New releases: August 2007

Nothing in My Hand I Bring

Back in 1517 Luther posted his 95 Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. In so doing he questioned some of the teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic Church, and sparked the movement known as the Reformation.

Nearly half a millennium later, another Roman Catholic also came to understand justification by faith, and gave his life to Christ. His name is Ray Galea. Like Luther, Ray was faced with the decision about whether he could, in good conscience, remain within the Roman Catholic Church of his family, his upbringing and his culture. Ray's quest to understand the respective teachings of Roman Catholicism and Protestantism, and to weigh up what the Bible said, helped him to clarify the differences and choose a path for his Christian life.

In Nothing in My Hand I Bring, Ray Galea charts that quest and helpfully spells out what he learnt about the differences. Today the need for such teaching remains as strong as it was in 1517. Many want to gloss over the differences, and wonder why we can't just all be united together as ‘Christians’. Ray Galea's book provides the answer, in a gentle and clear way, and is suitable for both Protestant and Catholic readers.

This is a timely book, as Australians prepare to host a visit by the Pope in 2008 for World Roman Catholic Youth Day.

There's a review of this book on the sydneyanglicans.net web site. Find out more (and download chapter 1 free).

From Sinner to Saint

From Sinner to Saint is the next in Matthias Media's Insight Bible Study Series. Using a mix of Bible investigation, group discussion and video input, From Sinner to Saint will help your group explore what holiness is, how it is possible and how God is going to bring it about in your life. You will be challenged to persevere on the path to holiness and warned of the distractions you may encounter along the way. Finally, you’ll be encouraged by the grandeur of God’s plan for you in his new creation.

Featuring the Bible teaching of John Chapman (‘Chappo’), in discussion with Tony Payne, this new format of Bible study will invigorate your small group.

Watch a brief presentation about this resource (Quicktime 4.5mb) [You can also download a larger version of this presentation (33.21mb) suitable for full-screen display (e.g. via a data projector). When playing this larger file, we recommend you choose ‘Enter Full Screen’ view, and then ‘Actual Size’ in Quicktime for best viewing results. To download the Quicktime Player or to learn more, visit the Quicktime web site.] Find out more (and download free sample).

The Daily Reading Bible (Volume 11)

The Daily Reading Bible is designed to help you feed regularly on God's word and meet with him in prayer, wherever and whenever you have 15-20 minutes of peace and quiet to yourself.

Each volume contains around 60 ESV Bible readings together with a set of questions to get you thinking. Plus there are points to ponder and suggestions for prayer. So it's an all-in-one resource.

Volume 11 has just arrived from the printers. It contains 60 undated readings on 2 Peter, Genesis 36-50, Ecclesiastes and the theme 'in his image'. Find out more (and download 5 sample studies).