Books published by Langham Publishing

In this holistic study of the integration of faith and learning, Dr. Sarinah Lo challenges the Western tendency to privilege knowing over being and doing. In the context of Indonesian higher education, Dr. Lo addresses the cognitive, affective, spiritual, relational, and vocational aspects of human nature. She demonstrates that effective integration of faith and learning must reach beyond the academic disciplines to address the formation of a Christian perspective in all areas of life, thought, and practice.Utilizing in-depth interviews and qualitative analysis, Dr. Lo's field research explores the specific challenges facing Christian faculty in Indonesia, where the rise of radical Islam and the pressure to conform to state ideology raise unique questions about the nature of faith-learning integration. The first study of its kind, this is an excellent resource for educators wanting to think more broadly about what it means to follow Christ in the classroom, pushing beyond Western models of integration to embrace the more holistic approach of faith-integrated being, knowing, and doing.

Most Christians, whether preachers or not, are familiar with the Lord’s Prayer; maybe too familiar. In this excellent devotional, Geoff New urges us to encounter the Lord’s Prayer again – to encounter it as a text that is urgent and powerful, speaking directly to the needs and longings of the human heart.Written primarily with preachers in mind, this book addresses common ministry challenges, such as discouragement and isolation, and demonstrates how the Lord’s Prayer can meet us in every season of the Christian life. Stories from the author’s life and ministry illustrate the message of each chapter, and readers are encouraged to reflect on their own experiences as they prayerfully encounter the life, death, and resurrection of Christ as reflected in the phrases of the Lord’s Prayer.

Dr. Mwaniki Karura provides fresh insight into the Gospel of Mark, its audience, and its purpose in this in-depth study of the Markan text and its oral context. Through careful analysis of the rhetorical layers in Mark, Karura establishes the use of Old Testament quotations, miracle stories, and the passion narratives as tools to galvanize its readers’ response to the oral gospel they had already received. Dr. Karura demonstrates how Mark’s gospel exists as both a challenge and an encouragement, utilizing parables such as the sower and that of the wicked tenants, to reflect its readers’ own hearts. In condemning its audience’s lukewarm response to the gospel they had heard preached, it simultaneously seeks to inspire obedience, faith, and whole-hearted passion for that same gospel. This is an excellent resource for scholars and preachers alike, as they seek to further understand the Markan text, its first-century audience, and the context of the early church.

Sarah’s Laughter provides a reflection on suffering that is deeply personal and both theologically and philosophically astute.Vinoth Ramachandra draws on his distinctive positioning as a Sri Lankan Christian theologian – one who has lived and ministered in contexts shaped by the destruction of natural disasters and the violence of human evil – to confront the intellectual, moral, and political challenges posed to faith in the increasingly broken world of the twenty-first century. Yet far from being an abstract discussion of theodicy, this book is intimate and vulnerable, embracing the biblical practice of lament and inviting an authentic response to grief – one that makes space for serious doubt and profound questioning. Sharing his own ongoing journey with suffering and a questing faith, Ramachandra reminds us that lament and joy, faith and protest, clarity and ambiguity, belong together in faithful Christian discipleship. It is not in bypassing the darkness of the world, but in embracing it – in imitation of the incarnate God – that we may glimpse the new creation.

At the heart of the gospel is the message of the incarnation: God translating himself into the context of human culture and language so we might know him. Far from coming to an end with Christ’s life on earth, this process of contextualization is ongoing, reoccurring every time the gospel encounters the particularities of society and culture.In this book, Dr Tan explores the significance of contextualized preaching within the Chinese context. Against the backdrop of three major festivals – the Spring Festival, the Qing Ming Festival, and the Hungry Ghost Festival – Tan examines the practices of six experienced Chinese preachers in order to demonstrate the theological and practical importance of contextualized preaching. As a result of his research, Tan suggests six main principles for contextual preaching – principles that are rooted within a Chinese context, yet applicable to anyone seeking to express the gospel’s relevance within a particular cultural setting. Combining insights from biblical studies, applied theology, and ethnography, this interdisciplinary study will enrich one’s understanding of Chinese culture, the gospel, and the important and necessary work of contextualization.

The development community is increasingly aware of tensions and challenges inherent in relief work – and the need for sustainable solutions for communities experiencing poverty and crisis. How can the local church help to create and maintain such resilient communities? Boan and Ayers utilize their extensive experience working within the humanitarian sector, and in cooperation with local churches, to examine the evidence for effective partnerships between development agencies and local faith communities. The authors provide practical guidance on how church leaders can forge stronger relationships with NGOs, donors, and government while reinforcing, rather than compromising, the unique calling of the church. They explore resilience as an inherently communal characteristic and one located at the heart of the church’s historic calling to build community, strengthen faith, and shelter those in need. This is an excellent resource for anyone desiring to understand the value of local faith communities in battling poverty and helping communities survive and thrive amidst the impact of climate change and natural disasters.

