The Stage was built long ago. Now angels, men, stars and planets take their places. The Ballet is about to begin. This dance is not merely about interesting movements - there is a story to be told. It is not just that Jesus has come to earth, it is about why. With the Bible, the Ballet takes shape. The constellations hang the backdrops. The festivals of the Jewish year give the troupe its depth. Gestation, Circumcision, Purification and the "Blood Moon" add dramatic emphasis at key points. At Creation, the Morning Stars sang, but when Jesus "tents" among us, they dance an exquisite Ballet. Guided by the Dance above them, based upon roots laid centuries before, the Magi make their journey in faith.
Blood-Covenant spans the globe in such traditions as the Native American Blood-Brother bond. No mere contract variation, Covenant is a powerful relationship of a deep, unbreakable Love; yet when God does break it once, He pays the consequences He designed it to have. Throughout the 'Old' Covenant, certain elements of Covenant are declared, yet are not 'real' - until the 'New' Covenant comes, which is not a 'what' but a 'Who.' Everything changes when God literally comes to have Blood Himself, the result of which profoundly affects the 'Old' Covenant. This relationship is eternal and does not become obsolete on the Last Day. If the Bible is written within a Covenant environment, what does the modern Western reader miss that the ancient hearer would naturally recognize? Living in a culture that only has vestiges of Covenant, there is no easy or perfect answer. But the question can be very stimulating.
With contributions from eminent theologians from different countries, confessions, disciplines and interests, this volume celebrates the immense breadth and influence of T.F. Torrance. Contributors include R. E. Clements, Matthew Black, R. S. Barbour, Alasdair Heron, Dietrich Ritschl, Robert W. Jenson, D.M. MacKinnon, Allan D. Galloway, Jürgen Moltmann, Noel Dermot O'Donoghue, Stanley L. Jaki, Thomas A. Langford, J. Houston, Enda McDonagh, John McIntyre, Eberhard Jüngel, Richard W. A. McKinney, S. W. Sykes, John Heywood Thomas, Lesslie Newbigin.
The Long Awaited Royal Marriage Has Finally Come The Bridegroom eagerly takes His Bride by the hand and leads her to the great banquet hall. The Father-in-law delightedly makes room for her. Yearning, expectation, delight, joy and especially love surround this occasion. The Bride is radiant - but - she has a "history"! However the Bridegroom has washed her, made her beautiful, and feeds her with the most precious Food. With anticipation they know there is so much to come: Days to be spent together; Life to be shared; Most of all, enjoying the company of each other, and being able to look up from the Supper Table to see the face of the Beloved. Come and see Holy Communion through the eyes of a truly divine couple!
Baptism. Simple - and yet a most powerful and far-reaching action. Indeed, it overflows with a range of blessings within a new relationship with the Creator of the universe. We receive Grace and Mercy, and God's Glory; we have His seal and "earnest" to confirm His promises, and are authorized to be Jehovah's "Image" - His representatives - to this cosmos. We are adopted as children in God's Family, made members within Christ's Body, placed into His Bride (the Church), become citizens of His Kingdom, and are His priests to His Creation. We are born again, become new creations, are raised to be temples of the Holy Spirit, and bear the fruit of the Spirit. We are valued for the individuals we are and have our place as our Lord does His work through us in our world. This relationship is from God's heart, He yearns to have with all humans, from infant to the aged. All we do is to have applied "the Water with the Word" in faith. And it is enough.
Bestselling author Brian Walsh engages with the theologically rich catalog of musician Bruce Cockburn in an effort to ignite a renewed Christian imagination.
