* Written for preachers, teachers, and lay persons - the series offers fresh, insightful, and inspiring community * Focuses on the meaning and message of each book of the Bible * Avoids unnecessary technical terms and goes right to the heart of the Bible text * Scripture texts are from the two most commonly used Bibles in the Spanish-speaking world: The Reina-Valera Revisada and the Version Popular (Good News)

The state of teaching biblical interpretation in colleges and seminaries is generally a mess, and many conventional approaches can be alarming for religious students. The sources of this difficulty are wide ranging, but a quick summary would include at least the following: jargon that is unnecessarily technical; competing and contradictory methodologies; and a failure on the part of Biblical scholarship to demonstrate the direct relevance of its methods to the pastoral life of the Church. As a consequence, biblical scholarship is often opaque at best and distressing at worst to the student and beginning theologian. And because pastors and lay people are trained within this cobweb of methods, they are often functionally unable to draw clear conclusions from most teaching resources.

Jerry Camery-Hoggatt addresses this problem with several solutions: a return to a conscious affirmation of authorial intention as the beginning place for interpretation; a careful examination of the actual workings of communication; a concept of "text "to include the assumptions and cultural knowledge upon which the text depends for meaningful communication; an examination of the various academic disciplines with an eye toward correlating their conclusions with the necessary activities of reading; and easily accessible language that makes sense to the beginning student and the lay reader alike.

Here is a single, accessible volume that explains the basic vocabulary and logic of biblical interpretation, shows how the various methodologies can be fitted together into a seamless interpretive model for exegesis, and then reflects carefully on the implications of that method for the various issues of reading, teaching, reflection, and preaching.

Through common and practical examples Jerry Camery-Hoggatt teaches students a way of reading the Bible that replicates the activities the biblical authors expected their readers would perform, and he uses a model that is applicable across linguistic boundaries, genres, and various cultural contexts; that is, throughout the human experience of language there exists a common set of mental activities that can be identified and studied, and these are fundamental to reading and interpreting the Bible.

The prose style is conversational, non-technical, and is intended to be inviting to the beginning student, and refreshing for advanced students and teachers.

Philippians - Count It All Joy - Precepts for Life Study Companion for the radio / tv broadcast series by Kay Arthur. (Covers whole book of Philippians.) Disappointment, pain, betrayal or the circumstances of daily life can rob you of your joy. Learn to bear all things and overcome through Christ who strengthens us. Learn how you can have all joy despite it all and rely on His promises through this letter from the Apostle Paul.

Conozca su Biblia, developed in partnership with the Asociacion para la Educacion Teologica Hispana and the Evangelical Outreach and Congregational Mission unit of the Evangelical Lutheran Church n America, is a unique new Bible commentary series written in Spanish by leading Hispanic theologians and Bible educators.

Conozca su Biblia, developed in partnership with the Asociacion para la Educacion Teologica Hispana and the Evangelical Outreach and Congregational Mission unit of the Evangelical Lutheran Church n America, is a unique new Bible commentary series written in Spanish by leading Hispanic theologians and Bible educators.

The Gospel of Matthew - The King, His Kingdom, and Me - Precepts for Life Study Companion for the radio / tv broadcast series by Kay Arthur. Matthew begins with Jesus' humble birth as son of David, son of Abraham and ends with His universal authority over heaven and earth, His commission to His followers to make and teach disciples of all nations, and His promise to be with them always, to the end of the age.

Blech argues that both Christianity and Judaism are responsible for anti-Semitism in claiming divine revelation as the source of their scriptures.

This book surveys some of the scholarship on the letter of James from the past 30 years, covering questions of authorship and audience, structure and rhetoric, themes, and relationship to some of the sayings attributed to Jesus.

The Beauty of Holiness is a guide to what the Bible says about the object, manner, and the heart of worship. We must never shy away from what the Bible says regardless of how out of sync with culture it seems to be. God's Word not culture - whether modern or medieval - defines the way of worship.

In The Rhetoric of Romans, Neil Elliott presents a rhetorical- critical reading of the letter that indicates that Paul wrote, not to counter Jewish opponents or aspects of the Jewish religion, nor to legitimize the law-free gentile church, but to warn against elements of the Hellenistic church's Christology and an incipient Christian supersessionism that threatened the collection in Jerusalem and the heart of his apostolic work.

