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Raised in Splendor: The Hope of Glorification for a Secular Age
Jason B. Alligood
When most ponder on the Christian walk, they will likely run up on terms such as justification, sanctification, and glorification. This famous trio points to the faith that justifies the believer, the life in which the believer is sanctified through the gaining of wisdom through the reading of Scripture, the testing of life in a broken world, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, but many simply view glorification as the final part of the journey, as if it does not have an important reality for the believer today.
We live in a world where the idea of being glorified is either viewed through the lens of something that will eventually come, but has little importance now, or has an overfocused importance where believers only focus on their entry into heaven. Both are wrongfooted. Pastor and Theologian Jason Alligood provides a message of hope for the thoughtful Christian today. In Raised in Splendor, Jason Alligood communicates the hope of glory that transcends the fears and frustrations of a secular age that not only points to the hope for the future glorification, but that this hope is one that can be enjoyed and appreciated today. -
Evil and a Selection of Its Theological Problems
Benjamin Arbour and John R. Gilhooly
Recent formulations of the inductive, continual problem of evil require us to consider new responses to the charge that there is something irrational about believing in God, given the type and amount of evil in the world. Furthermore, fresh approaches to the problem of evil offer suggestive ways to enter a new line of inquiry, in regards to both theistic defences against various articulations of the problem of evil and also theodicy. Finally, developments in contemporary theology, especially analytic philosophical theology, likewise require new treatments of the problem of evil.
This volume, on the problem on evil, presents a series of essays that incorporate responses to these developments. The articles fall into three broad sections. The first critiques and examines the analytic, inductive problem of evil on the basis of its modal underpinnings, the discourse of possible worlds, and issues related to hiddenness and vagueness. The second part presents a narrative response to the problem of evil. Its approaches attempt to show the way in which peculiar features of narrative such as dramatic irony, verisimilitude, and distinctions between person-type propositions offer fresh ways to encapsulate our feelings about evil and our response to the theological problems raised by encounters with evil. Such existential concerns are valuable for our thinking about these matters. The third section relates the problem of evil to developments in contemporary analytic theology, such as open theism, idealism and the felix culpa theodicy.
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40 Questions about Islam
Matthew A. Bennett
Islam is one of the most significant forces shaping the world today, but most Christians are confused about its key beliefs and practices. Many wonder about the apparent similarities and obvious differences between Christianity and Islam, and want to reach out to Muslim friends or neighbors with the gospel but don’t know where to begin. Having spent several years living in North Africa and the Middle East, missions professor Matthew Bennett guides readers through Islam’s key tenants and provides answers to critical questions, such as:
- Who was Muhammad and what was his message?
- Do Muslims and Christians worship the same God?
- What are the differences between the Qur’an and the Bible?
- What is shariah law?
- What is the Islamic view of salvation?
- What happens in the mosque?
- Is Islam inherently misogynistic?
- How should a Christian share the gospel with Muslims?
Helpful summaries at the end of each chapter encapsulate important information, followed by discussion questions useful for personal or small-group study. Whether you want to understand Islam better or reach Muslims for Christ, 40 Questions on Islam is an indispensable primer and reference book.
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Narratives in Conflict: Atonement in Hebrews and the Qur'an
Matthew A. Bennett
Did Jesus die on the cross for our sins as the Gospels describe? Or, as Muslims often contend, was Jesus rescued to heaven in order to avoid the shameful crucifixion that would be unbefitting of a messenger of God? This debate has raged for generations and has caused no shortage of frustration among those seeking to explain the central teaching of the Christian faith to those influenced by the Qur’an. What this book aims to do is uncover four barriers to understanding the biblical teaching on atonement that likely exist in the minds of our Muslim friends prior to asking about the historical reality of the Christ event.
What we will discover is that the Qur’an diverges from the biblical teaching on atonement at the lexical, ritual, narrative, and worldview levels. Each of these points of divergence presents a barrier to communication. Therefore, before arguing with our Muslim friends that Jesus died on the cross, we must provide an answer to the prior question, why would it matter? This book argues that the Letter to the Hebrews provides a particularly helpful biblical starting point for overcoming all four barriers.
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Secessionism and Terrorism: Bombs, Blood and Independence in Europe and Eurasia
Glen M.E. Duerr
This book examines secessionist terrorism in a comparative context across Europe and Eurasia.
The volume seeks to uncover comparative linkages between terrorism and secessionism; specifically examining terrorist organizations that also have a political goal of independence. It examines a wide range of case studies, including the IRA in Northern Ireland, ETA in the Basque Country, FLNC in Corsica and ARD in Brittany, KLA in Kosovo, PKK and TAK in Turkish Kurdistan, and IK in Chechnya. In doing so, the book shows the linkages in terrorist tactics and demands, as well as when and how ceasefires come into place. Ultimately, none of the terrorist organizations studied here has obtained their maximalist goal of gaining independence, but each has caused significant bloodshed, and has contributed to the debate on the future of governance in Europe and Eurasia. The major strength of this format is to glean wider lessons on ethno-nationalism, as well as the causes and outcomes of terrorist actions. Each case study also updates the literature on the individual cases to provide the most recent account of events in these countries.
This book will be of much interest to students of terrorism and political violence, ethnic conflict, nationalism, European politics and International Relations in general.
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Upon This Rock: A Baptist Understanding of the Church
Jason G. Duesing, Thomas White, and Malcolm B. Yarnell
This book arose from the fourth consecutive Baptist Distinctives Conference held at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, during September 2008. Dr. White contributed two chapters: "The Universal and Local Church" and "The Offices and Women: Can Women Be Pastors? Or Deacons?" (co-written with his wife, Joy).
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Handbook on the Wisdom Books and Psalms
Daniel J. Estes
In this work, Daniel Estes introduces students to the Old Testament poetical books--Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs. Each chapter explores one of the five poetical books. Estes first summarizes some of the book's key issues. He then devotes the main portion of the chapter to an exposition of the book, interacting with major commentaries and recent studies. Each chapter concludes with an extensive bibliography, allowing for further exploration. Following in the tradition of Handbook on the Pentateuch (over sixty thousand copies sold), this valuable resource will help pastors, students, Sunday school teachers, and Bible study leaders better understand the overall flow of each poetical book.
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Hear, My Son: Teaching and Learning in Proverbs 1-9
Daniel J. Estes
In Hear, My Son, the Fourth volume in the New Studies in Biblical Theology series, Daniel Estes synthesizes the teachings of the first nine chapters of Proverbs into a systematic statement of education that lies behind the text.
