DOCSLIB.ORG

Implications on Defining the Kingdom of God in BAM Businesses

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Implications on Defining the Kingdom of God in BAM Businesses religions Article Thy Kingdom Come in BAM as It Is in Heaven: Implications on Defining the Kingdom of God in BAM Businesses Ben Ward Applied Ministry and Student Life, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY 40280, USA; [email protected] Abstract: Business as Mission (BAM) is a subcategory of Social Entrepreneurship as it seeks cultural innovation from a Christian perspective focusing specifically on economic uplift and religious direction. Most BAM authors describe the kingdom of God as the reign of God. In a theological review, I will show that defining kingdom simply as God’s rule is not a complete view of the kingdom. Rather, a more robust definition of the kingdom is preferred in biblical and theological studies that focuses on God’s people in God’s place under God’s rule. Therefore, the BAM community can adopt a refined definition that helps them move forward in the core vision of holistic ministry. This research provides a biblical and theological understanding for business practitioners to pursue a spiritual bottom line alongside local churches. Keywords: business as mission; kingdom of God; spiritual bottom line; local church 1. Introduction Citation: Ward, Ben. 2021. Thy Business as Mission (BAM) is a for-profit business in a cross cultural setting with a goal Kingdom Come in BAM as It Is in to participate in God’s mission in the world (Johnson 2009). From a Christian perspective, Heaven: Implications on Defining the BAM is a subcategory of Social Entrepreneurship (SE) as it focuses on cultural goals for the Kingdom of God in BAM Businesses. common good of communities within for-profit companies. This fits as a cultural goal in the Religions 12: 557. https://doi.org/ research of Braunerhjelm and Hamilton(2009, p. 28) suggesting that SE seeks to develop 10.3390/rel12080557 “economic, cultural, or political goals.” BAM is postured as holistic, practicing business as Academic Editors: Steven Rundle and a blessing of common grace in the world helping to alleviate poverty and fulfill Christian Min-Dong (Paul) Lee ministry (Tunehag et al. 2004). BAM practitioners desire to seek the common good of their community even in the context of religious pluralism (Jeremiah 29:7). Therefore, a BAM Received: 11 June 2021 business is unique through its organizational objectives as it seeks holistic work which Accepted: 16 July 2021 Johnson and Rundle(2006) clarify pursues economic uplift and spiritual benefit. Published: 21 July 2021 One question among the BAM community is how should spiritual or kingdom ob- jectives be defined and measured (Albright et al. 2014)? Some, similar to the Lausanne Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral Occasional Paper #59 call for kingdom growth, which mentions a wide range of Christian with regard to jurisdictional claims in activity such as poverty alleviation, prayer, witness, and ethics. There is evidence that the published maps and institutional affil- purpose of holistic ministry for kingdom impact is described in BAM as economic uplift iations. and Great Commission impact (Rundle and Steffen 2011; Baer 2006; Lai 2015; Gort and Tunehag 2018; Eldred 2005). However, the term kingdom is often loosely defined, perhaps better said it is often described, in BAM literature leaving the door open for mission drift. Most notably, the Lausanne Occasional Paper #59 on BAM uses kingdom 163 times while Copyright: © 2021 by the author. never defining the term. To gain clarity for future momentum, a robust definition needs Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. to be established for kingdom, and its impact on how to define and measure “kingdom This article is an open access article objectives”. distributed under the terms and This paper’s purpose will be to answer the question, “What is the definition of the conditions of the Creative Commons kingdom from a biblical theology point of view, and does this definition have implications Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// for a BAM practitioner?” This paper suggests that the BAM community began using the creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ word kingdom as a broad category to enlarge the potential connections of business and 4.0/). Religions 2021, 12, 557. