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From Dirty To Dancing: God's Grace for Those Struggling With Pornography
by Mike Novotny"Pornography has made lots of us feel dirty. Men and women. Adults and children. Church-leading pastors and churchgoing people. ... Thank you for being courageous enough to explore this taboo topic. God's church needs more people like you, people who care enough to reach out for help or to reach out to help others." –Pastor Mike Novotny Has pornography dirtied your mind? Your soul? Your relationships? The way you look at other people? The way you look at God? Has pornography dirtied the life of someone you love? Your sibling? Your child? Your spouse? Your friend? How do you come clean? How can you help others do the same? From Dirty to Dancing is a gospel-centered resource to support Christians who struggle with pornography addiction. This uplifting book by pastor and popular author Mike Novotny has four goals to help you move from despair in sexual sins to celebration in God's forgiveness: Warn you of the dangers of pornography Show you that Jesus paid for sexual sins, too Encourage you to confess your sins to others Formulate a practical plan for conquering your addiction No matter how troubled or distressed you may be by your addiction to porn, From Dirty to Dancing assures you that—through Christ—God forgives you and longs to help you conquer your sinful struggles.
From Divine Timemaker to Divine Watchmaker: An Exploration of God’s Temporality (Routledge Studies in Analytic and Systematic Theology)
by R.T. MullinsThis book offers the most extensive exploration of divine temporality to date. It focuses on five main questions. First, what is time? Second, how is God responsible for the existence of time? Third, what does it mean to say that God is temporal? Fourth, what kind of structure might God give to a time series? Fifth, what are the implications for theological doctrines such as the Trinity, creation, providence, and life after death? The author offers a deep, critical engagement with the Christian tradition but also goes beyond to build analytic bridges to Jewish, Islamic, Hindu, and Jainist philosophical theology. The book provides an up-to-date discussion of issues within analytic metaphysics, philosophy of time, and philosophy of religion and draws on the resources of contemporary systematic, historical, and biblical theology.
From Dust They Came: Government Camps and the Religion of Reform in New Deal California (North American Religions #18)
by Jonathan H. EbelThe untold story of the federal government’s Depression-era effort to redeem Dust Bowl refugees in rural California through religionIn the midst of the Great Depression, punished by crippling drought and deepening poverty, hundreds of thousands of families left the Great Plains and the Southwest to look for work in California’s rich agricultural valleys. In response to the scene of destitute white families living in filthy shelters built of cardboard, twigs, and refuse, reform-minded New Deal officials built a series of camps to provide them with shelter and community.Using the extensive archives of the federal migratory camp system, From Dust They Came tells the story of the religious dynamics in and around migratory farm labor camps in agricultural California established and operated by the Resettlement Administration and the Farm Security Administration. Jonathan H. Ebel makes the case that the camps served as mission sites for the conversion of migrants to more modern ways of living and believing. Though the ideas of virtuous citizenship put forward by the camp administrators were framed as secular, they rested on a foundation of Protestantism. At the same time, many of the migrants were themselves conservative or charismatic Protestants who had other ideas for how their religion intended them to be.By looking at the camps as missionary spaces, Ebel shows that this New Deal program was animated both by humanitarian concern and by the belief that these poor, white migrants and their religious practices were unfit for life in a modernized, secular world. Innovative and compelling, From Dust They Came is the first book to reveal the braiding of secularism, religion, and modernity through and around the lives of Dust Bowl migrants and New Deal reformers.
