Ronald J. Allen

John S. McClure

O. Wesley Allen Jr.

Two trends in the early twenty-first-century intersect to give this volume immediate relevance: 1) The emerging postmodern ethos in North America is calling into question many things we have taken for granted, including the purposes of the church; and 2) our time is increasingly fractious as groups with distinct worldviews become polarized and often antagonistic. Eleven noted contributors join a growing current that sees conversation as an image to refresh our thinking about the nature and purpose of the church, and as a process in which individuals and communities with different perspectives come together for real understanding. Under the Oak Tree employs the image of Sarah and Abraham greeting three visitors under the Oaks of Mamre as an image for the church as a community of conversation, a community that opens itself to the otherness of the Bible, voices in history and tradition, others in the contemporary social and ecological worlds. Furthermore, the book shows how conversation can lead the church to action. The book takes a practical approach by exploring how conversation can shape key parts of the church's life. Topics include preaching, worship, formation, evangelism, pastoral care, mission and ecumenism, social witness, and the relationship of Christianity to other religions. Foundational chapters consider God as conversational, the church as community of conversation, and the minister as conversation leader.

The Church as Community of Conversation in a Conflicted and Pluralistic World

Under the Oak Tree

Preaching the Manifold Grace of God is a two-volume work describing theologies of preaching from the historical and contemporary periods. Volume 1 focuses on historical theological families: Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Reformed, Anabaptist, Anglican/Episcopal, Wesleyan, Baptist, African American, Stone-Campbell, Friends, and Pentecostal. Volume 2 focuses on families that are evangelical, liberal, neo-orthodox, postliberal, existential, radical orthodox, deconstructionist, Black liberation, womanist, Latinx liberation, Mujerista, Asian American, Asian American feminist, LGBTQAI, Indigenous, postcolonial, and process. In each case, the author describes the circumstances in which the theological family emerged and describes the purposes and characteristics of preaching from that perspective.

Theologies of Preaching in Historical Theological Families

Preaching the Manifold Grace of God, Volume 1

Preaching the Manifold Grace of God is a two-volume work describing theologies of preaching from the historical and contemporary periods. Volume 1 focuses on historical theological families: Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Reformed, Anabaptist, Anglican/Episcopal, Wesleyan, Baptist, African American, Stone-Campbell, Friends, and Pentecostal. Volume 2 focuses on families that are evangelical, liberal, neo-orthodox, postliberal, existential, radical orthodox, deconstructionist, Black liberation, womanist, Latinx liberation, Mujerista, Asian American, Asian American feminist, LGBTQAI, Indigenous, postcolonial, and process. In each case, the author describes the circumstances in which the theological family emerged, describes the purposes and characteristics of preaching from that perspective, and assesses the strengths and limitations of the approach.

Theologies of Preaching in the Early Twenty-First Century

Preaching the Manifold Grace of God, Volume 2

A faith should be a living thing. What we believe necessarily evolves in response to insights into the Bible, to questions or doubts we face, to changes in life circumstances, or to things that happen in the larger world. Nevertheless, Christians often find it helpful to identify what they can most fully believe at a given moment. Such clarity empowers the present and leads us toward the future. Such moments can also be mile markers by which we measure our faith journey. In each chapter the first section lists the most common ways a certain topic is understood in the Bible. The second section identifies important ways the church has interpreted that topic since the Bible's inception. The third section introduces contemporary perspectives. With that foundational knowledge, readers can make a judgment as to which viewpoints seem more or less persuasive to them personally. Finally, each chapter ends with questions for reflection for individuals or small groups.

Naming What You Really Believe

A Faith of Your Own

Acts of the Apostles helps the preacher identify possibilities for sermons based on texts and themes in the book of Acts. While offering a basic exegetical framework for interpreting passages in Acts in their historical, literary, rhetorical, and theological contexts, this volume also suggests ways in which the preacher can relate passages and motifs from Acts to the congregation and world today. It also is useful in classes that seek to link text and sermon, and for congregational Bible study. Throughout his commentary, Ron Allen examines the relationship of Acts to the Gospel of Luke, discussing parallel passages between the two volumes and observing how themes in the Gospel carry forward into Acts. He notes how particular passages contribute to developing themes and to how the awareness of such a theme can contribute to the preacher's work with a particular passage. An appendix will posit several sermon series that the preacher could develop on the book of Acts, making the book especially useful to ministers who do not follow the lectionary.

Acts of the Apostles

Clark M. Williamson

This book offers an introduction to worship from the standpoint of process theology. It helps worship planners develop services of worship that are characterized by an intense vision of community with God, where depth of feeling surmounts verbal language and touch the believer in the most life-shaping ways. Process conceptuality allows the church to move toward genuinely contemporary worship while drawing from the past, explaining how worship is understood in this Christian tradition and moving to practical approaches such as conceiving the service, preparing the prayers, the liturgy, and the sermon; the sacraments, the wedding and the funeral, and the arts' role in worship. The ultimate goal is not only to show how process theology can inform each aspect of the service of worship, but to help the Christian community deepen its apprehension of God through services of worship.

