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The Pauline epistles are filled with beautiful and provocative metaphors for the church: it is a bride, a body, a flock, a temple. Each of these metaphors emphasizes the central unity and indivisibility of the people of God. Yet how do Christians live out this unity in the face of ethnic conflict, tribalism, and political divisions? In this powerful application of Paul''s teaching, Fabrice S. Katembo explores the mystery of the church in an African context, arguing that the greatest challenge facing God''s people is not external threat, but internal discord. Katembo draws his reader''s attention back to the unifying work of Christ, who died to abolish all walls of separation and in whom we are one, no matter the tongue, tribe, or nation. Providing an overview of Paul''s life and ministry, and engaging the work of renown theologians such as John Mbiti and Kwame Bediako, this is an excellent resource for anyone facing intercultural tensions within the church. It is also a vital reminder that far from harmless, divisions between believers threaten to cripple the body of Christ by distorting its witness, injuring its members, and separating what Christ died to unify.

Interpersonal conflict is one of the greatest threats to the health and growth of the church worldwide. Yet despite their best intentions, Christian leaders often discover that the cause of recurring conflict remains unclear and prescribed techniques for conflict resolution are ineffective in their communities. In this Sri Lankan case study, Dr Mano Emmanuel examines the specifics of interpersonal conflict within a shame-oriented culture. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, she incorporates cultural anthropology, missiology, and communication studies into her analysis, identifying seven aspects of culture that must be addressed if reconciliation is to be fully experienced in the Sri Lankan church. Highlighting the parallels between contemporary honor-shame cultures and the honor-shame context of the New Testament, the author provides specific suggestions for experiencing biblical reconciliation while maintaining cultural sensitivity and protecting the honor of those involved.

People are desperate for leaders who are credible – those who possess a moral center and exhibit sound leadership skills. Given our global realities, we need strategic leaders who possess cultural intelligence and theological discernment. The aim of this book is to shape such leaders. Each chapter combines careful research with contributions from leaders around the world. These voices bring much-needed insight to leadership issues when translated and applied in different settings, espec

Christians can often overlook the need to bring their daily vocations in accord with the reality created, sustained, and purposed through Christ. This is no less true for language teachers, who find themselves at a difficult interdisciplinary crossroads where the paths of linguistics, culture and education merge. This challenge should not discourage these educators, but instead aid them in their journey to form a pedagogy rooted in theological truths from Scripture, one that provides a nuance

God as Trinity is at the core of the mystery and otherness of the divine nature of God. It has also been a frequent barrier to those who hold to the Absolute Oneness of God. In this combined work Dr Imad Shehadeh demonstrates the inevitability of the Trinity by exposing the conflict that Absolute Oneness faced historically. Dr Shehadeh presents the beautiful logic of the Trinity and explains how the display of God’s attributes in creation derives from the self-sustaining relationships in his triune nature as Father, Spirit and Son. The book climaxes in revealing the transforming power of the Trinity when applied to life.Followers of Christ will find their worship and love of God enhanced through the rich truths this book contains; followers of Islam will find confusion about the Triune God cleared up removing stumbling blocks to understanding the Bible’s message.

The message of the kingdom of God, as brought to us by Christ, is a message that overturns hierarchies, sets free the enslaved, and breaks the power of the curse upon humanity. Yet when it comes to women, the church has chosen all too often to live according to the structures of sin and death, offering them not the good news of Christ, but the curse of Genesis, as their inheritance.In this powerful and challenging text, Ksenija Magda traces the impact of the curse – and the ever-present temptation to choose the world and its power over the servant-hearted humility of Christ – on our families, our church structures, our nations, and ultimately, our gospel witness. The question of how we view, treat, oppress or empower women is not, Magda reminds us, peripheral to the gospel but foundational. She warns that if men and women will not partner together in building the kingdom of God, they will find themselves partners in the work of upholding the world’s structures of power and oppression.Will we choose to bless the curse or to redeem it? To live in the death that our foreparents chose in the garden, or accept the life and freedom held out to us by Christ? This is a question upon which human history and the hope of our restoration hangs.

Poverty reduction is a worldwide concern, yet if the church is to play an effective role in its alleviation, an approach that is both biblical and contextual is required.In Poverty, the Bible, and Africa, Isaac Boaheng formulates a theology of poverty that engages Scripture, African traditional wisdom, and contemporary African concerns to create a paradigm for understanding and alleviating poverty in Africa. Boaheng highlights that, whatever our cultural context, God frowns upon materialism, extravagance, and love for riches; yet the author also demonstrates why a contextual theology must address people’s societal and cultural needs alongside spiritual ones. If we desire a model for poverty reduction that is both theologically sound and contextually appropriate, we must facilitate an encounter between the teachings of Scripture and the socio-economic, political, and religious realities of a particular context.Combining in-depth cultural analysis with careful exegetical reflection, this book offers refreshing insight into the challenge of confronting poverty in Africa. Boaheng’s approach, however, is relevant far beyond the continent and is transferable to any context where others are seeking to effectively understand and combat poverty.

