doesn't make sense. Things seem random and disconnected, and we wonder if there's any purpose to it all, any meaning to our lives. But what if everything could make sense? What if ...[More]

Sometimes the world doesn't make sense. Things seem random and disconnected, and we wonder if there's any purpose to it all, any meaning to our lives. But what if everything could make sense? What if the scattered pieces are actually meant to fit together?

Alex McLellan says that figuring out life is like assembling a jigsaw puzzle. You don't have to have every piece in place before you start to see the big picture. You just need enough important pieces to fit together. There are enough clues in the universe and in human experience to discern that there is an underlying order and significance to all things.

McLellan explores competing views of truth and belief and examines the nature of doubt. Ultimately Christianity is reasonable because it resonates with how we see and experience the world. Even if we don't have absolute certainty, we have enough to go on to have confidence in the Christian worldview.

You don't have to have all the answers. Just start putting the pieces together, and the big picture will emerge.

"As an adjunct apologist with Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, Alex McLellan is a tremendous asset to our international speaking team. His writing is equally compelling, for he shows how metaphor and real-life stories make sense of the gospel for skeptics and believers alike. I wholeheartedly recommend this book." —Ravi Zacharias, author and speaker

"This is a warm, well-informed, conversational approach to worldview issues. McLellan presents an effective cumulative-case strategy for making sense out of life by navigating the waters of competing worldviews. Readers will be strengthened in their faith and equipped to share that faith with others." —J. P. Moreland, distinguished professor of philosophy, Talbot School of Theology, and author of The God Question[Less]

In an age when Christians are often more fearful and suspicious of Muslims than warm and relational, 'A Muslim's Heart' will help you understand Muslim culture and how to share Christ within their con...[More]

In an age when Christians are often more fearful and suspicious of Muslims than warm and relational, 'A Muslim's Heart' will help you understand Muslim culture and how to share Christ within their context. A practical, quick-to-read guide, this book is ideal for those befriending Muslims at home and abroad.[Less]

Christian theology evolves out of questions that are asked in a particular situation about how the Bible speaks to that situation. This book, African Christian Theology, is written to address question...[More]

Christian theology evolves out of questions that are asked in a particular situation about how the Bible speaks to that situation. This book, African Christian Theology, is written to address questions that arise from the African context. It is intended to help students and others discover how theology affects our minds, our hearts, and our lives. As such, it speaks not only to Africans but to all who seek to understand and live out their faith in their own societies

Samuel Kunyihop understands both biblical theology and the African worldview and throws light on areas where they overlap, where they diverge, and why this matters. He explores traditional African understandings of God and how he reveals himself, the African understanding of sin and way the Bible sees sin, and how the work of Christ can be understood in African terms.

The treatment of Christian living focuses on matters that are relevant to Christians in Africa and elsewhere, dealing with topics such as blessings and curses and the role of the church as a Christian community. The book concludes with a discussion of biblical thinking on death and the afterlife in which it also addresses the role traditionally ascribed to African ancestors.[Less]

Observations from Africa. African Friends and Money Matters grew out of frustrations that Westerners experience when they travel and work in Africa. Africans have just as many frustrations rela...[More]

Observations from Africa. African Friends and Money Matters grew out of frustrations that Westerners experience when they travel and work in Africa. Africans have just as many frustrations relating to the Westerners in their midst. Each uses and manages money and other resources in very different ways, and these differences create many misunderstandings and frictions.

The author deals with everyday life in Africa. He first introduces the very different goals of African and Western economic systems and then presents ninety observations of African behaviors related to money matters. Explanatory comments are given that show how each one works out in real life. He illustrates his and others' experiences with anecdotes from across the continent. Drawings by two African artists add further clarity to the text as they capture Africans and Westerners in authentic situations. The result is that the reader is able to make sense of customs that at first seem incomprehensible.

This book will be of interest to Westerners living, working, or traveling in sub-Saharan Africa: business, government, diplomatic, and NGO personnel, missionaries, journalists, development sociologists, and tourists. The audience also includes professors and students in African studies. Africans will also be interested for what it reveals about Western culture and many of the significant ways Westerners react to Africa.[Less]

What Christians Can Learn from Muslims. What would happen if Christians and a Muslim at a university talked and disagreed, but really tried to understand each other? What would they learn? That...[More]

What Christians Can Learn from Muslims. What would happen if Christians and a Muslim at a university talked and disagreed, but really tried to understand each other? What would they learn? That is the intriguing question Peter Kreeft seeks to answer in these imagined conversations at Boston College. An articulate and engaging Muslim student named 'Isa' challenges the Christian students and professors he meets on issues ranging from prayer and worship to evolution and abortion, from war and politics to the nature of spiritual struggle and spiritual submission.[Less]

