Theology (Exegetical Historical Practical etc.)
Showing 601–650 of 3294 results
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What Kind Of God
$13.99Add to cartHow can God be good when he allows suffering, authorizes war, limits my sexuality, excludes people of other religions and even sends them to hell?Michael Ots responds with clarity and warmth to these and other moral objections to the character of God. He shows that in spite of some common perceptions, God really is good and can be trusted.
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Better Story : God Sex And Human Flourishing
$14.99Add to cartThe architects of the sexual revolution won over the popular imagination because they knew the power of story. They drew together radical new ideologies, often complex and hard to grasp, and melded them into the simpler structure of narrative. Crucially, they cast narratives that appealed to the moral instincts of ordinary, decent people.This moral vision overwhelmed the church and silenced its faltering apologists.The author argues that if Christians still believe they have have good news in the sphere of sexual ethics, then two big tasks lie ahead. Our first priority is to work out what has gone so badly wrong, both in our understanding and application of what the Bible teaches and the way we have presented our case to the non-churched. And then we must offer a better story, one that fires the imagination with such force that people will say, ‘I want that to be true.’This book offers a confident, biblically rooted moral vision which needs to be shared with prayer and courage.
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Planetary Solidarity : Global Womens Voices On Christian Doctrine And Clima
$39.00Add to cartPlanetary Solidarity brings together leading Latina, womanist, Asian American, Anglican American, South American, Asian, European, and African woman theologians on the issues of doctrine, women, and climate justice. Because women make up the majority of the world’s poor and tend to be more dependent on natural resources for their livelihoods and survival, they are more vulnerable when it comes to climate-related changes and catastrophes. Representing a subfield of feminist theology that uses doctrine as interlocutor, this book ask how Christian doctrine might address the interconnected suffering of women and the earth in an age of climate change.
While doctrine has often stifled change, it also forms the thread that weaves Christian communities together. Drawing on postcolonial ecofeminist/womanist analysis and representing different ecclesial and denominational traditions, contributors use doctrine to envision possibilities for a deep solidarity with the earth and one another while addressing the intersection of gender, race, class, and ethnicity. The book is organized around the following doctrines: creation, the triune God, anthropology, sin, incarnation, redemption, the Holy Spirit, ecclesiology, and eschatology.
Contributors include: Ivone Gebara, Fulata Moyo, Melanie Harris, Sallie McFague, Sharon Bong, Nancy Pineda-Madrid, Heather Eaton, Cynthia Moe-Lobeda, Barbara Rossing, and many other fine woman liberationists.
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Enjoying God : Finding Hope In The Attributes Of God
$20.00Add to cartConfused, angry, and hurt after the death of his father, a young R. C. Sproul began his personal search for ultimate truth with these piercing questions: Who are you, God? And why do you do the things you do?
In Enjoying God, readers journey with R. C. Sproul to discover the attributes of God through the questions many of us have asked: Where are you, God? Can I trust you, God? and more. In this warm, personal account, Dr. Sproul communicates deep truths in a fresh and easy-to-understand style as he shares his passion to know God and urges the reader to dig deep and seek the God who is alive, who is real, and who loves each one of us.
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Book Of Enoch
$18.99Add to cartThe Book of Enoch is an invaluable resource for all who are interested in the origins of Christianity. It was known and used by the earliest churches and sheds light on many concepts found in the New Testament, such as demonology, future judgment, the Messiah and the Messianic Kingdom, the title ‘Son of Man’ and the resurrection.
