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The Jesus Dialogues is a unique book. There is no other book that uses this interesting dialogue method to contrast and compare such an extensive number of religions.
In each chapter, Jesus sits down with both women and men religious founders and leaders and talks with them on an equal basis about religious perspectives, past and present. The book is a thorough overview of Christianity, compared and contrasted with eight other religions as well as selected indigenous religions. A final chapter deals with the «why» and «how» of interfaith dialogue, which is so needed in today's diverse and global society.
This book reflects the author's six decades of study and teaching in the areas of Christianity and world religions. It is based on sound scholarship, worldwide travel, and experience in interfaith dialogue.
The Jesus Dialogues demonstrates that there is truth and a way to ultimacy in all religions. At the same time, listening in on these conversations reveals significant differences among religions. These dialogues help one realize that Gandhi was right when he said that we must listen to all religions in order to obtain just a glimpse of the divine.

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For almost fifty years, much has been written concerning Mark 16:9-20. During the same time period, evidence once counted against Mark 16:9-20 was shown to be otherwise. In this study, David W. Hester surveys modern scholarship (1965-2011) surrounding the passage. He examines the passage itself–the external evidence, with particular attention paid to the manuscripts and the patristics, especially those of the second and third centuries; and the internal evidence, featuring details that are problematic as well as those that favor Markan authorship. Finally, a proposal concerning the origin of the passage is presented. The first edition of Mark's Gospel ended at 16:8, resulting in the manuscript tradition that omits the passage, but this was not his intended ending. Later, his associates attached Mark's notes and published a second edition of the Gospel with the last twelve verses. This led to its inclusion. Given that the passage is cited by second- and third-century witnesses and attributed to Mark, along with the biblical prohibition against adding to or taking from Scripture, it is doubtful that an anonymous second-century author could have been successful in adding his own composition and it being widely accepted by the early church.

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This book encourages an openness to accept and experience the truth, whatever its source. As philosopher Francis Schaeffer famously asked, «How can we be sure that what we think we know of the world outside ourselves really corresponds to what is there?» Where do we look for an understanding of ourselves, our world, and the meaning of our existence? Is there such a thing as an objective and unchanging truth that applies to all people everywhere, throughout time? Can we discover it in philosophy, in the natural or social sciences, or in religion? This book sets out to explore the answers to these questions, and considers how finding the answers can enrich our lives and daily experience. Following the Truth Wherever It Leads investigates areas where the authenticated discoveries of natural science and the clear statements of the Bible agree with and support one another and asks whether there really are «irreconcilable differences» between them. It ends by attempting to portray a worldview whose promise may add fresh meaning and purpose to our lives.

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A silent crisis has been taking place for some time now: an ongoing eclipse in mission, whereby our understanding of what it is has been obscured by the idols of our Christian passions and biblical perspectives. Wherever that crisis has been perceived, energetic responses have been proposed and much has been done in the name of, and for the sake of, mission. However, those responses themselves have often overshadowed the problem of the identity of Christian mission. And so we remain in the darkness of understanding mission as we always have done. We even impose these understandings onto God–calling Him a «missionary» God–and we project our idols of «mission» onto the sacred Word. Here, then, is an uncomfortable but necessary critique of modern mission, and the ground from which it has grown. Here, too, is the proposition of a better basis for understanding what mission is, and for outworking it aright in all of our lives. By articulating a new paradigm for Christian mission, the eclipsed problem of mission in crisis will have been resolved, and the missional potential of a global church–dynamic with the very Spirit and presence of the living God–will be released.

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The time in college is such a precious time of freedom and searching for students walking the maze of new ideas and new relationships. This book offers some guidance for those living that college adventure as Christian disciples.

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Gate Crashers: The Offensive Church makes the case that God desires to work through the church to do abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, not because we deserve it, but for the praise, honor, and glory of his own name (Eph 3:20-21). Although much modern experience within the ranks of the professing church would cast doubt on this, the Scriptures reveal God's amazing plan and model for his church. While it may be true that our present system of church has drifted away from God's perfect design, the good news is that we can get back on track by submitting to his perfect will! Are you ready to get onboard the Offensive Church and become a gate crasher?

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Forty years ago the one thing that could be said about sermons was they were biblical. Unfortunately, they were sometimes tedious too. Narrative preaching aimed to fix that, advocating for a dynamic experience of the text over against a static lecture. Preaching could be like the parables of Jesus, intriguing and compelling.
The Story of Narrative Preaching is the story of seven students who are enrolled in Professor Freeman's preaching course. Once a new trend, narrative preaching is now older than most of them. As Professor Freeman notes, two things went wrong with narrative styles: over time the church became biblically and theologically illiterate, and the promised stress on experience didn't always measure up to the weight of the gospel.
Readers are invited to sit in on the class, to reflect on the expositional nature of preaching and to experience the stories of some modern storytellers–Flannery O'Connor, Alice Walker, and others–to see what they might teach us about narratives of depth. In the end we discover what may be the most important word in preaching.

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Table of Contents:
Part 1: The Discipline of Hearing 1. Exegesis as a Theological Discipline 2. Listening To and Listening For Part 2: The Presence of the Prior Word 3. Challenged by the Greek Precedent 4. Energized by Jewish Beginnings 5. Paul: Problem and Promise 6. Death and Afterlife in the New Testament Part 3: The Word as Criterion 7. The Penetrating Word 8. Scripture and Canon 9. The Gospel's Promise of Salvation Part 4: A Word for Bearers of the Word 10. Our Identity's Dimensions 11. A Word for Us Theologians 12. Is There Good News for Ministers Too? 13. The Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Knowledge Part 5: The Word Borne 14. Summoned to Christian Unity 15. King Jesus? 16. Are You the Coming One? 17. Promise and Hope

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Worship Quest serves as a guide to understanding foundational questions about worship and leading in worship. Worship Quest offers a practical perspective on four roles of worship leadership and how they are to be fulfilled within various worship gatherings. For those called to lead in worship as well as those tasked in hiring worship leaders, it is important to understand the roles of worship leadership. Worship Quest helps readers come to understand the different worship gatherings and the various roles of worship leadership, and thus successfully fulfill God's call of leading in worship.

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The joyful premise at the heart of this book is that there is a table lavishly spread for all who hunger for forgiveness–the believer, the doubter, and the famished. The book's journey begins and ends with this assertion: not only is there a table of forgiveness set for us in the many wildernesses of life, there is a seat waiting for each and every one of us at that table. What matters is whether we take that seat and, if so, how we behave at the feast. Rooted in the notion of journeying, of setting out each day to discover some new vista along the many paths to the banquet hall of forgiveness, A Table in the Wilderness draws upon the wisdom of multiple religious traditions, as well as non-religious sources, in order to gain perspective on this long misunderstood subject. Readers are just as likely to encounter Dr. Seuss as they are to read the words of Sri Ramakrishna or Saint Augustine along the way. Anyone who has ever been hurt or has hurt another will find this book a helpful guide.

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