In volume one of this multi-volume series, Marc Ellis explores the essence of the prophetic by intertwining the context of ordinary life and the explosive reality of Jewish identity, the Holocaust and Israel-Palestine. But Ellis's prophetic challenge extends to people of all faiths and backgrounds. For Jews, Christians and Muslims, where does the prophetic come from and how do we define it? Is the heartbeat of the prophetic, God or our own commitment? In our time where belief in God is more difficult does the prophetic suggest only the possibility of God? With or without God is the prophetic worth the suffering that comes the exile's way? Ellis's unfolding narration of the prophetic is unique and probing for those who take life, justice and faith seriously.

In volume one of this multi-volume series, Marc Ellis explores the essence of the prophetic by intertwining the context of ordinary life and the explosive reality of Jewish identity, the Holocaust and Israel-Palestine. But Ellis’s prophetic challenge extends to people of all faiths and backgrounds. For Jews, Christians and Muslims, where does the prophetic come from and how do we define it? Is the heartbeat of the prophetic, God or our own commitment? In our time where belief in God is more difficult does the prophetic suggest only the possibility of God? With or without God is the prophetic worth the suffering that comes the exile’s way? Ellis’s unfolding narration of the prophetic is unique and probing for those who take life, justice and faith seriously.

Your success in the ministry is not determined by the size of your church but by the purpose of what God accomplished through you.

Out of the reverence that we carry for our foremothers and forefathers, we have allowed the misinterpretation of scripture, ordinances, and theological concepts to be adopted and implemented by the church in consequence of their traditions. Following these traditions, we have found ourselves adrift more than a hundred years off course and out of sync with the Spirit of God, which has stifled the growth of the church. These traditions have yielded many falsehoods and teachings to which our churches have subscribed and disseminated across the expanse of this country. Of several, one that damages the structure of countless churches is the hierarchy of the sexes. By examining the original language of the text and defining essential terms, while also maintaining the context, the implication of a particular verse can change. Understanding this we have found that the order of God that the church has embraced, concerning the relationship between male and female is not the original order of God. Using the Adam and Eve narrative, the redemptive work of Christ on the cross, and the atonement of the blood of Jesus, we have discovered that the original order and the heartbeat of God is equality between the sexes. Standing with a great appreciation, the church should be commended for being the glue that holds our communities, our families, and even our personal lives together. With humility I must offer this charge to the church: Go after the heartbeat of God rather than embrace what the church has permitted. It is high time that the church awakens from its sleep and begins to "study to show thyself approved" a disciple needing not be ashamed, being able to rightly divide the word of truth in applying it to every area our lives. Again, out of humility I offer a word of caution. If the truth is handed to you on a platter, and then refused, refuted, and rejected, you subject yourself to the hindrance of the advancement of the kingdom of God.

An overview of Celtic spirituality and its implications for us today.

This volume explores the theological heartbeat of the Old Testament by examining three big ideas that communicate the Old Testament's redemptive theology. Highly respected scholar Mark Boda shows how three creedal expressions--the narrative, character, and relational creeds--recur throughout the Old Testament and express its core redemptive theology, in turn revealing how the redemptive pulse of God expands to all of creation. He also traces these redemptive and creational pulses into the New Testament and shows their relevance for today's Christian community.