Download or read book The Power of Parable written by John Dominic Crossan and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2012-03-06 with total page 345 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1969, I was teaching at two seminaries inthe Chicago area. One of my courses wason the parables by Jesus and the other wason the resurrection stories about Jesus. I hadobserved that the parabolic stories by Jesusseemed remarkably similar to the resurrectionstories about Jesus. Were the latter intended asparables just as much as the former? Had webeen reading parable, presuming history, andmisunderstanding both? —from The Power of Parable So begins the quest of renowned Jesus scholarJohn Dominic Crossan as he unlocks the truemeanings and purposes of parable in the Bible sothat modern Christians can respond genuinely toJesus's call to fully participate in the kingdom ofGod. In The Power of Parable, Crossan examinesJesus's parables and identifies what he calls the"challenge parable" as Jesus's chosen teaching toolfor gently urging his followers to probe, question,and debate the ideological absolutes of religiousfaith and the presuppositions of social, political,and economic traditions. Moving from parables by Jesus to parables aboutJesus, Crossan then presents the four gospels as"megaparables." By revealing how the gospels arenot reflections of the actual biography of Jesus butrather (mis)interpretations by the gospel writersthemselves, Crossan reaffirms the power of parablesto challenge and enable us to co-create withGod a world of justice, love, and peace.

Download or read book Parable of the Sower written by Octavia E. Butler and published by Grand Central Publishing. This book was released on 2023-03-28 with total page 325 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This acclaimed post-apocalyptic novel of hope and terror from an award-winning author "pairs well with 1984 or The Handmaid's Tale" and includes a foreword by N. K. Jemisin (John Green, New York Times). When global climate change and economic crises lead to social chaos in the early 2020s, California becomes full of dangers, from pervasive water shortage to masses of vagabonds who will do anything to live to see another day. Fifteen-year-old Lauren Olamina lives inside a gated community with her preacher father, family, and neighbors, sheltered from the surrounding anarchy. In a society where any vulnerability is a risk, she suffers from hyperempathy, a debilitating sensitivity to others' emotions. Precocious and clear-eyed, Lauren must make her voice heard in order to protect her loved ones from the imminent disasters her small community stubbornly ignores. But what begins as a fight for survival soon leads to something much more: the birth of a new faith . . . and a startling vision of human destiny.

Download or read book The Mockingbird Parables written by Matt Litton and published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. This book was released on 2010-08-11 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Mockingbird Parables takes readers on an inspiring and engaging journey through Harper Lee’s beloved 1960 literary masterpiece, introducing each character through the lens of faith. The enigmatic Boo Radley as an allegorical representation of God, “the divine, mysterious neighbor” who watches over, protects, and longs to know his children personally. The hero, Atticus Finch, as a model of faith, integrity, and even parenting. The main character, Scout Finch, and what she might teach us about the role of women in church and society. The Mockingbird Parables compels us to ask the often-ignored questions: Do we truly love our neighbors? Are we building community? Are we influencing society for the better? By illuminating the parallels between Christian faith and Lee’s masterpiece, The Mockingbird Parables reaffirms the magnitude of a novel perhaps more relevant today than ever before.

Download or read book Parable of the Talents written by Octavia E. Butler and published by Grand Central Publishing. This book was released on 2023-03-28 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Originally published in 1998, this shockingly prescient novel's timely message of hope and resistance in the face of fanaticism is more relevant than ever. In 2032, Lauren Olamina has survived the destruction of her home and family, and realized her vision of a peaceful community in northern California based on her newly founded faith, Earthseed. The fledgling community provides refuge for outcasts facing persecution after the election of an ultra-conservative president who vows to "make America great again." In an increasingly divided and dangerous nation, Lauren's subversive colony--a minority religious faction led by a young black woman--becomes a target for President Jarret's reign of terror and oppression. Years later, Asha Vere reads the journals of a mother she never knew, Lauren Olamina. As she searches for answers about her own past, she also struggles to reconcile with the legacy of a mother caught between her duty to her chosen family and her calling to lead humankind into a better future.