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Philosophical Foundations For A Christian Worldview (Expanded)
$70.99Add to cartPreface
Outline Of The Book
An Invitation To Christian PhilosophyPart I: Introduction
1 What Is Philosophy?
2 Argumentation And LogicPart II: Epistemology
3 Knowledge And Rationality
4 The Problem Of Skepticism
5 The Structure Of Justification
6 Theories Of Truth And Postmodernism
7 Religious EpistemologyPart III: Metaphysics
8 What Is Metaphysics?
9 General Ontology: Existence, Identity, And Reductionism
10 General Ontology: Two Categories?Property And Substance
11 The Mind-Body Problem Part IA: Consciousness And Property Dualism Or Mere-Property Dualism
12 The Mind-Body Problem Part IB: Alternatives To Property Dualism Or Mere-Property Dualism
13 The Mind-Body Problem Part IIA: Arguments Regarding And Versions Of Substance Dualism
14 The Mind-Body Problem Part IIB: The Main Physicalist Alternatives To Substance Dualism
15 Free Will And Determinism
16 Personal Identity And Life After DeathPart IV: Philosophy Of Science
17 Scientific Methodology
18 The Realism-Antirealism Debate
19 Philosophy And The Integration Of Science And Theology
20 Philosophy Of Time And SpacePart V: Ethics
21 Ethics, Morality, And Metaethics
22 Ethical Relativism And Absolutism
23 Normative Ethical Theories: Egoism And Utilitarianism
24 Normative Ethical Theories: Deontological And Virtue EthicsPart VI: Philosophy Of Religion And Philosophical Theology
25 The Existence Of God I
26 The Existence Of God II
27 The Coherence Of Theism I
28 The Coherence Of Theism II
29 The Problem Of Evil
30 Creation, Providence, And Miracle
31 Christian Doctrines I: The Trinity
32 Christian Doctrines II: The Incarnation
33 Christian Doctrines III: Atonement
34 Christian Doctrines IV: Christian ParticularismSuggestions For Further Reading
Name Index
Subject Index
Scripture IndexAdditional Info
Winner of a 2004 ECPA Gold Medallion Award! Winner of an Award of Excellence in the 2003 Chicago Book Clinic! What is real?What is truth? What can we know? What should we believe? What should we do and why? Is there a God? Can we know him? Do Christian doctrines make sense? Can we believe in God in the face of evil? These are fundamental questions that any thinking person wants answers to. These are questions that philosophy addresses. And the answers we give to these kinds of questions serve as the the foundation stones for consrtucting any kind of worldview. In Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview J.P. Moreland and William Lane Craig offer a comprehensive introduction to philosophy from a Christian perspective. In their broad sweep they seek to introduce readers to the principal subdisciplines of philosophy, including epistemology, metaphysics, philosophy of science, ethics and philosophy of religion. They do so with characteristic clarity and incisiveness. Arguments are clearly outlined, and rival theories are presented with fairness and accuracy. Philosophy, they contend, aids Christians in the tasks of apologetics, polemics and systematic theology. It reflects our having been made in the image of God, helps us to extend biblical teaching into areas not expressly addressed in Scripture, facilitates the spiritual discipline of study, enhances the boldness and self-image of the Christian community, and is requisite to the essential task of integrating faith and learning. Here is a lively and thorough introduction to philosophy for all who want to know reality. -
Divine Dance Large Print Edition (Large Type)
$23.99Add to cartInvitation to a Dance
The Trinity is supposed to be the central, foundational doctrine of our entire Christian belief system, yet we’re often told that we shouldn’t attempt to understand it because it is a “mystery.” Should we presume to try to breach this mystery? If we could, how would it transform our relationship with God and renew our lives?The word Trinity is not found in the New Testament–it wasn’t until the third century that early Christian father Tertullian coined it–but the idea of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit was present in Jesus’ life and teachings and from the very beginning of the Christian experience.
In the pages of this book, internationally recognized teacher Richard Rohr circles around this most paradoxical idea as he explores the nature of God–circling around being an apt metaphor for this mystery we’re trying to apprehend. Early Christians who came to be known as the “Desert Mothers and Fathers” applied the Greek verb perichoresis to the mystery of the Trinity. The best translation of this odd-sounding word is dancing. Our word choreography comes from the same root. Although these early Christians gave us some highly conceptualized thinking on the life of the Trinity, the best they could say, again and again, was, Whatever is going on in God is a flow–it’s like a dance.
