The church is at its best when it pursues the biblical value of unity in diversity. Pastor and theologian Irwyn Ince boldly unpacks the reasons for our divisions while gently guiding us toward our true hope for wholeness and reconciliation. To heal our fractured humanity, we must cultivate spiritual practices that help us pursue beautiful community.
The doctrine of the Trinity is taught and believed by all evangelicals, but rarely is it fully understood or celebrated. In The Deep Things of God, systematic theologian Fred Sanders shows why we ought to embrace the doctrine of the Trinity wholeheartedly as a central concern of evangelical theology. Sanders demonstrates, engagingly and accessibly, that the doctrine of the Trinity is grounded in the gospel itself. In this book, readers will understand that a robust doctrine of the Trinity has massive implications for their lives, restoring depth to prayer, worship, Bible study, missions, tradition, and understanding of Christianity’s fundamental doctrines. This new edition includes a study guide with discussion questions, action points, recommended reading, and more.
Examines what the five core spiritual gifts of Jesus--apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers--mean and how they can be used to ignite the church's full potential.
In this second edition of Roger E. Olson's classic work, he thematically traces the contours of Christian belief down through the ages, revealing a pattern of both unity and diversity. He finds a consensus of teaching that is both unitive and able to incorporate a faithful diversity when not forced into the molds of false either-or alternatives.
It has been many years since there has been a popular level book, which has looked at the life and ministry of some of the 'fathers' of the Free Church of Scotland. This book looks at the life and ministry of a number of the key figures in the Disruption era and late 19th Century Free Church. Beginning with Thomas Chalmers, each chapter has a biographical sketch of a key figure with an emphasis on why these men mattered in their time and what they still have to say to us in the 21st century. All of the men portrayed were committed to the advancement of the Gospel in Scotland and further afield. While they shared a commitment to the Confession of Faith and reformed theology, this was expressed in unique ways by each of these men. Hence both unity and diversity is on view in these fascinating pages.
A challenging textbook for level two and three New Testament scholars. The new material is the author's critical refinement of all the original issues covered. New Testament study, the synoptic question, and the origins of Christianity are all fundamental areas of study on theology undergraduate degrees today.
Martin King said that the most segregated hour in America is Sunday morning, alluding to the fractured condition of the universal body of Christ's followers, the Church. From 2002 to 2010, I had the privilege of serving as the Executive Director of a nonprofit called Operation Breaking Through, serving the greater Hampton Roads area. The nonprofit was a network of over one hundred local churches. One of my primary responsibilities was to promote racial reconciliation and harmony between the diverse ethnic churches. In most cases, the demographics of these churches failed to reflect their community. Most congregations were monoethnic. Significant progress was evident after several years of pastoral internal and congregational external panel and group discussions. Church pastors were pulpit swapping, and churches were partnering in community outreach. Up to this point, I realized how much blood, sweat, tears, and time I had spent encouraging pastors and congregations to recognize, promote, and practice fellowship and communal service. Though good and somewhat effective, these efforts were all physical with very little thought of spiritual application. It wasn't until I was required to write a paper for a theology class at North Park that God opened my eyes to a deep understanding of the sacrament of Holy Communion. Realizing that all actual Christian denominations and non-dominations mandate practicing this sacrament, I gleaned from my studies the spiritual connectedness all believers share in this one sacred act and the binding blood ties all believers share with the author of this sacrament. In that one epiphany, the dividing wall of ethnicity, culture, and social Christian norms fell. Had Christ, by instituting this faithful act woven into the DNA of our born-again experience, the ability for His divine love and truth to break the chains we would inevitably erect through the weakness of our humanity, selfishness, and pride. What if this one DNA trait of holy communion could activate the true koinonia, which may lay dormant in believers because of historical traditions and practices erected by human-made religion? What if God allowed us to see and experience the depth of spiritual love for our brothers and sisters despite our differences? What if we saw communion as a remembrance of the greatest act of love known to humanity and allowed that remembrance to kindle and rekindle a spiritual intimacy between believers that overcomes our bias, prejudice, privilege, and any barrier to the believer's oneness in Christ? Holy Communion, a Spiritual Agent of Harmonious Diversity in Christ, explores this more profound understanding and revelatory power to breathe new life into the reading believer.
Can Christian community be racially exclusive and still call itself faithful? In the United States, the story of Christianity has been intertwined with the story of race since the beginning. All too often, Christian leaders have fostered cultures that wound minority members instead of creating cultures that heal division. With this history of exclusion, all Christians must ask whether our churches practice the racial hospitality envisioned in the Scriptures. In this necessary conversation, minority pastors voice fatigue, signaling that church cultures are not as welcoming as they often claim to be. Outsiders on the Inside explores the history of race in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), comparing the denomination’s core theological convictions with the experiences of Black PCA pastors. This is a story of racial fatigue and resilience, of learning to thrive in the midst of challenging environments. This study reveals areas for growth and opens up possibilities for Christians of all races and confessions to come together, creating a diverse, hospitable, and healing community.
Biblical Christianity is challenged today by other religions such as Hinduism, Islam, Mormonism, Buddhism, Jehovah s Witness, Scientology, to name a few, including atheists and agnostics, who claim that Jesus was simply a man, a great teacher or guru, or a prophet of God who worked his way to godhood. Are such claims supported by the evidence? Can we trust the Bible to tell us the truth about Jesus? Is Jesus Christ truly God? Can we find evidence of his deity in the Old Testament? Does the New Testament affirm unequivocally that He is God? Are there reliable non-Christian sources that back such claims of deity? This book aims at addressing these fundamental questions while providing solid internal and external evidence of the divinity of Jesus Christ. In this age of plural spirituality, thirst for truth, and in need of an evidence-based dialogue among various religions, the book makes a compelling case for a closer scrutiny of prophecies contained in the Bible.
