|
A New Christian Manifesto: Pledging Allegiance to the Kingdom of God | 
 enlarge | Author: Bob Ekblad
Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
Buy New: $12.64
You Save: $7.31 (37%)
New (25) Used (1) from $12.64
Avg. Customer Rating:  2 reviews
Sales Rank: 159551
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 176
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.6
ISBN: 0664232310
Dewey Decimal Number: 235
EAN: 9780664232313
ASIN: 0664232310
Publication Date: February 18, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New Item! Will only have slight wear from sitting on our shelves. Binding: Paperback ISBN13: 9780664232313 Size: 5.8 x 8.8 x .6 in. Publisher Description: This book is a powerful rereading of the Lord s Prayer and a call for the church to reject existing power structures by pledging allegiance to the kingdom of God and proclaiming the gospel for all especially those cast outside the mainstream of society. Bob Ekblad delivers a radical new reading of the Lord s Prayer by arguing that there are earthly power structures and allegiances that prevent God s kingdom to come on earth as in heaven. Drawing upon his experiences in ministry with marginalized people and his understanding of the Bible, Ekblad calls the church to follow Jesus by seeking its own deliverance from these structures, and to recognize people on the margins as being the most open and available to be agents of transformation. A New Christian Manifesto urges Christians to break down barriers to join Jesus
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
This book is a powerful rereading of the Lord s Prayer and a call for the church to reject existing power structures by pledging allegiance to the kingdom of God and proclaiming the gospel for all especially those cast outside the mainstream of society. Bob Ekblad delivers a radical new reading of the Lord s Prayer by arguing that there are earthly power structures and allegiances that prevent God s kingdom to come on earth as in heaven. Drawing upon his experiences in ministry with marginalized people and his understanding of the Bible, Ekblad calls the church to follow Jesus by seeking its own deliverance from these structures, and to recognize people on the margins as being the most open and available to be agents of transformation. A New Christian Manifesto urges Christians to break down barriers to join Jesus in a movement that includes recruiting, healing, empowering, and sending out to achieve an ultimate victory of the cross.
|
| Customer Reviews:
Bold, Biblical, Radical and Faithful to the Call of Jesus. A must read for pastors and all serious disciples! May 21, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The Bible makes it clear that we as Christians are resident aliens, that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that our primary allegiance is to be given to the Triune God and the good news of God's Kingdom. Unfortunately, the reality is often that we have many lords and our hearts are terribly divided. We are not wholly given to the One is the Way, the Truth and Life and yet Jesus continues to invite us resist the powers and come into the promised land. As a pastor, my desire is to lead my people to a more faithful following of Jesus no matter the cost. My brother Bob's work with those on the margins of society, his faithfulness to the Biblical text and Christian theology, his experiences in the church, and his radical commitment to loving the broken by following the way of Jesus no matter what, uniquely qualifies him to speak. When so many Christian writers are first committed to their corner of Christendom be it liberal, evangelical, Catholic, Orthodox, charismatic, Lutheran, Presbyterian, independent, etc. Bob Ekblad comes out with a call to examine the human systems critically and embrace the life and teachings of Jesus. This book inspires, challenges, and invites us all to critically examine our lives, our churches, the needs of our world, and the call of Jesus to come and follow him no matter the cost. I believe if more of us would shake off our godless judgments and our worldly allegiances and give ourselves wholly to the One who says, "come and follow me." the world would see a revolution of deeply beautiful good news. Indeed the Kingdom of God would come in greater fullness. Read this book. Read it with a mind open to prophetic correction. Read this book with an openness to join in the cause of Jesus who shows us what the good news of the Kingdom looks like. May this book inspire more Christ-followers to the radical invitation of Jesus to leave the kingdoms of this world and embrace with whole-hearted allegiance the Good News who is standing in our midst.
A long-awaited and much needed account of the convergence of charismatic, social justice, and sacramental theologies. April 4, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Bob Ekblad's new book, "A New Christian Manifesto: Pledging Allegiance to the Kingdom of God" has been long-awaited by his friends, students, and readers. Herein, Bob has finally put into writing his experiences of "cross-pollination" between the two worlds of charismatic spirituality and social justice activism. The result of embracing this kind of cross-pollination, according to Ekblad, is that people of faith will be empowered to adopt a prophetic stance that speaks from God's perspective before the "powers and principalities" of the present world-system. This book is certain to find an audience with fans of Mike Bickle, Francis MacNutt, and John Arnott just as much as it appeals to readers of Walter Brueggemann, Walter Wink, and William Stringfellow.
The book opens with an autobiographical chapter where Ekblad tells the story of how he came to exist simultaneously in these two, apparently contradictory, worlds. In chapter two, Ekblad grounds his theology of cross-pollination in a deepened understanding of the sacrament of baptism. Chapter three continues this meditation, highlighting frustration with the current societal status quo as a prerequisite for openness to the kingdom of heaven. Chapter four opens the discussion of the parallel ministries of advocacy before the powers-that-be and deliverance from evil spirits. Chapter five forms the crux of the book, where the author issues the call for Christians to break with their loyalties to the powers and pledge allegiance to the kingdom of heaven. Chapter six examines the blessings and consequences of making this switch of allegiance. The final chapter emphasizes the commitment to redemptive suffering and nonviolent resistance as Christians work and wait for the kingdom of heaven to be realized on earth in its fullness.
While most online summaries of this book describe it as a meditation on the Lord's Prayer, I think it would be more accurate to describe it as a meditation on the sacrament of baptism. Baptismal and sacramental language coats the book from beginning to end. I found my own personal understanding of baptism to be transformed and enriched as I read this book. My favorite part comes from chapter two, where Ekblad likens the baptismal experience to that of undocumented migrant workers crossing over into the United States. Like them, we Christians are "illegal immigrants" who have been brought into the kingdom of heaven "outside the law". Our status in God's country is due to grace alone. If more Christians were to "remember their baptism" with this image in mind, it might have interesting repercussions for the "immigration debate" in this country. As St. Paul wrote, "So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God." (Ephesians 2:19 ESV)
In 2005, I told my friends and colleagues that if they were to read only one book that year, it should be "Reading the Bible with the Damned". In 2008, I will be telling them to read "A New Christian Manifesto: Pledging Allegiance to the Kingdom of God."
|
|
|
Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| |
