eConnections
Newsletter for the College of Biblical Studies
Volume 1, Number 2
April, 2003
We?ve heard of ?purpose driven? and ?seeker sensitive? churches. These descriptions have found their way into our church-speak glossaries and are now thrown around casually in conversations about congregational life. Well, it?s time to add another term to your glossary: missional church. Your spell-check will tell you ?missional? is not a word. It is not likely to show up in your Webster?s abridged dictionary. However, ?missional church? is a phrase increasingly showing up on websites, in articles, and in conversations concerning congregational ministry. What do people mean when they use this language?
The phrase ?missional church? simply suggests that the church finds its calling within the mission of God. On the face, this statement seems both overly obvious and conspicuously vague. ?Of course the church is about the mission of God! Wait a minute. What do you mean by mission of God? Is that defined anywhere? What is God?s mission??
It does seem obvious that the church should be interested in the mission of God. Often, however, the way congregations function reveals a different conception of what the church is all about. As George Hunsberger points out, since the Reformation churches have primarily thought of themselves as a place where certain things happen. For instance, Luther believed the church exists wherever the Word is proclaimed and the sacraments are observed. The church is the ?place? where these things happen. Luther?s conception is but one expression of this persisting view of the church?a view betrayed by our language. We ?go to church? because we think of church primarily as a place.
In the American church experience, the ?place where certain things happens? notion has been wed to the twin cultural values of consumer capitalism and individualism to produce a church that functions primarily as ?a vendor of religious goods and services.? Here the church attracts ?members? by addressing the expressed needs of individuals. We often evaluate the experience of church (almost exclusively thought of in terms of going to corporate worship) by what ?I got out of it,? or by how much ?I enjoyed it.? The measure of a church?s effectiveness is the spiritual progress or enjoyment of the individual. A missional church, in contrast, sees the church as a community sent on a mission, or as a missional outpost for the reign of God. As will be made apparent below, this shift from a ?vendor? to missional church orientation carries dramatic implications.
The conceptual move from ?vendor of religions goods and services? to ?outpost for the reign of God? is necessary, proponents of the missional church suggest, given the dramatic cultural changes we have experienced recently in North America. We minister in a post-Christian context?a time when the culture no longer knows our language, honors our stories, or privileges our symbols. In this new context, our churches must recognize the need for a missionary engagement within the North American culture. We must reorient our ministries to reflect the mission interests of God.
But what is meant by the mission of God? This question could be answered in a variety of ways given the rich and textured witness of Scripture. For instance, some choose to define the missional church in relation to notions of the kingdom of God prominent in the gospels. Others might define the mission of God in Pauline terms using the language of new creation or new humanity. Still others might capture the Johanine language of sending to express the mission of God. The biblical possibilities are numerous.
Despite, however, the diversity of biblical language and concepts, certain features appear consistently enough throughout Scripture to provide a broad, working definition of the mission of God. God works to create a distinct community to participate in his life for the sake of the world. Notice in this definition that God?s mission is not primarily to save individual souls. While individuals who embrace the mission of God receive the blessing of salvation, God?s work is most clearly seen in a contrast community that bears the marks of God?s redemption. From this perspective, mission is more than just evangelism or service. The mission work of God also includes the formation of a visible community demonstrating the reign of God.
Notice also from our definition that this community does not exist for its own sake. The church exists to participate in the life of God. The identifying marks of the church are faith, hope, and love, because these and other virtues allow the church to resemble the God who called it into existence. These characteristics also propel the church into the work of God. The community exists in relation to God?s concern for all of creation. The very qualities that create the church lead it into the world for service and proclamation. Just as Jesus gave himself for the sake of the world, so the church abandons its instincts of self-preservation to serve others. Here, the church does not exist as an end in itself, but measures its existence in relation to the mission of God. Mission is not something the church does, but characterizes the very essence of the church. As Darrell Guder states it, ?Our challenge today is to move from church with mission to missional church? (Missional Church, p. 17).
