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Theologian Tim Gaines invites you into the adventures of theology, not as a disconnected discipline, but as an invitation to respond to God from the deepest parts of ourselves. More than an intellectual pursuit, Gaines explores the lives of key biblical characters to help us grow in our understanding of how to do theology virtuously.
This book may not be the kind of thing you can discuss in polite company. How do we deal with it? What if a faithful approach to politics wasn't simply about who was going to win the next election? How might our political hope change when we encounter a God who offers us a different kind of kingdom? God isn't asking the church to be politically uniformed, apathetic, or even bi-partisan. On the contrary. God is asking us to be faithful citizens of the kingdom-a kingdom of surprising hope where the majority of God's work to save the world will be done. In Kings and Presidents, authors Tim Gaines and Shawna Songer Gaines helps us recast our political hope by challenging the claim that history is written exclusively by the powerful. Through a careful study of 2 Kings, we will find that trusting in God's faithfulness is plenty political, and it has real implications for our communities, the world, and the kind of political hope we can find in it all.
The cross has always been portrayed as the means of salvation and forgiveness for sinners, but does it have anything to say to those who have been sinned against? This book shows that the atonement of Christ has powerful potential to speak to those who have been wronged, especially those who have been abused and abandoned in countless ways—those who cower at the back side of the cross wondering if they are included. As victims of various kinds of abuse are beginning to come out of the shadows in cultural conversation and in the context of the church, The Back Side of the Cross is a timely book for several audiences. It is thoroughly rigorous and will interest theologians and their students; it also offers a very practical section for pastors and those who want to care for the wounded; and it can even reach survivors themselves as it offers true hope in the urgency of such real pain.
The doctrine of the imago Dei, that human beings are created in the "image and likeness of God," is an endlessly fascinating topic. Not only is it a central doctrine to Christian life and practice but also touches, perhaps even helps to form, every other doctrine of the Christian faith in one way or another. We do not think about God, in a Christian sense, as any other than the God who creates humanity in God's image. However, many of the details of this claim and what it means for human beings are left undefined by Hebrew and Christian Scriptures and it is not even mentioned in the creeds. This space leaves room for exploration. So the quest for what it means for human beings to be made in the image and likeness of God has never ceased to occupy theologians, clerics, and the laity alike. In this Companion, Peppiatt charts the developments of the doctrine through the ages, summarizing each position and perspective up to the modern day. This volume offers a compact but rich overview of the various ways in which this doctrine has been and is understood as well as pointing readers to further questions for consideration.
Racism feeds on denial. Lament moves us to tell the truth. And the truth can set us free. Stories of racial injustice fill our news feeds. Yet for too long many in the church have been hesitant to speak up about racism in its many forms. We fear offending others, of using the wrong words, of not knowing what to say. In Lamenting Racism, a team of leading pastors and theologians invite us into the transformative and motivating practice of biblical lament as a powerful way to confront racism. Through their conversations in six thought-provoking videos, they name that God’s people of every race are called to consider how we have been shaped and formed by race, and they guide us into experienc...
This book is a call for change. Even more, it calls for open conversation about change. For too long, many in the Church of the Nazarene have considered the doctrine of holiness off limits, a sacred cow, impervious to all forces of cultural modification and theological renewal. It's time for a real change, because the church needs renovation! These 100+ essays from Millennial and Xer leaders explore how holiness might be understood and lived today.
Humans are created in the image of God, yet by choosing to rebel against God we become unfaithful bearers of his image. But Jesus, who is the image of God, restores the divine image in us. At the intersection of theology and culture, these essays offer a unified vision of what it means to be truly human and created in the divine image in the world today.
Grace and salvation are probably the most important topics of Christian conversations, and all other doctrinal affirmations are sometimes reduced to serve supporting roles. They are ultimately inseparable; after all, salvation is by grace. Recent decades revealed an even deeper fascination on this tandem. Developments in biblical studies caused interest in reconstructing our long-held interpretations. The Reformation dictum “justification by grace through faith” is being evaluated in the light of a more holistic approach to the entire Bible. A call to return to the New Testament’s Jewish roots guides theologians today to appropriate Hebrew thought and appreciate the continuity of salva...
Pastors are often ill-equipped in preparing churches to be sacred advocates and activists in the communities most affected by social injustice and neglect. Sacred Anthropology aims to inform and equip pastors in discipling the body of Christ to effect social transformation in times of social crisis. Tyshawn Gardner envisions the pastor as a "sacred anthropologist," as one who understands the cultures of other image-bearers for the sake of promoting the justice of God in the world. As a pastoral mandate, the sacred anthropologist challenges churches to be engaged in the political and social transformation of their community. The social anthropologist employs both secular and theological tools...
Racism feeds on denial. Lament moves us to tell the truth. And the truth can set us free. Stories of racial injustice fill our news feeds. Yet for too long many in the church have been hesitant to speak up about racism in its many forms. We fear offending others, of using the wrong words, of not knowing what to say. In Lamenting Racism, a team of leading pastors and theologians invite us into the transformative and motivating practice of biblical lament as a powerful way to confront racism. Through their conversations in six thought-provoking videos, they name that God’s people of every race are called to consider how we have been shaped and formed by race, and they guide us into experienc...