The past doesn't exist. The present is a lie. The future is an illusion. Time. God. Being. Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow. God was. God wasn't. God is. God isn't. God will be. God will not be. The journey never changes. The future is inertia. Maybe it's not the first time we've experienced it all? Died. Dead. Dying. The incarnation of God grows stranger and stranger. These are the visions. Here in the past. Here in the prese ...
We live in a performance-driven world–a world that measures our status through results and accomplishments. The reality is that we shift this kind of thinking on God. We create a performance-driven God and fool ourselves into thinking that God's expectations must be achieved, or we are doomed. But the truth is that God is not a God who expects performance. Rather, He is a God of grace. He understands that we will fail, and that is why He re ...
It was God's love for His creation that allowed Moses, Elijah, James, Peter, and John to unfold God's plan for all mankind. These saints were sanctified and chosen to be witnesses to the transfiguration and deity of God's only Son Jesus Christ. These witnesses were recognized and honored by God for their obedience and faithfulness. All of mankind has been richly blessed by these men of God, as they became servants of God in accomp ...
The Word of God as it has been received by the church has embedded in it dozens of songs. Each of these songs has a story to tell us about God and God's people. In brief meditations, twelve faculty at Wycliffe College explore Songs of Scripture in this volume to answer the questions «Why do Scriptures tell us to sing? What are we to sing? What does singing make of us?» Each of these meditations will give you a new appreciation for God' ...
God's Scoundrels and Misfits examines the relationships of biblical characters with God and with each other. Some took advantage of the second chances God offered them while others missed the opportunities to change the direction of their lives. Lessons learned from the choices they made and the outcomes they experienced are explored in the context of modern families and individuals. Sibling rivalry, unbridled ambition, women's issues, ...
First Corinthians offers readers a window into the social life and setting of an early Christ-movement congregation. The Apostle Paul's practical guidance to the Corinthians living in a Roman colony overlaps with many contemporary concerns: identity, leadership, sexuality, gender, diversity, worship, theology, and economics. All too often, however, the letter is read in an individualistic and supersessionistic way. Furthermore, parts of the ...
Every generation has sought to make teaching and learning more inclusive and equitable, but pesky questions always remain, such as, how can teaching and learning be conducted in ways that satisfies and respects everyone? What are the parameters of an inclusive pedagogy? Who defines its principles? How should these principles be taught and by whom? And by what authority shall they be grounded? These types of thorny questions occupy the essence of ...
Who is Chosen? introduces students to four different theories about Christian salvation. The goal is not to convince anyone to agree with a particular theory, but rather to allow students to be more informed about major lines of thought within Christian theology. Discussion questions and a short critique are provided for each major theory. There are also brief remarks concerning the vexing problem of addressing Christian salvation to those outsi ...
Why are 80 percent of our congregations stagnant or dying? There are a variety of reasons. This book dives deeply into one of the main reasons–the failure to adapt to the cultural changes of our day. When the Reformation began 500 years ago it sparked a number of radical changes (like worshipping in the vernacular rather than in Latin, etc.) that shocked the church. Over time many saw the merit of those changes and adapted. In the very same way ...