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12080557 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/religions Religions 2021, 12, 557 2 of 13 mission. Authors commonly used the word kingdom as an adjective to describe the Chris- tian intent for the work, but often the term used an assumed definition meaning holistic ministry outside the walls of the church.1 When defined, authors often rely on a definition for kingdom steeped in Protestant liberalism that has its own ministry implications that do not fit the holistic trajectory of the BAM movement. This paper will introduce a definition of kingdom through the biblical theological work of Graeme Goldsworthy to show how it can forward the core vision of BAM. This paper will develop three sections that end in a tight connection between BAM businesses and local churches for kingdom objectives. First, the historical conversation on the kingdom produced a consensus understanding in a view coined inaugurated eschatology, the view that Jesus preached a kingdom present on earth that will be fulfilled at the end of time. Second, a definition of kingdom based on biblical theology best suits the holistic ministry objectives of the BAM community that ends in the dual objectives of economic development and local church impact. Third, a robust definition of the kingdom will have practical implications on the spiritual planning processes for a BAM company. My perspective is evangelical Protestant. By evangelical, I agree with Graeme Goldsworthy(2012) in describing a large group of people with a trust in the reliabil- ity of the Bible to inform my definition of kingdom. This perspective is important due to the modern historical conversation of the kingdom rising from a Protestant liberal per- spective that did not trust the reliability or unity of the entire Bible. This will shade my interpretation of the conversation in the last century.2 In my reading, many practitioners, and scholars in BAM that view their social concern as a kingdom objective come from a similar perspective with a high regard for the Bible seeking for the practitioners’ business in some way to be connected to the Bible’s narrative. The following article seeks to provide concepts and clarity on the ways a business can be connected to the Bible’s narrative. 2. The History of Defining the Kingdom of God While there have been excellent arguments for a biblical basis for BAM (e.g., Russell 2010), there is not a resource that helps a BAM practitioner define the crucial definition of kingdom in context of the historical conversation. The history of interpretation on the kingdom since the 19th century is a classic pendulum swing. For interpreting the kingdom, scholars argued that either the kingdom was entirely inaugurated (now) or the kingdom was entirely eschatological (future). Pendulums, however, come to rest in the middle over time. When scholars later came to a consensus on inaugurated eschatology, the pendulum rested in the center with a “both-and” view. In this section, a summary will be given for interpreting the kingdom from the 1870s until now.3 The movement began with Albert Ritschl's emphasis on the kingdom as present. Scholars Schweitzer and Weiss represented a shift to thinking of the kingdom as primarily eschatological (future). Later, figures such as Dodd, Ladd, and Kümmel produced a middle way that connected both the kingdom present and the kingdom future into the message of Jesus and the church. 2.1. The Kingdom Present Albert Ritschl began to write about the kingdom with his pupils in the 19th century, and originally established that the kingdom of God was entirely of this world. Ritschl was a representative of social liberalism which dominated the theological establishment of his day. He questioned whether Jesus really thought the kingdom was a future event or was Jesus more concerned about the social ethics of the people present? He concluded that the kingdom message of the historical Jesus was an ethical message that provides liberation for the people Jesus taught (Willis 1987). Protestant liberalism, using historical critical analysis, tilted Jesus’s teaching on the kingdom of God as a present reality more than eschatological reality. Richard Hiers(1987, p. 16) wrote: “Liberal Christianity viewed Jesus primarily as teacher and exemplar of a timeless ethic of love who had either proclaimed that the kingdom of God was present Religions 2021, 12, 557 3 of 13 in the hearts of individuals through the experience of communion with God, or who had called people of all times to the task of bringing the kingdom of God (or extending its influence) on earth through moral action and social reform.” BAM practitioners who practice holistic ministry often cite God’s rule in the individual or often seek social reform as a goal for ministry similar to Hiers summary of liberal Christianity (Russell 2010; Ewert 2006; Gort and Tunehag 2018). This raises the question, “Is there a difference in perspective or objectives for an evangelical BAM practitioner to work towards holistic ministry?” 2.2. The Kingdom Future In the 1890s, authors Albert Schweitzer and Johannes Weiss began to swing the academic pendulum by focusing on the future, eschatological kingdom. Weiss posited six characteristics of the kingdom: (1) It is radically transcendent and supramundane (not of this world). (2) It is radically future and in no way present. (3) Jesus was not the founder or inaugurator of this kingdom, but he waited for God to bring it. (4) The kingdom is in no way identified with Jesus’ circle of disciples. (5) The kingdom does not come gradually by growth or development. (6) The ethics that the kingdom sponsors are negative and world-denying (Willis 1987, p.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • 27882 CTJ NOV05 Text.Qxp