The move to a missional church perspective will require dramatic shifts in congregational life. Take, for instance, the practice of evangelism. In vendor churches, evangelism appeals to seekers focusing on their individual needs. Salvation is portrayed as a personal experience where God is invited to become a part of ?my life.? In contrast, evangelism rooted in notions of the mission of God invites persons to abandon lives focused on their own interests to join the work of God for the sake of the world. Instead of viewing salvation as inviting God into ?my life,? missional evangelism invites participants into God?s life?a life which is communal by its very nature. Salvation, therefore, may be personal, but never private. Vendor church plants might seek locations where the church can grow the fastest. They value homogenous churches?churches where people look the same and share the same interests, concerns, etc?because these churches grow the fastest. Missional church plants might prioritize locations where God is most interested in having people present for the work of mercy, faith, and justice. Because the mission of God involves breaking down barriers created by human societies, missional churches value diversity. In its rich variety, the church demonstrates God?s mission to create a new humanity.
The dramatic implications of a shift to a missional understanding of evangelism could be played out in relation to several other aspects of congregational life as well. Worship, leadership, service, and community would all be transformed in a move from a vendor to missional model. This is the burden of the missional church movement. Can the implications of these shifts be described with sufficient clarity and practicality to make a difference in the real doings of congregations?
Many are devoted to helping churches understand the nature of this shift. Most notable is the Gospel and Our Culture Network (www.gocn.org). The GOCN is a loosely connected, trans-denominational network of ministers, professors, and other church leaders held together by their common concern for a missional encounter between gospel and culture in North America. They publish a quarterly newsletter, host consultations, and publish books all devoted to encouraging missional churches. GOCN books like Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America (Eerdmans, 1998) deal with issues related to gospel, church and culture. Currently, the GOCN is developing surveys that would allow congregations to assess their missional readiness. Future publishing projects include books on gospel, Scripture, and worship. Also notable is the series of books by Trinity Press International published under the heading Christian Mission and Modern Culture, a series that now includes over twenty titles. Brazos Press, a new division of Baker Book Company, is aggressively publishing books related to issues of encountering a post-Christian culture. The missional church dialogue is currently robust.
At this point, assessments of the missional church movements are premature. However, it is a term worth inserting into our church glossary for several reasons. First, the missional church is a theological response to our rapidly changing ministry context. Too many responses to this new day in ministry are purely pragmatic and, as a result, too accommodating to the culture to be missional in any significant sense. The urgent issues confronting our churches in this dramatically changed context are primarily spiritual and theological, not methodological. Second, while theologically driven, the missional church takes very seriously the need for a new cultural engagement. Status quo churches simply won?t fare well in this new ministry day. The missional call is a call for the transformation of our churches, a call worth heeding. Finally, the ministry agenda of the missional church is friendlier to the historical commitments of Churches of Christ. The missional church?s high ecclesiology stands in contrast with church growth and seeker sensitive models for ministry which tend to elevate the individual above the community. Church of Christ commitments to baptism and the Lord?s Supper find a friendlier reception where the community is emphasized above the needs of individuals.
Conversations about the missional church have found their way to ACU. Students increasingly find missional church readings required in their ministry classes. The Doctor of Ministry curriculum has been shaped in part by issues related to gospel and culture. Professors discuss the language and concepts of the missional church over coffee?some proponents, others skeptics. George Hunsberger, director of the GOCN, visited our campus last April and spoke to faculty, students, and ministers about the missional implications of the reign of God. Though our spell check still refuses to honor the word missional, it has become a part of our ministry glossary and deserves the attention of both the church and the academy.
Spiritual Discourse Project
Interest in spirituality remains strong in the fields of theology and the social sciences and at the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy. As part of an ambitious project dealing specifically with sexual addiction and compulsivity, the research team is exploring the connections between spirituality and how therapy is affected. The research team is comprised of five MFT interns and one MFT faculty member.
Everett Worthington and his colleagues at the University of Virginia Commonwealth have hypothesized that significant differences in therapy emerge when a "match" of spirituality occurs between client, therapist, and the setting in which counseling occurs.
The Surrender Scale developed by Wong-McDonald and Gorsuch (2000), assesses an individual?s spirituality as a strategy for coping with life. Three strategies are found: God does it all, the person does it all, or God and the believer work in harmony to solve life?s problems. The spirituality of therapists and clients is "measured" with this instrument.
The research team has also adapted an instrument by which conversations within the counseling hour can be coded. While both the therapist and the client address many personal issues during the sessions related to sexual addiction and compulsivity, the dialogue falls into two broach categories, spiritual or neutral. If the discussions overtly bring in God and/or spiritual things, then it is coded as spiritual, if not, it is coded as neutral.