From Eden to Egypt: A Guided Tour of Genesis (9Marks)
by Alex DukeThe Bible is one story told through dozens of people over thousands of years. As Christians, we know we're supposed to believe this - and so we do. But when we pick up our Bibles, if we're honest, we sometimes lose the thread, especially with some of the strange and obscure happenings in Genesis.We can't help but wonder, What's this all about?!Who- or what - are the Nephilim? What about this mysterious Melchizedek who seems to appear out of nowhere? Why are there so many genealogies? Why do Abraham and a Hittite haggle for so long about the price of a rinky-dink cave? Hang on, are we supposed to be comfortable with Abraham sacrificing his son? Or with Lot's, um, unseemly family dynamics? Or with Jacob's multiple wives? Why do the book's heroes so often act like villains?And, of course, what does all this have to with Jesus and the gospel?Careful readers of the Bible have many questions about Genesis. In From Eden to Egypt, Alex Duke will give everyday Christians a guided tour of these wonderful stories so that they'll see - perhaps for the first time - that it's all there for a reason."Alex has gifted the church with an accessible and faithful guide through the book of Genesis." —KIRK COUSINS, NFL Quarterback"With engaging storytelling and culturally relevant illustrations, Duke helps us see where God&’s people have been and where they&’re headed." —HUNTER BELESS, host of Journeywomen and author of Read it, See it, Say it, Sing it: Knowing and Loving the Bible
From Eden to Exile
by Eric H. ClineEric H. Cline uses the tools of his trade to examine some of the most puzzling mysteries from the Hebrew Bible and, in the process, to narrate the history of ancient Israel. Combining the academic rigor that has won the respect of his peers with an accessible style that has made him a favorite with readers and students alike, he lays out each mystery, evaluates all available evidence-from established fact to arguable assumption to far-fetched leap of faith-and proposes an explanation that reconciles Scripture, science, and history.Numerous amateur archaeologists have sought some trace of NoahÕs Ark to meet only with failure. But, though no serious scholar would undertake such a literal search, many agree that the Flood was no myth but the cultural memory of a real, catastrophic inundation, retold and reshaped over countless generations. Likewise, some experts suggest that JoshuaÕs storied victory at Jericho is the distant echo of an earthquake instead of IsraelÕs sacred trumpets-a fascinating, geologically plausible theory that remains unproven despite the best efforts of scientific research.Cline places these and other Biblical stories in solid archaeological and historical context, debunks more than a few lunatic-fringe fantasies, and reserves judgment on ideas that cannot yet be confirmed or denied. Along the way, our most informed understanding of ancient Israel comes alive with dramatic but accurate detail in this groundbreaking, engrossing, entertaining book by one of the rising stars in the field.
From Eden to Exile: Unraveling Mysteries of the Bible
by Eric H. ClineCombining the academic rigor that has won the respect of his peers with an accessible style that has made him a favorite with readers and students alike, he lays out each mystery, evaluates all available evidence - from established fact to arguable assumption to far-fetched leap of faith - and proposes an explanation that reconciles Scripture, science, and history. Numerous amateur archaeologists have sought some trace of Noah's Ark to meet only with failure. But, though no serious scholar would undertake such a literal search, many agree that the Flood was no myth but the cultural memory of a real, catastrophic inundation, retold and reshaped over countless generations. Likewise, some experts suggest that Joshua's storied victory at Jericho is the distant echo of an earthquake instead of Israel's sacred trumpets - a fascinating, geologically plausible theory that remains unproven despite the best efforts of scientific research. Cline places these and other Biblical stories in solid archaeological and historical context, debunks more than a few lunatic-fringe fantasies, and reserves judgment on ideas that cannot yet be confirmed or denied. Along the way, our most informed understanding of ancient Israel comes alive with dramatic but accurate detail in this groundbreaking, engrossing, entertaining book by one of the rising stars in the field.
From Eden to the New Jerusalem
by T. Desmond AlexanderUsing the theory to start from the denouement, or resolution, in Revelation's last verses and work backward, Alexander pieces together the Bible's overarching plot.
From Egypt to Sinai: A Devotional Commentary on Exodus
by Paul S MeitnerAre you struggling to trust in God?If you are, you’re not alone. This devotional book explores the relationship between the events recorded in the book of Exodus and the Christian’s daily struggle to trust in God alone.This book features opening prayers related to each chapter’s main theme, helping you connect the important spiritual lessons of Exodus to your own life.In From Egypt to Sinai, author and pastor Paul S. Meitner uses his knowledge as a scholar of church history and biblical interpretation to give you a full picture of the Exodus account from the Bible. Exodus isn’t just a historical account of the Israelites’ journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. It’s also the story of God leading Old Testament believers to the promised Messiah—Jesus Christ—and the personal journey of the Christian from trusting self to trusting God alone.In a world that is increasingly hostile to Christianity, this book will help you navigate the wilderness of the world with biblical wisdom and trust in God’s promises.
