Download or read book Stewards Prophets Keepers of the Word written by Ritva H. Williams and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Stewards, prophets, keepers of the word-these roles reflect the hierarchical social structures, religious experiences, and faithfulness to tradition found in ancient Mediterranean cultures, and, as Ritva Williams argues, influenced the development of early Christianity. The linear progression of leadership (apostles to bishops or apostles to presbyters or charismatics to office holders, etc.) commonly thought to have emerged in the early church does not appear in early Christian texts from the mid-first to early second centuries. Instead, what these texts reveal is a variety, diversity, and plurality of ways that Christ-followers adopted and adapted these dynamic roles from antiquity as they struggled to organize and live in their local situations. Book jacket.

Download or read book Stewards Prophets Keepers of the Word written by Ritva H. Williams and published by Baker Academic. This book was released on 2006-11-01 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Steward, prophet, keeper of the word--these three roles reflect the hierarchical social structures, religious experience, and faithfulness to tradition found in ancient Mediterranean cultures, and, as Ritva Williams argues, influenced the development of early Christianity. The linear progression of leadership (apostles to bishops or apostles to presbyters or charismatics to office holders, etc.) commonly held to have emerged in the early church does not appear in early Christian texts from the mid-first to early second centuries. Instead, what these texts reveal is a variety, diversity, and plurality of ways that Christ-followers adopted and adapted these dynamic roles from antiquity as they struggled to organize and live in their local situations.

Download or read book The Theologically Formed Heart written by Warner M. Bailey and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2014-09-10 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Theologically Formed Heart invites the reader to consider the role of theology in the formation of virtues and passions, and, conversely, the role of virtues and passions in understanding Scripture, theology, and living a Christian life. The essays in this volume are offered in appreciation of the teaching, scholarship, and service to the church and world of Professor of Theology David J. Gouwens. They are organized in three sections: theological reflections, Reformed theology in service to the church, and studies in the thought of Soren Kierkegaard. Four important issues are explored from multiple perspectives: the Church's coming to terms with religious pluralism in mission, inter-religious dialogue, theological education, and ecclesial life; the gospel's invitation to welcome communities of difference; Reformed aesthetics in Calvin's rhetoric and in contemporary hymnody; and Kierkegaard's contribution to theology and ecclesial practice. The aims of the book go beyond academic confines. Through reading the different essays, a personality will emerge who illustrates a life of scholarship that yields itself gladly to the God made known in Jesus Christ. Thus, beyond imparting new information, the book may inspire its readers to their own practice of theologically forming their hearts.

Download or read book Emerging Leadership in the Pauline Mission written by Jack Barentsen and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2011-08-04 with total page 397 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: **Winner of the 2012 Fredric M. Jablin Doctoral Dissertation Award** Where did Paul find leaders for his new churches? How did he instruct and develop them? What processes took place to stabilize the churches and institute their new leadership? This book carves a fresh trail in leadership studies by looking at leadership development from a group-dynamic, social identity perspective. Paul engages the cultural leadership patterns of his key local leaders, publicly affirming, correcting, and improving those patterns to conform to a Christlike pattern of sacrificial service. Paul's own life and ministry offer a motivational and authoritative model for his followers, because he embodies the leadership style he teaches. As a practical theologian avant la lettre, Paul contextualizes key theological themes to strengthen community and leadership formation, and equips his church leaders as entrepreneurs of Christian identity. A careful comparison of the Corinthian and Ephesian churches demonstrates a similar overall pattern of development. This study engages Pauline scholarship on church office in depth and offers alternative readings of five Pauline epistles, generating new insights to enrich dogmatic and practical theological reflection. In a society where many churches reflect on their missional calling, such input from the NT for contemporary Christian leadership formation is direly needed.

Download or read book Immersion Bible Studies Galatians Ephesians Philippians written by Rev Frank Ramirez and published by Abingdon Press. This book was released on 2011-05-01 with total page 119 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Journey inside the pages of Scripture to meet a personal God who enters individual lives and begins a creative work from the inside out. Shaped with the individual in mind, Immersion encourages simultaneous engagement both with the Word of God and with the God of the Word to become a new creation in Christ. Immersion, inspired by a fresh translation--the Common English Bible--stands firmly on Scripture and helps readers explore the emotional, spiritual, and intellectual needs of their personal faith. More importantly, they’ll be able to discover God’s revelation through readings and reflections.

Download or read book Understanding the Social World of the New Testament written by Dietmar Neufeld and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2009-10-29 with total page 423 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The New Testament is a book of great significance in Western culture yet is often inaccessible to students because the modern world differs so significantly from the ancient Mediterranean one in which it was written. It is imperative to develop a cross-cultural understanding of the values of the ancient Mediterranean society from which the New Testament arose in order to fully appreciate the documents and the communities that they represent. Dietmar Neufeld and Richard E. DeMaris bring together biblical scholars with expertise in the social sciences to develop interpretative models for understanding such values as collectivism, kinship, memory, ethnicity, and honour, and to demonstrate how to apply these models to the New Testament texts. Kinship is illuminated by analysis of the Holy Family as well as to early Christian organisations; gender through a study of Paul’s view of women; and landscape and spatiality through a discussion of Jesus of Nazareth. This book is the ideal companion to study of the New Testament.

