|
In this section you will find listed recent additions to the site, with the date of addition indicated. For special pricing available only to website visitors, see the end of this section.
February 2010...A new monthly contextual Reflection series on "Two Lost Sons and Their Father's Heart" is being added to the NEWSLETTERS section of the website.
It is known as the story of “The Prodigal Son;” yet Jesus never used that term. Who came up with that title, and why? I suspect no one knows. But one thing does seem to be self-evident. It had to have been a Westerner who came up with that title. No one conversant with first-century Middle Eastern village culture would ever have characterized this parable in that manner. The story is about a father and two sons; and as it contextually unfolds, we begin to see that the narrative is really a story about the heart of the father towards his two lost sons. And that is how we will title the new series of contextual reflections on this remarkable short story – “Two Lost Sons and Their Father’s Heart.” For most of 2010 we will be examining this parable of Jesus verse by verse from an integrated contextual perspective. Despite everything that has been written about his parable, I think you will be surprised at what there is still yet to be discovered in “this greatest short story ever told.”
January 2010…”Two Very Different Worlds: Western Evangelicalism and the Gospels” Reflection Archive has been added to the NEWSLETTERS section of the website.
If you missed any of this five-part series last year, or joined our Reflections distribution list after it started, you can now complete the series.
December 2009…A new presentation “Zechariah and Elizabeth: Waiting on the Lord with Unfulfilled Longings” was presented at the Fourth Presbyterian Church during Advent.
A CD recording of this new 75-minute presentation is expected to be available in February of 2010.
November 15, 2009…The latest version of PBT’s “Making Disciples Jesus’ Way: First-Century Wisdom for Today” Seminar is now available of CD.
This five hours of teaching on four CD’s comes complete the a 24-page handout and includes the following topics: Revisiting the Great Commission, What is a Disciple Like?, Co-Disciples and Learning Partners, Contextual Perspectives on How Jesus (Re)Made Disciples, Frameworks for Making Biblical Disciples, Prerequisites for Mentoring and Co-Discipling, A Framework for Influencing Discipling in Others, Getting Underway as a Co-Disciple, Co-Discipling and Mentoring Wisdom and Helpful Discipling Resources. To order, go to AUDIO PRODUCTS.
November 7, 2009…PBT to participate in the Nyack Christian College Saturday Symposia Series.
Over the next 13 months, PBT will be bringing “Bible Alive,” (November 7, 2009 and September 25, 2010) “Making Disciples Jesus Way,” (January 23, 2010), “The Last Days of Jesus: The Greatest Story Never Told” (March 6, 2010), “The Bible and the Land” (May 8, 2010) and “Advent and Christmas in Context” (December 11, 2010) to Nyack Christian College’s DC Campus located in the Hall of States Building in downtown Washington, DC, one block from Union
Station and the Capital. Details can be found on Nyack’s website.
July 2009...PBT launches a new series of monthly contextual "Reflections" on "Two Very Different Worlds: Western Evangelicalism and the Gospels."
It goes without saying that Jesus is Jewish. His given name, Yeshua, is Hebrew. He spoke in a Semitic language, mostly to other Hebrews. He was a Jewish rabbi, albeit a rabbi like no other, and was well versed in the Jewish sages and the oral tradition of His culture. He chose twelve other Jews to become His first disciples and remade them in the rabbinic pedagogy of His day. He participated in the Jewish feasts and festivals. And in the thirty-three years He walked this earth, no one ever referred to Him as a "Christian."
If we don't get the Jewish world of Jesus right, we are not going to get Jesus right. And if we don't get Jesus right, we are not going to get what it means to be His disciple right. So if we want to more fully understand Jesus and His Kingdom, we need to better understand the Jewish world He lived in. That's why we are starting this new contextual series on the Jewish world (mindset) of Jesus' day because Christianity's roots are Jewish. To receive this new series, sign up in the NEWSLETTER section of this website.
April 2009...PBT's newest contextual Lenten presentation, "The Last Days of Jesus; The Greatest Story Never Told," is now available on a set of five CDs for $49.00.
