Zondervan and Seedbed Sign New Publishing Partnership Agreement
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Sept. 20, 2018 — Zondervan is pleased to announce a new publishing partnership with Seedbed, a twenty-first century movement and media platform whose mission is to gather, connect, and resource the people of God to sow for a great awakening. Seedbed’s growing reputation within the Wesleyan tradition, paired with the publishing reach and experience of Zondervan, will produce a co-publishing program poised to bring Wesleyan authors and content to the broader market.
Located in Franklin, Tennessee, Seedbed was established by Asbury Theological Seminary in 2012. Seedbed publishes an array of resources, including curriculum, Bible study resources, youth and college ministry resources, devotionals, video resources, books on Wesleyan theology, and more. Its primary authors are rooted in the…
Why Do We Need to Read the Gospel of Mark in Context?
One reason?
Scripture is not a 21st century text.
The recently released Reading Mark in Context: Jesus and Second Temple Judaism helps the reader see the contour and texture of Jesus’ engagement with his Jewish environment. It brings together a series of accessible essays that compare and contrast viewpoints, theologies, and hermeneutical practices of Mark and his various Jewish contemporaries.
This week we asked the editors, Ben C. Blackwell, John K. Goodrich, and Jason Maston, to weigh in on why they thought it’s important to read the Gospel of Mark in context. Read further to hear what they had to say.
Ben Blackwell:
Just the other day a new student asked me about studying the New Testament and early Christianity. They were wondering how you study…
The 2017-2018 Zondervan Biblical Greek Award Winners
Each year we partner with participating universities and seminaries to honor students who have excelled in the study of biblical Greek.
Join us by congratulating the winners of the 2017-2018 Zondervan Biblical Greek Award!
James Madsen – Nazarene Theological Seminary Zach Hafner – Calvary Chapel Bible College Kathryn Broadwell – Lee University Elijah Eck – Oklahoma Christian University Leonard Lamina – LeTourneau University Sierra Modica – New Hope Christian College Jonah Steele – Lincoln Christian University Garrett Struwe – Simpson University Hunter Costello – North Central University Jordan Troeger – Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Tanner Heath – Carson-Newman University Andrew Franzen – Moody Bible Institute Zebediah Rose – LeTourneau University Jonathan Guy – Milligan College Hugo Pena – Southwestern Assemblies of God University Spencer French – Bethel College Stephen Lambert – Heritage Seminary Matthew Nisly – Sterling College Benjamin Basham – Montreat College Noah Batts…
When Bibles Do, and Don’t, Follow the Greek. A Couple Examples. – Mondays with Mounce 320
Paul tells the Colossians church, “My goal is that their hearts may be encouraged (ἵνα παρακληθῶσιν αἱ καρδίαι αὐτῶν) and knit together in love (συμβιβασθέντες ἐν ἀγάπῃ), so that (καὶ εἰς) they may have all the wealth of full assurance of understanding, for knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ (εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν τοῦ μυστηρίου τοῦ θεοῦ, Χριστοῦ)” (2:2).
There are a couple things worth noting. The first is the value of keeping dependent clauses dependent. The text doesn’t say “encouraged and knit together.” παρακληθῶσιν is the main verb in the purpose clause, and συμβιβασθέντες is a dependent construction (adverbial participle) telling us something about how they are encouraged. Paul is not saying that he wants the Colossians to be encouraged and to be knit together. He is saying he wants them…
What does it mean that the Word became flesh?
John 1:14 is one of the most important verses in the Bible. It reads: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
The Word did not just appear to be human; the Word became flesh.
This assertion stunned the Greek mind for whom the separation of the divine spirit and the mundane world (flesh, sarx) was an axiom of belief.
But the second phrase is equally stunning for the Jew. This Word dwelt (skenoo) among us and revealed his glory (doxa). This verb for dwelling is employed in the Greek Old Testament for the tabernacle of God.
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The Stigma of Mental Illness in the Church – An Excerpt from Mental Health and the Church
The church across North America does a weak job of welcoming and including families of children, teens, and adults with common mental health conditions or trauma. One obstacle is the absence of a widely accepted model for mental health inclusion ministries for kids, teens, adults, and their families.
In Mental Health and the Church, Dr. Stephen Grcevich seeks to put forth a model for a mental health/trauma inclusion ministry of sufficient flexibility to be implemented by churches of all sizes, denominations, and organizational styles. In today’s excerpt, he reveals how the stigma of mental illness impacts families relationship to the church.