The team has discovered that the therapeutic conversations are quite different when the client and the therapist are both highly spiritual by comparison to those in which the therapist is highly spiritual, but the client is not. Therapists are free to ask spiritually oriented questions, such as a recounting of one?s faith walk during the previous week, or a probe into how God was a part of successfully avoiding the pitfalls of sexual acting out. When the client is low in spirituality, the therapeutic discourse does not overtly address spiritual issues. Spiritual resources, then, may not get addressed.
People in pain struggle to understand their problems. They often have difficulties in solving problems. We naturally assume that Christians would have an "edge" in solving life?s difficulties, especially as they trust God with their circumstances. Assessing spirituality at the beginning of therapy allows for a more overt integration of spirituality into the solutions to the client?s problems. These approaches could find application in both church and non-church based settings.
For more information hinson@bible.acu.edu.
As a child I read that ?cooperation is doing with a smile what you have to do anyway.? At a deeper level, however, cooperation is really about unity. How can I perform my role in the body in such a way that the entire body benefits? Or perhaps borrowing from mathematics, how can I perform my role in conjunction with others so that the result of our efforts becomes greater than just the sum of the parts?
The pursuit of an answer to this question has led to a new mindset growing among members of the Institute for Missions and Evangelism at ACU. For over 18 months, the Latin American Mission Coordinators have met frequently with representatives from Continent of Great Cities and the Sunset International Bible Institute to discuss how to cooperate in future efforts. The meetings have been much more than negatively framed dialogues regarding how to avoid ?stepping on toes? or maintain territorial lines. Rather the discussions have been centered upon how to pull our efforts together into a synergy of mission. As discussions continue, plans are being formed, strategies evaluated, respect enhanced, and friendships nurtured.
Likewise as ACU has looked to the future of missions another partnership has begun to emerge. Many state school campus ministries are offering their services in training ACU students as campus ministry interns. Campus ministry is truly a ripe mission field that deserves the consolidated efforts of multiple institutions. While ACU trains students in the classroom, campus ministers will train them in the dorm room. This effort is in its early stages but has the potential to be a wonderful relationship.
Another level of cooperation that has been pursued at ACU involves a renewed focus on summer internships and postgraduate apprenticeships. The Worldwide Witness program now networks with missionaries on all continents to give students the opportunity to spend their summer living and working with a missionary. The interest among students and missionaries alike has grown continually since the inception of the program last year.
Cooperation. It is a term that has not been used frequently in our missiology. Yet as we look to the future, we look to each other in the body of Christ. We look to each other for strength and ideas. We look to each other so that we might better represent a united body of Christ to a fragmented world. We look to each other so that the result of our efforts becomes greater than just the sum of the parts.
An ACU Tradition under Spiritual Revision
One of the oldest traditions at ACU made a few changes this year. Chapel has taken on a more unified theme and a more intentional format to guide the students through the 2002-2003 school year. This year?s theme was entitled ?Climb? and was chosen for a study of Jesus? Sermon on the Mount. Brad Carter, chair of the Chapel advisory committee, expressed the theme in forceful terms: ?Be radical followers of Jesus, climbing up to the mountain to be with Jesus.?
Also, our department?s Bible Professors Randy Harris and Stephen Johnson were used on a regular basis as speakers for Chapel. The chapel committee wanted great communicators with an ability to connect the text to the lives of students and they had to look no further than Harris and Johnson, who have an excellent relationship with students. The Optimist interviewed them in late August and published an article sharing their views. Both professors are committed to student transformation and finding ways to help students take the texts seriously. They also have a keen sense of where students are spiritually in their journey up the mountain. In the Optimist, Johnson commented that, ?Students are ready to embrace the world for something other than the world may see it.? Harris said, ?Students now are asking more questions in search of answers. They ask hard questions about what happens if you take this seriously. I want to tap into those instincts that are already there.? These men truly love God?s word and love helping the community that God has created. Hear this insightful statement from Stephen Johnson as a vision for God?s work in Chapel this year: ?Faithful proclamation of the Beatitudes will call into existence a whole new world. I?m convinced that the students on this campus are ready, even searching for a world beyond the one they see and know. May the Beatitudes evoke for us a vision of the world from heaven?s perspective, where the world as we know it is turned upside down.?
