by Rick Ufford-Chase

A proposed resolve to commit to actively learning and embracing one another’s rhythms and practices, both religious and traditional, appreciating one another’s core motivations and convictions, with the understanding that all are cherished and sustained by God.

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 John W. Herbst

The most fundamental of Old Testament ideas is Yahweh as Creator. The concept of Yahweh as creator points obviously to God’s omnipotence and rightful place as ruler of the universe. For people of the Old Testament however, Yahweh’s role as creator implies the power to “recreate,” that is, to restore that which is barren and lifeless.

by Tamara Henry

While churches have often focused on engaging in care for creation by directing attention to issues of environmental justice (i.e. stewardship of the earth’s natural environment) an equally important aspect of affirming the sacredness of creation today must also include emphasis and regard for the dignity of lives of vulnerable human populations, including young persons of color in the United States who have increasingly become victims of socio-historic modes of racism.

by Jill Schaeffer

A city is the whole shebang living within the Word of God. Preaching to and out of an urban scene locates the lives and stories generated in that scenario dwelling within the Word. There is nothing that cannot be said or proclaimed that lies outside that Word. And nothing foretold that has not been anticipated through that Word.

by Susanne Wigorts Yngvesson

A common belief among Christians is to imagine the creation of the world as an historical point at an end of a linear timeline; when God separated light from darkness and heaven from earth. The risk of describing creation as an historical point is to reduce it, to make it mechanical (cause and effect), as if everything was completed and perfect once upon a time and has to be restored.

by Jo David

The earliest chapters of Genesis struggle with the issue of how men and women were created and the nature of their relationship to one another. It is particularly interesting that, in Genesis 1, the almost universal idea that men are the “natural rulers” of the world is challenged in significant ways.

by Asayo O. Thomas

Each star and galaxy are evidence of God’s creation. God did not just create them, but has been nurturing them for billions of years. And new stars keep emerging into this universe almost every day.

by Brandt L. Montgomery

That grace can be found in the New Testament is an issue of no debate, for the fourth Gospel declares, “The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (Jn. 1:17). But the assertion that there is grace throughout the Old Testament is one that still generates considerable debate within certain Christian communities and theological circles.