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Questions about Lutherans and the Holy Spirit? This book probes Lutheranism from Luther to the Formula of Concord (1517-1577) and presents a striking consistency regarding the Holy Spirit among Lutheran Reformers. The Holy Spirit dominated Luther's writing, not only in theology, but in all aspects of living out God's will. Six of the theologians researched in this book were also pastors dealing with enormous challenges from government interference, war, religious disputes, and, as Luther declared, ""The rage of the devil."" The solution was not brilliant arguments or ""best practices."" The solution to a Christian's guilty conscience or lukewarm faith was not trying harder or doing good works. Rather, it was to confess failure, to eliminate self-dependence, and to cry out to the Holy Spirit, who alone is totally sufficient in every situation.Theologians, pastors, missionaries, Sunday-school teachers, workers and retirees, moms and dads, students and kids--everyone--is powerless to accomplish anything in the kingdom of God. Only the Holy Spirit is able to change hearts and meet needs. He graciously responds to all who call. Yes, the work of the Holy Spirit and his power is Lutheran, for Luther in the sixteenth century and for Lutherans today.

Seasons of Worship: A Spiritual Calendar for the Church Today emphasizes the transformative power of observing the Christian year. It provides an overview of the key components of the Christian year, along with their biblical, historical, and theological foundations. The book offers practical resources to aid in planning, programming, and implementing worship opportunities based on the Christian year, enriching the corporate worship experiences of congregations, and fostering spiritual growth among worshipers.

Legacy--everyone has one to give. What will be your legacy? Jensen explores the motif of legacy through the lens of the apostle Paul and one of his last letters to his spiritual son Timothy. It is an intensive exploration of the universal human endeavor to pass something of worth to a subsequent generation. Jensen weaves a tapestry of exegesis, theological excursus, psychological integration, and contemporary pastoral dilemmas to underscore the need for legacy in its various kinds. Pastors and fathers/mothers are challenged to find their Timothy for the express purpose of faithful transmission of gospel and ministry.

In some language groups, Bible commentaries and translations are of lesser quality, often due to the lack of training in Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic for their authors and translators. Additionally, many commentaries are authored by those who are unfamiliar with the language, church, and culture of the target audience. Further, some language groups struggle with the quality of translations even of the biblical text itself. A translation may not be based on the biblical languages but on a Bible translation in another modern language. This can result in the theological perspective of the previous translators being unwittingly written into the subsequent translation. How can these challenges be addressed? In this volume of the Tyndale Theological Seminary Theses Series, two brothers, Bogdan and Alexandru Costea, address these types of biblical studies issues in Romania. Bogdan writes about the importance of having a Romanian commentary series that compares the biblical languages with the Romanian Bible versions used by Evangelicals and interacts with the Church Fathers. Alexandru evaluates the meaning and implications of ¿¿¿¿ as translated in the Romanian Orthodox Bible, a word commonly translated as ""save"" in many English contexts. These two men thus grapple with the core issues related to commentary production suitable for the Romanian context as well as provide a model for other language contexts. Their interest, in conjunction with that of Dr. Octavian Baban and Dr. H. H. Drake Williams III, has helped to produce the Seria Comentarii Exegetice Romane¿ti (Oradea, RO: Decenu, 2023-).

These essays by John Nevin, theologian of Mercersburg Theology, are united by two primary themes: Part 1 documents Nevin's noteworthy and innovative application of idealist philosophy to Reformed theology in antebellum America. American Christians largely rejected any inherited philosophical discipline or categories, claiming the right to invent moral and religious reality without attention to Christian tradition. The paradoxical result was authoritarian rationalism: religious doctrines imitated scientific reasoning (""common-sense"" philosophy) but were imposed by ecclesiastical fiat. In contrast, Nevin summoned his fellow theologians to pay fresh attention to the Idea: the rational unpacking of transcendent truths in being, moral right, and revelation. Part 2 then documents his criticism of the predominant Christian alternatives in the mid-nineteenth century. Such alternatives were deeply flawed, Nevin thought, as they necessitated that supernatural reality be experienced through an external authority demanding assent and obedience--the pope, a body of bishops, an authoritative Bible. But for Nevin, ""supernature"" is Jesus Christ himself who generates and sustains the reality of which the church speaks. Thus the highest Idea was Jesus Christ, now incarnate in the history and sacramental and liturgical life of the church.

Have you ever wondered how to maintain an understanding of monotheism in light of the Christian understanding of the triune Godhead? Have you ever wondered about the identity of ""YHWH"" in the Old Testament? Have you identified YHWH as the first person of the Trinity as many in the Christian tradition have? If so, this book is for you. Many of the early Trinitarian heresies stemmed from a misunderstanding of YHWH in the Old Testament, especially identifying YHWH as one person and not multiple persons. This book addresses issues relating to the identity of YHWH in the Old Testament and makes the bold claim that YHWH is multiple persons in the OT and therefore, Father is YHWH, Jesus is YHWH, and the Holy Spirit is YHWH. This conclusion is based on sound exegesis of OT/NT passages, the early Christian understanding of God in the Old Testament, and the New Testament's identification of Jesus in the identity of YHWH. If identified thus, a Christian reading of the entirety of Scripture will take on new meaning, resulting in a robust Trinitarian interpretation of Scripture.

In How to Be a Pastor: Wisdom from the Past for Pastors in the Present, Van Neste and Wainscott have revived the neglected yet needed wisdom of a forgotten pastor, Theodore Cuyler. While Cuyler is all but unknown today, he was a leading figure alongside the likes of Spurgeon and Moody in his own day. Moreover, he was looked to as something of an ideal pastor, and his reflections from over four decades of ministry speak to important issues that are too often ignored in contemporary discussions about the role and responsibilities of pastors. While affirming the importance of preaching, Cuyler makes it clear that pastoral care of individual people is central to pastoral ministry. As he writes, ""Set it down as a cardinal principle . . . that if you would interest people in the gospel and interest them in their salvation, you have got to interest yourself in them and all that belongs to them.""Whether you are just starting in ministry or have been a pastor for some time, the wisdom provided in this volume will be of immense help to you as you shepherd the flock of God that is among you.

Toward the end of his life, the Lord Jesus told the disciples the church would do the work that he had done and greater works in these last days. Building on the finished work of Christ, by the power and gifting of the indwelling Holy Spirit, believers do these works as prophets, priests, and kings in what the church has called the ""gifts of the Holy Spirit."" Through study of the Old Testament saints who filled these offices, Christ (to whom they point), and important New Testament texts, Sylvia builds the paradigm for local church leaders to use to identify and deploy their church members in spiritually-gifted ministry. This paradigm is anchored in the Scriptures and can be used in congregations across the theological spectrum. This book lays out a path for taking seriously the Lord's assertion that in these last days, by the power of the Spirit and for the glory of God, the church will do great things.

Is evil evidence against the existence of God? In this lively discussion, atheists Michael Shermer and Gary Whittenberger debate theist Brian Huffling about this question. James Sterba (atheist) and Richard Howe (theist) provide a commentary on the debate. The existence of God is the most important question that one can ask. In this work, the reader will hear arguments for and against God's existence as it relates to evil and suffering in a way that will appeal to scholars, pastors, and laypeople alike.

Philip Schaff's classic work colloquially known as Early Church Fathers, is an invaluable resource filled with the primary documents, and early theological building blocks for the Christian Church. Comprised of 38 volumes it is broken into three parts, the Ante-Nicene Fathers, and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First and Second Series.