Download or read book The Parable of the Lily written by Liz Curtis Higgs and published by Thomas Nelson. This book was released on 2007-02-04 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Maggie, the farmer's youngest daughter, loves getting gifts, especially mysterious ones. One wintry day, she receives a package in the mail. She excitedly opens the package to find a bulb buried in a crate of dirt. This was not what Maggie expected. She had hoped for a doll or a game, not a bulb that would one day become a plant. When spring comes, she finds the bulb in the cellar and tosses the lifeless thing into the garden, never to think of it again. . . . Until she walks outside on Easter morning and finds the most beautiful lily she has ever seen. Through the unique gift of a bulb, Maggie discovers the power of grace and forgiveness and the true meaning of Easter.

Download or read book The First Christmas written by Marcus J. Borg and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2009-10-13 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Who could argue with the message the authors draw from the Bible’s Christmas stories? Light in the darkest time of the year, hope in a period of creeping despair—these are powerful and universal themes that can give everyone a stake in Christmas.” —USA Today In The First Christmas Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan—top Jesus scholars and authors of The Last Week—help us see the real Christmas story buried in the familiar Bible accounts. Basing their interpretations on the two nativity narratives in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, Borg and Crossan focus on the literal story—the inner truth rather than the historical facts—to offer a clear and uplifting message of hope and peace. With The First Christmas readers get a fresh, deep, and new understanding of the nativity story, enabling us to better appreciate the powerful message of the Gospels.

Download or read book Living the Parables written by Hank Smith and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Living the Parables: Applying Christ's Teachings to Our Lives, readers are presented with commentary from generations of Church leaders and religious scholars, as well as modern-day interpretations of the underlying significance of each account. This volume will inspire followers of Christ to draw on the power of His Atonement by embracing a deeper understanding of His parables

Download or read book The Parable of the Golden Pathway written by Jenny Harris Phillips and published by Deseret Book. This book was released on 2010-01-01 with total page 43 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When the Light Maker's messenger comes to Sarah's town and invites everyone to come and live in the Kingdom of Light, many accept the offer and embark on the golden pathway. Throughout her journey, Sarah learns that, though the pathway may not always be easy, the blessings are priceless and eternal.

Download or read book Passage to the House of Power written by Jim Samra and published by . This book was released on 2021-12-28 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the world of Sebi, the spiritual world is rendered visible. As Rom awakens in this new world, he begins his long journey home, ignorant of the role for which he has been chosen and unaware of the powers aligned to stop him. A bird, a scroll, and weapons of great power are entrusted to him along the way as he discovers unexpected parallels between his journey and those who came before him. As Rom discovers more of the how the spiritual world of Sebi works, his own shortcomings and potential are also revealed. Battles against external foes are matched by Rom's internal struggle to overcome pride, insecurity, selfishness, people-pleasing, and his own cravings. Guides, gifts, and friends emerge along the way as he is led toward an all-important decision.

Download or read book 10 Minute Moments Parables written by Scott Firestone, IV and published by Group Publishing (Company). This book was released on 2010-11-18 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A daily devotional that's set up as a journal. Students read a Bible passage, chew on a few questions, consider some suggestions for prayer topics and write their thoughts in their books.

Download or read book The Power of Parables written by Drniel F. Owsley and published by Booktango. This book was released on 2012-06-14 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Matthew s Parable of the Royal Wedding Feast written by Ruth Christa Mathieson and published by SBL Press. This book was released on 2023-06-02 with total page 427 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ruth Christa Mathieson’s unique reading of Matthew’s parable of the royal wedding feast (Matt 22:1–14), which concludes with the king’s demand that one of the guests be bound and cast out into the outer darkness, focuses on the means of the underdressed guest’s expulsion. Using sociorhetorical interpretation, Mathieson draws the parable into conversation with early Jewish narratives of the angel Raphael binding hands and feet (1 Enoch; Tobit) and the protocol for expelling individuals from the community in Matt 18. She asserts that readers are invited to consider if the person who is bound and cast out is a danger to the little ones of the community of faith unless removed and restrained.

Download or read book The Parables of Jesus and the Problems of the World written by Richard Q. Ford and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2016-09-09 with total page 182 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Remarkable is how extensively in each parable Jesus provides a subtle but rich array of unexpected possibilities hidden within the hierarchies of power so commonplace in his world. By doing so he profoundly addresses the perils inherent in the prerogatives of many of us living in today's world. In these ancient interpersonal tragedies, readers can discover modern global analogues--where the powerful still control the powerless and where others of us, immersed as we are in privilege, are still willing to side with control.