Praise Seeking Understanding sits at the intersection of three important fields in theology: theological exegesis, Augustinian studies, and contemporary church practice. Jason Byassee deftly brings the three together, revealing an important symbiotic relationship between them -- a relationship hitherto largely ignored. Though current exegetical methods have swung away from a Christological reading of the Old Testament -- rejecting in particular Augustine's treatment of the text -- Byassee believes that is a mistake we must remedy. Using a recent translation of Augustine's Enarrationes in Psalmos, Byassee describes in depth Augustine's psalm hermeneutic and his approach to scripture generally, offering a defense of these views in conversation with recent work in theological exegesis.

The capital city of the province of Asia in the first century CE, Ephesus played a key role in the development of early Christianity. In this book Paul Trebilco examines the early Christians from Paul to Ignatius, seen in the context of our knowledge of the city as a whole.

Drawing on Paul's letters and the Acts of the Apostles, Trebilco looks at the foundations of the church, both before and during the Pauline mission. He shows that in the period from around 80 to 100 CE there were a number of different communities in Ephesus that regarded themselves as Christians ? the Pauline and Johannine groups, Nicolaitans, and others ? testifying to the diversity of that time and place. Including further discussions on the Ephesus addresses of the apostle John and Ignatius, this scholarly study of the early Ephesian Christians and their community is without peer.

Winner of a Chicago Book Clinic 2004 Design Award A Fragile Stone explores the dynamic life of the apostle Peter, revisiting well-known passages and revealing unexpected insights. Author Michael Card sketches out Peter's life, showing how the impetuous fisherman of the Gospels was transformed into the pivotal leader of the early church. "The ultimate reason for getting to know Peter," Card explains, "is so together we might better know Jesus. For the story of Peter is the story of Jesus. Perhaps, if you and I do our best, the same will be said of us someday." Peter's life serves as a model for Christian discipleship, offering hope that we likewise can be changed as Jesus calls us to follow him.

1 Samuel - Part 1 - The Heart of a Leader - Precepts for Life Study Companion for the radio/tv broadcast series by Kay Arthur. (Covers 1 Samuel chapters 1-14.) Study the stories of Eli, Hannah and Samuel, David and Goliath, David and Jonathan, David and Abigail - all recorded in God's Word so you can know and trust God, experience His grace and forgiveness, and pray more effectively, relying on the precious promises in His Word.

Revelation - God's Message to the Church - Precepts for Life Study Guide for the radio / tv broadcast series by Kay Arthur. (Covers Revelation chapters 1-3 & 21.) Study the first three chapters of Revelation that record God's messages to the seven churches, and learn why they are relevant to the Church - and to you - today

Brooke illuminates the first-century world shared by the Qumran community and the writers of the New Testament. The Dead Sea Scrolls have provided Old Testament scholars with an enormous wealth of data for textual criticism as well as theology. But, as Brooke skillfully demonstrates, New Testament scholars can use the Scrolls to learn more about the linguistic, historical, religious, and social contexts of Palestine in the first century. A wide range of topics and themes is discussed, including Matthew's Beatitudes, the lost song of Miriam, Levi and the Levites, women's authority, and the use of scripture in the parable of the vineyard.

Romans - Constitution of Your Faith - Precepts for Life Study Companion for the radio / tv broadcast series by Kay Arthur. (Covers Romans chapters 1-5.) Learn about the righteousness of God and understand the bondage of sin in Paul's life-changing letter to the Romans. Study how God's solution to man's sinful dilemma through justification by faith in Jesus and the free gift of grace. Understanding these essential doctrines will strengthen your faith

This magisterial study surveys the contributions of biblical scholars and theologians from the early patristic writers to the modern era, from eastern and western traditions, and from Catholic and Reformed, Enlightenment and Modernist sources to the interpretation of the Lord's Prayer.

Romans - Constitution of Your Faith - Precepts for Life Study Guide for the radio / tv broadcast series by Kay Arthur. (Covers Romans chapters 1-5.) Learn about the righteousness of God and understand the bondage of sin in Paul's life-changing letter to the Romans. Study how God's solution to man's sinful dilemma through justification by faith in Jesus and the free gift of grace. Understanding these essential doctrines will strengthen your faith

The Know Your Bible series is written by knowledgeable scholars who avoid using unnecessary technical terms or an abundance of footnotes. The books are written at a high school reading level and address lay adults and beginning students. Scripture texts are from the two most commonly used Bibles in the Spanish-speaking world: the Reina-Valera Revisada and the Version Popular (Good News).