by Carmen Nanko-Fernández

One of the most profound Christian teachings is the incarnation. There is little development in the gospels of this audacious claim that the divine entered the human condition as one of us. John proclaims the Word became flesh and dwelled in our company and both synoptic gospels provide insights into the incarnation, establishing the humanity of Jesus from birth.

by Lura Pierce

I like to say that Eleanor Roosevelt chose me. I certainly didn’t know that studying the woman I had disliked as an adolescent would renew my faith and spur me to action. I didn’t know she would become my mentor across time and help me to answer, “Who am I now?”

by Kevin Yoho

Do you believe that anything is possible? Pastors and church leaders in very diverse ministries consistently tell me they want to make a difference in their community. Many do, but others retreat into their sanctuaries when unexpected obstacles and challenges arise.

by C. H. Elijah Sadaphal

Connection is defined as “a relationship in which a person, thing, or idea is linked or associated with something else.” From a theological perspective, the Holy Spirit is connected to Creator, Who is connected to Christ, Who is connected to the Holy Spirit. The Connectivity and subsequent relationality within and amongst the Holy Trinity is what allows salvation.

by Insook Lee

We have shifted from the industrial age to the digital age of connectivity. Some people welcome the sense of connection beyond time and space while others are ambivalent and fearful of “techno-colonialism” and a “global cyberimperialism.” Whatever the consequences of digital connectivity are, “internet access springs from a powerful longing for community—the very same force that drives church congregations.”

by David A. Davis

Many preachers have experienced that moment of paralysis when they stand before a congregation yearning to hear Biblical truth just before the sermon. For many pastors that view of the congregation comes with the knowledge of the overwhelming, collective pastoral need. But by God’s grace and in the mystery of the Holy Spirit, we believe the Gospel strikes to the heart of the people of God.

by Melvin Sensenig

Jeremiah 21:1–23:4 recounts a series of oracles against the last four kings in Israel. The canonical book’s reordering of the final four kings is important to the overall argument of the book about the future of the Davidic kingship. No future king can arise without the complete destruction of the current Davidic line.

Reviewed by Neal D. Presa

This book is the first volume in “The Promise of Homiletical Theology” series as part of the Homiletical Theology section in the Academy of Homiletics. Boston University homiletics scholar, David Schnasa Jacobsen, collaborated with six other homileticians in describing the multivalent relationships of preaching, preaching preparation and theology. At its core, the volume asserts that every part of the preaching craft is engaged in theology and is itself theological by definition because the subject, object, and predicate of preaching is God.

Reviewed by Neal D. Presa

To know oneself, one must have a proper understanding of God. Or to put it simply: the true identity of God leads to true identity of who we are, whose we are, and what we are to be and to do. For the task and craft of preaching the identity of God is critical, essential, and pivotal. Paul Molnar applies Barth’s theology of the Trinity and election, and then uses the thoughts of one of Barth’s students, the late reformed theologian, Thomas F. Torrance, to bring clarity to Barth’s thoughts on the matter, and to provide a corrective to contemporary theologies.

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.

by Jin Hee Han

The current issue showcases how the modern thrust of CONNECTIVITY may get into a delightful conversation with traditional theological affirmations, such as the incarnation as God connecting with us. As we browse through this issue, we will encounter witnesses to the reign of God, who guides us through messy confusion that has become all too common in human history.