Download or read book The John Dominic Crossan Essential Set written by John Dominic Crossan and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2014-04-15 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The eBook collection of four complete works by bestselling author and leading historical Jesus scholar John Dominic Crossan, including Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography, The Birth of Christianity, The Power of Parable, and The Greatest Prayer.

Download or read book Parable Church written by Mike Burnette and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2021-03-30 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Parable Church, pastor and author Mike Burnette unpacks unique insights from Jesus' parables that can help us understand and experience the full, transformative life in community we are divinely intended to live. Christ never actually told us how to "do church." Yes, he had a lot to say about the church, but what he did say was mostly unrelated to stylistic issues or contextual trends. He never spoke about its leadership hierarchies or the pros and cons of denominational fellowships or the types of music. And yet, much of our time and energy as leaders and shepherds is consumed by chasing after tips, tricks, and secrets to "grow" churches. While we've tended to focus on church growth through strategies, programs, and metric-based insights, Christ always focused on the heart and the values of the Father, the values that actually change lives and increase the spiritual health of his people. By digging deeply into three important parables: The Parable of the Two Sons The Parable of the Sower The Parable of the Talents Parable Church weaves together personal narratives, unique cultural observations, and compellingly fresh biblical insights to paint a picture of something unimaginably greater than what most people think of when they think of Jesus' Church. Although Jesus never gave us directions for church, he did, through his parables, reveal what we should experience in our communities together--he revealed the culture of his kingdom.

Download or read book The Good News of the Return of the King written by Michael T. Jahosky and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2020-09-15 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although many people today reject Christianity for intellectual reasons, greater numbers of people are rejecting Christianity because it does not engage their imagination. Christians must not only demonstrate that the Christian worldview is true, but that it is also good, beautiful, and relevant. The Good News of the Return of the King: The Gospel in Middle-earth is a book that endeavors to show the truth, goodness, and beauty of Jesus Christ, the gospel, and the biblical metanarrative by engaging the imagination through J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, as well as The Hobbit and The Silmarillion. In this book, I propose that J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings is a story about what Jesus' parables are about: the good news about the return of the king. As a work of imaginative fiction similar to Jesus' parables, The Lord of the Rings can bypass both intellectual and imaginative objections to the gospel and pull back the "veil of familiarity" that obscures the gospel for many.

Download or read book Tell Me the Stories of Jesus written by R. Albert Mohler, Jr. and published by Thomas Nelson. This book was released on 2022-06-14 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Tell Me the Stories of Jesus, pastor and theologian R. Albert Mohler Jr. reveals the unique power of Jesus' parables for today's readers, showing how they announce the kingdom, communicate both judgment and grace, and call every human heart toward transformation in the light of God's love. "He who has ears, let him hear…" The Prodigal Son. The Good Samaritan. The parable of the mustard seed. The stories Jesus told during his earthly ministry are packed with such memorable images and characters that they now permeate our culture's popular imagination. But what if their familiarity has muted their powerful message, causing today's readers to miss their ability to shock and transform? In Tell Me the Stories of Jesus, renowned pastor and theologian R. Albert Mohler Jr. unlocks the power of Jesus' parables for readers today. Jesus perfected the art of telling parables--short stories with a surprising twist and an explosive message that confronted his listeners with surprising (and often uncomfortable) truths about the human heart and the kingdom of heaven. But two thousand years later, modern readers may not grasp the cultural and historical context that made these stories so compelling for Jesus' original audience. Mohler brings Jesus' stories to life, uncovering the context and allowing readers to hear these stories in all their shocking, paradigm-shifting power. Readers will feel a deeper connection with Jesus by stepping into the shoes of his first-century followers and hearing with fresh ears the stories he shared with his closest followers; gain a deeper understanding of the gospel through Jesus' own words; and see the parables in a new light, experiencing--perhaps for the first time--their ability to draw people into Jesus' kingdom. Every parable Jesus told contains judgment and grace. They hold up a mirror that reveals the human heart--and invites everyone to welcome Jesus' kingdom and reign. Will you have ears to hear their vital message?