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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

by Rhonda K. Kruse

Strong congregational leadership is needed to encourage the church to remind people that church is not just a place to go, but a way to live our lives; that Jesus calls the church to focus on discipleship not membership, on service not growth, on mission and ministry, not buildings and structure.

by Albrecht Classen

Many people regard the Middle Ages as a time when the people endured great stress, a time unique in history. The author disagrees with those sentiments and feels that what occurred in the Middle Ages was different from our contemporary stresses but neither worse nor better. This is an eye-opening read.

by Donna Schaper

The role of the swine in Mark 5 that cured the legion-filled demoniac is rarely discussed. The author asks if we really need a displacement to heal? Does the devil have to be put in an animal considered unclean in religious and hygienic terms–for change to come? These are among the questions designed to encourage pastors to seek new insights on ancient tales.

by Amos Yong

This article is divided into three consecutive parts: The intuition behind this essay is that the dynamic character of Christian preaching should be explicated theologically in terms of its orality and ontologically in terms of its audibility. We will explore the orality of preaching and do so in conversation with the oral culture of Pentecostalism.

by Amos Yong

In order to probe deeper into the implications of orality for a theology of preaching, the author expands the field of analysis to include both the nature of speaking vis-à-vis vocalization and the nature of hearing in relationship to sound.