A Guide to Worship from the Perspective of Process Theology

Adventures of the Spirit

This volume develops an approach to preaching that brings together two important forces. One is process theology and the other is a homiletic of conversation based on mutual critical correlation. In this approach, the preacher does not unilaterally announce the Word of God but is the leader of an exciting conversation involving the biblical text, process theology, the congregation, and voices from the larger world. The preacher seeks to help the congregation identify God’s invitations towards inclusive well-being and to imagine how to respond in ways that are consistent with those invitations, that promote inclusive well-being. The book begins with a crisp and clear summary of the worldview of process theology, highlighting its distinctive views on how God operates in the world through invitation and on the interrelationship of all things. The work then outlines an approach to biblical exegesis informed by process perspectives and sketches a method for bringing the biblical voice into dialogue with voices from tradition, contemporary theology, and the congregation and preacher. The volume suggests shaping the sermon to honor process theology and conversation. The volume concludes by noticing how perspectives from process and conversation help the preacher embody the sermon in engaging ways.

Preaching from a Perspective of Process Theology

You Never Step into the Same Pulpit Twice

Gilbert L. Bartholomew

Ronald Allen and Gilbert Bartholomew introduce preachers to verse-by-verse preaching, in which the preacher interprets the passage unit by unit and the sermon unfolds much like a commentary on the Bible. They note its applicability in a variety of settings and occasions, and offer practical suggestions for preparing a sermon in this style, including sample sermons from different genres and tips for keeping verse-by-verse sermons fresh, vital, and engaging.

Preaching Verse by Verse

This book offers a practical model for developing sermons for occasions when the Bible offers little specific guidance for interpreting an issue, need, or situation. Ronald Allen describes why and how topical sermons should be used, discusses special occasions when they are appropriate, and outlines strategies for developing topical sermons, giving particular attention to controversial issues. The last chapter includes sample sermons by other preachers.

Preaching the Topical Sermon

The book is a commentary on preaching from the book of Revelation. Working through the book of Revelation verse by verse, the commentary seeks to help the preacher recognize what the book (with its apocalyptic theology) invited people in antiquity to believe and do. . . . The book of Revelation communicates through a series of word-pictures. Allen explains each word-picture in light of its ancient setting. The commentary brings the viewpoint of the book of Revelation into conversation (through mutual critical correlation) with contemporary theology, especially process thought. The work aims to help the preacher to help the congregation identify what they can genuinely believe and confidently do. Believing that the best preaching arises from the local context, the volume does not include full sermons, but, rather, seeks to raise issues and questions that might be thought-provoking.

A Commentary for Preaching from the Book of Revelation

I Will Tell You the Mystery

O. Wesley Allen

"Two trends in the early twenty-first-century intersect to give this volume immediate relevance: 1) The emerging postmodern ethos in North America is calling into question many things we have taken for granted, including the purposes of the church; and 2) our time is increasingly fractious as groups with distinct worldviews become polarized and often antagonistic. Eleven noted contributors join a growing current that sees conversation as an image to refresh our thinking about the nature and purpose of the church, and as a process in which individuals and communities with different perspectives come together for real understanding. Under the Oak Tree employs the image of Sarah and Abraham greeting three visitors under the Oaks of Mamre as an image for the church as a community of conversation, a community that opens itself to the otherness of the Bible, voices in history and tradition, others in the contemporary social and ecological worlds. Furthermore, the book shows how conversation can lead the church to action. The book takes a practical approach by exploring how conversation can shape key parts of the church's life. Topics include preaching, worship, formation, evangelism, pastoral care, mission and ecumenism, social witness, and the relationship of Christianity to other religions. Foundational chapters consider God as conversational, the church as community of conversation, and the minister as conversation leader. "

Dale P. Andrews

Dawn Ottoni Wilhelm

This unique commentary is the first to help the preacher identify and reflect theologically and ethically on the social implications of the biblical readings in the Revised Common Lectionary. In addition to providing commentary for each day in the lectionary calendar, this series introduces twenty-two Holy Days for Justice. These days are intended to enlarge the church's awareness of God's call for justice and of the many ways that call comes to the church and world today. The days include Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Earth Day, World AIDS Day, International Women's Day, Cesar Chavez Day, Yom HaShoah, and Juneteenth. For each of the lectionary days and Holy Days for Justice there is an essay that helps the preacher integrate a variety of social justice concerns (including racial/ethnic issues, sexism, classism, ecology, and violence) into their preaching. The contributors are a diverse group of homileticians, pastors, biblical scholars, theologians, and social activists.

