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Description:Creative Ways to Build Christian Community is exactly what its title says it is: a very personal, practical response to the present and future prospect of isolation, a treasure trove of examples and suggestions about how to accomplish the Great Commission from community builders telling how, over the years and the ministries, they have implemented creative ways to build up churches and organizations to develop more intensive Christian fellowship and, thereby, create community. --Dr. William David SpencerEndorsements:""Creative Ways to Build Christian Community invites the reader to remember and act on the foundational need of the church to build community. Such a need may seem obvious, but too many of us today do not give community-building the attention and recognition it deserves. This is a delightful, homey, practical, and personal presentation of how community is encouraged through special meetings, meals, the arts, and prayer in the church and outside it. . . . This book is a banquet of approaches to foster the church as a nourishing, active Christian community; Christ himself invites us to the Supper.""--Aída Besançon Spencer, Professor of New Testament, Gordon-Conwell Theological SeminaryAbout the Contributor(s):Jeanne C. DeFazio holds a MA in Religion from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. She is currently an Athanasian Teaching Scholar at Gordon-Conwell''s Center for Urban Ministerial Education, in Boston and a coauthor, with Teresa Flowers, of How to Have an Attitude of Gratitude on the Night Shift (2011).John P. Lathrop holds a MA in Urban Ministry from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He is an ordained minister with the International Fellowship of Christian Assemblies and author of four books: Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers Then and Now (2008); The Power and Practice of the Church: God, Discipleship, and Ministry (2010); Answer the Prayer of Jesus: A Call for Biblical Unity (2011); and Dreams & Visions: Divine Interventions in Human Experience (2012).

Do the little things we do and say really make a difference in the lives of others? Some Men Are Our Heroes answers this question with a resounding "yes" as eight accomplished Christian women tell the stories of the men in their lives who helped them achieve remarkable things for God's kingdom. These touching stories of women from around the world and the fathers, husbands, brothers, pastors, colleagues, and friends who encouraged, strengthened, and challenged them along their life journeys will warm the hearts of women and men alike.

The Goddess Revival is a Christianity Today Book Award Winner, 1996. ""All of the authors are clearly sympathetic to the problems women have faced in the church throughout its history. They empathize with women who shun the patriarchal oppression of their churches to turn to goddess spirituality. They are also solidly grounded in the Scriptures, Christian theology and church history. They recognize the bondage imposed by goddess worship. This book presents a scholarly and clear consideration of the issues involved and builds a strong case for Christianity as the most woman-friendly alternative. While providing a comprehensive study of goddess spirituality and examining the roots of the movement, the authors focus primarily on God and the way people have understood God through the centuries--in both paganism and the Judeo-Christian tradition--as both male and female. They demonstrate how the uniqueness of God contrasts with the multiplicity of gods and goddesses in pagan spiritualities, while comparing the values in both traditions that are similar (that is, a search for what is good, inner empowerment, unity, positive social change). In the process of building a clear Christian theology, they gently counter the arguments of their pagan opponents. In the end, the reader is left with a glorious picture of the one true God and a clear apologetic for those in nursing who insist that the Christian God is too oppressive and patriarchal to merit our allegience. The appendixes provide a powerful case study of a young woman drawn into witchcraft. She explains why it appealed to her, then how it enslaved her and destroyed her marriage and other relationships. . . The two final appendixes offer some excellent biblical studies on the issues raised in the book. The total package provides an outstanding resource"" -- Journal of Christian Nursing

