Reflections on Biblical Themes by an Octogenarian represents the journey into faith by the author of the essays over the span of sixty years in the pastoral ministry and as a professor on college, university, and theological school levels. There has been a continuing growth in understanding from the beginnings of a rather conservative religious background and training to a more mature appreciation and understanding of life. This growth came about through the interchange in the classroom as a...
In Seeking the Imperishable Treasure, Johnson tracks the use of a single saying of Jesus over time and among theologically divergent authors and communities. He identifies six different versions of the saying in the canonical gospels and epistles (Mark, Matthew, Luke, John, James, and Colossians), as well as the Gospel of Thomas and Q. After tracing the tradition and redaction history of this wisdom admonition, he observes at least two distinctly different wisdom themes that are applied to the...
In Inerrancy and the Spiritual Formation of Younger Evangelicals, readers are urged to pastorally consider their own spiritual responsibilities toward students by taking more seriously six representative critical discoveries that students tend to make during the course of their higher education. By doing this, it is hoped that leaders and teachers might become more sensitive to the reality that younger evangelicals are not generally «already» convinced of the Bible's inerrancy and may even...
Psalms for the Poor talk back to the blunt and beautiful phrases of the King James Bible. Sometimes personal, sometimes political, the original Psalms complain, question, curse, and adore: «Why do the wicked prosper?» «When I consider the moon and the stars,» «My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?» «The Lord is my shepherd,» «But I am poor and needy.» Luther's last words were, «We are beggars.» These poems are for the world's poor, and for the pauper in each of us.
A Tree Rooted in Faith traces the history of Queen of Angels Monastery from its beginnings in Maria-Rickenbach in Switzerland to the end of the twentieth century in Mt. Angel, Oregon. The foundress, Mother Bernardine Wachter, came to America as a missionary, first to Conception, Missouri, and then to the far west to establish a community of Benedictine Sisters. As she was joined by new recruits from Europe as well as American women, they built and staffed schools in Oregon and British Columbia....
In the ruins of once-mighty Ephesus, site of the Temple of Artemis, a twenty-first century archeological team discovers the earliest known papyrus of the Gospel According to Mark. Sealed with it are instructions for a woman's burial, signed «The Rabbi's Daughter.» The Rabbi's Daughter is an historical novel that takes us back to the years of Emperor Nero. Peter and Paul have been executed in Rome. The Community of Jesus' Way is struggling. With the help of his cousin...
Mike McNichols has created a marvelous fable about evangelism, spiritual formation, faith community, and ministry leadership in The Bartender. This is a study guide to that book. It was written by one who has led several discussion groups on The Bartender and who discovered that readers found it deeply fascinating. The issues it raises are so relevant to many contemporary conversations about how those who believe intersect and interact with those who may not . . . or those who do but don't...
Is it possible to find the revelatory, to find faith in a tiny blue berry? This is but one of the questions explored in this collection of engaging essays aimed at the intrinsically human intersection of memory and belief. Threaded throughout with an ever-changing cast of meadowland characters, not the least of which is a rambling barren of wild blueberries, these writings offer an intimate chronicle of one man's quest to understand what it means to believe. Again and again the...
What the scientific community dismisses as a mental disorder, Christians have often labeled «demon possession.» While classifications may offer limited help in explanation, the Reverend Dr. Harold Ristau explores the nature and meaning of demonic activity by drawing from his own experiences with exorcism. Ristau shares life lessons, spiritual applications, and religious wisdom from his personal encounters with the dark realm. Primarily intended for clergy, his reflections offer a springboard...
Join Jody Seymour as he leads us on a journey through the Gospel of Mark. A Senior Minister in the United Methodist Church for many years, Jody has drawn from his learning and his lively imagination to introduce-or reintroduce-you to the hero of this Gospel. This devotional commentary will, when read alongside the Gospel itself, give you the opportunity to immerse yourself in the story of Jesus' life and come closer to the heartbeat of God. Let the words of this first and oldest Gospel make...
Journal of Biblical and Pneumatological Research VOLUME THREE FALL 2011 The Journal of Biblical and Pneumatological Research (JBPR) is a new international peer-reviewed academic serial dedicated to narratively and rhetorically minded exegesis of biblical and related texts. Potential topics include theological and pneumatological interpretation, the role of spiritual experience with authorial, canonical, and contemporary contexts, and the contextual activity of Ruach Yahweh, Ruach Elohim,...