Download or read book Paul as an Administrator of God in 1 Corinthians written by John Goodrich and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2012-05-10 with total page 263 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book looks in detail at Paul's description of apostles in 1 Corinthians 4 and 9 as divinely appointed administrators (oikonomoi) and considers what this tells us about the nature of his own apostolic authority. John Goodrich investigates the origin of this metaphor in light of ancient regal, municipal and private administration, initially examining the numerous domains in which oikonomoi were appointed in the Graeco-Roman world, before situating the image in the private commercial context of Roman Corinth. Examining the social and structural connotations attached to private commercial administration, Goodrich contemplates what Paul's metaphor indicates about apostleship in general terms as well as how he uses the image to defend his apostolic rights. He also analyses the purpose and limits of Paul's authority - how it is constructed, asserted and contested - by examining when and how Paul uses and refuses to exercise the rights inherent in his position.

Download or read book Lay Presidency at the Eucharist written by Nicholas Taylor and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2009-05-21 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The demand for allowing lay ministers to preside at the Eucharist has become a pressing issue in many churches, not only in Anglicanism. Within the Anglican Communion this issue seems to be potentially divisive as most provinces refuse to accept lay presidency, but some - as the Archdiocese of Sydney - are discussing schemes to introduce it. In Lay Presidency at the Eucharist an Anglican theological approach to controversial questions is articulated. Taylor investigates in particular what allegiance to Scripture entails, and how its authority is to be applied in the Church today. The evidence of the New Testament and early Church on the Eucharist and ministry, and how critical scholarship relates to the authority of Scripture in the life of the Church, are explored, whilst the Reformation and subsequent developments in Anglican theology and Eucharistic practice are considered. Pressure to authorize lay presidency is largely a response to a shortage of clergy to meet demand for Eucharistic worship, and alternative provision for this need is discussed, before going on to consider specific schemes. The theological issues, to do with the Church, the Eucharist, and the ministry, are reviewed, and outstanding questions identified.

Download or read book You Belong to Christ written by J. Brian Tucker and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2011-01-01 with total page 347 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: You Belong to Christ explores the way that the Apostle Paul sought to form the social identity of one of his most important Christ-following communities. It sheds light on the way various social identities function within the Pauline community and provides guidance concerning the social implications of the gospel. Drawing from contemporary social identity theories as well as ancient source material, J. Brian Tucker describes the way 1 Corinthians 1-4 forms social identity in its readers, so that what results is an alternative community with a distinct ethos, in contrast to the Roman Empire and its imperial ideology. This book contends that previous identities are not obliterated "in Christ," but maintain their fundamental significance and serve to further the Pauline mission by means of social integration. Providing a comprehensive survey of Christian identity in Pauline studies as well as an interesting look into the material remains of Roman Corinth, this volume provides a social-scientific reading of 1 Corinthians 1-4, and argues that Paul's strategy was to form salient "in Christ" social identity in those to whom he wrote.

Download or read book Introducing the Practice of Ministry written by Kathleen A. Cahalan and published by Liturgical Press. This book was released on 2010-08-01 with total page 201 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ministry is often examined in terms of who the minister is, not what the minister does. But the vocation to ministry must be understood as a call to identity as well as to practice, one that is rooted in Jesus' life and ministry as well as the Spirit's charisms. InIntroducing the Practice of Ministry Kathleen A.Cahalan defines ministerial leadership as carried out through the practices of teaching, preaching, pastoral care, worship, social ministry, and administration for the sake of nurturing the life of discipleship in the community of believers. In her examination of charisms for each of the practices of ministry, Cahalan presents readers with a Trinitarian foundation, noting that the practices of discipleship and ministry have their origin in the very practices of God." Kathleen A. Cahalan is associate professor of theology at Saint John's University School of Theology, Seminary in Collegeville, Minnesota. She is author of Formed in the Image of Christ: The Sacramental-Moral Theology of Bernard Häring (Liturgical Press, 2004) and Projects That Matter: Successful Planning and Evaluation for Religious Organizations (Alban Institute, 2003). She is the past-president of the Association of Practical Theology. "

Download or read book Paradigms of Being in Christ written by Peter-Ben Smit and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2013-08-01 with total page 217 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In his Epistle to the Philippians, Paul positions himself as an example of 'being in Christ'. The way in which he does this points out that he consciously positions himself in the tradition of classical rhetoric, where the use of paradigms (exempla) was a standard element in deliberative arguing. Paul describes his life as coloured by Christ in such a way that he represents Christ to the Philippians, and the response he hopes to evoke in their congregation is that of similar behaviour. The analysis of Smit combines observations on classical rhetoric, exegetical analyses of Philippians, and views from the perspective of gender and masculinity studies into a new and fresh analysis of the material. He shows that ancient ideals of deliberative rhetoric have influenced Philippians in much the same way in which they appear in e.g. Aristotle, Plutarch, and (also) 2 Maccabees. This study both positions Paul in the cultural context of his day and indicates the newness of his enterprise.