This new contextual resource focuses on the last 40 days of Jesus' life is five and one-half hours of teaching which contextually explores the Temple Aristocracy, the raising of Lazarus, the calling of Zacchaeus, Palm Sunday, the teaching days, the Upper Room discourse, Gethsemane, Pontius Pilate, Barabbas and more.
February 5, 2009...Rediscovering "Familiar" Passages CD is now available.
The latest in the “Digging Deeper” radio broadcast series, these 20 contextual segments cover: In the Beginning...Joseph's Coat...Milk & Honey...Golden Calf...Water from the Rock...Stealing God's Glory...Widow of Nain...Beatitudes...Barrenness...Rescuer...Lost in the Temple...God's Time...Daily Bread...Lifted Up...Abiding in the Vine I...Abiding in the Vine II...Withered Right Hand...Sabbath Healing...Writing in the Dust and John the Protester. Once again we realized through the lens of context that there is more to these passages than we thought.
January 7, 2009...PBT Launches a New "The Bible and the Land" Teaching Series
This six hours of teaching exploring the geographical, historical and cultural context of the biblical record will be given in January and February of 2009 on Wednesday nights at Fourth Presbyterian Church in Betheda starting at 7:15 P.M.
December 15, 2008...PBT Announces a New DVD "He Touched Me"
This new DVD was a recent Sunday morning message filmed at a church in Michigan. In it Doug Greenwold, PBT's Senior Teaching Fellow, restores the context for Jesus' encounter with a leper in Luke 5. This encounter is one of Doug's favorite passages as it allows him to share some of his "David" story (his son with special needs) along with implications for some of the "inadvertant lepers" in every congregation.
November 10, 2008...PBT Announces Advent Presentations.
PBT will be presenting "The Real Birth of Jesus: The Greatest Story Never Told" this Advent season at the Redland Baptist Church in Gaithersburg on Sunday, December 14 and at the First Presbyterian Church in Bethesda twice on Sunday, December 21.
June 28, 2008…”The Jewish Mind of Jesus’ Day” CD is now available.
Part of the “Digging Deeper” radio series, these 20 contextual segments cover: Introduction…Our Worldview…A Caution…Context Matters…Each Word…Words vs Deeds… Synthesis…Paradox…Remez…Rabbis…History…The Land…Community…Hospitality… Neighbors…Outcrowd…Sin Management…Pharisees…Do and Teach…The Poor and Work.
See “Digging Deeper” under TEACHINGS for more information and to listen to some of these innovative broadcasts.
June 16, 2008...Encounters With Jesus: The Rest of Their Stories Coming
 Encounters With Jesus: The Rest of Their Stories restores Jesus’ compelling encounters with people back into their Middle Eastern context to engage the curious, the broken, the skeptic and the intelligent. One reviewer deemed the book “rich…thought-provoking…sometimes startling…always refreshing…a whole new way of looking at Jesus.”
The book contextually restores twelve “familiar” Lukan passages, e.g., return to Nazareth, Simon, the leper, the paralytic, calling of Levi, the demoniac, Jairus, the bleeding woman, etc., in an engaging narrative story-telling format. In doing so, paradigm challenging insights (with pastoral applications) reveal themselves from passages we thought we knew and understood. Each chapter challenges the reader with open-ended, probing, rabbinic-type questions to draw out appropriate heart, mind and soul issues for transformational reflection and journaling. Ideal for small groups, home fellowship and Adult Education classes, the book’s 8 ½ X 11 inch workbook format encourages transformational journaling and pondering. In doing so, it creates a sense of discovery and excitement by digging more deeply into God’s Word through the use of historical, cultural, literary and geographical context.