    CTJ 40 (2005): 248-266 The Two Kingdoms: A Reassessment of the Transformationist Calvin1 David VanDrunen At least since the appearance of H. Richard Niebuhr’s classic study, Christ and Culture,2 those advocating a transformationist approach to cultural issues have often claimed John Calvin as one of their own. Although the term trans- formation is somewhat ambiguous, capable of various permutations, the idea behind it suggests a conviction not only that Christians ought to adopt a posi- tive stance toward cultural engagement but also that they should aim to bring the effects of God’s redemptive work in Christ to bear upon the various spheres of culture.3 Although thinkers of other theological persuasions have flocked to embrace one or another version of the transformationist paradigm, Reformed theologians of late have claimed transformationism as the Reformed approach to culture and even as a chief characteristic of Reformed Christianity alto- gether. Many of these contemporary Reformed theologians find inspiring precedent in the labors of the great Dutch theologian, journalist, and states- man Abraham Kuyper, who sought to infuse the various spheres of life with the claims of Christ. Beyond Kuyper, many Reformed theologians look back to Calvin himself and, with Niebuhr, find a representative of the transformation- ist vision.4 Is such a characterization of Calvin helpful and accurate? In this article, I argue that Calvin’s approach to cultural and social matters diverges at crucial 1 An earlier version of this article was presented at the Symposium on Religion and Politics, sponsored by the Henry Institute at Calvin College, on April 30, 2004.
    [Show full text]
  • Albert Schweitzer and the Interpretation of the New Testament David J
    297 Albert Schweitzer and the Interpretation of the New Testament David J. Hawkin A friend of mine recently complained to me that scholars in Biblical studies are obsessed with method. ‘Biblical studies is far more concerned with how you interpret the Bible than it is with what the text actually means,’ she claimed. This is, of course, quite untrue. A quick perusal of any publisher’s catalogue would reveal that only a small proportion of publications in Biblical studies is devoted to methodology and how one interprets texts. But it was interesting that my friend’s perception was otherwise. Why did she think this? I think that what she had noticed was that the biblical studies area is very rich in methods and had mistaken this for an obsession with method itself. Biblical studies was not always so methodologically enhanced. It is only in relatively recent times that it has become such a creative and imaginative enterprise. But although the full flowering of Biblical methodology is relatively recent, the seeds for such flowering were sown over a century ago by a man whose own study of the New Testament was quite limited in terms of method. That man was Albert Schweitzer. Schweitzer is well known as a great humanitarian and as a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. He was a truly remarkable man. He was a renowned musician, a medical doctor who devoted his life to building and running a hospital in Lambaréné in Gabon, and a great Biblical scholar. Perhaps his best known writing is The Quest of the Historical Jesus.
    [Show full text]
  • Apostle Last Days
    Apostle of the Last Days The Life, Letters and Theology of Paul Apostle of the Last Days The Life, Letters and Theology of Paul By C. Marvin Pate kregel DIGITAL EDITIONS www.kregeldigitaleditions.com Apostle of the Last Days: The Life, Letters and Theology of Paul © 2013 by C. Marvin Pate Kregel Digital Editions is an imprint of Kregel Publications, P.O. Box 2607, Grand Rapids, MI. This is a Kregel Academic ebook. Use of this ebook is limited to the personal, non-commercial use of the purchaser only. This ebook may be printed in part or whole for the personal use of the purchaser or transferred to other reading devices or computers for the sole use of the purchaser. The purchaser may display parts of this ebook for non-commercial, educational purposes. Except as permitted above, no part of this ebook may be reproduced, displayed, copied, trans- lated, adapted, downloaded, broadcast, or republished in any form including, but not limited to, distribution or storage in a system for retrieval. No transmission, publication, or commercial exploitation of this ebook in part or in whole is permitted without the prior written permission of Kregel Publications. All such requests should be addressed to: [email protected] This ebook cannot be converted to other electronic formats, except for personal use, and in all cases copyright or other proprietary notices may not modified or obscured. This ebook is protected by the copyright laws of the United States and by international treaties. Scripture quotations marked niv are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, niv®.
