“In troubles times, hope often seems elusive, a vague promise of the future. But Anne Howard transforms hope into a tangible practice of faith by sharing the stories of young adults who take Jesus’ beatitudes both literally and seriously. Read Claiming the Beatitudes and glimpse a transformational wisdom for church that grounds life in God’s beauty, truth, and goodness.” - Diana Butler Bass, author, Christianity for the Rest of Us and A People’s History of Christianity “Anne Howard interprets each beatitude through the story of a present-day student as well as Jesus’ beatitudes. She brings the beatitudes into our experience now, beautifully, readably, so we can answer the question, ‘Where do you see God’s presence in our world?’ And so we can say, ‘yes, thanks’ to God’s invitation to participate.” - Glen Harold Stassen, Lewis B. Smedes Professor of Christian Ethics, Fuller Theological Seminary “By focusing on how Jesus’ beatitudes are actually being lived in the lives of twenty-and thirty-somethings today, Anne Howard accomplishes what few before her have done; she takes the beatitudes out of the realm of pietistic platitudes or arcane academics and puts flesh and blood on them. In so doing, she instills a craving in each of us to wrap our own lives around these simple yet revolutionary words.” - Eric Elnes, author of The Phoenix Affirmations and Asphalt Jesus “Can the beatitudes come alive for us today? The moving stories and compelling reflections of Claiming the Beatitudes say ‘Yes!’ The questions at the end of each chapter offer true-to-life challenges. The entire book is an invitation to conversation and conversion. Try it!” - Bishop Frederick Borsch, Professor of New Testament, Chair of Anglican Studies, Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia
Discover how Jesus’s blessings convert emotional suffering from a source of shame to a resource for faith. Long description: When you hurt, what does it mean for your faith? Too often church culture and religious individuals suggest that emotional pain shows lack of faith or sin against a punitive God. How ironic—Jesus suffered loneliness, misunderstanding, persecution and death to meet us at the lowest places and lift us to hope and life with his resurrection. Reframing apparent defeat as the first step in a life of purpose, this book shows how Jesus’s blessings, the Beatitudes, address the paradox of living through suffering on the way to joy. When you feel depressed or anxious, unworthy or ashamed, this book helps you recognize Jesus as a fellow struggler who meets you in your suffering, offering and embodying life and hope. It will help you hear Jesus’s blessing you when you feel least worthy of blessing. This vital resource features engaging spiritual practices and group discussion questions ideal for use by individuals on their own, in counseling or in groups. Christians and seekers in emotional pain as well as counselors, clergy, spiritual directors, Stephen ministers and family members will gain needed insight and guidance for the spiritual journey through suffering.
Beatitudes, Not Platitudes shows that the Beatitudes are not overused, well-worn answers to the question, ""What would Jesus do?"" Rather, they are undervalued and hardly touched claims that transform our destinies. More than spiritual nuggets for personal devotion, practical advice, or propositions to be believed, the Beatitudes in Matthew 5 envision and entail a reorientation of the good life in view of Jesus' kingdom. Jesus' teachings reveal to us that living our best purpose-driven life now involves dying to self and the world system, and dying for our enemies. Ideal for group study, this series of meditations on each of the Beatitudes, followed by cultural reflections and study questions, helps to bridge the gaps between personal devotion and societal revolution, the academic and the practical, the ancient and the contemporary. All of us want to be happy, to be well and blessed, and esteemed with honor. However, we look for happiness, wellness, blessing, and honor in different places and with mixed results. This book helps us reimagine the good life by taking a fresh look at the Beatitudes as citizens of Jesus' ever-new kingdom order. (Designer--Please use the first three names on this list for the back cover, the rest will go in the front cover) ""I was most impressed with Paul Louis Metzger's not only evangelical but also social-justice reading and interpretation of Jesus' powerful Beatitudes. May his tribe increase!"" --Frederick Dale Bruner, author of Matthew: A Commentary ""For preachers and teachers who value Scripture, Paul Louis Metzger provides a robust theological reading of Scripture rooted in sound exegesis. In addition to the careful reading of the biblical text, Metzger offers historical, theological, social, and practical insights that call us to actually embody Scripture instead of just talking about it."" --Soong-Chan Rah, author of The Next Evangelicalism: Freeing the Church from Western Cultural Captivity ""Beatitudes Not Platitudes reveals what we are missing when we bypass Jesus' Sermon on the Mount or minimize its meaning to avoid distressing ourselves. Paul Louis Metzger implores us to take a closer look and ponder Jesus' words. Jesus means to jolt us out of the status quo--even our American Christian status quo--so we will hunger for and cultivate the values of his kingdom. A wise and important book for such a time as this!"" --Carolyn Custis James, author of The Gospel of Ruth: Loving God Enough to Break the Rules, and Malestrom: Manhood Swept into the Currents of a Changing World ""In clear and accessible prose, Paul Louis Metzger walks us through Jesus' simple but revolutionary introduction to the upside-down