Aída Besançon Spencer – författare

In a thorough and insightful commentary on Paul's letter to his co-worker Timothy, which the Apostle wrote before and during Nero's persecution, Aída Besançon Spencer carefully examines each part of the letter and relates it to the overall flow of the argument and in light of the larger biblical, historical, social, and cultural contexts. How Paul's writing related to the ancient communities is highlighted in the light of original data gleaned from her explorations on location in Ephesus and throughout Greece. In addition, Paul's rhetorical and ministry strategies, especially as they relate to women and their role in the church, are explored. Throughout, Spencer presents an in-depth exegesis in a readable format enhanced by forty years of ministry.

Paul's Literary Style determines quantitatively how Paul varies the style of his writing to assist communication with different communities and to ascertain some constant characteristics of his writing. Using 2 Corinthians 11:16-12:13, Romans 8:9-39, and Philippians 3:2-4:13, the author uncovers the performance of ten stylistic operations: sentence changes, complexity of the writing, adverbs and adverbial clauses, propositional reduction; logical diagrams, abstract versus concrete nouns, imagery, Leo Spitzer's philological circle, verb density, and variety of sentence length. In this study, stylistics denotes the use of linguistics as a tool of literary criticism by which to investigate the aesthetic effects of language. This methodology produces an investigation to compare Paul's style of communication to three different communities and discover his adaptations to different audiences.

With issues such as the ordination of women and the call for "inclusive" language affecting the church today, Aída Spencer has provided a helpful and important study of how the Scriptures really speak to these and other issues related to the role of women in the church. From the biblical account of creation and "the fall" to other relevant Old Testament passages, Beyond the Curse carefully examines the attitudes toward and teachings about women--especially those of Jesus and Paul. Beyond the Curse sheds light on instances in the New Testament of feminine authority and on feminine metaphors used in Scripture to define God, the church, and society. Jesus is shown to have broken through the cultural barriers of first-century Palestine in his attitudes toward and dealings with women. Paul's later works are found to be consistent with Jesus' views, as Spencer notes the vital place of women in Paul's ministry. Women in leadership roles and the many implications are viewed firsthand by Spencer--herself a minister. William David Spencer, the author's husband, gives an afterword, explaining his personal journey as the spouse of an ordained minister. Timely and vital to an understanding of the growth of a woman's role in the church, Beyond the Curse is a compelling and important work.

In this book, the authors present exhaustive literary and theological textual analyses of all Jesus' teachings, on prayer, parables, and model prayer. Jesus' teachings on prayer are compared with his own practice and examples recorded in the text. In the appendix, stylistic analysis is employed to compare Jesus' prayer with Greek cultic prayer. The authors conclude that prayer for Jesus was the authentic communication of a life acting out the commandments of God.

Global Voices on Biblical Equality is a fresh look at the contextualizing of gender equality throughout the world. Biblical equality is a burgeoning, global reform movement led by scholars and leaders not only in North America but also on every continental landmass in the world. What inroads is biblical equality making around the globe? What is its appeal? What still needs reform? How is biblical equality transforming each culture? In this book, female and male writers who are ethnically part of every continent explore the contextual challenges, successes, and adaptations of engaging the biblical text on gender and ministry.The contributors write on Asia and Asian America (India, China, Korean America), Africa (Zimbabwe)and African America Indigenous America and Latin America (Native America, Hispanic America, Brazilian America), and Western Europe and Australia and North America. The editors and authors are Aida Besancon Spencer, William David Spencer, Ranked Adjunct, and Mimi Haddad. Other contributors are Ellen Alexander, Beulah Wood, Cecilia Yau, Matthew D. Kim, Constantine M. Murefu, Darin Vincent Poullard, Sandra Gatlin Whitley, Awilda Gonzalez-Tejera, John Runyon, and Eliana Marques Runyon, Elke Werner, Roland Werner, Kevin Giles, and Roberta Hestenes.

When a sudden mysterious letter summons city minister Jo Archer from New Jersey to the Caribbean, she is plunged into a world of possibilities so large and obstacles so great she could gain or lose everything she holds dear. In this contemporary adventure novel full of challenge, mystery, romance, grace, plot twists, and ultimate enlightenment, Jo''s search for her identity echoes the true story struggles of two victims who became victors: Joseph, deliverer of famine-struck Israel, and Enrique, liberator of the oppressed Taino people, from whom Jo is directly descended. As Jo confronts her own life-threatening and life-changing quest, she realizes she is "walking in every forgotten, undervalued, and marginalized woman''s dream"--a chance to become the leader whom God destined her to be, amidst the highest adventure of her life.

