Grounded In The Living Word

Grounded in the Living Word responds to the disconnect between pastoral care and biblical interpretation in a unique and much-needed manner. In this cross-disciplinary conversation Denise Dombkowski Hopkins and Michael S. Koppel engage the intersections between biblical stories and human stories in order to assist care practitioners and Bible interpreters in the transformative work of healing pastors, communities, and ultimately, creation.

Many readers are convinced that the Psalms are hopelessly “masculine,” especially given that seventy-three of the 150 psalms begin with headings linking them to King David. In this volume, Denise Dombkowski Hopkins sets stories about women in the Hebrew Bible alongside Psalms 42–89 as “intertexts” for interpretation. The stories of women such as Hannah, Rahab, Tamar, Bathsheba, Susanna, Judith, Shiphrah, Puah, and the Levite’s concubine can generate a different set of associations for psalm metaphors than have traditionally been put forward. These different associations can give the reader different views of the dynamics of power, gender, politics, religion, family, and economics in ancient Israel and in our lives today that might help to name and transform the brokenness of our world. From the Wisdom Commentary series Feminist biblical interpretation has reached a level of maturity that now makes possible a commentary series on every book of the Bible. It is our hope that Wisdom Commentary, by making the best of current feminist biblical scholarship available in an accessible format to ministers, preachers, teachers, scholars, and students, will aid all readers in their advancement toward God’s vision of dignity, equality, and justice for all. The aim of this commentary is to provide feminist interpretation of Scripture in serious, scholarly engagement with the whole text, not only those texts that explicitly mention women. A central concern is the world in front of the text, that is, how the text is heard and appropriated by women. At the same time, this commentary aims to be faithful to the ancient text, to explicate the world behind the text, where appropriate, and not impose contemporary questions onto the ancient texts. The commentary addresses not only issues of gender (which are primary in this project) but also those of power, authority, ethnicity, racism, and classism, which all intersect. Each volume incorporates diverse voices and differing interpretations from different parts of the world, showing the importance of social location in the process of interpretation and that there is no single definitive feminist interpretation of a text.

The Living Word provides an introduction to the Sacred Scriptures and to the unfolding of salvation history, with a particular focus on Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of salvation history. Revelation, both Divine and natural, is explored, as are inspiration, interpretation, and exegesis. The second edition of our popular Living In Christ series offers updated navigation, organizing and synchronizing curriculum across both teacher guides and student books. The student books have shifted from a section-part-article structure to a unit-chapter-article structure where sections become units and a part is now a chapter.

Helping you navigate the complex debate among Christians over postmodernism, Robert C. Greer maps four different paths marked out by Francis Schaeffer, Karl Barth, John Hick and George Lindbeck. Ultimately, he points to the true Subject who makes knowledge possible through the language of revelation and relationship with God.

The greatest challenge for the twenty-first-century church is the lack of catechesis--training in biblical and doctrinal knowledge. As J. I. Packer states, "where wise catechesis has flourished the church has flourished, and where it has been neglected the church has floundered." It is increasingly apparent that we are raising up generations of Christians who often have little idea what they should believe and why they should believe it. Grounded in the Faith takes up that challenge with twenty-four low-prep, in-depth sessions that will ground believers in the basics of their faith. This new innovative guide is a transformational disciple-making tool that leaders can immediately use to activate discipleship in the church. It presents individuals, small groups, and Sunday school classes with a cohesive understanding of historic, sound, biblical theology that serves as a catalyst for deeper intimacy with Christ. It is a user-friendly guide to growth in the Christian faith that covers important topics such as justification, overcoming temptation, sanctification, evidence for the inspiration of the Bible, the value of prayer, the guidance of God, the Trinity, the uniqueness of Christ, and the attributes of God.

A provocative examination of the Bible in Christian tradition and contemporary culture

The pace and assumptions of modern life often make the pursuing of things of the spirit difficult. The Ground of God: Contemplative Prayer for the Contemporary Spirit leads the reader to a rhythmic cycle of read, pray, examine. Its four sections work together to encourage growth in one's spiritual life through this cycle so that the reader is drawn step by step into an active and wholly engaging spirituality. Living a prayer-filled, Bible-based life leads the reader to ask the question: What on earth is so commanding? Who is in command? The jewels in The Ground of God are found in 60 brief essays that provide the central core, strength, and inspiration of the book. The essays are grouped in sets but can be read in any order. Each one-page essay stands alone with completeness of thought. Essay sections include: the Lord’s Prayer, the Beatitudes, and the Prayer of St. Francis. The Ground of God offers instructions for contemplative prayer, with small group formation guidelines. The book ends with guidelines for individual self-examination of consciousness. No one prays alone. When we pray we join in a steady stream of prayer that began with the prophets over 2000 years ago. With the world around us in a constant state of flux and tension, there is a special grace in knowing there is a place that is sacred and unchanging, a place where we can go to be renewed in the love that is ours by way of God’s grace. Moses took off his shoes to stand on the ground that is holy. The holy ground remains and is ours today that we might remove our shoes and release our hearts to come before God empty-handed and open-hearted, trusting in God to bring us away from confusion and toward clarity of mind and heart. We might ask: what on earth is so commanding? Who is in command? The Ground of God closes with a brief essay “God’s Mercy: the Grace of Tenderness.” It’s a good place to start, reminding us that the creative spirit soars when given free reign in the ground of God. In can be used as a guide in one's individual spiritual journey or for group study.

In Wesleyan Pneumatology, Pentecostal Mission, and the Missio Dei, Jody B. Fleming argues that missiology in a Wesleyan context has been heavily influenced by the Western worldview and needs renewal. Spirituality is central to living in many non-western cultures, integrated with the physical world of everyday life. Wesleyan traditions may need to renew and strengthen the pneumatology found in their mission theory and praxis. As the center of Christianity is shifting to the global south, Pentecostal and charismatic expressions of the faith are becoming more prominent. Without forfeiting their solid foundations, what might the Wesleyan traditions learn from their theological cousins about engagement with the Holy Spirit? How might pneumatology be renewed in order to address spiritual beliefs found in other cultures in both global and local settings? Renewal also includes the indigenous voice as essential for understanding cultural dynamics and spirituality. Contextualization is not new to missiology and so mission theory is explored from Latin American scholars as another point for renewal. Partnerships in mission and the role of the Holy Spirit are highlighted in the of field work conducted in Venezuela. In Renewing the Spark the author suggests that a fresh look at pneumatology will more effectively articulate the gospel in holistic and spirit-centered non-western cultures.