Best Christian Popes

The many similarities and the spiritual bond between the pope and the president—and how Reagan privately spoke of the “DP”: the Divine Plan to take down communism New details about how the Protestant Reagan became intensely interested in the “secrets of Fátima,” which date to the reported apparitions of the Virgin Mary at Fátima, Portugal, starting on May 13, 1917—­sixty-four years to the day before John Paul II was shot A startling insider account of how the USSR may have been set to invade the pope’s native Poland in March 1981—only to pull back when news broke that Reagan had been shot. Nancy Reagan called John Paul II her husband’s “closest friend”; Reagan himself told Polish visitors that the pope was his “best friend.” When you read this book, you will understand why. “No Reagan biographer or scholar knows Ronald Reagan and conservatism like Paul Kengor.” — Michael Reagan “[Kengor] has written the most exhaustive and definitive account of Communism’s twentieth-century assault on America to date.” — Townhall. “Kengor makes clear just how central the defeat of the Soviet Union was to Reagan’s personal project.” — National Review. “[Kengor provides] more fascinating and never-before-reported details about how Ronald Reagan succeeded than any other Cold War historian.

The keeper of the Vatican crypt ran a spy ring that betrayed German war plans and wounded Hitler in a briefcase bombing. Told with heart-pounding suspense, based on secret transcripts and unsealed files, Church of Spies throws open the Vatican's doors to reveal some of the most astonishing events in the history of the papacy. "[E]xciting.... deals fairly with the pope's theological and political rationale.... thoroughly documented with primary sources... Church of Spies is the best account of the subject to date. Intelligencer: Journal of U. S. Intelligence Studies "[A] remarkable book... Mark Riebling gained access to Vatican documents not viewed by any previous author. "Riebling, in thorough research and documentation, shows that Pius XII, rather than being an acquiescent enabler of the Nazis' genocidal designs, was an active participant in an intrigue whose goal was the assassination of the Fuhrer." Choice "Steeped in primary sources and compulsively readable, this book should lead to a broad rethinking of Pius XII's action and inaction during the Nazi era.... Against the Marxist theory of 'Catholic-fascism,' it details Nazi hatred of the Roman Church - explaining why Catholics fought Hitler with more fervor than Protestants did. Ernest Greco, Catholic Social Science Review "Those historians and others who continue to cling to the the 'Hitler's Pope myth despite the abundant evidence to the contrary will have an even more difficult task as they are faced with Mark Riebling's well-documented page-turner." "The author explains with great wisdom and after an arduous investigation how the Catholic Church to safeguards its interests through the world's oldest espionage system. Catholic Book Reviews "[T]hough the efforts to assassinate Hitler failed (the reasons for the lack of success form the backbone of this suspenseful narrative), Pope Pius XII clearly took steps to attack Nazism from its very top....[A] compelling picture of the Pope's heretofore unknown actions in attempting to covertly bring down the Nazis." Army Rumor Service (UK) "...a well researched fascinating story that explains how some of the myths of Pius's pro Nazi views entered circulation. John Davis, Decatur Daily "Some books are important to read... to understand how we got where we are in the world... We live in a particularly rich time of new awareness of World War II history [and] Mark Riebling, well connected intelligence expert... offers a stellar new contribution. Pius's noble motives for his now revealed actions alone make this book of signal interest, yet there is so much more to Riebling's work. Riebling discusses not only the espionage communication trade craft involved, which is superb, butalso the moral dilemmas faced by the conspirators." ... painstakingly describes the Pope's leading role in a network of Catholic spies which aimed to assassinate Hitler.... not only extensively researched but also dramatically written. Al Kresta, Ave Maria Radio "You'll meet characters in this book that will just fill you with pride about Christian resistance to Hitler. David W. Brown, author of Deep State "I fully expected to love Church of Spies by Mark Riebling, and did. Giles MacDonogh, author of After the Reich "An excellent, racy account of the Catholic Church's role in the resistance to Hitler and a useful corrective to some of the wilder accusations levelled at Pius XII. Chronicles "Church of Spies is a fascinating study of how the Vatican has worked--in this case mostly for good--in crisis and in secret." The strength of [Riebling's] journalistic skills is that he is able to evoke a most vivid picture of both the personalities and the places involved in this dramatic story down to even the details of the furniture of the pope's study."

