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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.

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.

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.

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.

This festschrift honours Chris Wright on the occasion of his 70th birthday. The theologians and leaders who have contributed to it have all benefitted from his friendship, scholarship, and partnership in the gospel. These essays demonstrate how preachers, scholars and writers from around the world are fleshing out the mission of God and breathing new life into the bones of Chris's thinking. Contributions include:• A Life Devoted to the Mission of God• A Seed Bears Fruit in Latin America• Mission as Making (and Wearing) New Clothes• Election, Ethics, Mission and the Church in India• Preaching to Impress or to Save CHRISTOPHER J. H. WRIGHT, the International Ministries Director of Langham Partnership, has had a long connection to the global church. Born in Belfast to missionary parents, he has taught at Union Biblical Seminary, Pune, India, and at All Nations Christian College in Ware, England. In his PhD studies at Cambridge, he focused on the ethics of land, family, economics, debt and slavery. He has authored twenty-eight books, including The Mission of God, Old Testament Ethics for the People of God, Sweeter than Honey, and Knowing God - The Trilogy. Recognizing Chris's commitment to scholarship, preaching and the global church, John Stott welcomed him as a friend and as his successor as head of Langham Partnership. Contributors: • Mark Hunt, USA • Jonathan Lamb, UK • Ian J. Shaw, UK• Igor Améstegui, Bolivia • Qaiser Julius, Pakistan • Collium Banda, Zimbabwe• Danut Manastireanu, Romania • Peter Penner, Germany • Brian Wintle, India• Frew Tamrat, Ethiopia • Las Newman, Jamaica • C. Rosalee Velloso Ewell, Brazil• Paul Swarup, India • Andrea Z. Stephanous, Egypt • Dwi Handayani, Indonesia• Athena E. Gorospe, Philippines • Gail Atiencia, Colombia • Riad A. Kassis, Lebanon• Mark Meynell, UK • Greg R. Scharf, USA • Pieter Kwant, Netherlands

Christians can often overlook the need to bring their daily vocations in accord with the reality created, sustained, and purposed through Christ. This is no less true for language teachers, who find themselves at a difficult interdisciplinary crossroads where the paths of linguistics, culture and education merge. This challenge should not discourage these educators, but instead aid them in their journey to form a pedagogy rooted in theological truths from Scripture, one that provides a nuanced approach that glorifies God in a manner specific to the language classroom.The contributors of this book outline why and how theology must inform teaching methods so that Christian language educators might better serve their students with both faith and excellence, thereby pointing them to the communicative God whose image they bear.

Christians the world over are under pressure, facing difficulties and dangers of all kinds. Nehemiah was raised up to lead God's people at a critical moment, and the story of his practical realism and courageous faith is vital for Christians today. Providing an overview of the Nehemiah story, this book explains the critical importance of choosing God's priorities and truly hearing and responding to God's word. It tackles essential themes for Christian living, including how we can know God's protection under pressure, how we can build Christian community, and how we must live by God's standards. Faith in the Face of Danger is structured with sections and subsections that provide a clear set of preaching units that will serve preachers in building a sermon series but this is also an ideal book for individual or group use with questions, discussion points, ideas for action and further study suggestions.

Evangelical Christians in many countries shy away from politics. And yet, especially with the rise of the Pentecostal and charismatic movements, the interest and involvement in political activity is becoming a daily reality in evangelical circles. At the same time, evangelical politicians are not exempt from scandals of corruption and complaints of ineffectiveness. Are Christians unable to do better politics than others? Are they less prepared? Is even the whole political involvement of Christians under question?In this book, Dr Johannes Reimer explores the answers to these questions by articulating a theology of the church's political mission. The church is not a political party, but as God's ecclesia, it has a prophetic voice and is called out of the world to take responsibility for the world.

The ICETE Programme for Academic Leadership (IPAL) was officially established in 2010 and arose out of the need to provide training to theological institutions in different regions of the world. IPAL provides a three-year cycle of seminars for the professional development of evangelical academic leaders and administrators to help institutions in their pursuit of quality and excellence in theological education.This publication is the second of three volumes intended to accompany and support the IPAL seminars as well as independently providing wider access to the principles required by academic leaders for institutional and curriculum development.Each chapter shares and illustrates the expertise and understanding the contributors have of education and curriculum design in the field of evangelical academic institutions. With an intentional awareness of a wide range of non-Western contexts, this volume is a much-needed guide for course administrators around the world.

Brother Bakht Singh Chabra, a Sikh convert, was one of the foremost evangelists and Bible teachers in India. Bakht Singh was well known as a pioneer in gospel contextualization and a proponent of indigenous Indian churches. The movement and assemblies he established were often viewed as splinter groups from mainstream churches and many considered his teachings and theology as negatively syncretic. In this publication, Dr Bharathi Nuthalapati establishes that Bakht Singh's theology was rooted in the Indian spirituality of experience through personal relationship and devotion to God or Bhakti. Brother Singh Christianized Bhakti and in his hands Bhakti became a Christian idiom. The author also analyzes how pre-Christian, Sikh elements persisted in Bakht Singh's movement while remaining theologically orthodox, as well as how various aspects of Indian religiosity and biblical and western Christianity were adopted, rejected, reinterpreted, or revolutionized in his movement.