Download or read book Subversive Meals written by Streett R Alan and published by James Clarke & Company. This book was released on 2016-11-24 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Subversive Meals, Alan Streett follows on from James C Scott's idea of a hidden transcript to argue that the Lord's Supper was a subversive, non-violent act against the Roman Empire. Primarily through exegesis of the writings of Luke and Paul, Streett examines the political nature of the meal in the context of first-century Roman domination. In his widely researched argument, Streett illuminates for the reader why understanding the Lord's Supper as a purely symbolic act overlooks the political significance it would have had in the first century CE. Subversive Meals analyses how the structure of the Lord's Supper followed that of a Roman banquet by having a deipon and a symposium, the latter being the time when anti-resistance discussions would take place. Streett examines several aspects of the history, context and theological significance of the Lord's Supper. He discusses such topics as the identification of Passover as an anti-imperial meal against the Pharaoh's rule, the Roman domination system, the meal practices of Jesus, the eschatological meaning of the Last Supper, the practice of this anti-imperial work ethic in the early church, and the gift of prophecy as a symposium activity. By seeing the Lord's Supper as a political act, readers will be able to study Scriptural passages more closely and precisely.

Download or read book Early Christian Ritual Life written by Richard E. DeMaris and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-11-22 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Scholars across many fields have come to realize that ritual is an integral element of human life and a vital aspect of all human societies. Yet, this realization has been slow to develop among scholars of early Christianity. Early Christian Ritual Life attempts to counteract the undervaluing of ritual by placing it at the forefront of early Christian life. Rather than treating ritual in isolation or in a fragmentary way, this book examines early Christian ritual life as a whole. The authors explore an array of Christian ritual activity, employing theory critically and explicitly to make sense of various ritual behaviors and their interconnections. Written by leading experts in their fields, this collection is divided into three parts: • Interacting with the Divine • Group Interactions • Contesting and Creating Ritual Protocols. This book is ideal for religious studies students seeking an introduction to the dynamic research areas of ritual studies and early Christian practice.

Download or read book Word Made Global written by Mark R. Gornik and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 2011-07-22 with total page 362 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A groundbreaking work of ethnography, urban studies, and theology, Mark Gornik's Word Made Global explores the recent development of African Christianity in New York City. Drawing especially on ten years of intensive research into three very different African immigrant churches, Gornik sheds light on the pastoral, spiritual, and missional dynamics of this exciting global, transnational Christian movement.

Download or read book The Original Bishops written by Alistair C. Stewart and published by Baker Academic. This book was released on 2014-05-06 with total page 414 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Jesus Creed 2015 Book of the Year This work provides a new starting point for studying the origins of church offices. Alistair Stewart, a leading authority on early Christianity and a meticulous scholar, provides essential groundwork for historical and theological discussions. Stewart refutes a long-held consensus that church offices emerged from collective leadership at the end of the first century. He argues that governance by elders was unknown in the first centuries and that bishops emerged at the beginning of the church; however, they were nothing like bishops of a later period. The church offices as presently known emerged in the late second century. Stewart debunks widespread assumptions and misunderstandings, offers carefully nuanced readings of the ancient evidence, and fully interacts with pertinent secondary scholarship.

Download or read book Peter written by Eric C. Stewart and published by Liturgical Press. This book was released on 2012-08-01 with total page 113 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Unlike other New Testament persons described in the Paul's Social Network Series, Peter was a member of Jesus' inner circle during his life and ministry in Galilee. In Peter, Eric Stewart explores the depictions of Peter that appear throughout the New Testament for insights into who he was. Readers will learn what it means that Peter was a villager and a fisherman, a holy person, an authorized change agent, a moral entrepreneur, a healer, a speaker, and a writer. In the end, they will understand Peter's message, and the message of his Master, far more deeply.

Download or read book Knowledge and the Coming Kingdom written by Jonathan Schwiebert and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2008-08-01 with total page 293 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Knowledge and the Coming Kingdom is a study of the meal prayers of Didache 9-10. The opening chapters pursue a sustained argument regarding the relationship between the Didache's meal ritual and the well-known tradition of Jesus' final meal. The central goal of this argument is to clarify that the silence of the Didache's prayers regarding Jesus' sacrificial death is neither trivial nor the result of textual accident, but is instead tied up with how this ritual works as a ritual. Schwiebert aims to counter a weighty tradition of reading the Didache's testimony in light of the New Testament accounts, and so to free the tradition to become an analytical reference point for a consideration of Christian origins. En route to this goal, ritual theory serves as an ally that offers insights into the workings of a uniquely attested ritual. Having isolated the Didache's tradition in this way, he then examines its original milieu, arguing for a branch of the Jesus movement that held to Jesus' teachings as a privileged form of knowledge even while they affirmed the futurity of God's kingdom and their own (eschatological) existence. From this point, he reassesses the various potential parallels to the Didache's prayers, and their degree of sympathy with this ritual form, to reconstruct a trajectory of the ritual's influence in early Christianity. The clues are traced to Egypt, where (as elsewhere) they finally lead to the loss of this ritual form, often for identifiable reasons.