Alumni Publications – July 2013
When TV Came To Town by Steve Harper (1973, MDiv)
It is a collection of 50 stories about growing up in Haskell, Texas in the 1950’s and ’60’s. Steve notes, “Stories are the threads that tie our hearts together. Reading someone else’s story almost always causes me to say, ‘That reminds me…..'” The book is available from Amazon.com as either a Kindle book or a paperback book. Go back in time through Steve’s stories and reconnect with some of your own.
1–3 John: A General Reader by Klay Harrison (2013, MDiv), and Chad Foster (current student)
1–3 John: A General Reader is a Tier 3 resource designed to build confidence in understanding Greek and to encourage the reading of the Greek New Testament by providing: vocabulary glosses, morphological explanations, and translation helps. Any student who uses this book will be able to exercise and extend his or her beginning Greek education, see how grammatical and syntactical classifications affect meaning and translation in context, and read directly from the Greek New Testament. Click here to find the book on Amazon.
PK: A Preacher’s Kid Comes of Age During the Great Depression and World War II by Bob Haslam (1954, BD)
PK is about Bob’s first 18 years living in six parsonages and towns in a family of six during the depths of the Great Depression. In scenes reminiscent of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, Bob’s life moved from one adventure to another. When folks had little or nothing to put in the offering plate, they lived off the land like everyone else. Coming of age under such circumstances was enhanced by moral and spiritual formation fostered by Bob’s father and mother. As he grew into his teen years, Bob had a dream career all marked out. But God had other ideas. You will find an amazing correlation between the current economic downturn with millions out of work, and the time the author writes about. Living in the Pacific Northwest where Japanese attacks were expected after Pearl Harbor, Bob gives you facts which were kept secret during World War II and are largely unknown by contemporary Americans. Follow Bob on his bumpy ride as a preacher’s kid during one scrape after another, ultimately coming of age as a responsible young man. The book is available from Amazon.com as either a Kindle book or a paperback book.
The Bible Says…: How Good Is the Good Book? by Larry R. Kalajainen (1972, MDiv)
How can people taking diametrically opposing positions on contemporary issues—dividing both religious communities and society—quote the Bible in support of their views? What does it mean to make a claim that the Bible says or teaches something? Why appeal to the Bible at all? Whose interpretation is the right one? If you’ve felt confused about the Bible’s role or authority in such controversies, this book may help. The author draws upon his more than forty years of pastoral ministry and seminary teaching experience as he examines the Bible—what it is (and isn’t), how it came to be a sacred text for Jews and Christians, what kind of authority it has, and how that authority is used or misused. He does not attempt to take a position on the controversial issues themselves, but argues for understanding the Bible as a community product, arising out of the historical life of communities of faith, that then exerts a shaping or normative power in those communities through time, and asks how the Bible and the “Word of God” may be related in constructive ways. You can find the book at Barnes & Noble, Amazon in paperback or on Kindle, your favorite bookseller or order directly from the publisher via phone (541) 344-1528.
Christ-Centered Leadership: The Incarnational Difference by David L. McKenna (1953, MDiv, President Emeritus)
“If a leader is a Christian, what difference does it make?” Giant strides have been made in secular leadership theory toward a Christian viewpoint. Priority is now given to character as well as competence, accountability as well as power, transformation as well as transaction, and servanthood as well as success. But these qualities apply to secular as well as to Christian leadership. So, the question remains, “What difference does it make?” David McKenna finds the answer in the Incarnation of Jesus Christ—a divine act for him and a defining attitude for us. Philippians 2:11-15 sets the standard and gives the details. “Your attitude should be the same as Jesus Christ” means following his call to the cross, where we die to self and sacrifice all self-interest in position, power, and prestige in order to serve obediently, faithfully, and humbly for the good of others and the glory of God. Christ-centered leadership is not an extension of the highest and best of human leadership. Radical obedience to the call of Christ and utter dependence upon the Holy Spirit make a substantive difference. In the most practical terms, Incarnation continues in us when we live fully, lead freely, and go where he wants us to go. David McKenna dedicates this book Asbury Theological Seminary on its 90th Anniversary, Dr. Ira Gallaway, the Asbury Theological Seminary Trustee and Board Chair Emeritus, and Dr. J. Ellsworth Kalas, Professor of Preaching and President Emeritus, as Dr. Gallaway and Dr. Kalas celebrate their 90th birthdays. Order your copy through Amazon.
Christ Identity: A Social-Scientific Reading of Philippians 2.5-11 by Sergio Rosell Nebreda (1994, MDiv)
Sergio focuses on how the Philippian Christ-followers received Paul’s letter. The social, historical, literary, rhetorical, anthropological and theological elements are dealt with in order to understand the effect Paul wanted to achieve. The main thesis of the book is that the apostle Paul, who greatly suffered at Philippi, and writing from a prison, desires to affect the Philippian believers to acquire a Christ-orientation based on the values expressed in the Christ-hymn. Philippians 2:5-11 forms the core of Paul’s theological narrative that aims at constructing a sense of imitatio and conformatio in the Christ-following community. Through the use of Social Identity Theory this book evaluates how ancient people constructed their group identity in daily life and how through a seemingly inferior model (that of Christ’s kenosis in 2, 5-11) the community receives a re-definition of values which are according to God’s values, and who has the last word in history. Click here to find the book on Amazon.
Soaring Hope: Imagining Life As It Ought To Be by Lynn Thrush (1978, MDiv)
Reading the Bible with an open imagination allows you to see the world as God intends. In much of the world the good news of God has been reduced to a personal, private, psychological interaction with God that gets one ready to go to Heaven. This version of the gospel does not envision God’s Kingdom coming on earth and His will being done here as it is in Heaven—thus hope for what might be is aborted. If you believe that Christian faith is largely irrelevant to world events and that Christians have little to offer history, Soaring Hope is a thrilling, clarion call to reality—the reality of life more wonderful than you have ever imagined! When assumptions of what cannot be done on earth are removed, and the Scriptures are allowed to speak their great hope that God is reconciling all things to Himself, then faith arises. Jesus said, “According to your faith may it be to you” (Matt. 9:29). As faith rises, the closer you move toward God. With Soaring Hope, you can snuggle right up into the arms of your heavenly Father—today!