From Elder to Ancestor: Nature Kinship for All Seasons of Life
by S. Kelley Harrell• Explains the importance of creating a direct personal connection with Nature and how it is key to becoming an elder who will go on to become a wise Ancestor• Presents exercises and rituals to awaken and deepen your animistic connection to the world and help you intentionally craft yourself as a fit elder• Explores deep spiritual work with the Sacred Self, including shadow work and trauma honoring, as well as practices to help you heal your family lineFor millennia people connected with the Ancestors as part of their regular spiritual practice, seeking wisdom and inspired vitality from those who came before. Each member of a community grew up guided by sage elders, naturally walking the path into fit elderhood themselves and, upon their good deaths, becoming wise, capable Ancestors to whom their descendants could turn.Revealing how to restore the path from fit elder to wise Ancestor, S. Kelley Harrell explores the spiritual, cultural, and ancestral aspects of aging well. She explains the importance of creating a direct personal connection with Nature and of respecting the spirits who surround us, including asking their permission before engaging them in ritual or healing work. Exploring the concept of animism and how it is key to moving from elder to Ancestor, the author shares exercises for awakening and deepening your animistic connection to the world around you as well as rituals for embodiment and grounding.The author also examines the most powerful obstacles to dying well, exploring deep spiritual work with Sacred Self, including shadow work, the initiatory rite of heartbreak, and how to honor past traumas and dysfunctional patterns. She looks at forging a supportive connection with our Sacred Parents—the first Ancestors—as well as specific practices to help you heal your family line. She shows how recognizing that you are Nature—a part of the sacred order—allows you to begin rewilding and to honor your own sacredness. Showing that initiation into elderhood is the work of our lives, this book explains how, through personal introspection and engagement with the living world around us, we can cultivate our unique way to elder well.
From Enemy to Brother
by John ConnellyIn 1965 the Second Vatican Council declared that God loves the Jews. Before that, the Church had taught for centuries that Jews were cursed by God and, in the 1940s, mostly kept silent as Jews were slaughtered by the Nazis. How did an institution whose wisdom is said to be unchanging undertake one of the most enormous, yet undiscussed, ideological swings in modern history? The radical shift of Vatican II grew out of a buried history, a theological struggle in Central Europe in the years just before the Holocaust, when a small group of Catholic converts (especially former Jew Johannes Oesterreicher and former Protestant Karl Thieme) fought to keep Nazi racism from entering their newfound church. Through decades of engagement, extending from debates in academic journals, to popular education, to lobbying in the corridors of the Vatican, this unlikely duo overcame the most problematic aspect of Catholic history. Their success came not through appeals to morality but rather from a rediscovery of neglected portions of scripture. "From Enemy to Brother" illuminates the baffling silence of the Catholic Church during the Holocaust, showing how the ancient teaching of deicide-according to which the Jews were condemned to suffer until they turned to Christ-constituted the Churchs only language to talk about the Jews. As he explores the process of theological change, John Connelly moves from the speechless Vatican to those Catholics who endeavored to find a new language to speak to the Jews on the eve of, and in the shadow of, the Holocaust.
From Eternity to Eternity: Memoirs of a Korean Buddhist Nun
by Bulpil SunimFrom Eternity to Eternity is the story of Bulpil Sunim, arguably the most respected female Seon (Zen) master in Korea. Written with candor and an unpretentious sense of humor, her memoir provides both a fascinating record of her life and a deeply accessible window into Buddhist thought and spirituality. Describing and reflecting on her own experience of meditation and her journey as a woman in a male-dominated religious practice, she reveals the largely unknown realities of female monastic life in Korea. She also provides an unprecedented glimpse into her relationship with her father, the legendary Seon Master Seongcheol Sunim, who was widely considered a living Buddha in Korea. This lyrical autobiography, the first of its kind in Korean Buddhist literature, offers readers a chance to learn about Korean Seon meditation and practice from a woman’s perspective and will be of interest not only to scholars of Buddhism but to general readers curious about Buddhism, the experiences of religious women, or simply the remarkable life of a great spiritual leader.
From Eternity to Here: Rediscovering the Ageless Purpose of God
by Frank ViolaDiscover the sweeping story of God's eternal plan. Deep within God's Word lies a wondrous story like no other. A drama that unfolded before time began. An epic saga that resonates with the heartbeat of God. A story that reveals nothing less than the meaning of life and God's great mission in the earth.From Here to Eternity presents three remarkable stories spanning from Genesis to Revelation. Each story traces a divine theme that is woven throughout scripture. Seen together, they offer an extraordinary glimpse into God's highest passion and grand mission. What you discover will forever change your view of life, the church, and our magnificent God.
