Bücher veröffentlicht von Langham Publishing

Everyone who has "eyes to see" acknowledges the growing importance of the African church to the future of global Christianity. But what does it mean for the church to take root in Africa? How should the message of the gospel and the practice of Christianity be contextualized for Africa? African Contextual Realities addresses many of the questions surrounding contextualization from a practical point of view and is the fruit of the 6th Annual Conference of the Africa Society of Evangelical Theology held in Nairobi in 2016. The book explores such questions as: In what ways should the mission of God be universally recognizable in every cultural context?In our efforts to contextualize, how do we avoid compromising the very gospel we are to proclaim?How can the African church wean itself away from dependency on the Western church?How does Christianity speak into some of the cultural and social issues arising out of contemporary African settings - issues like widow cleansing, Christian-Muslim relations, and peace-building?All those who are interested to learn more about the contextualization of African Christianity will find this volume to be an important resource.

À travers le monde émergent, la formation théologique évangélique connaît actuellement une croissance sans précédent. L'une des tendances les plus importantes de cette croissance est l'émergence progressive de programmes de doctorat évangéliques.Après une rencontre majeure à Beyrouth en 2010, le Conseil International de la Formation Théologique Évangélique (ICETE) a décidé de développer des ressources pour soutenir les écoles doctorales du monde émergent et les aider dans leur aspiration à une amélioration continue. Cet ouvrage présente ainsi ces ressources, y compris « les standards de Beyrouth » pour les programmes de doctorat, et une série de bonnes pratiques pour la formation doctorale.Inspiré par un engagement envers l'excellence, qui honore Dieu et se met au service de son Église, ce travail profitera aux écoles doctorales, aux étudiants et aux directeurs de thèse, aussi bien dans le monde émergent que dans le monde occidental.

One of the biggest questions facing Christians today is, 'How can I live wisely?'. Given all that we say about the Christian faith, is it possible to live an authentic, credible Christian life that demonstrates faith that works? Covering a wide range of practical challenges - whether trial and temptation, or poverty and riches, or our use of words, or our patience in suffering, or our struggle with the world, the flesh and the devil - James helps us become wholehearted disciples of Jesus Christ.This book is ideal for individual or group use and includes questions, discussion points, ideas for action and further study.

The Middle East is in a period of profound change. In the midst of turbulence, trauma, tragedy and the hopelessness felt by many, an increasing number of indigenous churches are finding ever more imaginative ways to be active in the societies of which they are a long-standing and integral part. This book describes some of these developments. It seeks to inspire Christians worldwide to stand alongside such people and to provoke everyone, in the Middle East and elsewhere, to ask what they should be doing to encourage transformation of societies to the glory of God.How can we be the salt, light and yeast that Scripture exhorts us to be when faced with despair? How can we live as active heroes when others expect us to be passive victims? The expert contributors of this book delve into these issues to give churches direction in these disorienting times.The Institute of Middle East Studies Series provides academic theological books that are contextually appropriate to the MENA region and prophetically, sensitively and in a non-partisan manner inspire people and society. These resources represent the output of the Institute of Middle East Studies (IMES), founded by the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary, Beirut, Lebanon, which seeks to bring about positive transformation in thinking and practice between Christians and Muslims in the Middle East and beyond. The purpose of IMES is to increase general awareness about Middle East realities and to resource evangelicals to serve specific needs in the Arab World and among Arab communities.

Durante varias décadas ha existido preocupación sobre la necesidad de una mayor integración y de un significado contextual en el diseño curricular de la educación teológica. Además, ha habido una creciente concientización acerca del papel que juegan las escuelas teológicas en el fortalecimiento de la visión y la práctica misionera en las iglesias locales.Desde 2008, el Seminario Bautista Árabe en el Líbano ha estado involucrado en un experimento continuo sobre el diseño e implementación de un currículo integrado y contextualizado. A partir del diseño de lecciones aprendidas en esta experiencia y del discurso más amplio que está teniendo lugar actualmente en la educación superior, Transformando la educación teológica provee fundamentos teóricos y principios prácticos para el diseño de un currículo bien enfocado, así como herramientas para un aprendizaje significativamente contextualizado en el aula.