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I believe most pastors and church leaders are unaware of the extent to which the experience of a mental health disorder—“serious” mental health conditions such…
Your Sermon, Your Body Language – An Excerpt from Preaching God’s Word, Second Edition
You have a great sermon prepared, and the hard part is done. It would be great if all you had to do was to stand up and speak the words for maximum effectiveness. But it takes more than just words to deliver the message.
In today’s excerpt taken from Preaching God’s Word, Second Edition, authors Terry Carter, J. Scott Duvall, and J. Daniel Hays remind us that spoken language is only a fraction of the way you effectively communicate your sermon.
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Experts tell us that a major part of sermon delivery is body language. Roy DeBrand suggests that the “visual in preaching is vitally important to communication.” By visual, DeBrand means things related to your body, such as clothing, posture, gestures, facial expressions, and…
The Seven Churches of Revelation: Why They Matter and What We Can Learn
The book of Revelation opens with seven letters to seven churches. Each of the seven letters is a prophetic word from Jesus, through the Spirit, who is inspiring John to write.
Who were the recipients of these letters? How were they read and understood in the first century? And what are we to make of them today?
Where were the seven churches located?
Before we look at these letters as a whole, let’s briefly look at the seven cities where the recipients lived.
1. Ephesus (Revelation 2:1-7)
A messenger coming from Patmos—where John wrote—would reach Ephesus first, so Ephesus makes sense as the first letter. Ephesus was also a prominent city in the province: more powerful than Pergamum politically, and more favored than Smyrna for the imperial cult.
The letter to Ephesus warns against false teachers and evil in the…
2017 Year in Review: The Most Popular Online Courses
Zondervan Academic Online Courses has become one of the best ways to learn about the Bible online. As we’re reviewing and reflecting on our most popular courses from 2017 and looking ahead to 2018, we thought we’d share some of what we’re learning about what you’re learning.
Here are some of our observations:
1. There is strong interest in the biblical languages.
In this year’s list, languages dominate.
Many people have a desire to learn to read the Bible in Greek and Hebrew, and an easy-to-use online format makes it more likely that people will succeed in doing this.
Both Basics of Biblical Greek and Basics of Biblical Hebrew made the top ten list. The 11th most popular course—which didn’t quite make the list—is Dan Wallace’s Greek syntax course. People are not only taking Greek…
What Is the Tabernacle?
During the 40 years that the Israelites wandered in the desert under Moses’ leadership, God was with them. God gave clear instructions to the Israelites for a sanctuary where his spirit could dwell and where people could gather for worship and to offer sacrifices. This sanctuary is called the tabernacle.
Every element in the tabernacle was significant. Even the way that the Exodus narrative embeds the story of Israel’s betrayal of God within the tabernacle narrative is remarkably important to God’s story.
Dr. Gary E. Schnittjer, professor of the Old Testament at Cairn University, discusses the important elements of the tabernacle:
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What Role Does the Holy Spirit Play in Bible Study?
As the supernatural source of Scripture’s inspiration, it would seem that the Holy Spirit would play an important role in how we read and interpret God’s Word.
But how? Can we understand the Bible apart from the Spirit’s influence?
To understand how the Spirit operates when we read and study the Bible, we need to understand the Spirit’s role in its origins.
When we recognize the Spirit’s role in Scripture’s creation, we can begin to see how the Spirit helps us understand and internalize the Word.
By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from HarperCollins Christian Publishing (501 Nelson Place, Nashville, TN 37214 USA) providing information about products and services of HCCP and its affiliates. You may unsubscribe from these email communications at any time. If you have any questions, please…
Is the “Trinity” in the Bible?
In recent years, we’ve seen a resurgence of arguments against Christian theology using the doctrine of the Trinity as a proof.
Critics argue that since the Trinity isn’t overtly mentioned in the Bible, it’s not real.
The greater implication is that Christian theology can’t be trusted if orthodoxy rests on doctrines that aren’t even found in Scripture.
By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from HarperCollins Christian Publishing (501 Nelson Place, Nashville, TN 37214 USA) providing information about products and services of HCCP and its affiliates. You may unsubscribe from these email communications at any time. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at yourprivacy@harpercollins.com. Is the Trinity in the Bible?
It is always tempting to dispatch the question of whether…