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This book lifts up women of the Hebrew Bible who, working with the Divine, play amazing roles in the stories of Israel--prophet, judge, worship leader, warrior, scholar, scribe. They helped people celebrate the Divine''s triumph over oppression. They spoke boldly to those in power. They went into battle to secure their people''s safety. They gave wise judgments in important legal matters. They authenticated sacred texts and inspired a reform to help Israel return to the way of Torah. In roles that were not tied to their wombs or fertility, these women made Israel''s story possible and helped it to continue to future generations.

Solomon and the Ant, using the Bible as a dialogue partner, examines stories from the Qur''an, their drama, characters, and meaning. Although some qur''anic stories have close biblical parallels, here Penchansky examines stories without biblical precursors. Qur''anic narratives in dialogue with biblical texts enhance understanding. Penchansky chooses biblical stories that address similar questions about the nature of God and God''s interaction with people.Solomon matches wits with an ant, a bird, and the queen of Sheba. Magical creatures, the jinn, are driven out of heaven by fiery meteors. Moses, on a quest, meets a mysterious stranger. The Bible offers parallels and connections. Genesis, Exodus, Isaiah, Matthew, and other biblical books, contrast with the qur''anic text, comment on the qur''anic story, and supplement it.- Separated by space and time, the Bible and the Qur''an faced similar issues.- Both the Bible and the Qur''an adapted material from their surrounding culture while at the same time distinguishing themselves from that culture.- Rather than addressing this cultural confrontation with rigid certainty, the Bible and the Qur''an are ambiguous and multivocal. - The Bible and the Qur''an are layered, containing stories within stories, fragments, and structural abnormalities. These features contribute to meaning.Penchansky''s analysis of these stories makes the Qur''an accessible and compelling to nonspecialists and students.

The cross is regarded as Jesus Christ''s great work of salvation. But is it also a work of creation? Excitingly plumbing Scripture and Christian tradition, Andrew McGowan shows that it is. "Each of Jesus''s seven words from the cross can be understood as a creative act, as a new divine work," he writes. From the cross, Jesus works forgiveness, bestows Paradise, enacts human relationship, identifies completely with humanity, fulfills Scripture, and reenacts Sabbath. From early days, Christians-for good reason-linked the original seven days of creation with creation and re-creation at the apex of salvation. Seven Last Words recovers this linkage in all its power and perennial freshness.But that is not all. In addition to surveying the seven last words Jesus spoke, McGowan insists that at the cross "the eternal Word not only speaks, but listens." And so he turns to the "conversations" spoken not only from but to the cross. Here he opens new vistas on the words of Judas, Dismas (the criminal crucified beside Jesus), Mary, God the Father, Longinus (the centurion), and Nicodemus, and ruminates fascinatingly on the accompanying silence of the angels.Profound and endlessly edifying, Seven Last Words will richly repay reading and rereading.

In 1928, when Riverside Church (NYC) pastor Harry Emerson Fosdick asked the question in Harpers Magazine, ""What''s the Matter with Preaching Today?"" he did not know that one response to that question had just entered the world in Humboldt, Tennessee. Fred B. Craddock revolutionized preaching theory and practice by flipping pulpit logic from deductive to inductive--often called the preaching-as-storytelling revolution--and in so doing brought renewed interest and impact to the practice of preaching, effectively rescuing it from an often tedious and moralizing fate. With Fred, preaching was anything but boring. Rather, it was an exciting and enlightening ride that led to the renewal of faith.To honor Craddock''s legacy, Mike Graves and Andre Resner invited ten leading voices in homiletics to identify something that is right about preaching today. In addition, they issued a call to a wide variety of people to contribute stories about Fred''s impact on their lives and ministries. Twenty-seven remembrances of Fred are included here throughout the book.If you appreciate effective and engaging preaching--as either a preacher or listener--the essays and remembrances here will speak to you and provide encouragement about preaching''s present and future. With contributions from:Ronald J. AllenBarbara K. LundbladAlyce McKenzieDebra J. MumfordLuke PoweryAndre ResnerRichard WardDawn Ottoni-WilhelmPaul Scott Wilson