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Article Archive for August 2015

What Do Nineveh and Jerusalem Have in Common?
August 17, 2015 – 2:09 pm | Comments Off on What Do Nineveh and Jerusalem Have in Common?
What Do Nineveh and Jerusalem Have in Common?

by Jin H. Han

Many will recognize the question as a parody of Tertullian, De praescriptione haereticorum, chapter 7: “What does Athens have to do with Jerusalem?” So, to answer our question, we must first ask, “What does Jerusalem represent?”

“Heavenly Citizenship” at Philipi and the “Four Towns” of Senegal West Africa
August 17, 2015 – 2:08 pm | Comments Off on “Heavenly Citizenship” at Philipi and the “Four Towns” of Senegal West Africa
“Heavenly Citizenship” at Philipi and the “Four Towns” of Senegal West Africa

by Aiou C. Niang

Starting about 1649, French colonialists in Africa attempted to infuse French culture to the native inhabitants of Dakar, Goree, Rufisque, and Saint Louis in order to assimilate French language and culture—to “Frenchify” them. This notion was meant to imitate the experiences of ancient Greece where citizenship was conferred on those born in Greece and therefore superior to non-citizens in recognition and rights. France’s goal was to spread its culture and Christianity, much as St Paul had done with the building of Christian churches and communities.

The Mighty City and the Holy City: John’s Apocalypse at the Intersections of Power and Praise
August 17, 2015 – 2:07 pm | One Comment
The Mighty City and the Holy City: John’s Apocalypse at the Intersections of Power and Praise

by Jean-Pierre Ruiz

The author presents the point that John sets before his audience visions of two imagined cities, one the mighty city that was a distant presence looming large through its local surrogates in Asia, the other a holy city descended from above. He urges them to choose between them, to decide their allegiance. This decision is a matter of who is the proper object of worship: the emperor or the Christ. John positions his readers at the intersection of power and praise.

Revitalizing an Urban Church: Biblical Foundations
August 17, 2015 – 2:06 pm | Comments Off on Revitalizing an Urban Church: Biblical Foundations
Revitalizing an Urban Church: Biblical Foundations

by Chris A. Lawrence

Pastoral leadership and community organizing in East Harlem require patience and urgency. Jeremiah 29:5-7 and Isaiah 65:17-25, examples of “the city in the Bible,” can help shape our vision for contemporary urban church planting.

An Urban Interfaith and Ecumenical Exploration of Sacred Texts in Dialogue with Racism
August 17, 2015 – 2:05 pm | One Comment
An Urban Interfaith and Ecumenical Exploration of Sacred Texts in Dialogue with Racism

by Campbell B. Singleton

This idea-filled article is based on a seven week, interfaith ecumenical community study held earlier this year designed to focus on issues of race, justice, and liberation led by Christian clergy, an Imam and a Rabbi. They each examined their own sacred texts to exegete each to discern and confront the erroneous belief that any one group has racial superiority and/or entitlement over another group. The participants learned some of the history and origins of racial discrimination. This article will serve any group wishing to expose the roots of discrimination to the harsh light of truth.

From the Ground Up: Rethinking Biblical Engagement in Urban Youth Ministry
August 17, 2015 – 2:04 pm | Comments Off on From the Ground Up: Rethinking Biblical Engagement in Urban Youth Ministry
From the Ground Up: Rethinking Biblical Engagement in Urban Youth Ministry

by Tamara Henry

This brief essay explores some specific challenges and opportunities that accompany the study of the Bible within an urban youth context. In particular, it argues for rethinking biblical engagement in urban youth ministry and suggests three ways in which practitioners can attend more deliberately to the nuanced dynamics taking place in these contexts when teaching scripture.

Breakdancing for Jesus: The Ethics of Urban Culture and Faith
August 17, 2015 – 2:03 pm | Comments Off on Breakdancing for Jesus: The Ethics of Urban Culture and Faith
Breakdancing for Jesus: The Ethics of Urban Culture and Faith

by Jill Schaeffer

The author offers us a challenge: to read and interpret for ourselves her unique rendition of how an imagined breakdance might be performed on a city street. Her style is rhyming poetry that gives the choice to go with it or hang back. Going with it can be interesting and revealing—hanging back is an opportunity missed.

Book Review: Latino Pentecostals in America: Faith and Politics in Action by Gastón Espinosa
August 17, 2015 – 2:02 pm | Comments Off on Book Review: Latino Pentecostals in America: Faith and Politics in Action by Gastón Espinosa
Book Review: Latino Pentecostals in America: Faith and Politics in Action by Gastón Espinosa

Reviewed by Samuel Cruz

This publication offers a wealth of information of Latino Pentecostalism within the Assemblies of God denomination, and of the denomination in general. One major contribution of the book is Espinosa’s emphasis and his providing documentation of the important and often-neglected fact of the instrumental roles played by Latinas in the origins and formation of the Pentecostal movement.

Quotations from Scripture and Other Writings Related to Metropolis
August 17, 2015 – 2:01 pm | Comments Off on Quotations from Scripture and Other Writings Related to Metropolis
Quotations from Scripture and Other Writings Related to Metropolis

selected by Darla Turlington

Here are quotations from the Bible and from secular writings that pastors and others may find useful in sermons, essays, or other venues.

Introduction: Metropolis—The City in the Bible
August 17, 2015 – 2:00 pm | Comments Off on Introduction: Metropolis—The City in the Bible
Introduction: Metropolis—The City in the Bible

by Efrain Agosto

What in the Bible relates or refers to, or constitutes issues of “the City in the Bible”? Where is the “urban” or urbanization evident in the First and Second Testaments, and what do those instances say and teach? This Fall issue of The Living Pulpit includes some of the October 2014 presentations plus several additional reflections in order to continue to explore how urbanization and urban issues depicted in the Bible helps us do ministry today.