An introduction to some big issues.
In a world with so much destruction and pain we can often find ourselves asking: Was there ever a perfect plan for the world? Was it designed by anyone at all? Was it an accident? And if it was all planned for a reason and purpose, what are those purposes? Vaughan Roberts encourages readers to look at the first chapters of the Bible to understand the plan that God had in mind for humanity right from the start. He examines how God intended us to live in his creation and gives clear indications of how we can do so in the world today, even through the pain and destruction around us. He covers the issues that affect us all: our identity, the earth, sex, marriage and work. This is an indispensable guide to understanding how the Creator wants the world to work and will challenge readers to change their behaviour and attitudes to reflect what God intends for life.
Veteran scholar-missionaries Robert L. Plummer and John Mark Terry edit this collection of entry points into the missionary methods of the Apostle Paul. With contributions from Michael Bird, Eckhard Schnabel and Craig Keener, this volume examines Paul's missionary methods from the perspective of Paul's activities in the first century and the perspective of his ongoing impact on missions today.The first part of the book examines Paul's environment, activity and teaching. The second portion investigates the application of Paul's methods and principles to modern missionary work. The occasion for this book is the centennial of Roland Allen's Missionary Methods: Saint Paul's or Ours? a classic in the field which Paul's Missionary Methods enthusiastically engages with.
Christian mission is changing and developing rapidly as the centre of gravity of the faith shifts ever further 'south'. The practice of mission 'from everywhere to everywhere' challenges many traditional models, and new contexts raise new questions for established theologies. Evangelicals need a mission theology that engages with these challenges and contexts, while also affirming foundational truths and scriptural boundaries. The 'Dictionary of Mission Theology' draws on the work of many scholars who are contributing to the renewal of mission thinking and practice among evangelicals. It highlights and explores the missiological implications of a wide range of Christian doctrines and theologies, and the theological dimensions of many mission themes. Contributors have been encouraged to discuss their subjects contextually, grounding their ideas and arguments in the real worlds where these have been conceived and applied. The resulting missiology both has its roots in cherished and recognized evangelical categories and interprets them in fresh and dynamic ways. The new pattern of world Christianity is reflected in the dictionary in a majority contribution from the Majority World. Some 60% of the 160 articles are by non-Western authors, though leading Western thinkers are also well represented. The Dictionary will be invaluable for church leaders, missionaries, students of mission and those involved in the teaching and practice of mission worldwide, and will be accessible to a non-specialist readership. It is intended for every context in which mission is learnt and done, and to set a new benchmark for evangelical mission theology.
A survey of the life of Christ. Robert H Stein draws together the results of a career of research and writing on Jesus and the gospels.
An important and incisive new contribution to political theology
Does believing in the Trinity make any difference in real life? These seven studies by Elizabeth McQuoid will help you grow in your understanding of the inexhaustible riches of the Trinity. Find out why the Trinity is central to our beliefs and fundamental to the working out of our faith. A Keswick Study Guide.
What does our faith have to say about film? Music? Art? Fashion? Comedy? Or all the rest of popular culture?How can the Ancient of Days possibly keep up with modern culture? What does the Bible have to say about the Beatles?But God knows everything there is to know about them: the Beatles made Revolver, but God made the Beatles.He shows us that understanding what drives pop culture is crucial for the church. It will help us relate to the stories, the poetry, the idolatry of our times - and so to speak powerfully to our culture's hopes and fears.Even more, it can strengthen our faith - reminding us of forgotten truths, challenging our assumptions and forging connections with the world around us.
Follow the story of the dynamic growth of the early church. Meet the cast of characters with their strengths, faults and failings just like ours. Always Godâ (TM)s power shines through, in spite of opposition and misunderstanding.Then, as now, men and women prayed, searched the Scriptures and listened for Godâ (TM)s promptings.This volume will inspire and inform our faith. It will fill us with renewed appreciation for our heritage. But above all, as we â discover Actsâ (TM), tracing the adventures of the early church, we cannot fail to refocus afresh on our great and powerful God.
For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God' (1 Cor. 7:19). A The apostle Paul's relationship to the Law of Moses is notoriously complex and much studied. Difficulties begin with questions of definition (of the extent of Paul's corpus and the meanings of 'the law') and are exacerbated by numerous problems of interpretation of the key texts. Major positions are entrenched, yet none of them seems to know what to do with all the pieces of the puzzle.A A Inextricably linked to Paul's view of the law is his teaching concerning salvation history, Israel, the church, anthropology, ethics and eschatology. Understanding 'Paul and the law' is critical to the study of the New Testament, because it touches on the perennial question of the relationship between the grace of God in the gift of salvation and the demand of God in the call for holy living. Misunderstanding can lead to distortions of one or both. A This fresh and valuable study is something of a breakthrough, bringing neglected evidence to the discussion and asking different questions of the material, while also building on the work of others. Brian Rosner argues that Paul undertakes a polemical re-evaluation of the Law of Moses, which involves not only its repudiation as law-covenant and its replacement by other things, but also its wholehearted re-appropriation as prophecy (with reference to the gospel) and as wisdom (for Christian living).
