Michael Bird
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Jesus And The Powers
$22.99Add to cartAn urgent call for Christians everywhere to explore the nature of the kingdom amid the political upheaval of our day.
Should Christians be politically withdrawn, avoiding participation in politics to maintain their prophetic voice and to keep from being used as political pawns? Or should Christians be actively involved, seeking to utilize political systems to control the levers of power?
In Jesus and the Powers, N. T. Wright and Michael F. Bird call Christians everywhere to discern the nature of Christian witness in fractured political environments. In an age of ascending autocracies, in a time of fear and fragmentation, amid carnage and crises, Jesus is king, and Jesus’s kingdom remains the object of the church’s witness and work.
Part political theology, part biblical overview, and part church history, this book argues that building for Jesus’s kingdom requires confronting empire in all its forms. This approach should orient Christians toward a form of political engagement that contributes to free democratic societies and vigorously opposes political schemes based on autocracy and nationalism. Throughout, Wright and Bird reflect on the relevance of this kingdom-oriented approach to current events, including the Russian-Ukraine conflict, the China-Taiwan tension, political turmoil in the USA, UK, and Australia, and the problem of Christian nationalism.
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Birds Eye View Of Luke And Acts
$36.00Add to cartWhat do the books of Luke and Acts teach us about God, Jesus, and the early church? How do these two books relate to each other? And what do they mean for us today?
In this accessible and compelling introduction, Michael Bird draws us into the wide-ranging narrative of Luke-Acts to discover how Luke frames the life of Jesus and of the first disciples who set out from Jerusalem to “the ends of the earth” proclaiming the Good News. Bird shows us how these two books, when read together, tell a cohesive narrative about Jesus, the Church, and the mission of God-with implications for the whole of our lives today. Situating both books in their historical and literary context, Bird moves through an exploration of their central theological themes and culminates with consideration of the books’ relevance for contemporary social issues.
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Gods Israel And The Israel Of God
$28.99Add to cartPaul and Jewish identity after Christ
Paul believed Israel’s Messiah had come. But what does this mean for Israel? Debate rages over Paul and supersessionism: the question of whether–and if so, to what extent–the new covenant in Christ replaces God’s old covenant with Israel. Discussion of supersessionism carries much historical, theological, and political baggage, complicating attempts at dialogue.
God’s Israel and the Israel of God: Paul and Supersessionism pursues fruitful discussion by listening to a variety of perspectives. Scot McKnight, Michael F. Bird, and Ben Witherington III consider supersessionism from political, biblical, and historical angles, each concluding that if Paul believed Jesus was Israel’s Messiah, then some degree of supersessionism is unavoidable. Lynn H. Cohick, David J. Rudolph, Janelle Peters, and Ronald Charles respond to the opening essays and offer their own perspectives.
Readers of God’s Israel and the Israel of God will gain a broader understanding of the debate, its key texts, and the factors that shaped Paul’s view of Israel.
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When Did Jesus Become God
$25.00Add to cartHow did early Christians come to believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the divine Son of God? This is the central question in this book. When Did Jesus Become God? is a transcribed conversation between Bart Ehrman and Michael Bird, with a helpful historiographic introduction by Robert Stewart that helps readers understand the conclusions reached by Ehrman and Bird.
Ehrman contends that neither Jesus himself nor the apostles believed that Jesus was divine during Jesus’ life; it was only after Jesus was crucified and the apostles began to have visions and revelations that they became convinced that Jesus was a godlike figure who was sent by God. Over an extended period of time, the early church solidified its belief that Jesus was “God”-first, with an inventive claim that Jesus was exalted to divinity, then later by seeing him as a preexistent angel become human. Bird disagrees. Based on different historiographic criteria and different readings of Scripture, he asserts that Jesus himself claimed to be the divine Son during his lifetime and that many of the apostles believed Jesus to be identified with God’s own prerogatives and identity. In Bird’s account of the early church, Jesus was the preexistent Son of God from the beginning, who then became human, exercised the role of Israel’s Messiah, and was exalted as God the Father’s vice-regent.
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7 Things I Wish Christians Knew About The Bible
$17.99Add to cartAnswers to the most common questions and misconceptions about the Bible
Seven Things I Wish Christians Knew about the Bible is a short and readable introduction to the Bible–its origins, interpretation, truthfulness, and authority.