A Christian Perspective on Folk Islam. In the acclaimed book "Muslim Evangelism" Phil Parshall devotes one chapter to "bridges which can assist in facilitating understanding between Islam and C...[More]

A Christian Perspective on Folk Islam. In the acclaimed book "Muslim Evangelism" Phil Parshall devotes one chapter to "bridges which can assist in facilitating understanding between Islam and Christianity." In this book he expands that key chapter into a book. The most promising bridges can be found not in orthodox Islam contends the author but in "folk Islam" which is less well known in the West but which influences about 70 percent of the world's Muslims.

Popular Islam consists largely of people "who desire to know God and to be accepted by him" writes the author. "They have a high view of one God who is . . . all powerful and merciful. The mystical Sufis press for a more satisfying personal relationship with Allah. These teachings and aspirations, argues the author, have immense potential as bridges which he has personally witnessed spending many years ministering among Muslims. This thorough and in-depth study of ways to bridge toward folk Islam will be invaluable to missionaries, students and those interested in reaching Muslims for Christ.[Less]

A Christian Exploration and Appraisal. The disproportionate influence of Buddhist thought and philosophy found in cultural circles such as education, entertainment and the media coupled with th...[More]

A Christian Exploration and Appraisal. The disproportionate influence of Buddhist thought and philosophy found in cultural circles such as education, entertainment and the media coupled with the dramatic recent surge of asian immigrants, many of whom are Buddhist, has brought Buddhism to the forefront of Western culture. And more and more of those who have become disenfranchised from Christian spirituality are embracing Buddhism as a replacement way of organizing their life.

In this clear and balanced introduction, Keith Yandell and Harold Netland set out to educate Christians about Buddhism, laying out the central metaphysical claims of this significant world religion, including a concluding chapter which offers an honest comparison with Christianity. The authors acknowledge some overlap of belief while also noting the clear and significant differences between the two religions. As both religions affirm, these distinctions have enormous consequences for the spiritual well-being of adherents. This book guides any reader who wants to understand the central tenets and claims of Buddhism more deeply and learn how it compares to Christian faith. (publisher) see also DVD: The Pursuit of Nirvana[Less]

Chaos exists in systems all around us. Even the simplest system can be subject to chaos, denying us accurate predictions of its behavior, and sometimes giving rise to astonishing structures of large-s...[More]

Chaos exists in systems all around us. Even the simplest system can be subject to chaos, denying us accurate predictions of its behavior, and sometimes giving rise to astonishing structures of large-scale order. Here, Leonard Smith shows that we all have an intuitive understanding of chaotic systems. He uses accessible math and physics to explain Chaos Theory, and points to numerous examples in philosophy and literature that illuminate the problems.

This book provides an understanding of chaotic dynamics in mathematics, physics, and the real world, with an explanation of why it is important and how it differs from the idea of randomness. The author draws on certain physical systems and phenomena, for example the weather forecast, a pendulumn, a coin toss, mass transit, politics, and the role of chaos in gambling and the stock-market. This book represents an opportunity for mathematical lay people to get a clear understanding of this fascinating concept.[Less]

The Practice of Mission in the Twenty-First Century The current religious climate poses unique challenges to those engaged in mission. Thus the authors of this book propose a new, yet very bibl...[More]

The Practice of Mission in the Twenty-First Century The current religious climate poses unique challenges to those engaged in mission. Thus the authors of this book propose a new, yet very biblical, model for interacting with people of other faiths. They term this model giftive mission, as it is based on the metaphor of free gift. We bear the greatest gift possible--the gospel message. Adopting this perspective not only has the potential for greater missionary success but also enables us to more closely imitate God's gracious activity in the world. The core of the book explores eleven practices that characterize giftive mission. Each practice is illustrated through the story of a figure from mission history who embodied that practice. Further discussion shows how to incorporate these practices in specific mission settings.[Less]

Evangelicalism in Conversation with Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam. Can evangelicals learn from world religions? While evangelicals have extensive experience with other religions through missionary end...[More]

Evangelicalism in Conversation with Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam. Can evangelicals learn from world religions? While evangelicals have extensive experience with other religions through missionary endeavors, in today's postmodern, pluralistic context, the nature of this experience is changing. Christ's uniqueness and the truth of the gospel are uncompromisable, but in our contemporary setting Christianity is faced with a different apologetic task than in ages past. Rather than being at the head of the table, Christianity now finds itself at a roundtable, dialoguing with competing faiths.

