Author: Dale Hetherington
Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
ISBN:
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 89
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Book Description
In Genesis 46, Jacob calls God his shepherd as he blesses Joseph’s sons Manasseh and Ephraim. In the beloved Psalm 23, David sings about what it means that the Lord is his shepherd. In Isaiah 40, God promises to come to His people and tend to them like a shepherd. In John 10, Jesus says He is the Good Shepherd. In Hebrews 13, He is called the Great Shepherd. In 1 Peter 5, He is the Chief Shepherd. This is only a sample of places in the Bible where God’s relationship with His people is equated with that of a shepherd to His sheep. I became a pastor shortly after we started raising sheep, and I began seeing similarities between being a pastor and a shepherd. This makes sense since pastor comes from the Greek word poimen, which means shepherd. Jesus taught in parables, earthly stories with a spiritual meaning. That’s the idea behind this little book. I wrote stories about our dealings with our sheep that illustrate similarities I saw between my relationship with my sheep and my relationship with the people I shepherded in the church. I hope that these stories will entertain you and also give you insight as well. For pastors, maybe it will even help you in your ministry. Being aware of this has helped me in mine.
Author: Suzanne Davenport Tietjen
Publisher: Monarch Books
ISBN: 9780825462986
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 176
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Book Description
The Sheep of His Hand is a walk through the Psalms alongside a little band of sheep. Sheep are individuals, and benefit from individualized care. Shepherds have always dealt with primal concerns--birth, death, love, rejection. Technology has changed much in the last millennium but the mud and the blood of shepherding are timeless--and sheep are still sheep. Sharing this ancient occupation with the Psalmist helped Suzanne Tietjen to understand what David had to say about walking with God. "This book is amazing! I not only learned more about sheep than I ever knew, I learned something about The Shepherd, too." Bob Hartman performance storyteller and author, The Lion Storyteller Bible "Brilliant . . . This highly original book breathes fresh life into an old metaphor. It deserves to be read by millions." Dr. Mark Stibbe The Father's House Trust "Beautifully written, refreshingly funny, and spiritually profound. This is the kind of book that sticks with you. Buy it. Read it. Share it with a friend." Dr. Bill Giovannetti author, How to Keep Your Inner Mess from Trashing Your Outer World "The escapades and tragedies of Suzanne's little woolly sheep touched my heart." Karen H. Whiting author, God's Girls
Author: Ernest van Eck
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1498233708
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 369
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Book Description
Who do we meet in the stories Jesus told? In The Parables of Jesus the Galilean: Stories of a Social Prophet, a selection of the parables of Jesus is read using a social-scientific approach. The interest of the author is not the parables in their literary contexts, but rather the parables as Jesus told them in a first-century Jewish Galilean sociopolitical, religious, and economic setting. Therefore, this volume is part of the material turn in parable research and offers a reading of the parables that pays special attention to Mediterranean anthropology by stressing key first-century Mediterranean values. Where applicable, available papyri that may be relevant in understanding the parables of Jesus from a fresh perspective are used to assemble solid ancient comparanda for the practices and social realities that the parables presuppose. The picture of Jesus that emerges from these readings is that of a social prophet. The parables of Jesus, as symbols of social transformation, envisioned a transformed and alternative world. This world, for Jesus, was the kingdom of God.
Author: Ruban Zimmermann
Publisher: Fortress Press
ISBN: 1451465327
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 497
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Book Description
Modern scholarship on the parables has long been preoccupied with asking what Jesus himself said and what he intended to accomplish with his parables. Ruben Zimmermann moves beyond that agenda to explore the dynamics of parabolic speech in all its rich complexity. Introductory chapters address the history of research and distinguish historical from literary and reader-oriented approaches, then set out a postmodern hermeneutic that analyzes narrative elements and context, maps the sociohistorical background, explores stock metaphors and symbols, and opens up contemporary horizons of interpretation. Subsequent chapters then focus on one parable from early Christian sources (Q, Mark, Matthew, Luke, John, and the Gospel of Thomas) to explore how parables function in each literary context. Over all reigns the principle that the meaning or theological "message" of a parable cannot be extracted from the parabolic form; thus the parables continue to invite hearers' and readers' involvement to the present day.
