Download or read book Roman House Churches for Today written by Reta Halteman Finger and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 2007-09-14 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Placing the biblical book of Romans in its historical and cultural context, Reta Halteman Finger here creates a simulation of the Roman house churches that first heard Paul's Romans letter and its call for inclusiveness among the people of God. Finger guides readers in small groups to re-create house churches as in first-century Rome. Based on the text of Romans, participants play various roles and converse, even debate, with other characters from different ethnic and religious backgrounds. This experiential approach makes Romans come alive in new, concrete ways and applies Romans theology to current issues that often still divide groups of Christians. Roman House Churches for Today includes aids and suggestions for simulation leaders, sample character sketches, and website links with resources for further, deeper study. Not only small groups but also individuals will profit from this unique Bible study.

Download or read book Paul and the Roman House Churches written by Reta H. Finger and published by Wipf and Stock. This book was released on 2006 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In AD 57 or 58, the apostle Paul sent his faithful coworker and patron Phoebe on an eight-hundred-mile journey to deliver a letter to all the Christians in Rome. He was concerned about racial, lifestyle, and political tensions in the house-church groups there. Some believers were more conservative, some more liberal. How could they live in unity and help Paul in his mission? Today we have Paul's letter but know little about its historical context. Yet similar tensions still trouble churches. Too often Romans has been misused to divide Christians from Jews, or Christians from each other. Finger claims we cannot understand Romans for our day unless we grasp its original setting. She guides users of the book to re-create house churches as in first-century Rome. Participants assume various roles and hear Phoebe proclaim Paul's message afresh. They will not all agree on what Paul means. Where they do catch his meaning, they may not accept it. How does Jesus' gospel teach them to get along together when they can't agree? This book will also benefit individual readers, and the learning through simulation is adaptable to groups of many ages and levels of education, biblical awareness, and spiritual maturity. Diversity stimulates and enhances discussion! The goal is to hear and apply the message of Romans to our lives today -- and have fun in the process!

Download or read book Paul and the Roman House Churches written by Reta H. Finger and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2006-01-25 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In AD 57 or 58, the apostle Paul sent his faithful coworker and patron Phoebe on an eight-hundred-mile journey to deliver a letter to all the Christians in Rome. He was concerned about racial, lifestyle, and political tensions in the house-church groups there. Some believers were more conservative, some more liberal. How could they live in unity and help Paul in his mission? Today we have Paul's letter but know little about its historical context. Yet similar tensions still trouble churches. Too often Romans has been misused to divide Christians from Jews, or Christians from each other. Finger claims we cannot understand Romans for our day unless we grasp its original setting. She guides users of the book to re-create house churches as in first-century Rome. Participants assume various roles and hear Phoebe proclaim Paul's message afresh. They will not all agree on what Paul means. Where they do catch his meaning, they may not accept it. How does Jesus' gospel teach them to get along together when they can't agree? This book will also benefit individual readers, and the learning through simulation is adaptable to groups of many ages and levels of education, biblical awareness, and spiritual maturity. Diversity stimulates and enhances discussion! The goal is to hear and apply the message of Romans to our lives today -- and have fun in the process!

Download or read book Roman Pilgrimage written by George Weigel and published by Constellation. This book was released on 2013-10-29 with total page 466 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The annual Lenten pilgrimage to dozens of Rome’s most striking churches is a sacred tradition dating back almost two millennia, to the earliest days of Christianity. Along this historic spiritual pathway, today’s pilgrims confront the mysteries of the Christian faith through a program of biblical and early Christian readings amplified by some of the greatest art and architecture of western civilization. In Roman Pilgrimage, bestselling theologian and papal biographer George Weigel, art historian Elizabeth Lev, and photographer Stephen Weigel lead readers through this unique religious and aesthetic journey with magnificent photographs and revealing commentaries on the pilgrimage’s liturgies, art, and architecture. Through reflections on each day’s readings about faith and doubt, heroism and weakness, self-examination and conversion, sin and grace, Rome’s familiar sites take on a new resonance. And along that same historical path, typically unexplored treasures—artifacts of ancient history and hidden artistic wonders—appear in their original luster, revealing new dimensions of one of the world’s most intriguing and multi-layered cities. A compelling guide to the Eternal City, the Lenten Season, and the itinerary of conversion that is Christian life throughout the year, Roman Pilgrimage reminds readers that the imitation of Christ through faith, hope, and love is the template of all true discipleship, as the exquisite beauty of the Roman station churches invites reflection on the deepest truths of Christianity.