Preacher Progeny becomes Onstead Scholars Program
We wanted to inform you about some of the changes in the Preacher Progeny program and how it will affect you, the Department of Bible, Missions and Ministry (DBMM), and the University. The Preacher Progeny scholarships were given to the children of ministers and missionaries who came to ACU to get their college education in our department. Those currently with Preacher Progeny scholarships will continue to have their scholarships renewed until their graduation. However, in the future, all children of ministers and missionaries who come to ACU, regardless of their major, will be eligible for the Onstead Scholarships. Bob and Kay Onstead have broadened the scope of eligibility and now, all departments in the university are included. Dr. Gary McCaleb, Vice President of the University, has agreed to coordinate this new program. Inquiries and applicants may be directed to Gary McCaleb?s office and his administrative assistant, Lea Watkins. Here is some information that can put you in contact with her.
ACU Box 29136
Abilene, TX 79699
(915) 674-2156
Upper Division Curriculum Revision
Every year in March, the Department of Bible, Missions and Ministry (DBMM) invites in a Visiting Committee which is allowed to analyze, critique, and offer suggestions for improving the department?s curriculum. Student input is gained from seniors and graduate students and their recommendations are taken seriously for the improvement of the department. These students fill out questionnaires that ask them to reflect on what classes were more or less helpful, where there was redundancy, and what changes they would make in the curriculum. Thanks to the input of the Visiting Committee, our faculty have taken the students? suggestions seriously. Here are some goals that the department has laid out for revising the curriculum in Fall 2002.
· Investigate the need for ?life skills? (personal and professional finances, preparing for retirement, etc.) to be taught to all majors.
· Evaluate the benefit of ?Christian Worship" [a Bible course] and see if it should be made a requirement for all majors.
· Evaluate the benefit of BYFM taking both ?Foundations of Youth Ministry I and II? instead of only one or the other as currently practiced.
· Investigate the appropriateness of changing courses with a therapeutic emphasis to an emphasis on formation of character and pastoral/ministerial care (care of the soul).
· Assess the benefit of providing a larger menu of courses in the various disciplines.
We are thankful for the Visiting Committee, their hours of service, and their sacrifice to be away from their families and ministries.
Our Visiting Committee also has access to statistics that are compiled based on the responses of our senior students every spring. We thought you would like a sampling of those results. Take a look at these charts.
Notice the student?s increased dependence on God after being here.
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Measure of Personal Growth After Theological Program |
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Note: 3-About the same, 4-Stronger, 5-Much Stronger |
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Male Mean |
Female Mean |
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Highest |
Highest |
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Trust in God |
4.4 |
Trust in God |
4.7 |
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Insight into trouble of others |
4.3 |
Ability to pray |
4.3 |
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Respect for other religious traditions |
4.3 |
Ability to live one's faith in daily life |
4.3 |
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Respect for my own religious tradition |
4.2 |
Respect for other religious traditions |
4.2 |
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Knowledge/self-confidence |
4.2 |
Knowledge/self-confidence |
4.2 |
|
Lowest |
Lowest |
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Concern about social justice |
3.9 |
Enthusiasm for learning |
3.8 |
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Clarity of vocational goals |
3.7 |
Respect for my own religious tradition |
3.6 |
Notice how positive the student?s overall experience was.
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Overall Experience During Theological Program Note: 3-Neutral, 4-Agree, 5-Strongly Agree |
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Highest |
Lowest |
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I have grown spiritually |
4.6 |
My gifts have been recognized in the school community |
3.5 |
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Faculty were supportive and understanding |
4.6 |
I have been able to get along financially |
3.5 |
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If I had to do it over again, I would still come here |
4.6 |
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I have made good friends here |
4.5 |
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My beliefs are respected |
4.5 |
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Becoming A Ministry Partner Congregation
The mission of the Graduate School of Theology is to equip men and women for effective ministerial leadership in a variety of missions and ministry contexts and to provide strong academic foundations for theological inquiry.
A strong partnership between congregations and the GST is essential for the fulfillment of our mission. Churches shape the students who come to the GST for formative training in preparation for their ministries. Churches are active partners in the vital ingredient of experiential learning through internships in a variety of ministry contexts. And churches provide the opportunities for graduates to do their ministry. Minister formation requires learning in the classroom and learning through the practice of ministry.
How might your church partner with the GST to form ministers for the church?