    [Show full text]
  • Eschatology in John's Gospel
    Criswell Theological Review 3.1 (1988) 79-99. Copyright © 1988 by The Criswell College. Cited with permission. ESCHATOLOGY IN JOHN'S GOSPEL W. ROBERT COOK Western Seminary Portland, OR 97215 I. Introduction It would seem that the subject, "Eschatology in John's Gospel," is so straightforward as to allow us to get on immediately with the study. Certainly there is general agreement about what document is in view under the title "John's Gospel." At this point, however, any agreement ends. Traditional study of eschatology has recognized that there are two sets of last things (e@sxata) which the Bible addresses: individual eschatology and corporate eschatology (e.g., the parousia, the tribula- tion, the millennial kingdom, etc.). The first category of information relates to matters of personal destiny, while the second deals more with God's future plans for the world in general. In practice, however, attention seems to be given to one or the other in theological writing rather than to both. Further, there is no agreement as to whether eschatology should be limited simply to "last things" in a quantitative sense, that is, strictly to end-time things, or whether it is to be understood as predominantly "realized," that is, relating more to this age than to the age yet to come. A balanced view which takes all of the biblical data into con- sideration, will need to give place to all these elements. There is much revelation relating to both individual destiny and the future of Israel and the nations. There is an emphasis upon both this age and the age to come with interplay between the two.
    [Show full text]
  • COVENANTS and the ESCHATOLOGICAL KINGDOM of GOD By
    COVENANTS AND THE ESCHATOLOGICAL KINGDOM OF GOD by PAUL YOUNGBONG KIM _______________________ A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ART RELIGION AT REFORMED THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY ________________________ Charlotte, North Carolina May, 2016 Accepted: _________________________________ Scott R. Swain (Thesis Advisor) _________________________________ James N. Anderson ii COVENANTS AND THE ESCHTOLOGICAL KINGDOM OF GOD ABSTRACT While Reformed theology stands for the traditional covenant theology that God revealed himself to humanity in the Covenants of Works and Grace, Covenant theology made noticeable advances in the area of “covenants and the history of salvation.” Recent Reformed theologians have explained more thoroughly the prominence of biblical history by discerning their function in the kingdom of God. Concurrently, Reformed theologians have also noted that the kingdom of God is a physical reality that develops throughout the history of salvation. This kingdom theme involves three essential components: a King, a people, and a place. A framework of understanding these components in redemptive history is investigated and presented in this thesis. Scripture presents this theme as a storyline, an eschatological theme, which will be consummated in Jesus Christ, the King, in the new heaven and earth. The goal of this thesis is to show that God’s plan for his kingdom has unfolded across history in a unified and progressive way, so that the one God of Scripture designed all his covenants as administrations of his one immutable kingdom purpose, and that God has granted the reception of salvation promised in every covenant through the same process in every covenant administration.
    [Show full text]
  • Your Kingdom Come: the Doctrine of Eschatology Lesson Guide
    1 Your Kingdom Come: The Doctrine of Eschatology Lesson Guide LESSON ONE THE GOAL OF CREATION © 2013 by Third Millennium Ministries For videos, manuscripts, and other resources, visit Third Millennium Ministries at thirdmill.org. www.thirdmill.org 2 CONTENTS HOW TO USE THIS LESSON GUIDE ......................................................................... 3 NOTES ............................................................................................................................... 4 I. INTRODUCTION (0:20)........................................................................................... 4 II. OLD TESTAMENT EXPECTATIONS (2:16) ......................................................... 4 A. Creation (3:25) ..................................................................................................... 4 B. Redemption (8:38) ............................................................................................... 5 1. Adam (11:13) ................................................................................................. 6 2. Noah (12:12) .................................................................................................. 6 3. Abraham (13:48) ............................................................................................ 7 4. Moses (15:14) ................................................................................................ 7 5. David (20:02) ................................................................................................. 8 C. Eschaton (21:57) .................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Bibliothèque Et Archives Canada