Single copies are available for $24.95 with $4.95 shipping and handling. International orders will be charged actual shipping cost. To order, call 410-953-0557 , fax 410-312-1677, mail to POB 83357, Gaithersburg, MD 20883-3357, or email us
June 10, 2008...Announcing a truly distinctive “Digging Deeper” radio broadcast series that teaches scriptural truths in light of the historical, cultural, literary and geographical context of Bible Times. Brimming with “ahaa!” moments, “Digging Deeper” reveals long-missed teachings of Scripture with all the relevance and power originally intended by the writers themselves. Teacher and author Doug Greenwold of Preserving Bible Times brings a Middle Eastern village perspective to Bible passages and of both the actions and words of Jesus.
Listen to several of these new radio broadcast messages in our TEACHING section and experience “Digging Deeper” for yourself. Being a First-Century Disciple is available on CD for those who would like to hear the complete series of twenty messages. See “Digging Deeper” under TEACHINGS for more information and to listen to these innovative broadcasts.
March 5, 2008...Sessions III, IV and V of our multi-media "Bible Alive" weekend are now available, each one a 60+-minute interactive teaching DVD. The latest DVDs in this series includes “Living Water,” “Kingdom of God in Context,” “Jesus Returns to Nazareth,” "Simon and the Great Catch of Fish," and "Jesus and the Leper" in the Session III DVD and "Jesus and the Paralytic," "The Calling of Levi," "Engaging a Passage in Context, and "Rescuing the Demoniac" in the Session IV DVD. The Session V DVD features "Contextual Resources" and a Q&A time with the audience. This new five set DVD series will allow people everywhere to participate in these transforming weekends of biblical contextual immersion. Each DVD is available for $14.95 plus $2.95 shipping and handling. As an introduction special, you can order the complete set of five DVDs for only $59.95 (five DVDs for the price of four) plus a one-time $4.95 shipping and handling fee. See the "Video" section under PRODUCTS for more information.
January 14, 2008...The first two sessions of our multi-media “Bible Alive” weekend are now available, both being 60+-minute interactive teaching DVDs. This long-awaited DVD series includes “An Introduction to Biblical Context,” “Biblical Geography 101,” and “The Rest of Those Stories: The Case for Context” in the Session One DVD and "Last Supper Seating Protocol," "An Integrated Contextual Framework," "Remez: An Interpretive Tool," "Daily Bread Remez," "Judean Wilderness Flyaround," and "The Five Story Lines of Scripture Framework" in the second DVD. This new five DVD series will allow people everywhere to participate in these transforming weekends of biblical contextual immersion. Each DVD is be available for $14.95 plus $2.95 shipping and handling. As an introduction special, you can order the complete set of five DVDs now for only $59.95 (five DVDs for the price of four) plus a one-time $4.95 shipping and handling fee. See the "Video" section under PRODUCTS for more information.
Janaury 10, 2008..."Christmas in Context: The Real Birth of Jesus" CD available
Alistair Begg once said, “Those of us who know the Bible well suffer from knowing the Bible well.” We think we are so familiar with the Bible’s narrative that we never explore it further. Often our familiarity keeps us from grasping the real wonder, glory, awe and majesty of what the Scriptures want to reveal to us. That is certainly true for the most “familiar” story of all – The birth of Jesus. In this 65 minute CD, Doug Greenwold presents “Christmas in Context: The Real Birth of Jesus.” Learn more than you ever thought possible about the setting and scene of the birth of Jesus. Why were Joseph and Mary living in the north in Nazareth when their clan is living in the south in Bethlehem? What kind of a census was it? Why is the use of the word “inn” in Luke 2:7 an incorrect translation? Who really were those shepherds and why were their sheep in the fields at night, not in sheep pens for protection? If there were no stables, where was Jesus born? Why is there a “shame” motif that pervades the birth of the sinless One? This is just some of what Doug explores as our traditional and familiar notions of Christmas get replaced by the contextual reality of that wondrous birth night. See the "CD-ROM" section under PRODUCTS for more information
January 4, 2008..."The Touched Me" CD available
Immediately after selecting His first Disciples, Luke records that Jesus encountered a leper. As Philip Jenkins observes in his new book The New Faces of Christianity, “Reading the Bible through fresh eyes constantly reminds us of the depths that still remain to be discovered there.” this 40 minute Sunday morning message by Doug Greenwold revisits Jesus' remarkable encounter with a leper through the fresh eyes of first-century religious and cultural context as we discover again "the rest of the story." See the "CD-ROM" section under PRODUCTS for more information.
