Where Have All the Prophets Gone


Book Description

This book is a call for preachers to learn the importance of keeping their eyes on the vision of Jesus and biblical prophets when preaching - that of doing justice, caring for others, and being equitable. The book attempts to make a biblical argument for the importance and the content of prophetic preaching, and argues that the issue is not preaching from a text taken from the prophetic corpus but preaching on the themes that echoed over and over from the biblical prophets themselves.




Theology After Christendom


Book Description

Christianity must be understood not as a religion of private salvation, but as a gospel movement of universal compassion, which transforms the world in the power of God's truth. Amid several major global crises, including the rise of terrorism and religious fundamentalism and a sudden resurgence of political extremism, Christians must now face up fearlessly to the challenges of living in a "post-truth" age in which deceitful politicians present their media-spun fabrications as "alternative facts." This book is an attempt to enact a transformative theology for these changing times that will equip the global Christian community to take a stand for the gospel in an age of cultural despair and moral fragmentation. The emerging post-Christendom era calls for a new vision of Christianity that has come of age and connects with the spiritual crisis of our times. In helping to make this vision a reality, Searle insists that theology is not merely an academic discipline, but a transformative enterprise that changes the world. Theology is to be experienced not just behind a desk, in an armchair, or in a church, but also in hospitals, in foodbanks, in workplaces, and on the streets. Theology is to be lived as well as read.




Islamic Thought in Africa


Book Description

The first book length-work on Afa Ajura and translation of his complete poems This is the first English translation of and commentary on the collected poems of Alhaj YŠ«suf á¹¢Ä?liḥ Ajura (1910–2004), a northern Ghanaian orthodox Islamic scholar, poet, and polemicist known as Afa Ajura, or “scholar from Ejura.” The poems, all handwritten in Arabic script, mainly in the Ghanaian language of Dagbani and also Arabic, explore the author’s socio†‘religious beliefs. In the accompanying introduction, the translator examines the diverse themes of the poems and how they challenge TijÄ?niyyah Sufi clerics and traditional practices such as idol worship.




Prophetic Preaching


Book Description

Where have all the prophets gone? And why do preachers seem to shy away from prophetic witness? Astute preacher Leonora Tisdale considers these vexing questions while providing guidance and encouragement to pastors who want to recommit themselves to the task of prophetic witness. With a keen sensitivity to pastoral contexts, Tisdale's work is full of helpful suggestions and examples to help pastors structure and preach prophetic sermons, considered by many to be one of the most difficult tasks pastors are called to undertake.




Jeremiah in Prophetic Tradition


Book Description

In this study it is argued that the book of Jeremiah was influenced by the books of Amos and Hosea. All three books show a similar pattern of development. There is a correspondence between the reactions of those addressed and the prophetic message, which changes from the preaching of repentance to a message of irreversible judgment. Finally, these prophets testified that only God could bring about a new future. This study, which originally took the form of a dissertation, examines several topics common to Hosea, Amos and Jeremiah. Dr. Lalleman demonstrates important correspondences which point to a prophetic tradition received and developed by Jeremiah in his own way. The research concentrates on the themes of repentance and hope, covenant, and the role of the prophet in intercession, as well as his personal involvement in his message. The differences between these prophetic books, however, show that the individual characteristics of each prophet must not be neglected. The assumption of one monolithic Deuteronomistic redaction responsible for the editing of all the books is therefore unlikely. The prophets are best interpreted in their own historical contexts, although they are connected by a common spiritual heritage, a prophetic tradition.




Prophet, Intermediary, King


Book Description

In Prophet, Intermediary, King: The Dynamics of Mediation in the Biblical World and Old Babylonian Mari, Julie B. Deluty investigates the mediation of prophecy for kings in biblical narratives and the Old Babylonian corpus from Mari. In many cases, the prophet’s message is delivered through a third party—sometimes a royal official or family member—who may exercise a degree of autonomy in the transmission of the words. Drawing on social network theory, the book highlights the importance of third-party intermediaries in the process of communication that lies at the core of biblical and ancient Near Eastern prophecy. Recognition of the place of non-prophetic intermediaries in a monarchic system offers a new dimension to the study of prophecy in antiquity.




Pro-Life Pulpit


Book Description

Over one million unborn children are intentionally aborted every year in North America. Voiceless and helpless, their blood cries out. Will those of us who serve as pastors and preachers respond from our pulpits? Silence is not an option. We cannot keep quiet while thousands of our neighbors, made in the image of God, are being led to the slaughter every day. But neither should we condemn and vilify those who are complicit in their deaths. A truly pro-life pulpit ministry opposes the injustice of abortion with truth, courage and understanding. Tears mingled with hope, overflowing with grace. After all, the Christian faith is rooted in the good news of a Messiah who was once an embryo. Nine months before he was born, Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and for the next forty weeks he lived and grew in the womb of an unwed teenaged mother. He is at the heart of our preaching, and this book will show you how to confront the sin of abortion by proclaiming the God who became abortable in order to save sinners.




The Prophetic Responsibility


Book Description

God speaks every day. You have a responsibility to listen. The church is in a critical season. There are unprecedented crises in every segment of the world, and ungodly opinions and philosophies abound. The war over truth is raging as the idea of maintaining solidarity with Jesus Christ is growing increasingly unpopular. Since biblical days God has used the prophetic voice during times of crisis, darkness, and disaster to speak into the earth. Knowing and partnering with the thoughts, words, plans, and actions of God are not a path reserved for a select few. Being prophetic should be a priority to all Christians. Leaving the prophetic responsibility to those walking in the office of a prophet is not biblical. God wants to unleash an unprecedented outpouring of His Spirit in the earth and bring in a record-setting harvest of souls.




Why Black Lives Matter


Book Description

Beginning with a conversation prompted by African American scholars like Dr. Alvin Poussaint of Harvard Medical School in 2007, to the current Black Lives Matter movement, there has been much debate about what led to the deaths of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown, among others, as well as other systemic challenges that undermine black thriving. Anthony Bradley has assembled a team of scholars and religious leaders to provide a distinctly Christian perspective on what is needed for black communities to thrive from within. In addition to the social and structural issues that must be addressed, within black communities there are opportunities for social change based on God’s vision for human flourishing. Covering topics like the black family, hip-hop, mental health, mentoring women, masculinity, and the church, this book will open your eyes to fresh ways to participate in solutions that will truly set black America free. Although the Black Lives Matter movement keeps the church on the margins, the authors in this volume believe that enduring change cannot happen unless God speaks directly to these issues in light of the gospel. With contributions from: Vincent Bacote Bruce Fields Rev. Howard Brown Ralph C. Watkins Rev. Eric M. Mason Rev. Lance Lewis Rev. Anthony Carter Ken Jones Natalie Haslem Rev. Ken Jones Rihana Mason Yvonne RB-Banks




Prophecy Today


Book Description

In Prophecy today: reflections from a Southern African context, a group of theologians and scholars of religion from Zambia and South Africa reflects upon these questions. Anthropologists, Biblical scholars, practical theologians and others shine their light on what prophecy can mean today in this context. This book aims at stimulating a continuing Southern African discourse on this very interesting and relevant aspect of Christianity in our region. The book consists of 15 different articles by well-known scholars and has been ably compiled and edited by Dr Hermen Kroesbergen, lecturer in Systematic Theology and Philosophy of Religion at Justo Mwale University, Lusaka, Zambia.