The Visual Word


Book Description

The New Testament shouldn’t be complicated. So why are we often confused? Every Christian wants to love the Bible. But let’s face it: we sometimes get lost in all the names, places, and doctrines that we find in its pages. Who wrote this epistle? Which book is about justification? Joy? Jesus? Aren’t they all about him? The New Testament contains complex ideas and multiple genres. Keeping it straight can be hard to do. Wouldn’t it be nice if somebody who understands the big picture would put it together for us in one place? Biblical scholar and seminary professor Patrick Schreiner draws from his years of experience as a teacher to offer a simple and memorable way of understanding Scripture. And he doesn’t do it by throwing big words at you. The contours of the New Testament and its underlying structure are depicted in visual format along with Schreiner’s clear explanations. In The Visual Word, the Bible comes alive because you can see it pictured before your eyes. By taking a graphic approach, you’ll notice connections you’ve never seen before. Gain insights you’ve missed all these years. And discover an overall pattern that makes each separate piece fall perfectly into place. Don’t settle for mere summaries of the New Testament. Let Schreiner’s concise words and crisp images work together to help you encounter the Living Word in a fresh way.




The Orion Cosmic Discovery


Book Description

In the vast expanse of the cosmos, where stars ignite and galaxies collide, a grand tale unfolds—a mesmerizing science fiction space travel adventure that takes us on a journey beyond the limits of our imagination. It is a story of discovery, exploration, and the boundless potential that lies within the cosmos. In this epic narrative, we follow the starship Orion and its courageous crew as they navigate the cosmic currents, propelled by an insatiable thirst for knowledge and a relentless spirit of adventure. Their mission: to explore uncharted frontiers, encounter cosmic phenomena, and unravel the mysteries of the universe. Guided by their intrepid captain, Jonathan Ryder, the crew embarks on a series of breathtaking chapters, each one a standalone masterpiece that paints a vivid picture of the wonders that await them. From encounters with celestial anomalies to voyages into realms of cosmic consciousness, they traverse the depths of space, forever transformed by the revelations that unfold. As the story unfolds, we witness the crew's awe-inspiring experiences within the Celestial Nexus—a gateway to enlightenment, the Interstellar Tapestry—an intricate web of cosmic history, the Eternal Nexus—an exploration of time and destiny, and the Quantum Alchemy—a cosmic art of transformation. They traverse the Cosmic Nexus, where interconnectedness binds all things, and embrace the Stellar Symphony—a harmony of celestial bodies. Ultimately, they venture into the Infinite Horizon, a realm of infinite potential and uncharted territories. Throughout their journey, the crew discovers the interplay of cosmic forces, grapples with the ethical implications of their newfound powers, and wrestles with the fundamental questions of existence. They learn to embrace the unknown, to trust in the interconnectedness of all things, and to harness the limitless potential within themselves. As each chapter unfolds, our hearts race with anticipation, our minds expand with cosmic revelations, and our spirits soar with the crew's triumphs and tribulations. The story captures the essence of humanity's innate curiosity and unyielding desire to explore the cosmos, showcasing the beauty and mysteries that lie beyond our familiar blue planet. This award-winning science fiction space travel adventure transcends the boundaries of imagination, inviting us to embark on a cosmic odyssey filled with wonder, wisdom, and the timeless yearning to understand our place in the grand tapestry of the universe. So, dear reader, fasten your seatbelt, open your mind to the infinite possibilities that await, and join the crew of the starship Orion as they set sail into the unknown, forever driven by the relentless spirit of discovery.




A Cosmic Leap of Faith


Book Description

Among the array of christologies embodied within New Testament literature, the so-called "hymn" of Colossians 1: 15-20 offers a unique and invaluable contribution to contemporary theological and inter-religious discourse. This is because it conveys what is arguably the highest christological affirmation within the canon. Pizzuto contends that the hymn is a creative and faith-filled composition by the same deutero-Pauline author of the Colossians epistle itself and demonstrates that there is an inextricable relationship between the chiastic structure of Col 1: 15-20 and a proper understanding of its provenance, authorship and theology. Although the hymn echoes theological motifs consistent with Second Temple Judaism and loosely reflects a number of syncretistic influences, it is fundamentally the novelty of the "Christ-event," - the historical impact of Jesus of Nazareth - that has been most influential in determining the christological categories of Col 1: 15-20 and its larger epistolary framework. Pizzuto thus defends the overall integrity of the hymn against those who would assert that it reflects a pre-Christian or pre-Colossians origin. He concludes that Col 1: 15-20 represents something of a "leap" beyond Pauline christology into a new and unequivocal conviction of the cosmic implications of the Cross.