This interdisciplinary study tackles the controversy of translating nephesh ( ¿¿¿¿¿¿ ) by using an intergenerational translation team to deepen our understanding of this term and providing a more valuable translation in Chinese, especially for use in specialist Children's Bibles.Traditionally nephesh is often translated in the Bible as 'soul', but despite the limitations of this popular rendering, it has led Christians in Chinese contexts to falsely understand views regarding the nature of human beings as a trichotomy. Dr Hui Er Yu's study offers different options for translating nephesh using the context of where the word appears in Scripture as well as in reference to linguistic and cultural meanings in Chinese contexts. The findings in this book will help to remove anthropological misunderstandings among many Chinese Christians related to nephesh as a result of historic translation decisions.Dr Yu takes a unique approach to translation by using an intergenerational Bible translation team, ranging from seven to fifty-one years of age, which not only demonstrates the importance of intergenerational ministry but also presents a way to fulfill the growing need for well-translated Children's Bibles in China for thousands of young believers. This book provides important lessons for the many translation projects working towards Children's Bibles but also for how translation of biblical terms can be better reached through this intergenerational process.

The first-century Judaic understanding of the identity and nature of the Messiah has been a much-debated topic among biblical scholars and preachers alike. So too has the messianic identity and nature of Jesus himself. Bekele Deboch informs these debates with fresh evidence outside the traditional scriptural references to miracles, and supernatural identifications by demons and God himself, as well as earthly identification by human beings. With thorough narrative criticism and analysis of contemporaneous literature, this book brings insightful new conclusions that transform our understanding of the biblical messianic identity revealed in the person of Jesus.Jesus not only self-identified with the marginalized and liminal but also experienced extreme marginality himself, to the point of shameful death on a tree. Jesus' church around the world has the responsibility to herald his messianic identity and salvation to the marginalized of today. Bekele Deboch has followed Christ's example of walking with the marginalized and makes here a powerful case for the church to do the same.

The book of Numbers is a misunderstood book of the Bible. It is about a lot more than just numbers. Rather, it is about the people’s journey with God in the desert. The Hebrew title of the book, Bammidbar, means “In the Desert” indicating that the setting is the most important part of the story. The God who delivered his people from Egypt is the same God who will lead them through the wilderness and give them the Promised Land. But as the book of Numbers shows us, often it is through the experience of being in a desert that God fulfils his purpose. It is the same thing for God’s people today. This commentary opens up the value of this often overlooked Old Testament book to those who find themselves or their churches in a barren place but with the presence of the Lord alongside them.The Asia Bible Commentary Series empowers Christian believers in Asia to read the Bible from within their respective contexts. Holistic in its approach to the text, each exposition of the biblical books combines exegesis and application. The ultimate goal is to strengthen the Body of Christ in Asia by providing pastoral and contextual exposition of every book of the Bible.

It is a bold thing to ask, "Is what we are doing working?" We know the danger of evaluating things as the world does - with measurements and financial strength. We rightly rejoice at the stories of faithful ministry with little fruit and know that it says something profound about our God and his true servants.And yet . . . Good leadership has always asked whether the wineskins are adequate for the new wine. Traditional Western theology has brought various benefits throughout the world but has failed to sufficiently encourage the development of local theologizing required in every context.At the triennial ICETE international consultation in 2015, institutional leaders from a diverse global background presented research-driven revision of theological education designed to improve understanding of the real ministry needs and better equip students to minister in their own contexts. These reports of institutional change and their insights, compiled in this publication, show a new path to effective theological education. With widespread support across the world from educators involved with ICETE, the concept of research-driven change in theological education institutions is here to stay and will continue to grow in importance. This book is an invitation to courageously embrace these concepts and join in understanding and theologizing for your own context.

