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Unity through Repentance

The Journey to Wittenberg 2017
Thomas Cogdell
Thomas Cogdell

Thomas and Amy Cogdell live in central Texas. They have five children and five grandchildren (so far). Amy is Catholic, and Thomas is Protestant. Together, they founded Christ the Reconciler, a community of Jesus-followers striving to live out John 17. Thomas also co-founded Day & Night Waters, a social venture/public benefit company that serves as the economic engine of Christ the Reconciler. He also works in the private sector and serves on the boards of Christ the Reconciler, Day & Night Waters, Antioch Network, and Help for All Nations. 

For book testimonials, click HERE!

Watch the book launch event at Hope Chapel HERE!

View the story behind Unity Through Repentance HERE! 

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Can a 500-Year-Old Conflict Be Healed?

Most Christians will agree that God has a desire to reconcile all peoples to Himself—but few are willing to explore God’s fierce resolve to reconcile us to each other. In fact, we often find ourselves affirming deeply rooted hostility in the body of Christ. The legendary image of Martin Luther defiantly nailing his 95 Theses to the Wittenberg church door in 1517 exemplifies our urge to celebrate the split between Protestants and Catholics. But even this conflict can be transformed and healed by the power of God and the partnership of friends.

Unity through Repentance is the story of God interrupting the lives and plans of an ordinary couple to invite them into the adventure of a lifetime, gathering all the major streams of Jesus-followers in Wittenberg on the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. God gave the vision; tested and confirmed the calling; formed an international leadership team; and inspired a series of gatherings dedicated to joining with Jesus through repentance, forgiveness, and praying John 17.

As he tells his story, Cogdell emphasizes spiritual formation and conflict resolution underscoring the importance of unity in the body of Christ for world evangelism. Unity through Repentance provides fresh inspiration for the global Church to fulfill Jesus’ prayer for missions: Make them one ... so that the world will believe.

  • It was one of the unique experiences in my life ... The healing power of God was noticeably present in Wittenberg.

    Archpriest Drtad Uzunyan,  Ecumenical Representative of Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey (Eastern Orthodox), Istanbul, Turkey 

  • By faith and through countless impossibilities, Thomas and Amy obeyed when God called them. After 500 years, wounds were healed in the body of Christ, guiding us from far away, entering into the midst of deep traditional European conflicts of Christianity. No one of us would ever have dared this.

    Sister Joela Krüger  Marienschwestern (Evangelical Sisters of Mary–Lutheran), Darmstadt, Germany

Cast of Characters 

Foreword by Fr. Peter Hocken 

Preface 

Part I: Background and Vision, 1980s–2000 

Chapter 1 Hope Chapel 

Chapter 2 Born Again, Again 

Chapter 3 Power Plant of Prayer 

Chapter 4 God’s Landmine by Amy Cogdell 

Chapter 5 Switzerland 

Chapter 6 “The Guts to Go Through with It” 

Part II: Testing, 2001–2010 

Chapter 7 Waiting 

Chapter 8 Compulsions 

Chapter 9 “Let Me Do It” 

Chapter 10 Herrnhut 

Chapter 11 God Does It 

Chapter 12 “Seven Years from Today” 

Midword by John Dawson 

Part III: A Journey into Repentance, 2010–2015 

Chapter 13 “Where Are the Jews?” 

Chapter 14 Antakya and Berlin 

Chapter 15 Ottmaring, 2012 

Chapter 16 Volkenroda, 2013 

Chapter 17 Trento, 2014 

Chapter 18 Rome, 2015 

Part IV: The 500th Anniversary, 2016–2017 

Chapter 19 500 Days Before, 2016 

Chapter 20 Death of a Father 

Chapter 21 Death of a Mother 

Chapter 22 Searching for Anabaptists 

Chapter 23 A Prayer Meeting Occasionally Interrupted by Teachings 

Chapter 24 The Joy of Repentance 

Part V: Sabbath and New Life 

Chapter 25 The Beauty of Completability 

Chapter 26 “Unless a Seed Falls into the Ground” 
 

Afterword by Hanna Zack Miley 

Appendix 1: The Wittenberg 2017 Principles 

Appendix 2: Historical Conclusions about the Reformation 

Appendix 3: Biographical Sketches by Amy Cogdell 

Appendix 4: Wittenberg 2017 as One Pattern for Leadership of a Reconciliation Initiative 

Appendix 5: Identificational Repentance 

Appendix 6: A Lutheran Pastor Reflects on Rome by Hans Scholz 

Appendix 7: Judensau Lament by Richard Harvey 

Acknowledgments 

Author

  • Thomas Cogdell
    Thomas Cogdell

    Thomas and Amy Cogdell live in central Texas. They have five children and five grandchildren (so far). Amy is Catholic, and Thomas is Protestant. Together, they founded Christ the Reconciler, a community of Jesus-followers striving to live out John 17. Thomas also co-founded Day & Night Waters, a social venture/public benefit company that serves as the economic engine of Christ the Reconciler. He also works in the private sector and serves on the boards of Christ the Reconciler, Day & Night Waters, Antioch Network, and Help for All Nations. 

    For book testimonials, click HERE!

    Watch the book launch event at Hope Chapel HERE!

    View the story behind Unity Through Repentance HERE! 

  • Pages: 236
  • Publisher: William Carey Publishing
    William Carey Publishing
  • Binding: Paperback
  • Publish Year: 2022
  • ISBN: 9781645083115
  • Vendor: William Carey Publishing
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