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As we approach the most solemn yet joyful time of the liturgical year, we at FaithfulReader.com have compiled a list of Easter-themed books in hopes that you will rediscover your faith this season. In this roundup, you'll find eye-opening and humbling fiction and nonfiction to enrich your beliefs and your understanding of others' convictions.
 444 SURPRISING QUOTES ABOUT JESUS: A Treasury of Inspiring Thoughts and Classic Quotations
compiled by Isabella D. Bunn
Bethany House Publishers
Christian Living
ISBN: 0764201611
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For more than 2,000 years, Jesus of Nazareth has captivated minds, hearts and souls. Drawn from the prayers of saints, the wisdom of philosophers, the imagination of artists and the insights of statesmen, these quotations paint a fascinating picture of Jesus and enrich our understanding of the Son of God.
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 THE CASE FOR EASTER: Journalist Investigates the Evidence for the Resurrection
Lee Strobel
Zondervan
Religious Studies
ISBN: 0310254752
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Did Jesus of Nazareth really rise from the dead? How credible is the evidence for --- and against --- the resurrection? Focusing his award-winning skills as a legal journalist on history's most compelling enigma, Lee Strobel retraces the startling findings that led him from atheism to belief. Drawing on expert testimony first shared in his blockbuster book THE CASE FOR CHRIST, Strobel examines the Medical Evidence, the Evidence of the Missing Body, and the Evidence of Appearances.
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 CHRIST IN THE PASSOVER: Why Is This Night Different?
Ceil and Moishe Rosen
Moody Publishers
Theology
ISBN: 0802413897
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Ceil and Moishe Rosen offer an interesting and vivid description of a traditional Passover celebration that Christ would have attended, and then compare it to present-day practices. This fascinating text also acts as a study on how Jesus fulfills Old Testament Prophesies as the Passover Lamb.
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 THE CROSS EXAMINATION OF JESUS CHRIST
Randy Singer
WaterBrook Press
Theology/Biblical Fiction
ISBN: 1400071674
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Christ explained the great doctrinal truths about his life and his purpose in response to the hostile interrogation by Temple leaders and lawyers. In this book, Randy Singer uses the dynamic dialogue between Christ and his detractors to shed light on the Lord's most controversial and significant teachings.
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 EMBRACING GRACE: A Gospel for All of Us
Scot McKnight
Paraclete Press
Theology
ISBN: 1557254532
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According to evangelical theologian Scot McKnight, the gospel is too often reduced to forgiveness from sins and getting to heaven. The message of the Bible, and the story of God, is actually much bigger and better than just that. In EMBRACING GRACE, McKnight presents an understanding of our relationship with Jesus that takes in the whole range of the Bible, from the original Fall to the Passion and Resurrection of Christ.
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 THE GIFT FOR ALL PEOPLE: Thoughts on God's Great Grace
Max Lucado
Multnomah
Christian Living
ISBN: 1576738485
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In THE GIFT FOR ALL PEOPLE, Max Lucado has compiled over 30 inspirational stories, resulting in a collection that celebrates God's gift of salvation. This book will help Christians understand and treasure their assured redemption and will shed light for non-Christians on the gift of eternal life through Jesus.
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 I AM: The Unveiling of God
Steve Fry
Multnomah
Devotional
ISBN: 1576736903
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Taken from true stories, these 40 honest, wonderfully crafted insights will allow the reader to gaze upon the inexpressible beauty of God while discovering a personal connection to a God who desires to be our all in all. Each essay in turn explores a different facet of God and how it plays into our relationship with Him. Bite-sized chapters end with a candid prayer followed by questions to spur further meditation on an attribute of God.
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 JESUS: A Novel
Walter Wangerin Jr.
Zondervan
Fiction
ISBN: 0310269083
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In this beautiful novelization of the New Testament, Walter Wangerin Jr. sheds new light on Jesus Christ, focusing on the human qualities of this historical and spiritual figure who "quietly turned the world upside down." JESUS: A NOVEL allows readers more than just a taste of life in Nazareth, but also the opportunity to witness the power and authority of Jesus's presence, his gift with words, and his infinite capacity to love.
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 JOURNEY IN A HOLY LAND: A Spiritual Journal
M. Basil Pennington
Paraclete Press
Christian Living
ISBN: 1557254737
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Join M. Basil Pennington on his pilgrimage to some of the most sacred sites of the three major faiths. Filled with vivid descriptions, moving reflections and poignant meditations, this journal is sure to delight and inspire Christians of all backgrounds and those familiar with the Holy Land.
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 THE LAST WEEK: A Day-by-Day Account of Jesus's Final Week in Jerusalem
Marcus Borg & John Dominic Crossan
HarperSanFrancisco
Theology
ISBN: 0060845392
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Bestselling authors and biblical scholars Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan discover a new way of understanding Passion Week and its momentous events by examining them from a different perspective. In recounting Christ's day-to-day actions during his final week, they suggest that he not only impacted the spiritual future of mankind, but also their future as a society by directly challenging the Roman Empire.
