Good News To The Poor

Help them or tell them? Be like Jesus or talk about Jesus? Social action or gospel proclamation? It seems the two are often pitted against each other, as if they are mutually exclusive. But the New Testament paints a different picture where both aspects are valued. In this plea for a renewed understanding of the Christian calling, Chester argues that faithfulness to the gospel necessitates a commitment to evangelism and social involvement. To that end, he structures the book around three basic theses: 1.) evangelism and social action are distinct activities, 2.) proclamation is central, and 3.) evangelism and social action are inseparable. Responding to Christians in both camps, Chester helps people to talk the talk and walk the walk.

How does the proclamation of good news to the poor in Luke's Gospel relate to wealth and poverty? What does Luke-Acts mean to affluent Christians and churches in our time? In a fresh, systematic way, Professor Pilgrim surveys Old Testament tradition on the poor and describes the Jesus movement as background for understanding Luke-Acts.

Examines John Wesley's radical commitment to the poor called "evangelical economics."

"Jesus's words 'the poor you will always have with you' (Matthew 26:11) are regularly used to suggest that ending poverty is impossible. In this book Liz Theoharis critically examines both the biblical text and the lived reality of the poor to show how this passage is taken out of context and distorted. Poverty is not inevitable, Theoharis argues. It is a systemic sin, and all Christians have a responsibility to partner with the poor to end poverty once and for all"--Jacket

The chasm between evangelism and social action needs to be bridged. Chester convincingly argues that the truth of the gospel is best understood and embraced in the context of loving action and gospel-centered community.

Combining historical, exegetical, and theological interests, Bruce Longenecker here dispels the widespread notion that Paul had little or no concern for the poor. Longnecker s analysis of Greco-Roman poverty provides the backdrop for a compelling presentation of the importance of care for the poor within Paul s theology and the Jesus-groups he had established. Along the way, Longenecker calls into question a variety of interpretive paradigms such as Steven J. Friesen s 2004 poverty scale and offers a fresh vision in which Paul s theological resources are shown to be both historically significant and theologically challenging.

The Trojan Horse Of Tithing is a plea to Christian leaders, written from a Charismatic/Pentecostal perspective. Jonathan Brenneman exposes the inherent problems with common tithe teachings, highlighting serious issues with even so-called "grace tithing." He demonstrates how deception starts subtly and documents the growing acceptance in mainstream Christianity of even overt teachings of salvation by tithing. Millions of people today now believe they will never even enter heaven without their tithes. No matter how much we try to dress tithe teachings up as grace, they continue to be the root of serious problems.The arguments contained here against the modern tithe tradition are thorough, compelling, and overwhelming. The gospel is worth giving not only our money, but even our lives to promote. However, modern tithe traditions have no place in this because they are not based on truth and misrepresent the way God relates to people. Rather than helping to advance, the gospel, they distort it. God is calling his church to get rid of the leaven and return to a powerful and pure gospel message!The Trojan Horse of Tithing is one of the most comprehensive overviews of multiple arguments against tithing. Few books make such a compelling case as to why tithing is incompatible with the gospel, or deal so thoroughly with less logical but emotionally powerful objections such as "but tithing works!" We include: -What could have possibly convinced strong proponents of tithing such as Derek Prince to change their minds?-Documentation and evidence of the extent of literal "salvation by tithing" doctrine in today's churches, and demonstration that this is the logical implication of even many of the most common so-called "grace tithing" teachings.-Dozens of serious logical problems with all of the common pro-tithing arguments.-A historical study on Melchizedeck and the related terms "El Elyon," "Zedek," "Salem," "Heaven," and "Earth."-11 commandments of God that churches regularly break for their tithe tradition.-9 serious problems with using Malachi as support for Christian tithing.-The history of tithing.-Contrast between the Babylonian tithe and the Jewish tithe. Which is our modern tithe tradition based on?-How the modern tithe tradition violates the statutes and the basic principles of the Jewish tithe.-What tithing and witchcraft have in common.-How tithing undermines Spirit-led giving.-How people are stepping into supernatural giving and supernatural provision without the tithe.-The historical and cultural context of ministerial support in scripture.-Why some of the world's most successful church planters see tithing as a hindrance to church multiplication.-How tithe teachings promote a poverty spirit.-A prophetic dream for the church.

According to Luise Schottroff and Wolfgang Stegemann, the search for the historical Jesus has been marked by the tendency to isolate Jesus from his disciples and from Judaism. They argue, however, that Jesus is inseparable from his first disciples and from the indigent Jews who made up the earliest Jesus movement. Understood in the context of his following, Jesus emerges from Schottroff and Stegemann as a Jew who not only proclaimed the reign of God in a unique way but who was himself a symbol of hope for the poor and oppressed of his time. This exciting socio-historical interpretation of the Jesus movement focuses chiefly on the earliest Jesus tradition, the Sayings-source, and the Gospel of Luke. Students, teachers of New Testament studies, and anyone who wants to explore Jesus's life context will be challenged by this book.

When Jesus left the most exclusive gated community in the universe to come live with the people he loved and gave his life for, he turned everything we know and believe about life on its head. Jesus said that he came to bring good news to the poor, but most Western Christians remain disconnected and isolated from the poor and their contexts of injustice. Even our churches echo society’s pressure to isolate ourselves from the margins (e.g. by moving to a better suburb) and instead teach us how to be “nice people” who worship a “nice Jesus” and don’t disrupt the status quo. Convinced that Jesus places love for the poor and the pursuit of justice central, Craig Greenfield has sought to follow in Christ’s footsteps by living among people at the edges of society for the last fourteen years. His quest to follow this Subversive Jesus has taken Craig and his young family from the slums of Asia to inner city Canada and back again. This is the story of how Jesus led them to the margins: initiating the Pirates of Justice flash mobs, sharing their home with detoxing crackheads, welcoming homeless panhandlers and prostitutes to the dinner table, and ultimately sparking a movement to reach the world’s most vulnerable children. This book is a strong and potentially controversial critique of the status quo too often found in our churches, but it offers an inspirational and hopeful vision of another way. While readers may not relocate to a slum, they will certainly come to view their lives and ministry through a fresh lens—reconsidering how they are uniquely called by Jesus to subversively love the poor and break down systems of injustice in their sphere of influence.

Keller explores a life of justice empowered by an experience of grace.