Books published by Inter-Varsity Press

Let me be honest, there have been times when my faith has seemed fragile... I have struggled with seeing my wife stripped of her dignity and reduced by her agony. I have doubted all kinds of things. I have exploded and lashed out. I do not like what is happening to my sweetheart one little bit. Chronic illness never goes away. Come on, realistically, how much more can we take?''But one thing I have never doubted is that, in the darkest circumstances, we were only ever in the hands of God. That has been the ultimate source of comfort and hope.'As Paul Mallard knows only too well, the crucible of suffering is a ghastly place to be. But lessons learned there can be powerful and memorable. And it was there that Paul and Edrie experienced 'unexpected intimacy with a loving God' who himself is no stranger to suffering. They want to use their experience and insights to help fellow sufferers too, and journey with you in your pain. Suffering can be invested well, for a higher, better purpose.

The Christian gospel can speak hope into mental health issues and addictions.

With postmodernity now laden with its own cynicism, David Wells believes that no time before has been more opportune for the Christian faith to speak to a culture whose moral fabric is torn, in which sin has disappeared as a concept, and in which a secular salvation is offered on every side.

Contains lessons from the Bible and history for Christian engagement with contemporary society.

A penetrating critique, and call for the reformation, of American evangelicalism - a timely message for British evangelicalism as it comes increasingly under American influence.

Conscience is the Cinderella of the contemporary world. We hardly speak or think about our conscience. She is left behind while we get on with the party of life, untroubled by any serious self-examination. And yet conscience is a God-given part of being human, with tremendous potential for good - if it is cleansed and kept clean - or for harm - if it becomes hardened or calloused.'This book is about the joy of a clear conscience in every day of living and in the day of death,' enthuses Christopher Ash.'With a clear conscience, we can enjoy not just the stuff we think of as 'spiritual', but all sorts of things like sleep, sport, friendship and holidays. With a good conscience none of these things ever leaves a sour taste in our mouths.'Christopher is eager to get all of us thinking about conscience again: 'I want you to take your conscience out of the cupboard, dust it down, bring it back into daily life and discover its power to do you good.'

In Galatians, the apostle Paul makes his most passionate and direct appeal for a gospel free of ethnic or ritual exclusion. Paul's gospel is that of salvation through Christ alone - in him there is 'neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus'. By placing Paul's discussion firmly within its historical context, R. Alan Cole illuminates the potency and power of Paul's message to the Galatian church.This classic commentary has been completely retypeset and presented in a fresh, vibrant new large paperback format, with new global branding.

In the busy round of work, church and family there is rarely time left for friends. And yet we need them - not only to help us learn and grow, but just because that's how we were made. Geoff Baker believes in the inestimable value of real friendship, and urges us to invest much more of our precious time in building quality relationships.

Discover how Jesus' controversies reveal the true nature of evangelical Christianity

An introduction to some big issues.

In a world with so much destruction and pain we can often find ourselves asking: Was there ever a perfect plan for the world? Was it designed by anyone at all? Was it an accident? And if it was all planned for a reason and purpose, what are those purposes? Vaughan Roberts encourages readers to look at the first chapters of the Bible to understand the plan that God had in mind for humanity right from the start. He examines how God intended us to live in his creation and gives clear indications of how we can do so in the world today, even through the pain and destruction around us. He covers the issues that affect us all: our identity, the earth, sex, marriage and work. This is an indispensable guide to understanding how the Creator wants the world to work and will challenge readers to change their behaviour and attitudes to reflect what God intends for life.

Veteran scholar-missionaries Robert L. Plummer and John Mark Terry edit this collection of entry points into the missionary methods of the Apostle Paul. With contributions from Michael Bird, Eckhard Schnabel and Craig Keener, this volume examines Paul's missionary methods from the perspective of Paul's activities in the first century and the perspective of his ongoing impact on missions today.The first part of the book examines Paul's environment, activity and teaching. The second portion investigates the application of Paul's methods and principles to modern missionary work. The occasion for this book is the centennial of Roland Allen's Missionary Methods: Saint Paul's or Ours? a classic in the field which Paul's Missionary Methods enthusiastically engages with.