Domestic abuse is a horror. It lurks beneath the surface of our collective existence, sometimes raising its ugly head where least expected-in the church or within families of faith. Are we-individually or collectively-ready to respond? What can, or should, congregations and their pastoral leaders do? And, as we survey the Christian landscape across the United States and Canada, are we as the community of faith stepping up to the challenge presented by violence in the family?There is no easy answer to the problems that surface when abuse impacts the Christian family. But each of the authors contributing to this volume believes fervently that it is imperative that followers of Jesus and their spiritual shepherds respond to the cries for help. To respond well necessitates both knowledge and a willingness to act.This book is here to help. It represents a collective effort to bring all of us a step farther in our journey of walking with Christ over a sea of troubled waters. None of us know as much as we should, but all of us can learn from one another. Throughout the collection we provide an opportunity to examine a diversity of perspectives, with the hope that each will in some way advance our understanding of the complexity of domestic violence issues in our midst-within our churches and the communities where our churches minister.Nancy Nason-Clark is Professor of Sociology at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, Canada. She is the author of many books including, The Battered Wife: How Christians Confront Family Violence (1997), No Place for Abuse: Biblical and Practical Resources to Counteract Domestic Violence (2nd edition, 2010; with Catherine Clark Kroeger), and Refuge from Abuse: Hope and Healing for Abused Religious Women (2004; with Catherine Clark Kroeger). Catherine Clark Kroeger was Adjunct Associate Professor of Classical and Ministry Studies at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. With James Beck she edited Women, Abuse, and the Bible (1996), and with Mary Evans she edited the IVP Women's Bible Commentary (2002). She is a co-founder of Christians for Biblical Equality, and with her late husband Richard Kroeger, she wrote I Suffer Not a Woman (1992).Barbara Fisher-Townsend is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, Canada. Since 2005 she has been involved in the Lilly funded RAVE Project. She co-edited Beyond Abuse in the Christian Home: Raising Voices for Change (2008). At present, she is working on a co-authored book manuscript with Nancy Nason-Clark on religious men who act abusively.

Global Voices on Biblical Equality is a fresh look at the contextualizing of gender equality throughout the world. Biblical equality is a burgeoning, global reform movement led by scholars and leaders not only in North America but also on every continental landmass in the world. What inroads is biblical equality making around the globe? What is its appeal? What still needs reform? How is biblical equality transforming each culture? In this book, female and male writers who are ethnically part of every continent explore the contextual challenges, successes, and adaptations of engaging the biblical text on gender and ministry.The contributors write on Asia and Asian America (India, China, Korean America), Africa (Zimbabwe)and African America Indigenous America and Latin America (Native America, Hispanic America, Brazilian America), and Western Europe and Australia and North America. The editors and authors are Aida Besancon Spencer, William David Spencer, Ranked Adjunct, and Mimi Haddad. Other contributors are Ellen Alexander, Beulah Wood, Cecilia Yau, Matthew D. Kim, Constantine M. Murefu, Darin Vincent Poullard, Sandra Gatlin Whitley, Awilda Gonzalez-Tejera, John Runyon, and Eliana Marques Runyon, Elke Werner, Roland Werner, Kevin Giles, and Roberta Hestenes.Aida Besancon Spencer is Professor of New Testament at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts. She is the author of Beyond the Curse: Women Called to Ministry, Paul's Literary Style, and 2 Corinthians (Daily Bible Commentary). She has coedited The Global God: Multicultural Evangelical Views of God as well as Joy through the Night: Biblical Resources for Suffering People.William David Spencer is Founding Pastor of Encouragement, Pilgrim Church, Beverly, Massachusetts, teaches theology for Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Boston, and is the author or editor of ten books, including Mysterium and Mystery, Chanting Down Babylon, and Dread Jesus. He has also written more than one hundred articles, reviews, stories and poems.Mimi Haddad serves as President of Christians for Biblical Equality (www.cbeinternational.org) and as an adjunct professor of church history at North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago, Illinois. She has written numerous articles and contributed to seven books, and she speaks to diverse audiences on gender and faith.