Keenly aware of these shifts, Timothy Tennent offers Christianity at the Religious Roundtable. This book offers a focused treatment that engages doctrinal challenges to Christianity from Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam. Students of world religions and missions will appreciate Tennent's attempt to stimulate serious dialogue with competing world faiths. "An invaluable resource, meticulously researched. This book gets to the heart and mind of these major religions and responds with brilliant insight for effective dialogue." -Ravi Zacharias.[Less]

Reading the Bible and the Qur'an Side by Side Many of the Bible's characters and stories are also found in the Qur'an, but there are often different details or new twists in the Islamic retelli...[More]

Reading the Bible and the Qur'an Side by Side Many of the Bible's characters and stories are also found in the Qur'an, but there are often different details or new twists in the Islamic retelling of biblical narrative. In 'Claiming Abraham,' seasoned theologian Michael Lodahl explores these fascinating divergences to discover the theological difference they make.

Writing from a Christian perspective that is respectful of the Islamic tradition, Lodahl encourages readers to reflect on the real and appreciable differences among Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions. He contends that exploring the distinct trajectories created by the different tellings of biblical stories gives readers a deeper appreciation for each faith's reading of Scripture. To this end, Claiming Abraham compares and contrasts how the Bible and the Qur'an depict and treat certain characters in common to both religions, including Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. Lodahl provides extended theological reflection on doctrines held in common by Christians and Muslims, such as creation, revelation, and the resurrection of the body. He also explores rabbinic writings as an important source for understanding the Qur'an and accentuates the critical role of interpretive communities in the making of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions.

'Claiming Abraham' offers an accessible introduction to Muslim theology and to the Qur'an's leading themes, providing readers with a fuller understanding of Islam. It will benefit professors and students in theology, comparative religion, intercultural studies, and Islam courses as well as thoughtful lay readers and pastors.

"Scholars will find this book brimming with comparative/inter-religious and exegetical/inter-textual insights. For all other readers, including those wondering if it is possible to acknowledge the revelatory status of the Qur'an while remaining committed to faith in Christ, "Claiming Abraham" accessibly engages the theological matters at stake in ways that, if taken seriously, will both deeply inform Christian faith in a pluralistic world and transform the next generation of Christian-Muslim relations." --Amos Yong, Regent University School of Divinity

"... is a lively and succinct theological presentation of religious traditions from the point of view of their own exponents. Lodahl offers the reader the considerable assets of personal sensitivity along with a clear exposition of ideas and concepts. A work of acute reflection that combines integrity with charitableness." --Lamin Sanneh, Yale Divinity School; director, World Christianity Initiative[Less]

Orality in the Buddhist Contexts. 'Communicating Christ through Story and Song,' the fifth volume in the Sharing Jesus in the Buddhist World series, presents models and case studies of communic...[More]

Orality in the Buddhist Contexts. 'Communicating Christ through Story and Song,' the fifth volume in the Sharing Jesus in the Buddhist World series, presents models and case studies of communicating the Gospel through orality in Southeast Asia. With contributions from seasoned practitioners working in Cambodia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and the Philippines, this insightful book explores the Biblical foundations -- and the cultural imperative -- of employing oral tradition to effectively communicate in Buddhist contexts.[Less]

Expert Responses to Their Scripture Twisting. Cults like Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses, and the New Age movement are ensnaring people by the millions. Why do so many flock to these aberrations...[More]

Expert Responses to Their Scripture Twisting. Cults like Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses, and the New Age movement are ensnaring people by the millions. Why do so many flock to these aberrations of Christianity? And how can we reason with them to help them see that Jesus is the only way to eternal life? "Correcting the Cults is designed to help the reader do just that. After a thorough introduction on understanding the nature and characteristics of cults, the authors take the reader through the Bible, examining Scripture passages that cult adherents traditionally misinterpret to support and validate their own doctrines. This comprehensive, accessible, and intelligent resource is an important tool for pastors, students, and anyone who knows a cult member or someone considering a cult.[Less]

The Origins of the Great Religions and the Evolution of Belief. "Discovering God" is a monumental history of the origins of the great religions from the Stone Age to the Modern Age. Sociologist...[More]

The Origins of the Great Religions and the Evolution of Belief. "Discovering God" is a monumental history of the origins of the great religions from the Stone Age to the Modern Age. Sociologist Rodney Stark (author of "The Rise of Christianity") surveys the birth and growth of religions around the world--from the prehistoric era of primal beliefs; the history of the pyramids found in Iraq, Egypt, Mexico, and Cambodia; and the great "Axial Age" of Plato, Zoroaster, Confucius, and the Buddha, to the modern Christian missions and the global spread of Islam. He argues for a free-market theory of religion and for the controversial thesis that under the best, unimpeded conditions, the true, most authentic religions will survive and thrive. Among his many conclusions:

- Despite decades of faulty reports that early religions were crude muddles of superstition, it turns out that primitive humans had surprisingly sophisticated notions about God and Creation.

