Are Miraculous Gifts for Today?

Are Miraculous Gifts for Today?
Author: Zondervan,
Publisher: Zondervan Academic
Total Pages: 368
Release: 2011-10-11
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0310871360

Are Miraculous Gifts for Today? takes you to the heart of one of the most dividing questions in the Church today: how are the Holy Spirit’s miracles at work among God's people now? Is he still actively giving the gifts of tongues, prophecy, and healing that fill the book of Acts? Is he driving out demons when Christians command them to flee? Or are these events confined to the time of the early church and the apostles? This volume of the Counterpoints series provides an impartial format for comparing the four main positions on present-day miracles (including the history and distinctions between the three positions that affirm miraculous gifts) with voice also given to a large sector of open-but-cautious evangelicals: Cessationist: there are no miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit today. Pentecostal: gifts are intended for today, with certain nuances focused on baptism and speaking in tongues. Charismatic: gifts are intended for today and should be actively practiced. Third Wave: gifts are intended for today, with greater emphasis on baptism and less on tongues. This thought-provoking book will help Christians on every side of the miraculous gifts debate to better understand their own position and the positions of others. The Counterpoints series presents a comparison and critique of scholarly views on topics important to Christians that are both fair-minded and respectful of the biblical text. Each volume is a one-stop reference that allows readers to evaluate the different positions on a specific issue and form their own, educated opinion.

Miraculous Gifts

Miraculous Gifts
Author: Thomas R. Edgar
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 377
Release: 2001-07-25
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1579107036

Miraculous Gifts is a discussion of spiritual gifts in light of the basic differences between cessationalism and Pentecostalism. Many studies of this issue are written from a primarily theological perspective, and while theological arguments are valid, charismatics assert that this controversy concerns ÒbiblicalÓ gifts and miracles, and is therefore a matter of 'faith' to believe their claims, with theological arguments proving unsatisfactory. The fundamental question is, ÒIs this what the Bible discusses; is it biblical?Ó Miraculous Gifts attempts to answer that question by providing a biblically-based analysis of spiritual gifts in view of the charismatic controversy.

Miraculous Gifts

Miraculous Gifts
Author: Thomas R. Edgar
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 376
Release: 2001-07-25
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1725203839

Miraculous Gifts is a discussion of spiritual gifts in light of the basic differences between cessationalism and Pentecostalism. Many studies of this issue are written from a primarily theological perspective, and while theological arguments are valid, charismatics assert that this controversy concerns "biblical" gifts and miracles, and is therefore a matter of 'faith' to believe their claims, with theological arguments proving unsatisfactory. The fundamental question is, "Is this what the Bible discusses; is it biblical?" Miraculous Gifts attempts to answer that question by providing a biblically-based analysis of spiritual gifts in view of the charismatic controversy.

The Holy Spirit and the Reformation Legacy

The Holy Spirit and the Reformation Legacy
Author: Mark J. Cartledge
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 263
Release: 2020-09-16
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1532695454

This collection of essays explores the legacy of the Reformation with regard to the person and work of the Holy Spirit. Following the five-hundredth anniversary of Luther's posting of his ninety-five theses, these essays consider this legacy with particular reference to the work of Martin Luther and John Calvin, as well as broader Reformation themes as they are related to pneumatology and the life of the church today. The contribution of this collection is to tease out and reflect on pneumatology historically but also to relate these findings to contemporary discussions, especially among scholars of pentecostal and charismatic Christianity. Together these essays invite readers to appreciate the contribution that the Protestant Reformation makes to life in the Holy Spirit today, as well as offering critical and constructive reflection on this theme. It is a timely and significant contribution to the discussions of the person and work of the Holy Spirit and the church.

Three Views on Creation and Evolution

Three Views on Creation and Evolution
Author: Zondervan,
Publisher: Zondervan Academic
Total Pages: 308
Release: 2010-06-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0310873983

For Christians, the issues raised by the different views on creation and evolution are challenging. Can a "young earth" be reconciled with a universe that appears to be billions of years old? Does scientific evidence point to a God who designed the universe and life in all its complexity? Three Views on Creation and Evolution deals with these and similar concerns as it looks at three dominant schools of Christian thought. Proponents of young earth creationism, old earth creationism, and theistic evolution each present their different views, tell why the controversy is important, and describe the interplay between their understandings of science and theology. Each view is critiqued by various scholars, and the entire discussion is summarized by Phillip E. Johnson and Richard H. Bube. The Counterpoints series provides a forum for comparison and critique of different views on issues important to Christians. Counterpoints books address two categories: Church Life and Bible and Theology. Complete your library with other books in the Counterpoints series.