For such a time as this have we been given St. John Paul II s Theology of the Body . In his previous book, Theology of the Body Explained , Christopher West offered a more detailed, six-hundred-page commentary on St. John Paul II s Theology of the Body . New for this edition: ● All quotations have been updated with the new translation. ● Key insights discovered through Dr. Waldstein s access to the St. John Paul II archives have been incorporated. ● The outline of the text has been substantially reorganized to reflect the newly discovered outline of St. John Paul II s original manuscript. ● St. John Paul II s hidden and previously untranslated addresses are summarized.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Eric Metaxas comes a brilliant and inspiring biography of the most influential man in modern history, Martin Luther, in time for the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. On All Hallow’s Eve in 1517, a young monk named Martin Luther posted a document he hoped would spark an academic debate, but that instead ignited a conflagration that would forever destroy the world he knew. “Metaxas knows how to tell a story and how to develop characters, and this talent makes his narrative at once gripping and accessible . A beautifully balanced separation of fact from fiction.” —Hugh Hewitt “If you had to make a list of five people who shaped the modern West, Martin Luther would be on it. Read this book for yourself to understand the story we’re all still living through.” —Peter Thiel, cofounder of PayPal, entrepreneur, and author of Zero to One “A marvelous, brilliant book that is equal parts biography, theology, political philosophy, and cultural history. With a light and rapid touch that nonetheless is capable of conveying deep truths and insights, Metaxas deftly blends these many elements into a narrative that reads as compellingly as a novel. I imagine that Luther himself—not an easy man to please—would be deeply impressed by this master portraiture.” —Mark Helprin, bestselling author of Winter’s Tale and A Soldier of the Great War. Bold, fast-paced, and magisterial like its hero, yet always stylish and witty like its author, this account blows the cobwebs off long-settled expectations, and helps us to understand the man who shook the medieval world and helped to shape the modern world.” —Os Guinness, author of Impossible People. With his customary verve and elegance, profound reverence, and biting wit, Metaxas’s Martin Luther is an education in the meaning of man’s relation to God. Gerald L. Schroeder, lecturer and teacher at College of Jewish Studies Aish HaTorah’s Discovery Seminar “This massive but eminently readable biography of Luther deserves no less an adjective than ‘formidable.’ Eric Metaxas is to religious biographers what Pixar is to cartoons.” —Peter Kreeft, author of Catholics and Protestants: What Can We Learn from Each Other? “If you wish to know why Martin Luther is remembered as one of the most consequential figures in history, and why Eric Metaxas has emerged as one of the most prominent storytellers of our generation, you’ll find the answers in this book. Eric’s skill as a writer and biographer are on full display here, even as he corrects the myths and secures the history of a monk who changed the world.” —John Stonestreet, president of the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview. full of clever turns of phrase and humor that makes the incredible story of Luther all the more accessible.” —ChristianHeadlines.com. “A biography designed to peel back the myths and reveal Luther as the fascinating and influential man he was . the author’s fast-paced style and attention to interesting details sets this 450-page book apart.” —Institute for Faith, Work & Economics “Turns some centuries-long legends upside down.” —The Blaze “A masterful portrait of a seminal figure.” — Booklist (starred review) “A meaty autobiography of the Reformation leader. Metaxas brings his flair for epic biography that was on such impressive display in his 2010 book, Bonhoeffer .

Pub crawl your way through the sacred seasons with this entertaining and useful collection of cocktail recipes, distilled spirits, beer, and wine for virtually every occasion on the Catholic liturgical calendar. Michael Foley offers the faithful drinker witty and imaginative instruction on the appropriate libations for the seasons, feasts, and saints' days of the Church year.