Customer Reviews (9)

Great study material!
This book is absolutely amazing. It is a great thing to have some of Bro. Campbell's writings available and at hand. He was truly a scholar, and it's clear he spent much time and effort in compiling this work.

The book is laid out and presented in a flowing style. Something I appreciate is that Campbell sets the text up as propositions, following them with material to explain and elaborate. Often, if not always, the conclusion of one proposition easily established the next one.

Campbell presents things in a very "common sense" style that is easily comprehended, and even brings perspectives not often thought about. This book is truly a treasure for the serious Bible student's library, regardless of denominational affiliation (or lack thereof).

Ex-church of Christ
I am ex-church of Christ, but I would still recommend this book for anyone interested in the Restoration movement.This book containts many things that the average Church of Christ person might not know.Alexander Campbell was a premillenialist.He thought that the union of Christians worldwide would bring about the millenium.He thought this could be done by unifying Christians around certain core principles that he thought were derived from the Bible.
I often wonder if some of the bitterness the Church of Christ has towards what they call denominational Christianity came out of the era following Campbell when the union of Christians and the millenium did not occur.Who can say?Churches of Christ are no longer premillenial; their beliefs have changed over the years.I do want to say that I met many sincere Christians in the Church of Christ.

Campbell's Christian System
Anyone associated or interested with the Restoration Movement in America will find Campbell's book a must.It shows why many in the Christian Church/Churches of Christ feel the way they do about written creeds, inspiration, structure and nature of the church, and the Holy Spirit.

Campbell was a son of the enlightment and (over) depended on the philophical systems of the time (Bacon, Locke and Sottish Common Sense).This worked well in his modernity culture.But has its limits in today's postmodrenity culture and thus his methods for intreperting has its problems (outdated).

Campbell had an immense respect for scripture.It is just that his mindet was from the industrial period which was also the mindset of audience he was addressing.Still valuable is his discussion of the relelationship between the Holy Spirit and baptism.It is unfortunate, however, that this strong rejection of the influence of the Holy Spirit before convesion got carried over to questioning the work of the Spirit in the lives of Christians.It would be good for all restoration churches to go back and read Robert Richardson's writings on the Holy Spirit: Cummunings in sanctuary & the Principle of the Restoration.He tried to keep Campbell from "rational suicide" and a "cold philosophical" reading of scripture.

Most restoration churches, following Campbell's emphasis on the church, now have a weak working Christology.Churches need to learn to put more emphasis on the nature of Christ than the nature of the church.

Buy it.
A must have source for your library if you are serious about Restoration history.It is a blessing to have the original writings of Alexander Campbell.This book gives you a better understanding of what he was thinking during this time.

Campbell Helped Win Me Over
Having been a faith-only evangelical, it was a painful discovery that the Scripture indeed teaches that immersion in water -- rather than a "sinner's prayer" -- is the proper step along with faith and repentance to "call on the name of the Lord" and be saved.Even with this knowledge and obedience of faith on my part, it was not easy to accept getting into the Christian Churches/Churches of Christ.My misperceptions confused me.However, two things happened in 1996 to win me over.First, I began supply preaching among independent Christian Churches.They were warm, friendly and always concerned to obey the Lord's instruction while preaching the Gospel of Christ.Second, I began reading Alexander Campbell's writings, including The Christian System.

In a world of relativism, emotionalism and a number of other "-isms" that make truth claims even while denying absolute truth, Mr. Campbell still speaks bearing witness that we CAN understand God's Word, and that we MUST seek to know and obey it to draw nearer to Him.

It is a great pleasure to see this book once again in print, and I hope that it will serve to address the faddish evangelicalism of our time with a clear message of understandable doctrine and a knowable God. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

Courage to change the things I can...

Illusions is a novel that truly speaks to the reader's heart, as most of us have, will, or have yet admitted to battling some type of addiction. We often times choose to believe we are winning the battle over our addictions when in fact they are slowly and methodically destroying us.

The esteemed Pastor Hightower is well-loved and well-respected by his First Lady, family, and congregation. It appears he is living a Christian life that is without flaw. Bryce Hightower has managed to keep his deep, dark secret to himself but when he is discovered, Bryce must truly step out on his faith and allow God to heal what's broken in his life in order to save him from his past demons.