But God is not a dancer–He is the dance itself. That idea might sound novel, but it is about as traditional as you can get. God is the dance itself, and He invites you to be a part of that dance. Are you ready to join in?
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Exile : A Conversation With N T Wright
$44.99Add to cartPreface
Introduction
N. T. Wright’s Hypothesis Of An “Ongoing Exile”: Issues And Answers (James M. Scott)Main Paper
Yet The Sun Will Rise Again: Reflections On The Exile And Restoration In Second Temple Judaism, Jesus, Paul, And The Church Today (N. T. Wright)Part I: Old Testament/Hebrew Bible/Septuagint
1. Wright On Exile: A Response (Walter Brueggemann)
2. Exile And Restoration Terminology In The Septuagint And The New Testament (Robert J. V. Hiebert)
3. Not All Gloom And Doom: Positive Interpretations Of Exile And Diaspora In The Hebrew Bible And Early Judaism (Jorn Kiefer)Part II: Early Judaism
4. Jewish Nationalism From Judah The Maccabee To Judah The Prince And The Problem Of “Continuing Exile” (Philip Alexander)
5. Continuing Exile Among The People Of The Dead Sea Scrolls: Nuancing N. T. Wright’s Hypothesis (Rob Kugler)
6. The Dead Sea Scrolls And Exile’s End: Sword And Word And The Execution Of Judgment (Dorothy M. Peters)Part III: New Testament
7. N. T. Wright’s Exile Theory As Organic To Judaism (Scot McKnight)
8. Paul, Exile, And The Economy Of God (S. A. Cummins)
9. How To Write A Synthesis: Wright And The Problem Of Continuity In New Testament Theology (Timo Eskola)Part IV: Theology
10. Sacramental Interpretation: On The Need For Theological Grounding Of Narratival History (Hans Boersma)
11. Exile And Figural History (Ephraim Radner)Conclusion
Responding To Exile (N. T. Wright)Additional Info
N . T. Wright is well known for his view that the majority of Second Temple Jews saw themselves as living within an ongoing exile, and that both Jesus and Paul drew on this theme. Here Wright spells out his view in a lengthy essay, scholars respond from various perspectives, and Wright responds to them. -
Theater Of Gods Glory
$33.99Add to cartA theological framework for the liturgical arts rooted in John Calvin
Both detractors and supporters of John Calvin have deemed him an enemy of the physical body, a pessimist toward creation, and a negative influence on the liturgical arts. But, says W. David O. Taylor, that only tells half of the story.
Taylor delves deeply into Calvin’s work and shows that his theology of the material creation actually offers itself as a rich resource for the use of art in Christian worship. As he pursues the implications of Calvin’s trinitarian theology, Taylor illuminates the larger landscape of Calvin’s views and argues that his work opens up a way to understand the purposes of the liturgical arts.
Drawing on Calvin’s Institutes, biblical commentaries, sermons, catechisms, treatises, and worship orders, this book represents one of the most thorough investigations available of John Calvin’s theology of the physical creation–and the rich possibilities it opens up for the arts in worship.
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Right Here Right Now
$15.99Add to cartChristians have always practiced mindfulness. Yet, from the popular landscape of mindfulness movement, you’d never know that. Where is the Christian voice in this fast-growing movement? Many Christians practice mindfulness outside of church and believe it does not belong to our faith tradition. This book reveals the Christian roots of mindfulness and the actual practices that, when reclaimed, deepen the life of faith and the power of our mission of love in the world. When we understand how radical it is to live in God’s presence right here, right now, our lives are transformed toward mercy, justice and abundant life. In her new book, Amy Oden shows how the practice of Christian mindfulness begins with the teachings of Jesus and continues throughout Christian history. It also includes step-by-step instructions for the practice of Christian mindfulness today. Pastors and leaders will find this book useful on the ground as they curate current culture and guide Christians in spiritual practices.
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Protestant Reformation And World Christianity
$42.99Add to cartThe sixteenth-century Reformation in all its forms and expressions sought nothing less than the transformation of the Christian faith. Five hundred years later, in today’s context of world Christianity, the transformation continues. In this volume, editor Dale Irvin draws together a variety of international Christian perspectives that open up new understandings of the Reformation.
