Dread Jesus explores the black, dreadlocked Jesus in the teachings of Rastafari. Is Rastafari simply a bizarre Christian cult, destined to fade if the Emporer Haile Selassie never reappears? Or could it become a vibrant Two-Thirds World reform movement, recalling Christianity to its original non-oppressing gospel for all people? Rigorously researched, William David Spencer 's unique and compelling study - which includes exclusive inteviews with major Rastafarian thinkers and close analysis of the lyrics of many reggae songs - will prove genuinely accessible to anyone who wishes to learn more about Rastafari and its significance for global Christianity.
Have you ever wondered how egalitarian and complementarian marriages play out differently on a day-to-day level? In this unique book AÍda and William Spencer and Steve and Celestia Tracy, two couples from the differing perspectives of egalitarianism and soft complementarianism, share a constructive dialogue about marriage in practice. They cover a variety of topics like marriage discipleship, headship and submission, roles and decision-making, and intimacy in marriage. Also included are responses from three additional cultural frameworks: North American Hispanic, Korean American and African American. Whether you're still working out your views on marriage or have found an approach you're comfortable with, this book will help you better understand the two perspectives on the ground level. While the theological starting points are different, you may be surprised to see the degree of convergence on practical issues as the dialogue unfolds.
Do our images of "one God in three persons" reflect God well? Throughout history, Christians have pictured the relationships between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit through analogies. Such illustrations--some from the West but also from Latin America, Asia, Africa, and other places--come laden with theological ramifications that the church has rejected (heresies) or embraced (doctrines). In Three in One, William David Spencer shares a lifetime of insights from teaching within the global church, bringing fresh images and analogies of the Trinity to deepen our theological vocabulary. Drawing from his extensive teaching in geographically and culturally diverse contexts and his artist's passion for evocative words and visuals, Spencer offers readers a rich, multifaceted, and practical exploration of the Trinity. Alongside historical and contemporary theology and biblical studies, he considers the strengths and shortcomings of various analogies used to explain the Trinity, such as: Light Water The Celtic knot The totem pole Musical harmonies The human body The family Readers of Three in One will gain a personal understanding of the Trinity as well as tools for teaching about the Trinity in adult and children's ministry contexts.
Joy Through the Night uniquely combines personal experience and scholarship in order that readers may face the most difficult questions Christians can ask: If God is good and all-powerful, how can the world be so shot through with evil? What about the pain of so many children and other innocent people? And why is God letting me hurt so much, so long? A'da and William Spencer draw on the suffering they have faced--including chronic disease and the untimely death of a sibling--to ask these questions on a practical, down-to-earth level. But they also draw on their extensive theological training and ministry experience to present biblical resources for dealing with suffering. In the end, this is a book both realistic and hopeful, offering reassurance that even in the midst of pain we can know joy as we learn to rely on God and the communal care of the church. It will prove a valuable aid to those who minister to them.
When a sudden mysterious letter summons city minister Jo Archer from New Jersey to the Caribbean, she is plunged into a world of possibilities so large and obstacles so great she could gain or lose everything she holds dear. In this contemporary adventure novel full of challenge, mystery, romance, grace, plot twists, and ultimate enlightenment, Jo's search for her identity echoes the true story struggles of two victims who became victors: Joseph, deliverer of famine-struck Israel, and Enrique, liberator of the oppressed Taino people, from whom Jo is directly descended. As Jo confronts her own life-threatening and life-changing quest, she realizes she is "walking in every forgotten, undervalued, and marginalized woman's dream"--a chance to become the leader whom God destined her to be, amidst the highest adventure of her life.
A reprint of the first book on the topic of the cleric as a crime-solver in fiction. Mysterium and Mystery by William David Spencer is a primary reference of meticulous scholarship for anyone interested in mystery literature.