From Eve to Esther: Letting Old Testament Women Speak to Us
by Nell Webb MohneyIn the first of a two-book series on women of the Bible, Mohney presents eight stories on Old Testament women and the lessons they can impart today. The author combines research into the customs of the day with her own imagination to help today's women identify with their biblical counterparts.
From Everlasting to Everlasting
by Sophie FreemanAs a young Mormon girl of fifteen, Ellen Randall has little conception of the trouble she and her fellow Mormons will face when they set out with a wagon train bound for Utah. This historical novel follows real life events. The Mormon wagon train held hope and dreams for the travelers, Mormon settlers who had given up everything to make their home in Utah. Ellen Randall is orphaned at an early age and adopted by Elder Zachary and his wife, Sara. Ellen matures from child to adult as she sees and experiences the trials, tribulations, and hardships the Mormons experience as members of a persecuted religion. The journey, full of hope and promise, turns into a nightmare as the travelers face the unexpected. Weariness, and heartache confront them on the long trek to their new homeland. As the journey lengthens, Ellen begins to realize the heavy toll that the hardships have exerted. It has not been easy. The journey has been fraught with shortages of food and water, threats of attack by hostile raiders, and persecution by people unwilling to accept their religious practices and beliefs. But these early Mormons were strong, persistent people, moving towards a way of life that they firmly believe in. The settlers would not be denied their hopes and dreams as the wagon train pushed on. They were determined to build their Zion in Utah, and they succeeded.
From Every People and Nation: A Biblical Theology of Race (New Studies in Biblical Theology #Volume 14)
by J. Daniel Hays"After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language . . ." (Revelation 7:9). The visions in the book of Revelation give a glimpse of the people of God at the consummation of history—a multiethnic congregation gathered together in worship around God's throne. Its racial diversity is expressed in a fourfold formula that first appears in Genesis 10. The theme of race runs throughout Scripture, constantly pointing to the global and multiethnic dimensions inherent in the overarching plan of God. In response to the neglect of this theme in much evangelical biblical scholarship, J. Daniel Hays offers this thorough exegetical work in the New Studies in Biblical Theology series. As well as focusing on texts which have a general bearing on race, Hays demonstrates that black Africans from Cush (Ethiopia) play an important role in both Old and New Testament history. This careful, nuanced analysis provides a clear theological foundation for life in contemporary multiracial cultures and challenges churches to pursue racial unity in Christ. Addressing key issues in biblical theology, the works comprising New Studies in Biblical Theology are creative attempts to help Christians better understand their Bibles. The NSBT series is edited by D. A. Carson, aiming to simultaneously instruct and to edify, to interact with current scholarship and to point the way ahead.
From Fanatics to Folk: Brazilian Millenarianism and Popular Culture
by Patricia R. PessarFrom Fanatics to Folk rejects conventional understandings of Brazilian millenarianism as exceptional and self-defeating. Considering millenarianism over the long sweep of Brazilian history, Patricia R. Pessar shows it to have been both dominant discourse and popular culture--at different times the inspiration for colonial conquest, for backlanders' resistance to a modernizing church and state, and for the nostalgic appropriation by today's elites in pursuit of "traditional" folklore and "authentic" expressions of faith. Pessar focuses on Santa Brgida, a Northeast Brazilian millenarian movement begun in the 1930s. She examines the movement from its founding by Pedro Batista--initially disparaged as a charlatan by the backland elite and later celebrated as a modernizer, patriot, and benefactor--through the contemporary struggles of its followers to maintain their transgressive religious beliefs in the face of increased attention from politicians, clergy, journalists, filmmakers, researchers, and museum curators. Pessar combines cultural history spanning the colonial period to the present; comparative case studies of the Canudos, Contestado, Juazeiro, and Santa Brgida movements; and three decades of ethnographic research in the Brazilian Northeast. Highlighting the involvement of a broad range of individuals and institutions, the cross-fertilization between movements, contestation and accommodation vis--vis the church and state, and matters of spirituality and faith, From Fanatics to Folk reveals Brazilian millenarianism as long-enduring and constantly in flux.