Download or read book Roman Domestic Art and Early House Churches written by David L. Balch and published by Mohr Siebeck. This book was released on 2008 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Rome have yielded hundreds of wall paintings from domestic buildings. Greek myths and tragedies, especial by Euripides were visually represented. Balch presents an interdisciplinary study inquiring what earliest Jews and Christian in such houses might have been seeing as they read and interpreted scripture and performed core rituals, especially the Eucharist. This recent study of Roman domestic architecture suggests new perspectives on the social history of early Christianity.--Publisher.

Download or read book A Woman s Place written by Carolyn Osiek and published by Fortress Press. This book was released on 2009-12-01 with total page 358 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This focused look at women in the household context discusses the importance of issues of space and visibility in shaping the lives of early Christian women. Several aspects of women's everyday existence are investigated, including the lives of wives, widows, women with children, female slaves, women as patrons, household leaders, and teachers. In addition, several key themes emerge: hospitality, dining practices, and the extent of female segregation.

Download or read book Paul s Letter to the Romans written by Arland J. Hultgren and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 2011-05-16 with total page 833 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Building on his own translation from the Greek, Hultgren walks readers through Romans verse by verse, illuminating the text with helpful comments, probing into major puzzles, and highlighting the letter's most inspiring features. He also demonstrates the forward-looking, missional character of Paul's epistle -- written, as Hultgren suggests, to introduce Roman Christians to the major themes of Paul's theology and to inspire in them both confidence in the soundness of his teaching and support for his planned missionary efforts in Spain.

Download or read book Salt Light and a City Second Edition written by Graham Joseph Hill and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2017-06-13 with total page 357 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Graham Hill's pioneering classic remains the seminal work on missional ecclesiology. The bestselling first edition redefined theology for the missional church. Hill builds biblical foundations in conversation with major theologians, including Sarah Coakley, John Zizioulas, Stanley Hauerwas, Miroslav Volf, and Jurgen Moltmann. In this major update, he offers new insights and provides fresh examples of missional churches. In the first edition, Hill interacted with twelve major theologians to build a missional ecclesiology. In this thoroughly updated edition, he interacts with sixteen major theologians from the Western world. This edition includes five new chapters and an expanded treatment on the key convictions of global missional theology. It also offers a new study guide that has been uploaded on an innovative website linked to this book. This expanded edition now becomes volume 1 in a series on missional ecclesiology. In volume 2, Hill will turn our attention to voices from the Majority World. Known for his groundbreaking approach to theology--theology for the global missional community--Hill shows how God is releasing his global church to mission, across all cultures and Christian traditions. This extensive update to Hill's influential work offers pioneering theology and practices that will continue to shape the global missional church for generations. Contributors: 1. Joseph Ratzinger (Benedict XVI): The Church as Communion 2. Karl Rahner: The Church as Community of Witness 3. Hans Kung: The Church as Eschatological Community of Salvation 4. Catherine LaCugna: The Church as Trinitarian Community Eastern Orthodox 5. Thomas Hopko: The Church as Fullness of God 6. Vigen Guroian: The Church as Peculiar and Ethical Community 7. John Zizioulas: The Church as Eucharistic Communion 8. Frederica Matthews Greene: The Church as Praying and Transformed Community Protestant 9. Letty Russell: The Church as Household of Freedom 10. Jurgen Moltmann: The Church as Messianic and Relational Koinonia 11. John Webster: The Church as Communion of Saints 12. Dana L. Robert: The Church as Global and Missional People Free Church 13. John Howard Yoder: The Church as New, Redeemed Community 14. Barry Harvey: The Church as Altera Civitas 15. Miroslav Volf: The Church as Image of the Trinity 16. Reta Halteman Finger: The Church as World-Transforming Homes