What if suffering were not arbitrary? Not meaningless, nor a sign of punishment or defeat, but a fundamental element of healing, growth, and triumph? What if suffering were positive?This book is a study and meditation on the nature, origin, and reality of suffering. Contemplating the suffering of Christ and other biblical figures, J. Bryson Arthur investigates a theology of suffering that testifies to its necessity within the plan of God. Bryson reminds us that the nature of suffering is to share fellowship with Christ – to take up one’s cross and follow him. Thus, suffering is not arbitrary but intrinsic to the path God has laid before our feet: a path leading to restoration, wholeness, and fullness of life.An important resource for students of theology, this is also a powerful and hopeful read for anyone seeking meaning in the midst of suffering.

Any attempt to earn God’s love undermines the truth that God loves us freely. This is Paul’s message in his letter to the Galatians, presented with clarity and with deep love and concern for the Galatian believers. This refreshing teaching lifts the burden of false obligations that Western and African Christians lay on themselves and on each other and drives us to praise.Key Features:- Easy to understand writing style- Content organized into sermon units for use in preaching- African case studies and illustrations for contextual application- Questions for discusssion after each unit- Endnotes explaining the Greek and academic discussions

In the telling of the history of the Church Missionary Society (CMS) in Tanzania, the initiatives, contributions, and experiences of indigenous teachers have too often been neglected in favour of stories of sacrifices of Western missionaries. Bishop Mwita Akiri redresses this bias by using a socio-historical approach, written from an Afro-centric tradition, to evaluate the contributions and experiences of indigenous agents in the growth of Christianity in Tanzania. This book underscores the significance of oral tradition in African historiography and challenges the claim that foreign missionaries succeeded in destroying African cultures, when they are in fact alive and well. This much-needed research also provides a model for dialogue between the perspective of Christian missions and that of African religious and social heritage in order to continue forward with a Christianity that is authentic and also distinctly African.

“Name it and claim it!”“Just have faith!”“Give and you will get!”Catchphrases like this have convinced many Christians that trusting in God will bring health and wealth. But the gospel does not promise prosperity without pain or salvation without sanctification. Femi Adeleye draws on his wide-ranging experience as he examines the appeal and peril of this new gospel of prosperity that has made deep inroads in Africa, as well as in the West.

In this powerful and challenging book, David W. Smith identifies a crisis at the heart of the church. It is the crisis of triumphalism – the tendency to avoid honest engagement with brokenness and suffering, privileging victory while rejecting the practice of lament. This imbalance, Smith argues, threatens to undermine the credibility of faith for a watching world, alienating those experiencing hardship and oppression; those wrestling with doubt, uncertainty, and loss.In Stumbling toward Zion, Smith reclaims the importance of lament throughout Scripture – from the Old Testament to the gospel narratives and Paul’s letters – and explores the history and impact of its loss within certain church traditions. World Christianity, with its heartlands in contexts of poverty, war and persecution, has a crucial role to play in recovering an understanding of God’s love for a suffering creation capable of restoring the credibility of Christian witness in the midst of our brokenness. Containing practical application for church life and mission, Smith offers an opportunity to reengage with biblical lament, rediscover neglected aspects of Christian faith, and reawaken to God’s heart for a suffering world.

This collection of essays – the product of the 8th annual conference of the Africa Society of Evangelical Theology – wrestles with the topics of God and creation from distinctly African perspectives. Touching on topics from environmentalism, to ethnic conflict, to childlessness, the contributors present a powerful and timely reflection on the nature of God as creator and the implications of that identity on our relationship with the divine, with the earth, and with each other. Highlighting the rich wisdom of African voices, this book explores the particularities and complexities of an African cultural context, while presenting biblical truth that extends beyond geographical limits. Anyone interested in thinking theologically about our role in the universe God has made or what African culture, in dialogue with Scripture, has to teach us, will find this book to be an invaluable resource.

La littérature sur le thème des Églises d’initiative africaine est très abondante en anglais, mais ce phénomène n’est pas encore un sujet de réflexion très abordé et approfondi dans le monde francophone. Il suscite souvent des réactions stéréotypées et négatives qui contrastent avec l’appréciation positive des membres et des promoteurs des Églises d’initiative africaine. Comment faut-il donc voir ce mouvement d’envergure croissante ?Cet ouvrage donne la parole à la fois aux membres et missiologues issus des Églises d’initiative africaine et aux voix extérieures pour présenter ce phénomène en faisant une description puis une évaluation de la contextualisation faite par ces Églises et mouvements. Ce deuxième texte en français sur les Églises d’initiative africaine rédigé dans une perspective évangélique est le fruit d’un travail collectif des doctorants en missiologie de la Faculté de théologie évangélique de Bangui au Cameroun, élargi à quelques missiologues du Réseau évangélique de missiologues pour la francophonie. Il intéressera tous ceux qui désirent mieux connaître les Églises d’initiative africaine.

We live in a world gone awry. Social injustice pervades our societies, the poor are disdained, despotic leaders and nations seem to control world events, and racism and hatred abound. Yet, while it might appear that evil reigns, the sovereign God is in control. Such is the message of the book of Micah, a text that underscores God’s presence in the world, righting wrongs, delivering the marginalized, and restoring the intended order of creation. In this careful explication of the minor prophet, Dr Semwayo challenges those who would question the text’s unity, revealing Micah as a powerful theological reflection on the reestablishment of Yahweh’s sovereignty on earth. Connecting the Zion/Davidic traditions to the Abrahamic covenant, Semwayo articulates a vision of hope that is as relevant for us in the twenty-first century as it was for Micah’s original audience.