    National Ubrary :'~ nationalP. .+. of Canada Acquisitions and Direction des acquisitions et Bibliographie Services Branch des serviees bibliographiques 395 Wellnglon Street 395. rue WeI1lnglon ouawa. OrilallO Qnawa IOnlanO) K1A0N4 K1A0N4 NOTICE AVIS The quality of this microform is La qualité de cette microforme heavily dependent upon the dépend grandement de la qualité quality of the original thesls de la thèse soumise au submitted for microfilming. mlcrofilmage. Nous avons tout Every effort has been made to fait pour assurer une qualité ensure the hlghest quality of supérieure de reproduction. reproduction possible. If pages are missing, contact the S'il manque des pages, veuillez university which granted the communiquer avec l'université degree. qui a conféré le grade. Some pages may have indistinct La qualité d'impression de print especially if the original certaines pages peut laisser à pages were typed with a poor désirer, surtout si les pages typewriter ribbon or if the originales ont été university sent us an inferlor dactylographiées à l'aide d'un photocopy. ruban usé ou si l'université nous a fait parvenir une photocopie de qualité inférieure. Reproduction ln full or in part of La reproduction, même partielle, this microform is governed by de cette microforme est soumise the Canadian Copyright Act, à la Loi canadienne sur le droit R.S.C. 1970, c. c-30, and d'auteur, SRC 1970, c. e-30, et subsequent amendments. ses amendements subséquents. Canada • The Intermediate State in Pauline Eschatology: An Exegesis of 2 Corinthians 5: 1-10 by Barbara Tychsen Harp Thesis submitted in partial'fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Religious Studies McGil1 University, Montreal June, 1995 (f) Copyright by Barbara Tychsen Harp, 1995 • National Ubrary Bibliothèque nationale .+.
    [Show full text]
  • Leftward to Scofield: the Eclipse of the Kingdom in Post-Conservative Evangelical Theology
    JETS 47/3 (September 2004) 423–40 LEFTWARD TO SCOFIELD: THE ECLIPSE OF THE KINGDOM IN POST-CONSERVATIVE EVANGELICAL THEOLOGY russell d. moore* The protagonist of Walker Percy’s novelThe Moviegoer would salve his depression by reading the liberal and conservative magazines in his neigh- borhood New Orleans library. The ideological conflicts in the pages were, to him, a “sign of life” in an otherwise lonely and impersonal cosmos.1 For some, the ongoing skirmishes between traditionalists and reformists over evangel- ical boundaries might seem to be a sign of life in a movement questing for an identity after Billy Graham and Carl F. H. Henry. For both sides of the divide, however, the issues raised by “post-conservative” proposals represent a challenge to the uneasy consensus of the postwar movement. For reform- ists, the post-conservative proposals are true to the heritage of evangelical theology as a movement initiated for the reformation of American fundamen- talism. And yet, recent developments reveal that the evangelical left may be pushing evangelical theology away from the theological consensus around the centrality of the Kingdom of God that the founders of evangelicalism sought to establish and saw developed into a full-blown consensus by the end of the century. And, in so doing, post-conservative proposals represent an ironic re- gression to the doctrinal reductionism of twentieth-century fundamentalism. i. post-conservative proposals and the development of evangelical theology Like evangelicalism itself, the “post-conservative” or “reformist” strands within the movement are difficult to define with precision. This is because reformist evangelicalism is less a “party” than a constellation of proposals seeking to reform various aspects of traditional evangelical theology.
    [Show full text]
  • The Problem of “Kingdom Now” Theology Challenge – Part One
    E. Budiselić: The Problem of “Kingdom Now” Theology Challenge – part one The Problem of “Kingdom Now” Theology Challenge Part 1 Ervin Budiselić Biblijski institut, Zagreb [email protected] UDK:27-72;277;279.15 Original scientific paper Received: June, 2015 Accepted: September, 2015 Abstract The article analyzes basic teachings of Kingdom Now theology, which is one variation of Dominion theology. In the first part the article offers a brief hi- story of the emergence and development of Kingdom Now theology. After that the article offers a survey of basic teachings of Kingdom Now theology in the area of soteriology, eschatology, ecclesiology, Christology and anthropolo- gy. The conclusion is that Kingdom Now theology contains some positive and important teachings and emphases for contemporary Evangelical Christiani- ty, but also a number of problematic teachings that need to be rejected. Key terms: Kingdom Now theology, Dominion theology, Faith movement, Latter Rain, apostles, transformation. Introduction Today’s “Kingdom Now theology” (further in the text: KN), which represents one of the versions of “Dominion theology” (further in the text: DT) that is prevalent in a part of Evangelical Christianity (especially in the Pentecostal-Charismatic part), emerged as a result of various influences and theologies which are present in the Pentecostal-Charismatic movement, and is currently its pinnacle. Further- more, we can speak of a kind of eclecticness of KN, which took over some the- ological postulates and emphases from certain spiritual movements, and united them in one place as a sort of theological system. The intent of this article is to 143 KAIROS - Evangelical Journal of Theology / Vol.
