This set of seven sermons follows the traditional church sequence of «The Seven Last Words of the Cross,» utterances that the gospel narratives place on the lips of Jesus. These utterances are drawn from the several gospel narratives. In the liturgical life of the church, however, the sequence has a significance and staying power of its own quite apart from the gospel narratives in which the utterances are embedded. These sermons take seriously ...
After more than twenty years since the fall of the USSR, the evangelical movement in post-Soviet society has entered a crucial phase in its historical development. Setting out a transformative vision of mission and theological education, this book makes an important contribution towards the renewal of the church in this fascinating–but deeply troubled–part of the world. After the violent and disruptive events that followed the Ukrainian Revoluti ...
Do you struggle to get into the Christmas spirit? Do you dislike all the trappings of the season and cannot bear its crass materialism? This book is written by a theologian who feels that way too. As an antidote, Ben Pugh tries to take us back to that very first Christmas as described in the Gospels. Particular moments in the story are vividly brought to life and paralleled with the present day. Using good scholarship, Pugh tries to get the read ...
The Gospel Miracles examines the thirty-five miracles performed by Jesus, as reported in the four Gospels. The objectives are firstly to try and determine what really happened at the time they were enacted and, secondly, to see if it is possible to explain them. This exercise is neither an attempt to deny miracles, nor to blindly accept the accounts as inerrant, but it is an unbiased attempt to arrive at the truth. The findings conclude that som ...
This simple, accessible little devotional should be taken like a medicine in daily dosages: repeat as necessary until your spirit is heartened. I was moved in my spirit and heartened in my commitment to act by contemplating these lives and these prayers. I trust you will be, too. Expect to be sobered, nourished, uplifted, and spurred to responsive action. In short, expect to be blessed and edified. –Dr. William David Spencer ...
A Conscious Endeavor is a synopsis of the social teachings and the concept of justice in the Old and New Testament. It looks through the lens of the Old Testament books of Torah law and the New Testament teachings of Jesus, applying them to contemporary situations and raising questions regarding housing costs and other basic costs of living. Ultimately, this book invokes the personal conversion of inner change so that readers can apply what they ...
Although the doctrine and work of the Holy Spirit is no longer being ignored in theology (as was often the case in centuries past), the authority of the Spirit remains essentially undefined. The need for such a definition, however, is urgent. Some dangerous trends in the contemporary understanding of the Spirit have developed (trends that can only be exposed through careful exegesis of Scripture and theological clarification). Indeed, some conte ...
Christians, the Care of Creation, and Global Climate Change is a wake-up call for Christians and others. It is a cogent and persuasive call to love God and our neighbors by caring for creation–especially in light of the dramatic climate changes occurring before our eyes. This book is not the final word on the subject, but it is a sincere invitation to examine the scientific evidence for global warming and to respond with individual and collectiv ...
Although covenant is a major theme in Hebrews, Morrison contends all mention of covenant can be deleted without damaging the coherence of the epistle or its christological conclusions. What role, then, does the covenant motif have in the epistle? The arguments in Hebrews are aimed at a Jewish audience–they ignore the needs and religious options relevant to Gentiles. For the readers, the Sinai covenant was the only relevant conceptual com ...
