Blog
Understanding the different cultural, historical, and socio-economic contexts in which Christians live and God acts is critical to developing a full understanding of God and his Kingdom. Too often voices from these diverse contexts are suppressed or excluded in favor of voices from the dominant culture. But God is not limited by context. He is
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The Care of Souls invites a new generation of pastors to form the godly habits and practical wisdom needed to minister to the hearts and souls of those committed to their care. In this interview with author Harold Senkbeil, we discuss his decades of pastoral experience, what it was like to win three book of the
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May is Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. To commemorate, we’re highlighting Finding Our Voice, a forthcoming book focused on preaching to Asian North American (ANA) audiences. Finding Our Voice is a gift that reminds ANA preachers of the value of our ethnic heritages and multicultural identities in proclaiming the gospel, even if experiences of
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Installing the new priest The Old Testament gave instructions concerning the priestly cult, yet these were only shadows. In these images it became clear the priesthood was lacking––it could never make perfect. The priests served as flawed individuals for a flawed nation. They sacrificed in tents and temples with the blood of animals. They came
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Sometimes new does not mean better. In recent decades Biblical Greek textbooks have pursued simplicity, but simplicity brings simplification. John Schwandt believes that the older approaches are better for truly understanding the language. John Schwandt’s An Introduction to Biblical Greek builds upon a classic approach to learning Greek. Schwandt believes the student must understand how
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The Pharisees are my friends and ancient Romans are my companions. This is because I’ve spent so much time in ancient literature. After doing a doctorate in rabbinic studies, it seemed that my New Testament had altered. It no longer contained obscure concepts and strange language—it was full of the concerns and terminology of my
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While we fully acknowledge the subjective nature of ministry, it is still vitally important to have hard numbers to also assess the output of your church’s hard work. It is not about mere numbers, but the numbers do tell a story about your church you need to listen to. This can include things like your
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In The Bedrock of Christianity, Justin Bass shows how—regardless of one’s feelings about Christianity—there lies a bedrock of truths about Jesus’ life and ministry that are held by virtually all scholars of ancient history, classics, and biblical studies. Through an examination of each of these key facts, readers will encounter the unalterable truths upon which
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“There is good news and there is bad news. Which would you like to hear first?” We’ve all been asked this question about a host of issues. Personally, I often prefer to hear bad news first to get it out of the way. But I’m going to step out of character and offer the good news first. The
Read moreProbably in every town, there is that one unfinished building project people drive by and just shake their heads. In the city the two of us live in, there is a giant hole in the ground that is the only remnant of a two billion-dollar (yes, billion with a “b”) construction project encompassing 175 acres
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