In January 2004 a newly founded evangelical organization called PASCH was formed. The word denotes the Passover or time of new beginnings--when God kept people safe in their own homes before leading them into freedom from abuse and oppression. Yet the word PASCH also stands for Peace and Safety in the Christian Home. PASCH began as a small group of therapists, sociologists, domestic-violence experts, clergy, biblical scholars, survivors--and dedicated Christians. In essence, PASCH was born out of the cries, confusion, and frustration of the people of God. As we encountered many horrifying situations of domestic abuse in Christian homes, those of us who seek to address various aspects of the issue concluded that we needed a fellowship of concerted study, prayer, and action. It was the dream of Catherine Clark Kroeger that an edited book might emerge from the 2005 and 2006 PASCH conferences in order that the papers, presentations, and discussions might be widely available. We found that to make that happen, we needed to work together: that each of us possessed one piece of the puzzle, and that by God's grace we could collectively begin to put the pieces together. The topic of abuse is ugly, which is why so many Christians shy away from discussing it. But in this volume we have tried to present an accurate, faith-based analysis of abuse in the Christian family context. We hope that various chapters stimulate discussion--sometimes debate--and in so doing prompt pastor and people to action.We call on you the reader to consider the various ideas and perspectives offered throughout the book. Hopefully each chapter will prompt you to consider afresh how you conceptualize violence among families of faith. Like you, the reader, the contributors to our collection come from various faith traditions, work in different contexts, and see the issue in part based on their own narrative and training. Yet, despite our differences--and our ongoing debates--we are unanimous that violence has no place in the home. Every home should be a safe place; every home a shelter. When abuse occurs in families of faith, it is the responsibility of the church to offer compassion and support to victims and to call those who act abusively to accountability and justice. Our edited collection includes¿ Dan Allender speaking from the heart about the impact of the fall on relationships between men and women;¿ Al Miles reflecting on his pastoral experience of the difficulties and opportunities of speaking out against violence in Christian families;¿ Bruce and Karen McAndless-Davis offering one couple's story of the long journey toward accountability and dramatic change;¿ Julie Owens retelling her own dramatic story of abuse, the life imprisonment of her ex-partner and what she wished every pastor knew about domestic violence.Catherine Clark Kroeger is an adjunct associate professor of classical and ministry studies at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. With James Beck she edited Women, Abuse, and the Bible (1996) and Healing the Hurting (1998). With Mary Evans she edited the IVP Women's Bible Commentary (2002). With Nancy Nason-Clark she has written No Place for Abuse: Biblical and Practical Resources to Counteract Domestic Violence (2001) and Refuge from Abuse: Healing and Hope for Abused Religious Women (2004). Together with husband, Richard Kroeger, she wrote I Suffer Not A Woman (1992). She is cofounder of Christians for Biblical Equality.Nancy Nason-Clark is a professor of sociology at the University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, Canada, where she has taught for the past twenty years. She received her PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science, London, England. Her books include The Battered Wife: How Christians Confront Family Violence (1997), No Place for Abuse: Biblical and Practical Resources to Counteract Domestic Violence (with Catherine Clark Kroeger, 2001), Refuge from Abuse: Healing and Hope for Abused Religio

Joy Through the Night uniquely combines personal experience and scholarship in order that readers may face the most difficult questions Christians can ask: If God is good and all-powerful, how can the world be so shot through with evil? What about the pain of so many children and other innocent people? And why is God letting me hurt so much, so long?Aida and William Spencer draw on the suffering they have faced--including chronic disease and the untimely death of a sibling--to ask these questions on a practical, down-to-earth level. But they also draw on their extensive theological training and ministry experience to present biblical resources for dealing with suffering.In the end, this is a book both realistic and hopeful, offering reassurance that even in the midst of pain we can know joy as we learn to rely on God and the communal care of the church. It will prove a valuable aid to those who minister to them.Aida Besancon Spencer is Professor of New Testament at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and author of Beyond the Curse. Her spouse, William David Spencer, is a pastor, Adjunct Associate Professor of Theology and the Arts at Gordon-Conwell, and author of Mysterium and Mystery.