Cross and Cosmos


Book Description

John D. Caputo stretches his project as a radical theologian to new limits in this groundbreaking book. Mapping out his summative theological position, he identifies with Martin Luther to take on notions of the hidden god, the theology of the cross, confessional theology, and natural theology. Caputo also confronts the dark side of the cross with its correlation to lynching and racial and sexual discrimination. Caputo is clear that he is not writing as any kind of orthodox Lutheran but is instead engaging with a radical view of theology, cosmology, and poetics of the cross. Readers will recognize Caputo's signature themes—hermeneutics, deconstruction, weakness, and the call—as well as his unique voice as he writes about moral life and our strivings for joy against contemporary society and politics.




Heavenly Perspective


Book Description

This book identifies the source of the Colossian error as from within Jewish mystical movements and shows how both the theology and practice which is taught in the epistle is to be understood from this context. The book gives a helpful overview of scholarship that has attempted to identify the nature and source of the Colossian error. The book, unlike many others on the topic, is exegetically driven, and will model thorough and careful exegetical practice. The book interacts with extra-Biblical texts which help the reader to understand the mystical contexts of first century Judaism.




Cosmic Christology in Paul and the Pauline School


Book Description

"How did the understanding of Jesus as the universal Son of Man of Apocalyptic Judaism develop into the notion of a cosmic god, the cosmic Christ? George van Kooten traces the earliest encounters between antiquity and Christianity."




Earthing the Cosmic Christ of Ephesians--The Universe, Trinity, and Zhiyi's Threefold Truth, Volume 4


Book Description

In a Tiantai theology, conventional truth is conventionally arisen, which means that such truth is never set once and for all, but is to be cherished and rethought in new circumstances, whether interreligious or scientific—but always in critical consonance with its ancient embodiments. Contexts shift frameworks, but life in Christ is translatable across cultures. Christian faith and theology discourage the assumption that the point of it can be clearly pinned down. God’s appearance to Elijah out of the whirlwind is an eternal reminder of the paltriness of all human perspectives. Symbolic worlds of faith and wisdom are not themselves finished products. Because it has a past and a future, the cosmos itself is unfinished. Christian creeds ought not be defended as last-word ideological positions and bastions against relativity, but instead recognized in their cultural contexts and affirmed as grammars of communal and personal assent.




Christ over All Things


Book Description

Colossians and Ephesians present some of the highest statements of Christology in the New Testament. How is it that Christ came to be conceived not only as the Savior of humanity but also as the divine Lord over the whole cosmos? While previous scholars have looked to Wisdom traditions and Greco-Roman cosmology to provide background for the Christology of Colossians and Ephesians, James Crockett demonstrates that Jewish royal ideology provides the key conceptual background through which the Christology of these letters was formed. Crockett begins by demonstrating how Jewish literature reveals God’s intent to enact his rule over creation through his enthroned king, a plan which begins with Adam and continues with the promise of the ideal Davidic king. Crockett then shows how Paul utilizes and expands upon Jewish royal ideological themes to portray Christ as the supreme cosmic king through whom God reestablishes cosmic harmony.




Salvation Accomplished by the Son


Book Description

In this unique and insightful work, Robert Peterson insists that we look afresh at all that the Bible teaches about who our Savior is and what he has accomplished, with the conviction that a careful examination of this teaching will lead us to adoration and worship. Peterson explains the saving work of Christ, both his deeds and the biblical pictures illustrating them, and thereby points to the magnitude of what Jesus did to save sinners. Offered here is a substantive, significant, and enduring treatise on a key Christian doctrine—the work of Christ.




God at War


Book Description

Modern Christians are often baffled by the problem of evil, frequently attributing pain and suffering to some mysterious "good" purposes of God. Gregory Boyd instead declares that biblical writers did not try to intellectually understand evil but rather grappled to overcome it.