The Founding of the Roman Catholic Church in Melanesia and Micronesia, 1850 to 1875 is the result of Father Ralph Wiltgen's years of archival work in Rome and at the headquarters of religious orders who worked in Micronesia and Melanesia. It follows his first historical book on the subject, The Founding of the Roman Catholic Church in Oceania: 1825 to 1850, but narrows the focus. The first book dealt with the whole of Oceania and emphasized ...
A Pastoral Letter to Theo addresses some of the fundamental concerns of recent research into biblical interpretation by Adele Berlin and Kenneth Archer. It also takes into account the communicative literary and rhetorical techniques that were prominent in the Greco-Roman world when the New Testament documents were composed. Elbert suggests that attention to levels of context, plot, repetition, and characterization or personification comprise a p ...
Without turning naively to the past, scholars and preachers of the Old Testament are once again making use of figuration–something the church had always done until the modern period. This enlargement of method comes about partly out of disappointment with the exclusive use of historical methods, for to read the Bible theologically for the guidance of its present readers requires more than historical description. The 2006 Tyndale Conference on B ...
While the intensely captivating language of the Epistle to the Hebrews may stir and invigorate modern New Testament readers to renewed spiritual energy, readers often remain clueless as to the book's overall theme and message. Despite the tendency for preachers to use various verses of the book of Hebrews as proof texts, few preachers today systematically expound the passages of Hebrews so that its general thesis is more clearly understood, ...
As a pastor, have you ever had a loss of words during those many trying moments in your ministry, when you found it difficult to express your true feelings? All of us have! Maybe the loneliness of being a pastor has, at times, simply overwhelmed you and you search for someone, anyone to offer you words of comfort and encouragement. Possibly, you've been without words to comfort those who are grieving or experiencing a deep hurt. Many times ...
Hidden in Plain Sight explores the potential contours of reading biblical narrative. The Old Testament book of Esther is used to advance a prospective shape for this reading method, and proposes a profile for curriculum design. This work demonstrates that the text of Scripture itself proposes a reading method. Esther is an underestimated heroine in her story world. Her character is informed by the silent actions of Vashti and by the inte ...
This book brings together the papers presented at the McMaster Divinity College 2007 Pentecostal Forum: «Defining Issues in Pentecostalism: Classical and Emergent.» It highlights the defining topics, past and present, of Pentecostal theology. The chapters are grouped under Pentecostal theology and biblical studies, with selections on classical and contemporary issues in each category. This book provides an introduction to the classical doctrines ...
This book is the response to a lifetime of questions raised by fellow philosophers, by students, and by the author's own wrestlings. Since the author claims that Jesus's importance goes beyond his being just a moral teacher, Edward Machle discusses the difference between the foundations of philosophy and of theology, and how the disciplines of philosophy and theology use language differently. Then Machle goes on to present his ...
The materials presented here are reflections on a variety of topics: a belief in God's suffering and the pastoral implications of this; Luther's theology of preaching; practical approaches to evangelistic preaching; pastoral advice on death and dying; apologetic preaching in a post-Christian culture on the model of Paul; effective living in the power of the Holy Spirit, striking a balance between enthusiastic service and fervent love; ...
