Joel Willitts

The essays in this first issue of the fifth volume of the Bulletin of Ecclesial Theology are drawn from papers read at theological symposia in August 2016, October 2016, and June 2017 hosted by the Center for Pastor Theologians in Oak Park, Illinois. These meeting brought together clergy from various denominational backgrounds within the evangelical Christian tradition to discuss and explore the contemporary debate and discussion on the question of the Historical Adam. Essay contributors in the issue include John Yates III, Gerald Hiestand, Edward Klink, Matt Ward, and Joel Willitts. Book reviews in this issue will likewise focus both on both contemporary and classic works relating to the Historical Adam, original sin, and theological anthropology.

Sound research and illuminating visuals make biblical and historical times and teachings come alive for today's middle-school and high-school students as well as pastors looking for a concise overview of familiar topics. This volume continues the valuable tradition of the best-selling Kregel Pictorial Guide series with their full-color introductions that make history easy to understand and interesting to learn. In the Kregel Pictorial Guide to the Dead Sea Scrolls, author Joel Willitts introduces readers to the scrolls--what they are, who wrote them, and what they tell us--and further expounds on the important role these scrolls play in understanding Christianity and the Bible.

In two places in the First Gospel (Matt 10:5b-6; 15:24) the Messianic mission of Jesus and his disciples is limited to a group called ‘the lost sheep of the house of Israel’. In light of Matthew’s intense interest in Jesus’ Davidic Messiahship and the Jewish Shepard-King traditions surrounding King David it is argued that the 'lost sheep of the house of Israel' refers to remnants of the former northern kingdom of Israel who continued to reside in the northern region of the ideal Land of Israel.