Ada Besanon Spencer and William David Spencer combine their theological training, ministry expertise and personal experiences to offer biblical resources for coping with suffering. A valuable handbook for those who suffer as well as counselors, pastors and caregivers. The Spencers are both working pastors who teach at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. 252 pages, paper
The Goddess Revival is a Christianity Today Book Award Winner, 1996. All of the authors are clearly sympathetic to the problems women have faced in the church throughout its history. They empathize with women who shun the patriarchal oppression of their churches to turn to goddess spirituality. They are also solidly grounded in the Scriptures, Christian theology and church history. They recognize the bondage imposed by goddess worship. This book presents a scholarly and clear consideration of the issues involved and builds a strong case for Christianity as the most woman-friendly alternative. While providing a comprehensive study of goddess spirituality and examining the roots of the movement, the authors focus primarily on God and the way people have understood God through the centuries--in both paganism and the Judeo-Christian tradition--as both male and female. They demonstrate how the uniqueness of God contrasts with the multiplicity of gods and goddesses in pagan spiritualities, while comparing the values in both traditions that are similar (that is, a search for what is good, inner empowerment, unity, positive social change). In the process of building a clear Christian theology, they gently counter the arguments of their pagan opponents. In the end, the reader is left with a glorious picture of the one true God and a clear apologetic for those in nursing who insist that the Christian God is too oppressive and patriarchal to merit our allegience. The appendixes provide a powerful case study of a young woman drawn into witchcraft. She explains why it appealed to her, then how it enslaved her and destroyed her marriage and other relationships. . . The two final appendixes offer some excellent biblical studies on the issues raised in the book. The total package provides an outstanding resource -- Journal of Christian Nursing
A global Christian manifesto in which contributors examine attributes of God--the ones that are most understood in today's culture and the ones that need to be more fully apprehended.
This early work by William David Ground was originally published in 1883 and we are now republishing it. 'Anglo-American Philosophies of Penal Law. III. The Ethics of Punishment' is a book that examines the validity of the reasoning of Herbert Spencer's philosophy on will, conscience, mind and matter, and other propositions. Herbert Spencer was born on 27th April 1820, in Derby, England. In 1851 he published 'Social Statics' to great acclaim and his quietly influential 'Principles of Psychology' in 1955. These were followed by numerous works of sociology, psychology, and philosophy, which led him to become a prominent intellectual of his day. He also wrote 'The Developmental Hypothesis' (1852) which described the theory of evolution seven years before Charles Darwin's 'Origin of Species'. He even popularised the term "Evolution" and coined the phrase "Survival of the fittest," but his works did not contain the comprehensive theoretical system that Darwin's did, which is why his theory was not taken seriously at the time. Spencer's most famous idea was that of "Social Darwinism." He saw the process of organic evolution as being analogous to that of society, an idea influenced many intellectuals of the day.
The Goddess Revival is a Christianity Today Book Award Winner, 1996. All of the authors are clearly sympathetic to the problems women have faced in the church throughout its history. They empathize with women who shun the patriarchal oppression of their churches to turn to goddess spirituality. They are also solidly grounded in the Scriptures, Christian theology and church history. They recognize the bondage imposed by goddess worship. This book presents a scholarly and clear consideration of the issues involved and builds a strong case for Christianity as the most woman-friendly alternative. While providing a comprehensive study of goddess spirituality and examining the roots of the movement, the authors focus primarily on God and the way people have understood God through the centuries--in both paganism and the Judeo-Christian tradition--as both male and female. They demonstrate how the uniqueness of God contrasts with the multiplicity of gods and goddesses in pagan spiritualities, while comparing the values in both traditions that are similar (that is, a search for what is good, inner empowerment, unity, positive social change). In the process of building a clear Christian theology, they gently counter the arguments of their pagan opponents. In the end, the reader is left with a glorious picture of the one true God and a clear apologetic for those in nursing who insist that the Christian God is too oppressive and patriarchal to merit our allegience. The appendixes provide a powerful case study of a young woman drawn into witchcraft. She explains why it appealed to her, then how it enslaved her and destroyed her marriage and other relationships. . . The two final appendixes offer some excellent biblical studies on the issues raised in the book. The total package provides an outstanding resource -- Journal of Christian Nursing
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