Sir James George Frazer developed an affinity for classic literature at a young age, which developed into a very real talent through his schooling at Glasgow University and then Trinity College at Cambridge, where he remained as a Classics Fellow for all but one year of his life. After the success of his first novel, “Totemism”, in 1887, Frazer set out to create what was to become his defining work, “The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Reli ...
“Absolute Surrender and Other Addresses” is a compilation of sermons and essays written by the famous South African religious leader Andrew Murray. Born in South Africa in 1828, Murray grew up educated in Scotland and later the Netherlands. He returned to South Africa in 1848 after his ordination and pastored several churches all over South Africa. Murray was an important proponent of the “Higher Life” or “Keswick” movement which believed that a ...
The famous sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathon Edwards was delivered on July 8, 1741 in Enfield, Connecticut and is considered by many to be the most famous sermon ever given in America. It was published soon after and was an immediate commercial success. The sermon is a perfect example of the “fire and brimstone” preaching style that Edwards was well-known for and is an informative insight into the spiritual teachings of t ...
First published posthumously in 1779, “Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion” is Scottish philosopher David Hume’s classic work of religious philosophy. This detailed and exhaustive examination of the nature and existence of God was begun by Hume in 1750, but not completed until shortly before his death in 1776. Hume was an important and influential English Empiricist, along with other English philosophers such as Francis Bacon, John Locke, and ...
First published in 1894 in Germany after being banned in Leo Tolstoy’s native Russia, “The Kingdom of God is Within You” is, in the words of the introduction, “one of the most remarkable studies of the social and psychological condition of the modern world”. Thirty years in the making, Tolstoy expounds upon his earlier work “What I Believe” and argues that nonviolence is the very foundation of Christianity. Tolstoy believed that the teaching of ...
Written in 1712 by Saint Louis de Montfort, this influential Catholic treatise remained virtually unknown until it was discovered in France in 1842. Finally published in 1843 in its original French, the work became an instant success and would later have a profound impact on many Catholic popes. Pope John Paul II, a most devout believer in the importance of the Blessed Virgin Mary, said reading “True Devotion to Mary” was a “decisive turning poi ...
Originally published in 1918, Arthur W. Pink’s “The Sovereignty of God” is a powerful and influential work on the power of God over every aspect of human life, from the smallest specks of dust on earth to the greatest philosophical and spiritual challenges facing mankind. Born in England in 1886, Pink was little known during his own life and struggled with the day to day realities of life as a minister. He and his family moved frequently and liv ...
Written in 1888, “Abide in Christ” is Andrew Murray’s beautiful and inspiring spiritual guide to a deeper and more meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ. While born in South Africa in 1828, as Murray’s father was a Dutch Reformed Church missionary sent from Scotland, Murray grew up educated in Scotland and later the Netherlands. He returned to South Africa in 1848 after his ordination, pastored several churches all over South Africa, and was ...
As a result of his controversial works criticizing the Russian government and the Russian Orthodox Church, Tolstoy was excommunicated in 1901. Tolstoy dismissed the event lightly as he continued his search for a practical religion. “A Confession and Other Religious Works” is the product of years of introspection, resulting in a drastic reorientation of Tolstoy’s beliefs and values. He felt undeserving of the wealth and fame he had accumulated, w ...
