Bøker av Charles Craig Lantz

Christian Apologetics is just that: 'Christian.' It is about defending the essential 'Christian beliefs' that both Jews and Gentiles have held dear and bet their lives upon--the revelation of God through Jesus Christ. In case you have not noticed, the faith is under attack. God is raising up believers to be equipped to give an answer intelligently for their faith. You see, the days have long been gone where you can tell your skeptical non-believing friends "the Bible tells me so." That's no longer sufficient to convince them to place their faith in a book that is ancient and challenges their lifestyles. Yes, my friend, those days are long gone. We are living in the post-Christian world where anything goes, and IF you're going to stand up for the TRUTH you better be able to speak intelligently OR you're going to get laughed out of the room. Now a word on apologetics. The word is from the Greek word "apologia" which means speaking in defense of. Have you ever been picked on as a kid in grade school and about to get the snot beat out of you, but your best friend stepped in and helped you beat their butts? That best friend that stepped to your aid so that you would not get disgraced and beat up is what apologetics is for the Christian. Christian Apologetics will come to your aid intellectually and will teach you how to defend our Lord and His Word! Too many Christians on college and university campuses are getting 'bloody noses' because they got into a battle with a non-believer who was able to pick apart their belief in God, Jesus, and the Bible. Secular humanists have become very good at debunking the belief in God and universities are full of professors that will pick on the Christians in the lecture class, make fun and humiliate Christians, and make them look like stupid idiots for believing in Jesus and the Bible. In light of this, Christian Apologetics is going to become your new 'best friend.' Apologetics is going to be the friend that shows up to assist you so that you don't get creamed by your opponent. As Christians, it is imperative that we are able to defend our faith and even expose the foolishness of the nonbeliever. This book will systematically deliver to you lectures on Christian Apologetics to equip you so that you can properly defend your belief in God.

It is imperative in the day and age in which we live, that Christian leaders understand the law as it relates to pastors, churches, and non-profit organizations. Christian Leaders must have an understanding of the laws affecting pastors, and why they are important for church boards and ministers to know. Lantz uses court cases to help define and explain the legal distinction of ministerial status and its implications for pastors and church boards. This brief and concise handbook on Church Law addresses clergy employment contracts, compensation, termination, legal privileges and conditions of ministers, and the legal authority of ministers on behalf of the church. Also, the more common theories of clergy legal liability are examined. The laws of today are more complex than they ever have been, and lawyers are in the business of making "BIG BUCKS." They are able to do this because, unfortunately, many pastors and church leaders are ignorant about the law. There are no more legal problems and lawsuits against churches than in any other era. Therefore, it is imperative that the minister/pastor be aware of legal issues, and potential problems that can come their way if they are not careful in handling church members, non-members and counseling situations, in particular. Church leaders must become aware of the potential legal problems that can result from relationships with parishioners, as well as legal problems with employees. Pastor, beware of the dangers that are lurking in the world of Lawyers, Lawsuits, and the American Legal System. Every Pastor Full-Time Church Leader, and Christian Minister needs to purchase a copy of this concise handbook on Church Law.

By way of introduction, Part One, Book One, will cover the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, by giving a chapter by chapter summation of the each book, along with a topical outline added at the end of each book itself. The remarks are brief and concise, intended to give one a "synopsis" understanding of the each chapter of the entire Bible in a "nutshell." In Book Two, we shall present a "synopsis" introduction to all the 66 books of the Bible in short paragraph form. In Book Three, we will present a summary outline of all the books of the Bible in Topical Outline format; these can be used for sermon notes, and will give you a PANORAMIC understanding of all 66 books of the Holy Bible in sequential order. In Part Two, Book Four, I have developed 28 Biblical Sermon Expositions, written in full detail. We have included an Appendix Section that will cover the Prophets of Israel and The Synoptic Gospel Problem. For the serious Bible student, this compilation of research will thoroughly educate one into a deeper understanding of the Bible and relevant theological issues. This is a MUST READ for the serious Bible student!

