New Books in the PRTS Library

One of the privileges of working at PRTS is the weekly arrival of new books to supplement our library of 70,000+ books. Here are the new picks this week.

Note: Inclusion in the library does not necessarily mean endorsement of contents. We often have to buy books to help students with specialist theses and also to train students to think critically. Also, a book new to the library does not necessarily mean a new book on the market.

A History of the University of Cambridge: Volume 2, 1546-1750 by Victor Morgan

“This volume brings to completion the four-volume series, a vital contribution to academic history. Special features of this volume relate it to social and political history–especially to the gentry who provided patronage and recruits, as well as the royal court and parliament. The history of the university features extensive material on its architectural heritage, and a chapter on such intellectual giants between 1660-1740 as Richard Bentley and Isaac Newton.”

An Independent People: The Story of Ulster’s Presbyterians (DVD)

An Historical Account of My Own Life, With Some Reflections on the Times I Have Lived in. (1671-1731.) by Edmund Calamy

Protestant Dissent and Controversy in Ireland, 1660-1714 by Phil Kilroy

The Last Puritans: Mainline Protestants and the Power of the Past by Margaret Bendroth

“Congregationalists, the oldest group of American Protestants, are the heirs of New England’s first founders. While they were key characters in the story of early American history, from Plymouth Rock and the founding of Harvard and Yale to the Revolutionary War, their luster and numbers have faded. But Margaret Bendroth’s critical history of Congregationalism over the past two centuries reveals how the denomination is essential for understanding mainline Protestantism in the making.”

From Cranmer to Sancroft: Essays on English Religion in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries by Patrick Collinson

“This collection of essays ranges from Thomas Cranmer, who was burnt at the stake after repeated recantations in 1556, to William Sancroft, the only other post-Reformation archbishop of Canterbury to have been deprived of office. Patrick Collinson’s work explores the complex interactions between the inclusive and exclusive tendencies in English Protestantism, focusing both on famous figures, such as John Foxe and Richard Hooker, and on the individual reactions of lesser figures to the religious challenges of the time.”

Wholeheartedness: Busyness, Exhaustion, and Healing the Divided Self by Chuck DeGroat

“We all feel that nasty pull to and fro, the frantic busyness that exhausts us and threatens to undo us. And we all think we know the solution — more downtime, more relaxation, more rest. And we’re all wrong. As DeGroat himself has discovered, the real solution to what pulls us apart is wholeheartedness, a way of living and being that can transform us from the inside out. And that’s what readers of this book will discover too.”

Liang A-Fa: China’s First Preacher by George Hunter McNeur

“Liang Fa holds a unique place in the history of Christianity in China. Baptized and ordained by the first Protestant missionaries to China, Liang aided the first two generations of missionaries and conducted his own work as an evangelist and writer… and his most famous tract is believed to have influenced the Taiping Rebellion.”

Confessions of a Childless Mother: Learning to Trust God Through Infertility by Sarah Fuller

“This book is written by someone who knows first-hand the grief of infertility. It is a truly honest account of her and her husband s struggles with all the painful aspects of this trial. Including testimonies from many others about how they too have grappled with the issues, this book above all encourages readers in the midst of their pain to find peace in God and His Word.”

Writing of America: Literature and Cultural Identity from the Puritans to the Present by Geoff Ward

“In this lively and provocative study, Geoff Ward puts forward the bold claim that the founding documents of American identity are essentially literary. America was invented, not discovered, and it remains in thrall to the myth of an earthly Paradise. This is Paradise, and American ideology imprisons as it inspires.”

The Rule of Moderation: Violence, Religion and the Politics of Restraint in Early Modern England by Ethan H. Shagan

“…The Rule of Moderation comprehensively rewrites the history of early modern England, showing that many of its key developments-the via media of Anglicanism, the rise of the ‘middle sort’, the idea of political liberty, the development of empire, the rise of religious toleration-were defined and defended as instances of coercive and aggressive moderation, producing the ‘middle way’ through the forcible restraint of apparently dangerous excesses in Church, state and society.”

Can We Trust the Gospels?: Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John by Mark D. Roberts

“Attacks on the historical reliability of the Gospels—especially their portrayal of Jesus Christ—are nothing new. But are these attacks legitimate? Is there reason to doubt the accuracy of the Gospels? By examining and refuting some of the most common criticisms of the Gospels, author Mark D. Roberts explains why we can indeed trust the Gospels, nearly two millennia after they were written.”

The Bible: A History: The Making and Impact of the Bible by Stephen M. Miller and Robert V. Huber

“The history of one of the world’s most influential books, from its makings, through its development, to its impact through the ages…”

Evidence for God: 50 Arguments for Faith from the Bible, History, Philosophy, and Science edited by Michael Licona and William A. Dembski

“Leading apologists and biblical scholars offer accessible answers to both traditional questions and contemporary apologetics issues of our day.”