In this holistic study of the integration of faith and learning, Dr. Sarinah Lo challenges the Western tendency to privilege knowing over being and doing. In the context of Indonesian higher education, Dr. Lo addresses the cognitive, affective, spiritual, relational, and vocational aspects of human nature. She demonstrates that effective integration of faith and learning must reach beyond the academic disciplines to address the formation of a Christian perspective in all areas of life, thought, and practice.Utilizing in-depth interviews and qualitative analysis, Dr. Lo's field research explores the specific challenges facing Christian faculty in Indonesia, where the rise of radical Islam and the pressure to conform to state ideology raise unique questions about the nature of faith-learning integration. The first study of its kind, this is an excellent resource for educators wanting to think more broadly about what it means to follow Christ in the classroom, pushing beyond Western models of integration to embrace the more holistic approach of faith-integrated being, knowing, and doing.

Most Christians, whether preachers or not, are familiar with the Lord’s Prayer; maybe too familiar. In this excellent devotional, Geoff New urges us to encounter the Lord’s Prayer again – to encounter it as a text that is urgent and powerful, speaking directly to the needs and longings of the human heart.Written primarily with preachers in mind, this book addresses common ministry challenges, such as discouragement and isolation, and demonstrates how the Lord’s Prayer can meet us in every season of the Christian life. Stories from the author’s life and ministry illustrate the message of each chapter, and readers are encouraged to reflect on their own experiences as they prayerfully encounter the life, death, and resurrection of Christ as reflected in the phrases of the Lord’s Prayer.

Dr. Mwaniki Karura provides fresh insight into the Gospel of Mark, its audience, and its purpose in this in-depth study of the Markan text and its oral context. Through careful analysis of the rhetorical layers in Mark, Karura establishes the use of Old Testament quotations, miracle stories, and the passion narratives as tools to galvanize its readers’ response to the oral gospel they had already received. Dr. Karura demonstrates how Mark’s gospel exists as both a challenge and an encouragement, utilizing parables such as the sower and that of the wicked tenants, to reflect its readers’ own hearts. In condemning its audience’s lukewarm response to the gospel they had heard preached, it simultaneously seeks to inspire obedience, faith, and whole-hearted passion for that same gospel. This is an excellent resource for scholars and preachers alike, as they seek to further understand the Markan text, its first-century audience, and the context of the early church.

Sarah’s Laughter provides a reflection on suffering that is deeply personal and both theologically and philosophically astute.Vinoth Ramachandra draws on his distinctive positioning as a Sri Lankan Christian theologian – one who has lived and ministered in contexts shaped by the destruction of natural disasters and the violence of human evil – to confront the intellectual, moral, and political challenges posed to faith in the increasingly broken world of the twenty-first century. Yet far from being an abstract discussion of theodicy, this book is intimate and vulnerable, embracing the biblical practice of lament and inviting an authentic response to grief – one that makes space for serious doubt and profound questioning. Sharing his own ongoing journey with suffering and a questing faith, Ramachandra reminds us that lament and joy, faith and protest, clarity and ambiguity, belong together in faithful Christian discipleship. It is not in bypassing the darkness of the world, but in embracing it – in imitation of the incarnate God – that we may glimpse the new creation.

At the heart of the gospel is the message of the incarnation: God translating himself into the context of human culture and language so we might know him. Far from coming to an end with Christ’s life on earth, this process of contextualization is ongoing, reoccurring every time the gospel encounters the particularities of society and culture.In this book, Dr Tan explores the significance of contextualized preaching within the Chinese context. Against the backdrop of three major festivals – the Spring Festival, the Qing Ming Festival, and the Hungry Ghost Festival – Tan examines the practices of six experienced Chinese preachers in order to demonstrate the theological and practical importance of contextualized preaching. As a result of his research, Tan suggests six main principles for contextual preaching – principles that are rooted within a Chinese context, yet applicable to anyone seeking to express the gospel’s relevance within a particular cultural setting. Combining insights from biblical studies, applied theology, and ethnography, this interdisciplinary study will enrich one’s understanding of Chinese culture, the gospel, and the important and necessary work of contextualization.