December 15, 2007...Sample chapters of "The Rest of the Story" book together with the "Introduction" and "Table of Contents" are available as downloads with our compliments. Go to PUBLICATIONS and activate "The Rest of the Story" link. See the "Publications" section under PRODUCTS for more information.
December 10, 2007...Two of our most popular contextual messages “The Calling of Levi” and “The Rescue of the Demoniac” are now streamed on the website for your listening and learning. Just go to AUDIO and activate the respective links. See the "Audio" section under PRODUCTS for more information.
July 30, 2007... "The Rest of the Story: A Closer Look at Familiar Passages" now available
Ever wonder if there's something more you could be getting out of your Bible Study? Could your time in the Word use a jump start? Then this book is for you. Consider the following recommendation:
"Read this book. It is for anyone interested in developing a more comprehensive understanding of certain key Old and New Testament passages. We all look at Scripture through presumptive and culture-shaping glasses. Doug Greenwold helps us correct our vision and take those glasses off. 'The Rest of the Story' is for Biblical explorers both old and new. Any serious believer or seeker is a 'student.' New students will be struck with delight and made thirsty for more study. Experienced students will be renewed and refreshed and once again realize just how rich these texts can be!" -- Richard L. Gathro, Ed.D, Executive Vice President, Council for Christian Colleges & Universities
This book is available for $21.95 plus $4.95 shipping and handling. See "Publications" under PRODUCTS for more information. Call Customer Service at 1-410-953-0557 to place your order.
June 5, 2007... "In Their Sandals: How His Followers Saw Jesus" now available.
Dr. David Hansen's book takes nine Gospel passages and restores their context so that we can get a better picture of how those in the First Century would have known Jesus. He reveals the important connection between the context of Jesus' teaching and His message allowing us to discover new meaning in recognizable Gospel stories. Contextually developed in the book are "The Woman at the Well," "The Penitent Thief," "Writing on the Ground," "A Widow's Son Lives" and five other familiar passages. David Hansen has several advanced degrees including the Ph.D. and has taught at institutions of higher education, participated in archaeological excavations and has led seminars in the Middle East. He is past President of the Associates for Biblical Research and is a frequent guest lecturer, co-author of two books, and the author of many articles about Bible geography and history.
This 84-page book is available for $9.95 plus $2.95 shipping and handling. See the "Publications" section under PRODUCTS for more information. Call Customer Service at 1-410-953-0557 to place your order.
May 7, 2007...New Third Edition of "The Gospels in Context" Available
This 212-page seminal work, now in a newly issued third edition and renamed "Exploring Bible Times," is the result of Dr. James Martin's twenty years of researching primary source materials in the Middle East. This newly revised and expanded publication integrates citations from The Mishnah, The Talmud, Josephus, and over 100 other primary sources with the Gospel record. Ideal for teachers, pastors and serious students of the Bible, its purpose is to encourage a contextual rediscovery of the purpose, meaning, and thus the significance and relevance of the intended Gospel message. This publication is the perfect compliment to the "Jesus the Messiah: Overview of the Gospels" DVD in that it contains the contextual information pertinent to the images found on that DVD. See the "Publications" section under PRODUCTS for more information.
December 14, 2006..."Jarius and the Bleeding Woman" Teaching CD
Announcing the availablity of a new-65 minute teaching CD which is a contextual restoration of Luke 8:40-56 when Jesus returns from "the other side" where He is met by Jarius, and while on His way to Jarius house, He is interrupted by a women with a twelve-year issue of blood. This teaching weaves together the cultural, historical, literary and geographical context that Luke assumes we would know to further open up these two interconnected miracles. This teaching uses the "Five Story Lines of Scripture" framework to draw out the original purpose and meaning of this passage. Available for $9.00 plus $2.95 shipping and handling. See the "CD-ROM" section under PRODUCTS for more information.
