Books published by Abingdon Press

Tres Meses en la Escuela de Isa as (Isaiah)

In the parable that begins this book, a large chunk has fallen out of the roof of a historic church, exactly where an imposing mosaic of God enthroned in heaven used to reside. The members of the church, unable to agree on how to repair the roof or what image to put there, now worship under a God-shaped hole, trying to come to grips with the loss of old certitudes and the new challenges they face. The church today faces exactly the same problem, argues Thomas Troeger. We live in a fragmented society, and the church reflects that fragmentation. We, too, sit under the "God-shaped hole," wondering how to proceed now that former ways of understanding who God is and what it means to be God's people are no longer universally or even widely held. How does one preach in this situation? The answer, says Troeger, is to reclaim the imaginative and visionary role of the preacher. The preacher's job is to employ the creative elements of preaching to help God's people imagine the new thing God is doing in our time. Yet this kind of creative preaching is not just a matter of technique, of learning the right methods for how to preach with imagination. It is foremost a matter of formation; it comes when the preacher opens himself or herself, through the disciplines of prayer and study, to the inspiring presence of God's Spirit. In Preaching While the Church Is Under Reconstruction, Troeger constructs a framework for how to preach in this time of transition and failing certainties. He demonstrates that, enlivened by the work of God's Spirit, it is possible to preach with vision and insight, and help God's people perceive their place in the world which God is creating anew.

Like the two previous projects Weaver has brought to Abingdon Press, this is a case-study book which will be used both as a resource for clergy and other pastoral workers and for those in training in those fields. The cases will translate technical material into real-life situations while highlighting practical implications for pastors. The authors provide readers with treatment options, referral procedures within the context of the religious community and beyond, and additional national, self-help, and cross-cultural resources, emphasizing those available on the internet.

This inspiring book presents a sensitive collection of stories about people with disabilities and their friends enriching the lives of one another. Beautifully illustrated.

In Resurrecting the Person, John Swinton argues that while mental illnesses are often biological and genetic in origin, the real handicap experienced by individuals is imposed by the types of reactions, values, and attitudes which are typical of contemporary western society. In other words, how a mental illness is experienced has much to do with how it is socially constructed. How will the church react to this suggestion? Swinton suggests that the key to the effective pastoral care of individuals with severe mental illness lies not only within the realms of psychiatry, therapy, and pharmacological intervention, but in the rehumanization which is borne within the relationship of friendship.

In The Undivided Soul: Helping Congregations Connect Body and Spirit, Cheryl Kirk-Duggan offers a worship, study, and sermon planning resource containing meditations, responsive readings, poems, and prayers for use by pastors, educators, and small-group leaders. This volume is designed as a teaching/learning guide. Each chapter explores various aspects of faith, health, and spirituality. The book can be used as a worship resource for Sunday worship, retreats, or other gatherings; it can be used as a devotional resource for small groups; it can be a study guide for group study or retreats. This resource is designed to help persons and groups explore the relationship between the faith journey, physical bodies, and spiritual discipline. Key Features: - Explores various aspects of faith, health, and spirituality as well as how the three are connected - Provides ready-made worship and study materials - Includes ideas for one-day seminars - Ideal for both pastors and small-group leaders Key Benefits: - Helps readers understand the relationship between faith journey, physical body, and spiritual discipline - Provides pastors, worship leaders, Bible study leaders, and small-group leaders with ready-to-use resources (such as responsive readings, meditations, prayers, and vows of commitment) - Provides group leaders with resources for seminars, short-term study, or occasional devotion or discussion topics - Provides retreat leaders with abundant resources for spirituality retreats

Written without theological jargon, this book explains the historical development of abstract concepts and presents an outline of the races, the particular contexts, and the doctrinal understandings of Christian topics. Ideal for beginners and advanced students alike.

Pastors, seminary professors, and university teachers will find original ideas in this book to help enhance their teachings of the Old Testament. The book's analysis helps congregations more fully understand and enjoy the biblical text.

This book enables pastors to use the tools available to them more effectively to create sermons. Readers will find Jimenez's style easy to manage as he examines the different styles of preaching.

The Web of Women's Leadership calls for women in the church leadership to recognize the potential of female styles of authority and ministry and lay claim to them as a way to move beyond the hierarchical models that have dominated our understanding of how the church practices its mission and organizes its life.