Have you ever wondered how we got here and why we are here? Do you believe that the universe and life on Earth came about through creation by a master designer, or do you still believe in the process of evolution? Do you know that God works through covenants? God has a covenant relationship with His creation. It is essential to know about covenants in order to understand Gods desire that we become more intimate with Him. Taken together, this study of covenants and creation provides compelling spiritual and scientific evidence that the universe was created exactly as described in the Bible. Many of the questions and arguments about creation and evolution are also covered in this book. We hope that it will enable you to make a more informed choice about what to believe, because what you believe has eternal consequences.

Kingdom through Covenant is a careful exposition of how the biblical covenants unfold and relate to one another—a widely debated topic, critical for understanding the narrative plot structure of the whole Bible. By incorporating the latest available research from the ancient Near East and examining implications of their work for Christology, ecclesiology, eschatology, and hermeneutics, scholars Peter J. Gentry and Stephen J. Wellum present a thoughtful and viable alternative to both covenant theology and dispensationalism. This second edition features updated and revised content, clarifying key material and integrating the latest findings into the discussion.

Does sexual difference matter for marriage? Are there good theological reasons why the two main characters in a marriage should be a male and a female, or is marriage a more flexible covenant, which any two people can keep? Creation and Covenant analyzes latent but under-examined beliefs about sexual difference in the theology about marriage which has been dominant for centuries in the Christian west. The book opens by studying patristic theologies of marriage, which rested on mostly implicit and often incompatible beliefs about sexual difference. However, Roberts argues that Augustine developed a coherent theology of sexual difference, according it a shifting significance from creation to eschaton. Roberts traces how Augustine's theology influenced and was developed by subsequent theologians, such as Bernard of Clairvaux, Luther, Barth, and John Paul II. Finally, Roberts engages today's debates about gay marriage. Before becoming an academic, Dr. Roberts was a journalist. On behalf of PBS television, he covered both the Lambeth Conference in England and the World Council of Churches in Zimbabwe. During those years, he was disappointed by both the liberal and conservative arguments on homosexuality. Left-wingers seemed more interested in privacy, autonomy, and experience than in theology, and right-wingers seemed to have lots of prohibitions but little good news. In the final chapters, this book tries to do better, inviting liberals to improve the standard of their arguments, and explaining what is beautiful and persuasive about the traditional case.

Creation, Sin, Covenant, and Salvation is a primer for biblical theology that is accessible to lay readers of all ages. This is the ideal book for those seeking a short, accessible synopsis of the Christian worldview. Sprinkled with anecdotes and illustrations, the book eases readers into a succinct yet comprehensive discussion of biblical thought. The final chapter explains the authority, practical value, and intended purpose of Scripture. Meadors inspires readers to think critically about the real life believability of the Christian faith, especially its intellectual coherence. In keeping with biblical theology, the book affirms the continuity of biblical revelation from beginning to end before consummating in the resurrection of the dead and God’s restoration of all creation.

This study examines the relationship between time and history in Second Temple literature. Numerous sources from that period express a belief that Jewish history began with an act of covenant formation and proceeded in linear fashion until the exile, an unprecedented event which severed the present from the past. The authors of Ben Sira, Jubilees, the Animal Apocalypse, and 4 Ezra responded to this theological challenge by claiming instead that Jewish history began at creation. Between creation and redemption, history unfolds as a series of static, repeating patterns that simultaneously account for the disappointments of the Second Temple period and confirm the eternal nature of the covenant. As iterations of timeless, cyclical patterns, the difficult post-exilic present and the glorious redemption of the future emerge as familiar, unremarkable, and inevitable historical developments.

The gospel story begins in Torah. What culminates at Golgotha starts with the rebellion in the garden. The Torah's story can be framed as a question: How will the word of God overcome the human revolution? Torah Story offers a student-friendly introduction to the redemptive narrative housed in the first five books of the Bible. Every main chapter introduces a section of Torah with attention to its basic structure. This is followed by another look at how this portion of Torah connects to the rest of the Christian Bible. The dynamic design includes opportunities in every chapter to make the most of Torah study including: Helps for getting started (focus questions, key terms, outline) An interactive workshop with challenge questions and advanced questions Suggestions for research projects Next steps for further study A refreshingly new approach to the Torah--neither an introduction nor a commentary--Torah Story provides an apprenticeship on the Old Testament's first five books. But it also provides a model of how to read Scripture intertextually with an eye to the New Testament gospels. It leaves no doubt as to the overarching unity of the message and composition of the Pentateuch. The second edition is streamlined and simplified throughout, with updated examples and new sidebars and imagery.