1. Your church can provide a Ministry Internship for a minister intern. In addition to providing a modest stipend and lodging for the intern, the partner congregation will also provide a Ministry Supervisor (one of your ministers) and an Intern Support Team (members interested in collaborating with the intern). The GST will orient the Ministry Supervisor and the Intern Support Team so that they can provide effective supervision to the intern. (For more information see the SPM web page or contact Dr. Tim Sensing?sensing@bible.acu.edu)
2. Your church can help to support GST students while they prepare for ministry. While the GST provides generous tuition scholarships to reduce the cost of the academic work, students still struggle to pay living expenses without mounting severe debt from student loans. They need assistance with rent, utilities, food, childcare, health care, and miscellaneous items. The Student Associates Fund allows individuals or congregations to make donations to be used for grants to aid GST students. (For more information contact Dr. James Thompson---thompson@bible.acu.edu)
3. Your church can help to support a Missions Coordinator to develop mission teams. Experienced effective missionaries based on campus recruit, form, and equip teams to serve and lead in world missions. Instead of working on a direct mission field, Missions Coordinators work among ACU students to multiply the number of missionaries worldwide. Partner congregations can support these Missions Coordinators in a way similar to their support of missionaries in other fields. (For more information contact Dr. Sonny Guild---guild@bible.acu.edu)
4. Your church can become a Ministry Support Network Partner. The mission of the Ministers Support Network is to care for ministers and their families as they face the challenges of ministry by providing spiritual nurture, supportive relationships, and wise coaching. Four veteran ministry couples (Paul and Gladys Faulkner, Eddie and Annette Sharp, Charles and Judy Siburt, and David and Jeanne Wray) host three annual Sabbaticals (retreats) free of charge for guest minister couples to encourage them in their ministries. (For more information contact Dr. Charles Siburt--- siburt@bible.acu.edu)
Personal or congregational gifts can help these vital partnerships to continue.
The GST takes its partnership with congregations very seriously. We seek to maximize our partnership to the benefit of all involved. Please let us know how we may partner with you more effectively.
The Ministers Support Network: A Ministry To Ministers [MSN]
Ministers are often without structures and support while they face the challenges of ministry. They are expected to be the caregivers, not the care receivers. Productivity is the driving force for ministers. Seldom is there a balance in their lives between ?doing? and ?being.? Ministerial training institutions seldom follow through with lifelong education opportunities for their alumni. A Real World naiveté may send these church leaders into a world unprepared to deal with real people and real issues. Ministers, often the focal congregational spiritual leaders, may lack individual spirituality necessary for such critical leadership. Culture, organizations, relationships, and the world in general have grown significantly in complexity. Few of the entities providing care for ministers are linked to work together as a network.
The mission of the Ministers Support Network is to care for ministers and their families as they face the challenges of ministry by providing spiritual nurture, supportive relationships, and wise coaching.
MSN strategies for ministering to ministers include the following: (1) providing renewal retreats called sabbaticals at quality retreat sites (free of charge) for minister couples; (2) offering supportive relationships from experienced minister couples with the passion, skills, and commitment to minister to ministers; (3)facilitating networking among ministers as a result of relationships formed or strengthened at sabbatical retreats; (4) offering a web site address to those seeking information or service from MSN; (5) assisting ministers in severe crisis with emergency intervention by qualified resource persons; (6) providing telephone coaching to ministers struggling with personal or professional issues.
The four couples serving as the staff team for the MSN Sabbaticals are (from right to left) Paul and Gladys Faulkner, Eddie and Annette Sharp, Charles and Judy Siburt, and David and Jeanne Wray. Together they bring a blend of ministry experience, caring skills, and commitment to ministers that provide a rich resource for other ministers.
The MSN staff team selects sabbatical participants. However, the list of prospective participants is comprised of ministers who are proposed by the team couples, referred by other ministers, or included at their own request. All inquiries and referrals are received at the MSN office:
Address: ACU Box 29405, Abilene, TX 79699-9405
Phone: 915-674-3732
Fax: 915-674-6716
E-mail: msn@bible.acu.edu
Individuals or churches interested in supporting the multiple services of the Ministers Support Network may become Minister Support Partners by funding the multiple ministries of the MSN at a level of their choice?annually, monthly, or one time only.
From Diversity to Community: The GST Student Body
Like thousands of students across our nation, Jennifer Rogers headed to Texas Tech University five years ago with a vision of a career in medicine firmly planted in her mind. As an honors student at Tech on a generous scholarship, Jen excelled in pre-med studies, finally graduating with honors in psychology and biology. However, along the way to a promising career in medicine, Jennifer Rogers made a startling and totally unexpected discovery; God was clearly shaping her heart for ministry in a direction she never imagined a few years earlier.
