Few people have any extensive knowledge of the life and witness of the Protestant churches in the former Portuguese colonies of southern Africa. Yet these communities of faith played a significant role in the liberation struggles that led to the independence of both Mozambique and Angola and subsequently to the independence of Zimbabwe and the ending of apartheid in South Africa. In Mozambique, Eduardo Mondlane emerged from the Swiss Mission to ...
Did Jesus really rise from the dead? And does it really matter? In The Resurrection of History, David Bruce explores what historians, theologians, and New Testament scholars have said about the resurrection of Jesus from a historical point of view. Bruce argues that scholars don't have to dismiss the scriptural witness that «he is risen» as metaphor or wishful thinking. Bruce examines the development of the art of history writing and expl ...
The church is in major decline in the Western world. We cannot continue to use past evangelistic models to reach out to our modern world. Art and Soul explores ways of generating missional conversations in the community through the medium of art, offering theological reflections as well as practical strategies on how to connect with people outside of the church. This book surveys several approaches, including «Art and Soul,» a course that teach ...
The church in the West has subsisted for five hundred years in a state of ever-increasing multiple identities, many of which claim to be the best representation of the church established by Christ. Often attending novel models of the church are new scriptural interpretive methods that support theological claims. Rarely, however, has an exploration been undertaken to test the impact of this ecclesiological division on the reading of the Bible. A ...
The Theologically Formed Heart invites the reader to consider the role of theology in the formation of virtues and passions, and, conversely, the role of virtues and passions in understanding Scripture, theology, and living a Christian life. The essays in this volume are offered in appreciation of the teaching, scholarship, and service to the church and world of Professor of Theology David J. Gouwens. They are organized in three sections: theolo ...
The Tradition of the Elders, based on Matt 15:1-20 and Mark 7:1-23, explores how the oral law upheld and promoted the anti-Christian forces of Pharisaism and Sadduceism. As such, they appear repeatedly in the New Testament documents, often as «the law» and «the works of the law.» For example, consider: – "When Gentiles who have not the law do by nature what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the la ...
The purpose of this book is to provide a theologically sound yet easy-to-use resource, based on the image of God, that can help congregations engage relationally in their neighborhoods. Rather than using the neighborhood as a resource to help make congregations successful, The Neighborhood Church contends that God places congregations in neighborhoods to help make neighborhoods successful in accordance with God's vision. This book is inten ...
Bring the otherworldly mystery of spiritual reality down to earth. Understand how Satan can gain entry into the personal lives of Christians. Learn how to find peace in church conflict without having to flee, fake it, or fight back. Put an end to toxic memories from a painful past. Experience meaningful life in the Spirit. ...
