You've been a lectionary preacher throughout your ministry. You like the discipline of dealing with the scripture of the week rather than just grabbing something that is easy for you to handle. You're willing to preach on the hard stuff. But what about the rest of scripture, those passages that never appear in the weekly readings from the Revised Common Lectionary? Are you and your congregation missing something that could be of great benefit? Dr. David Ackerman, who writes the...
This is a study guide on marriage. Discussions include: covenant vs contract, concepts of biblical marriage, loneliness and looking for a mate, the realities of divorce, and family in the larger community. I titled the study guide «Marriage in Interesting Times,» because we are living at a time when profound changes in the way marriage is understood. Not that long ago, it was assumed by many in American society that traditional marriage not only involved a man and a woman, but the man was the...
Theology is often seen as a discussion of dry doctrines, suitable mostly for academic institutions, but separated from the practice of faith. In this third volume of the Academy of Parish Clergy's Conversations in Ministry series Dr. Bob Cornwall, church historian, theologian, and pastor, shows the ways in which one's theology shapes one's ministry in the church and in the world. Besides discussing the theological roots of ministry and mission, this book is firmly placed in the...
Can the Bible speak to people in this postmodern age? Are we doomed to a choice between rigid fundamentalism and complete rejection of this foundational source for Christianity? Bob Cornwall has found that he can take the Bible seriously in his ministry, and yet avoid such controversial labels as «inerrancy» or «infallibility.» Taking his vocabulary and direction from the work of Karl Barth, he charts a course toward a serious study and use of scripture that embraces historical-critical...
"Prayer changes things." It's a common saying, and too often Christian discussion of prayer deals only with how we can change other things and other people through prayer. But what if prayer is much more that we imagine? What if it is also the means of correcting our relationship to the Creator and at the same time of changing our relationships with one another? Perhaps prayer can ultimately help transform our theology, what we believe about God, into character and action. In Ultimate...