- The idea of "sin" appeared suddenly in the sixth century BCE and quickly reshaped religious ideas from Europe to China.

- Some major world religions seem to lack any plausible traces of divine inspiration.

- Ironically, some famous figures who attempted to found "Godless" religions ended up being worshiped as Gods.

Most people believe in the existence of God (or Gods), and this has apparently been so throughout human history. Many modern biologists and psychologists reject these spiritual ideas, especially those about the existence of God, as delusional. They claim that religion is a primitive survival mechanism that should have been discarded as humans evolved beyond the stage where belief in God served any useful purpose--that in modern societies, faith is a misleading crutch and an impediment to reason. In "DiscoveringGod," award-winning sociologist Rodney Stark responds to this position, arguing that it is our capacity to understand God that has evolved--that humans now know much more about God than they did in ancient times.

2008 Christianity Today Merit Award.[Less]

The Origins of the Great Religions and the Evolution of Belief. "Discovering God" is a monumental history of the origins of the great religions from the Stone Age to the Modern Age. Sociologist...[More]

The Origins of the Great Religions and the Evolution of Belief. "Discovering God" is a monumental history of the origins of the great religions from the Stone Age to the Modern Age. Sociologist Rodney Stark (author of "The Rise of Christianity") surveys the birth and growth of religions around the world--from the prehistoric era of primal beliefs; the history of the pyramids found in Iraq, Egypt, Mexico, and Cambodia; and the great "Axial Age" of Plato, Zoroaster, Confucius, and the Buddha, to the modern Christian missions and the global spread of Islam. He argues for a free-market theory of religion and for the controversial thesis that under the best, unimpeded conditions, the true, most authentic religions will survive and thrive. Among his many conclusions:

- Despite decades of faulty reports that early religions were crude muddles of superstition, it turns out that primitive humans had surprisingly sophisticated notions about God and Creation.
- The idea of "sin" appeared suddenly in the sixth century BCE and quickly reshaped religious ideas from Europe to China.
- Some major world religions seem to lack any plausible traces of divine inspiration.
- Ironically, some famous figures who attempted to found "Godless" religions ended up being worshiped as Gods.

Most people believe in the existence of God (or Gods), and this has apparently been so throughout human history. Many modern biologists and psychologists reject these spiritual ideas, especially those about the existence of God, as delusional. They claim that religion is a primitive survival mechanism that should have been discarded as humans evolved beyond the stage where belief in God served any useful purpose--that in modern societies, faith is a misleading crutch and an impediment to reason. In "Discovering God," award-winning sociologist Rodney Stark responds to this position, arguing that it is our capacity to understand God that has evolved--that humans now know much more about God than they did in ancient times.
2008 Christianity Today Merit Award.[Less]

An Introduction to World Religions for Christians. An excellent basis for discussion, covering a wide range of material that promotes religious understanding. (Publisher)

Global Trends, Fruitful Practices, and Emerging Issues Among Muslims The revised and enlarged second edition of J. Dudley Woodberry’s 'From Seed to Fruit' expands on the next stage of the ong...[More]

Global Trends, Fruitful Practices, and Emerging Issues Among Muslims The revised and enlarged second edition of J. Dudley Woodberry’s 'From Seed to Fruit' expands on the next stage of the ongoing collaborative research and reflections of many people from many organizations desiring to bless Muslims. Seven additional chapters survey major trends in global Islam today and explore themes that prove to have considerable influence on fruitfulness, including a new chapter on building Christlike relationships with Muslims.

What practices is God blessing in raising up groups of Jesus followers among Muslims? And how shall we understand Muslim peoples and their access to biblical witness? In recent years workers from a growing number of organizations have begun to discuss such questions. Their initial insights were refined by a broad group of workers in a consultation in the spring of 2007, further analyzed in subsequent months, and compiled in this volume. 'From Seed to Fruit' presents the most recent worldwide research on witness to Christ among Muslim peoples, using biblical images from nature to show the interaction between God's activity and human responsibility in blessing these peoples.

The Global Trends Research Group has continued to update the demographic materials on Muslim people groups, their access to Christian witness, and when and how Christian groups covenant to provide meaningful access. This is included in the updated CD-ROM that accompanies the new edition. Click here to read more (text applies to the first edition).[Less]