Since the 1980s, renewal scholars have given considerable attention to the role of the believing community in the interpretive process. A broad consensus has emerged that a triad involving Scripture, the Spirit, and the believing community forms a cooperative relationship resulting in theological development, followed by commensurate action—identified in this research as theological creativity. In the context of this research, to be creative with theology is to take an existing theological assumption and broaden or adapt it to current circumstances, given the Spirit’s evidential work and a consensual understanding of Scripture. But how does the community negotiate between Spirit and Scripture without subsuming either into its own predilections? For Luke, the first-century community of believers in Acts functions as an indispensable character in the formation of theological creativity. This work will demonstrate how Luke positions the community as a character in story form, between Spirit and Scripture, functioning as a bridge through which its testimony of the Spirit’s evidential work and its application of Scripture interact. In order to illustrate this balancing act, we will use a modified configuration of the triadic notion: Spirit–Community–Scripture.

If you've ever thought about community, whether as a lifestyle or simply as an expression of deeper fellowship with others, this book is essential reading. In the fifteen years since it first appeared in English, it has become the classic text on the subject -- read, dog-eared, borrowed, and discussed.Vanier is not a rosy idealist. That is because his writing is based not on theories, but on a wealth of wisdom gleaned over many years living in community, experiencing difficult days and joyous celebrations, times of struggle and hard-won success, moments of doubt and inspiration. He acknowledges the inevitable little frustrations of a life lived with and for others, but he also helps the reader see that without struggle there is no true growth.

The Freedom of God wrangles with the unfolding legacy of Christian theologian Robert Jenson and presents the first in-depth study of his teaching on the Holy Spirit. It is a specialist monograph that will entice those with interest in academic theology, systematics, and twentieth- and twenty-first-century Christian thought, especially the post-Barthian historicist electionism and the post-Rahnerian immanent and economic trinitarian project conversations. Devoted readers of the works of Robert Jenson, scholars of pneumatology, third-article theology, or pentecostal/renewal movements, practitioners of liberation theology, and supporters of ecumenical theology will all be particularly gripped by the analysis developed in this work. As a text, the Freedom of God could find a home in graduate seminars, seminary classrooms, and in classes for advanced undergraduates for those studying Jenson as a way into systematic theology and contemporary Christian thought or in any thematic/doctrinal courses on the Holy Spirit or the Trinity.

The Bright Way is an interactive handbook for mastering Diana Rowan’s proven system for freeing your innate creativity. The Bright Way System has helped thousands of creatives regain their inspiration and motivation, and move past fears so that they can courageously share their visions with the world. It is based on these three principles: 1. Everyone is creative. Creativity happens whenever you directly engage with your chosen activity. (It isn’t just for artists!) 2. You must be creative to be fulfilled in life. If you’re unengaged with life, you will feel dissatisfied, like something is missing. Engage directly with life by reigniting your creativity so that you come back home to your true self. 3. You can tap into your creativity anytime, anyplace, at any age. It’s never too late, and no matter the circumstances, you can be creative. Written for all creatives from young adults to seniors, The Bright Way’s empowering and reliable system works for a lifetime to help you: move through creative blocks so that your creativity consistently flows transform performance fear into joyful sharing of your work finally let go of self-doubt and embrace unshakable self-confidence Inspired by Diana’s own journey from severe creative performance anxiety to a fulfilling career as a full-time artist, this handbook is packed with actionable tips and dozens of examples so that you can make this simple yet powerful system truly your own. Start your Bright Way journey today to access your unique creative voice and shine your light in our new world!

This anthology examines the origins, meanings, and enduring power of the powwow. Held on and off reservations, in rural and urban settings, powwows are an important vehicle for Native peoples to gather regularly. Although sometimes a paradoxical combination of both tribal and intertribal identities, they are a medium by which many groups maintain important practices.

Living God's Word is your pathway to read the Bible as it was meant to be read: as God's Great Story. Many Christians resolve to study the Bible more fervently, but often struggle to grasp the progression of Scripture as a whole. They encounter various passages each week through unrelated readings, studies, and sermons and it all feels disconnected. But once they see the Bible as God's Great Story, they begin to understand how it all fits together and they start see how their own lives fit into what God has done and is doing in the world. In Living God's Word, Second Edition, New Testament scholar J. Scott Duvall and Old Testament expert J. Daniel Hays help Christians consider how their lives can be integrated into the story of the Bible, thus enabling them to live faithfully in deep and important ways. Living God's Word explores the entire Bible through broad themes that trace the progression of God's redemptive plan. Each section deals with a certain portion of Scripture's story and includes: Reading/listening preparation Explanation Summary Observations about theological significance Connections to the Great Story Written assignments for further study These features--combined with the authors' engaging style--make Living God's Word an ideal book for those who want to understand the Bible better, for introductory college courses, Sunday school electives, or small group study. Readers can further enhance their learning experience with the Living God's Word WORKBOOK (sold separately) which contains additional questions and exercises to help them reflect on what they are reading in Living God's Word.

Dr. R. Hollis Gause has been Professor of Theological and New Testament Studies at Lee University and the Church of God Theological Seminary in Cleveland, Tennessee, for many years, and his huge contribution to Pentecostal scholarship is held in high regard internationally. His influential life and ministry, as well as his teaching and scholarship, are here celebrated in his 85th year by many of his colleagues and former students. Contributors are: Contributions: K.E. Alexander, L.R. Martin, R.D. Moore, J.M. Beaty, J.A. Adewuya, J.C. Thomas, K.J. Archer, S.-E. Han, T.L. Johns, D.G. Roebuck, J.P. Bowers, C. Bridges Johns, C.R. Cason, M.O. McMahan, D.W. Slocumb, R.E. Waldrup.

In the era of 'post-Christendom', how can church as a sociological reality be switched on to the destructive dangers, yet constructive possibilities, of 'power' flowing in and around its community? Attuned to the current distrust of church power, this book creatively works out responses that could turn painful censure into a re-visioning of church power relations, helped by neglected critical studies. The approach exposes a complexity to power, and filters that insight into a theology of church. The book shows how lessons are available for a religious community from post-modern philosopher Michel Foucault and from recent feminism. The topic of power has universal importance in the study of religion, though the response to analysis and critique in this book is drawn specifically from Christian sources. Kearsley concludes with an exploration for a future renovated, self-critical, authentic and growing community, sensitive to power while remaining in line with classic Christianity.

This book is about leadership, a scholarly and pastoral response to the urgent demand for the renewal of the contemporary Christian church. It challenges readers to articulate the identity and vision of the church in new ways, and encourages them to revitalize their ministry with fresh insight and passion from women's perspectives. The eight essays written by female scholars in relation to various areas of theological study and the nine pastoral responses to the essays written by ministers from seven different denominations, based on their experiences of actual ministerial settings, provide new paradigms of church leadership--theologically profound, practically relevant, and historically timely. This volume, a product of a collaborative process between academia and church, promises to be a most useful resource to renew the leadership of the church and its vocational commitment to the transformation of the church and society.