by Beth Snodderly
Societies experience well-being, safety, health, and peace to the extent that God’s people are influencing (for the good) the way people relate to each other within that society.
Romans 12 lists seven gifts God has given the body of Christ for creating shalom. After listing the gifts and how to use them, Paul gives examples of practical applications of each gift. To notice the correlation of the examples with the gifts, the reader needs to know about the memory aid of chiasm, commonly used in the oral world of the Ancient Near Eastern. A chiastic structure is a form of ancient poetry of “rhyming” similar thoughts, for example, ABCCBA.
Reading Romans 12:5-21 with this literary device in mind helps us see more clearly what a society and inter-personal relationships should look like when God’s people are actively using the gifts God has given them.
Read MoreStructures God Has Used to Bring about Societal Change
by Kattie Jamar Jewett, WCIU PhD student
When believers are able to look beyond themselves, they have the potential to change the surrounding culture.
Read Moreby Beth Snodderly
By accepting Jesus’ willingness to endure the consequences of sin, people and societies can break out of a vicious cycle and experience healing of broken relationships with God, people, and nature.
Read Moreby Grace May
In this entry, WCIU Associate Professor of Biblical Studies Grace May reflects on lessons learned from reading a WCIU book by Beth Snodderly and attending a story workshop on overcoming evil with good.
Read Moreby Maureen Singer, WCIU MA student
In this post, WCIU Student Maureen Singer reflects on the history of International Development and William Carey International University’s contribution to its practical scholarship and philosophy.
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