Bøger af John Christopher Thomas

The relationship between the Devil and disease, sickness and sin, healing and forgiveness, and exorcism and deliverance form an intriguing and controversial set of issues. This monograph brings some clarity to the topic by offering the first full-length examination of the origins of illness in New Testament thought. In an attempt to respect the diversity of thought within the New Testament, the author employs a method that allows the distinctive contributions of each New Testament writer to be appreciated on their own terms. These readings are followed by an attempt at the construction of a New Testament theology of the Devil, disease, and deliverance where the distinctive voices on this topic are in relation to one another. The monograph concludes with a chapter devoted to the implications of this study for Pentecostal theology and ministry.

This monograph is based upon presentations given at a conference on Pentecostal Ecclesiology that convened on 28-29 June 2010 at Bangor University in North Wales, UK. After a short introduction (John Christopher Thomas) and an extended treatment of the role of the Fivefold Gospel in the doing of Pentecostal Theology (Kenneth J. Archer), two chapters each are devoted to the Pentecostal Church as Redeemed Community (Wynand de Kock, Darío Andres López Rodríguez), Sanctified Community (Daniel Castelo, Matthias Wenk), Empowered Community (Simon Chan, Daniela Augustine), Healing Community (Kimberly E. Alexander, Opoku Onyinah), and Eschatological Community (Peter Althouse, Frank D. Macchia), with three formal responses following (Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen, Robert Pope, William K. Kay). Global in composition, the contributors to this volume represent six continents and diversity of gender, race, nationality, denominational affiliation, and academic discipline. Their creative theological presentations and the constructive engagements that they elicit not only make a significant contribution to this topic, but also provide a model for future global Pentecostal theological construction. This ground-breaking monograph is destined to shape future discussions of Pentecostal Ecclesiology as well as the broader field of Pentecostal Theology.

Written over two decades ago, Footwashing in John 13 and the Johannine Community by John Christopher Thomas quickly became known as the most comprehensive study of the practice of footwashing in the ancient world, the most detailed literary analysis of the account found in John 13.1-20, and 'an excellent example of how to engage in a study of the possible practices of the Johannine community' (David Mark Ball). In this second edition, Thomas has removed typographical errors, has brought the various discussions up to date by incorporating the more significant relevant studies into the notes and text of the volume, specifically the results of scholarship devoted to the Fourth Gospel and John 13 - particularly those who have responded to the first edition, has made clearer the rationale for his use of early Christian writings in the sections devoted to the reconstruction of the practice in the Johannine community, and has given some indication of the ways in which his suggestions for future research have generated responses. When the first edition of this work appeared, very few scholars were giving any attention to the possible practice of footwashing in the Johannine community. One of the goals in the monograph's initial publication was to place the role and function of footwashing on the scholarly agenda for discussion. Owing, in part, to the impact of the study, over the last couple of decades the possible practice of footwashing and its meaning have begun to receive more attention as a practice within the Johannine community as well as in the practice of the church.

The book of Revelation is perhaps the most theologically complex and literarily sophisticated -- and also the most sensual -- document in the New Testament. In this commentary John Christopher Thomas's literary and exegetical analysis makes the challenging text of Revelation more accessible and easier to understand. Frank Macchia follows up with sustained theological essays on the book's most significant themes and issues, accenting especially the underappreciated place of the Holy Spirit in the theology of Revelation.