Welcome to the online book (in development), Dancing in the Kingdom. Below you will find links to the different sections. If you do one section a day, the “Dance” will take one year’s time. If you are using this book with a group you will get the most benefit as you share answers with each other. You are also free to leave comments at the end of each section and see each other’s responses. You can contact the author at chuckrussell1@att.net if you have questions or comments or just to let me know if you are beginning to read the book.
About the Author
About the Book
Preface
A meaning in the patterns
Patterns of love
Pattern finding creatures
Patterns of history
Patterns in the text
Patterns of community
Part I – Shadows of the Kingdom
Chapter 1 – Prelude
Let the confusion begin
The Story-Teller and His Book
->Old and relevant
->The Spirit, the Word and the Work of the People
->->Breathed by God, Written by Human Hands
->->The paradox of authority
->What is the Bible
->->The Library
->->From breath to breath
->Outline of the Bible story
->->Biblical Eras
->->Creation
->->Sin
->->->Confronting our freedom
->->->Scope and direction of sin’s consequences
->->Nations form from descendants of Noah’s sons
->->The Patriarchs
->->Moses and the Exodus
->->Settling into the Promised land
->->Earthly kings and the rejection of God as king
->->Exile and Return
->->Clash of empires
->->The Gospels
->->->Overview and comparison of the Gospels
->->->The Genealogies
->->->New Testament Church
->->->New Testament Missions
A Brief Account
Interlude
Reprise with Variations
Brooding, Moving, Dancing
Dancing Through the Pain
Chapter 2 – The God who Created
Paradoxes and Mysteries
->Dynamic Tension
->A Person and a Community
->The impossible Trinity and the nature of God
->The plural God in the Old Testament
->The plural God in the New Testament
->Mystery of God’s name
->Transcendent and Immanent
->Timeless and in Time
->Sovereign and Servant
->Gracious, Merciful and Just
->Playful and orderly
The Good and Overflowing God
->Generous and Overflowing Shalom
->Trustworthy and Faithful
->Self-sacrificing and Forgiving
The temple maker
Chapter 3 – The image-bearers
Reflecting God’s paradoxes
->Dynamic Tension
->Body, Soul and Spirit
->Transcendent and Immanent
->In Time and In an Eternal Future
->Co-sovereigns and Servants
->Merciful and Just
->Playful and Orderly
Reflecting God’s goodness
->Generous and overflowing shalom
->Trustworthy and Faithful
->Self-sacrificing and Forgiving
Living Temples
Chapter 4 – Retreating to chaos
Spurning love
Hope in the brokenness
The plan to restore creation
Turning from shalom
->Rampant Evil
->Tower of Babel
Chapter 5 – Patriarchs
God working through broken individuals and communities
Abraham
->Walk of faith
->Hospitality
->Pleading to God
->Faith and Obedience
->Slow and steady
Isaac
->Ordinary Believers
Jacob
->Deceit instead of faith
->A higher order
->Nation of wrestlers
Joseph
->Discipline and character development
->Bloom where you are
->Dreams come true
Chapter 6 – A Nation Emerges
Strange interlude: Captivity
->Process in important
Exodus
->Fullness of time
->Discipline, Miracles and Death
The Tabernacle and the Law
->The Tabernacle, shadow of something greater
->Art and Artists
->Law and Love
->Sacrifice and Death
->A Set-apart People
Chapter 7 – Settlement
Courage and memory
God’s fullness, his followers’ emptiness
The God of War
Judges and the Cycle of sin
God raising his people
The Cycle of Sin Continues
Chapter 8 – Kings and kingdoms
Rejecting God as King
Saul
David
->Tested and waiting
->Friendship
->The War King
->Repentance
->Messy Family Life
Solomon
The Divided Kingdom
Chapter 9 – The Prophets and Writings
Messengers of a Greater Power
->Challenging Unfaithfulness
->Lament and Anger
->Future Hope
The strange story of the ark and the tabernacle
->The Ark in the Promised Land
->The Tabernacle and the Temple
Diaspora
->Judgement Unfolds
->Worship in Exile
Return and Remembrances
Songs and reflections of the heart
Part 2 – The Kingdom Revealed
Chapter 10 – Clash of apparitions
Proxy wars
Clash of empires
Clash of sects
->Essenes
->Gentiles
->Herodians
->Lost Sheep of Israel
->Pharisees
->Sadducees
->Samaritans
->Sanhedrin
->Scribes
->Zealots
Clash of cultures
->Progressives vs. conservatives
->Effects of wealth and power
->Apocalyptism
->For or against the secular culture