Campbell brings reality, awareness, and even wit to Christian fiction. There were several times I laughed out loud and wiped tears away. The characters were brought to life and several times I felt their spirit as I read this amazing story.

Do yourself a favor and pick up your copy of Illusions today, and if you've yet to read Campbell's debut novel, First Sunday in October, treatyourself to two wonderful books.First Sunday in October

Sexual sin and the Christian....
I know all have sinned and come short of His glory, but what happens when it's your pastor sinning? What happens when that pastor is your husband and his addiction begins to affect you? Your self esteem takes a nose dive and the respect you had for your husband quickly follows. Will you remember that with God all things are possible?

The premises of Illusions is quite often a hushed topic of discussion certainly not Sunday morning sermon material in a traditional church. Ms Campbell opens Pandora's Box with much needed dialogue about "sexual addiction" which often times get overlooked by sermons of prosperity and how to "count it all joy".

The author's writing style was so on point I was able to appreciate how she diagnosis an issue; and moved forward without delay. She didn't place many scriptural verses throughout but you knew the anointing of the Holy Spirit was on the characters.Alongside the topic of addiction the reader caught a glimpse of neglect and abuse and how it played a major role in Pastor's struggle with addiction.

I truly enjoyed this book and certainly look forward to future works by this author. Illusions have the entire list of ingredients this reviewer needs to consider this book a recipe of Christian Fiction. The main ingredient is feeling the characters relationship with God and being able to see the love of God. Have a seat, open your heart and fellowship with the congregation of Word of Life and find out if redemption and deliverance will stop by your pew.

Missy
Readers Paradise

Sex, lies, and deception...
Sex, lies, and deception were things Denise Hightower did not expect to encounter as the wife of a pastor. Denise was elated to know that Pastor Bryce Hightower was interested in dating, marrying, and making her the first lady of Word of Life church. In fact, she remained a virgin until she married. She thought her life was perfect and God-sent; little did she know that her husband held a deep dark secret that had plagued him for over 17 years. A secret that he had never told her or anyone else in the church; until one afternoon she decides to surprise her husband at his office with a picnic lunch, she walks in on something that would change their lives forever.

The theme of this book is one that is not written about very often - pornography and the pulpit. Seeing the emotional turmoil that this man of God went through with his addiction to pornography shows his imperfection as a human being and a Christian. This book opens up a much needed discussion on how we handle this serious and often times overlooked addiction.

Pornography can be the catalyst to end marriages and corrupt pulpits, as this book displays. It also unmasked many myths that confront the fact that we are all human beings and are not perfect, and have addictions that can be overcome with God's help.
Overall, this book was well written and a great read.

Amazing!!!!
It was a Great Read!!! I bought the book yesterday and finished it in 6 hours. I went from Laughing Hysterically to Crying Uncontrollably too many times to count.
Very real issues that happen in everyday life!!!

When life eludes...
The picture-perfect life of a highly admired pastor and the first lady is suddenly plagued with adultery and betrayal when the first lady stumbles across the pastors secret life of pornography. The couple goes through a storm to try and cope with the unfortunate event while still trying to stay afloat in the public eye.

I liked the fact that the book showed that even though you may be a devoted Christian, you still have the same downfalls as everyone else. I also appreciated the fact that the person who was placed on a high level than anyone else in the book (the pastor) was the one with the affliction which gave the reader the mindset that no-one is exempt from trials and tribulations. While there were several grammatical errors the book was still an enjoyable read.

[...] ... Read more

Product Description
Throughout the history of Christianity, there have been theological disputes that caused fissures among the faithful. There were the major ruptures of the Great Schism of 1054 and the Protestant Reformation. Since the Reformation, though, there has been an eruption of new denominations. The World Christian Database now list over 9000 worldwide. And new denominations are created every day, often when a group splits off from an established church because of a dispute over doctrine or leadership. With such a proliferation of denominations, could there possibly be one core Christian message that all churches share? That's the question that Ted Campbell sets out to answer in this book. He begins his examination of Christian doctrine where it started: in the gospels. He then shows how the gospel has been received and professed by Christian communities through the centuries, from the first "proto-Orthodox" Christian communities right through the modern evangelical, Pentecostal, and ecumenical movements. Campbell shows that, despite all the divisions, there is indeed a single unifying core of the faith that all Christians share. In the process, he offers a brief, well-written, and acceptable history of Christian doctrine that will be ideal for courses in the history of Christian thought. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Consistency of the Gospel
Is there a core Gospel message?Has that message been consistently conveyed over time?Has there, over time, been a consistent understanding of that message?The book demonstrates that over time and accross the spectrum of varying Christian traditions, the core Gospel message has been consistently conveyed.

