This is a witty, elegant enquiry into the art of persuasion. Rhetoric is nothing to be afraid of. It isn't the exclusive preserve of politicians: it's everywhere, from your argument with the insurance company to your plea to the waitress for a table near the window. It convicts criminals (and then frees them on appeal). It causes governments to rise and fall, best men to be shunned by their friends' brides, and perfectly sensible adults to march with steady purpose towards machine guns. In this highly entertaining (and persuasive) book, Sam Leith examines how people have taught, practised and thought about rhetoric from its Attic origins to its twenty-first century apotheosis. Along the way, he tells the stories of its heroes and villains, from Cicero and Erasmus, to Hitler, Obama - and Gyles Brandreth. Knowledge, it has been said, is power. And rhetoric is what gives words power.

The story of Jesus cannot be contained in a history of 33 years on an ancient strip of land along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. The group of 120 followers Jesus empowered transformed the world with the good news of redemption and reconciliation he preached. In this journey through the book of Acts, discover the leaps of faith taken by the early church to spread the news of the miracles they'd witnessed and the message they'd received.

Their story carries us—his current followers—into our future. Their devotion and perseverance challenges us to step out in faith and make a difference in Jesus' name. We can experience Jesus' presence and power as the early church did, and be part of the ongoing movement to change the world with his revolutionary message. 

http://www.cokesbury.com/media/video/abingdonpress/LeithsInterview.asx

John Leith provides a brief but comprehensive statement of Christian faith for contemporary Christians. He considers the theologians of the ancient church and affirsm the faith of the ancient creeds.