Like other evangelical kids, Jesse James DeConto felt called to shine the light of truth into the world. His job as a journalist and his young marriage, though, would radically change him. First, he learned that Christians have no corner on truth: Working out in the world, trying to be the «Roaring Lamb» he'd been trained to be, he met atheists and agnostics who seemed to do better at embodying Christian love than many Christians did. Confe ...
For centuries, Baptists have regarded the Eucharist, or Lord's Supper, as «merely symbolic» rather than as sacramental. Historically speaking, Baptists have also participated in the practice of the Supper less frequently than other Christian groups, all the while lodging complaints about a lack of ecclesial unity. In response to these trends, this book argues for a sacramental understanding of the Eucharist and focuses on the way in which t ...
In Integrating the New Science of Love and a Spirituality of Peace, the contributors explore the intersection between the science of attachment theory and the vision of Anabaptism. What emerges is a deeper sense of what it means to be human and a hope for a different tomorow, inspired by the kingdom of God as preached by Jesus of Nazareth. ...
Perhaps without realizing it, we now find ourselves living in a unique time compared to all of human history. No generation has ever had such an abundance of material goods at their fingertips. Food, transportation, communication, and all kinds of entertainment flood a saturated marketplace, every one promising to make us «happy.» Yet in the midst of such plenty many people are experiencing distress and a growing sense of sadness–in spite of all ...
Embedded in modern print culture, biblical scholars have been projecting the assumptions and concepts of print culture onto the texts they interpret. In the ancient world from which those texts originate, however, literacy was confined to only a small number of educated scribes. And, as recent research has shown, even the literate scribes learned texts by repeated recitation, while the nonliterate ordinary people had little if any direct contact ...
"Like athletes, preachers carry inside them the voices of their most challenging coaches–people who have encouraged them to dig deeper, stretch farther, and more faithfully pursue their craft and calling. In these crystalline essays, Walter Brueggemann is that voice again, shaking us free of the dust of our own diminished expectations, bolstering our best instincts, and consistently pointing us toward a gospel that would make the powers and ...
The Apostle Paul, in exercising his ineffable wisdom, draws this magnificent letter to a close in an extraordinary manner. Certainly, he could have concluded it after telling the masters and servants how to treat one another. But, no, he did not. He proceeded to challenge them to become Christ's Ambassadors and to be proficient in this high calling, despite the daily obstacles, pressures, and temptations. What does Paul boldly state after ...
Two trends in the early twenty-first-century intersect to give this volume immediate relevance: 1) The emerging postmodern ethos in North America is calling into question many things we have taken for granted, including the purposes of the church; and 2) our time is increasingly fractious as groups with distinct worldviews become polarized and often antagonistic. Eleven noted contributors join a growing current that sees conversation as ...
Did Jesus claim to be the «bridegroom»? If so, what did he mean by this claim? When Jesus says that the wedding guests should not fast «while the bridegroom is with them» (Mark 2:19), he is claiming to be a bridegroom by intentionally alluding to a rich tradition from the Hebrew Bible. By eating and drinking with «tax collectors and other sinners,» Jesus was inviting people to join him in celebrating the eschatological banquet. While there is no ...