Christian professionals, through their daily work, have important roles in God's mission. However, little empirical research has been done to understand their journey to connect their daily work with God's. If the church of Jesus Christ is to have the transformational impact that the world needs then we must better understand our vocations from a biblical and missional perspective.In this thorough study, Dr Sutrisna Harjanto explores the formational elements of the integration of faith, work and mission among Indonesian Christian professionals. From detailed semi-structured interviews with twenty-eight participants, this study provides deeper insight into the development of vocational stewardship and the role of empowering relationships and communities. Through careful analysis and evaluation the resulting book is an educational perspective on the theology of work and mission, beneficial for those in positions to equip and support Christian professionals as they work to fulfil God's mission through daily work.

In recent decades, scholars have tended to interpret what Job says about death in one of two ways. They interpret it either as part of the broader reading of death in the Old Testament, or by imposing Ancient Near Eastern mythological concepts upon the text disregarding its nature as part of the Old Testament's wisdom tradition. Varunaj Churnai attempts to redress the latter interpretation and treats the book of Job, and its development and understanding of death, contextually. Churnai specifically looks at how Job presents the two faces of God: God's wrathful face and God's gracious face. Beyond Justice demonstrates that the retribution principle allows humans to know the hidden God as it illuminates the relationship between individual and Creator. Through Job's experiences and heartfelt outpouring of his soul before both God's wrathful face and God's gracious face we can know God more fully. Churnai shows how these faces of God are reconciled in the two divine speeches of YHWH, which invite both Job and the reader to move beyond retribution theology to trust in the graciousness of God.

It is no secret that Christianity has been widely rejected in Japan with less than two percent of the population identifying as Christian. The dominant worldview in Japan is deeply animistic, with beliefs such as the Japanese mana-concept, ki (¿), the Japanese soul-concept, and the concept of God/god(s), kami (¿), being deeply rooted in the culture and fundamentally influencing society. Dr Martin Heißwolf, with his years of experience in Japan, critically examines Japanese animism in light of core Christian beliefs, such as the concepts of "peace" and "salvation."Central to Japanese people's rejection of Christian truth is the diametric opposition of its supernatural message to the natural focus of Japanese animistic folk religion. Heißwolf's meticulous study is framed squarely within missiological thought and praxis so Christians serving in Japanese contexts are better able to communicate the message of the gospel by more fully understanding Japanese people, people by whom God wants to be known.

Dr Fohle Lygunda li-M provides a thorough analysis of missiological teaching in theological institutions in Africa, with special reference to ten Christian universities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. His detailed examination of current teaching of mission theory and practice builds a solid foundation for the articulation of a new paradigm of missiological education. In this book, Dr Lygunda presents the case for a transformed approach to raising up seminarians who are equipped to lead indigenous missional churches that will fulfil the Great Commission in their own communities and beyond their national borders.

The Asia Bible Commentary Series empowers Christian believers in Asia to read the Bible from within their respective contexts. Holistic in its approach to the text, each exposition of the biblical books combines exegesis and application. The ultimate goal is to strengthen the Body of Christ in Asia by providing pastoral and contextual exposition of every book of the Bible.The book of Leviticus has a two-fold mission. Leviticus 1-16 symbolizes the order of the world through sacrifices, purity law, and sacred boundaries, so that God's people can acknowledge his presence and lordship in their different aspects of life. The second part of the book, from Leviticus 17-27, extends the belief of holiness through moral laws of sex and social justice, so that God's people can be holy, as he is holy. This commentary helps believers to integrate God's holiness into their daily lifestyle with particular attention to Asian contexts.

The surge of theological education in the rapidly growing church of the Majority World has highlighted the inadequacy of traditional Western methods of thinking and learning to fully accomplish the task at hand. The limitations of current theological education are embodied in the formation and assessment of the master's or doctoral dissertation; processes that follow a linear-empiricist tradition developed in the West and exported to the Majority World. Challenging Tradition: Innovation in Advanced Theological Studies highlights the need for these traditions to be reconsidered in every context throughout the world. Drs Shaw and Dharamraj, with their team of contributors, present innovations in research and documentation that demonstrate how we may better prepare theological leadership through means that are contextually relevant and locally meaningful.

