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The African church needs preachers who preach the Scriptures to bring people to Christ and nurture them in the faith. Yet many are failing at this task. Some use their sermons to promote themselves rather than Christ, while others do not know how to preach from the Scriptures. In Preaching the Scriptures Dr Joel Biwul addresses these problems. Using African stories and illustrations, he clearly sets out the process of preparing and delivering a sermon that is rooted in the Scriptures. He also provides sample sermons and outlines that will help preachers apply these principles in their own preaching preparation.
This book addresses one of the ever-aching problems of human society – failed leadership in secular and sacred domains. It points out, from Ezekiel’s use of symbolism and shepherd motif, what society stands to suffer and or lose under a bad human leadership structure and bad governance. This plays out in the book’s x-ray of the characteristics of sheep needing a shepherd. Dr. Biwul contends that Ezekiel used symbolic sign-acts to indict both Israel’s bad and imperfect human shepherds as well as the Babylonian exiles as being responsible for their plight for not upholding the norms of Deuteronomic theology. Particularly, he argues forcefully from Ezekiel’s shepherd motif that a majo...
This work is a study in the attribution, aesthetics and representations of Yahweh’s speeches in the Hebrew Bible. It describes the literary elegance and beauty of the speeches of Yahweh in the Abrahamic narratives. Employing a synchronic reading of the Abrahamic cycle, it underscores the presence of various literary devices in the divine speeches (12:1-9, 13:1-18, 15:1-21, 17:1-27, 18:1-33, and 22: 1-19). Specifically, it engages the high concentration, literary effects and use of metaphors/metaphoric language, similes, alliterations, wordplays, euphemisms, hyperboles, repetitions, allusions and other distinctive literary features in the speeches of Yahweh which are deliberately denied, an...
The Gospel of Matthew is pivotal in scholarly discussion on the hermeneutical use of the Old Testament in the New. In this publication Bitrus Sarma proposes that Matthew utilizes the Old Testament as a book of promise of God’s salvific plan and that Jesus is the fulfillment of that promise. For Matthew, God’s purpose to save fallen humanity is the grand narrative of the Bible. Using promise-fulfillment as the interpretative framework for mission theology, Sarma explores redemptive events and institutions, geography, prophetic ministry, and intertextual typology.
Ecclesiastes is the most surprising book in the Scriptures. It challenges its readers to reconsider what they think life is about and how far it is possible to understand God's involvement in the world. This commentary seeks to help people enter the world of Ecclesiastes and see how it can increase their understanding of God and of themselves.
The greatest need of the hour for the Church in Africa is the clear and unambiguous presentation of the Word of God. It follows therefore that the most important role of the pastor, the man/woman of God, the preacher and the minister is the clear presentation of the Word of God (2 Tim 4:2). The current trend where the emphasis on the pulpit is on healing, miracles, deliverance, story-telling, etc., is actually misplaced in terms of priority of the Word of God. The obsession with supernatural activities, and demonic activities is wrongheaded and dangerous. Expository Preaching in Africa by Rev. Dr. Joel Biwul is a bold and courageous corrective. The motivation for the book explicitly stated by the author, is "to assist pastors and teachers of the Scriptures to adequately let out the divine voice from the divine text to the contemporary African context."
We live in a world gone awry. Social injustice pervades our societies, the poor are disdained, despotic leaders and nations seem to control world events, and racism and hatred abound. Yet, while it might appear that evil reigns, the sovereign God is in control. Such is the message of the book of Micah, a text that underscores God’s presence in the world, righting wrongs, delivering the marginalized, and restoring the intended order of creation. In this careful explication of the minor prophet, Dr Semwayo challenges those who would question the text’s unity, revealing Micah as a powerful theological reflection on the reestablishment of Yahweh’s sovereignty on earth. Connecting the Zion/Davidic traditions to the Abrahamic covenant, Semwayo articulates a vision of hope that is as relevant for us in the twenty-first century as it was for Micah’s original audience.
This study guide introduces students to the Book of Proverbs from the Old Testament. Zoltán Schwáb examines the book's structure and characteristics; covers the latest Biblical scholarship, including historical and interpretive issues; and considers a range of scholarly approaches from historical-critical through feminist to theological. The guide encourages existential engagement with Proverbs, and uses diverse tools in order to achieve this. A brief chapter by chapter commentary on Proverbs highlights the major themes of each of its sections. The playful ambiguity and poetry of the proverbs is also discussed. A special emphasis is placed on how different historical, literary, or performance contexts can influence a proverb's meaning. Finally, the guide presents an overview of the rich heritage of African interpretation of proverbs. With suggestions of further reading at the end of each chapter, this guide is an essential accompaniment to the study of the Book of Proverbs.
Christianity is turning brown and moving south. The Christianity the West has known is in recession and has all but dwindled out of recognition in the opening years of the twenty-first century. Well over half of the world’s Christians now live in the Global South—Africa, Asia, and Latin America. They are, according to Aberdeen missiologist Andrew Walls, the new Representative Christians. What they think about Christianity will matter more and more and what North America thinks about Christianity will matter less and less. This massive shift in geography and theological point of departure will have a major impact on Christian preaching now and into the future. The Future Shape of Christian Proclamation seeks to begin the conversation about how preaching in the Global South will inform the whole of Christian preaching in the coming years.
This book provides an innovative, integrated, and methodical approach to understanding complex financial models, integrating topics usually presented separately into a comprehensive whole. The book brings together financial models and high-level mathematics, reviewing the mathematical background necessary for understanding these models organically and in context. It begins with underlying assumptions and progresses logically through increasingly complex models to operative conclusions. Readers who have mastered the material will gain the tools needed to put theory into practice and incorporate financial models into real-life investment, financial, and business scenarios. Modern finance’s m...