Dr. John Killinger
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Why are so many people drifting away from today's
churches? John Killinger suggests that part of the problem is that they have personally outpaced the thinking and understanding of the church, so that they no longer find it adequate
as a social structure for the celebration of their faith. In their attempts to find Jesus and his teachings relevant within the new culture, they strike out on their own or adhere to para-Christian organizations that retain an allegiance to Jesus without the baggage of the traditional institution. Killinger, a former big-steeple minister and theologian, describes how he himself has been forced essentially to abandon the church in order to remain faithful to the beliefs and ideals that first drew him into it. 
Well-known preacher and literary scholar John Killinger has combined his talents to provide a revolutionary study of the Gospel of Mark. On the basis of textual patterns he discovered in a Gospel long believed to be "naive" and "unstudied," Killinger reveals evidence that the two calming-of-the-sea stories traditionally regarded as miracles are actually post-resurrection stories. This explanation not only accounts for the absence of such stories at the end of the Gospel, where the other Gospels place them, but suggests that Mark might actually be a Gnostic document, as the Gnostics believed in the resurrection of Jesus but did not emphasize his physical resurrection. A gnostic origin for Mark also explains other long-standing enigmas in Mark, including its high opinion of women (the Gnostics had women priests); the annoying stupidity of the disciples (they had trouble grasping the gnosis); the amazing recognition of Jesus' real identity by a blind man; and the so-called Messianic Secret (Gnostics wanted to conceal their rites and teachings from outsiders). In this groundbreaking interpretation of the Gospel of Mark, Killinger has given us a reason to reassess the meaning and purpose of the Gospel of Mark
Hidden Mark, the book on which this book is based, is the most revolutionary new approach to the interpretation of the Gospel of Mark in history. Treating the two walking-on-the-sea stories (and also the Transfiguration narrative) as ressurection stories, not mere miracle accounts, author John Killinger shows how the texts around these narratives support his interpretation and explain why Mark doesn't offer a trditional resurrection story at the end, as the other Gospels do. This book allows us to put Mark under the microscope in a completely new way, so that we understand several age-old conundrums in his Gosper, including the Messaianic Secret, the ridiculous stupidity of Jesus' disciples, the unusual status of women, and the way blind people can see the truth about Jesus when no one else does.
For years, Partners in Prayer has been a gift to congregations, small groups, and individuals looking to make a connections during the season of Advent. With scripture readings, meditations, and prayers each day, Partners in Prayer will serve as your guide to the coming of Christmas. 
Examining all the Harry Potter novels, John Killinger points out the consistent way in which author J. K. Rowling follows the story of Christ in the Gospels with Harry as a Christ-figure. Rowling managed to keep this idea a secret to the end of the series, but was in fact following the Christian narrative from the beginning, which readers will recall involved Harry’s being delivered amid extraordinary signs and wonders, following the death of his parents, to the home of his maternal aunt. Raised among ordinary mortals (or Muggles, as Rowling calls them), Harry doesn’t discover the extent of his true powers until he attends Hogwarts School, where he is taken under the wing of headmaster Dumbledore, who is a sort of supernatural father to Harry and has an extraordinary scarlet and gold phoenix (representing the Holy Spirit) who periodically rescues Harry. The Potter stories appealed to young people all over the world with descriptions of witches and witchcraft, which outraged Christian moralists, who claimed that Harry was a poor example because he often behaved like a real schoolboy, cutting classes, telling little lies, and sometimes acting deceptively. Little did they realize that Rowling was actually following the outline of their own sacred story, a fact made clear in the final volume, where on Christmas Eve a stone statue in Harry’s home town turns into a tableau of Harry and his parents (the Holy Family).
After teaching for a number of years, John Killinger, eager to be a pastor, was offered a church in Lynchburg, Virginia. It was in the 1980s when Jerry Falwell had a congregation there. Falwell had just started the Moral Majority movement and had helped to get Ronald Reagan elected president. In 1983, a Good Housekeeping national poll rated Jerry Falwell the second most respected man in America after Reagan.
Released by Crossroad Publishing Co. in April 2007, John Killinger's book is called The Changing Shape of Our Salvation. After giving a history of the development of redemption theology from the Jews of the Old Testament through the early Christians of the New Testament, and from the early church to the Middle Ages, the Reformation, and modern times, Killinger discusses the radical changes taking place in people’s understanding of salvation since the advent of electric communication and the resultant globalization of our culture. As in his other books, Killinger tells a story: a story that applies to every one of us. Early reviews of the book, say the publishers, are “raves.”  |
God, the Devil, & Harry Potter: A Minister’s Defense of the Boy Wizard, published by St. Martin’s Press, $22.95 (hardback, ISBN 0-312-30869-8) and $12.95 (paperback, ISBN 0-312-30871-X). To order, phone 1-888-330-8477. |
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Winter Soulstice: Celebrating the Spirituality of the Wisdom Years, published by Crossroad Publishing Co., $19.95 (paperback, ISBN 0-8245-2316-4). To order, phone 212-868-1801. |
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Ten Things I Learned Wrong from a Conservative Church, published by Crossroad Publishing Co., $19.95 (paperback, ISBN 0-8245-2011-4). To order, phone 212-868-1801.
