Deus Misereatur

Biblical Theology: The God of the Christian Scriptures by John Goldingay My rating: 4 of 5 stars Pick up most versions of systematic theology and it becomes quickly obvious that the writer is balancing both system and theology. Normally they loosely follow the categories laid out by the Apostles’ Creed, with excursions into this corner or that. They also, consciously or not, draw along with them theological concepts from ages past, using specialized language and assumptions. But recently John Goldingay, associate pastor at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Pasadena, David Allan Hubbard Professor of Old Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary and seasoned author, has taken a stab at breaking out of the traditional confines of a systematic theology in his new 608 page hardback, “Biblical Theology: The God of the Christian Scriptures”. This brick of a book has been penned with pastors, parish priests, and professors in mind. “Biblical Theology” is concerned with answering the question:...

Glory be to God on high: and on earth peace, good will towards men. We praise you, we bless you, we worship you: we glorify you, we give thanks to you for your great glory! Great King and Sovereign, look upon our country and the nations of this world; move over the plans and intentions of our Oklahoma State Senators, such as Mark Allen, Randy Bass, Micheal Bergstrom, Stephanie Bice, Larry Boggs, Josh Brecheen, and Bill Brown ; and world leaders like Xi Jinping ; Juan Manuel Santos; Azali Assoumani; Joseph Kabila and Denis Sassou Nguesso; Luis Guillermo Solís; and Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović .   May all come to know your peace on earth, becoming men and women of goodwill. O God of armies, send forth your angels to preserve and protect our greater Oklahoma City area firefighters, police officers, Sheriffs, deputies, and Troopers, and also our military members, particularly those who are close to danger, at home or abroad. Yahweh rapha, Lord our healer, sustain and direc...

The Art and Science of Staff Fighting: A Complete Instructional Guide by Joe Varady My rating: 5 of 5 stars Most martial art streams teach some form of staff fighting and forms. Sometimes there’s rationale given, and at other times it’s simply, “Do this and make it look good.” The value of learning the staff varies from school to school. Joe Varady, award winning martial artists, instructor and accomplished author, has pulled together this 203 page softback manual, “The Art and Science of Staff Fighting: A Complete Instructional Guide” to strengthen the ability of the karateka. It is a how-to handbook that covers bo staff, quarter staff, disarming techniques, and unarmed-against-a-staff. “The Art and Science of Staff Fighting” takes the learner through nine progressive levels of staff training, beginning with the fundamentals and traveling all the way to the use of a spear, because a spear “is simply a staff equipped with a power multiplier” (159). Clear pictures, directional arrows...

A Shared Mercy: Karl Barth on Forgiveness and the Church Jon Coutts IVP Academic A division of InterVarsity Press PO Box 1400 Downers Grove, IL 60515-1426 www.ivpress.com ISBN: 978-0-8308-4915-4; $39.00; September 2016 Busy with Barth; 4 Stars of 5 Forgiveness is such a tricky event since there are several consequential questions attached to it: “Does this mean I forget what he did and allow him access again?” “I may have said the words of forgiveness to her, but I can’t bring myself to trust her. Does this make me unforgiving?” “After all he did to us, if I forgive him now doesn’t that mean he gets off scot-free?” There are lots of despairs and disgraces swimming around forgiveness, making it a hot and heartrending subject. John Coutts, tutor of theology and ethics at Trinity College in Bristol, England, and ordained in the Christian and Missionary Alliance, approaches this needful topic in his new, 244 page paperback, “A Shared Mercy: Karl Barth on Forgiveness...

The End of Protestantism: Pursuing Unity in a Fragmented Church Peter J. Leithart Brazos Press A division of Baker Publishing Group PO Box 6387 Grand Rapids, MI 49517-6287 www.brazospress.com ISBN: 9781587433771; $21.99; October 2016 Diagnostic and Prognostic;  5 Stars of 5 From early on as an ordained Presbyterian minister, I have cultivated friendships across denominational lines. While standing out in front of an abortion clinic in Texas every week for ten years, I made good friends with Roman Catholics. I was a member of a ministerial alliance for several years, even functioning as the President for two of those years. For the last two years I have met monthly with Baptist, Nazarene, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Disciples of Christ ministers to pray for one another, our churches and our city. Just recently I invited a dear friend, an African-American United Methodist minister, to preach at my Installation service where I was installed as the new Senior Pas...

Blessed are you, O Sovereign Lord, God of our ancestors: to you be praise and glory forever. You called the patriarchs and matriarchs to live by the light of faith and to journey in the hope of your promised fulfillment. May we, similarly, be obedient to your call and be ready and watchful to receive your Son, and live forward in hope-filled trust and joy. Thank you that in the fullness of time you sent your Son, born of a woman, born under the law, born into a low condition, who, from early on, underwent the miseries of this life. Therefore, we implore you to look in on those who find this time of year a grief and hardship due to painful memories, sorrowful losses, adversarial family relations, broken promises, and impending privations…may the Gospel-hope ricocheting around the walls and halls in the Christmas carols, lift their hearts and faces to look up to you and rejoice in Spirit-breathed confidence. As your Son was born in a time of great conflict, of oppression, of ...

“ Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders ” (Exodus 15.11)? We draw near to you through Jesus Christ with a true heart in the full assurance of faith. O faithful Lord, we pray for your Church in all nations, this congregation and Five Star Church; Foursquare Church; the Frontline Churches; Fusion Church; Genesis Church and Glorietta Baptist Church. Lead and guide your churches in sound doctrine, strengthen and fortify us in utmost loyalty, and supply all our needs richly in Christ Jesus, so that we may learn to devote ourselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful (Titus 3.14). God of steadfast love, please call, convert and save those who have never submitted and relied on your Son, and please reclaim those who have “ wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs ” (1 Timothy 6.10). We implore you, merciful Father, to look compassionately...