Molly T Marshall

The Thessalonian correspondence represents the earliest writing in the New Testament, according to many scholars. It speaks to a group of Christians struggling with thorny questions, such as: How should we live in the shadow of the coming parousia? What are our obligations to one another as followers of Jesus? How do we learn to trust the truth of the gospel? For Paul, this earliest correspondence was a test of his apostolic authority and also a means to express his genuine warmth and affection for the Christian community at Thessalonica. In spite of their relative brevity, the letters to the Thessalonians wrestle with ideas and obligations that remain relevant today.The volumes in the Belief series offer a fresh and invigorating approach to all the books of the Bible. Building on a wide range of sources from biblical studies and the Christian tradition, renowned scholars focus less on traditional historical and literary angles in favor of a theologically focused commentary that considers the contemporary relevance of the text. Why then and why now are overarching questions asked throughout the volumes in the series.

Composed from the distinctive Baptist perspective that no one Baptist can speak with authority for another in matters of faith, A Baptist's Theology offers the thoughts of individual Baptist scholars in the hope that their beliefs might stimulate the theological reflection of other Baptists. The doctrines discussed are: revelation, God, persons, sin, Scripture, salvation, the church, ministry, baptism, communion, and eschatology.Written by leaders in contemporary Baptist theological education, A Baptist's Theology is a fresh and timely new theology on the life of Baptist thought, written by Baptists for Baptists. Here are eleven very different Baptist leaders standing on a remarkably common theological ground, not one of whom ever sacrifices his or her unique theological voice. There really is something Baptist about all of that -Walter B. ShurdenCallaway Professor of ChristianityChair, The Roberts Department of ChristianityMercer University, Macon GAContributors: Michael G. Cogdill, J. Bradley Creed, R. Alan Culpepper, M. Vernon Davis, G. Thomas Halbrooks, William L. Hendricks, T. Furman Hewitt, Bill J. Leonard, Molly T. Marshall, Gary L. Parker, and R. Wayne Stacy.

Trauma recovery and healing get a lot of attention these days, but in situations of war and violence trauma is also a social experience set within the larger conflict context. The authors examine an ancient biblical story full of violence and trauma that makes most readers turn the page quickly. The reader is invited instead to sit with the story, listen to the voices of the characters, and feel the full range of their emotions. There is much to be learned through the story that offers insight for trauma healing and reconciliation, and motivation for deep and abiding social change. The biblical story becomes a doorway into a journey of discovery about traumatized people, specifically women, who choose not to remain as victims. Instead, they rise up in transformative nonviolent action. The authors lift up the Rizpah story and contemporary stories of "Daughters of Rizpah" from around the world to inspire hope amid the traumatizing turmoil of the twenty-first century.