Article Archive for August 2016
by Moses Biney
This is not a simple question. It is profound as it is perennial. Theologically, it points to the nature of God—God’s transcendence, immanence and omnipresence. It raises questions such as, “Is God present in all places at all times?” “How do we know this?”
by Reginald Brantley
If we believe that God’s heart is a dwelling place for justice and grace big enough for us who were once estranged from God, then surely we know our expression of God must include making our hearts dwelling places of justice and grace for those whom we would call strangers.
by the Editorial Team of The Living Pulpit
The story of cosmic and Earth evolution drawing on the latest scientific knowledge, in a way that makes it both relevant and moving. What emerges is an intensely poetic story, which evokes emotions of awe and excitement, fear and joy, belonging and responsibility.
by Mark C. Johnson
The notion of sacred places generally makes for good religion but poor theology. Great stories such as the one of the burning bush, Peniel, and the Mount of Olives, offer wonderful and metaphors, but what do they draw us toward? What makes a conference center hosted library for example, or a sanctuary, a dwelling place, sacred spaces?
by Johannes Unsok Ro
The concept of YHWH’s dwelling in the Deuteronomistic History seems to focus on His immanent and communicating presence among His people. The authors and editors of the Deuteronomistic History seem to show a yearning desire for God “dwelling among us” just as we do in the 21st century.
by Donna Schaper
When it comes to God’s dwelling place, most of us lead with ourselves and our involvement with the matter of God’s house. We lead materially. We know we can’t house God but we’d love to try to make God feel more comfortable in the places where we live. For God to dwell in a place, the place has to understand itself as holy.
by Rick Ufford-Chase
A proposed resolve to commit to actively learning and embracing one another’s rhythms and practices, both religious and traditional, appreciating one another’s core motivations and convictions, with the understanding that all are cherished and sustained by God.
Reviewed by Neal D. Presa
Anglican Bible scholar N.T. Wright addresses the sharp criticism of Reformed Baptist pastor John Piper and other critics who see Wright’s representation of the so-called “New Perspective” as a threat to the doctrines of forensic justification and imputation from the 16th century Protestant Reformation and 17th century post-Reformation.
Reviewed by Philip Ruge-Jones
Thomas Boomershine offers a meticulous reading of the final three chapters of Mark. As he reconstructs the impact that this gospel had on those who first heard it, a very different set of conclusions arise from those embraced by much of contemporary scholarship.
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
In this issue, our authors gather to remind us of the multifaceted nature of “Dwelling Place”. They introduce us to important topics, such as God’s “tabernacling” presence from the testimony of the Bible and our responsibility to care for the livable pace for all creatures.
Their guiding spirit helps us once again explore the age-long aspiration to stay in communion with God as the profound meaning of the ark of the Hebrew Bible and the theology of incarnation. The theological thrust of their weavings has a corollary in the call for responsible actions in the immediate context of our times, which ranges from the local ministry of providing intellectual living space for others to caring for refugees forced to leave their home in search of a new dwelling place.