In six chapters, contributors offer general discussions and case studies of the effects of the Protestant Reformation on global communities from the sixteenth century to the present. Together, these essays encourage a reading and interpretation of the Reformation that will aid in the further transformation of Christianity today.
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Our Deepest Desires
$20.99Add to cartAcknowledgments
Introduction: Making Sense Of Our DesiresPart I: Persons
1. Persons And Happiness
2. People Matter Most
3. We Flourish In RelationshipsPart II: Goodness
4. Looking For Goodness
5. Goodness Is Primary
6. Goodness Is Good For UsPart III: Beauty
7. The Startling Presence Of Beauty
8. The Artist
9. Beauty Points The Way HomePart IV: Freedom
10. Personal Freedom
11. Freedom And Truth
12. Freedom And HopeEpilogue: Human Aspiration And The Christian Story
General Index
Scripture IndexAdditional Info
How does the Christian story compare to our shared experience as humans? Philosopher and apologist Greg Ganssle explores this question by considering Christianity in light of our widely-shared human aspirations such as our relationships, goodness, beauty, and freedom, showing that the Christian story explains and grounds these deeply-held values. -
Problem Of God
$19.99Add to cartThe Problem of God is written by a skeptic who became a Christian and then a pastor, all while exploring answers to the most difficult questions raised against Christianity. Growing up in an atheistic home, Mark Clark struggled through his parents’ divorce, acquiring Tourette syndrome and OCD in his teen years. After his father’s death, he began a skeptical search for truth through science, philosophy, and history, eventually finding answers in Christianity.
In a disarming, winsome, and persuasive way, The Problem of God responds to the top ten God questions of our present age, including:
*Does God even exist?
*What do we do with Christianity’s violent history?
*Is Jesus just another myth?
*Can the Bible be trusted?
*Why should we believe in Hell anymore today?The book concludes with Christianity’s most audacious assertion: how should we respond to Jesus’ claim that he is God and the only way to salvation.
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No Quick Fix
$19.99Add to cartEvery Christian struggles with sin and wants to be victorious in the fight.
Higher life theology–also known as Keswick theology–offers a quick fix for this struggle. It teaches that there are two categories of Christians: those who are merely saved, and those who have really surrendered to Christ. Those who have Jesus as their Savior alone, and those who have him as their Master as well. If Christians can simply “let go and let God” they can be free of struggling with sin and brought to that higher level of spiritual life. What could be wrong with that?
A lot, it turns out. In No Quick Fix, a shorter and more accessible version of his book Let Go and Let God?, Andy Naselli critiques higher life theology from a biblical perspective. He shows that it leads not to freedom, but to frustration, because it promises something it has no power to deliver. Along the way, he tells the story of where higher life theology came from, describes its characteristics, and compares it to what the Bible really says about how we overcome sin and become more like Christ.
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95 The Ideas That Birthed The Reformation
$18.99Add to cartIn 1517, an unknown Augustinian monk, informed by his growing belief that salvation is by faith alone, published and distributed a stark criticism of papal abuses in the Catholic Church. In doing so, Martin Luther lit the spark for what would become the Protestant Reformation.
What became known as the “95 Theses” was a series of statements expressing concern with corruption within the Church, primarily the selling of “indulgences” to the people as a means covering them from their sins.
For the 500th anniversary of Luther’s revolutionary writing, Whitaker House is combining each thesis with an excerpt from one of his later works to provide a convenient way to understand the ideas and concepts that became the seeds of the Protestant Reformation.
