Aída Besançon Spencer

How do I do exegesis? And where do I even begin? If you've ever found yourself asking these questions, then this book is for you. Written by the Senior Professor of New Testament at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, A da Besan on Spencer, this step-by-step guide will provide a detailed description of the various steps required of the exegetical process, as well as the importance of each step along the way. These steps include: Understanding the literary and historical context of a passage Discerning the priority of the passage through sentence structure Isolating and expanding on key words and phrases Applying the passage to our current context The Exegetical Process is an invaluable resource for any who desire to faithfully interpret and apply Scriptures. By reading this book, you will be equipped to skillfully exegete and apply any passage in the Bible.

A thorough exegetical and homiletical analysis of each passage of James This definitive commentary sheds exegetical and theological light on the book of James for contemporary preachers and students of Scripture. Listening closely to the text while interacting with the best of scholarship, A da Besan on Spencer shows what this epistle meant for the early church and what it means for us today. In addition to its perceptive comments on the biblical text, this volume examines James's four key themes: speaking wisely, using wealth, persevering in trials, and becoming doers of the Word. Spencer offers astute guidance to preachers and teachers wanting to do a series on James, with homiletical trajectories for each passage to show how historical narrative can be presented from the pulpit and in the classroom.

When a sudden mysterious letter summons city minister Jo Archer from New Jersey to the Caribbean, she is plunged into a world of possibilities so large and obstacles so great she could gain or lose everything she holds dear. In this contemporary adventure novel full of challenge, mystery, romance, grace, plot twists, and ultimate enlightenment, Jo's search for her identity echoes the true story struggles of two victims who became victors: Joseph, deliverer of famine-struck Israel, and Enrique, liberator of the oppressed Taino people, from whom Jo is directly descended. As Jo confronts her own life-threatening and life-changing quest, she realizes she is ""walking in every forgotten, undervalued, and marginalized woman's dream""--a chance to become the leader whom God destined her to be, amidst the highest adventure of her life.

A detailed and accessible commentary on the First Epistle to Timothy, providing valuable insight into Paul's treatment of heresy and the role of women. In a thorough and insightful commentary on Paul's letter to his co-worker Timothy, which the Apostle wrote before and during Nero's persecution, Aída Besançon Spencer carefully examines each part of the letter and relates it to the overall flow of the argument and in light of the larger biblical, historical, social, and cultural contexts. How Paul's writing related to the ancient communities is highlighted in the light of original data gleaned from her explorations on location in Ephesus and throughout Greece. In addition, Paul's rhetorical and ministry strategies, especially as they relate to women and their role in the church, are explored. Throughout, Spencer presents an in-depth exegesis in a readable format enhanced by forty years of ministry.

In this unique book A da and William Spencer and Steve and Celestia Tracy, two couples from the differing perspectives of egalitarianism and soft complementarianism, share a constructive dialogue about marriage in practice. They cover a variety of topics like marriage discipleship, headship and submission, roles and decision-making, and intimacy in marriage.

Paul's Literary Style determines quantitatively how Paul varies the style of his writing to assist communication with different communities and to ascertain some constant characteristics of his writing. Using 2 Corinthians 11:16-12:13, Romans 8:9-39, and Philippians 3:2-4:13, the author uncovers the performance of ten stylistic operations: sentence changes, complexity of the writing, adverbs and adverbial clauses, propositional reduction; logical diagrams, abstract versus concrete nouns, imagery, Leo Spitzer's philological circle, verb density, and variety of sentence length. In this study, stylistics denotes the use of linguistics as a tool of literary criticism by which to investigate the aesthetic effects of language. This methodology produces an investigation to compare Paul's style of communication to three different communities and discover his adaptations to different audiences.

In this book, the authors present exhaustive literary and theological textual analyses of all Jesus' teachings, on prayer, parables, and model prayer. Jesus' teachings on prayer are compared with his own practice and examples recorded in the text. In the appendix, stylistic analysis is employed to compare Jesus' prayer with Greek cultic prayer. The authors conclude that prayer for Jesus was the authentic communication of a life acting out the commandments of God.

With issues such as the ordination of women and the call for "inclusive" language affecting the church today, Aída Spencer has provided a helpful and important study of how the Scriptures really speak to these and other issues related to the role of women in the church. From the biblical account of creation and "the fall" to other relevant Old Testament passages, Beyond the Curse carefully examines the attitudes toward and teachings about women--especially those of Jesus and Paul. Beyond the Curse sheds light on instances in the New Testament of feminine authority and on feminine metaphors used in Scripture to define God, the church, and society. Jesus is shown to have broken through the cultural barriers of first-century Palestine in his attitudes toward and dealings with women. Paul's later works are found to be consistent with Jesus' views, as Spencer notes the vital place of women in Paul's ministry. Women in leadership roles and the many implications are viewed firsthand by Spencer--herself a minister. William David Spencer, the author's husband, gives an afterword, explaining his personal journey as the spouse of an ordained minister. Timely and vital to an understanding of the growth of a woman's role in the church, Beyond the Curse is a compelling and important work.