The Good Samaritan (Touchstone Texts)

The Good Samaritan (Touchstone Texts)

Author: Emerson B. Powery

Publisher: Baker Academic

Published: 2022-04-12

Total Pages: 142

ISBN-13: 1493432516

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The story of the good Samaritan in Luke 10 is one of Jesus's most well-known parables. It continues to fascinate readers with its powerful imagery and ethical significance. In this exposition, New Testament scholar Emerson Powery shows how this classic and beloved text can speak afresh to the life of the church today. Powery explains that in every generation, followers of Jesus need to be reminded that mercy is a natural consequence of faith. Jesus's parable of the good Samaritan emphasizes this point in a dramatic way by placing an "enemy" as the central hero of the story. Powery explores diverse interpretations of the good Samaritan, carefully investigates this parable within the theology of the Gospel of Luke, and connects the parable to contemporary events. The book encourages readers to think through the ethical implications of this story for their own contexts. The Touchstone Texts series addresses key Bible passages, making high-quality biblical scholarship accessible for the church. The series editor is Stephen B. Chapman, Duke Divinity School.


The Suffering Servant (Touchstone Texts)

The Suffering Servant (Touchstone Texts)

Author: J. Gordon McConville

Publisher: Baker Books

Published: 2023-11-14

Total Pages: 150

ISBN-13: 1493442910

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The description of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53 is a beloved biblical text with an unshakable place in the theology and self-understanding of the church. Since New Testament times, this text has fed the church's thinking about the person and work of Jesus Christ. Leading Old Testament theologian Gordon McConville offers a lively exposition of Isaiah 53 that is at once true to its Old Testament context, conversant with the history of interpretation, and deeply Christian. McConville illuminates the text's contribution to our apprehension of who Jesus is and explores the various ways the text can speak to us in faithfulness to its scriptural authority and character. The author explores the theological and spiritual issues that arise from the poetry's words and phrases and shows how this classic text can speak to the life of the church today. The Touchstone Texts series addresses key Bible passages, making high-quality biblical scholarship accessible to the church. The series editor is Stephen B. Chapman, Duke Divinity School.


The Lord's Prayer (Touchstone Texts)

The Lord's Prayer (Touchstone Texts)

Author: William M. IV Wright

Publisher: Baker Books

Published: 2023-02-28

Total Pages: 165

ISBN-13: 1493440268

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Since the beginning of Christianity, the Lord's Prayer has occupied an important place in the lives of Jesus's disciples, for it is the prayer Jesus himself taught them. Like other biblical prayers, the Lord's Prayer contains words people offer to God. But since this prayer is from Jesus and is part of Scripture, it is also God's Word to people. When we say this prayer, not only are we speaking to God, but God is also speaking to us. Highly regarded New Testament scholar William Wright shows how this classic text can speak afresh to the life of the church today. He integrates critical exegesis, theological exposition, and Christian spirituality to explicate the theological substance of the Lord's Prayer. His goal is to help readers come to know God and love God and others more deeply through a focused study of this important Christian prayer. The Touchstone Texts series addresses key Bible passages, making high-quality biblical scholarship accessible to the church. The series editor is Stephen B. Chapman, Duke Divinity School.


Social Justice in the Stories of Jesus

Social Justice in the Stories of Jesus

Author: Matthew E. Gordley

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2024-03-11

Total Pages: 389

ISBN-13: 1119884020

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Invites a new generation of readers to apply ethical reasoning to social justice challenges, accessible to people of faith from a broad range of backgrounds Social Justice in the Stories of Jesus introduces readers to the parables of the New Testament while exploring how they relate to social justice, ethics, and key issues of modern society. Centering on themes of mercy, justice, and human dignity, this unique volume invites readers to reflect on the meaning of Jesus's parables both in their original setting and in the context of present-day moral and ethical challenges. The author discusses social justice concepts from various traditions to enable readers to engage with the ethical implications of the parables in a range of different contexts. Each chapter focuses on one parable or set of parables, such as the parable of the Good Samaritan and the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, and includes historical background information and an analysis and interpretation of the parable. Throughout the text, the author highlights the connections between Jesus's parables and racism, violence, poverty, the environment, our obligations to one another, and other timely social justice issues. Blends an accessible overview of the parables of Jesus with an introduction to social justice and ethics Explores New Testament parables as viewed through the lens of contemporary writers, ethicists, and activists Emphasizes the Jewish roots of the parables and the need to guard against anti-Jewish readings of the parables Highlights the ways that Jesus’s parables challenged his first-century listeners to see their world in new ways and recognize the dignity of every person Engages with seminal thinkers in contemporary social justice, such as James Cone, Howard Thurman, Emilie Townes, Bishop Michael Curry, and Pope Francis Includes study and discussion questions for personal and group use Requiring no prior knowledge of the subject, Social Justice in the Stories of Jesus: The Ethical Challenge of the Parables is an ideal textbook for introductory courses on the Bible and New Testament, faith-based courses on ethics, and general Christian readers looking for an excellent resource for personal or congregational study.


