The Bush was Blazing But Not Consumed

Author: Eric H. F. Law
Publisher: Chalice Press
ISBN: 9780827236721
Category : Burning bush
Languages : en
Pages : 180

Book Description
Best-selling author Eric Law shows how to work with the dynamics of diverse cultures to create a truly inclusive community. In his widely acclaimed The Wolf Shall Dwell with the Lamb, Eric H. F. Law explores the dynamics of multicultural misunderstandings and how different cultures perceive and use power. Here he shows how to work with those dynamics to create a truly inclusive community. sing Exodus 3 as a theological starting point, Law explains in detail how leaders can: understand and resolve difference in communication styles, recognize and avoid the "Golden Calf Syndrome," reconcile high-context and low-content elements in the group, use mutual invitation, and build dialogue through liturgy. Following Law's practical guidelines, we can, in the end, build multicultural structures everyone can live and thrive in.

Reading the First Five Books

Author: Rachel Toombs
Publisher: Baker Books
ISBN: 1493448382
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 252

Book Description
This book invites readers to rediscover the artistry and transformative power of the narratives of the first five books of the Bible. Reading the First Five Books highlights key literary techniques like brevity, pacing, characterization, and use of the grotesque, showing how these characteristics shape biblical stories into memorable, complex narratives that reward close reading. This accessible guide unpacks what makes Old Testament stories effective while cultivating skills for deeper engagement with scriptural texts. Extended examples drawn from each book of the Pentateuch are included. Bridging literary study and biblical scholarship, Reading the First Five Books models a spirit of open-minded yet careful reading that uncovers profound meaning in sparse details. The book is ideal for courses on the Old Testament or the Pentateuch. Students will find valuable instruction and inspiration for their own journeys through these sacred texts.

Reimagining Exodus

Author: David Zaslow
Publisher: Paraclete Press
ISBN: 1612619665
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 211

Book Description
More than half the world's population is familiar with the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt when they were liberated from slavery. Religious groups and movements of liberation, from the Puritans to Mormons to the American Civil Rights Movement, have used it as a template and an inspiration in their own struggles for freedom. In Jewish tradition, the Exodus is applied to the individual life journey, with captivities, freedoms and wildernesses. This book will explore how the struggles in Genesis can be applied to our issues today—personal and cultural. "Rabbi Zaslow weaves a connective tapestry for people of faith who no longer want their religions to divide them from each other. Reimagining Exodus takes the reader on a timeless journey. It shows how the Passover story has been a roadmap for both spiritual and personal liberation for thousands of years. As the foundational story beneath Judaism and Christianity it is time to reimagine how this seminal story relates to our world and our personal lives today." — Fr. Richard Rohr, Center of Action and Contemplation "David Zaslow has taken one of the greatest stories ever told and made it even greater. This book is a tremendous gift to anyone who is taking a journey of the soul, seeking to escape internal slavery and make it to the promised place where suffering is no more." —Marianne Williamson, teacher and author of Tears to Triumph "With the mind of a scholar, the heart of a poet, and the sould of a Hasidic teacher, Rabbi David Zaslow explains the Biblical exodus as more than an epic event. This book offers readers the ancient story as a contemporary compass—one which can guide our lives toward greater meaning and purpose, regardless of the faith we follow, citizenship we hold, or the politics we practice." —Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, President, Clal, The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership

Church Ahead

Author: Bruce G. Epperly
Publisher: Energion Publications
ISBN: 1631995170
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 130

Book Description
How do you feel when you see a yellow caution sign that reads “Church Ahead?” Is it a place of potential answers and guidance, or a stumbling block, holding you back? In Church Ahead, Bruce Epperly, pastor, professor, and adventurous pilgrim looks about what this sign could mean. He looks at the kinds of spiritual practice that a congregation can embrace in order to be renewed themselves, and restore their mission to those around them who are hurting and in need. This is not a rejection of “church” as an institution, but a challenge to make church into a beacon of hope and light. The mission presented in this book is not just abstract theology and spirituality. It calls for, describes, and embraces spiritual practices that have an impact on the church, the community, and the world. Each chapter includes specific activities designed to change attitudes and energize action. In answer to the ancient question voiced by the prophet Ezekiel – can these bones live? – Epperly gives an emphatic “Yes!” But the path to that life involves an embrace of spiritual life, change, and adventure in every aspect of ministry.

