Feasting on the Gospels follows up on the success of the Feasting on the Word series with all new material on the most prominent and preached-on New Testament books, the four Gospels. With contributions from a diverse and respected group of scholars and pastors, Feasting on the Gospels covers every single passage in the Gospels, making it suitable for both lectionary and nonlectionary use. Moreover, these volumes incorporate the unique format of Feasting on the Word, with four perspectives for preachers to choose from for each Gospel passage: theological, pastoral, exegetical, and homiletical.

New Testament theology raises many questions, not only within its own boundaries, but also in relation to other fields such as history, literary criticism, sociology, psychology, history, politics, philosophy, and religious studies. But, the overarching question concerns the relevance of two thousand year old writings in today's world. How does one establish what is and is not relevant in the New Testament? How does one communicate the ancient ideas, presented in an alien language, alien time, and alien culture to a contemporary audience? This book is intended to serve as a methodological introduction to the field of New Testament theology, aimed at a range of readers-undergraduate and Seminary students, clergy, and laypersons interested in the relevance of scripture. It is a guide which aims to help readers understand how practitioners of New Testament theology have wrestled with the relationship between historical reconstruction of the New Testament, and its interpretation in the modern world.

Discovering the New Testament is a new and comprehensive introduction to the New Testament in three volumes, reflecting current research and scholarship in New Testament studies. Each volume provides a thorough discussion of background issues as well as treating theological themes and practical application. The second volume is devoted to the life and writings of the apostle Paul. It traces Paul's early life, conversion, and missionary journeys, overviews the contours of his theology, and surveys the authorship, form, and content of his letters. Ideal for college or seminary students, the volumes provide numerous maps and charts, as well as discussion questions for each chapter and a focus on real-life relevance and application.

Faith and religion is a hot topic at the moment, and this text explores key issues for faith and religious groups. Understanding the role of faith in the policy world is of increasing importance, and chapters are arranged around themes, which helps students understand the concepts.

This book offers a unique argument for the emergence of a post-9/11 vampire that showcases changing perspectives on identity and religion in American culture, offering a look at how cultural narratives can be used to work through trauma. Cultural narratives have long played a valuable role in mediating difficult and politically sensitive topics. Christina Wilkins addresses how the figure of the vampire is used in modern narratives and how it has changed from previous incarnations, particularly in American narratives. The vampire has been a cultural staple for centuries but the current conception of the figure has been arguably Americanized with the rise of the modern American vampire coinciding with the aftermath of 9/11. Wilkins investigates changes evident in cultural representations, and how they effectively mediate the altered approach to issues of trauma and identity. By investing metaphorical tropes with cultural significance, the book offers audiences the opportunity to consider new perspectives and prompt important discussions while also illuminating changes in societal attitudes.

In a time when many aspects of faith are often reduced to simplistic or polarized viewpoints, Dr. James' "Holistic Christianity" brings together multiple dimensions of the Christian experience. The book examines the roles of reason, experience, relationships, emotions, faith, and spirituality, among others, to present a Christian worldview that addresses rational and empirical realities while remaining true to the spiritual and relational core of the faith. A Comprehensive Guide to Holistic Christian Living The book is divided into 31 chapters, each designed to challenge common reductionisms in contemporary Christian thought. Dr. James skillfully presents alternatives to extreme positions by exploring chapters such as: "Rational, Not Rationalism" – Discover the role of reason in faith without reducing Christianity to mere intellectualism. "Liberty, Not Legalism or License" – Understand how true freedom in Christ transcends rigid rules and moral laxity. "Empirical, Not Empiricism" – Appreciate the value of experience while acknowledging that not all spiritual truths can be empirically verified. "Test Everything" – Learn the biblical call to test and discern, balancing skepticism with faith. "Holistic Epistemology" – Embrace a balanced approach to knowledge that integrates reason, faith, experience, and tradition. "Holistic Christianity – Christianity of the 3rd Millennium" seeks to restore the fullness of the Christian faith by encouraging believers to avoid reductionistic approaches, such as rationalism, pragmatism, fideism, or emotionalism. Instead, the book presents a way to integrate the head and heart, combining doctrine, spiritual practice, and ethical living in a holistic framework that reflects the life and teachings of Jesus.

