Willard M Swartley

""Deliver us from (the) evil (one)"" is the heart's cry from the Lord's Prayer. Evil wears many faces in our modern world. This book connects the Lord's Prayer to troubles of our times, be it attacks from Satan, the wars around the world, the scourge of racism, or the mass shootings of our time. The subtitle of the book identifies the scope. This book blends both deliverance from demonic bondage and witness to the powers in relation to political policies and government. While the book aims to be a biblical theology on these topics, it seeks also to address the praxis: how these evils are confronted through healing-deliverance ministries and what people of God say and do in witness to the powers. The two streams of response to evil are really one as a faithful response to the saving work of the Lord God Almighty through Jesus Christ's victory over Satan, sin, evil, and death. ""Love your enemy"" confronts evil with power to transform ""In this stimulating, well-written, original, and important work, William Swartley demonstrates, from both Scripture and the church tradition, how closely spiritual warfare and peacemaking are linked together. Because he takes the existence of both systemic and individual evil seriously--and the triumph of the cross more seriously still --this book has the potential to significantly reframe the way followers of Jesus think about and respond to evil at both an individual and systemic level."" --Greg Boyd, Senior Pastor, Woodland Hills Church (Maplewood, Minnesota); Founder and President of Reknew ""There are very few people who combine in one coherent and convincing argument spiritual sensitivities, biblical scholarship, pastoral passion, expertise in holistic health and peace studies, and practical experience in deliverance ministry. This is Swartley's unique gift to the body of Christ. Bounding off of every page is the good news that evil does not and will not have the final word An essential read for a beleaguered church and a weary world."" --James R. Krabill, Core Adjunct Professor at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary Willard M. Swartley is Professor Emeritus at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana. He is author of Slavery, Sabbath, War, and Women; Covenant of Peace; and Health, Healing, and the Church's Mission. He is author of ten books and editor of over thirty, including ten New Testament volumes in the Believers Church Bible Commentaries. In that series he is author of John.

The modern restorative justice movement, perhaps one of the most important social movements of our time, was born in a Christian home to Christian parents, specifically to Christian peace workers striving to put their faith into action in the public arena. The first major book on the subject was written primarily for a church audience and drew deeply on biblical themes and values. But as restorative justice has moved into the mainstream of criminological thought and policy, the significance of its originating spiritual impulse has been minimized or denied, and subsequent theological scholarship has done little to probe the relevance of restorative perspectives for doctrine and discipleship. In this collection of essays, Christopher D. Marshall, a biblical scholar and restorative practitioner who has devoted his career to exploring the relationship between the two fields, considers how peacemaking Christians can honor the witness and authority of Scripture, including its apparently violence-endorsing strands, as they strive to join in God's great work in Christ of ""reconciling to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross"" (Col 1:20). ""In a world where justice rarely means peace or love or wisdom but instead retribution and punishment, we are offered in Christopher Marshall's life-long train of studies in All Things Reconciled an opportunity to reconsider the basic meaning of justice.... by way of seeing that the God of the Bible's vision is for humans to be reconciled to God and for humans to be reconciled with one another."" --Scot McKnight, Northern Seminary, Lisle Illinois ""Christopher Marshall's expertise as a New Testament scholar, public theologian, and pioneering advocate of restorative justice, is abundantly evident in this wonderful collection of essays. Marshall guides us toward a more faithful reading of scripture and to a more courageous participation in the peace and justice of God. There is great wisdom here."" --Murray Rae, University of Otago ""In this engaging book, Chris Marshall not only extends his groundbreaking work on restorative justice, but reflects on what his involvement in the movement for restorative justice has taught him about Christian engagement in secular civil society, and reflects on what restorative justice implies for the way we look at God . . . Throughout these chapters, Marshall shows himself to be both a skilled interpreter of the Bible and a wise guide to some of the most pressing social problems of today."" --William T. Cavanaugh, DePaul University ""A fabulous collection of writings by a long-term pioneer and prophet of restorative justice. Marshall's work is full of fresh biblical insights and deep theological wisdom."" --David Tombs, University of Otago, New Zealand Christopher D. Marshall holds the Diana Unwin Chair in Restorative Justice at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. His many publications include Beyond Retribution: A New Testament Vision for Justice, Crime, and Punishment (2001), The Little Book of Biblical Justice (2005), and Compassionate Justice: An Interdisciplinary Dialogue with Two Gospel Parables on Law, Crime, and Restorative Justice (2012).

