When the night is long, the light still comes. Find hope this Advent through the words of the prophets.For many, Advent and Christmas are celebrated in the darkest time of the year. The experience of waiting and longing for the first glimmer of sunlight over the horizon serves as a poignant and perennial metaphor for the human quest to find hope amid sorrow, hardship, and fear.The prophets knew this feeling well and spoke hope to God’s people with the power to sustain them—and us—through uncerta...
The death and resurrection of Jesus are not the end of the good news, but only the beginning. In Acts, Luke tells the story of the workings of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the apostles and in the early church. Though titled "The Acts of the Apostles," the book is just as much about the acts of the Holy Spirit. The resurrection and ascension of Jesus became the beginnings of the life of the believer, who is empowered by the Spirit to go to every extreme to make known the message o...
Find sacred stillness in the Psalms amid the rush of Advent.The season of Advent, meant to be a time of waiting, all too often hurtles headlong into Christmas without allowing us to take a breath. The poetry of the Psalms, on the other hand, invites us to slow down, pause, and connect with the thoughts, feelings, and images the psalmist has offered. To help readers carve out time for reflection and meditation during this ironically hectic time, noted Christian educator and best-selling author El...
In a world tense with anger and division, how can we preserve our sense of well-being and inject a little more kindness into our daily interactions?Pastor Jill J. Duffield finds an answer in the apostle Paul’s guidance in Philippians 4:8: "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." Thinking about, looking for, appreciati...
"With the insight of a scholar, the skill of a pastor, and the heart of a parent, Brown invites readers to see these questions in a new light. This book is an invaluable resource for allies seeking to deepen their understanding and for those with questions about the language, ideas, and experiences that are shaping these conversations."—Josh Scott, Pastor, GracePointe Church, Nashville, Tennessee, and author of Cross-Examined
No Longer Male and Female provides a helpful guide and Bible study for...
In this new edition that includes a six-session study guide, popular author Walter Brueggemann writes that the Sabbath is not simply about keeping rules but rather about becoming a whole person and restoring a whole society. Brueggemann calls out our 24/7 society of consumption, a society in which we live to achieve, accomplish, perform, and possess. We want more, own more, use more, eat more, and drink more. Brueggemann shows readers how keeping the Sabbath allows us to break thi...
A longtime chaplain at a children's hospital, R. Wayne Willis has collected prayers and cards left by children in the hospital chapel. In P.S. God, Can You Fly? he offers reflections on some of these prayers and what they mean for believers and for the children who wrote them. These hope-filled and heartfelt prayers are sure to touch anyone who has experienced physical, emotional, or spiritual crises.
A 2024 Foreword INDIES Award Finalist"An urgent and passionate commentator, [John Pavlovitz] lives in the tension between despair and hope." - Presbyterian Outlook
"John Pavlovitz's Worth Fighting For is a stirring playbook for Christians who strive to ensure that kindness triumphs over toxicity. Forthright and encouraging, Worth Fighting For envisions a grassroots revolution of love led by a 'compassionate coalition of those who give a damn.'"-Foreword Reviews
John Pavlovitz has inspired mill...
Was America founded as a Christian nation—or is the truth far more complex?In God We Trust invites readers to think and reflect critically about the truths and complexities of the role of religion and the founding of America in order to separate history from political ideology and to understand why this distinction matters for the future of our nation and democracy.Both supporters of Christian nationalism and those who oppose it often pick and choose pieces of American history to support their o...
The World of the Parables invites readers to meet the people behind the parables—from children and parents to shepherds and merchants—so that they may hear Jesus’ words as first-century Galileans did, coming away with deeper understanding and appreciation.
The parables of Jesus are filled with familiar figures—farmers and fishermen, widows and landowners, fathers and sons, merchants and laborers. Yet when we hear these stories today, we often miss the full force of their meaning because we no lo...
"This is a book that will guide you home to yourself.” —Gemma Hartley, author of Fed Up and No One Loves an Angry Woman
"Read this. And then pass it to every woman you know.”—Christy Angelle Bauman, author of Theology of the Womb and Her Rites
For centuries, patriarchal Christian spaces and interpretations of Scripture have distorted women’s understanding of God, their bodies, and their place in the world. Faithfully Dissident Daughters invites anyone who has felt unseen o...
Martin Luther started a reformation movement that revolutionized Europe in the sixteenth century. His far-reaching reforms of theological understanding and church practices radically modified both church and society in Europe and beyond. Steven Paulson's discussion of Luther's thought, coupled with Ron Hill's illustrations, provides an engaging introduction to Luther's multifaceted self and the ideas that catapulted him to fame. Written by experts but designed for the novice, ...