Download or read book Romans written by Michael J. Gorman and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 2022-03-03 with total page 269 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Above all, Romans is a letter about Spirit-enabled participation and transformation in Christ and his story, and thus in the mission of God in the world.” This commentary engages the letter to the Romans as Christian scripture and highlights the Pauline themes for which Michael Gorman is best known—participation and transformation, cruciformity and new life, peace and justice, community and mission. With extensive introductions both to the apostle Paul and to the letter itself, Gorman offers background information on Paul’s first-century context before proceeding into the rich theological landscape of the biblical text. In line with Paul’s focus on Christian living, Gorman interprets Romans at a consistently practical level, highlighting the letter’s significance for Christian theology, daily life, and pastoral ministry. Questions for reflection and sidebars on important concepts make this especially useful for those preparing to preach or teach from Romans—the “epistle of life,” as Gorman calls it, for its extraordinary promise that, through faith, we might walk in newness of life with Christ.

Download or read book House Churches in Post Communist Europe written by Randy Hacker and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2023-02-10 with total page 203 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is an exploration of house churches, especially in Poland. The book begins with a review of literature about the "global house church movement" and continues with an article on the early Christian transition from house churches to purpose-built buildings for churches. Next is an article regarding the concept of "sacred space" in relation to house churches. The first half concludes with a chapter on methodology of research for a qualitative interview approach to studying house churches. The thesis then presents a theological method for using the qualitative interviews to develop ecclesiology. Sixteen interviews from thirteen house churches are presented. The thesis continues the theological method by attempting to answer the question "why is it going on" and presents a thematic analysis from the qualitative interviews that includes input from sociological research done in Poland. The thesis concludes by using scriptural and academic sources in conversation with house church interviews from the interviews and global house church literature to present four primary conclusions in a practical-prophetic ecclesiology.

Download or read book Yes in Christ written by Howard A. Snyder and published by Clements Publishing Group. This book was released on 2011-03-01 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The promises of God formed the basis of John Wesley's optimism of grace. Wesley believed God not only could but in fact would fulfill all his promises to bring salvation to the nations; to make new heavens and a new earth; to liberate the whole creation from its bondage to decay (Rom. 8:21). This collection of essays by respected Wesleyan theologian Howard A. Snyder reflects the spirit of Wesley's optimism of grace. The first half of this collection offers an overview of Wesley's theology and practice, particularly with regard to gospel, mission, and culture. Part Two examines the inter-dynamic between church renewal and global mission. The collection also includes Wesleyan appraisals of Clark Pinnock's theology and the ecclesiology of Karl Barth. Howard A. Snyder serves as distinguished professor and chair of Wesley Studies at Tyndale Seminary in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Previously he was professor of history and theology of mission in the E. Stanley Jones School of World Mission and Evangelism at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky from 1996 to 2006. He has also taught at United Theological Seminary, Dayton, Ohio, and pastored in Chicago and Detroit. He has written numerous books, including " The Problem with Wineskins " (IVP), " The Radical Wesley " (IVP) and, most recently " Populist Saints: B. T. and Ellen Roberts and the Birth of Free Methodism " (Eerdmans). "

Download or read book Missional House Churches written by J. D. Payne and published by InterVarsity Press. This book was released on 2008-03-01 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Using original interviews with over thirty missional house churches, J. D. Payne examines the influence of the house church movement on local communities throughout the United States.

