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Список книг автора Группа авторовPerspectives in Pentecostal Eschatologies
During the mid-twentieth century Pentecostal theology was co-opted by fundamentalism and its dispensational brand of millennial eschatology. Fundamentalist dispensationalism not only reinterpreted the original Pentecostal vision of the latter-rain outpouring of the Spirit in the last days but undercut its raison d'etre as a people empowered by the Spirit of Pentecost to participate in the kingdom of God. Yet eschatology is much broader than twentieth-century dispensationalism, and Pentecostal eschatology is diverse, reflecting the diversity of Pentecostal and Charismatic spiritualities. There is no one Pentecostal eschatology but many Pentecostal eschatologies.
This collection of essays from established scholars and rising stars offers fresh perspectives in eschatology for the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements. The fresh readings of eschatology in this volume are valuable because they demonstrate that Pentecostals no longer need to look to others to interpret their theology for them but can stand as scholars and thinkers in their own right.
Beyond 400
Baptists worldwide recently celebrated 400 years of history and witness. This volume is a collection of papers presented at the «Beyond 400» conference held in Perth, Western Australia, as part of these celebrations. Contributors have written from a broad range of perspectives reflecting biblically and theologically on the thinking and practice of Baptists in the past and present. These reflections form a basis for exploring how Baptists can function more effectively in our contemporary world situation and imagine themselves in the future. Chapters range from providing historical perspectives to biblical and theological reflections on issues that have been critical to Baptist belief and ministry. They examine the core values that, historically, have distinguished Baptists within the broader context of the church and explore how these values might both underpin and play out in Baptist churches today. Contributions reflect a firm belief among both the presenters and attendees at the «Beyond 400» conference that Baptists not only have a future but also offer a necessary voice to our world. This voice is firmly based on the issues that first precipitated the Baptist movement some 400 years ago, and the continuing relevance of these issues as they are reimagined for our contemporary situation.
The Gospel and the Land of Promise
Today the «land of promise» is a spark in the tinder dry atmosphere of Middle Eastern affairs. Events there continue to wield influence among peoples and in places well beyond the region itself. This raises for Christians the acute theological problem of how to relate to the «land of promise» today and in light of the land of the Bible. Our hope is that this volume of essays will contribute to a more informed and theologically coherent response to the «Land of Promise.» It is offered here in the name of peace for all peoples in that place and among those who continue to look to her as a place of promise.
The Church as Salt and Light
This book is an attempt at a critical, constructive, and creative theological praxis of social transformation in Africa. The authors apply a multi-disciplinary approach to examining how Christianity in Africa is engaging the problems of Africa's challenging social context.
This is a prophetic work that applies the symbols of «salt» and «light» as ecclesiological images for reenvisioning the path towards procuring abundant life for God's people in the African continent through the agency of African Christianity.
The contributors to this volume ask these fundamental questions: What is the face of Jesus in African Christianity? What is the face and identity of the Church in Africa? How can one evaluate the relevance of the Church in Africa to African Christians who enthusiastically embrace and celebrate their Christian faith? In other words, what positive imprint is Christianity leaving on the lives and societies of African Christians? Does the Christian message have the potential of positively affecting African civilization as it once did in Europe? What is the relevance and place of African Christianity as a significant voice in shaping both the future of Africa and that of world Christianity?