December 11, 2006..."The Calling of Levi" Teaching CD
Announcing the availablity of a new teaching CD which is a contextual restoration of Luke 5:27-28 when Jesus calls Levi, a port tax collector in Capernaum, a person whom the rabbis taught could never ever be forgiven. Taught from the first-person perspective of Levi, this teaching weaves together the cultural, historical, literary and geographical context that Luke assumes we would know to further open up this remarkable passage where Jesus demonstrates His authority to forgive anything and everything. This teaching uses the "Five Story Lines of Scripture" framework to draw out the original purpose and meaning of this passage. Available for $9.00 plus $2.95 shipping and handling. See the "CD-ROM" section under PRODUCTS for more information.
December 6, 2006..."What a Loving Rescue" Teaching CD
Announcing the availablity of a new teaching CD which is a contextual restoration of Luke 8:22-39 when Jesus puts the Twelve in the boats and goes to "the other side" to rescue a demoniac living in the Decapolis. This teaching weaves together the cultural, historical, literary and geographical context that Luke assumes we would know to further open up this incredible journey to the "land of evil." This teaching uses the "Five Story Lines of Scripture" framework to draw out the original purpose and meaning of this passage. Available for $9.00 plus $2.95 shipping and handling. The the "CD-ROM" section under PRODUCTS for more information.
|
” Making Disciples Jesus' Way: Wisdom We Have Missed ”
Announced December 2005
|
 |
Making Disciples Jesus’ Way: Wisdom We Have Missed is a book for disciples and discipling practioniers. Its purpose is to challenge and provoke our contemporary Western discipleship and spiritual formation paradigms by providing the contextual backdrop of what it meant to “make disciples” in the Gospels. Then it asks: What are we doing, why are we doing it that way, and what fruit are we getting (or not getting)? The thesis of the book is that when we reconnect with the “make disciples” contextual presuppositions in the Gospels, we can more clearly see the “missing ingredients” in Western discipleship today.
Ideal for leadership development, discipleship training, small groups, new member orientation and Adult Education classes, the book’s 8 ½ X 11 inch workbook format develops four missing perspectives in our Western approach to disciplemaking (Chapters 1-4), three patterns of Jesus that seem to be missing in our contemporary discipling methodologies (Chapters 5-7), and two oft-missed pieces essential for the fruitful making of disciples (Chapters 8-9).
Single copies are available for $24.95 with $4.95 shipping and handling (maximum $9.95 per order.) International orders will be charged actual shipping cost. Quantity discounts are available. To order, call us at 410-953-0557, fax us at 410-312-1677, mail us at POB 83357, Gaithersburg, MD 20883-3357, or email us.
This book is a new kind of Bible study based on a very old premise – that context enriches content when you study the Scriptures, i.e., that we need to adopt the mindset and ethos of the times of the text if we are going to fully grasp the purpose and meaning of a passage.
This 80-page book resets the “familiar” Luke 1 story of Zechariah and Elizabeth back into its original contextual setting. This enables the reader to experience the fuller story as if we were neighbors of Zechariah and Elizabeth. In so doing, it allows 21st Century Western hearts and mind to connect with the 1st Century Middle Eastern mindset that Luke assumes we would understand. As Paul Harvey would say, now we have “the rest of the story.”
Organized into twelve chapters, each with appropriate “Reflections” and Scripture to ponder, Zechariah and Elizabeth is as appropriate for small group and classroom use as it is for personal devotions.
|
June 1, 2004...Narrated Versions of "Galilee and the North" and "Samaria, Judea and the Dead Sea" DVDs available. Click here
|
|
This richly illustrated 72-page book by Leen and Kathleen Ritmeyer traces the 1,000 year journey of the Ark through the various regions which the Ark passed, from its constitution by Bezaleel in wilderness of Sinai to its final destination in the Holy of Holies of Solomon’s Temple. A useful resource as well as a helpful orientation to much of the Old Testament, this superbly designed book combines original photographs, interpretive drawings based on Scripture, and reconstructions based on archaeological evidence, with concise narratives and Biblical references. A handy resource for teachers and serious students of the Bible.
