For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, and he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else. (Isaiah 45:18) God created the Earth for an eternal purpose that was in his mind from the beginning of the creation of the Earth. The eternal purpose includes mankind because God had the desire to fellowship with him from the beginning of the Earth. He created the Earth not in vain and he formed it to be inhabited always, and it shall be so. God is a person and has the desire to share his love and kindness to those that will accept his person thru his son Christ Jesus. That in the ages to come God might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us that know him through Christ Jesus. Edward L. Brownlee began his life with Jesus as a child for his Father was a minister and was taught the Bible from his youth. He is a student of the Word of God and one to believe that you never stop learning. A lover of Bible Prophecy and one that loves to talk about and teach Prophecy. He has been a Sunday school teacher of all ages, an associate Pastor, and Pastor. He also was a Youth Pastor for twelve years, and involved with fifteen church youth camps. Of those fifteen youth camps, he was the director of eight of them. He has been in the ministry for twenty-eight years, and presently pastor's a small church.

Prominent atheists claim the Bible is a racist text. Yet Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. read it daily. Then again, so did many ardent segregationists. Some atheists claim religion serves to oppress the masses. Yet the classic text of the French Revolution, What is the Third Estate?, was written by a priest. On the other hand, the revolutionaries ended up banning religion. What do we make of religion’s confusing role in history? And what of religion’s relationship to science? Some scientists claim that we have no free will. Others argue that advances in neurobiology and physics disprove determinism. As for whispering to the universe, an absurd habit say the skeptics. Yet prayer is a transformative practice for millions. This book explores the most common atheist critiques of the Bible and religion, incorporating Jewish, Christian, and Muslim voices. The result is a fresh, modern re-evaluation of religion and of atheism. Scott A. Shay is a Co-Founder and Chairman of Signature Bank and a longstanding Jewish community activist. Shay started a Hebrew school, an adult educational program, and chaired several Jewish educational programs. He is the author of Getting our Groove Back: How to Energize American Jewry and has been thinking about religion, reason, and modernity since wondering why his parents sent him to Hebrew school.

Finally--a theology of love that will help you navigate the confusing waters of modern relationship. In the beginning, God created Adam. Then he made Eve. And ever since we've been picking up the pieces. With an autobiographical thread that turns a book into a story, pastor and speaker John Mark Comer shares about what is right in male/female relationships--what God intended in the Garden. And about what is wrong--the fallout in a post-Eden world. Loveology starts with marriage and works backward. Comer deals with sexuality, romance, singleness, and what it means to be male and female; ending with a raw, uncut, anything goes Q and A dealing with the most asked questions about sexuality and relationships. This is a book for singles, engaged couples, and the newly married--both inside and outside the church--who want to learn what the Scriptures have to say about sexuality and relationships. For those who are tired of Hollywood's propaganda, and the church's silence. And for people who want to ask the why questions and get intelligent, nuanced, grace-and-truth answers, rooted in the Scriptures.

Judaism and Christianity meet in scripture, which they share and about which they contend. In Common Ground Father Andrew Greeley and Rabbi Jacob Neusner present their characteristically candid - and often provocative - interpretations of the history, context, and meaning of scripture. Written in alternating chapters, Common Ground reveals how a rabbi understands Christ, Mary, and St Paul, and how a priest views creation, Abraham and Sarah, and the prophets. Neusner calls upon the ancient Rabbinic approach to scripture - the conversational dialogue of "Midrash" - while Greeley creatively renews the narrative tradition of Christianity. Together they show that differences in responses to scripture enrich the possibilities of biblical renewal.

This volume is intended to introduce university and seminary students and scholars to the neglected field of ritual studies, particularly within the larger context of biblical and theological studies. At the same time, the author hopes to further the discussion by interacting with numerous scholars in the field, providing an extensive bibliography of relevant works. Klingbeil defines the basic terms used in ritual studies and explains the concepts involved in interpreting biblical ritual. He offers a broad history of the study of biblical ritual, beginning with the critiques of ritual found in the Old Testament prophetic books and surveying attitudes toward ritual down to modern times. Drawing on the fields of anthropology and sociology, as well as his decade of work in the field, Klingbeil presents a comprehensive reading strategy for biblical ritual texts. In addition, he explores connections between ritual studies and theological research. This ground-breaking study promises to generate discussion about biblical ritual and provides an excellent introduction to this growing field of study for students and scholars.

Lester Grabbe is probably the most distinguished, and certainly the most prolific of historians of ancient Judaism, the author of several standard treatments and the founder of the European Seminar on Historical methodology. He has continued to set the bar for Hebrew Bible scholarship. In this collection some thirty of his distinguished colleagues and friends offer their reflections on the practice and theory of history writing, on the current controversies and topics of major interest. This collection provides an opportunity for scholars of high caliber to consider groundbreaking ideas in light of Grabbe's scholarship and influence. This festschrift offers the reader a unique volume of essays to explore and consider the far-reaching influence of Grabbe on the field of Biblical studies as a whole.