New Church

The growth of information makes for an ever-changing world. However, the importance of Scripture remains unchanged. To ensure the enduring value of inspired sacred texts, Friendship Press, together with the National Council of Churches and in partnership with the Society of Biblical Literature, has undertaken the careful task of updating the NRSV Edition of the Bible. We are pleased to present you with what we can in full confidence call the world’s most meticulously researched, rigorously reviewed, and faithfully accurate English-language Bible translation.

In this short, accessible account of the Eastern Orthodox Church, John McGuckin begins by tackling the question "What is the Church?" His answer is a clear, historically and theologically rooted portrait of what the Church is for Orthodox Christianity and how it differs from Western Christians' expectations.

A collection of inspired writings (originally in Greek) about the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, the apostles, and other followers of Jesus Christ. The New Testament is commonly divided into the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, Paul’s epistles, the general epistles, and the book of Revelation. The four Gospels - the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John - are accounts of the life of Christ. The Book of Acts records the history of the Church and the apostles, especially Paul’s missionary travels, after Christ’s death.

The first SAFE Bible series presents a version of the scriptures that is guaranteed to be loving, inclusive, unprejudiced, non-discriminatory, non-sexist, non-racist, non-violent, not homophobic, enlightened, peaceful, modern, uplifting, challenging and of use to everyone from every race, nation, faith, culture, and philosophy.

Bring the Bible into your daily activities with this single-voice version of the complete Bible in the NKJV. With clear and uncluttered narration from Audie Award-winning narrator Simon Bubb, this Bible speaks plainly and makes it easy for you to enter God’s Word. Not only is this audio Bible perfect for busy people looking to find more time to dive into the Word at work or on the go, it makes a great audio companion to Bible studies, devotionals, and quiet times.

The New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVue) Audio Bible is now available on audio, ready for you to start hearing Scripture today. This audio Bible includes the entire Old Testament and New Testament, as well as the Apocrypha. The NRSVue is intended to be as literal as possible so that the meaning of Scripture can be as clear to the lay audience as it is to the dedicated biblical scholar. The NRSV translation has become known as the most accurate of English-language translations, based on available manuscript evidence, textual analysis, and current philological understanding.

In this exciting book, Paula Fredriksen explains the variety of New Testament images of Jesus by exploring the ways that the new Christian communities interpreted his mission and message in light of the delay of the Kingdom he had preached. A new introduction reviews the most recent scholarship on Jesus and its implications for both history and theology.

Racism is not about hate and ignorance. It's about greed. And it always has been. Black Christian historian Malcolm Foley explores this idea in The Anti-Greed Gospel, showing how the desire for power and money—what some call "racial capitalism"—causes violence and exploitation. Foley reviews the history of racial violence in the United States and connects the killings of modern-day Black Americans to the history of lynching in America.

Modern readers of the New Testament often notice its varying ideas about women. Some passages encouraged women to be submissive and remain silent. Yet in others, women characters owned property, headed households, or spoke with approval. Women in the New Testament World helps listeners understand this conflicting evidence. It argues that social norms of the time encouraged traditional feminine virtues. However, as Susan Hylen argues, women in the culture enacted these virtues in a variety of ways, including active leadership in households, associations, and cities.

Jan Karon's millions of fans can't wait to spend time with her heartwarming and hilarious characters, who have a way of becoming family. In fact, fans and booksellers across the country kept Out to Canaan and At Home in Mitford on The New York Times best-seller list for months. In A New Song, Mitford's longtime Episcopal priest, Father Tim, retires. However, new challenges and adventures await when he agrees to serve as interim minister of a small church on Whitecap Island. He and his wife, Cynthia, soon find that Whitecap has its own unforgettable characters.

The New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVue) Audio Bible is now available, ready for you to start listening to Scripture today. This audio Bible includes the entire New Testament so you can listen to Jesus’ own words and more. The NRSVue is intended to be as literal as possible so that the meaning of Scripture can be as clear to the lay person as it is to the dedicated biblical scholar.

In contrast to the oppressive Roman military occupation of the first century, Crossan examines the meaning of the non-violent Kingdom of God prophesized by Jesus and the equality advocated by Paul to the early Christian churches. Crossan contrasts these messages of peace with the misinterpreted apocalyptic vision from the Book of Revelation, which has been misrepresented by modern right-wing theologians and televangelists to justify US military actions in the Middle East.

As many have said, the church must always be reforming. It must continually move closer to a truer, more faithful expression of the gospel. The risen Christ’s powerful letters to the seven churches in Revelation are a guide to just that. Based on John MacArthur’s exposition of these letters, Christ’s Call to Reform the Church is a plea to the modern church to heed these divine warnings, to reform before it succumbs to the kinds of compromise and error that invite God’s judgment.

Ever feel lost in translation? With the NET Full-notes Edition of the Holy Bible, you don’t need to be. Modern listeners can find it challenging to connect with the ancient words and cultural contexts of the biblical writers. The NET offers a completely new solution: pairing a listenable, everyday English translation with the largest set of translators’ notes ever created for a Bible. It is an indispensable resource for every Bible listener.

THE CHRONOLOGICAL BOOK OF END TIMES Some will most likely open the first page of this book and say, "Oh no, another book about the end of the world." I can almost imagine the smile on their face as they roll their eyes in unbelief that someone would dare write about the end of the age and destruction of humanity. Especially when it seems we could be on the brink of a global war. The end is going to happen. God’s Word declares it. Key events must occur leading up to that moment we call “The Day of the Lord.” God’s Word also declares this to be true. It is a fact that “What We Don't...

Forced into the new First Lady role at Shady Hill Missionary Baptist Church, Leah Westchester-Jackson’s true gifts and passions are stamped out by impossible expectations. To cope, Leah creates a fake identity, attempting to appease her father and husband. Already suffering from the effects of family drama, including sibling rivalry, favoritism fueled by colorism, and a lack of maternal bonding, Leah finally loses all restraint when her heart shatters into millions of pieces from the chaos of betrayal, legalism, and hypocrisy. Leah plummets onto a search for completion outside of the ...

Bring the Bible into your daily activities with this single-voice version of the complete Bible in the NKJV. With clear and uncluttered narration from Tinasha LaRayé, this Bible speaks plainly and makes it easy for you to enter God’s word. Not only is this audio Bible perfect for busy people looking to find more time to dive into the word at work or on the go, it makes a great audio companion to Bible studies, devotionals, and quiet times.

Is there a new reformation happening in the church? It depends on who you ask. The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) is a popular and fast-growing new movement of Christians who emphasize signs and wonders, and teach that God is giving new revelation through new apostles and prophets. But is this biblical Christianity? In Counterfeit Kingdom, apologists and NAR experts Holly Pivec and Douglas Geivett show how the NAR’s key tenets distort the gospel, twist the Scriptures, are influenced by New Age practices, and lead faithful Christians to shipwreck their faith.

This book offers a brief introduction to the Acts of the Apostles. Acts is a substantial book, sitting right in the middle of the New Testament, looking back to the four Gospels and ahead to the mission of the early church. It provides a framework for our understanding of the letters; but it does more than that. It offers a sophisticated and nuanced view of what it means to think of the gospel of Jesus, Israel's Messiah, going out into the world over which Israel's Messiah claims the status of Lord.

Reformed churches emphasize church membership. Why? Because membership provides all kinds of practical, spiritual blessings for our flourishing. This friendly overview features discussion questions and an extensive Q&A section.