Bible scholar, prolific author, and Anglican minister Michael Bird helps Christians understand seven important “things” about this unique book:
*how the Bible was put together;
*what “inspiration” means;
*how the Bible is true;
*why the Bible needs to be rooted in history;
*why literal interpretation is not always the best interpretation;
*how the Bible gives us knowledge, faith, love, and hope; and
*how Jesus Christ is the center of the Bible.Seven Things presents clear and understandable evangelical account of the Bible’s inspiration, canonization, significance, and relevance in a way that is irenic and compelling. It is a must read for any serious Bible reader who desires an informed and mature view of the Bible that will enrich their faith.
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Ascension Of Christ
$15.99Add to cartThe Ascension is essential to the gospel
The good news of Jesus includes his life, death, resurrection, and future return–but what about his ascension? Though often neglected or misunderstood, the ascension is integral to the gospel.
In The Ascension of Christ, Patrick Schreiner argues that Jesus’ work would be incomplete without his ascent to God’s right hand. Not only a key moment in the gospel story, Jesus’ ascension was necessary for his present ministry in and through the church. Schreiner argues that Jesus’ residence in heaven marks a turning point in his three-fold offices of prophet, priest, and king. As prophet, Jesus builds the church and its witness. As priest, he intercedes before the Father. As king, he rules over all.
A full appreciation of the ascension is essential for understanding the Bible, Christian doctrine, and Christ’s ongoing work in the world.
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New Testament In Its World Video Lectures (DVD)
$49.99Add to cartEnter the world of the New Testament.
A companion to The New Testament in Its World by N. T. Wright and Michael F. Bird, these lectures serve as your passageway from the twenty-first century to the era of Jesus and the first Christians.
Professors Wright and Bird will guide you through how to read the New Testament, the world of Jesus and the early church, deep studies on both Jesus and the Apostle Paul, lectures on every book of the New Testament, as well as how to live the story of the New Testament today.
In addition to numerous studio lectures, on-location sessions will immerse you into the world of the New Testament. Filmed around the world, this series takes you on a journey with Wright and Bird to Jerusalem, Corinth, Athens, Rome, Nazareth, Qumran, Capernaum, and the shores of the Sea of Galilee.
At over 13 hours of content, these lectures are the definitive video introduction to the history, literature, and theology of the New Testament. Numerous bonus lectures are also included.
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New Testament You Never Knew Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$12.99Add to cartThe New Testament You Never Knew Study Guide by N.T. Wright and Michael F. Bird is the definitive introduction to the New Testament.
In this 8-session video-based study (DVD/digital downloads sold separately), leading New Testament scholars, N.T. Wright and Michael Bird, hope to take you on a tour of the New Testament Story, from Galilee to Golgotha, from Jerusalem to Rome. They will look at who Jesus is, the real meaning of his death and resurrection, the expansion of the church in the Greco-Roman world, examine the debates and setbacks that they had along the way, and show how Christians can live out the story of New Testament in their own lives today.
Sessions include:
*The Story of the New Testament
*The World of Jesus
*Life and Death of Jesus
*The Resurrection of Jesus
*The Apostle Paul
*The Early Christians
*The Mission of the Church
*How the NT Came to BeDesigned for use with The New Testament You Never Knew Video Study (sold separately).
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Honoring The Son
$15.99Add to cartBefore the New Testament or the creeds of the church were written–the devotional practices of the earliest Christians indicate that they worshipped Jesus alongside the Father.
Larry W. Hurtado has been one of the leading scholars on early Christology for decades. In Honoring the Son: Jesus in Earliest Christian Devotional Practice, Hurtado helps readers understand early Christology by examining not just what early Christians believed or wrote about Jesus, but what their devotional practices tell us about the place of Jesus in early Christian worship.
Drawing on his extensive knowledge of early Christian origins and scholarship on New Testament Christology, Hurtado examines the distinctiveness of early Christian worship by comparing it to both Jewish worship patterns and worship practices within the broader Roman–era religious environment. He argues that the inclusion of the risen Jesus alongside the Father in early Christian devotional practices was a distinct and unique religious phenomenon within its ancient context. Additionally, Hurtado demonstrates that this remarkable development was not invented decades after the resurrection of Christ as some scholars once claimed. Instead, the New Testament suggests that Jesus–followers, very quickly after the resurrection of Christ, began to worship the Son alongside the Father. Honoring the Son offers a look into the worship habits of the earliest Christians to understand the place of Jesus in early Christian devotion.