In this well-researched work, Dr Albín Masarik explores various features of funeral sermons arising from their unique context and homiletic process. While funeral sermons are an important element in pastoral care of churches and the wider community, theological reflection of this weighty responsibility can be hard to find. Addressing the definition of a funeral sermon, their categorization, purpose and context, this book brings clarity to inform the exercise of preaching a funeral sermon and help pastors and theologians grapple with how to best shepherd their flock and exalt our Saviour in the midst of bereavement.

We often hear these days that the center of Christianity is moving toward the Global South and Africa is a key player in that movement. This makes the study of African Christianity and African realities important – even more so when it is being done by Africans themselves in their own context. The Africa Society of Evangelical Theology (ASET) was created to encourage research and sustained theological reflection on key issues facing Africa by and for African Christians and those working within African contexts. The volumes in the ASET series constitute the best papers presented at the annual conferences of ASET and together they seek to fill this important gap in the literature of Christianity.Africa is all too familiar with suffering. Yet there is a dearth of sustained theological reflection on suffering by Africans, or for Africans. Christianity and Suffering: African Perspectives addresses this need and is the fruit of the 5th Annual Conference of the Africa Society of Evangelical Theology. The contributions address age-old issues like why God does not prevent or relieve human suffering; they wrestle with causes of suffering including witchcraft, poverty, curses, and war; and they also explore appropriate Christian responses to suffering, all from within the African context.

For a church to be considered mature an integrated approach between contextualization, discipleship and mission is required. Globally, the church is facing multiple challenges both rom within and from without. Despite the challenges, however, churches in the Majority World continue to grow rapidly. But is this growth in numbers accompanied by spiritual depth? And is this growth built upon biblical and theological foundations, so that the church can play its transforming role in the world?In this book, Dr Ermias Mamo makes the case for an integrated approach, guiding the reader through the topics of discipleship, mission and contextualization, for which he uses his home country of Ethiopia as a working example. Dr Mamo closes with strategies for effective contextualized discipleship and the impact such an approach will have on the future of the church. This is a resource that will benefit all who wish to be part of a church that seeks to shape its theological learning, institutional structure and core values around their identity in Christ and God-given mission.

The purpose of our lives is to know the God of the universe who made us and loves us. It is this purpose that biblical preaching meets through explaining God's word. Biblical preaching centres around proclaiming God's Word and preachers are to be mouthpieces for God as we encounter the living Christ through Scripture. Jonathan Lamb illustrates the power of God's Word by focusing our attention on the heart, task and purpose of preaching by leading us through Nehemiah 8:1-12. Reworked to benefit from the authors' years of experience working alongside indigenous preaching movements around the world, this book includes excellent resources for group studies, preaching preparation and running a preachers' group.

The Asia Bible Commentary Series empowers Christian believers in Asia to read the Bible from within their respective contexts. Holistic in its approach to the text, each exposition of the biblical books combines exegesis and application. The ultimate goal is to strengthen the Body of Christ in Asia by providing pastoral and contextual exposition of every book of the Bible.Micah contains a provocative message: God has a problem with his people and is sending judgment. However, Micah’s message is not only one of impending judgment, it also contains grace and hope. Ferreira shows how Micah provides hope that Christians, especially Asian preachers and teachers, can become courageous messengers of the Lord Jesus Christ. This commentary is based on a careful reading of the Hebrew text within its historical and canonical context. It provides a detailed analysis of the book of Micah and also serves as an introduction to the message of Old Testament prophetic literature.