Single copies of this wonderful contextual resource are only $15 each! Ten or more copies are available for $12 each. Add shipping and handling of $3.00 for each (U.S. Shipment) book ordered (maximum $20). Maryland residents add 5% sales tax. International orders will be billed actual shipping cost.
This handsomely illustrated 80-page book fuses the work of Alfred Edersheim’s classic, “The Temple,” with the scholarship of the world’s foremost authority on Herod’s Temple, Leen Ritmeyer. Wonderfully understandable and contextually rich, this book provides detailed descriptions of the Temple platform, the buildings and the interior of the Temple, the priestly functions, services in the Temple on weekdays, the Sabbath and the holy days. A special chapter deals with the Jewish calendar and festivals as they were celebrated in the days of Christ
Single copies of this wonderful Temple context resource are only $15 each!
A narrated helicopter flyover of Israel integrating the sweeping story of the Scriptures with the land. Highlighting dozens of important OT and NT regions and sites, this DVD provides a great context and a unique perspective for those desiring both a visual and a historical orientation to major events of the Bible.
This new narrated DVD takes the best aerial clips from our “Above Israel” series and presents them in the sequence that the Bible unfolds. Thus, it starts with Mt. Herman footage, where Abraham first entered the land, then presents the various regions of Israel as the sweep of the Bible continues to unfold through the Patriarchs, Joshua & the Conquest, Judges, Prophets and Kings, ending up with Jesus and Jerusalem.
Filmed on location in Israel, this contextually integrated, narrated video production illuminates the events of Jesus from His declaration at Caesarea Philippi to the Resurrection. Organized into 13 two-four minute themes with contextual explanations, as well as five Lenten lessons, this DVD is designed for Sunday School, Bible Study and Home Fellowship groups. This DVD deepens your understanding of the Passion of Jesus allowing it to come alive in fresh and new ways.
“The Life and World of Jesus the Messiah: Overview of the Gospels” DVD. This DVD Teacher's Resource features 15 flyover video clips from Preserving Bible Times extensive archives blended with 158 appropriate still photos, museum piece images, maps, models and illustrations ideal for teaching 23 phases of the life of Jesus in context. The first PowerPoint compatible DVD in this series features a representative selection of the the major sites, geographical areas, cultural scenes, etc., together with image descriptions and Scripture references in an attached HTML text file to maximize their use as Bible contextual teaching resources.
This new DVD resource is designed to be a visual teaching complement to "The Gospels in Context" contextual resource manual for Bible teachers. See "Publications."
January 8, 2003... Three New Contextual Resources Available
"Above Israel" DVD Series. Four DVDs of aerial footage from Dan and Mt Hermon in the north to Sinai in the south. See "Products" in WHATS NEW
A wonderful 26-minute DVD with music for children 4-10. More details can be found in "Products" in WHATS NEW
Special Pricing on Previously Viewed Resources
From time to time, we have a limited number of DVDs that were used as conference demos, have been removed from their packaging, or have some cosmetic blemish on the cover or packaging. While perfectly functional, these resources do not come in sealed packaging and thus are often available for 40-50% below standard pricing. If interested, please inquire for specific product availability and applicable pricing. See the "To Contact Us" page for the different ways you can contact us for more information or to place and order.
Current Internet Pricing Specials Include
■ Get all 4 narrated “Above Israel” (Version 2.0) DVDs for only $149.00 – A 20% Discount
"Above Israel" DVD sets come with written video clip descriptions and Scripture references.
Be sure to reference "Internet Specials" when placing your order.
To order, contact us via Email,
call us at 410-953-0557,
fax us at 410-312-1677 or
write us at P.O. Box 83357,
Gaithersburg, MD 20883-335
|
