The Book of Judges—appropriate for Sunday School curriculum or an irredeemably violent book? Throughout its history Judges has both entertained and appalled readers some read it as a series of simple stories about faithfulness and some as a brutal and bloodthirsty book. Heller explores how Judges can shape our understanding of our world, our relationships, and can provide a path to a deeper appreciation of the ways of God among people. Far from seeing the book as either simplistic or cruel, Heller allows this odd text to speak to us anew about God, sin, relationships, and justice.

This book guides readers into conversation with Paul’s letter to the Romans. The author helps readers listen to what that letter said to the people to whom it was written and to hear what it says to us today. Readers will bring their own reflections, personal concerns, and questions to the table as we let this letter challenge us with meaning—letting it read the reader. The thesis of this book is that the letter has demonstrated transforming power to renew lives and the church through a focus on worship; a rigorous assessment of the human condition, especially the failure of human religiosity; a claim of transforming power in the ongoing life of Christ; an expansive vision of who is included in God’s life and love; a call to practical application and proclamation of the gospel.

I am writing this book to open a conversation of faith. It is my hope to not only offer an introduction to scripture that is practical and functional for daily life but also to provide an arena where questions of faith can be openly explored. This is not an answer book but an invitation to a conversation. Harold "Jake' Jacobson is an ordained Lutheran pastor who has served for the past 35 years at Grace Lutheran Church in Clarion, PA. For the past 10 years he has also served as Assistant to the Bishop of the Northwestern Pennsylvania Synod and as Director of Evangelical Mission for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Pastor Jacobson holds degrees from Jamestown Community College, Gettysburg College and the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg. He is also a certified Spiritual Director. Jake also is a professional wood carver. He is the owner of Tre Kronor Studio and together with his son they carry out a variety of artistic offerings in various media.

Fourteen Presbyterian scholars enter into conversations with the confessions of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and examine the major theological themes that make the confessions such foundational commitments of faith. This collection of insightful essays provides readers with a clear understanding of the confessions from different periods of the church's life. These conversations with the confessions found in the PC(USA)'s Book of Confessions include some illuminating commentary on why they were written and demonstrate how they can be used to address major theological issues. This important work will help scholars, pastors, and church leaders interested in studying the Reformed tradition appreciate the role of the confessions in shaping Christian life and faith today.

The movement that is known as 'theological interpretation of Scripture' reminds us that the reading and exegesis of Scripture is an indispensable part of the theologian's work, not to be reserved to biblical scholars alone. This insight that the reading of Scripture is a theological responsibility is always at risk of being eclipsed by the modern disciplinary divisions between biblical studies, historical theology, and systematic theology. Intended as a contribution to the theological re-engagement with Scripture, this book invites a range of high-profile systematic and constructive theologians to reflect on the role that the reading and interpretation of Scripture plays in their theological work, both professionally and more personally. Spanning a cross-section of theological perspectives contributors reflect on the role of tradition in their reading of Scripture, the company they view as indispensable in their engagement with the text, the place of historical critical study and biblical studies, and the significance of their context. The book will be valued by all those who care for the place of Scripture in theology and the life of the church, as well as those who want an insight into the state of contemporary theology.

Is your "new member class" uninspiring? draining energy? Consider a different way of ministering to church newcomers. One that builds on the simple arts of friendship and conversation, instead of classes and presentations. One that invites transformation, rather than just imparting information. One that gives the whole congregation a role to play in the church's ministry of spiritual hospitality. Companions is an outreach ministry that pairs newcomers in worship with church member companions for eight weeks of conversation about Christian faith and discipleship. One-page conversation guides, grounded in Scripture and prayer, help focus the dialogue on core themes of the life of faith, like gratitude, forgiveness, and community. Companions is designed to build friendships, invite honest sharing, encourage questions, meet newcomers wherever they are, and help them grow in their life with God--exercises that strengthen the faith of church members as well as the newcomers they befriend! If you're interested in outreach and church growth, in discipleship and spiritual nurture, in expanding the church's reach in a secular culture, in equipping believers to articulate their faith, in strengthening lay ministries, in keeping baptismal identity at the center of church life--this book will speak to you.

We live in an era when the Bible appears to be less and less relevant to mainstream cultures. Those who do care about the Scriptures tend to derive their interpretations secondhand, from the preacher's pulpit or from generalized study guides written by complete strangers. These approaches overlook the communal and conversational nature of the Bible itself. If we hope to recover the transformative power of these ancient texts, and invite our world to reconsider their significance, we will need to engage whole communities together in the bottom-up task of interpretation. People of the Book was written to offer an organic-holistic approach to communal interpretation, an approach that can work for your community and appeal to your wider culture. Halcomb and McNinch envision the Bible as a conversation we are privileged to enter: listening, questioning, wrestling, reasoning, and responding together as authentic people of the Book.

We live in a broken world. And the gospel is how God puts broken people back together again. Once we repent and believe in Jesus, God’s Spirit helps us recover and pursue His design. God is the one who created the world and every human being in it. Authors Jimmy Scroggins and Steve Wright outline a reproducible method of sharing the gospel that has been tested in the real world. Turning Everyday Conversations Into Gospel Conversations is a simple strategy to train new and seasoned believers to join God in His reconciliation work. Turning Everyday Conversations Into Gospel Conversations equips believers to use the innovative "3 Circles," a user-friendly evangelistic tool for a new generation. Scroggins and Wright train readers to incorporate the biblical metanarrative, as well as our own personal stories, to tell the good news that Jesus has made a way out of the broken places we find ourselves. Churches around the world are training people to share the gospel using this method. It has proven appeal across generations and cultures. They've heard stories about an 8-year-old boy leading his 26-year-old cousin to repent and believe in Jesus and a 70-plus-year-old church member, who had never before shared his faith, leading his Spanish-speaking neighbor to Christ. It’s been used to train the Mixtec in Mexico, Maasai Warriors in Kenya, and prisoners in America. It’s been presented on napkins, in concrete, in the sand, and using tortillas. The 3 Circles work, and this book will train you and your church members to use it. It doesn’t matter if you have been a Christian for decades or days, you can learn to do what God asks us to do—to make His appeal to others through us (2 Cor. 5:20). This short training manual will empower and inspire millions of Christians to turn hundreds of millions of everyday conversations into gospel conversations.