Jen's story is repeated in the lives of a record number of incoming students in the Graduate School of Theology at Abilene Christian University. Among the more than 90 entering graduate students this fall are former attorneys, critical-care nurses, accountants, school teachers, successful businessmen, and many more who find themselves undeniably called to ministry. More than half of these students are married, many with families. The commitment of the entire family to make such a drastic change in lifestyle -- selling homes, quitting promising careers -- shows the undeniable hand of God touching the lives of spouses and children to support a vision of a life in ministry in the Kingdom of God.
The financial support of the Graduate School of Theology and Abilene Christian University to help these students literally calls for a million-dollar budget; and the gratitude of the students is overwhelming. As Jen reminded us, "The GST-awarded scholarship has provided me the financial means to obtain the educational training needed for my future ministry on college campuses. I will always be grateful for the generous support of the Graduate School of Theology." Jennifer's gratitude is reflective of the entire student body of the GST, where virtually every student admitted to the graduate programs in Bible, ministry, and missions receives a generous scholarship that covers more than two-thirds of the cost of tuition.
With an enrollment of almost 300 graduate students, the Graduate School of Theology continues to fulfill the mission of Abilene Christian University -- "To educate students for Christian service and leadership throughout the world." [For more information contact Dr. Bob Marcho marcho@bible.acu.edu]
2003 Summer Seminar in Missions
Seminar is changing this year and offers some unique opportunities, not only for first time students, but especially for missionaries who will be in the States on furlough at that time.
Two sessions of concentrated courses, each six days long, will have a three-day Missions Focus sandwiched in between for the participation of students in both sessions. We are bringing in a Missions specialist, Gary Corwin, Associate Editor of the Evangelical Missions Quarterly. He will be teaching on three aspects of leadership development: The Christ of Leadership Development, The Curricula of Leadership Development and the Challenges of Leadership Development. There will be a menu of short training modules during the afternoons addressing such topics as: The Work of a Missions Committee, Evangelism, Reaching the World of Islam, A Faith Response to Poverty, Managing Stress and Financial Challenges for Missionaries: Taxes and Financial Planning. Seminar and Missions Focus is designed for missionaries, those planning to do missions and for church leaders responsible for overseeing missions and evangelism in their churches. If you attend a Seminar course you automatically are enrolled in Missions Focus. If attending only Missions Focus the fee is $100.00. Churches who send more than one participant to Missions Focus will pay only $10.00 for each additional registrant.
For the first time Missionary Care is going to be part of Seminar. ACU is partnering with several health professionals in the Abilene to offer their services to missionary families on furlough who are attending Seminar. Some services to be offered are an eye exam, a dental cleaning and a physical check up. These services will be offered free to the first 6 people who sign up.
If you would like to challenge your mind with a course for credit or non-credit during one or both of the two sessions (May 19-26 or May 30-June 6), check out the course offerings at www.acu.edu/missions and click on Summer Seminar in Missions at ACU. At the bottom of the page are links to forms for enrollment, scholarship application, reference forms and cost of the Seminar. Generous scholarships are available. We sincerely hope you will join us for Seminar this year and for the NEW Missions Focus. Contact our office to register, 915-674-3711.
The first two books in ACU Press's Heart of the Restoration Series are being made available to local congregations at a special group discount, according to Thom Lemmons, director of ACU Press. "The books in this series were conceived and written in order to take an important place in the current discussions among Churches of Christ," Lemmons said, "and we want to do everything we can to help that discussion continue." Congregations across the country are using the books, Lemmons says, both for individual and group studies of the issues presented.
Congregations wishing to make a group purchase of one or more of the books in the Heart of the Restoration Series may send a message to this email address: HRSoffer@acu.edu . For purchases of twenty or more books in the series, buyers will receive a 10% discount from the retail price. Shipping charges and sales tax for Texas residents will be added to the order.
In The Crux of the Matter: Crisis, Tradition, and the Future of Churches of Christ, Jeff Childers, Doug Foster, and Jack Reese give voice to several crucial decisions now facing Churches of Christ, placing those decisions in a comprehensive historical, cultural, and biblical context. God's Holy Fire: The Nature and Function of Scripture (Ken Cukrowski, Mark Hamilton, and James Thompson) focuses on hermeneutics, or the way members of Churches of Christ read, understand, and interpret Scripture. Future volumes in the series, all written by members of ACU's College of Biblical Studies faculty, will deal with christology, the church, and worship.
