New Book Annoucement
Kingdom Come: Embracing the Spiritual Legacy of David Lipscomb and James A. Harding is the title of a new release by Leafwood Press, a division of ACU Press. It is due out in May 2006.
Bobby Valentine and John Mark Hicks are the authors.
"Many assume that Churches of Christ views 1930-1960 were those of the major forefathers such as James A. Harding and David Lipscomb. We must therefore read this book, for as the result of the authors' detailed scrutiny of the writings of Lipscomb and Harding, we are soon disabused of our unwarranted illusions. These two forefathers were not simply polemicists. They were spiritual giants who heralded living in the face of the coming again of the Lord, trusting him for all of life's needs, walking in the Spirit, prayer, Scripture reading, peace keeping and more. The authors do an excellent job of elaborating on how Scripture and contemporary scholarship sustain the commitments of Lipscomb and Harding and challenge our own life before God and in his church."
Thomas H. Olbricht
Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Religion, Pepperdine University.
Can we say anything good about 1906?
This book recovers a piece of forgotten history from 1906. Some of the finest examples of kingdom living to be found among Churches of Christ are found in the midst of that heartbreaking year of division. The “best” of Churches of Christ in 1906 is represented by the life, thought and practice of David Lipscomb (1831-1917) and James A. Harding (1848-1922), despite the fact that Lipscomb and Harding participated in the conditions which resulted in division.
Their kingdom theology and spirituality, we believe, provides the contemporary church with a way forward into the future. If Churches of Christ—and other parts of the Stone-Campbell Movement as well—would re-appropriate their kingdom themes and practices, we believe the church would more fully participate in the emerging kingdom of God which will one day fill the earth with divine righteousness.
Below is the Table of Contents.
Introduction
1. Introducing a Spiritual Legacy: Foreigners at Home
Part A. Kingdom Dynamics: Divine Action
2. Shadows of the Second Coming: “Thy Kingdom Come”
3. God Still Works: Trusting God’s Providence
4. Holy Spirit: God’s Redemptive Presence in the World
Part B. Kingdom Spirituality: Four Means of Grace
5. Listening to God: Reading Scripture
6. Releasing the Oppressed: Fellowship as a Means of Grace
7. Communing with God: The Lord’s Day and the Lord’s Table
8. Crying for the Kingdom: The Privilege of Prayer
Part C. Kingdom Life: Free to Serve
9. The Prince of Peace: Pledging Allegiance to the Kingdom
10. No Creed But Christ: Freedom to Think and Speak
11. No More Shadows: Towards Cosmic Liberation
Afterword
12. The Road Not Traveled: Where Do We Go From Here?
posted by John Mark Hicks @ 8:51 PM
11 comments
11 Comments:
John Mark,
Sounds like a great book. I look forward to reading it. Hope you are doing well.
I look forward to reading it too. Great job!
Ron Clark
JM: I hope we get the Aggregator issues resolved soon, because this post needs to be "out there" more.
jmh, this looks very interesting to me as well.
I'd like to ask you this question, if you don't mind. My understanding of the Kingdom of God has expanded quite a bit over the last year or so, in ways that I haven't expected and have seen more and more material about it, including Brian McLaren's next book, the Secret Message of Jesus.
Do you think the growing popularity of the subject is something that is positive for the church and based in similar thinking that Harding and Lipscomb had?
Thanks.
Phil's Blog
Post Restorationist Radio Podcast
Phil,
Kingdom theology has become more popular through the works of N. T. Wright and others. It stands in some contrast with the typical and popular Evangelical definition of the gospel as the forgiveness of sins through the death of Jesus.
I think it is a healthy shift if we are inclusive of both themes, but also see the kingdom theme as the broad umbrella or hermeneutical lens. I think it is positive because there preaching of the "good news of the kingdom" preceeded the preaching of the "good news of the cross."
Thanks, jmh.
Can you give me an idea about your definition of the Kingdom? I'm teaching a class on it at Otter Creek this summer and am interested in different perspectives. If you were going to put words on the Kingdom, how would you define it?
Phil, we could vary definitions from the comprehhensive and complex to the simple. :-)
However, at its basic it would be something like..."the reign (rule) of God in the world so that the will of God is done on earth as it is heaven."
In this sense, the values of God break into created reality so that it transforms fallenness (the old sinful values and behaviors) into the newneess of the reign of God with the result that people image God as they live in harmony (shalom) with the created reality, with each other and God.
Your and Bobby's lessons on Kingdom Come at Tulsa were informative, inspiring, and thought-provoking. I would sit at your feet anytime to listen to your teaching. Please keep writing. God bless...
Love's prayers,
Dottie
The chapter on "fellowship with the poor" has some material on racism in it.
Actually, Harding was a separatist from the "innovators" before Lipscomb was. He regarded the introduction of instrumental music as apostate and divisive. I think, in fact, that Harding persuaded Lipscomb that division was inevitable.
Lipscomb was integrated in 1964, just a few years after Abilene.
On the history of racism in Churches of Christ I would recommend the chapter by Doug Foster in "Unfinished Reconciliation" as well as the material on Hans Rollamann's website.
Do we rename all buildings that were named after those who held racists views at times in our culture when racists views were the norm? I think not. We can honor flawed people in the past without necessarily encouraging their fallen perspectives.
Sounds like an awesome book. Will it be avaliable at Pepperdine lectures?
It should be availalbe at Pepperdine. We hope...and it will be close. :-)
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