A Lectionary Commentary, Year B

Preaching God's Transforming Justice

Dawn Ottoni-Wilhelm

This is the final volume in a unique new commentary series that helps the preacher identify and reflect on the social implications of the biblical readings in the Revised Common Lectionary. The essays concentrate on the themes of social justice in the weekly texts and how those themes can be teachable moments for preaching social justice in the church. In addition to the lectionary days, there are essays for twenty-two "Holy Days of Justice," including Martin Luther King Day, Earth Day, World AIDS Day, and Children's Sabbath. These days are intended to enlarge the church's awareness of God's call for justice and of the many ways that call comes to the church and world today.

A Lectionary Commentary, Year A

Debra A. Livingston

Joseph L. Hoffmann

Andrew D. Leipold

Tracey L. Meares

Criminal Procedure: Investigation and Right to Counsel, Fourth Edition is derived from the successful casebook Comprehensive Criminal Procedure. Like the parent book, it covers the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments and related areas using a thematic approach and offers an appropriate balance of explanatory text and secondary material accompanied by well-written notes. In addition to an experienced author team and well-edited cases, the book covers relevant statutes and court rules. New to the Fourth Edition: Updates regarding cutting-edge developments in case law, statutory materials, and academic commentary about due process, the right to counsel, searches and seizures, and the privilege against compelled self-incrimination An important reordering of certain areas of Fourth Amendment law and related materials to make them even more user-friendly Insightful examination of the turmoil in modern Fourth Amendment law as the Supreme Court, notably splintered over methods of constitutional interpretation, faces the implications of rapidly changing technology Professors and students will benefit from: A rigorous and challenging criminal procedure casebook with an outstanding author team Sound grounding of the law in criminal process and the right to counsel Thorough coverage of Boyd v. U.S., The Fourth Amendment, The Fifth Amendment, and the process of investigating complex crimes Thematic organization of the cases and text that make the book both manageable and accessible The latest and most highly respected developments in legal scholarship that help both professors and students alike stay up-to-date in the field of criminal procedure law

Adjudication and the Right to Counsel

Criminal Procedure

Criminal Procedure: Adjudication and Right to Counsel, Third Edition is designed for the criminal procedure course focused on the pretrial, trial, and post-trial processes. It covers prosecutorial decision making, pretrial release, grand juries, speedy trial rights, venue, joinder and severance, discovery, guilty pleas and plea bargains, trials, sentencing, appeals, and postconviction challenges. The book is designed to be used with the annual supplement that contains the statutes and rules covered in the course. This split is derived from the successful casebook Comprehensive Criminal Procedure by the same experienced author team. New to the Third Edition: The latest in case law, statutory material, and academic commentary about due process, the right to counsel, pretrial practice, guilty pleas, trial rights, sentencing, double jeopardy, and post-trial procedures An increased emphasis on the role of prosecutorial decision-making An updated treatment of the critical role of plea bargaining A new section on forfeitures and the Eighth Amendment Professors and students will benefit from: A rigorous and challenging criminal procedure casebook with an outstanding author team Sound grounding of the law in criminal process and the right to counsel Thematic organization of the cases and text that make the book both manageable and accessible The latest and most highly respected developments in legal scholarship that help both professors and students alike stay up-to-date in the field of criminal procedure law

Investigation and the Right to Counsel

W.B. Burton

Hugo van Woerden

In June 1983 the Astronomical Institute of the State University of Groningen, founded by Kapteyn about 100 years ago, celebrated its one-hundredth anniversary. At the suggestion of its Chairman, R.J. Allen, the Kapteyn Institute invited the International Astronomical Union to mark the centenary by holding a Symposium on "The Milky Way Galaxy". The purpose of the Symposium was to review recent progress in the study of our Galaxy, to define current problems, and to explore prospects for future development. The Symposium programme would emphasize the large-scale characteristics of our Galaxy, and highlight both the historical development of our understanding of the Milky Way Galaxy and the importance of studies of external galaxies to this understanding. The Symposium was sponsored by four IAU Commissions: 33 (Structure and Dynamics of the Galactic System), 28 (Galaxies), 34 (Interstellar Matter) and 41 (History of Astronomy). The Scientific Organizing Committee, listed on page xviii, represented a broad range of nationalities and of expertise, including two historians of science. A meeting of the Committee, held during the IAU General Assembly at Patras, provided an excellent opportunity to discuss plan and format of the Symposium, topics and speakers; thereafter, the-Committee was regularly consulted by letter and telephone. IAU Symposium 106 was held at Groningen on 30 May - 3 June 1983, in the new building occupied by the Kapteyn Institute since January 1983. There were about 200 participants, coming from as many as 25 countries.

Ronald J. Allen

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