This is the first comparative study of the self and no-self in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christianity. In spite of doctrinal differences within these three belief systems, they agree that human beings are in a predicament from which they need to be liberated. Indian religions, including Hinduism and Buddhism, share the belief that human nature is inherently perfectible, while the epistemological and psychological limitation of the human being is i ...
This book is a collaboration between a biblical scholar (Mary Ann Beavis) and a practical theologian (HyeRan Kim-Cragg) who are concerned with the way that the Bible is portrayed and interpreted in popular culture, including but not limited to the movies. This concern points to a need for a conversation, examining what the Bible actually says, in order to uncover transformations and distortions of the biblical stories in the wider culture–includ ...
What is found in this series unveils an entirely different side of C. K. Barrett, a side one might never have known about if one had knowledge only of his famous commentaries and monographs. Herein lies a goodly selection of Kingsley's sermons preached largely in small- and medium-sized Methodist churches in the northeast of England, though often elsewhere in England and around the world. Fred Barrett was not the scholar his son was, bu ...
The discovery of the so-called Nag Hammadi Library rocked the world. Among the texts discovered in 1945 were some Gospels that modern eyes had never seen. Since then, studies regarding the life and teaching of Jesus of Nazareth have made significant advances. As this new light was cast on one of history's most influential figures (if not the most influential), a dark cloud of doubt moved in almost simultaneously. Had the Gospels of Matthew, ...
The world needs leaders who are prepared to dismantle injustice. Through the story told in the Song of Solomon, you will learn to use the one tool that heals both victim and oppressor: God's love. This once popular interpretation of the Song of Solomon details a young woman's struggle between submitting to King Solomon as his sex slave and accepting her beloved Shepherd's invitation to come away. The scholars who subscribed to ...
The Rhetoric of the Pulpit treats the sermon as the single most important factor in evangelism for a parish, and also the most important factor in the spiritual growth of both the congregation and the pastor. With emphasis on the Word as the foundation, the author adds music and liturgy to the sermon's structure to build a unified worship experience. Recognizing that the Word is truth, but that the truth needs to be made to seem true, the b ...
This book challenges a popular and influential thesis in Lukan scholarship presented by the Tubingen School: Paul is a rival of Peter and Paul is an anti-Jewish apostle. Consequently, he is solely an apostle to Gentiles in Acts. Through a narrative-critical method, Wenxi Zhang studies Paul's inaugural speech in Antioch of Pisidia and its literary function in relation to Paul's missionary activity among Jews in Acts. He conclude ...
Do you consume God's blessings, or do you share them? Most Christians are consumers. We are obsessed with knowing the right theology and following the right set of rules in hopes that God will bless us. Yet, no matter how much God blesses us, we are still looking for more. James says our faith is dead. But there is another type of Christian, one who craves being put to work as the servant of God to share God's blessings with others. T ...
Is faith a search for security? Is faith the reason for taking risks? The answer to these questions will ultimately determine the quality of our faith – whether it will be a faith that flourishes and grows or a faith that is stunted and limited. Author Richard Kropf analyzes these faith choices with a unique approach. He combines the psycho-dynamics of Viktor Frankl, the faith analysis of Avery Dulles, and the faith stages researched by ...