Apostle of Persuasion

Apostle of Persuasion PDF Author: James W. Thompson
Publisher: Baker Academic
ISBN: 1493423614
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 322

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Book Description
This book is the culmination of a career of researching and teaching Paul's letters. Highly respected senior New Testament scholar James Thompson offers a unique approach to Pauline theology, focusing on Paul's attempts to persuade his audience toward moral formation. Thompson recognizes Paul as a pastor who brought together theology and rhetoric to encourage spiritual formation in his communities. Attempts to find total consistency in Paul's writings fail, says Thompson, because Paul's persuasive tactics changed depending on the situation he was addressing.

Apostle of Persuasion

Apostle of Persuasion PDF Author: James W. Thompson
Publisher: Baker Academic
ISBN: 1493423614
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 322

Get Book

Book Description
This book is the culmination of a career of researching and teaching Paul's letters. Highly respected senior New Testament scholar James Thompson offers a unique approach to Pauline theology, focusing on Paul's attempts to persuade his audience toward moral formation. Thompson recognizes Paul as a pastor who brought together theology and rhetoric to encourage spiritual formation in his communities. Attempts to find total consistency in Paul's writings fail, says Thompson, because Paul's persuasive tactics changed depending on the situation he was addressing.

Paul's Theology of Preaching

Paul's Theology of Preaching PDF Author: Duane Litfin
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 0830898557
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 397

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Book Description
"We preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." When Paul preached about the crucified and risen Jesus Christ to the church at Corinth and elsewhere, did he follow the well-established rhetorical strategy of his day or did he pursue a different path? And what does that mean for the preaching of the church today? Through a detailed analysis of 1 Corinthians 1-4, Duane Litfin explores the rhetorical context of Paul?s preaching and his own understanding of his task as a preacher. What is revealed in this investigation is a sharp distinction between Greco-Roman rhetorical strategies, which sought to persuade, and Paul?s theology of preaching, which was based on the model of an obedient herald. This revised and expanded version of Litfin's previous St. Paul's Theology of Proclamation will provide insight to those engaged in Pauline and New Testament studies, rhetorical theory, and Greco-Roman studies. Moreover, by offering a better understanding of Paul's method as well as the content of his declaration concerning "the power and wisdom of God" revealed in Jesus, this book will help preachers as they undertake the ongoing task to "preach Christ crucified."

Paul Among the People

Paul Among the People PDF Author: Sarah Ruden
Publisher: Image
ISBN: 0307379027
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 241

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Book Description
It is a common—and fundamental—misconception that Paul told people how to live. Apart from forbidding certain abusive practices, he never gives any precise instructions for living. It would have violated his two main social principles: human freedom and dignity, and the need for people to love one another. Paul was a Hellenistic Jew, originally named Saul, from the tribe of Benjamin, who made a living from tent making or leatherworking. He called himself the “Apostle to the Gentiles” and was the most important of the early Christian evangelists. Paul is not easy to understand. The Greeks and Romans themselves probably misunderstood him or skimmed the surface of his arguments when he used terms such as “law” (referring to the complex system of Jewish religious law in which he himself was trained). But they did share a language—Greek—and a cosmopolitan urban culture, that of the Roman Empire. Paul considered evangelizing the Greeks and Romans to be his special mission. “For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” The idea of love as the only rule was current among Jewish thinkers of his time, but the idea of freedom being available to anyone was revolutionary. Paul, regarded by Christians as the greatest interpreter of Jesus’ mission, was the first person to explain how Christ’s life and death fit into the larger scheme of salvation, from the creation of Adam to the end of time. Preaching spiritual equality and God’s infinite love, he crusaded for the Jewish Messiah to be accepted as the friend and deliverer of all humankind. In Paul Among the People, Sarah Ruden explores the meanings of his words and shows how they might have affected readers in his own time and culture. She describes as well how his writings represented the new church as an alternative to old ways of thinking, feeling, and living. Ruden translates passages from ancient Greek and Roman literature, from Aristophanes to Seneca, setting them beside famous and controversial passages of Paul and their key modern interpretations. She writes about Augustine; about George Bernard Shaw’s misguided notion of Paul as “the eternal enemy of Women”; and about the misuse of Paul in the English Puritan Richard Baxter’s strictures against “flesh-pleasing.” Ruden makes clear that Paul’s ethics, in contrast to later distortions, were humane, open, and responsible. Paul Among the People is a remarkable work of scholarship, synthesis, and understanding; a revelation of the founder of Christianity.

