An excellent resource is available at christianaudio.com for FREE:  the audio version of The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  Check it out! :biggrin:

For all the Mark Driscoll readers/listeners out there, christianaudio.com offers his book – Religion Saves: And Nine Other Misconceptions – as the FREE audio download of the month (courtesy of Mark and Crossway Publishers).  While I disagree with various (significant) theological positions which Mark holds, he nonetheless is a brother in Christ who is determined to impact this world for the glory of Jesus Christ.  I look forward to reading (or in this case, listening to) this FREE resource. 

Blessings,

Shannon

Hey folks,

Just a heads up concerning a great resource that’s now available.  A dear friend of ours just finished a commentary on 1 and 2 Corinthians that has been published through SPCK.  D and I had the wonderful opportunity to contribute to the resource by working on the study/discussion questions at the end of every chapter.  So, if you’re looking for a very accessible, yet rich, commentary through these two momentous epistles, check out this resource at your local bookstore.  It’s a helpful guide for small groups or mid-week bible studies.  :biggrin:

You can purchase the book through Amazon by clicking here.

Peace,

Shannon

There are a few resource sites that I’ve come across recently that I think will be of benefit.  One is by a Th.D. student at Duke University, Andy Rowell, which provides great resources (e.g. excellent audio lectures from classes and conferences).  The address is www.andyrowell.net/.

Also, iTunes has available an entire semester of Introduction to the New Testament and Literature (Yale University) by Dr. Dale Martin.  You can find this by searching on iTunes U.  Quite likely, you will not agree with all of Martin’s views; however, it is a great video lecture series.

The Pentecostal Theological Seminary (formerly Church of God Theological Seminary) has a new website (finally!).  The link still seems to be www.cogts.edu.  The website is a big step up regarding access and overall design.  Now, all we need is some chapel videos (  ).

Concluding with a book reference, I’ve mentioned how I’ve been reading a lot of Stanley Hauerwas of late.  I found The Hauerwas Reader that is an excellent collection of Hauerwas’ materials and serves as a great intro into his life and writings.  I got a copy from The Amen Corner (Pelham, AL) at www.amenweb.com.

Peace

Howdy, folks. We hope that everyone is doing exceptionally well.  As for us, we’re still unpacking things in the new place.  However, things are cleaning up quite nicely (thanks to the marvelous insights of Dr. D).  :biggrin:

We’ve decided to step out into another communications venture.  As many of you know, I recently canceled our “Myspace” account.  Besides our concern for spam, we both are using Facebook regularly and don’t spend much time on Myspace.  Also, you probably have noticed the new Twitter feed for Hope Aflame.  This is totally experimental and is by no means thoroughly descriptive of our day to day journey.  We thought it would be interesting (well, maybe not so much…lol) for those who are out of state and curious what’s happening in BHM.

Further, we have a new graphic logo for the blogsite thanks to graphic designer, Janice Green, who works in conjunction with the Ink Shoppe (Vidalia, Ga).  Dee and I recently purchased some contact cards from the Ink Shoppe, which, incidentally, is owned by my uncle, Wayne Beasley.  I have to say that we were quite impressed by the cool graphic and nice layout on the cards.  They should be arriving any day now.  The Ink Shoppe is currently working on a website and when it’s ready, we’ll place a link to the site in our blogroll.

We invite everybody to subscribe to Hope Aflame via Feedburner in the top right hand corner of the page (or by clicking the link at the bottom of this post).  You can have the newest posts sent regularly to your email, which will keep you up-to-date on what’s going on at the site.

Peace

Just a quick question?  If you were stranded on an island (like in the show, Lost) and you could have two books (not including the bible or “island survival guides”), which ones would you choose?  and why?

Peace     :whistle:

Christian Greetings. 

There is a new listing of chapel messages (audio) available on the Church of God Theological Seminary website.  I would draw your attention especially to the Clarence J. Abbott Lectures in Biblical Studies by Dr. R. Hollis Gause (“Sabbath and Spirit Baptism in Eschatological Perspective”).  (Eschatology deals with studying the “end times.”)  It has been a blessing over the last few years to sit under numerous lectures presented by Dr. Gause.  His wisdom and insight concerning biblical theology is a definite gift to the Church.

What a blessing to have these messages available to us via download.  Thanks to all who have made this possible.

Blessings,

Shannon

Christian Greetings!

In conclusion to our survey of chapter one of Vondey’s, People of Bread: Rediscovering Ecclesiology, I have listed his six principles of using biblical images.  

Principles for the Use of Biblical Images:

1. Images must emerge from within the community of faith.
   
2. The images must emphasize the ecumenical unity of the Church.
   
3. The images must complement one another in depicting the reality of God, the Church, salvation, etc. (An example of this is by Augustine who speaks of the Church as “bride or the Body of Christ” when speaking of individual believer’s relationship with Christ; he uses the image of “mother” when speaking of the “self-sacrificing care of the Church for its children”; when speaking of the unity of the Church, he refers to the Church as “the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, as one body or one loaf.”)
   
4. Images are always dynamic, never static.  (This dynamism manifests in two ways: 1) an image may be replaced in the same context by another image without any transition and without change in meaning [e.g. 1 Cor 3. 6-17; where Paul uses "field" and "building" interchangeably]. 2) an image can evolve in its use by the same writer and take on a different emphasis or new meaning in another text or circumstance [e.g. Paul's use of 'temple' in referring to the local congregation (1 Cor 3.16-17), as well as of the body of each individual Christian (1 Cor. 6.19), as well as of the entire Church (Eph 2.21).])
   
5. All images are primarily theological instruments.  (As such, they point not only to the object, but to God and God’s activity in the world.)
   