Mr. Campbell does give a survey of Gospel accross different traditions, but the book is by no means a critical piece in the sense of exhaustively treating any particular denomination's view of Scripture.Nonetheless I believe the book does provide a foundation for raising and discussing how Christians view Scripture in light of the core Gospel message. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Wanda has done it again!
Wanda's second novel under the Urban Christian imprint will blow you away. Besides the tender romance, she sneaks up on the reader with a major issue and dissects it--deliverance from homosexual lifestyle.
I'm starting to believe any topic Wanda writes, the Lord will bless her. What a ministry!

We Forgive; Do We Forget?
We all have things in our past we'd rather others didn't know; maybe not things as bad as what is in Micah's past, but things that are truly not indicative of who we are today. The question we all have to deal with is how much of who we were do we allow those who know us now to know--and if we find out about someone's past, what are we foolish to ignore, and what are we wrong if we don't? It's a hard decision, and it is a hard decision for Pamela, though Micah is shown to readers in a very sympathetic light.

I liked the characters and I liked the story, which could be heart-wrenching at times. Sometimes I thought the religious elements were a little much, too many people mentioning God/prayer etc. at times when it just didn't seem natural. We went to church and heard the sermon several times. In short, this is book is definitely there to promote a message. While I would have preferred a more subtle message, I did enjoy the book.

Thanks to the author for providing a copy.

Psalms 23

Christmas at the Roberts household held a special gift for Pamela from her son Matthew. His gift came straight from the scripture John 3; 16.
Pamela and Micah's relationship started off like a fairy tale. They were friends who knew how to make one another laugh. They had many things in common to include their enjoyment of commercials. They would challenge one another to see who could lick the middle of an Oreo cookie the quickest.
Life for this couple as individuals wasn't always a walk in the park. Micah's mother Helen; was an alcoholic most of Micah's life. Helen often left her young son to fend for not only food but for love as well. As an impressionable youngster hungry for food and love he finds out that wolves come dressed in love bearing gifts of money and a nice home. After six years of engaging a wolf this cub decides to take his life. But by the grace of God, He used a drunken parent to bring hope to Micah. Hope that saves this cub's life and it won't be the last time God uses Helen Stevenson to save her son.
Pamela's rocky road began with her deceased husband Marlon Roberts. She was nineteen, naïve and a virgin, all the right ingredients for Marlon. He was older and more experienced and those two things alone left Pamela no chance. Before and after the marriage she contracted 2 different STD's from Marlon but she was naïve and Marlon's slick ways were over her head. She continued to believe that her husband would change. After Marlon's death Pamela went through a myriad of emotions, his infidelity, and the mental abuse left Pamela feeling victimized. So much so she began to display destructive behaviors. Pulling herself together she began to live her life for the Lord. She wore her mask everyday with the pain of her past lurking behind her heart.Two hearts broken, but filled with so much love can they move beyond the past and live in the now? Ms. Campbell does a wonderful job of answering that question.
I enjoyed Wanda Campbell's book Illusions and it was only fitting that I read this one as well and I was NOT disappointed. Campbell has no problem at all exposing the unholy "thangs" that can go on in some churches; where folks have totally forgotten the grace of God and the love of His Son. Right Package Wrong Baggage was a very good read based on sexual misconduct, the effects of alcoholism, mental abuse and redemption. This reader believes the theme of Right Package, Wrong Baggage is based on releasing the burden you were not intended to bear, case them upon the Lord and trust that He will bring you through.
Missy
4 book marks

Gripping Voyage
Kudos to Wanda B. Campbell for her engaging adventure into the lives of two people who would prefer for their past endeavors to remain buried. Will forgiveness be granted when the once-hidden secrets are revealed? Once again, Campbell provides an eye-opening page-turner that won't disappoint its readers. In me, this author has a fan for life. I look forward to reading many more books by her.

baggage unpacked
Pamela Roberts isn't looking when her son pushes her towards the "perfect" man in Micah Stevenson. Their relationship flows well, but once he reveals to her a dark secret from his past, the relationship is strained. Despite having skeletons in her own closet, Pamela has trouble dealing with the bones Micah just dug out of his to show her.

