In this scholarly yet readable book Schonfield tries to unravel the mysteries behind the development of early Christianity in the thirty years between the crucifixion of Jesus and the Fall of Jerusalem. It builds on the famous work 'The Passover Plot' by the same author. It is a companion reader also to 'Those Incredible Christians' and 'The Politics of God' and provides challenging insights into a world we thought we understood.
Cities evidence from the Dead Sea Scrolls and archaeological resources to reveal that the early Jesus movement was comprised of loyal Jewish nationalists.
The Pentecostal Takeover is the last book on Pentecostalism necessary to convince the Church of its decomposing effect on the body of Christ. Finally, a daring book with Biblical solutions!
This volume brings Pentecostal intuitions to bear on the task of reconceptualizing the process of ethical methodology in a pluralistic world, applying a Pentecostal sensibility to the study of social ethics.
The author tells of his experiences as a Pentecostal minister and a proponent of the charismatic movement that influenced churches worldwide. -- Back cover.
The Pentecostal World provides a comprehensive and critical introduction to one of the most vibrant and diverse expressions of contemporary Christianity. Unlike many books on Pentecostalism, this collection of essays from all continents does not attempt to synthesize and simplify the movement’s inherent diversity and fragmented dispersion. Instead, the global flows of Pentecostalism are firmly grounded in local histories and expressions, as well as the various modes of their worldwide reproduction. The book thus argues for a new understanding of Pentecostal and Charismatic movements that accounts for the simultaneous processes of pluralization and homogenization in contemporary World Christianity. Written by a distinguished team of international contributors across various disciplines, the volume is comprised of six parts, with each offering a critical perspective on classical themes in the study of Pentecostalism. Led by a programmatic introduction, the thirty-six chapters within these parts explore a variety of themes: history and historiography, conversion, spirit beliefs and exorcism, prosperity, politics, gender relations, sexual identities, racism, development, migration, pilgrimage, interreligious relations, media, ecumenism, and academic research. The Pentecostal World is essential reading for students and researchers in anthropology, history, political science, religious studies, sociology, and theology. The book will also be very useful for those in related fields, such as culture studies, black studies, ethnic studies, and gender studies.
With this book, Owen Power offers the first full-length intellectual history of the thinker Hugh Schonfield (1901-1988). Power contextualises Schonfield and his work in the spheres of Jewish ideology and Messianic Jewish politics as a means to explain the complicated nature of Messianic Jewish identity. There are many problems in making sense of the varied claims made about the Jewishness of Jewish Believers in Jesus--as there is a striking lack of agreement as to their Jewish status among halakhic authorities--and there is no real consensus among Messianic Jews themselves in answering the question, "Who is a (Messianic) Jew?" On the other hand, the attitude of many Jewish commentators regarding Messianic Jews is that they are traitors and apostates pretending to be Jews--Christian missionaries hell-bent on enticing Jews from their communities to the welcoming embrace of the Church. Normative Jewish opinion tends to treat Jewish Believers in Jesus as a monolithic group and thus fails to recognise the wide range of groups and individuals who claim to be Messianic Jews, even if there is among them little consensus as to what such a label means. Schonfield's case both reinforces such convictions and problematizes them.
""This book, comprising a sweeping range of well-documented articles on Pentecostal theology, hermeneutics, missiology, and the social sciences, provides for the student of Pentecostals a window on contemporary Pentecostal scholarship that discloses vigorous engagement with critical issues. The editors have provided a resource that promises to stimulate further research and reflection."" William Menzies, Chancellor, Asia Pacific Theological Seminary, Baguio City, Philippines. Excerpts from Respondents Jose Miguez Bonino on Changing Paradigms: ""An updating of Pentecostal thinking on a whole spectrum of theological disciplines: systematics, missiology, biblical studies, history, and praxis . . . a wealth of information and reflection."" Vinay Samuel on Global Culture: ""Global Pentecostalism can bring a new impetus to the movement for Christian unity . . . it has much to contribute to the shaping of a new 21st century definition for Christian unity."" Harvey Cox on A Postmodern World: ""There was a time when Pentecostals warned themselves and anyone else who would listen not to become entangled with and dependent on the 'things of the world.' Pentecostals were suspicious of the passing fads of stylish clothing, the latest hairdo, and glitzy new consumer products. They were also, as it turns out rightly, suspicious that the powerful new mass media could be a seductive lure, tricking people into the empty values of the consumer market culture. Perhaps it is time for a rebirth of that ethic of simplicity, that suspicion for 'the things for the world' for which the early Pentecostals were so famous.""
Church history books must choose either brevity or thoroughness. A History of the Church does an excellent job combining both. Although it has been used as a college textbook, it also has been used successfully in local churches and personal study of church history as well.