From Fatwa to Jihad
by Kenan MalikThe # 1 international bestseller A Finalist for the George Orwell Book Prize"It would be absurd to think that a book can cause riots," Salman Rushdie asserted just months before the publication of his novel The Satanic Verses. But that's exactly what eventually happened. In England, protests started just months after the book's publication, with Muslim protestors, mainly from immigrant backgrounds, coming by the thousands from the outer suburbs of London and from England's old industrial centers--places like Bradford, Bolton, and Macclesfield--to denounce Rushdie's novel as blasphemous and to burn it. In February of 1988, the protests spread to Pakistan, where riots broke out, killing five. That same month, Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini called for Rushdie's assassination, and for the killing of anyone involved with the book's publication. It was this frightening chain of events, Kenan Malik argues in his enlightened personal and political account of the period, that transformed the relationship between Islam and the West: From then on, Islam was a domestic issue for residents of Europe and the United States, a matter of terror and geopolitics that was no longer geographically constrained to the Middle East and South Asia. Malik investigates the communities from which the anti-Rushdie activists emerged, showing the subtleties of immigrant life in 1980s England. He depicts the growth of the anti-racist and Asian youth movements, and shows how young Britons went from supporting these progressive movements to embracing a conservative strain of Islam. Malik also controversially tackles England's peculiar strain of "multiculturalism," arguing that policymakers there failed to integrate Muslim immigrants, which many politicians saw as incompatible with their own "Western values." It was a perception that led many to appeal to Muslims not as citizens, but as people whose primary loyalty was to their faith and who could be engaged only by their "community leaders." It was a also policy that encouraged Muslims to view themselves as semi-detached citizens--and that inevitably played into the hands of radical Islamists. Twenty years later, the questions raised by the Rushdie affair--Islam's relationship to the West, the meaning of multiculturalism, the limits of tolerance in a liberal society--have become the defining issues of our time.
From Fear to Freedom: Living as Sons and Daughters of God
by Rose Marie MillerFor all those who live in fear of never quite "measuring up," this honest account of one woman's spiritual crisis provides a new look at the transforming power of God's grace in the midst of weakness. Readers will be encouraged to relinquish the role of spiritual "orphan" and embrace a forgiving heavenly Father.
From Forbidden Fruit to Milk and Honey: A Commentary on Food in the Torah
by Diana LiptonFood is at the heart of Jewish life and culture. It's the subject of many studies, popular and academic, and countless Jewish jokes. From Forbidden Fruit to Milk and Honey spotlights food in the Torah itself, where, as still today, it's used to explore themes including love and desire, compassion and commitment, social justice, memory, belonging and exclusion, control, deception, and life and death. Originally an online project to support the food rescue charity, Leket Israel, From Forbidden Fruit to Milk and Honey comprises short essays on food in the parasha by 52 internationally acclaimed scholars and Jewish educators, and a verse by verse commentary by Diana Lipton on food and eating in the Torah.
From Fortress to Freedom
by Deborah L.W. RoszelFrom Fortress to Freedom encourages readers to engage in a relationship with God devoid of guilt or shame. In this book, Deborah Roszel recounts how she had long struggled to be good in the eyes of God and man. Responding to a childhood abuse incident, she had developed strict rules and high standards designed to protect her from harm. She effectively built a fortress around herself, a safe but increasingly restrictive haven. When God knew her heart was ready, He turned a friend's words into a powerful tool to demolish her fortress and show her that His plan for her involved more freedom than she had ever imagined. The freedom astonished her. She had not realized how much she had been controlled by fear, guilt, and shame in what she thought had been a life of faith. The joy of release left her almost speechless with wonder, but the Lord poured words into her to help her understand, resulting in healing for her and insight for others. Deborah wrote almost every morning for many weeks, and forty of these writings are collected here in From Fortress to Freedom. It is the author's prayer that this book will help lead readers to their own faith filled with freedom.