Accountability in Missions
"The Korean missions movement is perhaps the most significant story of the Church in the world over the past one hundred years. Today Korea can boast of being the leading sender of missionaries per head of population. Yet this movement has not been well integrated into the global mission community and also this community has at times failed to understand and learn from this tremendous work of God. I am excited that God has brought together a unique body of people to wrestle with these issues. This work will help bring about much needed collaboration and develop each other's strengths in an environment of mutual respect." –MALCOLM L. McGREGOR, SIM International Director
"Accountability in Missions is a remarkable book, exploring the full range of mission accountability issues–strategic, financial, and relational–from both Korean and North American perspectives. This is global missiology made practical and accessible to all missions practitioners. The many articles that penetrate the mysteries of Korean and North American interaction especially make it a must-read book for all Koreans and North Americans working together." –STEVE STRAUSS, Professor of Mission and Intercultural Studies, Dallas Theological Seminary
"This collection of essays provides a biblical and theological basis for accountability and brings voices East and West, demonstrating that accountability–to God and to others–is a universal principle, not linked to one culture or context (i.e., Western). Further, the collection is eminently practical, addressing matters of governance (decision-making), finance, and personal integrity. To all mission leaders I say: read this book! Actually, read it but also find colleagues with whom to discuss and digest these principles and review our mission practices." –GORDON T. SMITH, President, reSource Leadership International
Orthodoxy and Heresy in Early Christian Contexts
Eighty years ago, Walter Bauer promulgated a bold and provocative thesis about early Christianity. He argued that many forms of Christianity started the race, but one competitor pushed aside the others, until this powerful «orthodox» version won the day. The victors re-wrote history, marginalizing all other perspectives and silencing their voices, even though the alternatives possessed equal right to the title of normative Christianity. Bauer's influence still casts a long shadow on early Christian scholarship. Were heretical movements the original forms of Christianity? Did the heretics outnumber the orthodox? Did orthodox heresiologists accurately portray their opponents? And more fundamentally, how can one make any objective distinction between «heresy» and «orthodoxy»? Is such labeling merely the product of socially situated power? Did numerous, valid forms of Christianity exist without any validating norms of Christianity? This collection of essays, each written by a relevant authority, tackles such questions with scholarly acumen and careful attention to historical, cultural-geographical, and socio-rhetorical detail. Although recognizing the importance of Bauer's critical insights, innovative methodologies, and fruitful suggestions, the contributors expose numerous claims of the Bauer thesis (in both original and recent manifestations) that fall short of the historical evidence.
With contributions from:
Rodney Decker Carl Smith William Varner Rex Butler Bryan Litfin Brian Shelton David Alexander Edward Smither Glen Thompson
Apology of Culture
Contemporary philosophy and theology are ever more conscious of the fact that the model of relations between religion and culture developed in modernity is fundamentally flawed. The processes of the secularization of society, culture, and even religion are rooted in the dualistic vision of religion and culture introduced in the late Middle Ages. In seeking a way out, we need to explore domains of culture unaffected by Western European secular thinking. Russian thought is remarkably well prepared to formulate an alternative to secular modernity. Indeed, in Russian culture there was neither a Renaissance nor an Enlightenment. Eastern Christianity retained an integral patristic vision of human nature that had not been divided into separate «natural» and «supernatural» elements. These pre- and non-modern visions are now gaining exceptional value in the postmodern reality in which we find ourselves. The heritage of Russian Christian thought may serve as a source of inspiration for alternative approaches to religion and culture. In this respect, Russian thought may be compared with nouvelle theologie, Radical Orthodoxy, and other recent movements in Christian postsecular thought. For this reason it remains astonishingly contemporary.
Baptists and War
While Baptists through the years have been certain that «war is hell,» they have not always been able to agree on how to respond to it. This book traces much of this troubled relationship from the days of Baptist origins with close ties to pacifist Anabaptists to the responses of Baptists in America to the war in Vietnam. Essays also include discussions of the English Baptist Andrew Fuller's response to the threat of Napoleon, how Baptists in America dealt with the War of 1812, the support of Canadian Baptists for Britain's war in Sudan and Abyssinia in the 1880s, the decisive effect of the First World War on Canada's T. T. Shields, the response of Australian Baptists to the Second World War, and how Russian Baptists dealt with the Cold War. These chapters provide important analyses of Baptist reactions to one of society's most intractable problems.
Irreconcilable Differences?
What if philosophy, theology, and science spent a little more time together? These fields often seem at odds, butting metaphysical heads. Instead of talking at, how about talking with one another? This book engages three academic disciplines–distinct yet sharing much in common–in a slice of conversation and community in which participants have aimed at validating the other and the way the other sees the world. The result is a collection of essays united by a thread that can be hard to find in academia. In bringing together a wide range of contributors on a project that at first seemed unlikely, Irreconcilable Differences? is also a testament to the spirit of cooperation and hard work–evidence that small acts and events can make a big difference, and that sometimes all you need in order to make something good happen is an idea with a little support along the way. The editors of this collection are hopeful that its contributors and readers will keep looking for ways to bridge academic, social, and political gaps. We need to forge relationships based on personal knowledge and proper confidence seeking to make meaningful claims in an increasingly complex world.
A Man of Many Parts
This collection of essays by colleagues, former students, and friends illustrates something of the breadth and depth of subjects that have engaged the life and thought of the Reverend Doctor John Westerdale Bowker. His clerical and academic appointments in Cambridge, Lancaster, London, and North America further illustrate the integrative nature of his spiritual and intellectual way of being and acting.