On the Grace of God
This little book highlights Scripture’s recurring emphasis on humanity’s desperate need and God’s extravagant grace. Justin demonstrates that grace—most powerfully manifested in the person and work of Jesus Christ—is the foundational theme and primary message of the whole Bible.
The outrageousness of God’s indiscriminating grace always gets people stirred up. That’s because “Real grace,” writes Michael Spencer, “is simply inexplicable, inappropriate, out of the box, out of bounds, offensive, excessive, too much, given to the wrong people and all those things.”
“Grace” is the most important concept in the Bible, in Christianity, and in the world. It is most clearly expressed in the promise of God revealed in Scripture and embodied in Jesus Christ. The deepest message of the ministry of Jesus and of the entire Bible is the grace of God to sinners.
In English, the word “grace” has to do with charm, elegance, beauty, or attractiveness. The word “grace” as used in the Bible has very little to do with what is commonly understood by the English word. In fact, Scripture tells us that grace isn’t a personal virtue at all; rather, it is undeserved favor lavished on an inferior by a superior. Grace is unmerited favor or a kindly disposition that leads to acts of kindness. This is the grace God gives to us.
Rid of My Disgrace: Hope and Healing for Sexual Assault Victims
The statistics are jarring. One in four women and one in six men are or will be victims of sexual assault in their lifetime. But as sobering as the statistics are, they don’t begin to speak to the darkness and grief experienced by these victims. Because sexual assault causes physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual pain, victims need clear help, hope, and healing. In Rid of My Disgrace, a couple experienced in counseling victims of sexual assault explains how the grace of God can heal the broken and restore the disgraced.
Justin and Lindsey Holcomb outline an approach for moving from destruction to redemption. While avoiding platitudes and shallow theology, Rid of My Disgrace combines biblical and theological depth with up-to-date research. This book is primarily written for those who have been assaulted (either as children or adults) but also equips family, friends, pastors, and others to care for victims in ways that are compassionate, practical, and informed. Part of the Re:Lit series.
Read Chapter 1 – “Disgrace and Grace”
Read Chapter 2 – “What Is Sexual Assault?”
Read Chapter 10 – “Sin, Violence, and Sexual Assault”
Read “Allen’s story”
Read “Mandy’s story”
Christian Theologies of Scripture: A Comparative Introduction
All religious traditions that ground themselves in texts must grapple with certain questions concerning the texts’ authority. Yet there has been much debate within Christianity concerning the nature of scripture and how it should be understood—a debate that has gone on for centuries.
Christian Theologies of Scripture traces what the theological giants have said about scripture from the early days of Christianity until today. It incorporates diverse discussions about the nature of scripture, its authority, and its interpretation, providing a guide to the variety of views about the Bible throughout the Christian tradition.
Preeminent scholars including Michael S. Horton, Graham Ward, and Pamela Bright offer chapters on major figures in the pre-modern, reformation, and early modern eras, from Origen and Aquinas to Luther and Calvin to Barth and Balthasar. They illuminate each thinker’s understanding of the Christian scriptures and their views on interpreting the Bible. The book also includes overview chapters to orient readers to the key questions regarding scripture in each era, as well as chapters on scripture and feminism, scripture in the African American Christian tradition, and scripture and postmodernism. This volume will be indispensable reading for students and all those interested in the nature and authority of Christian scripture.
Read Chapter 1 – “Mapping Theologies of Scripture”
Read Chapter 5 – “Theologies of Scripture in the Reformation and Counter-Reformation”
Read Chapter 16 – “Scripture in the African-American Christian Tradition”