This concise handbook on "ethics" will address many issues that our culture is struggling with that force people, many times, to make "tough choices" between "right" and "wrong." Ethical questions are life questions that people encounter in the process of living and to which they respond in the reality of their own lives. All activity implies such a taking of positions. Human activity is never a merely external relationship to or a manipulation of objects. Human activities involve a relationship to the reality in which humans always find themselves, which determines who they are, and which places them under obligations. The awareness of the inner responsibility involved in the reality of human life finds expression in the questions of ethics. Part One of this concise handbook will address the concept of "Christian ethics" and, will maintain the position that apart of God's word and His divine law, we are left to subjectivism and moral relativity. This study will investigate Utilitarianism, Deontological Ethics, Antinomianism, Situationism, Generalism, Conflicting Absolutism, and Graded Absolutism. These ethical options will be explored and examined. In addition to this, Biblical ethics will attempt to answer these questions, What is truth? What is biblical morality? What is the basis of the nature of God's law in relationship to theological concepts such as Mercy, Justice, Righteousness, and Faithfulness? In Part Two of this handbook, the author will address the following ethical issues: Homosexuality, Abortion, Feminism, Capital Punishment, Death Ethics: Euthanasia, Biomedical Ethics - dealing with the Medical Implications of Artificial Insemination, and the issue of Surrogate Mothers. Although by no means an exhaustive study on the foundation of Christian ethics, and contemporary ethical issues, this concise handbook is a MUST read for pastors, church leaders, and followers of Christ who want to be equipped with "knowledge" so that they are able to more effectively minister to this current culture facing an on-slot of ethical crises.

In 1937, on the threshold of Nazi Germany's war on the world, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote what turned out to be one of the most influential books of the century, "The Cost of Discipleship." In it, he challenged the faulty faith and compromises of German Christians, famously writing, "When Christ calls a man he bids him come and die." Now, eighty-two years after the book was first published, Charles Craig Lantz writes on Dietrich Bonhoeffer's doctrine of Grace. Lantz examines Bonhoeffer's doctrine of grace in his academic works, books, and life. Bonhoeffer complained that the Nazi German Church had proclaimed a "cheap grace." The Church in 2019 is not much different. Bonhoeffer spoke as prophet in his times and prophetically denounced the Church for preaching "cheap grace." If Bonhoeffer were alive today, he would say the same thing about the condition of the Church in 2019! Grace is a foundational doctrine for Christians, yet it is one of the most misunderstood. Bonhoeffer watched as many used the doctrine of grace as an excuse to do whatever they wanted, and in response, he wrote his classic work on what it truly means to follow Jesus. We cheapen grace, he declared, when we use it to compromise our behavior or to lower the standards of God's Word. In this examination of Bonhoeffer's doctrine of grace, Lantz explains what Bonhoeffer meant when he taught that grace is free but will cost us everything. Therefore, grace is not cheap.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer is perhaps one of the greatest 20th century theologians of his time. As a pastor of the Confessing Church, Bonhoeffer fought hard for the redemption of an oppressed people, the Jews of Nazi Germany, and sought to bring spiritual revolution to the lives of his friends and colleagues in Nazi Germany during the horrific reign of Adolf Hitler. This 2nd edition is a revised adaption of the author's PhD thesis on The Life and theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945). This study of Bonhoeffer will seek to examine his life and theology in light of his theological understanding of faith and grace that shaped his thinking and influenced him to become involved in a political conspiracy to abolish Hitler. Bonhoeffer sought social, spiritual, political freedom in Jesus Christ, he preached, wrote, and proclaimed the uncompromising message of discipleship and costly grace. His life and death remain as an abiding legacy to the Christian faith. "Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession...Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate." ― Dietrich Bonhoeffer "When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die." ― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship "We are not to simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice, we are to drive a spoke into the wheel itself." ― Dietrich Bonhoeffer