Africa is suffering a severe famine - a famine for the Lord's Supper. Many Christians have forgotten or have never known the nourishment this spiritual feast brings. Others long for it but are denied the opportunity to partake. In Celebrating the Lord's Supper: Ending the Eucharistic Famine, Dr Edison Kalengyo pleads on behalf of those who are suffering. This book identifies the ecclesiastical and economic reasons for the famine and suggests how they may be alleviated. Kalengyo also urges African churches to draw on the continent's rich, ancient cultural heritage when celebrating the Lord's Supper to fully appreciate this biblical feast and the communion it brings with God and fellow believers.

God’s interest in the entirety of our existence and the details of his creation is quite rightly lauded by professing Christians, including those involved in theological education. But what impact does this biblical truth have on the way in which theological education is conducted?Critics are increasingly bringing attention to the shortcomings of theological education in this regard. In this thorough examination of the issue of holistic practices throughout the operations of theological institutions, Dr Jessy Jaison provides sage and actionable solutions where others have merely observed systemic weaknesses. Jaison has applied her expertise and experience of twenty-five years in theological education in India to dissect the issues, diagnose the symptoms and prescribe a way forward that will lead to stronger leaders practicing healthier ministry in God’s Kingdom for those who have ears to hear.

God clearly intends that lives of Christians and the life of the church should differ from those of the unredeemed. The Christian and the church should be “salt and light.” Preparing spiritual leaders who have the grace, credibility, and wisdom to effect such change demands more than transmission of knowledge. Equipping for transformative ministry requires a divinely empowered and educationally intentional experience that leads to transformation in the lives of students.Ministry Education that Transforms brings together theological insight and educational research in support of practical methods that align with transformative ends. The authors’ experience with Global Associates for Transformational Education (GATE) workshops, and the impact they have had with this approach to education formation, testifies that this is not a mere call for change, but a tried and tested methodology crucial to theological education.

How often have you seen a friend and been greeted with "How are you?" Almost always our automatic response is "Fine thank you" regardless of whether it's true.We proclaim in church services that "God is good all the time . . . All the time God is good," but there are often times when we feel that life is just unfair and ask God, "Why?"The uplifting songs and victorious testimonies of our church gatherings are frequently difficult to identify within the midst of the suffering and hardship of people's daily lives, yet there is all too often no room for our "not-OK" experiences in our Christian communities. This is especially true for pastors and leaders who are required to always be strong and OK all the time.But the songs of lament in the Psalms paint a very different picture of understanding life and how human beings express themselves to God. Dr Rico Villanueva uses these Scriptures to teach us that in the presence of God, there is room to be "not-OK" and that our negative experiences don't have to be ignored. This book challenges us to confront our struggles and questions instead of denying them. Most importantly, the author invites us to bring all of ourselves into the presence of God and the community of faith. For it is through our experiences and sharing them with God and his church that we grow in intimacy with God and our relationships with one another.

Join with Yohanna Katanacho, a Palestinian Israeli Christian, in praying through the Psalms.After completing his PhD on the book of Psalms, Yohanna Katanacho felt led to pray every psalm in the context of the Middle East. These prayers transformed him. They helped him expand his understanding of Psalms as he prayed out his theology. They also enabled him to express all of his frustrations, hopes, joys, and many other emotions. His feelings were sancti ed in the presence of the Lord and this experience created a healthy theology of tears in the midst of oppressive realities. Lastly, these prayers strengthened him to face the harsh realities of the Middle East from a biblical perspective.This collection of 150 beautiful and unique prayers, inspired by each of the Psalms and birthed in the same land as Jesus, will help you grow in under- standing the struggles of Christians in the Middle East, and deepen your love for God.

Africa's national leaders have failed the continent. So have Africa's church leaders. In Stewards of Power: Restoring Africa's Dignity, Dwight Mutonono identifies the leadership problems plaguing the continent and appeals for good leadership in the style of the biblical Joseph rather than the xenophobic, self-centred style exemplified by Jonah. He offers practical suggestions for how African Christians can reject sycophancy and demand accountability from their leaders. This is a prerequisite for restoring Africa's dignity with a clarion call for integrity and righteousness at a personal, institutional and national level.