Windows On The World Of Jesus

"Malina has written an exceptionally clear, accessible and student-friendly introduction to the cultural world of Jesus and his disciples. The windows or scenarios of typical cultural scenes cover the basic range of values and behaviors characteristic of the different cultural world of the Bible".--Jerome H. Neyrey, author of 2 Peter, Jude.

Society today shows signs of disintegration. Institutions such as the monarchy, parliament, and the Church itself have come under intense scrutiny and deeply disturbing weaknesses have been exposed. We are bombarded with news of wars and injustice and the advance of science poses new moral dilemmas that leave us confused and looking for help. In the midst of such perplexity, Tom Smail invites us to 'survey the wondrous cross' - not, he says, to find instant answers to particular questions, but so that we can find our bearings and our confidence in the way God deals with confusion and destructiveness in the world. We can also discover there clues about how we might respond to the difficult situations we have to face. The book examines many different perspectives on the cross: from the New Testament themes of reconciliation, sacrifice, justice, and freedom to the more contemporary approaches of sharing of suffering and victory over sin. Throughout, Tom Smail seeks to instruct and explain the biblical teaching, unlocking its meaning and motivating us to a fresh devotional and practical response to what God has done for us in the death of Jesus. 'Windows on the Cross' contains questions at the end of each chapter and is ideal for reflective reading by individuals and groups. It will be widely welcomed.

Window on the World is your ticket to travel around the world! If you appreciate Operation World as an adult, your kids will love this invaluable and age-appropriate prayer resource that develops cultural, political, and geographical awareness through a Christian lens. Find out how God is changing the lives of families everywhere through prayer—from the frozen Arctic to the hottest desert, on the highest mountains and in crowded cities. Window on the World brings alive the culture, history, and traditions of all sorts of different people. With "Fact Files" and "Do You Know?" features, each section brings you information, true stories, maps, and easy-to-use prayer points that take you into homes around the world. See how children live, what they like to do, where they go to school, what they eat and wear, and what they hope and dream. This revised edition includes new entries for more countries and people groups, with updated information and prayer points from the team at Operation World. It will draw a new generation into learning about the world, reaching out to people, and praying for those who have never heard about Jesus. Through Window on the World, young people and adults alike can discover and pray for the peoples of the world.

This is a teacher's book, written by an able teacher.... Most people are interested in literature because of a deep love for literature itself. They want to understand the reasons for that love. Ryken helps us do this, but he also helps Christians understand and validate their love for literature.... Ryken has also provided a solid means for non-Christians to understand a Christian perspective on literature.... It [Windows to the World] comes closer to defining the goal and task of the teacher of literature than any work I have read." - Christianity and Literature

This book is introductory, but it is not an introduction to biblical content or to the history of early Christianity in the typical sense. Each of the chapters addresses a different aspect of the material and provides its own perspective on the origin of the church and early Christianity. The chapters begin with questions that in turn focus the discussions. The chapters can be read as independent, freestanding arguments and can be mixed and matched, enabling readers to investigate the respective topics independently. However, the chapters also follow a logical narrative line. In addition, images and diagrams are used to assist in making critical points and to enrich the visual sense of the material. The image of the window serves to give readers lines of sight into the material where historical intersections and patterns begin to emerge.

The parable of the good Samaritan is well-known, yet scholarship has not plumbed the depths of its meaning within its first-century Palestinian context. For the majority of Christian history, the parable has suffered either from extreme allegorical treatments or from unimaginative readings limiting the parable to a single-point example story of virtue. A creative reading employing social and historical methods generates a refreshing telling of the story, within Jesus’s context, whereby each variable, from the Samaritan to the priest and even the innkeeper, takes on representative forms, not only indicative of widespread concerns from Jesus’s audience, but also becoming symbols of the eschatological age when the new temple supplants the old.

Devotionals that Teach a Heart for Missions Window on the World is your ticket to travel around the world! Found out how God is changing the lives of families everywhere through prayer--from the frozen Arctic to the hottest desert, on the highest mountains and in crowded cities. Window on the World brings alive the culture, history, and traditions of all sorts of different people. With "Fact Files" and "Do You Know?" features, each section brings you information, true stories, maps, and easy-to-use prayer points that take you into homes around the world. See how children live, what they like to do, where they go to school, what they eat and wear, and what they hope and dream. This book will draw a new generation into learning about the world, reaching out to people, and praying for those who have never heard about Jesus. With Window on the World, young people and adults alike--in homes, churches, Sunday schools, Bible and holiday clubs, children's church, youth groups, missions, and other settings--will be able to see and pray for the world of the millenium. View an Excerpt (viewable with Acrobat Reader)