The unusual marriage of Romantic ballet and artificial intelligence is an intriguing idea that led a team of interdisciplinary researchers to design iGiselle, a video game prototype. Scholars in the fields of literature, physical education, music, design, and computer science collaborated to revise the tragic narrative of the nineteenth-century ballet Giselle, allowing players to empower the heroine for possible ”feminine endings.” The eight interrelated chapters chronicle the origin, development, and fruition of the project. Dancers, gamers, and computer specialists will all find something original that will stimulate their respective interests. Contributors: Vadim Bulitko, Wayne DeFehr, Christina Gier, Pirkko Markula, Mark Morris, Sergio Poo Hernandez, Emilie St. Hilaire, Nora Foster Stovel, Laura Sydora
How can we proclaim justice for God's Creation in the face of global warming? How does fracking fit with "the earth and its fullness are the Lord's?" Creation-Crisis Preaching works with the premise that all of Creation, including humankind, needs to hear the Good News of Jesus' resurrection in this age in which humanity is "crucifying" Creation. Informed by years of experience as an environmental activist and minister, Leah Schade equips preachers to interpret the Bible through a "green" lens, become rooted in environmental theology, and learn how to understand their preaching context in terms of the particular political, cultural, and biotic setting of their congregation. Creation-Crisis Preaching provides both theoretical grounding and practical tips for preachers to create environmental sermons that are relevant, courageous, creative, pastoral, and inspiring.
Go from biblically challenged to spiritually confident in fifteen minutes a day! This adaptation of the bestselling Core 52 helps teens master the 52 most important verses in the Bible. “Mark has found the balance between digging deep into God’s Word and finding its relevance for today.”—Mary Shannon Hoffpauir, Bible teacher, speaker, and author of Lose Control: The Way to Find Your Soul You know that the Bible is important. So why is it so hard to get into it or get something out of it? The problem isn’t you or the Bible. The problem is the strategy. Rather than diving in yourself, what if you had a coach to lead you through a simple process that would build your confidence? Core 52 Student Edition is like having a personal trainer for what matters most. Just as you’d prepare for an important test or big game by focusing on what’s core, this guide streamlines your time by focusing on the big ideas of the Bible. In just fifteen minutes a day, five days a week for a year, strengthen your spiritual IQ on the most relevant issues for young adults like you, including: • Why Am I Here? (Genesis 1:1) • How Can I Find Happiness? (Psalm 1:1–3) • How Should I Pray? (Matthew 6:9–13) • What Is Real Love? (John 3:16) • How Can I Reduce My Anxiety? (Philippians 4:6) Knowing the Bible better will make you better at life. Start your Core 52 training today so you’ll be ready for all God has for you!
The creation story stands as one of the most famous and familiar in Scripture. But, says best-selling author Robert Farrar Capon, most of us misconstrue it. The reason? We have fallen into the habit of reading Genesis the way we read all of Scripture - as a manual of religious instructions. To break this (bad) habit, Capon here offers a whimsical yet wonderfully fruitful approach - watching the Bible as a historical movie whose director is God. Though Capon does have fun with this concept, he's very serious about its liberating effects. "When you watch a movie," he says, "you never ask questions about whether the events depicted actually happened. Instead, you accept the history the director shows you on the screen." And, as Capon points out, we typically suspend judgment of a film until we've seen all of it, letting later scenes inform and enrich earlier ones. That, he says, is exactly how we need to see Genesis - as just the beginning of the whole movie of Scripture. Using this novel approach in "Genesis, the Movie," Capon develops a commentary of theological scope and depth on the first three chapters of Genesis. He gives every verse as it appears in the Hebrew, the Septuagint, and the Vulgate, as well as in the KJV, RSV, and NRSV versions of the Bible. Making extensive use of Augustine's commentary on Genesis in his "Confessions" and "De Genesi ad Litteram," Capon also shows the interpretive freedom with which the church's fathers and mothers approached Scripture. This book is as much Capon the charming writer-teacher as it is Capon the scholar, characterized as it is by the conversational, entertaining style for which Capon is so well known. Enriched by Capon's signature wit, imaginative wisdom, and broad-ranging engagement of saints, poets, and religious thinkers across the centuries, "Genesis, the Movie" presents a remarkable new look at Scripture that will delight and challenge its many readers.