Le présent ouvrage a été conçu pour aider les responsables d'institutions théologiques à progresser vers l'excellence dans leurs établissements de formation biblique et théologique, en donnant des pistes pratiques pour renforcer la qualité de leur formation et de leur administration. Ce livre est plus particulièrement destiné aux responsables d'institutions de formation théologique francophones situées hors de l'Europe et de l'Amérique du Nord.

Strategic partnerships are on the rise around the world as denominations, organizations, local churches and individuals seek ways to work together to accomplish the Great Commission. In this book Dr Kenneth Shreve presents research from a creative access region, identifying five theological issues that impact partnership in Christian missions as well as exploring how partners interact with those theological issues.Partnerships in mission are grounded in relationships, relationships that flow from the Trinity and are manifested in the purpose of God, the body of Christ, the gifts of the Spirit, and the church. Through this book the body of Christ will be encouraged to strengthen cooperation and collaboration in the accomplishment of the Great Commission, and achieve far more in partnership than could be done in isolation.

Ce premier ouvrage de la collection Réseau évangélique des missiologues pour la francophonie (REMIF) présente un ensemble d'articles de jeunes missiologues africains sur l'engagement de l'Église dans l'Afrique d'aujourd'hui. Il explique en quoi consiste l'Église missionnaire, puis expose les bases de l'histoire de l'évangélisation en Afrique, l'évolution de l'islam et du christianisme, et l'émergence des Églises d'initiative africaine. Après une étude de la situation actuelle, il ressort que l'Église africaine est confrontée à plusieurs défis missiologiques : l'urbanisation, la corruption, le sida, la résurgence des religions traditionnelles, l'évangile de la prospérité, et la mise en pratique de la foi chrétienne dans la vie de tous les jours, entre autres. Les différents auteurs nous amènent à réfléchir à ces défis et nous donnent des pistes utiles pour y répondre. L'ouvrage conclut avec un plaidoyer pour une missiologie évangélique en mettant l'accent sur l'importance d'une spiritualité missionnaire, d'une foi évangélique d'expression africaine, et d'une vie transformée qui a une influence dans la société.

'Even angels long to look into these things'Peter wrote to encourage and embolden isolated and vulnerable believers. His timeless words have consoled and challenged ever since and show how the eternal gospel is true even in the toughest circumstances. The last sentence in 1 Peter 1:12 profoundly illustrates that the experience we have each time we open up the Scriptures is nothing less than a heavenly privilege, a privilege that angels do not have but would love to!Mark Meynell skilfully brings the New Testament to life. Guiding the reader through preaching the Gospels and Acts, the Parables, the Letters and Revelation, as well as using a host of worked examples, sample sermons and personal exercises, this book offers ideas and approaches to stretch even the most seasoned preachers. This preaching resource will make an excellent companion to Christopher Wright's Sweeter than Honey: Preaching the Old Testament.Foreword by Christopher J. H. Wright.

These are exciting times in theological education as old models are being reassessed and teachers and schools are looking for guidance on how best to do the job and how to profitably relate to students in the ministry of teaching. Increasingly, the motif of hospitality is being used to guide our thinking and practice, but it needs a careful assessment if it is to be of maximum use to theological education today.This book provides an integrated biblical, theological, and educational rationale to in- form theological educators of the place of hospitality in enhancing their quest to create more effective learning environments for the holistic formation of students. Dr Davina Soh explores key elements of hospitality such as inclusion, presence, care, and reciprocity, which when combined, can deliver the best possible educational experience for theological students and transform an entire institution.

THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO IS A COUNTRY RAVAGED BY TWO CIVIL WARS, tribalism, nepotism and the undeniable hardship of daily life. This is the context of the life and ministry of Bishop Muhindo Isesomo and this book tells the remarkable story of his humble, yet bold proclamation of the Good News of Jesus in the jungles of eastern Congo. Born into a life of loincloths, Isesomo, in the midst of a hedonistic and wild youth had a radical conversion to Christ that set him on a path of sharing the gospel at every opportunity and transforming the lives of those God put in front of him. Without ever seeking higher of ce or power, but serving with integrity and faithfulness, he was consecrated as Bishop of North Kivu and entrusted with unifying a diocese that had seen years of social and political unrest. Based on extensive interviews and research, Joshua Maule masterfully tells this true story of a modern hero of the faith. Isesomo continues to declare God's glory to all who will listen; may this book encourage others to follow his example.

In Taking Up the Mantle Dr Daniel Salinas helps the reader understand the development of Latin American evangelical theological thought over the past hundred years. Salinas challenges new generations to pick up the task of contextually living out the biblical message, learning from the example of the godly men and women that came before them. History is full of faithful servants who read their Bibles and their surroundings to communicate the message for the church and the world, and this 'double listening', as John Stott referred to it, is required today. From the Panama Congress of 1916 to the end of the millennium, this book introduces us to figures from the Latin American church and encourages us to continue their legacy today.