Draw closer to God each day with this daily devotional and be strengthened by comfort and wisdom that is always near."For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1This beloved biblical quote begins this exquisite volume of 366 reflections, each grounded in Scripture and followed by a prayer. Offering even the busiest of readers the invitation to draw near to God each day, this daily devotional will be your guide to a deeper faith and closer walk wi...
Pedagogy of the Ancestors is a practical and inspiring guide for anyone called to teach, mentor, and shape future generations with intention, humility, and compassion, knowing that our daily choices are the rain that waters the seeds of tomorrow.Ancestors embody the past, and they also offer spiritual guidance and friendship to those coming of age. We see this across cultures and religious traditions. Communities rely on ancestral wisdom to educate and nurture future generations, but oppres...
Turn the traditional generational groupings on their head through this examination of Black life, culture, and the struggle for racial justice in the United States. The Shaping of Black Identities explores the generations of African Americans who have lived in the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries and the impact that living in the United States has had on them. Jimmie R. Hawkins examines how identity is formed and shaped by internal and external forces. He investigates collective memory...
In this book, readers will enjoy a fascinating and cordial discussion between N. T. Wright and Simon Gathercole on the meaning and nature of the doctrine of atonement. These two highly respected scholars discuss in clear and understandable language the meanings of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Their discussion explores various theories of atonement and looks closely at the Old Testament to discover Paul’s meaning of his words that “Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures.” ...
In this compelling and informative volume, Jimmie R. Hawkins walks the reader through the many forms of Black protest in American history, from pre-colonial times through the George Floyd protests of 2020. Hawkins breaks American history into five sections, with subsections highlighting how Black identity helped to shape protest during that period. These protests include slave ship mutinies, the abolitionist movement, the different approaches to protest from Frederick Douglas, W.E.B. Dubois, and...
Usin g Luke's own prologue as the guideline for his commentary, Fred B. Craddock calls attention to the continuities between Jesus and his heritage in Judaism and the church after him. Like Luke, Craddock assumes the reader is not only a believer but also a leader in the community of faith.Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching is a distinctive resource for those who interpret the Bible in the church. Planned and written specifically for teaching and preachi...
This inaugural Interpretation Bible Commentary volume on Matthew by Mark Allan Powell brings theological and pastoral sensitivity to the text, exploring how the Gospel of Matthew might be understood today by readers who receive it as its intended audience.It leads us to understand how the church can embody God’s abiding presence in the world, to explore how biblical ethics can remain relevant for ever-changing situations, to consider healthy interfaith dialogue between Jews and Christians, and t...
Discover how the Psalms can speak powerfully to today’s church, offering lyrical theology that shapes prayer, reflection, preaching, and worship.This volume in the Belief series explores how the Psalms speak as lyrical theology in today’s world. Drawing on the Psalter’s genres of praise and lament, the Psalms’ reception in Christian tradition, and their range of musical settings, Kris Kvam and Don Saliers show how the Psalms can teach, comfort, and challenge the church. Giving the biblical tradi...
Focusing on passages about women in the Bible and feminine imagery of God, The Women's Lectionary reimagines the liturgical calendar of preaching for one year. These women are daughters, wives, and mothers. They are also strong leaders, evil queens, and wicked stepmothers. They are disciples, troublemakers, and prophetesses. Ashley Wilcox explores how the feminine descriptions of God in the Bible are similarly varied—how does it change our understanding if God is feminine wisdom, has wings, or i...
The Westminster Study Bible (WSB) is the first entirely new study Bible to utilize the recently released New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition.An essential tool for all religious studies contexts, The Westminster Study Bible includes interpretive materials from over eighty leading biblical experts who, as teachers in a variety of educational settings, are sensitive to how the biblical texts have been received, what their cultural and social consequences have been, and how readers might he...
A critical preaching commentary that serves as a single, reliable resource for engaging the Gospel of Mark.This comprehensive commentary on the Gospel of Mark is designed for preachers seeking a single, reliable resource that brings together rigorous exegesis and practical homiletical insight. Drawing on a literary approach, O. Wesley Allen, Jr., interprets Mark as a unified narrative that rewards careful attention not only to individual passages but also to the broader movement of the Gospel as...
Comprisin g the sermons preached by William Sloane Coffin while he was senior minister at the prestigious Riverside Church in New York City, The Collected Sermons of William Sloane Coffin: The Riverside Years captures the renowned preacher and social activist at work: ministering to American hostages in Iran, supporting AIDS awareness, and rallying his audiences to battle poverty and nuclear proliferation--all the while celebrating marriages, baptisms, and Mother's Days and mourn...
Acts
Author(s):Charles Williamson
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