Winner of the 2020 Christian Book Award for Bible of the Year! Trusted & Treasured by Millions of Readers over 30 years, the Life Application Study Bible Is Today's #1-Selling Study Bible Now it has been thoroughly updated and expanded, offering even more relevant insights for understanding and applying God's Word to everyday life in today's world. Discover How You Can Apply the Bible to Your Life Today With a fresh two-color interior design and meaningfully updated study notes and features, this Bible will help you understand God's Word better than ever. It answers the real-life questions that you may have and provides you practical yet powerful ways to apply the Bible to your life every day. Study the stories and teachings of the Bible with verse-by-verse commentary. Gain wisdom from people in the Bible by exploring their accomplishments and learning from their mistakes. Survey the big picture of each book through overviews, vital statistics, outlines, and timelines, and grasp difficult concepts using in-text maps, charts, and diagrams--all to help you do life God's way, every day. Features: (Enhanced, updated, and with new content added throughout) Now more than 10,000 Life Application notes and features Over 100 Life Application profiles of key Bible people Introductions and overviews for each book of the Bible More than 500 maps & charts placed for quick reference Dictionary/concordance Extensive side-column cross-reference system to facilitate deeper study Life Application index to notes, charts, maps, and profiles Refreshed design with a second color for visual clarity 16 pages of full-color maps Quality Smyth-sewn binding--durable, made for frequent use, and lays flat when open Presentation page Single-column format Christian Worker's Resource, a special supplement to enhance the reader's ministry effectiveness Full text of the Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT), combining the latest biblical scholarship with clear, natural English The words of Jesus are in red letter.

When Texas Prison Scams Religion exposes corruption in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, especially in the abuse of religion. In many ways, this book is a literature review of 1,800-plus works that defends freedom of conscience in prison while exposing the unconstitutionality of the seminary program that “buys faith with favor” from prisoners. The state veritably ordains the prisoner a “Field Minister” that represents the offices of the Governor, TDCJ Director, and wardens throughout the prison. Therein, TDCJ lies about neutrality in a program all about Christian missions and lies again in falsely certifying elementary Bible students as counselors. Why is the director sponsoring psychopaths counseling psychopaths? In fact, TDCJ pays $314 million a year to UTMB for psychiatric care and receives not a single report of the care given, and worse, for UTMB generates no reports itself. The underbelly TDCJ’s executive culture of cover up is exposed. TDCJ has hired the lowest qualified of the applicant pool many times in the last 25 years and regularly destroys statistics on violence. TDCJ Dir. Collier led the prison to model Louisiana Warden Burl Cain, the most scandal-ridden in penal history according to a host of published news stories for 20 years. Therein, Collier led TDCJ to favor the smallest segment of religious society within Evangelical Dominionism. Texas has no business endorsing the truth of any religion over another. We close with a proposal that utilizes the 400,000,000 hours of officer contact over ten years as a definitive influence in contrast to a commissioner that spends less than 10 minutes on each decision. Maness has been lobbying Austin for 15 years to definitively access staff for his “100,000 Mothers’ 1% Certainty Parole Texas Constitutional Amendment,” which would revolutionize prison culture and save Texans millions of the dollars.

The hypothesis that the Gospel of Mark was heavily influenced by Pauline theology and/or epistles was widespread in the nineteenth century, but fell out of favour for much of the twentieth century. In the last twenty years or so, however, this view has begun to attract renewed support, especially in English language scholarship. This major and important collection of essays by an international team of scholars seeks to move the discussion forward in a number of significant ways – tracing the history of the hypothesis from the nineteenth century to the modern day, searching for historical connections between these two early Christians, analysing and comparing the theology and christology of the Pauline epistles and the Gospel of Mark, and assessing their reception in later Christian texts. This major volume will be welcomed by those who are interested in the possible influence of the apostle to the Gentiles on the earliest Gospel.

A compelling look at today's complex relationship between religion and politics In his second book, bestselling author Charles Kimball addresses the urgent global problem of the interplay between fundamentalist Abrahamic religions and politics and moves beyond warning signs (the subject of his first book) to the dangerous and lethal outcomes that their interaction can produce. Drawing on his extensive personal and professional knowledge of, experience with and access to all three traditions, Kimball's explanation of the multiple ways religion and politics interconnect within Judaism, Christianity, and Islam will illuminate the problems and give readers a hopeful vision for how to chart a safer course into a precarious future. Kimball is the author of When Religion Becomes Evil, one of the most acclaimed post 9/11 books on terrorism and religion Reveals why religion so often leads to deadly results The author has scholarly knowledge and expertise and extensive personal experience with the peoples, cultures, and leaders involved Readable and engaging, this book gives a clear picture of today's complex political and religious reality and offers hope for the future.