->Legalism
->Originalism vs. living interpretation
->Taxation and Representation
Chapter 11 – The kingdom enters
Looking back – Signs and shadows of the kingdom
Reflections on violence
->General issues with violence
->Problematic acts of violence in the Old Testament
->Recognizing the unity of Yahweh and Jesus
Looking for Messiah
The Messiah comes
->Personal, Not Political
->John the Baptist (Immerser)
->Joseph and Mary
->Expectant Magi and the Non-expectant King
->Immanuel
Inaugurating the Ministry
->The Kingdom Is Near Again
->Baptism, Anointing, Temptation
->The Kingdom Arrives
->Kingdom Questions and Parables
->Inheriting the Kingdom
->The Kingdom Expands
Passion Unto Death
->The Darkness
->Paradise and Resurrection
Chapter 12 – Launching the Church
Preparing the church
->No Detailed Strategic Plan, But Promises and Presence
->The Spirit and the Power
->The Spirit and the Story
->The Spirit and the Scattering
->The Spirit and the Servant-Leaders
Building and Growing the Church
->Assembly of God’s people
->Kingdom of God
->Basics of the faith
->Desires and fruits of faith
->Disciplines of the faith
->Gifts of the faith
->Growth in the faith
->Guarding the Faith
->->Need for doctrine
->->->Guardians of the truth
->->->Paradox of responsibility
->->->Doctrine and the knowledge of God
->->->Doctrine of unity
->Future of the Faith
Chapter 13 – Distinctives within the body of Christ
Overview
->Context of Theology
->Limits of Theology
Challenge of the Church
Contributions of the Church
Historical Issues Affecting the Church
Interlude
Mysteries and distinctives
Mystery of God
Mystery of the Church
Mystery of our Humanity
Mystery of our Role in the World
Mystery of the Traditions and the Bible
Mystery of Sin, Salvation and Sanctification
Mystery of the Kingdom and Eschatology
Mystery of the Sacraments
Mystery of Worship
Mystery of faith
Mystery of wisdom
Part 3 – Dancing In The Kingdom
Chapter 14 – Remembering our Creation
Our Mandate
Our Relationships
Our Provision
Our Limits
Lamenting our Brokenness
Rejoicing in the hope of God
Chapter 15 – Reforming our Souls
Reforming our Loves
Disciplines of our hearts
Fruits of the Disciplines
The Disciplines
->The Discipline of Liturgy
->The Discipline of Simplicity/Stewardship
->Discipline of Gratitude
->Discipline of Fasting
->Discipline of Lament
->Discipline of Distress
->Discipline of Generosity
->Bible-centric disciplines
->Discipline of Prayer
->Discipline of Worship/Celebration
->Discipline of Service
->Discipline of Submission
->Discipline of Resting/Sabbath
->Discovering how we are formed
Chapter 16 – Fixing Our Eyes
Everything Belongs
Created to grow
The Kingdom is Come and Not Yet
Ministry of Reconciliation
New Jerusalem’s Urban Garden
Chapter 17 – Finding our Place
Relation to Yahweh
Relation to Self
Relation to Church
->Created as parts of a body
->Created to gather and build
->Community of persons, not groups
Relation to the community outside the church
->Not yet, but Already
->Preparing to engage with those outside the Church
->Flourishing community
->Listening to our culture
->Strategies in cultural engagement
->Beyond winsomeness
Chapter 18 – Entering the Dance
Occupy Till I Come
Charting a Path Forward
->Bottom-up strategy
->Top-down strategy
->vocational stewardship
Reimagining our society
->Reorienting our institutions
->Reclaiming the institutional church
->Re-envisioning our culture
->Re-envisioning our given environment
->Re-envisioning our inhabited environment
Reimagining Our Vocation
->Principles
->Reconciliation
Chapter 19 – The Story of the Kingdom Revisited
Preamble
Before the beginning
The Good earth: heaven and earth joined at the Garden
The rebellion: heaven and earth separated
Faith and the law: heaven and earth joined at the Tabernacle/Temple
The Kingdom arrives
Already and not yet: heaven and earth joined in his image-bearers
The city and the garden: heaven and earth rejoined
Summary
Epilogue
Patterns in space
Patterns in time
Belonging to Yahweh
Being with Yahweh
Appendices
Appendix A – Tips on how to study the BIble
Appendix B – Timelines for Middle East Empires
Appendix C – Books of the Bible
Appendix D – Prophecies about Jesus
Appendix F – Partial listing of heresies
Appendix G – The contributions of the church
Appendix H – Seven Ecumenical Councils Overview
Appendix I – Creeds of the Church
Dancing In The Kingdom 