Solving the Immigrant Church Crisis

Solving the Immigrant Church Crisis
Author: Ronald M. Rothenberg
Publisher: Ronald M. Rothenberg
Total Pages: 177
Release: 2016-08
Genre: Religion
ISBN:

Solving the Immigrant Church Crisis: The Biblical Solution of Parallel Ministry (Acts 6:1-7) addresses the crisis of the immigrant church in which complex cultural and linguistic factors create a reticence on the part of immigrants to transfer financial and decision-making authority to succeeding generations, and this results in a culturally irrelevant ministry to those generations, an exodus of believers from the church, a spiritually immature remnant, and an inability to reach the lost. The thesis of this book is that parallel ministry, based on Acts 6:1-7, is the biblical solution to the crisis in the immigrant church. While there are at least two main aspects of this crisis, a spiritual-relational and an ecclesiastical aspect, this book focuses on the ecclesiastical aspect of defining the biblical structure of church government. Specifically, this book is for immigrant churches primarily in the United States and offers them a biblical and practical solution to the problem plaguing them for over two centuries of how to minister effectively to the succeeding generations.

Apostles and Prophets

Apostles and Prophets
Author: Opoku Onyinah
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 408
Release: 2022-01-27
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1666733334

This book is an attempt to trace and find out the role of apostles and prophets in the Bible, and then share these in a practical way to help the church of today. It distinctively goes beyond the purview of the New Testament into the Old Testament, and some ancient literature, to bring out the wealth and depth of the subject, and then makes a case for it. Among others, this book deals with the call of God, the constitution and functions of a prophet and of an apostle, Spiritual gifts, the difference between apostles and prophets, and how to test the manifestation of the Spirit. One important issue, which this book addresses, is how the leadership of the church dropped from apostles to bishops. You will enjoy reading it.

Evaluating the Church Growth Movement

Evaluating the Church Growth Movement
Author: Elmer L. Towns
Publisher: Zondervan
Total Pages: 308
Release: 2004
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0310241103

Gaining form and momentum over the second half of the 20th century, the Church Growth movement has become an enormous shaping force on the Western church today. You may love it, you may hate it, but you can't deny its impact. But what exactly is Church Growth? In what ways has the movement actually brought growth to the church, and how effective has it been in doing so? What are its strengths and weaknesses? This timely book addresses such questions. After providing a richly informative history and overview, it explores---in a first-ever roundtable of their leading voices---five main perspectives, both pro and con, on the classic Church Growth movement: * Effective Evangelism View (Elmer Towns) * Gospel in Our Culture View (Craig Van Gelder) * Centrist View (Charles Van Engen) * Reformist View (Gailyn Van Rheenan) * Renewal View (Howard Snyder) As in other Counterpoints books, each view is first presented by its proponent, then critiqued by his co-contributors. The book concludes with reflections by three seasoned pastors who have grappled with the practical implications of Church Growth. The interactive and fair-minded nature of the Counterpoints format allows the reader to consider the strengths and weaknesses of each view and draw informed, personal conclusions. The Counterpoints series provides a forum for comparison and critique of different views on issues important to Christians. Counterpoints books address two categories: Church Life and Exploring Theology. Complete your library with other books in the Counterpoints series.

Viral Jesus

Viral Jesus
Author: Ross Rohde
Publisher: Charisma Media
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2012
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1616384859

By returning to what we once had...We can recover what we once enjoyed. In the early centuries Christianity was an explosive, viral movement that spread by word of mouth. Persecution could not stop it. In fact, it often helped to spread it. But today, the gospel is no longer spreading like wildfire throughout the Western world. Slowly, Christianity has morphed into something much different...a stable institutionalized religion that no longer grips us with the excitement and spirituality of the early years. Ross Rohde believes that this excitement and passion can be recaptured. In Viral Jesus he uses examples from the Bible and today to explore how we can return to our roots and once again enjoy the excitement, simple spirituality, and explosive growth of early Christianity.