This book spotlights the Old Testament’s “supporting cast,” the vast array of nameless characters wedged in the margins of biblical stories. Often categorized as literary props or aspects of scenery, these anonymous figures (“laborers,” “a creditor,” “the crowd,” “servants,” “elders,” “a midwife,” etc.) frequently shoulder the burden of a story that is never theirs. Grounded in literary theory, Gina Hens-Piazza sets forth a new taxonomy for these often anonymous characters.

Pastor and Bible teacher Randy McCracken offers an intimate look at lesser-known members of 1 and 2 Samuel's four main families--those of Samuel, Eli, Saul, and David. Examining characters unfamiliar to many Bible readers, he reveals important lessons for today.

Featuring the insights, strategies, and experiences of the sport’s top coaches, The Hockey Coaching Bible sets a new standard for those who teach the game, develop the players, and dominate the ice. Whether head coach or assistant, at the youth level or professional, you will find a wealth of information to improve performance and strengthen your program. You’ll go inside the game with 16 of hockey’s most respected teachers: • Joe Bertagna • Bill Cleary • Tom Anastos • Guy Gadowsky • Mike Schafer • Marty Palma • Hal Tearse • Mike Cavanaugh • Jack Parker • Rick Comley • Mark Dennehy • Ben Smith • E.J. McGuire • George Gwozdecky • Nate Leaman • Mike Eaves Every facet of coaching is covered. The book features the most effective drills for developing players at each position and in-game strategies for various game situations, including offensive, defensive, and neutral-zone play and power plays and penalty kills. In addition to on-ice Xs and Os, you’ll find sage advice for building a program from the ground up, furthering your professional development as a coach, and gaining community and parental support for projecting a positive image and earning the respect of your players and supporters. Never has there been a more comprehensive coaching resource on the game. With The Hockey Coaching Bible, you’ll build your program into a powerhouse.

Deborah Sawyer discusses this crucial yet unresolved question in the context of contemporary and postmodern ideas about gender and power, based on fresh examination of a number of texts from Hebrew and Christian scripture. Such texts offer striking parallels to contemporary gender theories (particularly those of Luce Irigaray and Judith Butler), which have unravelled given notions of power and constructed identity. Through the study of gender in terms of its application by biblical writers as a theological strategy, we can observe how these writers use female characters to undermine human masculinity, through their 'higher' intention to elevate the biblical God. God Gender and the Bible demonstrates that both maleness and femaleness are constructed in the light of divine omnipotence. Unlike many approaches to the Bible that offer hegemonist interpretations, such as those that are explicitly Christian or Jewish, or liberationist or feminist, this enlightening and readable study sustains and works with the inconsistencies evident in biblical literature.

"More than any other book, the Bible offers an amazing collection of fascinating characters ranging from the holiest of the holy to some of the most depraved scoundrels imaginable. Many are mentioned only in passing, yet history and archaeology can often fill in the blanks and flesh them out as exciting human beings. For this reason we have in many cases been able to tell much more about them than the Bible alone reveals." -- Richard R. Losch (from the preface) A comprehensive gathering of persons found in the Bible, including the Apocrypha, All the People in the Bible really delivers on its title: literally all of the Bible's characters appear in this fascinating reference work. From the first article on Aaron to the final entry on Zophar, Richard Losch details each person in a lively narrative style. The bulk of the book consists of Losch's A–Z articles covering the familiar and the not-so-familiar figures in Scripture. Names of people who are found only in genealogies or who had no significant effect on history are included solely in the alphabetical listing starting on page 452. That listing, “All the People in the Bible and Apocrypha,” includes pronunciations, brief identifications, and biblical references. Persons covered in greater detail in the main part of the book are identified in bold print. Losch's intriguing look at all the people in the Bible is anything but a dry reference work. This is a book to dip into and enjoy over and over.

As more and more Christians are involved in teaching in their churches, there is a need for an accessible, engaging commentary that can enhance their understanding of Scripture and aid their teaching. The Baker Illustrated Bible Commentary is that resource. This nontechnical, section-by-section commentary on the whole Bible provides reliable and readable interpretations of the Scriptures from forty-two leading evangelical scholars. The Baker Illustrated Bible Commentary is a complete revision of the well-known Baker Commentary on the Bible edited by Walter Elwell, now featuring new articles and vibrant full-color images on more than 1,800 pages, complete with photos, maps, and timelines to illustrate the text. This information-packed commentary helps readers gain a deeper understanding of the Bible. Beyond that, it includes practical applications for spiritual and personal guidance, making it invaluable to any believer seeking to get the most out of their Bible study. Pastors and others in teaching ministries looking for a one-volume, evangelical commentary on the Bible will value this resource.

Focusing on supporting characters in the Old Testament, Gina Hens-Piazza argues against the caste system of the biblical narratives and provides insight into the many and different "others" who make up the anonymous multitude in the biblical world.