6. All images used by the Church are rooted in the language and experience of Israel. (e.g. Paul calls the Christian communities “Abraham’s offspring” [cf. Gal 3.29 and Rom 4.16] and the “Israel of God” [Gal 6.16].)  *Importantly, the Christian experience of God as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit unifies and transforms all biblical images.
   

Vondey contends that “bread is an image of the primary experience of the Jewish and Christian communities” (p. 34).

Blessings,

Shannon

Continuing our exploration of chapter one of Vondey’s work, People of Bread: Rediscovering Ecclesiology…

Vondey explores three functions of images: imaginative, illustrative and instrumental.

Imaginative function of Images – Herein, images serve “as vehicles of emotions, associations, and feelings; they serve not only as an informative but also an expressive medium” (p. 18).  Meaning, they help to capture (or imagine) a greater reality which lies behind the image.  The fact is that our ability to describe certain realities is definitely limited by language.  There are some things (realities) which images can better capture than can literal descriptions.  Vondey notes, “Initially, it was not a rich theological vocabulary, concise definitions or propositional statements, but the world of images that allowed the disciples to express what they had experienced” (p. 18).  

Remember:

1. Peter encounters the image of a descending sheet filled with animals, reptiles, and birds (Acts 10.10-16) which greatly impacted his understanding of the Church’s mission to the Gentiles.
   
2. Paul had a vision of a man from Macedonia encouraging him to come to Europe (Acts 16. 9-10).  
   
3. Luke connects both visions with the work of God through the images (11.12; 16.10), which directly connects to the outpouring of the Spirit in Acts 2 (v. 17; see Joel 2.28-32).
   

In this way, “after the day of Pentecost, the Christian witness was nourished by a distinctively pneumatological imagination. (*pneuma = Greek word for “Spirit”)… In other words, the biblical images were inspired by the Holy Spirit, nourished by faith, and shaped by the experience of the faith community.”

Illustrative function of Images – Herein, Vondey says, “The goal of this function is to increase the image in clarity, strength, and dynamic of its overall theological argument.”  The illustrative function requires much discernment because, if not careful, images can be used to illustrate improper theological truths.  We must always be mindful of the limitation of images and carefully express such limitations when utilizing images to explain the greater realities of God, the Church, etc.  ”The illustrative function of images is therefore dictated by the goal of harmony and unity in the fellowship of believers.  Images that illustrate the truth at the cost of destroying the fellowship of the Church are to be rejected” (p. 23).

Instrumental function of Images – The instrumental function is regarding how images serve as “vehicles of the theological presuppositions invested in them” (p. 24).  In this way, images which the Church discerns as wholesome and true serve as tools of communal formation and edification.  They are “models.”  Now, the thing about “models” of this kind is that they are influenced by the social and cultural setting in which they are used.  Thus, if persons today can no longer understand the significance of the image used in NT times (e.g. the Temple), then the effectiveness of the image is impaired.  Today, in many ways, we are in a crisis of the theological imagination, namely because of rare utilization of biblical images as instruments to strengthen and form the community of faith.  Vondey contends, “A revival of the theological imagination calls the Church to an understanding of the fundamental principles operative behind the imaginative, illustrative, and instrumental function of images” (p. 26).

Blessings,

Shannon

Well, school is back in full swing for Dee.  In addition to her own classes and research, she was asked to teach a graduate level course.  She is very excited to do so, to say the least.  We went home for several days over Christmas break and enjoyed hanging out with family and friends (esp. Cranium night at the Jay’s Inn!).  And as always, time finds a way of eluding us.  For the most part, I was hidden away in an extra room finishing up my thesis (entitled – Hospitality in the Spirt: A Christlike Embrace of the Other).  

Reading back over the paper, the work seems more like a survey than a research paper.  The resources which I utilized are just so rich.  Take for example, Stephen Seamands book, Ministry in the Image of God: The Trinitarian Shape of Christian Service.  Wow.  Seamands offers insights as to how the biblical witness of God as Triune gives shape to what ministry should look like.  That the Church in her (Christlike) intra/inter-relations bears witness to God’s existence as Father, Son and Spirit.  And the read is very accessible.  Seamands is a pastoral theologian who clearly speaks to the relational needs of the local church. Another great resource is by Wolfgang Vondey, People of Bread: Rediscovering Ecclesiology. (ecclesiology = “study of the church”)  This one I am still working through; however, the section on hospitality is very insightful.  These are two examples of the various resources used.  I hope to continue reading and amending the work to reflect better my thoughts of the material.

For those who may be curious, here is a copy of my abstract for the paper:

The undercurrent of Western individualism tends to constrict our confessional reading of the Church of God Declaration of Faith here in the U.S.  By and large, our ecclesial structures tend to disclose a rather compartmentalized notion of spirituality and tendency to withdraw from our neighbors.  This study explores the grounding of the Declaration of Faith in the hospitality of God.  In so doing, this writer suggests that God’s relationality has significant implications concerning our confession of God’s providence, the nature of salvation and the agency of the Church.   

A Trinitarian framework informs our ecclesiological identity as a people of a transformed lens and Christlike embrace of the other.  The hospitality of God, therefore, should characterize the Body-life of the Church.  In this way, the missio ecclesiae mirrors the relationality in God and, therefore, grounds our confession of faith in compassionate solidarity with and Christlike love for our neighbor.

Anyhow, change is surely on the horizon.  The details of which are a bit fuzzy at the moment.  We do ask for everyone’s prayers during this season. We need wisdom and discernment concerning the post-grad transition.  Thanks.  All in all, God’s infinite wisdom and loving character give us confidence that he is working within our lives in order that our witness of him blazes.  

 Peace,

Shannon