Focusing on Paul

Focusing on Paul PDF Author: Andrie du Toit
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter
ISBN: 3110914557
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 461

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Book Description
In the early 1970’s, due to serious epistemological flaws, the demise of traditional New Testament research paradigms became imminent. A new generation of scholars started the search for a fresh approach, based on scientifically sound principles. Working within the stimulating atmosphere of the New Testament Society of South Africa, the author was one of the pioneers in developing a new, multi-dimensional research approach for New Testament studies. The articles in the present volume, written over a period of 25 years, reflect part of this journey, as viewed from a Pauline perspective. Combining the positive aspects of the traditional biblical research paradigms with the important insights of modern linguistics, literary science, semantics and pragmatics, particularly rhetoric, the author investigates the convergence of various influences in Paul’s pre-christian career. He proposes new possibilities of understanding Paul’s language and style, such as hyperbolical contrasts, typical of his Semitic background. Various aspects of his strategies of persuasion are investigated, such as creating an ethos, vilification, alienation and re-identification. The majority of articles concentrate on central elements in Pauline theology: belief in the resurrection of Jesus, the centrality of grace, the in Christ and related formulae, faith and obedience, justification in Romans, Christian identity, ethics and ethos, as portrayed in Romans.

New Testament Rhetoric

New Testament Rhetoric PDF Author: Ben Witherington
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1556359292
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 285

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Book Description
Witherington provides a much-needed introduction to the ancient art of persuasion and its use within the various New Testament documents. More than just an exploration of the use of the ancient rhetorical tools and devices, this guide introduces the reader to all that went into convincing an audience about some subject. Witherington makes the case that rhetorical criticism is a more fruitful approach to the NT epistles than the oft-employed approaches of literary and discourse criticism. Familiarity with the art of rhetoric also helps the reader explore non-epistolary genres. In addition to the general introduction to rhetorical criticism, the book guides readers through the many and varied uses of rhetoric in most NT documents-not only telling readers about rhetoric in the NT, but showing them the way it was employed. This brief guide book is intended to provide the reader with an entrance into understanding the rhetorical analysis of various parts of the NT, the value such studies bring for understanding what is being proclaimed and defended in the NT, and how Christ is presented in ways that would be considered persuasive in antiquity. - from the introduction

Apostle of the Crucified Lord

Apostle of the Crucified Lord PDF Author: Gorman, Michael
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
ISBN: 0802874282
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 731

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Book Description
THIS COMPREHENSIVE, WIDELY USED TEXT by Michael Gorman presents a theologically focused, historically grounded interpretation of the apostle Paul and raises significant questions for engaging Paul today. After providing substantial background information on Paul's world, career, letters, gospel, spirituality, and theology, Gorman covers in full detail each of the thirteen Pauline epistles. Enhancing the text are questions for reflection and discussion at the end of each chapter as well as numerous photos, maps, and tables throughout. The new introduction in this second edition helpfully situates the book within current approaches to Paul. Gorman also brings the conversation up-to-date with major recent developments in Pauline studies and devotes greater attention to themes of participation, transformation, resurrection, justice, and peace.

Seasoned Speech

Seasoned Speech PDF Author: James E. Beitler III
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 0830871209
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 261

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Book Description
The Christian faith depends to a great degree on persuasion. In one of his letters to early Christians, the apostle Paul wrote, "Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone" (Col. 4:6). Yet rhetoric—the art of persuasion—has been largely ignored by most Christians. In this book, James Beitler seeks to renew interest in and hunger for an effective Christian rhetoric by closely considering the work of five beloved Christian communicators: C. S. Lewis, Dorothy L. Sayers, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Desmond Tutu, and Marilynne Robinson. Moreover, he situates these reflections within the Christian liturgical seasons for the essential truths they convey. These writers collectively demonstrate that being a master of rhetoric is not antithetical to authentic Christian witness. Indeed, being a faithful disciple of Christ means practicing a rhetoric that beneficially and persuasively imparts the surprising truth of the gospel. It means having seasoned speech.

The National Review, China

The National Review, China PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : China
Languages : en
Pages : 1394

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Book Description


Persuading the Cretans

Persuading the Cretans PDF Author: Aldred A. Genade
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1498273149
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 141

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Book Description
The Letter to Titus is often branded as incoherent, its salutation inchoate. Such premature conclusions are directly related to the authenticity debate that has marred analyses of the so-called Pastoral Epistles. From the corridors of academia echoes the cry to study the letters individually and independently of the authorship issue. This book does exactly that. It lays bare intricate and novel persuasive strategies, strategies that belie the charge of incoherency. In fact there is not one, but three ways to describe the structure of this masterfully composed letter. In Persuading the Cretans, Aldred Genade does this utilizing a technique known as text-generated persuasion analysis. Careful thought has gone into the composition of the letter to communicate timeless truths relevant for generations of Christians. This is first-century outcomes-based communication at its best and communicators, preachers, and scholars stand to benefit from the lessons in communication the author of Titus can teach us.

Signs of the Apostles

Signs of the Apostles PDF Author: Walter J. Chantry
Publisher: Banner of Truth
ISBN: 9780851511757
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 102

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Book Description
An examination of the Charismatic and Pentecostal movements in today's church, and an exposition of the biblical teaching on the work of the Holy Spirit.