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Between One Faith And Another
$20.99Add to cartIntroduction
1. What Is Religion? The Problem Of Definition
2. Primitive Religions: The Sense Of The Religious
3. Hinduism: The Claims Of Mystical Experience
4. Buddhism: The Logic Of Nirvana
5. Zen: The Transformation Of Consciousness
6. Confucianism: The Structure Of Social Success
7. Taoism: The Power Of Nature’s Way
8. Judaism: Human Culture Or Divine Revelation?
9. Islam: Is Surrender Fundamentalism Or The Heart Of Religion?
10. Christianity: The Most Believed (and Most Unbelievable) Claim Ever Made
11. Comparative Religions: Can Contradictories Both Be True?
PostscriptAdditional Info
How do we make sense of the world’s different religions? In today’s globalized society, religion is deeply intertwined with every issue we see on the news. But talking about multiple religions can be contentious. Are different faiths compatible somehow? And how can we know whether one religion is more true than another? In this creative thought experiment, Peter Kreeft invites us to encounter dialogues on the world’s great faiths. His characters Thomas Keptic and Bea Lever are students in Professor Fesser’s course on world religions, and the three explore the content and distinctive claims of each. Together they probe the plausibility of major religions, from Hinduism and Buddhism to Christianity and Islam. Along the way they explore how religions might relate to each other and to what extent exclusivism or inclusivism might make sense. Ultimately Kreeft gives us helpful tools for thinking fairly and critically about competing religious beliefs. If the religions are different kinds of music, do they together make harmony or cacophony? Decide for yourself. -
Jesus The Eternal Son
$22.99Add to cartAdoptionism-the idea that Jesus is portrayed in the Bible as a human figure who was adopted as God’s son at his baptism or resurrection-has been commonly accepted in much recent scholarship as the earliest explanation of Jesus’s divine status. In this book Michael Bird draws that view into question with a thorough examination of pre-Pauline materials, the Gospel of Mark, and patristic sources.
Engaging critically with Bart Ehrman, James Dunn, and other scholars, Bird demonstrates that a full-fledged adoptionist Christology did not emerge until the late second century. As he delves into passages often used to support the idea of an early adoptionist Christology, including Romans 1:3-4 and portions of the speeches in Acts, Bird persuasively argues that early Christology was in fact incarnational, not adoptionist. He concludes by surveying and critiquing notable examples of adoptionism in modern theology.
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Little Prayer Book 1522 And A Simply Way To Pray 1535
$16.99Add to cartPublisher’s Note About The Annotated Luther Study Edition
Series Introduction
AbbreviationsIntroduction
Little Prayer Book, 1522Introduction
A Simple Way To Pray, 1535Image Credits
Additional Info
This volume provides two of Martin Luther’s most significant writings on prayer. In Little Prayer Book, 1522, Luther seeks to reform the theology and practice of prayer in clear and understandable language for all people by encouraging simple, direct prayer to God, who promises to hear the one who prays. Luther focuses on the Ten Commandments, Apostles’ Creed, and Lord’s Prayer, giving his treatment of prayer a catechetical feel that would later provide the structure of his catechisms.In A Simple Way to Pray, 1535, Luther offers his barber and all other readers insights into his own prayer life. He organizes his comments around the seven petitions of the prayer Jesus taught to his disciples. He also uses the Ten Commandments and the Apostles’ Creed as resources for prayer. He sets out to “kindle a fire in the heart” and increase the reader’s eagerness for prayer.
This volume is excerpted from The Annotated Luther series, volume 4 (Pastoral Writings). Each volume and selection in the series contains new introductions, extensive annotations, illustrations, and notes to help shed light on Luther’s context and to interpret his writings for today.
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Homebrewed Christianity Guide To Church History
$19.99Add to cart1. Herding Ecclesiastical Cats
2. Who’s In Charge Around Here?
3. Flaming Heretics And Anathemas Galore
4. Mother Of God Or The Devil’s Gateway?
5. Drawn From Immanuel’s Veins
6. “Salt Me Well, Salt Me Well”
7. Life In The Spirit
8. In The World But (Mostly) Not Of ItAdditional Info
Amid the ferment of dissent and the protests of heretics, the church developed most significantly. This guide introduces that history by looking at those periods, all with the trademark Homebrewed Christianity wit.Questions have preoccupied Christian communities throughout history-Who is Jesus? How should we organize ourselves?-and they’ve been debated at councils and fought on battlefields. Focusing on some of the most and least savory characters in church history, this guide provides an overview of Christian responses to those and other formative questions. Plus, it’s a hoot!
