Who S Afraid Of The Old Testament God

Targeted to thoughtful readers, this book addresses a cluster of issues often troubling for the person who seeks to understand the Old Testament. Who's Afraid of the Old Testament God? speaks very frankly about some of these "problems," things like sin and the fall, Satan, "moral blemish" passages, strange laws, etc.

The Old Testament God generally has a rather poor reputation, even in Christian circles. But as the author points out, The Old Testament Scriptures can remain alive and will lead us to a fresh appreciation of all that God has done for us. Targeted to thoughtful readers, this book addresses a cluster of issues often troubling for the person who seeks to understand the Old Testament. Who's Afraid of the Old Testament God? speaks very frankly about some of these ""problems,"" things like sin and the fall, Satan, ""moral blemish"" passages, strange laws, etc. The chapter titles follow: Don't let your New Testament get in the way of your Old Testament Behold it was very good and then it all turned sour Whatever happened to Satan in the Old Testament Strange people need strange laws Could you invite a Canaanite home to lunch? The worst story in the Old Testament - Judges 19-21 The best story in the Old Testament - the Messiah What kind of prayers would you publish if you were God? This new, fifth edition leaves the text unchanged, but has larger type and wider margins.

A perennial question throughout the history of the Christian faith has centered on the character of the Old Testament and its relationship to Jesus Christ. It is in this area that Christians and Jews have parted ways, creating a deep and enduring chasm between the two faith communities. With this new volume, Fredrick Holmgren aids in closing this hurtful breach by engaging with views on both sides of this important conversation. Holmgren dialogues with Christians from every point on the theological spectrum, urging the church to a new respect for the Jewish Bible, the enduring role of the Old Testament as "Christian scripture," and the valuable contributions of Judaism to the Christian faith. Warning the church against either caricaturing the Old Testament and Judaism or romanticizing Christianity, Holmgren sensitively shows that the New Testament proclamation of newness in Christ carries forward the witness of the Old Testament without making obsolete its Jewish interpretation.

The NIV Application Commentary helps you communicate and apply biblical text effectively in today's context. To bring the ancient messages of the Bible into today's world, each passage is treated in three sections: Original Meaning. Concise exegesis to help readers understand the original meaning of the biblical text in its historical, literary, and cultural context. Bridging Contexts. A bridge between the world of the Bible and the world of today, built by discerning what is timeless in the timely pages of the Bible. Contemporary Significance. This section identifies comparable situations to those faced in the Bible and explores relevant application of the biblical messages. The author alerts the readers of problems they may encounter when seeking to apply the passage and helps them think through the issues involved. This unique, award-winning commentary is the ideal resource for today's preachers, teachers, and serious students of the Bible, giving them the tools, ideas, and insights they need to communicate God's Word with the same powerful impact it had when it was first written.

This book provides a process for discovering and activating spiritual gifts in your congregation. It is not a typical scientific survey designed to discover what kind of personality you have, what you feel like doing, or even what your talents are. Instead, it is a process designed to help a church congregation discover God's gifts and leading in their lives. In going through this process you will be invited to shake off some of the walls and limitations you have placed on yourself and open yourself up to the full call that God has on your life. Discovering and using your Spiritual Gifts is an adventure!

Is the Bible historically accurate? Are there any contradictions in the Bible? If we look too closely at the Bible might we find things that will destroy our faith? Should I be afraid that some new archeological discovery will prove the Bible wrong? How much freedom do I have to interpret the Bible? Combining history, Scripture, and an understanding of human nature, Dr. Thompson takes on the difficult questions regarding the Bible and inspiration. He goes beyond the question of whether you can trust the Bible to ask whether you can trust yourself as you study. This unique study of inspiration uses internal evidence from the Bible text, its history, collection, and transmission to look at the way in which God works through prophets and Bible writers. As an experiential lens, he uses the experience of the Seventh-day Adventist community, of which he is a part, and its reception and use of Ellen White as God’s messenger. This provides an example of someone who produced an incredible volume of written material in her lifetime, yet maintained a great humility and understood her own spiritual experience as one of growth. However, Inspiration: Hard Questions: Honest Answers is not just for Seventh-day Adventists. The lessons, drawn from the experience of one community, have wide applicability as we look at a range of views on biblical interpretation, experience, tradition, and contemporary claims of a prophetic word. All communities of faith would do well to ask the hard questions addressed in this book and to learn from the history and experience of others. Ultimately, the author is addressing a question that comes to all of us: What is God’s will and how can I know it? Can I be certain? To find the answers we need, Dr. Thompson reminds us “We cannot just know Scripture, we have to know God. In this Second Revised Edition, you will find a new “bridge” chapter, designed to invite readers outside of the Adventist tradition to join in the conversation, as well as a number of minor updates, and a set of beautiful photographs and drawings inspired by scripture, prepared for this edition by Wanda Thompson. It is not enough to determine how the inspiration of scripture works as a theological tenet or a doctrinal point. Ultimately, for God’s Word in scripture to accomplish its mission, we must each be inspired by it as well.

'Did Matthew "twist" the Scriptures?' 'Where did Satan come from?' 'My Reading? Questions and issues like these are presented in this selection of papers and presentations from a Bible conference at Avondale College on the broad topic of intertextuality. More than 100 scholars and administrators convened and shared their research as well as their personal perspectives on how to read and apply holy Scripture in the 21st century. This anthology contains a representative sample of their studies and reflections.