Download or read book House Church Simple Strategic Scriptural written by Steve Atkerson and published by NT Reformation Fellowship. This book was released on 2021-07-17 with total page 145 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Lead a small church? New Testament Church Dynamics is perfect for you!Unlike many church growth books, we present proven, Biblical strategies to grow your church both spiritually and numerically.These are not theories cooked up in an ivory tower. Our network of churches lives these principles out in multiple cultures and countries around the globe.By following Scriptural strategies, our unity, participation, purity, community, size, love, and evangelistic fervor have grown dramatically.Our joy is helping leaders of small churches follow Christ's model for church practice and planting.

Download or read book The House Church in the Writings of Paul written by Vincent Branick and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2012-03-01 with total page 145 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The study of the house church, we will see, takes us to the heart of many basic issues in early Christianity. We will focus on Paul's churches, but we must look to other later texts, both New Testament and extra-biblical, for insights and hints about the nature of the communities. Because the existence of such house churches was not an issue for him, Paul says little directly about them as such. His instructions about church life, however, become more understandable when read from the perspective of a household communitiy and at the same time shed light on these groups."--Introduction

Download or read book Sacred Ritual Profane Space written by Jenn Cianca and published by McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP. This book was released on 2018-05-23 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first three centuries of Christianity are increasingly seen in modern scholarship as sites of complexity. Sacred Ritual, Profane Space examines the Christian meeting places of the time and overturns long-held notions about the earliest Christians as utopian rather than place-bound people. By mapping what is known from early Christian texts onto the archaeological data for Roman domestic spaces, Jenn Cianca provides a new lens for examining the relationship between early Christianity and sites of worship. She proposes that not only were Roman homes sacred sites in their own right but they were also considered sacred by the Christian communities that used them. In many cases, meeting space would have included the presence of the Roman domestic cult shrines. Despite the fact that the domestic cult was polytheistic, Cianca asserts that its practices likely continued in places used for worship by Christians. She also argues that continued practice of the domestic cult in Roman domestic spaces did not preclude Christians from using houses as churches or from understanding their rituals or their meeting places as sacred. Raising a host of questions about identity, ritual affiliation, and domestic practice, Sacred Ritual, Profane Space demonstrates how sacred space was constructed through ritual enactment in early Christian communities.

Download or read book Let the Church Meet in Your House written by Emerson T. Manaloto and published by Langham Publishing. This book was released on 2019-10-31 with total page 255 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The communities in which we live all suffer alienation from God and the sin, social disorder and brokenness that follows. As Christians, we yearn to see our communities saturated with the good news of Jesus Christ, but there are countless obstacles to overcome in our churches and mission agencies as we seek to fulfil this vision. In this book, Emerson Manaloto offers the model of New Testament-based house churches as the vehicle for gospel ministry in communities around the world with specific applications for the Filipino context. Examining four areas – leaders, learners, lessons, and locations – Dr Manaloto presents foundational principles of the New Testament that can be the basis for our own contemporary churches and ministry. Manaloto critically analyzes the house church in terms of its concepts in the first century, its context in the Greco-Roman world and its practices as outlined in the New Testament. This analysis is then used to draw conclusions for how twenty-first century small groups in the Philippines can be stable, mature, and multiply, resulting in the birth of more churches locally and globally, and the transformation of lives and communities as they encounter Jesus Christ.

Download or read book Rooted and Renewing written by Troy M. Troftgruben and published by Fortress Press. This book was released on 2019-11-05 with total page 334 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What does it mean to be church today? As changes in demographics, participation, and leadership continue to roil faith communities in the Western world, questions about the historic roots of church communities have become all the more important. Scholarly investigations of the historical texture of early Christian communities continue to advance our understanding, but are often too technical for non-experts for whom the questions may be more keenly felt. Troy M. Troftgruben provides an accessible, succinct survey of what we now know about the roots of Christian community, taking an "ancient-future" approach by engaging contemporary questions through classical sources. Rooted and Renewing turns to historical-critical and social-scientific studies to portray everyday realities in the earliest communities, especially the Pauline assemblies. Aimed at church members and leaders alike, the book encourages reflection on the church's past so as to explore how Christians are called to be the church in today's world.