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Seven Things They Don’t Teach You in Seminary, published by Crossroad Publishing Co., $16.95 (paperback, ISBN 0-8245-2392-3). To order, phone212-868-1801
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Lost in Wonder, Love, and Praise: Prayers and Affirmations for Christian Worship, published by Abingdon Press, $16 (paperback, ISBN 0-687-04600-9). To order, phone 1-800-251-3320.
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Enter Every Trembling Heart: More Prayers and Affirmations for Christian Worship, published by Abingdon Press, $16 (paperback, ISBN 0-687B09395-3). To order, phone 1-800-251-3320.
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Beginning Prayer, published by Upper Room Books, $10 (ISBN 0-8358-0676-6). To order, phone 1-800-251-3320.
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God’s People at Prayer: Pastoral Prayers and Responses for Public Worship, published by Abingdon Press, $14 (ISBN 0-687-33463-2). To order, phone 1-800-251-3320
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Fundamentals of Preaching, published by Fortress Press, $22.00 (ISBN 0-8006-17967). Only $17.60 if ordered online from Fortress. To order, phone 1-800-328-4648.
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THE FOLLOWING BOOKS are available from the authors at 5809 Chittenden Drive, Warrenton, VA 20187. Please send check or money order.
Jessie: A Novel
Imagine Jesus as a woman in today’s America. What would she look like and how would she behave? What kind of miracles would she perform? How would she provoke cruel men to brutally murder her? And to whom would she appear after death? This beautiful novel about a beautiful woman is set primarily in the mountain country around Gatlinburg, Tennessee, where Jessie earns her living as an artist. She and her adopted stray, a German Shepherd she calls Columbo because he has a bad eye, are familiar sights on the roads and byways of this lovely territory—until she offends the conservative religionists by painting a series of famous women in religion, including Rosa Parks, whose portrait waves a red flag in front of diehard segregationists. Like Jesus of old, Jessie has her disciples too, women named Roxie, Phyllis, and Joan, who love her and would follow her almost anywhere.
“This beautiful story will provide delightful hours of readings,” says famous Joshua novelist Joseph F. Girzone, “and many profound messages needed today. I loved the story.”
Originally $14.95, now $12 plus $5 shipping and handling. Leader’s Discussion Guide and Study Guide (separate booklets) also available at $2 each, plus 50 cents shipping and handling. Often used by Sunday school classes and other groups for engaging discussions. ISBN 1-56977-575-3
The Night Jessie Sang at the Opry
In this sequel to Jessie: A Novel, Jessie returns to life as a country-music singer in Nashville, Tennessee, often called “the Vatican City of America” because of its numerous religious headquarters. Propelled into the spotlight by her plaintive voice and original songs, she issues a compelling call to righteousness and honesty on the religious scene. But this is soon met by staunch resistance from a number of highly-placed church leaders. And when some of those leaders turn out to be Mafia figures as well, Jessie’s death is a foregone conclusion. She is killed during a Good Friday concert at the Grand Ol’ Opry. But, as it is with Jesus in the Gospel stories, this isn’t the end of the narrative, for Jessie keeps a date for an extraordinary interview with a persistent reporter from one of Nashville’s newspapers, and the entire city is electrified at the story of her return.
Originally $14.95, now $12 plus $5 shipping and handling. ISBN 1-88730-00-1
http://intermundiapress.weebly.com/in-print-catalog.html
Oh, To Be in England! Its Pleasures and Treasures for the First-TimeVisitor
John and Anne Killinger have lived in England several times, usually on sabbatical leave from universities where John taught, and have traveled extensively throughout the British Isles. This chatty, informative book blends interesting historical facts with practical descriptions of where to go, what to see, even where to eat and where to stay. At the end of the book are several suggested itineraries for one week, two week, and three week visits. “This book tripled or quadrupled our pleasure in seeing England!” declared William and Betty Drummond of Dallas, Texas.
Originally $18.00. Now only $12 plus $5 shipping and handling. ISBN 1-887730-052
Bread for the Wilderness, Wine for the Journey: The Miracle of Prayer and Meditation.
A lyrical, descriptive book about the wonders of prayer and the life of prayer. Chapter titles are: “Prayer and the Wilderness,” “Prayer and the Reign of God,” “Prayer and the Individual,” “Prayer and Community,” and “Prayer and World.” Filled with arresting true stories about the effects of prayer and what it has meant to the author in his own life.
“[This is] a truly wonderful book,” wrote Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, author of the Power of Positive Thinking books. “I’m fascinated by its logic, its philosophy, and its faith. Besides, it is a human document recording the love and joy which are so apparent in the personality of the author.”
Originally published by Word Publishing Co. at $14.95. Now $10 plus $5 shipping and handling. Leader’s Guide and separate individual study guides also available at $2 plus 50 cents shipping and handling. Ideal for Sunday school classes and other study groups. ISBN 1-887730-06-0
http://intermundiapress.weebly.com/in-print-catalog.html