This isn't as straightforward as that description may sound. What I read was a multilayered story with characters I can identify with. Whether you've been in church for twenty years or twenty minutes, you'll realize that everyone there has a past, and that everyone else in the church isn't always accepting of that past. I enjoyed both characters' realistic struggles with their pasts and how those struggles affected their present and their future together.

Right Package Wrong Baggage isn't just a novel; it's a teaching moment. The story and the characters are entertaining and enjoyable, but their issues help the reader see forgiveness in a whole new light. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to laugh, cry, get angry with the characters and then do it all again. ... Read more

Product Description
Upon reflection, a young boy realizes that God and his parents like him the way he is. ... Read more

Product Description
A paraphrase in simple language of the psalm emphasizing how the love of God brings us joy. ... Read more

Product Description
[Includes as an Apppendix, Alexander Campbell's "Address on War."]In DISCIPLE OF PEACE, Craig M. Watts offers the most comprehensive study ever done on the pacifism of Alexander Campbell. Watts not only provides a detailed examination of Campbell's pacifist thought, he sets it in the broader context of the antebellum American peace movement, showing that this towering figure was neither isolated nor idiosyncratic in his thinking. Campbell offered an important challenge to the religious world of the 19th century. Watts ably conveys Campbell's challenge to Christians facing war and violence in our time. *** "For some time I have been deeply dismayed that most Christians who claim Alexander Campbell as one of their spiritual forefathers know nothing of his critiques of violence and war. In these welcome and illuminating essays, Craig Watts hopes to put an end to such a travesty by documenting convincingly that Campbell firmly believed that restoring primitive Christianity meant leaving behind our penchant for war and violence." - Philip Kenneson, author of LIFE ON THE VINE and Assoc. Prof. of Theology, Milligan College *** "This book is an indispensable help in assessing our contemporary cultural captivity to the nationalistic fervors and the militaristic idols which currently assail us." - Lee Camp, author of MERE DISCIPLESHIP and Asst. Prof. of Christian Ethics Lipscomb Univ. *** "Craig Watts' careful examination of Alexander Campbell's pacifist sympathies bristles with historical and theological clarity and insight." - Joe R. Jones, author of A GRAMMAR OF CHRISTIAN FAITH, and Prof. Emeritus, Christian Theological Seminary *** Craig M. Watts is a minister who has served Disciples of Christ congregations for over 25 years and is also the author of numerous articles on theology, ethics and preaching. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An important and timely discussion
I've read Watts' Disciple of Peace, parts of it several times. I hope a lot of other people will read it as well. The topic is undeniably important and Alexander Campbell's position deserves careful consideration by all of us who are part of the great movement he helped start and by others as well. There is too much ill-considered -and unbiblical-thinking on the subject of war. Watts discusses the influences that helped shape Campbell's position, the scriptural foundation of his views, and related topics like church-state relations, civil disobedience and capital punishment. The chapter on how pacifism comes into play in relation to Campbell's eschatology is especially insightful.The final chapter, "A Future for a Pacifist Past" offers some criticisms ofshortcomings and inconsistencies in Campbell's thinking and offers a well-reasoned constructive proposal that preserves the strengths and avoids the weaknesses in Campbell's position regarding war and peace. This book deserves a place high on your reading list.
... Read more