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Heirs Of Promise
$15.99Add to cartWhat is the relationship between the Church and Israel? And how does that influence our understanding of the Old Testament?
In Heirs of Promise, P. Chase Sears answers these questions by taking a biblical-theological approach to the book of Romans. He argues that Paul views the Church as the new Israel-not a replacement of Israel, but rather the continuation of Israel reconstituted in Christ. As the Son of God, Jesus is the true Israel, through whom all of God’s purposes for Israel and creation are realized. Through faith in Christ, the Church becomes God’s new covenant people and heirs of all his saving promises.
Sears examines how people united to Jesus find their identity in him. He explains how Old Testament promises made to Israel are being fulfilled in the Church. And he shows how Paul applies descriptions of Israel to all those who believe the gospel. These themes from Romans demonstrate that Paul considers the Church to be the new Israel, and thus Heirs of Promise.
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Bourgeois Babes Bossy Wives And Bobby Haircuts
$16.99Add to cartAuthor and New Testament scholar Michael Bird was formerly in favor of distinct gender roles in ministry, a viewpoint commonly called ‘complementarianism.’ But inconsistencies in practice and careful biblical study convinced him to rethink his position. Now in favor of full equality for men and women in ministry roles, Bird nevertheless strikes a respectful tone toward those in his previous camp, while seeking to craft a perspective that both values women and upholds biblical differences between the sexes. Humorous and hard-hitting, Bird’s writing on this topic will challenge readers on both sides of the gender-issue divide.
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How God Became Jesus
$18.99Add to cartIn his recent book How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher From Galilee historian Bart Ehrman explores a claim that resides at the heart of the Christian faith— that Jesus of Nazareth was, and is, God. According to Ehrman, though, this is not what the earliest disciples believed, nor what Jesus claimed about himself.
The first response book to this latest challenge to Christianity from Ehrman, How God Became Jesus features the work of five internationally recognized biblical scholars. While subjecting his claims to critical scrutiny, they offer a better, historically informed account of why the Galilean preacher from Nazareth came to be hailed as ‘the Lord Jesus Christ.’ Namely, they contend, the exalted place of Jesus in belief and worship is clearly evident in the earliest Christian sources, shortly following his death, and was not simply the invention of the church centuries later.
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Are You The One Who Is To Come
$28.00Add to cart“Jesus understood himself as designated by God as the Messiah of Israel.” This thesis may strike many historical-Jesus scholars as dangerously bold. But through careful study of the Gospels, Second Temple literature, and other period texts, scholar Michael Bird makes a persuasive argument that Jesus saw himself as performing the role attributed to the messiah in the Scriptures of Israel and believed that Israel’s restoration hinged on the outcome of his ministry.
Bird begins by exploring messianic expectations in the Old Testament and in Second Temple Judaism, finding in them an evolving messianism that provides historical context for Jesus’ life and teaching. Next, he examines the prevailing contention that the messianic claim originated not with Jesus himself but in the preaching of the early church. Bird argues that such contentions lack cogency and often skew the evidence. Examining the Gospels and related literature, he then shows that what Jesus said and did demonstrates that he believed he was Israel’s messiah. His career was “performatively messianic” in a way that shows continuity in eschatological terms between Israel and the church.
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Introducing Paul : The Man His Mission And His Message
$25.00Add to cartTable Of Contents
Preface
Abbreviations
1. What Is Paul?
2. A Funny Thing Happened On The Road To Damascus
3. The Stories Behind The Story
4. Reading Someone Else’s Mail
5. The Royal Announcement
6. The Crux Of The Gospel
7. The Return Of The King
8. One God, One Lord: Monotheism And The Messiah
9. Living A Life Worthy Of The Gospel: The Ethics Of Paul
10. Gospelizing: Paul’s Spirituality
Epilogue
Bibliography
Scripture Index
Author IndexAdditional Info
Michael F. Bird suggests that if the Paul we claim to know looks and sounds a lot like us, it’s probably a sign that we don’t know him as well as we think. In this book Bird offers an animated and penetrating survey of Paul’s life and teaching, including the principal issues and themes in Paul’s theology.