Birth

Description

The Mystery of Being Born

Description

This volume explores the connections between our own birth, the experience of having children, and the new birth of the Christian life. Seasoned pastor James Howell offers theological perspectives on a variety of themes associated with birth, such as who we are in light of having once lived in utero, why people might have children, infertility, adoption, baptism, and how to make sense of it all in light of God coming to us first in Mary’s womb and then as an infant. The book includes paintings, photos, and drawings.

About the Series
Pastors are called to help people navigate the profound mysteries of being human, from birth to death and everything in between. This series, edited by leading pastoral theologian Jason Byassee, provides pastors and pastors-in-training with rich theological reflection on the various seasons that make up a human life, helping them minister with greater wisdom and joy.

Contents

Series Preface
Introduction
Part 1: Our Mysterious Beginning
1. In My Mother’s Womb
2. My Birthday
3. Unchosenness and Being Chosen
Part 2: Jesus’s Birth and Early Life
4. Mary, Mother of Our Lord
5. The Birth of Jesus
6. Jesus’s First Days
Part 3: The Complexities of Conception and Raising Children
7. Why Have Children?
8. Having Children
9. The First Days after Birth
10. Infertility and Medicine
11. When Medicine Fails
Part 4: Our New Birth
12. Adoption
13. Remember Your Baptism
14. You Must Be Born Again
Epilogue
Index

Author

James C. Howell (PhD, Duke University) is senior pastor of Myers Park United Methodist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, and has nearly four decades of experience in parish ministry. He speaks frequently around the country and is an adjunct professor of preaching at Duke Divinity School. Howell has written numerous books, including Weak Enough to Lead: What the Bible Tells Us about Powerful Leadership and What Does the Lord Require? Doing Justice, Loving Kindness, Walking Humbly.