Product Description
Everyone learns to walk before they run; and every believer learns to vocalize prayer before moving into sustained deep silences of communion with God. By Jesus' own example, we know that He prayed the Scriptures aloud.Praying the Bible takes an old concept-the prayer book-and gives it a modern twist: complete passages of Scripture laid out in sections of distinct prayer genres. Eight categories with 88 prayers enable readers to quickly reference the prayers of the prophets, the wisdom prayers, the prayers of Jesus, the apostolic prayers and more.The introductions to each section expand on each specific type of prayer and also include detailed instruction of how to pray that specific section.Result?This is a prayer tool for both the novice pray-er and the seasoned intercessor-one that provides discipline and focus and lights a pathway to direct contact with the heart of God!Scriptural references are from NIV.Includes the Following Topics and Many MoreSection 1: The Theophanies, Visions of GodSection 2: The Psalms: Jesus' prayers from the crossSection 3: Prayers of wisdom ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Praying the Bible
I love this book... There are times when you don't know what to pray what better than the word of God.

A great initiator for praying scripture
This little book is full of major keys.Having studied prayer and intercession for years, this book brought clarity and practical application that opened my eyes to the Word and all the prayers available to pray.
The authors break down various kinds of Biblical prayer and highlight the values of each one.I started out praying the "Theophanies" and they proved to be stepping stones into encounter with my Bridegroom King.
Now as I read and study, I am more attentive to the passages to pray and am starting my own index --Praise, Repentance, Thanks, Intercession, Petition.
Thank you Wesley and Stacey for this tremendous tool.Also see it as a great resource to teach others.

Awesome book
Spot on concept. Rather than praying your own words, take God's promises to Him in prayer. His word will not return void, which is also a promise from God. This is a timeless, priceless, profound truth that will yield more answered prayer than one could dream of! Praying the Bible also brings beautiful, blessed, intimate times of communing in the presence of the LORD. If you're looking for a path to answered prayer and a deeper relationship with your Creator, this book is for you.

Praying the Bible: Book of Prayers - Wesley Cambell
Received the book in just a few days in new condition. I'm very pleased, thankyou.

Praying the Bible: The Book of Prayers
Great for personal growth.After getting it I ordered Praying the Bible: Pathway to Spiritual Growth, Both are great books. ... Read more

Product Description
Ted Campbell provides an extensive overview of each tradition's particular beliefs on relgious authority God and Christ, human nature and salvation, and church, ministry, and the sacraments. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An excellent historical introduction
This book is an incredible resource for both clergy and laity alike.Ted Campbell does an outstanding job in tackling a complex subject.This book portrays each of the major branches of the Christian Church fairly andevenly.The cross-references in the book serve as a wonderful guide tostudying each branch of Christianity seperately, or studying thedifferences and similarlities of each.This is a book that is difficult toput down once its been picked up. ... Read more

Product Description
Paul is traditionally viewed as separating from the churches of Peter and of Jewish Christ-followers to promote his own mission, eventually triumphing in the creation of a church with a gentile identity. In Paul and the Creation of Christian Identity, Campbell argues that the Pauline mission represents only one strand of the Christ-movement that should not be universalized to signify the whole. In conjunction with his gentile mission, Paul acknowledges Jewish identity as an abiding reality, rather than as a temporary, weak form of faith in Christ. Paul's gentile mission was not a reaction to his Jewish heritage, but a transformation based on his vision of Christ: thus the identity of Christianity cannot be that of a new religion. ... Read more

Product Description
Offers a critical way of understanding Wesley and the larger phenomenon of theeighteenth century evangelical revival.Campbell argues that Christian Antiquity functioned for Wesley as an alternative cultural vision for religious renewal, much in the same way that classical antiquity served as a cultural model for secular Enlightenment thinkers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Ancient Future Faith
Campbell's thesis is that John Wesley not only eclectically imbibed aspects of the theology of the fathers of the ancient church, he saw the life and practices of the ancient church as a model whereby English society of his own day could be transformed. Wesley, for instance, was initially enamored with the Vincentian canon that states, "That is Catholic which has been believed, everywhere, always and by everyone." Later on Wesley came to realize the difficulties of applying the criteria of "everywhere, always and everyone" to every given theological question or situation. He began to take on a more nuanced view of the value of church councils and showed a marked dislike for St. Augustine. One parishioner during his missionary stint in Georgia exclaimed, "Mr. Wesley, I know that this other man is an Anglican but what religion ye are I know not!" Wesley's appropriation of antiquity was unique. ... Read more