Michael J. Rhodes – författare

The church in the West is rediscovering the fact that God cares deeply for the poor. More and more, churches and individual Christians are looking for ways to practice economic discipleship, but it's hard to make progress when we are blind to our own entanglement in our culture's idolatrous economic beliefs and practices. Practicing the King's Economy cuts through much confusion and invites Christians to take their place within the biblical story of the "King Jesus Economy." Through eye-opening true stories of economic discipleship in action, and with a solid exploration of six key biblical themes, the authors offer practical ways for God's people to earn, invest, spend, compensate, save, share, and give in ways that embody God's love and provision for the world.Foreword by Christopher J. H. Wright.

Contemporary readers often struggle with the Pentateuch, finding it difficult to understand, if not outright boring or even offensive. In this accessible survey textbook, David J. H. Beldman and Michael J. Rhodes help students discover that the Pentateuch is the critical launching pad and starting point for encountering God and God's ways in the world. These texts are the "big bang" of the Bible: The entire universe of the scriptural story spins out and takes shape from these first explosive texts. Beldman and Rhodes help students read these texts within their literary, historical, canonical, and theological contexts. Textboxes highlight the way the Pentateuch can spark the theological, ethical, and missional imaginations of contemporary readers, and substantial "Living the Text" sections at the close of each chapter explore how God's people might live differently in response. In addition to the main chapters exploring the specific books of the Pentateuch, shorter "How to Read" chapters explore some of the Pentateuch's trickier terrain, including ● "How to Read Biblical Law Today: Wise Guidance for Justice, Mercy, and Mission";● "How to Read Torah's Rituals Today: Sacred Rites and Holy Habits"; and● "How to Read Violent Texts Today: Wrestling Until We Receive a Blessing." This textbook is grounded in the view that the Pentateuch should be read as Christian Scripture. Although the book covers critical issues such as authorship, background, and history, its primary focus is on the message and theology of the Pentateuch and the contribution these texts make to the Christian canon. Indeed, Beldman and Rhodes argue throughout that the Pentateuch opens up horizons for Christian readers on some of today's most pressing theological, ethical, and missional questions. Reading Christian Scripture is a series of survey textbooks that cover the Old and New Testaments. Beautifully designed in full color with maps, sidebars, images, and illustrations to hold interest and aid learning, Reading the Pentateuch as Christian Scripture offers a faith-friendly introduction to students. Additional resources for instructors are available through textbook eSources.

The Bible Has More to Say About Politics Than You've Been ToldThe Bible calls us to live as disciples of Jesus in every area of our lives--including politics. But how do we live as faithful political disciples when politics has become so toxic?Too often, Scripture's political witness is reduced to a few verses to defend our partisan political team. For some, political neutrality is the gold standard in congregational life. But if God's people refuse to pursue political discipleship, someone--or something--will disciple our politics for us.In Reimagining Biblical Politics, readers will● explore Scripture's political vision throughout the biblical text;● encounter biblical texts or figures--such as Esther, the Torah, Jeremiah, Paul, the midwives of Exodus, and Jesus--as models of faithful political discipleship; and● learn from stories of courageous political witness throughout church history and around the world.Reimagining Biblical Politics isn't another rehash of America's current political context or a blueprint for contemporary political practice. Instead, it invites readers from across the political spectrum to rediscover the startling, strange, beautiful, and often-neglected world of biblical politics. Each chapter offers a snapshot of a different biblical text or figure and explores how it offers a vision of political discipleship for today.With a foreword by Carmen Joy Imes, this book helps us reimagine how the Bible might transform our political witness and empowers us to practice faithful political discipleship in our churches, neighborhoods, and communities.

Historically, many churches and theologians defended and supported race-based slavery and subsequent forms of racial hierarchy and violence. The essays in Reparations and the Theological Disciplines argue that it is urgent that the theological disciplines engage the issue of reparations by revisiting Scripture and our theological traditions. The time is now for remembrance, reckoning, and repair.