Christian mission is changing and developing rapidly as the centre of gravity of the faith shifts ever further 'south'. The practice of mission 'from everywhere to everywhere' challenges many traditional models, and new contexts raise new questions for established theologies. Evangelicals need a mission theology that engages with these challenges and contexts, while also affirming foundational truths and scriptural boundaries. The 'Dictionary of Mission Theology' draws on the work of many scholars who are contributing to the renewal of mission thinking and practice among evangelicals. It highlights and explores the missiological implications of a wide range of Christian doctrines and theologies, and the theological dimensions of many mission themes. Contributors have been encouraged to discuss their subjects contextually, grounding their ideas and arguments in the real worlds where these have been conceived and applied. The resulting missiology both has its roots in cherished and recognized evangelical categories and interprets them in fresh and dynamic ways. The new pattern of world Christianity is reflected in the dictionary in a majority contribution from the Majority World. Some 60% of the 160 articles are by non-Western authors, though leading Western thinkers are also well represented. The Dictionary will be invaluable for church leaders, missionaries, students of mission and those involved in the teaching and practice of mission worldwide, and will be accessible to a non-specialist readership. It is intended for every context in which mission is learnt and done, and to set a new benchmark for evangelical mission theology.

Does believing in the Trinity make any difference in real life? These seven studies by Elizabeth McQuoid will help you grow in your understanding of the inexhaustible riches of the Trinity. Find out why the Trinity is central to our beliefs and fundamental to the working out of our faith. A Keswick Study Guide.

For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God' (1 Cor. 7:19). A The apostle Paul's relationship to the Law of Moses is notoriously complex and much studied. Difficulties begin with questions of definition (of the extent of Paul's corpus and the meanings of 'the law') and are exacerbated by numerous problems of interpretation of the key texts. Major positions are entrenched, yet none of them seems to know what to do with all the pieces of the puzzle.A A Inextricably linked to Paul's view of the law is his teaching concerning salvation history, Israel, the church, anthropology, ethics and eschatology. Understanding 'Paul and the law' is critical to the study of the New Testament, because it touches on the perennial question of the relationship between the grace of God in the gift of salvation and the demand of God in the call for holy living. Misunderstanding can lead to distortions of one or both. A This fresh and valuable study is something of a breakthrough, bringing neglected evidence to the discussion and asking different questions of the material, while also building on the work of others. Brian Rosner argues that Paul undertakes a polemical re-evaluation of the Law of Moses, which involves not only its repudiation as law-covenant and its replacement by other things, but also its wholehearted re-appropriation as prophecy (with reference to the gospel) and as wisdom (for Christian living).

Following the popular thematic series from Bible Speaks Today comes the message of The Church - God's People

The great commission - 'Go and make disciples of all nations ... teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you' - is far more long term and life consuming than we might imagine. It is more involved, more complex and more costly than we would like. It requires a broader appreciation of others' backgrounds and a deeper commitment to personal relationship. It demands that we live authentically, flexibly and humbly. And yet it is a great privilege - living where God has placed us, we step out of our home-made security and pass on the good news to those with whom we live and work. This book will help you step beyond your own familiarity with the Bible, church, doctrine, prayer and Christian jargon, and reach out to those for whom these things are completely foreign. Graham Orr's years of experience leading a church in urban Tokyo - one of the toughest places to do evangelism - have given him deep insight into how to reach those who have no knowledge of, or interest in, Christianity. Designed for those with busy urban lives, this book is full of stories, biblical insights, and ideas to put into practice. Because sharing our faith is an incredible privilege Jesus promised, 'I will be with you to the end of the age.'

We love them. We hate them. But we certainly cannot ignore them. Emotions can be wonderful things we love or horrible things we hate - depending on how we're feeling at the time. Sometimes we feel at their mercy and think that God would have been so much wiser to have made us without them.But we can't get away from it: God made us to feel. Emotions thinks through the place of emotions, how we view them, handle them and glorify God with them. We see that the mature Christian life involves a fully-functioning emotional life and that emotions flow from the heart. We focus on how we can grow in good and godly emotions. We look at emotions and reading the Bible, emotions and singing praise to God, and the best way up when we are feeling down.

A true compendium of recent scholarship, the volume includes 115 articles covering all aspects of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, the twelve "minor prophets" and Daniel.

This new edition of Blomberg's valuable textbook covers interpretative methods and controversies, expounds the meaning and significance of individual three-, two- and one-point parables, and surveys the theology of God's kingdom and the Christ in the parables. In this new and expanded edition of Interpreting the Parables, Craig Blomberg evaluates contemporary critical approaches to the parables - including those that have emerged in the twenty years since the first edition was published. Taking on the prevailing views of C. H. Dodd and Joachim Jeremias, Blomberg argues for a limited allegorical approach to the parables. This widely used text has taken a minority perspective and made it mainstream, with Blomberg ably defending his approach and offering brief interpretations of all the major parables. Interpreting the Parables can be read with profit by scholars, students, pastors and educated laypeople.