LITMIR.BIZ

Written at a time when his ideas and practices were provoking opposition even from fellow Christians, the Apostle Paul articulates in his Letter to the Romans his understanding of God's plan for humanity and discusses the implications of this plan for different groups of people. Romans is considered by many as the most theologically significant and sophisticated book of the Bible. This volume is designed to bridge the gap between studying Romans as an academic enterprise and experiencing how Romans can speak today in the life of the church. All of the chapters in this volume–especially those devoted to the content of Romans–were written with both exegesis and application in mind. All of the contributors to this volume believe that Romans has a crucial voice within the church today and that those who preach, teach, and study the book need to be attentive to its witness and to its timeliness.

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What is the mission of the corporate church? What is the mission of local churches regardless of denominations? What is the reason for the existence of the local church? These three questions not only deserve consideration by leadership but also need to be understood by the entire membership to enable productive kingdom work.
It is so easy for a congregation to develop programs and activities based on what other groups are doing or on what are the perceived needs of the moment. These do have value; however, they tend to be based on our human concepts rather than the directives of Scripture.
Terry Cross, Dean of the School of Religion at Lee University, describes this book as follows: «Another book on the church? This one is different. Thirteen seasoned professors with some 400+ years of combined ministerial experience engage various aspects of the mission of the church. Much like the pulse that beats from a strong heart, the idea of partnering with God's mission as transformed participants in God's work reappears throughout the chapters. While the focus of attention is different for each author, the theme beats the same pulse throughout–the mission of God is the heart of God and must be the heart of the church.»
With additional contributions from:
Bob Bayles Terry Cross Rolando Cuellar Tom Doolittle Jimmy Harper John Lombard Lisa Long Edley Moodley Mark Walker

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The role of women in church leadership is controversial; however, the Pentecostal tradition, and specifically the Assemblies of God, has held that women can serve at all levels of church leadership. There is no role that is off-limits to women. Citing their distinctive approach to theology, Pentecostals embrace women's leadership in policy, but in practice, women are often frustrated by the lack of opportunity and representation in leadership roles. By exploring the rhetorical history, how Pentecostals talk about the role of women, the purpose of this book is to expose those rhetorical constraints that create dissonance and discontentment. This book explores how Pentecostals use and are used by language that shapes this dissonance and how that impacts the lived reality of both men and women in the Pentecostal tradition.

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Retreats to Go: Twelve Creative Programs that Renew and Refresh offers everything you need to plan your next retreat. Each Scripture-based theme includes resources for ice breakers, music, quotes, small and large group activities, reflection questions, worship materials, and craft ideas. Designed for those who wish to lead retreats but may not have time for research and planning, this helpful guide offers engaging, easy-to-use programs for adults and older teens. The flexible format can be used for a weekend retreat, a day away, or weekly study group gatherings.

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This book calls attention to an urgent need for postcolonial feminist approaches to practical theology. It not only advocates for the inclusion of colonialism as a critical optic for practical theology but also demands a close look at how colonialism is entangled with issues of race, ethnicity, gender, class, disability, and sexual orientation. Seeking to highlight the importance of the interdependence of life, the author challenges and contests the notion of independence as the desirable goal of the human being. Lifting up the experiences of overlooked groups–including children at adult-centered worship, queer and interracial youth in heterosexual and white normative family discourse, and non-human species in human-centered academic and theological realms–the book contributes to expanding the concerns of practical theology in ways that create healthy community for all human beings and non-human fellow creatures. It also takes up issues of multiple religious belonging and migration that practical theology has not sufficiently explored. These illuminating new possibilities promise to renew and even transform church communities through the inclusion of often-neglected groups with whom God is already present.

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Wolfhart Pannenberg has forever changed the face of twentieth-century theology. His book on Christology constituted a turning-point away from Bultmann's existentialist theology, and convincingly vindicated belief in the bodily resurrection of Jesus and its importance for theology. His numerous other works, especially his Systematic Theology, Theological Anthropology, and Theology and the Philosophy of Science, show both depth of learning and an unsurpassed and enviable range of interests. This book aims to explain the vast scope of Pannenberg's thought, his understanding of the sovereignty and majesty of the God as the God of all reality (not only Israel and the church), who also revealed himself in Jesus Christ. Jesus is not simply the pre-resurrection Jesus of many Gospel narratives, but the raised and exalted Christ of the whole New Testament. Pannenberg shines a light on the centrality of futurity, and of the whole of reality in God's purposes. Meaning becomes clear in the light of the whole, as his hermeneutics explains. He expounds the role of God as Trinity and the Holy Spirit. His vision of God and the whole world is breath-taking, and often heartening and practical.

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In today's multi-cultural and multi-religious world, evangelism is often viewed as scandalous, not only by those who are opposed to anything religious, but also by many Christians. In this book, Elmer Thiessen provides a response to those who find most or even all Christian evangelism objectionable. He does this through a careful analysis of what the Bible says about the ethics of evangelism. Based on this inductive study, mainly of the New Testament, Thiessen proposes thirty guidelines for ethical evangelism. Part II examines some specific contexts that pose unique challenges for doing evangelism ethically–evangelism of children, evangelism within a professional context like the secular academy, evangelism within the context of humanitarian aid, and finally the problem of proselytism, understood in the special and narrow sense of sheep-stealing.

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Even though they lack the words to describe it, most people know that spiritual warfare is real. This book pulls back the curtains and gives the reader a front row seat to the most exciting show of our time. Each chapter pairs riveting personal stories with solid biblical teaching to give the reader practical guidelines for defeating Satan and living a victorious Christian life. Perhaps you feel like Peter felt when Jesus commanded him to leave the safety of his boat and step upon the tempestuous sea. Because he trusted Jesus, he obeyed him. Later, Jesus told the disciples that they would do greater things. This book will help you find the courage to step out of your comfort zone and walk into the world of power ministry. Thankfully, a series of profound encounters with evil supernaturalism forced me to overcome my internal resistance to spiritual warfare. After I learned how to flow with the Spirit, defeat the enemy, and set the captives free, my life has never been the same. Are you ready to join the battle?

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John Wesley created an independent Methodist Church in 1784 in order to provide the sacraments to its members in America. The system created, however, did not seem to have the same understanding of the Lord's Supper that Wesley had, and it did not allow for the frequency to receive Communion that Wesley desired. Steven Bruns analyzes the writings of Wesley and those early Methodists involved in this process to discover what actually happened and why. In this book, Bruns looks at figures such as Francis Asbury, Freeborn Garrettson, Thomas Coke, William Waters, and many other leading figures of American Methodism to uncover their understanding of God's grace, the Lord's Supper, and the nature of the Church.

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Out of Galilee: The History of Christian Thought as a Great Conversation is an ambitious exploration of Christian thought over two millennia. It discloses the remarkable unity in diversity of the thought of women, monks, mystics, men, philosophers, and theologians who are seeking to unfold the meaning and mystery of divine intention in Jesus Christ. From the first century in Galilee to the early apologists such as Irenaeus, from Augustine's Confessions to the mystic voices of Hildegaard of Bingen and Teresa of Avila, and to reformers such as Martin Luther and John Calvin, Christians have sought to understand the Christian vision and unfold paths of spirituality. The quest continues among Pietists, among Puritans such as Jonathan Edwards, and among Methodists. Together with modern thinkers such as Schliermacher and contemporaries such as Thomas Berry and Abhishiktanada, these notable figures have woven the living narrative of Christian thought. You will find them all here, in accessible language intended for a generalist audience. Avoiding technical language, Out of Galilee reveals the essential contributions of each to the story of Christian thinking through the ages.

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