From Foundation to Summit: A Guide to Ngöndro and the Dzogchen Path
by Orgyen ChowangEssential instructions on the Vajrayana path to ultimate enlightenment, from the foundational contemplations about the nature of reality to the ultimate realizations of the wisdom of Dzogchen.In the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, before one can receive empowerments and pointing-out instructions from a dharma master, one must first open and prepare the mind by engaging in the foundational practices (ngöndro). This consists of completing a specified number of repetitions of the rituals of taking refuge, arousing the mind of awakening (bodhichitta), mandala offering, Vajrasattva purification, and Guru Yoga. In this book, Orgyen Chowang Rinpoche brilliantly explains how to engage in the foundational practice according to the New Treasures of the Dudjom tradition, the Dudjom Tersar. And from the outset, Orgyen Chowang introduces the pristine teachings of Dzogchen, the pinnacle of the Nyingma path, to provide the context that informs every stage of the path to awakening. This book is based on a series of oral teachings on Thinley Norbu&’s text A Cascading Waterfall of Nectar, itself a teaching on the Dudjom Tersar, that Orgyen Chowang gave to Western students over a three-month period in 1997. He explains in a very fresh, uncomplicated way such topics as receiving the blessings from the lama, the nature of awakening, the role of pointing-out instructions, tranquility and insight meditation, the three bodies of enlightenment, and the Dzogchen practices of trekchöd (cutting through) and thögal (passing over). This book will be of immense benefit to those engaged in the Dudjom Tersar ngöndro, those who have already finished their ngöndro accumulations, and those engaged in the foundational practice from other Nyingma lineages.
From Fury to Freedom
by Lela Gilbert Raul A. RiesFrom Fury to Freedom is a positive book that will encourage many families to admit some of the most private, even intimate and depressing feelings they have had to endure. The realization that God is the ultimate answer for all their needs will help them to live through these devastating dark days. We cannot deny that our God is a God of miracles. He took Raul from the pits of hell, from the cocoon of despair, insecurity, fear, hate, and self-destruction, into the most wonderful healing—SALVATION; the healing of his soul and spirit. Raul is evidence of how God's grace can spare the life of a young boy and nurture him into manhood. Jesus cradled Raul's head in His bosom, and kissed away his pain. He gave him the direction and love for which he was desperately searching.
From Generation to Generation: The Adaptive Challenge of Mainline Protestant Education in Forming Faith
by Charles R. FosterMainline Protestant congregations face a profound adaptive challenge. In the midst of significant social, cultural, and technological change, the denominations they represent generally abandoned a view of education capable of maintaining and renewing their faith traditions through their children and youth. New curriculum resources and innovative pedagogical strategies appropriated from the marketplace of religious education options have not met the challenge. A transformation of consciousness is required in congregations seeking a future through their children. It involves the exercise of an ecclesial imagination to reclaim a view of education rooted in the revitalization of their religious traditions in the past and re-envisioning the congregation as a catechetical culture of faith formation.
From Genesis to Genetics: The Case of Evolution and Creationism
by John A. MooreA distinguished science educator's clear and fair-minded accounts of evolution and creationism: two irreconcilable modes of seeing the world, science and religion.
From God To Us Revised and Expanded: How We Got Our Bible
by Norman L Geisler William E. NixWhere did the Bible come from? How do we know the right books are in the Bible? Does the Bible contain errors? What are the oldest copies we have of the Bible? How do we know that the Bible hasn't been changed over the years? Why are there so many translations of the Bible, and which one should I use? These are just some of the important questions about the Bible that are discussed in this book. Understanding basic facts about the origin of the Bible is essential for every Christian, but it can also be confusing and difficult. Here, two well-known scholars, authors of a more technical book, A General Introduction to the Bible, explain simply and clearly these basic facts. Inspiration, the biblical canon, major manuscripts, textual criticism, early translations, and modern versions are some of the major topics discussed. Careful explanations of important points are given throughout, as the entire field of biblical introduction is covered. Completely updated and revised edition of the 1974 work (more than 78,000 copies sold). Helpful charts have been added, along with an index of subjects, persons, and Scripture. This book is ideally suited for Bible students, pastors, and professors. While writing for readers without previous training, the authors do not gloss over difficult and complex issues when they arise. The nature of inspiration, the extent of the canon, and the usefulness of modern versions are all clearly discussed. The authors write: "The chain of communication from God to us is strong. It has several solid links: inspiration, collection, transmission, and translations. The strength of these links provide the contemporary Christian with the moral certitude that the Spirit-inspired original text of Scripture has been providentially preserved by God so that for all practical purposes the Bible in our hands is the infallible and inerrant word of God."