    [Show full text]
  • Evangelism and Social Concern in the Theology of Carl F. H. Henry
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Liberty University Digital Commons Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary EVANGELISM AND SOCIAL CONCERN IN THE THEOLOGY OF CARL F. H. HENRY A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Of Doctor of Philosophy By Jerry M. Ireland July 27, 2014 Copyright 2014 Jerry M. Ireland All Rights Reserved ii To Paula and Charis, through whom I experience the love of God in the most profound ways. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................ X ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................... XI CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................ 1 RESEARCH QUESTION ...................................................................................................... 4 Relevance of This Study ............................................................................................. 7 METHODOLOGY AND CHAPTER SUMMARIES .................................................................. 10 Potential Bias ............................................................................................................ 11 Nature of the
    [Show full text]
  • The Time of the Second Coming and the Members of the Sanhedrin
    Andrews University Digital Commons @ Andrews University Master's Theses Graduate Research 2018 The Time Of The Second Coming And The Members Of The Sanhedrin Alina Roxana Lupu Andrews University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/theses Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Lupu, Alina Roxana, "The Time Of The Second Coming And The Members Of The Sanhedrin" (2018). Master's Theses. 119. https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/theses/119 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Research at Digital Commons @ Andrews University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Andrews University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ABSTRACT THE TIME OF THE SECOND COMING AND THE MEMBERS OF THE SANHEDRIN by Alina-Roxana Lupu Chair: Laurențiu Florentin Moț, Ph.D. ABSTRACT OF GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH Thesis Andrews University Master of Arts Title: THE TIME OF THE SECOND COMING AND THE MEMBERS OF THE SANHEDRIN Name of researcher: Alina-Roxana Lupu Name and degree of faculty chair: Laurențiu Florentin Moț, Ph.D. Date completed: April 2018 Problems The aspects related to the time of the Second Coming of Jesus were a constant concern of the believers and Bible’s scholars. There are many challenging verses in the Scripture that are talking about the Parousia in temporal terms. This present study was to determine to what extend Jesus’ answer before the Sanhedrin (Matt 26:64) was related to the time of the Parousia and with that generation of his accusers.
    [Show full text]
  • The Kingdom of God Is at Hand Understanding Jesus’ Proclamation
    •The Kingdom of God Is at Hand Understanding Jesus’ Proclamation student’s workbook Bethlehem College & Seminary 720 13th Avenue South Minneapolis, MN 55415 612.455.3420 [email protected] | bcsmn.edu Copyright © 2010, 2017 by Bethlehem College & Seminary All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, modified, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright © 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. • The Kingdom of God Is at Hand Understanding Jesus’ Proclamation student’s workbook Table of Contents Course Syllabus 1 Lesson 1 Jesus’ Kingdom Teachings 3 Lesson 2 The Kingdom of Satan 11 Lesson 3 The Gospel of the Kingdom 25 Lesson 4 The Mystery of the Kingdom 37 Lesson 5 Kingdom Presents 49 Lesson 6 Kingdom Power and the Church’s Ministry 61 Appendices Appendix A: Kingdom Ministry in the 21st Century 73 • The Kingdom of God Is at Hand Understanding Jesus’ Proclamation syllabus • Course Description The Kingdom of God Is at Hand: Understanding Jesus’ Proclamation is a six-week course advancing the truth that the kingdom of God has been inaugurated by Jesus but not yet consummated. The course will seek to provide an understanding of Jesus’ preaching and teaching ministry especially as it relates to the kingdom of God. Students will gain a deeper understanding of this issue by closely examining key biblical passages, answering provocative questions, and considering sermons and writings from the ministry of John Piper and other theologians.
    [Show full text]