By Dr. Kevin Dudley
It was in 1701 that French military officer Antoine de La Mothe, Sieur de Cadillac along with 51 French-Canadians established a new settlement. North, along the scenic river connecting the Great Lakes system to the Saint Lawrence Seaway, Detroit had been the home to Ottawa, Huron, Fox and Miami Native American tribes and was considered to be prime real estate because of the unexploited commercial potential.
Dr. John Byron
by Dr. John Byron
2 Thessalonians 1:3-4
“We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing. 4 Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.”
One of my favorite Jimmy Stewart movies is the 1965 film Shenandoah. Stewart plays a hardworking Virginia farmer trying to take care of his family in the midst of the American civil war. At one point Stewart’s character offers a prayer of thanks at the dinner table. He is not sure why he should be thankful to God since it is not clear to him how God was involved.
by Dr. Paul W. Chilcote
Teresa of Avila: Called to Abiding Prayer. At the same time that Martin Luther was sending shock waves through the life of the church in central Europe, Teresa of Avila was breathing new life into her beloved Carmelite Order in Spain, and ushering in a new era of spirituality and prayer. In her Life, Teresa described prayer in a way that any common person could understand. She used various images related to water. She used the image of fetching water from a well and watering a garden bucket by bucket to describe what she called discursive meditation or intellectual prayer.
Dr. Paul W. Chilcote
Perpetua: Called to Costly Discipleship. Dietrich Bonhoeffer coined the term “costly discipleship” in the 20th century, but women lived this calling as early as the first century, like Perpetua, martyred for their faith in Christ. A document entitled The Passion of Perpetua, Felicity, and their Companions is one of earliest and most noteworthy Christian texts outside the Bible. It purports to include Perpetua’s diary, written in prison while she and her companions awaited execution in Carthage, a document similar in many ways to the prison letters of Bonhoeffer. She contemplates the sacrifice she would undoubtedly be called to make because of her unswerving allegiance to Christ.
by Michael Goldsmith
For several weeks I’ve wrestled with one phrase from the words of Jesus found in Matthew 5:16 (NASB): “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” What does it mean to “let your light shine before men in such a way”? As I’ve prayed this through, I have come to the conclusion that in every encounter we have with other people, there is an appropriate amount of light that should shine from our lives as Christians into theirs.
by Dr. Paul W. Chilcote
Women have always outnumbered men in the church. That does not mean men or women have acknowledged the role and influence of female disciples and leaders. Given the fact that men have dominated the ranks of historians through the past two millennia of Christian history, it should be no surprise that men and their interests have shaped the written history of the church. Nonetheless, women have shaped the church and continue to do so today in remarkable ways. During the lifetime of most reading this article, moreover, greater attention and concern has been given to this “lost history” of women. Whether you realize it or not, it is highly likely that your own vision of the Christian faith, your experience of God, and your efforts to be a faithful disciple of Jesus reflect the influence of famous and even unknown women. Women, as well as men, are called by God, and those callings often come at great cost.
by Roberto Ponce.
Welcome to the Table, our weekly blog from Ashland Theological Seminary. We want this blog to serve as an online resource where people from different Christian traditions can “come to the table” to exchange ideas about life and ministry. We believe that all of us are called to serve in the Kingdom. Whether you are a full-time minister, a bi-vocational minister or a lay or business leader, this blog is for you.
At Ashland Theological Seminary our calling is to equip people for various roles in ministry. Whether is at a church, a nonprofit organization or in the marketplace.