Scripture says, "I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding" (Jeremiah 3:15). Most of Israel's pastoral imagery is grounded in two traditions: Moses as God's under-shepherd and David as shepherd-king. These traditions, explains author Timothy S. Laniak, provided prototypes for leaders that followed, and formed the background for the ministry ...

What does God intend for his broken creation? In this New Studies in Biblical Theology volume, Graham A. Cole seeks to answer this question by setting the atoning work of the cross in the broad framework of God's grand plan to restore the created order, and places the story of Jesus, his cross and empty tomb within it. Since we have become paradoxically the glory and garbage of the universe, our ...

Pharisaism (legalism, dogmatism, separatism, judgmentalism, etc.) is alive and well and a destructive force in too many evangelical churches. This plague hinders effective outreach, burns out professional and lay leaders and has contributed to the mass alienation of tens of thousands of young people from evangelical churches to the point where they have no church affiliation at all or they associate ...

The Christian church confesses "one baptism." But the church's answers to how, whom and when to baptize, and even what it means or does, are famously varied.

This Spectrum Multiview volume provides a forum for thoughtful proponents of three principal evangelical views to state their case, respond to the others, and then provide a summary response and statement. Sinclair Ferguson ...

The nail that sticks out gets hammered down. This Japanese expression characterizes the attitude of many Asian Americans. We are often taught not to put ourselves forward--not to stick out. But the Western concept of leadership is all about stepping up and standing apart from the group. Is that appropriate for Asian Americans? Or can we lead out of our own cultural strengths rather than ...

Asian American women are caught between different worlds. Many grew up sensing that daughters were not as valuable as sons. Family expectations and cultural stereotypes assume that Asian American women can only have certain prescribed roles, as if our worth comes only through what we do for others. But God has good news for Asian American women. In his eyes, they are his beloved daughters, created ...

The Asian American church is in transition. Congregations face the challenges of preserving ethnic culture and heritage while contextualizing their ministry to younger generations and the unchurched. Many Asian American church leaders struggle with issues like leadership development, community dynamics and intergenerational conflict. But often Asian American churches lack the resources and support ...

Many Christians are held captive by a picture of the imagination as a purveyor of false images, prone to idolatry. We live in a society fixated on images that have little or no significance. We are surrounded by models of the world that are not in touch with any truth outside of themselves. But we lack the resources to see and imagine things differently. Kevin Vanhoozer calls the church to a more ...