The modern restorative justice movement, perhaps one of the most important social movements of our time, was born in a Christian home to Christian parents, specifically to Christian peace workers striving to put their faith into action in the public arena. The first major book on the subject was written primarily for a church audience and drew deeply on biblical themes and values. But as restorative justice has moved into the mainstream of criminological thought and policy, the significance of its originating spiritual impulse has been minimized or denied, and subsequent theological scholarship has done little to probe the relevance of restorative perspectives for doctrine and discipleship. In this collection of essays, Christopher D. Marshall, a biblical scholar and restorative practitioner who has devoted his career to exploring the relationship between the two fields, considers how peacemaking Christians can honor the witness and authority of Scripture, including its apparently violence-endorsing strands, as they strive to join in God's great work in Christ of "reconciling to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross" (Col 1:20). "In a world where justice rarely means peace or love or wisdom but instead retribution and punishment, we are offered in Christopher Marshall's life-long train of studies in All Things Reconciled an opportunity to reconsider the basic meaning of justice.... by way of seeing that the God of the Bible's vision is for humans to be reconciled to God and for humans to be reconciled with one another." --Scot McKnight, Northern Seminary, Lisle Illinois "Christopher Marshall's expertise as a New Testament scholar, public theologian, and pioneering advocate of restorative justice, is abundantly evident in this wonderful collection of essays. Marshall guides us toward a more faithful reading of scripture and to a more courageous participation in the peace and justice of God. There is great wisdom here." --Murray Rae, University of Otago "In this engaging book, Chris Marshall not only extends his groundbreaking work on restorative justice, but reflects on what his involvement in the movement for restorative justice has taught him about Christian engagement in secular civil society, and reflects on what restorative justice implies for the way we look at God . . . Throughout these chapters, Marshall shows himself to be both a skilled interpreter of the Bible and a wise guide to some of the most pressing social problems of today." --William T. Cavanaugh, DePaul University "A fabulous collection of writings by a long-term pioneer and prophet of restorative justice. Marshall's work is full of fresh biblical insights and deep theological wisdom." --David Tombs, University of Otago, New Zealand Christopher D. Marshall holds the Diana Unwin Chair in Restorative Justice at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. His many publications include Beyond Retribution: A New Testament Vision for Justice, Crime, and Punishment (2001), The Little Book of Biblical Justice (2005), and Compassionate Justice: An Interdisciplinary Dialogue with Two Gospel Parables on Law, Crime, and Restorative Justice (2012).

The gospel of John's "from above" orientation transforms our human "from below" assumptions and habits. It draws us into union with God and into unity with one another. It communicates who Jesus is, in both intimate and profound dimensions. The book of John shapes Christian identity, invigorates worship, and implants eternal hope." John's gospel defies description," marvels Swartley, professor emeritus at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary. "It soars like the eagle, links heaven and earth, and both comforts and convicts the human heart. Its Christology is rich, with a plethora of titles for Jesus-even the divine eternal I AM." Though commentaries on the book of John abound, this volume follows the unique Believers Church Bible Commentary Series format, providing sections on The Text in Biblical Context and The Text in the Life of the Church. According to Swartley, this format serves well "the interests of seminary as well as other graduate students, and pastors especially." Volume 26 in the Believers Church Bible Commentary series. Free downloadable supplement available here.

One would think that peace, a term that occurs as many as one hundred times in the New Testament, would enjoy a prominent place in theological and ethical textbooks. Yet it is surprisingly absent. "Covenant of Peace" seeks to restore to New Testament theology and ethics the peace that many works have missed. In this comprehensive yet accessible book, Willard Swartley explicates virtually all of the New Testament, relating peace - and the related emphases of love for enemies and reconciliation - to core theological themes such as salvation, Christology, and the reign of God. No other work in English makes such a contribution. Swartley concludes by considering specific practices that lead to peacemaking and what place these might have in our contemporary world. Remedying a historical deficiency in biblical scholarship, Swartley's book confronts readers anew with the compelling New Testament witness to peace.

In fifteen thorough chapters David Ewert surveys the whole range of New Testament authors to discover what they have to say on the Holy Spirit and what this means for the life of the believer and for the church. To add another book on the Holy Spirit to the great number available is a daunting undertaking, the author admits. One can only hope that by ordering the biblical materials in a new way, familiar truths will shine with new luster. Perhaps by bringing the relevant biblical passages to bear on the life of the church in our day old truths can be seen in a new light. The material is organizzed in three parts: (1) The Promise of the Spirit, considering all the passages of the Gospels that speak of the Holy Spirit; (2) The Coming of the Spirit, dealing with the Pentecostal outpouring of the Spirit in the book of Acts and the continual overflow of the Spirit in the expansion of the church; and (3) The Spirit in the Life of the Believer, studying what the apostles have to say about the Holy Spirit in the epistles. Many have instinctively sensed that the teaching of the New Testament on the Holy Spirit is a key that unlocks many doors, the author notes. Jesus likened the Spirit to the wind, with its mysterious and numinous character. Just as we can hear and feel the blowing of the wind, by God's grace we can experience the presence and the power of the Spirit, if we are willing to get in the path of God's wind.

Grounded in a lifetime of biblical study, New Testament scholar Willard M. Swartley takes a fresh look at the Scriptures and what they would teach on the current and controversial subject of homosexuality. Swartley presents all sides of the issue, drawing from contemporary scholarship and cultural analysis.