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 LIVING THE RESURRECTION: The Risen Christ in an Everyday Life
Eugene Peterson
NavPress
Christian Living
ISBN: 157683929X
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Pastor, scholar and translator Eugene Peterson takes readers on a spiritual journey through the Passion of Christ, as seen through the eyes of Biblical witnesses. As Christ's friends and followers were transformed by these events, we too can find renewal through participating in the story and experiencing the true wonder of the resurrection.
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 MAGDALENE
Angela Hunt
Tyndale House Publishers
Biography
ISBN: 1414310285
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In this well-researched and biblically-based portrayal of the life of Mary Magdalene, readers are swept back in time to witness Miryam's initial state of goodness and serenity, the unthinkable act that causes her to descend into darkness, and the restoration of her life by Yeshua the Messiah. This compelling and touching novel not only paints a portrait of a courageous woman, but also recounts a true love story that changed the face of history.
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 MORE THAN A SKELETON
Paul L. Maier
WestBow Press
Suspense
ISBN: 1595540032
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When Joshua Ben-Yosef, an Israeli from Galilee --- born in Nazareth to parents Mary and Joseph --- begins assembling 12 followers, attracting crowds and performing miracles, the world takes notice. Could Dr. Melvin Merton have been correct about the imminent return of Christ? It seems everyone is a believer in this "Messiah," including Weber's wife, Shannon --- especially when Joshua performs the "ultimate sign" by raising his disciple from the dead. Plagued by skepticism, Weber may be the only one who can intervene before the very foundations of the Christian faith are shattered.
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 PAUL MEETS MUHAMMAD: A Christian-Muslim Debate on the Resurrection
Michael R. Licona
Baker Books
Theology
ISBN: 0801066026
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Is the resurrection fact or fiction? Michael R. Licona examines this age-old debate through a futuristic face-off between two religious heavyweights, each speaking on the validity of their doctrines, forming arguments and rebuttals while citing evidence from the Qur'an and the Gospel accounts. This absorbing and engaging book offers a comprehensive defense of Jesus's resurrection and of Christianity itself in a unique frame.
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 THE POWER OF PRAYER AND FASTING: 21 Days That Can Change Your Life
Marilyn Hickey
Warner Faith
Devotional
ISBN: 0446694983
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The practice of fasting is not as prominent today as it once was, but Christians worldwide advocate it for both its spiritual and physical benefits. In this book, Marilyn Hickey personalizes this discipline for readers by looking in-depth at its purpose, including medical issues and side effects. She also includes Scripture passages, short teachings, and a 21-day fasting program to promote stability and character building.
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 PREPARED TO BE GOD'S VESSEL: Lessons From the Life of Mary
Henry Blackaby and Carrie Blackaby Webb
Nelson Books
Christian Living/Theology
ISBN: 0785262075
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Mary was a simple, ordinary girl leading a seemingly ordinary life. However, God saw a young woman with a pure heart and a willingness to obey him. In PREPARED TO BE GOD'S VESSEL, Henry Blackaby and his daughter Carrie describe how God can work through anyone with a committed heart, regardless of sex, stature or ability. Mary's example of faithfulness and dedication will encourage and inspire Christian women, and remind them that God is always looking for a new vessel.
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 STORY: Recapture the Mystery
Steven James
Revell
Christian Living
ISBN: 0800731131
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"The empty tomb doesn't make sense without the cross, the cross doesn't make sense without the manger, and the manger doesn't make sense without the garden," says author Steven James. To understand Easter, it is necessary to experience the entire Christian story. Using 30 short, image-based chapters, STORY makes familiar Bible narratives come alive in provocative and poetic ways and allows readers to meet Christ again or for the very first time.
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 THE STORY OF THE CHRIST
Scot McKnight
Baker Academic
Theology
ISBN: 0801031613
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Scot McKnight's compelling introduction to Jesus Christ provides helpful background information on the sources of our information (the Gospels), the religious setting of Jesus's life, the heart of Jesus's teaching, and a summation of what kind of person Jesus was. It then offers a continuous narrative account of the life and words of Jesus, woven together from the four canonical Gospels. All who seek to know more about Jesus and his message for people today will enjoy this book, particularly during the Easter season.
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 TWO WOMEN OF GALILEE
Mary Rourke
Mira
Fiction
ISBN: 0778323749
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Mary Rourke focuses her poignant novel on a woman only footnoted in the Bible: Joanna, the ailing wife of Pontius Pilate's steward and the estranged cousin of Mary, the mother of Jesus. After failed attempts by the finest doctors, Joanna seeks out a local healer, Jesus of Nazareth, and strikes an unlikely friendship with his mother in the process. TWO WOMEN OF GALILEE offers readers a unique and fresh perspective on both the monumental events of the Passion, as well as on the central figures of the Christian faith.
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 A VIOLENT GRACE
Michael Card
Multnomah
Theology
ISBN: 1576736881
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Award-winning author and musician Michael Card paints a stunning and poignant picture of how violence was the price of grace. Based primarily on passages in Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22, the reader is led on an exploration of the suffering and sacrifice it took to achieve our salvation, of Christ's separation from the Father so that we could enjoy intimacy with God, of His desertion so that we'd never have to be alone, of His rejection so that we'd find acceptance, and of His death so that we'd have eternal life.
--- Compiled and written by Marisa Emralino
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