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For many today the issue of homosexuality is easily and clearly settled in scripture. The issue, for them, is one of scriptural authority. One either obeys the command found in scripture or one does not. Yet for others, the scriptural commands are not nearly as clear as claimed, and the issue is not obedience, but rather interpretation. It is not whether one will obey God's will, once known, but determining if, in fact, traditional interpreters have discovered God's will. Joe Miller, Jr., a retired pastor with a deep concern from LGBT persons in his community and church, tackles this subject by examining not just the scriptures, but also the people who interpret them and the theology and science they use to do so. He believes that a scriptural case can be made for the full acceptance of LGBT, and that to truly follow Jesus and care for “the least of these” demands nothing less. Those interested in exploring approaches to understanding scripture in general and as it relates to this topic should read this book.

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Dr. Bob McKibben shares from his heart his understanding of the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit within the local church. Combining his experience as pastor, study, and a commitment to sound Biblical principles, Bob provides a checklist for pastors and churches to use in ministry and worship as they encounter the wonderful presence of the Holy Spirit. This is a pastoral rather than a theological work. Sure enough, it has theology in it. The focus, however, is on caring for the Body of Christ as it experiences the abundant grace of God and the magnificent gifts of the of the Holy Spirit.

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Bruce Epperly calls Healing Marks a «very personal book» as it comes from over thirty years of experiencing the healing stories of Jesus. From his early years as a young college professor, he sought to make sense of the growing interest in complementary and alternative medicine. For seventeen years, Bruce was a chaplain and professor at Georgetown University School of Medicine, and was among the first to teach courses on spirituality and medicine at a major medical school. While embracing Jesus' healing ministry as a pastor, professor, reiki teacher, and spiritual guide, he has also wrestled with the meaning of Jesus' healing ministry and God's role in healing and sickness in a personal way as a pastor, friend, child, spouse, and parent, in hospital rooms, hospices, gravesides, and healing services. «I have heard testimonies about the power of God to cure illness, but I have also sat at the bedside of dying friends and congregants, who have done everything right, according to the principles of their faith traditions and philosophies – personal and intercessory prayers, positive thinking and affirmations, meditation and diet, complementary medical treatments, and visits to faith healers and energy workers – along with the best modern medicine has to offer in treatment and palliation,» says Bruce. Each chapter includes a spiritual practice related to the healing story being considered that is easily shaped for the reader's personal and spiritual needs. Rev. Epperly also includes questions and spiritual practices for group study and spiritual formation at the end of the book. Chapter titles include Transforming Faith, Forgiveness and Healing, Healing Takes Time, Healing Broken Spirits, A Healing Lifestyle, Healing in a Pluralistic Age, and God, Why am I Sick?.

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“Oh it's a jolly holiday with you ….” Holidays, steeped in family traditions, are not always jolly when you are also experiencing a loss of a loved one through death or divorce, a job loss or any number of loss scenarios. Accepting what is does not negate the difficulties in finding a “new normal” for family traditions, whether it is in the food we eat, the locations, or the very real hole that is left in the fabric of what has always been a celebration. Author, Jody Neufeld, brings her years with hundreds of hospice families as well as her own loss experience to share practical ways to take steps through a time of the year that is filled with emotions and expectations. Find a holiday time you can live!

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Have you ever tried to swim upstream? If you have, you know it doesn't work very well. You spend an awful lot of energy to get nowhere. You don't have to live long to realize life has lots of undercurrents that can pull you down if you're not careful. Life keeps on flowing regardless if we like the current circumstances of our life or not. When hard times come, we have two choices. We can either go with the flow or we can essentially drown ourselves in our own pity, anger, resentment, etc. The best way to calm the raging waters of life is to go with God's flow, and the best way to do that is by starting each morning in God's word. Let God use these short devotions to help you navigate the streams of your life.

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With this volume on Paul's Letter to the Galatians, Dr Bruce Epperly, author of Philippians: A Participatory Study Guide, Finding God in Suffering: A Journey with Job , and Transforming Acts: Acts of the Apostles as a 21st Century Gospel , again brings the study of a Bible book to life for a 21st century audience. Epperly founds his work in the results on modern critical scholarship, but he's not content with reciting scholarship or discussing history. He aims to make the study of this theologically central letter a transformative experience. He does so by never losing sight of the fact that human problems remain human problems and that human potentiality, touched by God's grace, can accomplish great things. He finds a message of liberation in this book. Liberation from our guilt, yes, but also liberation from our self-imposed limitations. Through reading, discussion, exercises, and thought questions, he leads the reader through a study that can only be described as an adventure. It's an adventure you won't want to miss.

