History Matters brings together distinguished scholars whose essays span diverse periods and contexts yet converge around enduring theological and historical questions. Across studies of witch trials in sixteenth-century Scotland; demonological debates in seventeenth-century England; moral reasoning about wartime bombing, secularization, and doctrinal development in Canadian Protestantism; and the formation of medieval church leaders, the contributors examine how Christian identit...

This Festschrift in honor of Professor Charles Fensham aims to celebrate his remarkable contributions to the fields of missiology and systematic theology as well as his advocacy for the rights of the LGBTQI2+ community. His books include Emergence from the Dark Age Ahead (2011), To the Nations for the Earth (2013), Misguided Love (2019), and Mission as Penance (Pickwick Publications, 2023). His scholarly work has left an indelible mark on academia, inspiring generations of students and res...

The Johannine Gospel's Concept of Community takes an interdisciplinary approach to contextualizing the New Testament in an African milieu, which helps Johannine scholarship intersect with Akan anthropology and sociology through a tripartite frame of interpretation--a narratological analysis of community-oriented narratives in John, the exegesis of the Akan concept of community encapsulated in their proverbial lore (the anthology of inestimable information about the Akan conceptualization o...

Most of the challenges today's church is experiencing were experienced by the early church in New Testament times. Knowing this makes it possible to handle the challenges of today more effectively and in a way in which perplexity gives way to sober and informed attitudes. This book brings to the fore the role human sentiments within relational and ministerial dynamics play in creating problems of strife, rivalry, and unhealthy competition among leaders and members of the church, and provid...

The central aim of the Gospel of Mark is to introduce the reader to Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In this book, MacDonald examines not just what the Gospel writer says, but also how he says it. When the Gospel of Mark is examined as a complete work, and the motifs of allegiance, opposition, and misunderstand are traced through the narrative, Mark is seen to be a rather sophisticated literary work. The Gospel writer is not simply a compiler of tradition, but one who shaped his narrative for...

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 p...

Introduction to Biblical Interpretation, now in its third edition, is a classic hermeneutics textbook that sets forth concise, logical, and practical guidelines for discovering the truth in God’s Word.With updates and revisions throughout that keep pace with current scholarship, this book offers students the best and most up-to-date information needed to interpret Scripture.Introduction to Biblical Interpretation:...

The inerrancy of the Bible--the belief that the Bible is without error--is often a contentious topic among mainstream Christianity.Like other titles in the Counterpoints collection, this volume gives those interested in theology the tools they need to draw informed conclusions on debated issues by showcasing the range of positions in a way that helps readers understand the perspectives--especially where and why they diverge.Each essay in Five Views on B...

In this Spectrum Multiview volume five experts in biblical hermeneutics gather to state and defend their approach to the discipline. Contributors include:Craig Blomberg with the historical-critical/grammatical approachRichard Gaffin with the redemptive-historical approachScott Spencer with the literary/postmodern approachRobert Wall with the canonical approachMerold Westphal with the philosophical/theological approach

How the Sermon on the Mount Promotes Human FlourishingThe Sermon on the Mount, one of the most influential portions of the Bible, is the most studied and commented upon portion of the Christian Scriptures. Every Christian generation turns to it for insight and guidance.In this volume, a recognized expert on the Gospels shows that the Sermon on the Mount offers a clear window into understanding God's work in Christ. Jonathan Pennington provides a historical,...

Understanding Biblical Theology clarifies the catch-all term “biblical theology,” a movement that tries to remove the often-held dichotomy between biblical studies for the Church and as an academic pursuit.This book examines the five major schools of thought regarding biblical theology and handles each in turn, defining and giving a brief developmental history for each one, and exploring each method through the lens of one contemporary scholar who champions it. Using a spe...

Theological interpretation of Scripture is a growing trend in biblical interpretation, with an emphasis on the contexts of canon, creed, and church. This approach seeks to bridge the gap between biblical studies and theology, which grew wide with the ascendancy of critical approaches to Scripture. Introducing Theological Interpretation of Scripture is the first clear, systematic introduction to this movement for students. The book surveys the movement's history, themes, advocates,...