Playing with Fire

Author: David J. Schlafer
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1561012696
Category : Preaching
Languages : en
Pages : 184

Book Description
Offering a fresh approach to homiletics, David J. Schlafer provides an invitation to preaching by way of metaphor. Starting with the fire of Scripture, and engaging in the work of preaching as play, Schlafer offers new ways of approaching the preaching moment. Taking into account the preacher's call, the stages of preparation, the role of the congregation, and the presence of the Holy Spirit in the midst of it all, we discover that playing with fire is a sacred act indeed. Two metaphors dance together across the pages of this book: fire and play. Two metaphors, plus a hunch: that texts of the Scriptures, the grounding voices of inspiration for Christian preaching, offer more than just truths to be interpreted and transmitted. What we call the Scriptures are the work of a great company of preachers. The Bible is a treasure lode of imaginative insights regarding how the mystery of preaching might be entertained. --from the Introduction

The Old Testament and God (Old Testament Origins and the Question of God Book #1)

Author: Craig G. Bartholomew
Publisher: Baker Academic
ISBN: 1493432060
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 539

Book Description
Southwestern Journal of Theology 2022 Book of the Year Award (Biblical Studies) Craig Bartholomew's The Old Testament and God is the first volume in his ambitious four-volume project, which seeks to explore the question of God and what happens to Old Testament studies if we take God and his action in the world seriously. Toward this end, he proposes a post-critical paradigm shift that recenters study around God. The intent is to do for Old Testament studies what N. T. Wright's Christian Origins and the Question of God series has done for New Testament studies. Bartholomew proposes a much-needed holistic, narrative approach, showing how the Old Testament functions as Christian Scripture. In so doing, he integrates historical, literary, and theological methods as well as a critical realist framework. Following a rigorous analysis of how we should read the Old Testament, he goes on to examine and explain the various tools available to the interpreter. He then applies worldview analysis to both Israel and the surrounding nations of the ancient Near East. The volume concludes with a fresh exegetical exploration of YHWH, the living and active God of the Old Testament. Subsequent volumes will include Moses and the Victory of Yahweh, The Old Testament and the People of God, and The Death and Return of the Son.

180 Days Behind the Curtain

Author: David Frazier
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 1491729341
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 401

Book Description
You can have a deep devotional life with Christ! 180 Days behind the Curtain provides an opportunity to make a complete 180-degree turnaround in your devotional life. 180 Days behind the Curtain serves as a magnifying glass for examining the Word of God, as well as a daily vehicle to transport you into that Most Holy Place behind the curtain. This interactive devotional is both inspiring and challenging, and is excellent for individual study, Sunday School classes, and home groups. You will find a rich mine overflowing with the deep truths of God and the greatest of all treasuresChrist Himself. Hearts that are dwelling in heavenly devotion to Him change lives that are dwelling on earth. David Frazier will take you on a spiritual journey that will challenge and deepen your faith. Kyle Idleman Author of Not a Fan; Associate Minister for Southeast Christian Church, Louisville, KY In a world where truth has taken a backseat to pleasure, and depth of spiritual meaning has become an abandoned child, 180 Days behind the Curtain is a breath of fresh air; a journey to be experienced by every Christian. Dr. Ron Frazier, DBS, DD, ThD, Professor of Theology, Masters International School of Divinity With the skill of a spiritual surgeon, David Frazier uses the scalpel of Gods Word to cut precisely where it is needed most: into our (often stubborn) hearts. Luke Gilkerson Community Manager, Covenant Eyes

Holy Currency Exchange

Author: Eric H F Law
Publisher: Chalice Press
ISBN: 0827215029
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 273

Book Description
Eric Law's foundational Holy Currencies (2013) demonstrated a new way ministries can think about the resources needed to do their work in their communities. Law's follow-up book, Holy Currency Exchange, shares a variety of tools for thinking differently about how those resources can mobilize ministries into new life, mission, and vitality. Examples include a restaurant ministry, programs for youth, an emergency rent loan fund for people in the neighborhood, worship service in Mexican restaurants, and many more. What could your ministry do?

“Too Much to Grasp”

Author: Andrea D. Saner
Publisher: Penn State Press
ISBN: 1575063980
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 286

Book Description
Few phrases in Scripture have occasioned as much discussion as has the “I am who I am” of Exodus 3:14. What does this phrase mean? How does it relate to the divine name, YHWH? Is it an answer to Moses’ question (v. 13), or an evasion of an answer? The trend in late-nineteenth- and twentieth-century scholarly interpretations of this verse was to superimpose later Christian interpretations, which built on Greek and Latin translations, on the Hebrew text. According to such views, the text presents an etymology of the divine name that suggests God’s active presence with Israel or what God will accomplish for Israel; the text does not address the nature or being of God. However, this trend presents challenges to theological interpretation, which seeks to consider critically the value pre-modern Christian readings have for faithful appropriations of Scripture today. In “Too Much to Grasp”: Exodus 3:13?15 and the Reality of God, Andrea Saner argues for an alternative way forward for twenty-first century readings of the passage, using Augustine of Hippo as representative of the misunderstood interpretive tradition. Read within the literary contexts of the received form of the book of Exodus and the Pentateuch as a whole, the literal sense of Exodus 3:13–15 addresses both who God is as well as God’s action. The “I am who I am” of v. 14a expresses indefiniteness; while God reveals himself as YHWH and offers this name for the Israelites to call upon him, God is not exhausted by this revelation but rather remains beyond human comprehension and control.

Culturally-Conscious Worship

Author: Kathy Black
Publisher: Chalice Press
ISBN: 0827205988
Category : Multiculturalism
Languages : en
Pages : 168

Book Description
Black uses shared stories, blended music, and the arts to enliven worship in culturally and linguistically diverse congregations. She provides biblical and theological foundations and practical methods and models for creating culturally-conscious worship.