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The way in which we read the Bible grows out of what we believe the Bible to be. Thus it is impossible to discuss methods of interpretation without considering our view of inspiration, the gathering of the canon, and even the reception of the Bible by the community of faith. And so, Edward W. H. Vick starts this comprehensive discussion of hermeneutics—the interpretation of Scripture—by looking at what the Bible is, and what empowers its authority. He brings a lifetime of experience, teaching and writing to the task. In this examination, he takes up such diverse topics as inspiration, canonization, authority, infallibility, inerrancy, verbal inspiration, sola scriptura, tradition, myth, and many related topics. Dr. Vick always relates these elements to the overarching questions: How shall we read Scripture? How shall we understand it? How does it impact the way we live and act? There are many books on how to read the Bible, but there are few that will offer this comprehensive and systematic study. If you apply the principles you find here to your own study, you will find the scriptures opening up in new ways. Dr. Vick will help you move beyond the assumptions that often stand in the way of our personal Bible study and see the remarkable variety and power that is mediated through this book we call the Bible.

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There's a stereotype of a young, zealous Christian who feels called to the ministry as a pastor, goes to seminary, and then loses his faith as he studies the writings of all those intellectuals and theologians. The stereotype may not be accurate, but there are those who fit this description, not to mention many who leave home for college as passionate Christians and come home unbelievers. More importantly, that stereotype represents a fear-the fear that too much education or contact with those whose beliefs differ from those of a particular community will cause someone to lose their faith. But there's another group, much larger, but not heard nearly as frequently. This group consists of people who have gone from the position of fear that creates the stereotype to a position of faith, a faith that is no longer afraid of that outer darkness that looms outside the walls of their religious community. Indeed, they may not perceive any looming darkness at all. From Fear to Faith, edited by Travis Milam and Joel L. Watts, gives voice to that too often unheard group. It is a collection of essays from those who have lived in fear, have faced the looming dark, collided with their share of brick walls, but have come out with a new-found faith and undismayed trust. The journeys of faith presented in this book reveal a group deeply insightful and grounded minds, rich in thriving spirituality, joy, and hope. Where there was once trepidation in asking the tough questions of human existence, of the divine relationship with creation, there is now a certain hope found when these authors have struggled to overcome canyons of fear, leaving behind a life of black and white certitude, to live in a beautiful world of gray. They have learned that having questions and even doubts does not reflect a lack of faith. Rather, hiding in fear from the serious questions indicates a lack of faith in the one who said, «Don't be afraid.» Come join in this journey from fear to faith.

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Death. Illness. Divorce. Unexpected. Undeserved. In this world there is going to be suffering and pain. As a person of faith, we are not exempt from that undeniable fact. What do we do? Where is God when the pain is unbearable and the night so long? How do we reach out to others with something more than platitudes? "It has been said that theology begins in the experience of suffering. At the very least, debilitating suffering challenges our images of success and security, and invites us on a quest for something solid and dependable when the foundations of our lives are shaking. The book of Job emerges from one person’s unexpected encounter with suffering. Job seeks God’s presence, and to find a God he can trust again, he must jettison his previous images of God." – Bruce Epperly

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Evidence for the Bible is the first in the Consider Christianity series, written by Elgin Hushbeck, Jr. It discusses the evidence for the inspiration and reliability of the Bible, and deals with objections. It is clear and forceful, but also invites dialogue on this key issue of the Christian faith. Chapter titles are How Did We Get the Bible, The Bible and Modern Criticism, Archeology and the Bible, Science vs. Religion, Science and the Bible, Is the Bible Reliable, and The Word of God or the Speculations of Men. Pastors, Sunday School teachers, Christian education directors and youth leaders will not want to miss this book. (Note: This is a new, slightly corrected edition of ISBN 1-893729-29-X, and is compatible with that volume in terms of content and pagination. It may be used with the study guide to that volume, ISBN 1-893729-32-X.)

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