Author: Matthew E. Gordley
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1119884020
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 389
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Book Description
Invites a new generation of readers to apply ethical reasoning to social justice challenges, accessible to people of faith from a broad range of backgrounds Social Justice in the Stories of Jesus introduces readers to the parables of the New Testament while exploring how they relate to social justice, ethics, and key issues of modern society. Centering on themes of mercy, justice, and human dignity, this unique volume invites readers to reflect on the meaning of Jesus's parables both in their original setting and in the context of present-day moral and ethical challenges. The author discusses social justice concepts from various traditions to enable readers to engage with the ethical implications of the parables in a range of different contexts. Each chapter focuses on one parable or set of parables, such as the parable of the Good Samaritan and the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, and includes historical background information and an analysis and interpretation of the parable. Throughout the text, the author highlights the connections between Jesus's parables and racism, violence, poverty, the environment, our obligations to one another, and other timely social justice issues. Blends an accessible overview of the parables of Jesus with an introduction to social justice and ethics Explores New Testament parables as viewed through the lens of contemporary writers, ethicists, and activists Emphasizes the Jewish roots of the parables and the need to guard against anti-Jewish readings of the parables Highlights the ways that Jesus’s parables challenged his first-century listeners to see their world in new ways and recognize the dignity of every person Engages with seminal thinkers in contemporary social justice, such as James Cone, Howard Thurman, Emilie Townes, Bishop Michael Curry, and Pope Francis Includes study and discussion questions for personal and group use Requiring no prior knowledge of the subject, Social Justice in the Stories of Jesus: The Ethical Challenge of the Parables is an ideal textbook for introductory courses on the Bible and New Testament, faith-based courses on ethics, and general Christian readers looking for an excellent resource for personal or congregational study.
Author: Mark R. Rigg
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1666726567
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 107
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Book Description
Why is preaching so often bad? Why is worship so often dull? Why do Sunday mornings so often fail to help the folks in the pews live a faithful life from week to week? And what can be done about it? Many will tell us that there are easy and purchasable fixes. More technology. Less tradition. Virtual worship. Thinking big. The land and the farm model for us a different path. As Mark Rigg shows in this concise introduction to Wendell Berry, the themes that have illuminated the Kentucky farmer’s essays, fiction, and poetry for fifty years have a great deal to say to the church. They offer an agrarian model of church where the focus is on the local, the tangible, and the communal. Out of such a model emerges a new approach to preaching. Both congregation members and preachers themselves will find themselves called to turn away from sermons that echo the promises of an individualistic consumer culture and to proclaim instead Jesus Christ in the midst of the local community.
Author: Eve-Marie Becker
Publisher: Narr Francke Attempto Verlag
ISBN: 3772057659
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 372
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Book Description
This volume gathers the perspectives of teachers in higher education from all over the world on the topic of New Testament scholarship. The goal is to understand and describe the contexts and conditions under which New Testament research is carried out throughout the world. This endeavor should serve as a catalyst for new initiatives and the development of questions that determine the future directions of New Testament scholarship. At the same time, it is intended to raise awareness of the global dimensions of New Testament scholarship, especially in relation to its impact on socio-political debates. The occasion for these reflections are not least the present questions that have been posed with the corona pandemic and have received a focus on the "system relevance" of churches, which is openly questioned by the media. The church and theology must face this challenge. Towards that end, it is important to gather impulses and suggestions for the discipline from a variety of contexts in which different dimensions of context-related New Testament research come to the fore.
Author: Arland J. Hultgren
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
ISBN: 9780802860774
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 556
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Book Description
Outlines the parables of Jesus and discusses how each of the parables can be taught and preached.
Author: Margaret Feinberg
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 0310564026
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 153
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Book Description
Join beloved Bible teacher Margaret Feinberg as you learn how to move from simply reading Scripture to entering stories that can be touched, tasted, smelled, and savored. The Bible is full of clever plots and compelling stories, laced with historic insights and literary beauty. But despite its richness and depth, many of us struggle to close the gap between the ancient world and our own. What does it mean to know that Jesus is the Good Shepherd when the only place you've encountered sheep is at a petting zoo? How can you understand the promise of a land overflowing with honey when you buy yours in a bear-shaped bottle? Can you truly grasp the urgency of Jesus' invitation to abide in the vine when you shop for grapes at a local grocery store? In Scouting the Divine, Margaret invites you to accompany her on the adventure of a lifetime across the nation to herd sheep in Oregon, harvest fields with a Nebraska farmer, prune vines in California, and explore hives with a veteran beekeeper in Colorado. Along the way, you'll explore how ancient livelihoods illuminate meaningful truths that apply to life today. With Margaret's trademark humor and vulnerability, you'll: Learn the secret of how to live like you have a shepherd Unlock the sweetest promises of God Discover the gift of divine timing Scouting the Divine will revolutionize the way you understand the Bible--and leave you wonderstruck by the magnificence of God.
Author: William J. Bausch
Publisher: Twenty-Third Publications
ISBN: 9781585956838
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 628
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Book Description
When the words great homily come to mind, the name Bill Bausch inevitably pops up. Here he offers 100 new homilies, reflecting the liturgical year, holy days and holidays, and saying farewell to loved ones. All are shaped and finessed with stories. As Bausch himself says, We never exhaust the meaning of a good story. Truth wrapped in story is irresistibleand thats why I use stories. These homilies are irresistible as well!