kingdom of God . . . With the heart of a friend and the mind of a scholar, Metzger guides us through the cultural setting and contemporary relevance for each of Jesus' beatitudes. This highly readable book provides a winsome vision for any Christian hungering to walk afresh in the way of Jesus. But it's also an exceptional resource for preachers and teachers who want to lead their people through this potent and beautiful section of Scripture."" --Matt Woodley, editor of Preaching Today, author of The Gospel of Matthew: God with Us ""Beatitudes, Not Platitudes is one of the few books in recent memory that meets more than one need in the church today. It is theologically informative and devotionally inspirational, while at the same time, it encourages us to be more sensitive to the social challenges that many are struggling to overcome. Paul Louis Metzger has written a masterpiece for our times."" --Jimi Calhoun, Lead Pastor, Bridging Austin, author of A Story of Rhythm and Grace: What the Church Can Learn from Rock and Roll About Healing the Racial Divide ""The Beatitudes are spiritual treasures. They are like diamonds that never lose their value or beauty with the passing of time. However, too often our church theologies and cultural challenges gloss them over with a thick venee
"Most people think of the Beatitudes as a collection of idealistic sayings- beautiful to read but impossible to practice. How wrong they are! In fact, the entire Sermon on the Mount is a glorious explanation of what life is really like when you reign through the power of the Holy Spirit," says Warren Wiersbe. Why wait until we get to heaven to reign? Thanks to Jesus Christ we can do it in this life. This inspiring study of the Beatitudes shows how to reign over ego, power, and appetite. With the help of the Holy Spirit, the believer can live like a king.
Beatitudes, Not Platitudes shows that the Beatitudes are not overused, well-worn answers to the question, "What would Jesus do?" Rather, they are undervalued and hardly touched claims that transform our destinies. More than spiritual nuggets for personal devotion, practical advice, or propositions to be believed, the Beatitudes in Matthew 5 envision and entail a reorientation of the good life in view of Jesus' kingdom. Jesus' teachings reveal to us that living our best purpose-driven life now involves dying to self and the world system, and dying for our enemies. Ideal for group study, this series of meditations on each of the Beatitudes, followed by cultural reflections and study questions, helps to bridge the gaps between personal devotion and societal revolution, the academic and the practical, the ancient and the contemporary. All of us want to be happy, to be well and blessed, and esteemed with honor. However, we look for happiness, wellness, blessing, and honor in different places and with mixed results. This book helps us reimagine the good life by taking a fresh look at the Beatitudes as citizens of Jesus' ever-new kingdom order.
The Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes are often considered significant texts for the Christian moral life. However, most interpretations of these passages either focus on the original meaning of the text or how the texts should impact ordinary living today. In The Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes Yiu Sing Lúcás Chan brings together biblical studies and Christian ethics to look at these foundational texts in a new way. For each passage Chan asks both what the texts meant and what they mean today. He helps readers to carefully study the text’s original meaning, then interpret the text within a sound ethical framework. The Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes is an excellent introduction to key concepts in biblical studies and Christian ethics that combines sound study with warmth and wisdom.
In this volume, William C. Mattison, III demonstrates that virtue ethics provides a helpful key for unlocking the moral wisdom of the Sermon on the Mount. Showing how familiar texts such as the Beatitudes and Petitions of the Lord's Prayer are more richly understood, and can even be aligned with the theological and cardinal virtues, he also locates in the Sermon classic topics in morality, such as the nature of happiness, intentionality, the intelligibility of human action, and the development of virtue. Yet far from merely placing the teaching of Aristotle in the mouth of Jesus, he demonstrates how the Sermon presents an account of happiness and virtue transformed in the light of Christian faith. The happiness portrayed is that of the Kingdom of heaven, and the habits needed to participate in it in the next life, but even initially in this one, are possible only by God's grace through Jesus Christ, and lived in the community that is the Church.
The Beatitudes are among the most influential teachings in human history. For two millennia, they have appeared in poetry and politics, and in the thought of mystics and activists, as Christians and others have reflected on their meaning and shaped their lives according to the Beatitudes’ wisdom. But what does it mean to be hungry, or meek, or pure in heart? Is poverty a material condition or a spiritual one? And what does being blessed entail? In this book, Rebekah Eklund explores how the Beatitudes have affected readers across differing eras and contexts. From Matthew and Luke in the first century, to Martin Luther King Jr. and Billy Graham in the twentieth, Eklund considers how men and women have understood and applied the Beatitudes to their own lives through the ages. Reading in the company of past readers helps us see how rich and multifaceted the Beatitudes truly are, illuminating what they might mean for us today.
