by Jin Hee Han

For the winter issue of 2016, we present a collection of articles and book reviews focused upon the theme of “BREATHING.” This year we were presented with a series of challenges, but the Lord provided for us exactly what we needed to continue this important ministry. Help from the Lord came through like the precious supply of breath in ways that we could recognize right away as God’s gracious intervention.

Our authors highlight God’s mysterious and wondrous work we encounter in the Bible, the life of the church, and the world in modern days. As the Johannine Jesus points out, “The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes” (John 3:8). Commentators immediately add that the Greek word for the “wind” is pneuma, and that it also means “spirit” (as in the Holy Spirit). The Spirit of the living God takes us where we may not have anticipated, but the upshot of the journey is always the manifestation of God’s goodness.

Reviewed by Neal D. Presa

Anglican Bible scholar N.T. Wright addresses the sharp criticism of Reformed Baptist pastor John Piper and other critics who see Wright’s representation of the so-called “New Perspective” as a threat to the doctrines of forensic justification and imputation from the 16th century Protestant Reformation and 17th century post-Reformation.

Reviewed by Philip Ruge-Jones

Thomas Boomershine offers a meticulous reading of the final three chapters of Mark. As he reconstructs the impact that this gospel had on those who first heard it, a very different set of conclusions arise from those embraced by much of contemporary scholarship.

selected by Darla Turlington

Here are quotations from the Bible and from secular writings that pastors and others may find useful in sermons, essays, or other venues.

by Jin Hee Han

In this issue, our authors gather to remind us of the multifaceted nature of “Dwelling Place”. They introduce us to important topics, such as God’s “tabernacling” presence from the testimony of the Bible and our responsibility to care for the livable pace for all creatures.

      Their guiding spirit helps us once again explore the age-long aspiration to stay in communion with God as the profound meaning of the ark of the Hebrew Bible and the theology of incarnation. The theological thrust of their weavings has a corollary in the call for responsible actions in the immediate context of our times, which ranges from the local ministry of providing intellectual living space for others to caring for refugees forced to leave their home in search of a new dwelling place.

by Jin Hee Han

Our spring issue of 2016 compels us to re-start our New Year with a reflection on creation. The theme has inspired poets and preachers, as well as the ancient rabbis who gave the theme the prestigious place at the beginning of the Bible. According to a legend, the book of Job was a contender as the head of the Bible, but the sages agreed that the story of the Bible should begin with creation, not with suffering. Firmly grounded in this tradition, many of our authors direct us to the first part of the book of Genesis.

In this issue on creation, we encounter voices that challenge us to learn to value the life of the oppressed for whom God cares. They tell us that God has created human beings in God’s own image, and that every person helps us see God in all spectrums of colors and physical manifestations.

selected by Darla Turlington

Here are quotations from the Bible and from secular writings that pastors and others may find useful in sermons, essays, or other venues.

by Jin Hee Han

The current issue showcases how the modern thrust of CONNECTIVITY may get into a delightful conversation with traditional theological affirmations, such as the incarnation as God connecting with us. As we browse through this issue, we will encounter witnesses to the reign of God, who guides us through messy confusion that has become all too common in human history.

selected by Darla Turlington

Here are quotations from the Bible and from secular writings that pastors and others may find useful in sermons, essays, or other venues.

by Efrain Agosto

What in the Bible relates or refers to, or constitutes issues of “the City in the Bible”? Where is the “urban” or urbanization evident in the First and Second Testaments, and what do those instances say and teach? This Fall issue of The Living Pulpit includes some of the October 2014 presentations plus several additional reflections in order to continue to explore how urbanization and urban issues depicted in the Bible helps us do ministry today.

by Darla Turlington

Sometimes a Biblical or other quote may come in handy to help a preacher strengthen a point within a sermon or the point of the sermon itself. Our compiler has delivered an interesting potpourri of temptation-apt quotes for our readers.

by Jin Hee Han

Easter confirms the promise of transformation (metamorphosis). Nature has been transformed, and hope is renewed. Our preachers and theologians in this issue call upon us to dare to hope and pursue the path of transformation with a note that our posture is more of a receiver than of a maker of the change.