John Mark Hicks

Does God invite women to fully participate in all the assemblies of God? Among churches of Christ, the voices of women are typically silent and excluded from visible leadership in assemblies gathered for prayer and praise. In this book, John Mark Hicks tells the story of his own journey to understand how women have served God throughout the unfolding drama of Scripture. John Mark describes his movement from the exclusion of the voices of women and their leadership in the assembly to a limited inclusion, and finally to the full inclusion of those voices and their leadership. Along the way, he describes some of the history of churches of Christ as well as his own story but ultimately focuses on the meaning of biblical texts and how they support the full participation of women in the assemblies of God. Three women, Claire Davidson Frederick, Jantrice Johnson, and Lauren Smelser White, respond to and extend John Mark's thoughts. Bethany Joy Moore also contributes an essay from the perspective a minister's daughter who is now pursuing a graduate degree in theology. John Mark is detailed, fair, and vulnerable about his own journey and our collective journey inChurches of Christ. I recommend John Mark as a trustworthy guide.-Dr. Sara G. Barton, University Chaplain, Pepperdine University, Malibu, CADo we believe that the Holy Spirit equally equips both women and men to carry out Jesus's message of reconciliation? Dr. Hicks is a trusted guide in navigating the depth of scripture and the complexity of our cultural moment. Drink deeply from this well -Dr. Joshua Graves, Otter Creek Church, Brentwood, Tennessee. With characteristic depth, rigor, and generosity, Hicks offers his own journey toward embracing the inclusion of women's voices in the assembly. Hicks writes with a familiarity of Restoration Movement history that few can boast, with an accompanying dedication to searching the scriptures.- Amy McLaughlin-Sheasby, Instructor in the Department of Bible, Missions, and Ministry, Abilene Christian University. This book is a gift to twenty-first century Churches of Christ. Part autobiography, part history, part exegesis, and part biblical theology, Hicks's exploration of the Bible's teachings on the role of women in congregational gatherings offers several invaluable components.-Dr. James L. Gorman, Associate Professor of History, Johnson University. John Mark Hicks is Professor of Theology at Lipscomb University in Nashville, TN. He has taught for thirty-nine years in schools associated with churches of Christ. He has authored or co-authored eighteen books, lectured in twenty-two countries and forty states, and is married to Jennifer. They share five living children and six grandchildren.

Jesus said, "Go and make disciples." So, what exactly are we doing? Western churches face a difficult future marked by numerical decline and evident signs of shrinking cultural influence. But Discipleship in Community wisely asks the church to go back to basics. What does it mean to follow Jesus? What does a life of discipleship look like? Trusted scholars Mark Powell, John Mark Hicks, and Greg McKinzie invite you to consider how good theology can lead to better, more intentional discipleship. In Discipleship in Community you will learn € how the language of Trinity matters to everyday disciples; € how God's plan and mission is unfolding and how, as disciples, we can participate in that mission; € how the Bible is more than a book of facts and how it guides us into a relationship with God; € how baptism and the Lord's Supper allow us to experience God's saving power; and € how local churches can encourage intentional discipleship.

ANCHOR YOUR FAITH IN THE STORY OF GOD BEFORE-AND DURING-THE STORMSDrawing on his own experiences with losses and tragedies through the death of his young wife and, more recently, the death of his sixteen-year-old son, John Mark hicks tells the story of God through his own experiences of suffering. He does not explain suffering because, as he describes, that cannot be done; rather, he walks with sufferers through the valley of loss. He grounds them deeply in the story of God's love, listening, empathy, sovereignty, and victory. This path is not only for those who seek to persevere in the midst of their suffering but also for those who want to prepare for the suffering that comes to all. In addition to helping sufferers, John Mark provides guidance for those who want to sit with people who are suffering. He offers advice to help comforters provide comfort. There are no easy answers. Our questions, in fact, are never fully answered. Despite this, however, there is a path of assurance, comfort, and trust that yields perseverance, peace and hope. The "anchors" are found in God, wholoves uslistens to usempathizes with usgives meaning to our sufferingultimately triumphs over all sufferingThese anchors ground us in God's redemptive story. JOHN MARK HICKS has taught at institu-tions affiliated with Churches of Christ since 1982, including Harding School of Theology from 1991 to 2000 and Lipscomb University from 2000 to the present, where he is currently a professor of Theology. He has authored or co-authored more than a dozen books and contributed articles to several books and peri-odicals, both academic and popular. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with his wife, Jennifer, and together they share five living children and two deceased. They also have six grandchildren.