Following the popular thematic series from Bible Speaks Today comes the message of The Church - God's People
The great commission - 'Go and make disciples of all nations ... teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you' - is far more long term and life consuming than we might imagine. It is more involved, more complex and more costly than we would like. It requires a broader appreciation of others' backgrounds and a deeper commitment to personal relationship. It demands that we live authentically, flexibly and humbly. And yet it is a great privilege - living where God has placed us, we step out of our home-made security and pass on the good news to those with whom we live and work. This book will help you step beyond your own familiarity with the Bible, church, doctrine, prayer and Christian jargon, and reach out to those for whom these things are completely foreign. Graham Orr's years of experience leading a church in urban Tokyo - one of the toughest places to do evangelism - have given him deep insight into how to reach those who have no knowledge of, or interest in, Christianity. Designed for those with busy urban lives, this book is full of stories, biblical insights, and ideas to put into practice. Because sharing our faith is an incredible privilege Jesus promised, 'I will be with you to the end of the age.'
We love them. We hate them. But we certainly cannot ignore them. Emotions can be wonderful things we love or horrible things we hate - depending on how we're feeling at the time. Sometimes we feel at their mercy and think that God would have been so much wiser to have made us without them.But we can't get away from it: God made us to feel. Emotions thinks through the place of emotions, how we view them, handle them and glorify God with them. We see that the mature Christian life involves a fully-functioning emotional life and that emotions flow from the heart. We focus on how we can grow in good and godly emotions. We look at emotions and reading the Bible, emotions and singing praise to God, and the best way up when we are feeling down.
A true compendium of recent scholarship, the volume includes 115 articles covering all aspects of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, the twelve "minor prophets" and Daniel.
This new edition of Blomberg's valuable textbook covers interpretative methods and controversies, expounds the meaning and significance of individual three-, two- and one-point parables, and surveys the theology of God's kingdom and the Christ in the parables. In this new and expanded edition of Interpreting the Parables, Craig Blomberg evaluates contemporary critical approaches to the parables - including those that have emerged in the twenty years since the first edition was published. Taking on the prevailing views of C. H. Dodd and Joachim Jeremias, Blomberg argues for a limited allegorical approach to the parables. This widely used text has taken a minority perspective and made it mainstream, with Blomberg ably defending his approach and offering brief interpretations of all the major parables. Interpreting the Parables can be read with profit by scholars, students, pastors and educated laypeople.
Craig G. Bartholomew and Ryan P. O'Dowd provide an informed introduction to the Old Testament wisdom books Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Job. Establishing the books in the context of ancient Near Eastern wisdom traditions and literature, the authors move beyond the scope of typical introductions to discuss the theological and hermeneutical implications of this literature.
Provides keys to the exposition and application of the book of "Acts".
Whatever we know about the New Testament, and however much we have studied it, it only has real value as its truths are proclaimed so that our lives are transformed, as God himself speaks and acts. The New Testament writers were very interested in conveying their message persuasively, and this volume addresses the question of how we should preach from the New Testament in a way that is faithful to the text. The chapters cover the main texts and genres, along with the infancy narratives, parables, miracles, the Sermon on the Mount, ethics, future hope and judgment, archaeology and history, hermeneutics, and the 'New Homiletic'. The aim is to offer insights into how to interpret, communicate and apply the New Testament, for today's preachers and Bible teachers who seek to 'proclaim the Word of life' (1 John 1:1). The contributors are respected scholars who are also active in preaching: Charles Anderson, D. A. Carson, the late R. T. France, Justin Hardin, Mariam Kamell, I. Howard Marshall, Jason Maston, John Nolland, Peter Oakes, William Olhausen, Klyne Snodgrass, Helge Stadelmann, Christoph Stenschke, Stephen Travis, David Wenham, Paul Weston and Stephen Wright.
Develops a Christian environmental ethic, based on an understanding of the natural order as a dimension of God's good creation. Contains suggestions for the practical action to conserve and care for the environment.
Does religion cause war? It is often claimed that religion is responsible for more wars, more global conflicts and more deaths than any other factor. After all, the world has seen its share of crusades, inquisitions and jihads. Enlightened, modern people assume that if we could only discard primitive religious belief, the world would be a better place. Alas, the picture is not quite so simple. "Indeed," writes Meic Pearse, "there is only one thing that bears a heavier responsibility than religion as a principal cause of war. And that is, of course, irreligion."In this provocative book, historian Meic Pearse debunks the common misconception that religion causes war. He argues that while religion is often a significant generator of armed conflict both in the past and in the present, the two principal causes of human warfare are in fact culture and greed for territory, resources or power. Since culture and greed often clothe themselves in religion, wars fought for culture often appear to be fought for religion. With keen analysis of global history and current events, Pearse shows how irreligion has produced far bloodier wars than religion, and how global secularism itself does violence to religion and traditional cultures. Ultimately, throughout history warfare has been waged over the shape of society itself. A crisis in meaning leads people to fight for what they fear may be lost. For a world weary of war, Pearse points beyond both cultural and secular metanarratives to an alternative hope.
* What does the Bible say about the future?* What evidence do I have that this is true?* If my beliefs influence my actions, then what difference does the Bible's teaching make in my life?There is something wrong with our world. Everyone knows that - clearly, things shouldn't be the way they are. The Bible makes many claims about the future, a future in which we can have real hope. Michael Ots helps us unpack these claims, showing why real and radical hope doesn't have to be beyond our grasp.
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