The task of this book is to examine the biblical and theological meaning of the city and our mission within it. It starts with the premise that the garden is lost, and we are headed toward the New Jerusalem, the city of God. In the meanwhile, we dwell in earthly cities that need to be adjusted to God''s city: [T]he fall has conditioned us to fear the city . . . though, historically, God intended it to provide safety, even refuge. . . . We have to band together and act to take back our communities if we are to help God in the divine task of reconciling the world to Godself by assisting God in adjusting our communities to God''s New Jerusalem, rebuilding our own cities of Enoch on the blueprints of Christ . . . to go into all the world and share his good news, building the Christian community along the lines of the New Jerusalem, a city of light in which God is revealed. (from the Introduction by William David Spencer)Toward achieving this goal, this single, accessible volume brings together the biblical, the systematic, and the practical aspects of urban ministry by various contributors who are urban practitioners and theologians themselves, and have taught at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Boston Campus.

A thorough and insightful commentary on Paul''s letter to his coworker Timothy, which the Apostle wrote before and during Nero''s persecution. Spencer carefully examines each part of the letter and relates it to the overall flow of the argument and in light of the larger biblical, historical, social, and cultural contexts. How Paul''s writing related to the ancient communities is highlighted in the light of original data gleaned from her explorations on location in Ephesus and throughout Greece. In addition, Paul''s rhetorical and ministry strategies, especially as they relate to women and their role in the church, are explored. Throughout, Spencer presents an in-depth exegesis in a readable format enhanced by forty years of ministry.

A thorough and insightful commentary on Paul''s letter to his coworker Timothy, which the apostle wrote before and during Nero''s persecution. Spencer carefully examines each part of the letter and relates it to the overall flow of the argument and in light of the larger biblical, historical, social, and cultural contexts. How Paul''s writing related to the ancient communities is highlighted in the light of original data gleaned from her explorations on location in Crete, Ephesus, and Rome. In addition, Paul''s rhetorical and ministry strategies, especially as they relate to women and their role in the church, are explored. Throughout, Spencer presents an in-depth exegesis in a readable format enhanced by forty years of ministry.

In print for over three decades in English and a decade in French, la reverenda doctora Aida Besancon Spencer''s Beyond the Curse: Women Called to Ministry is finally available in a fully corrected and updated Spanish version. Praised in Christianity Today as one of the five best books on the topic and selected by Eternity as a book of the year, Mas alla de la maldicion studies the biblical support of women in ministry, treating the Bible as reliable and authoritative. A key source that has helped shape current discussions on the role of women in ministry, the book includes Genesis support for shared tasks as equals, Jesus'' and Paul''s teachings and practice on women in ministry, the Bible''s examples of women in authoritative positions, feminine metaphors for God, and an afterword written by the Rev. Dr. William David Spencer on how husband and wife have practically worked on sharing tasks. oHere is a technical female biblical scholar who brings strong credentials to set forth a fresh examination of the biblical texts to women in life and ministry. --Southwestern Journal of TheologyoSpencer''s book is unique. --The Reformed JournaloA more truly biblical approach. --Dr. Ward GasqueoBesancon Spencer handles well the supposedly difficult Pauline passages in 1 Timothy 2. --Alvera Mickelsen

Joy Through the Night uniquely combines personal experience and scholarship in order that readers may face the most difficult questions Christians can ask: If God is good and all-powerful, how can the world be so shot through with evil? What about the pain of so many children and other innocent people? And why is God letting me hurt so much, so long?Aida and William Spencer draw on the suffering they have faced--including chronic disease and the untimely death of a sibling--to ask these questions on a practical, down-to-earth level. But they also draw on their extensive theological training and ministry experience to present biblical resources for dealing with suffering. In the end, this is a book both realistic and hopeful, offering reassurance that even in the midst of pain we can know joy as we learn to rely on God and the communal care of the church. It will prove a valuable aid to those who minister to them.

The Goddess Revival is a Christianity Today Book Award Winner, 1996. "All of the authors are clearly sympathetic to the problems women have faced in the church throughout its history. They empathize with women who shun the patriarchal oppression of their churches to turn to goddess spirituality. They are also solidly grounded in the Scriptures, Christian theology and church history. They recognize the bondage imposed by goddess worship. This book presents a scholarly and clear consideration of the issues involved and builds a strong case for Christianity as the most woman-friendly alternative. While providing a comprehensive study of goddess spirituality and examining the roots of the movement, the authors focus primarily on God and the way people have understood God through the centuries--in both paganism and the Judeo-Christian tradition--as both male and female. They demonstrate how the uniqueness of God contrasts with the multiplicity of gods and goddesses in pagan spiritualities, while comparing the values in both traditions that are similar (that is, a search for what is good, inner empowerment, unity, positive social change). In the process of building a clear Christian theology, they gently counter the arguments of their pagan opponents. In the end, the reader is left with a glorious picture of the one true God and a clear apologetic for those in nursing who insist that the Christian God is too oppressive and patriarchal to merit our allegience. The appendixes provide a powerful case study of a young woman drawn into witchcraft. She explains why it appealed to her, then how it enslaved her and destroyed her marriage and other relationships. . . The two final appendixes offer some excellent biblical studies on the issues raised in the book. The total package provides an outstanding resource" -- Journal of Christian Nursing