Blowing the Trumpet in Open Court


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The Open Court


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The Open Court


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The Art of Connectivity


Book Description

The Art of Connectivity A Call to Unity Within a Diverse Society The Art of Connectivity is an attempt to unite the disconnected! If we are connected holistically and know what we have been called or created to do, then we may map out our lives and take the appropriate detours when obstacles are placed in our paths. If we are living with undefined directions and focus, we may become lost, unstable or unable to move ahead when a detour or obstacle is placed in our paths. Individually, we must see and embrace positive visions. We must avert negativity and recover holistically from obstacles in our paths and together we can/will make a difference. Connectivity is mapping your life backward and securing direction and re-direction throughout your life journeys. Connectivity is staying in your lane at times or crossing and eradicating negative and chaotic lines. Connectivity is helping others after you have helped yourself or found help from the hands of another. It is helping oneself and opening doors so others may be helped. An essential focus of this writing is connecting and evangelizing the local community through Christian educational methodologies to eradicate/minimize negativity and embrace unity. This enlightenment will be accomplished through active participation in the learning experiences that causes one to delve within the teachings of those who have lived and died so all people can live together in unity, while embracing theirs and others cultural values. The positive counteractions are primarily the responsibility of the individual to accept and implement, but it is also a shared responsibility. This shared responsibility must be conveyed and put into action by any positive or holistic means necessary to assist the self-negated to be connected and productive members of society. Just as so many pull together and work together during a major disaster for the good for all concerned, we must see the signs of destruction in others, and we must help rescue those who desire to be rescued. African-Americans and all ethnicities must delve into the educational process and search for biblical and secular educational truth. In finding truth, we will know without a doubt, who we are and whence we came according to not only stories and fables, which have been handed down from generation to generation but according to biblical and secular education as well. That which leads one to disconnect ones self, ones heritage and ones faith practices manifests itself amidst a psychological enslavement of ones mental factors. Negative behavior is associated with a negative self-identity. Every dark and chaotic circumstance needs a torch bearer to give light to their dark situations if they are to make it successful in life. We must move forward to unveil positive countermeasures to deter negative behaviors and actions. Western psychologists are concerned with how each of us differs from the other. The Ancients, on the other hand, looked at the essence of sameness. When we realize it is in our sameness, as children of God, we are given a royal positioning as joint heirs with Christ. We will love our Creator, ourselves, and others. M. M. McPhearson June 2011




Changing Church


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Through the fascinating stories of pioneering ministers, this book reveals a unique picture of progressive changes occurring in the Christian tradition. Meeting challenges and overcoming obstacles, these twelve diverse ministers are changing the church as they take prophetic stands on gender, race, interfaith cooperation, ecology, sexual orientation, economic opportunity, and other social justice issues. Believing in the power of sacred symbolism to shape social reality and to provide a foundation for justice and freedom for all people, these ministers lead worship with inclusive language and imagery for humanity and divinity. They include multicultural female and male images of the Divine. Their stories affirm the connection between this expansive theology and an ethic of justice and equality in human relationships. In working from within to change the church, these ministers have risked censure by denominational authorities, loss of opportunities for promotion to larger congregations or to prestigious denominational positions, and even loss of their jobs. They have found creative ways to balance advocating for change and working to support the church, using their positions as ordained clergy to bring liberating change to the church and the wider culture.




True to Our Native Land, Second Edition


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True to Our Native Land is a pioneering commentary on the New Testament that sets biblical interpretation firmly in the context of African American experience and concern. In this second edition, the scholarship is cutting-edge, updated, and expanded to be in tune with African American culture, education, and churches. The book calls into question many canons of traditional biblical research and highlights the role of the Bible in African American history, accenting themes of ethnicity, class, slavery, and African heritage as these play a role in Christian Scripture and the Christian odyssey of an emancipated people.







Nurturing Faith and Hope


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""Wimberly's latest work presents pastors, church lay leaders and scholars with a new lens to think critically and joyously about how Christian education undergirds and supports the worship experience in nurturing faith and hope in black parishioners."" --David L. Wallace, Sr., Dean, Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary The Interdenominational Theological Center, Atlanta, Georgia ""This highly recommended work provides a thoughtful yet comprehensive framework of the black Christian worshipping community as the context where faith and hope are nurtured."" --Marsha Snulligan Haney, Associate Professor of Missiology and Religions of the World, The Interdenominational Theological Center, Atlanta, Georgia ""This is a must read for all pastors and worship designers who desire to make worship relevant for African American Congregations."" --Cecelia M. Long, former General Secretariat of the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women in the United Methodist Church ""Innovative, dynamic, thought provoking, and inspiring. A must read for pastors, church leaders, Christian educators, and anyone interested in revitalizing Christian education in the 21st Century."" --Yolanda Y. Smith, Assistant Professor of Christian Education, Yale University Divinity School, and author of Reclaiming the Spirituals: New Possibilities for African American Christian Education ""Dr. Wimberly has seized upon the, heretofore, unspoken wisdom of the black church . . . Local church laity and clergy will easily access this fine work for local churches."" --Lynne Westfield, Assistant Professor of Christian Education, Drew Theological School, Madison, New Jersey ""Wimberly understands comprehensively the ways education is embodied in congregational life. Indeed, she invites us to nurture faith and hope."" --Jack L. Seymour, Professor of Religious Education and Academic Dean, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, Evanston. Illinois Anne E. Streaty Wimberly is Professor of Christian Education at The Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia. She is the author of several books including Soul Stories: African American Christian Education (1994).




Crisis and Emergency Management and Preparedness for the African-American Church Community


Book Description

In these challenging times, the resident population served by the predominantly African-American church demands and deserves specific attention in order to preserve the uniquely cohesive nature of the African-American community. While this work is specifically focused on one local church community, there is a shared hope among church members, clergy, civic and lay professionals, and the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology that this project will serve as a model for success beyond its local audience. This work was conceived to help mitigate growing environmental and social concerns beyond traditional emergencies--such as floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, severe weather, and power outages--imposed upon communities already strained by economic and social inequities. This book is designed to provide guidance on crisis and emergency preparedness by offering an example of how a church or similar institution may undertake the task of setting up an appropriate emergency planning structure for its congregation and community.




Chronicles of Oldfields


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