Connected Christianity is a clarion call to Christians to robustly engage with the world we live in for the sake of the gospel."Christians always need help living in the world while they do not belong to the world. Art Azurdio seeks to do just this." Geoff Thomas, Aberystwyth Baptist Church, Aberystwyth, Wales
Most of us are regular people who have good days and bad days. Our lives are radically ordinary and unexciting. That means they're the kind of lives God gets excited about. While the world worships beauty and power and wealth, God hides his glory in the simple, the mundane, the foolish, working in unawesome people, things, and places.In our day of celebrity worship and online posturing, this is a refreshing, even transformative way of understanding God and our place in his creation. It urges us to treasure a life of simplicity, to love those whom the world passes by, to work for God's glory rather than our own. And it demonstrates that God has always been the Lord of the cross--a Savior who hides his grace in unattractive, inglorious places.Your God Is Too Glorious reminds readers that while a quiet life may look unimpressive to the world, it's the regular, everyday people that God tends to use to do his most important work.
Who Created Christianity? is a collection of essays by top international Christian scholars who desire to reinforce the relationship that Paul had with Jesus and Christianity. There is a general sense today among Christians in certain circles that Paul's teachings to the early Christian church are thought to be "rogue," even clashing at times with Jesus' words. Yet these essays set out to prove that the tradition that Paul passes on is one received from Jesus, not separate from it. The essays in this volume come from a diverse and international group of scholars. They offer up-to-date studies of the teachings of Paul and how the specific teachings directly relate to the earlier teachings of Jesus. This volume explores with even greater focus than ever before the tradition from which Paul emerges and the specific teachings that are part of this tradition. This collection of essays proposes a complementary work to the work of David Wenham and his thesis that Paul was indeed not the founder of Christianity or the creator of Christian dogma; instead he was a faithful disciple and a conveyer of a prior Christian tradition. Includes essays by well-known Christian scholars such as Craig Blomberg, Alister McGrath, N. T. Wright, Michael Bird, Greg Beale, and more: Paul and Jesus: Issues of Continuity and Discontinuity in Their Discussion by Stanley E. PorterHow and Why Paul Invented "Christian Theology" by N. T. WrightThe Origins of Paul's Gospel by Graham H. TwelftreeWhen Paul Met Jesus: How an Idea Continues to Be Lost in History Past and Present by Stanley E. PorterPaul and the Jesus Tradition: An Old Question and Some New Answers by Rainer RiesnerContinuity and Development in the Ministries of Jesus and of Paul by Christoph W. StenschkePaul's Significant Other in the "We-Passages" by Joan E. TaylorWhose Gospel Is It Anyway? The Glory of Christ in the Prophetic Ministry of Paul according to His "My Gospel" and "Our Gospel" by Aaron W. WhiteDavid Wenham, "The Little Apocalypse," Paul--and Silas by Bruce ChiltonThe Parallels between 1 and 2 Thessalonians against the Background of Ancient Parallel Letters and Speeches by Armin D. BaumMetanoia Jesus, Paul, and the Transformation of the Believing Mind by Alister McGrathYou Would Not Believe If You Were Told: Eschatological Unbelief in Early Christian Apologetics by Peter TurnillPaul on Food and Jesus on What Really Defiles: Is There a Connection? by Craig A. EvansGospel Women Remembered by Sarah HarrisWomen in the Pauline Epistles: Lessons from the Jesus Tradition by Erin HeimTwelve Theses on Matthew and Paul: The Jewish Gospel and the Apostle to the Gentiles by Michael F. BirdPaul and the Paternoster: Some Mainly Matthew Observations about a Pauline Prayer by Nathan RidlehooverThe Rediscovery of David Wenham's Rediscovery: Reflections on a Pre-Markan Eschatological Discourse Thirty-Six Years on by Craig BlombergPortraits of Jesus and Paul through the Lukan Lens by Steve Walton"Every Sin That a Person Commits Is Outside the Body" (1 Corinthians 6:18b): Paul's Likely Dependence on the Jesus Tradition by John NollandJesus Is Lord: The Rhetorical Appropriation of the Teaching of Jesus in 1 Corinthians 5 by Peter DavidsThe Temple and Anti-Temple at Colossae by Greg BealeFilling up What Is Lacking in Christ's Afflictions: Isaiah's Servant and Servants in Second Temple Judaism and Colossians 1:24 by Holly Beers
As human beings, we are created with universal longings. Where can our restless hearts find fulfillment? Philosopher and apologist Greg Ganssle argues that our widely shared human aspirations are best understood in the light of the Christian story, and that the good news of Jesus Christ makes sense of—and fulfills—our deepest desires.
How Jewish is Christianity? The question of how Jesus' followers relate to Judaism has been a matter of debate since Jesus first sparred with the Pharisees. The controversy has not abated, taking many forms over the centuries. In the decades following the Holocaust, scholars and theologians reconsidered the Jewish origins and character of Christianity, finding points of continuity. Understanding the Jewish Roots of Christianity advances this discussion by freshly reassessing the issues. Did Jesus intend to form a new religion? Did Paul abrogate the Jewish law? Does the New Testament condemn Judaism? How and when did Christianity split from Judaism? How should Jewish believers in Jesus relate to a largely gentile church? What meaning do the Jewish origins of Christianity have for theology and practice today? In this volume, a variety of leading scholars and theologians explore the relationship of Judaism and Christianity through biblical, historical, theological, and ecclesiological angles. This cutting-edge scholarship will enrich readers' understanding of this centuries-old debate.
From the earliest interactions of Christians with the Roman Empire to today's debates about the separation of church and state, the Christian churches have been in complex relationships with various economic and political systems for centuries. Renowned theologian Rosemary Radford Ruether analyzes the ways the Christian church has historically interacted with powerful systems such as patriarchy, racism, slavery, and environmentalism, while looking critically at how the church shapes these systems today. With a focus on the United States, Christianity and Social Systems provides an introductory analysis of the interactions between the churches and major systems that have shaped western Christian and post-Christian society. Ruether discusses ideologies, such as liberalism and socialism, and includes three country case studies-Nicaragua, South Africa, and North and South Korea-to further illustrate the profound influences Christianity and social systems have with each other. This book is neither an attack on the relationship between Christianity and these systems, nor an apology, but rather a nuanced examination of the interactions between them. By understanding how these interactions have shaped history, we can more fully understand how to make ethical decisions about the role of Christianity in some of today's most pressing social issues, from economic and class disparities to the environmental crisis.
Have you ever seriously questioned Christianity? If so, you’re not alone. A lot of people have wondered if this faith is outdated . . . irrelevant . . . maybe even harmful. But what if everything is not as it seems? What if there’s more to the story? Questioning Christianity explores the nature and relevance of the Christian story in an accessible and compelling way. No slogans. No politics. No simple solutions to complex problems. After many years of exploring issues of faith with skeptics, seekers, and new believers, Dan Paterson and Rian Roux serve as guides to help you navigate what can be a disorienting and confusing journey. Perhaps you’re feeling lost, unable to find your bearings, and you need some help to map out the terrain around you. Or maybe you’ve encountered obstacles and have hard questions that need to be addressed before you can move ahead. Whatever it is that has made you curious about this faith, there are good answers waiting to be discovered. So go ahead. Question Christianity. Just give Christianity the chance to answer back.