ANCHOR YOUR FAITH IN THE STORY OF GOD BEFORE-AND DURING-THE STORMSDrawing on his own experiences with losses and tragedies through the death of his young wife and, more recently, the death of his sixteen-year-old son, John Mark hicks tells the story of God through his own experiences of suffering. He does not explain suffering because, as he describes, that cannot be done; rather, he walks with sufferers through the valley of loss. He grounds them deeply in the story of God's love, listening, empathy, sovereignty, and victory. This path is not only for those who seek to persevere in the midst of their suffering but also for those who want to prepare for the suffering that comes to all. In addition to helping sufferers, John Mark provides guidance for those who want to sit with people who are suffering. He offers advice to help comforters provide comfort. There are no easy answers. Our questions, in fact, are never fully answered. Despite this, however, there is a path of assurance, comfort, and trust that yields perseverance, peace and hope. The "anchors" are found in God, wholoves uslistens to usempathizes with usgives meaning to our sufferingultimately triumphs over all sufferingThese anchors ground us in God's redemptive story. JOHN MARK HICKS has taught at institu-tions affiliated with Churches of Christ since 1982, including Harding School of Theology from 1991 to 2000 and Lipscomb University from 2000 to the present, where he is currently a professor of Theology. He has authored or co-authored more than a dozen books and contributed articles to several books and peri-odicals, both academic and popular. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with his wife, Jennifer, and together they share five living children and two deceased. They also have six grandchildren.

A GROUP STUDY GUIDE FOR SEARCHING FOR THE PATTERN BY JOHN MARK HICKSSearching for the Pattern describes John Mark Hicks's journey from reading the Bible through the lens of a blueprint hermeneutic to reading the Bible with a theological hermeneutic. This book provides a guide for studying and discussing John Mark's book in a Bible class, small group, or another group setting. There are eight lessons (easily expandable to twelve), each one including a key biblical text, a focus for the lesson, a teaching outline, discussion questions, and handouts for the class. This guide is designed for Bible class teachers and small group leaders to use as a way to facilitate discussion of the key ideas and biblical texts that mark the difference between a blueprint and a theological way of reading the Bible. Leaders will need to read Searching for the Pattern and use its presentation of the material to ground the discussion. John Mark Hicks is Professor of Theology at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee. He has taught for thirty-eight years in schools associated with the Churches of Christ. He has published sixteen books and lectured in twenty countries and forty states. He is married to Jennifer, and they share six children and six grandchildren.

MOVING FROM A "BLUEPRINT HERMENEUTIC" TO A THEOLOGICAL ONEIn this book, John Mark Hicks tells the story of his own hermeneutical journey in reading the Bible. Lovingly and graciously, he describes his transition from a "blueprint hermeneutic" to a theological one. Some suggest that moving away from a patternistic command-example-and-necessary-inference approach for understanding what God requires leaves no other alternative, or at least none that both respects biblical authority and seeks to obey the gospel of Jesus the Messiah. In Searching for the Pattern, John Mark offers just such an alternative. His theological hermeneutic is deeply rooted in the way the Bible presents itself as a dramatic history of God's plan to redeem the world as well as his own experience of growing up among Churches of Christ. Seeing the gospel of Jesus as the center of the biblical drama reorients us to what provides our Christian identity and unites us as disciples of Jesus.**********I pray this book is received with open hearts and open minds because I believe this work could go a long way in helping to bring unity to our fractured fellowship. --Wes McAdams, Preaching Minister for the church of Christ on McDermott Road, Plano, TexasThis excellent book helps us understand the inner workings of Bible interpretation among Churches of Christ and provides a persuasive proposal for Bible interpretation that is built on the story of God we find in Scripture--a story into which God calls us. --James L. Gorman, Associate Professor of History, Johnson University Knoxville, TennesseeFinally, a trellis across the chasm Throughout this book, Hicks does not compromise his high regard for both the church and the Scriptures; and through the grace found therein, he composes this urgent invitation back to the Table, where obedience cooperates with mystery, and we--estranged or conflicted--can find our place as one within God's magnificent story. --Tiffany Mangan Dahlman, Minister at Courtyard Church of Christ, Fayetteville, North CarolinaJohn Mark Hicks is Professor of Theology at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee. He has taught for thirty-eight years in schools associated with the Churches of Christ. He has published fifteen books and lectured in twenty countries and forty states and is married to Jennifer. They share six children and six grandchildren.

Meeting God at The Shack shows hurting people how to read this story with profit and come to know God more fully.

A rich resource for renewing the practice of the sacraments in a way that encourages faithful discipleship in a hostile cultural environment.