True to Our Native Land, Second Edition

True to Our Native Land, Second Edition

Author: Brian K. Blount

Publisher: Fortress Press

Published: 2024-10-22

Total Pages: 1442

ISBN-13: 1506483011

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True to Our Native Land is a pioneering commentary on the New Testament that sets biblical interpretation firmly in the context of African American experience and concern. In this second edition, the scholarship is cutting-edge, updated, and expanded to be in tune with African American culture, education, and churches. The book calls into question many canons of traditional biblical research and highlights the role of the Bible in African American history, accenting themes of ethnicity, class, slavery, and African heritage as these play a role in Christian Scripture and the Christian odyssey of an emancipated people.


Religion in Diverse Societies

Religion in Diverse Societies

Author: Pauline Kollontai

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2024-11-11

Total Pages: 237

ISBN-13: 1040193994

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Religion in Diverse Societies: Crossing the Boundaries of Prejudice and Distrust contributes to existing cutting-edge research on the constructive way in which religion can support the promotion of respect, dignity, and justice for all people, considered as essential features in shaping sustainable, diverse, and peaceful societies. Through a combination of theoretical perspectives and theological analysis, applied to "real-life" contexts, the diverse contributions examine the role of religion in helping to achieve this and thereby challenge the attitudes and practices that create walls of prejudice and distrust. This timely volume provides a critical discussion of the complex role of religions in the public and political spheres in a range of global contexts and furthers the inter-religious, international, and interdisciplinary understanding of how religion can contribute to promoting and helping create inclusive and diverse societies.


Beyond the Academy

Beyond the Academy

Author: David Thang Moe

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2024-10-11

Total Pages: 179

ISBN-13:

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The term “public theology” was introduced by Martin E. Marty in a 1974 article. Since then, scholarly discussions on public theology have become more popular in academic circles. This book, however, is about the invitation for moving beyond the academy. It provides two reasons for doing so. First, an overtly academic public theology is in crisis today. Although public theology may be flourishing in the academy, its relevance for real life is limited. Second, there is the “ecclesial flourishing” among grassroots Christian communities across Asia who witness to their lived faith in public and hidden life. Their voices are largely unheard due to the gaps between the academy and the church. This volume argues that we should consider their voices as key sources for developing a relevant lived Asian public theology. The author makes the case for reimagining the paradigm shifts in lived Asian public theology of religions and for bridging the unhappy gaps between the academic and grassroots voices.


Versions of Election

Versions of Election

Author: David Aers

Publisher: University of Notre Dame Pess

Published: 2020-11-30

Total Pages: 395

ISBN-13: 0268108676

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Concepts of predestination and reprobation were central issues in the Protestant Reformation, especially within Calvinist churches, and thus have often been studied primarily in the historical context of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In Versions of Election: From Langland and Aquinas to Calvin and Milton, David Aers takes a longer view of these key issues in Christian theology. With meticulous attention to the texts of medieval and early modern theologians, poets, and popular writers, this book argues that we can understand the full complexity of the history of various teachings on the doctrine of election only through a detailed diachronic study that takes account of multiple periods and disciplines. Throughout this wide-ranging study, Aers examines how various versions of predestination and reprobation emerge and re-emerge in Christian tradition from the Middle Ages through the seventeenth century. Starting with incisive readings of medieval works by figures such as William Langland, Thomas Aquinas, and Robert Holcot, and continuing on to a nuanced consideration of texts by Protestant thinkers and writers, including John Calvin, Arthur Dent, William Twisse, and John Milton (among others), Aers traces the twisting and unpredictable history of prominent versions of predestination and reprobation across the divide of the Reformation and through a wide variety of genres. In so doing, Aers offers not only a detailed study of election but also important insights into how Christian tradition is made, unmade, and remade. Versions of Election is an original, cross-disciplinary study that touches upon the fields of literature, theology, ethics, and politics, and makes important contributions to the study of both medieval and early modern intellectual and literary history. It will appeal to academics in these fields, as well as clergy and other educated readers from a wide variety of denominations.