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Augustinian Alternative : Religious Skepticism And The Search For A Liberal
$49.00Add to cartIntroduction
1. Political Liberalism And Its Theological Opponents
2. Political Liberalism And The Possibilities Of Augustinian Skepticism
3. The Liberal State: An Augustinian Defense
4. Montaigne And The Notion Of “The Secular”: An Alternative To Radical Orthodoxy
5. Obeying, Believing, And Rebelling: Montaigne’s Theology As Liberal-Christian Politics
6. Contemporary Political Landscapes: Augustine Against Neoliberalism
Conclusion: Augustinian Epistemology And The Prospect Of Christian Liberalism
Bibliography
Index
Additional Info
This book’s central claim is that a close reading of Augustine’s epistemology can help political theologians develop affirmative accounts of political liberalism. This claim is set in a scholarly context that is profoundly hostile to constructive theological readings of liberal culture. As a corrective to such antagonism, this book suggests that, far from being natural opponents, Christian communities can work fruitfully with political liberals based on common principles. A key component in this argument is the theological reevaluation of the ancient skeptical tradition. While the ancient skeptics are habitually treated by scholars as minor characters in the story of Augustine’s theological development, this volume argues that they played a significant role in shaping both Augustine’s theology and the subsequent character of the Augustinian tradition. By placing Augustine’s reading of the skeptics in dialogue with contemporary culture, this book constructs a viable form of liberal Christian politics that is attentive both to his sin-sensitive account of public life and his eschatological vision of the church. -
Old Earth Or Evolutionary Creation
$28.99Add to cart11 Chapters
Additional Info
Old-earth and evolutionary creationists differ on important subjects, but they also share more than one might expect. In this exciting and groundbreaking volume, representatives from Reasons to Believe and BioLogos engage in a charitable, informed debate over key issues on the relation of Christianity and modern science. -
Memories Of Asaph
$79.00Add to cart1. Introduction And History Of Interpretation
2. Theoretical Considerations: History And Communal Memory
3. Mnemohistory And The Asaphite Corpus
4. How Asaph Remembers
5. Psalm 78: The Heart Of What Asaph Remembers
6. What Asaph Remembers
7. Excursus: Residual Memories In The Asaphite Corpus
8. Conclusions: Why Asaph Remembers
Indices
BibliographyAdditional Info
Although the Psalms of Asaph (Pss. 50, 73?83) contain a concentration of historical referents unparalleled in the Psalter, they have rarely attracted sustained historical interest. Karl N. Jacobson identifies these psalms as containing cultic historiography, historical narratives written for recitation in worship, and explores them through mnemohistory, attending to how the past is remembered and to the rhetorical function of recitation in the cultic setting. Jacobson describes mnemohistory at the intersection of memory and history, explores the singularity of the rhetorical and formals aspects of remembrance in the Asaph material, and discusses “residual mnemohistory,” material that is not intentionally called to remembrance. Jacobson shows that Asaph “remembers” the past as a movement from henotheism to a more orthodox form of Yahwism as the core memory that informs a new historical situation for worship participants. By describing the “way Asaph remembers,” Jacobson highlights symbolic and individualized elements of the psalms’ mnemohistorical work that earlier form-critical approaches failed to recognize. -
Mission As Accompaniment
$49.00Add to cartKey Concepts
1. Introduction
2. Mechanistic Dehumanization
3. Mission As Accompaniment
4. The Olive Agenda
5. Ubuntu
6. Towards A Response To Mechanistic Dehumanization
7. ConclusionsBibliography
IndexAdditional Info
Mechanistic dehumanization occurs when human beings are objectified and exploited as a means to an end, comparable to expendable components of a machine. This misconstruction of human value is a source and sustainer of overproduction, an excess of consumption, and the pursuit of unrestrained economic growth, damaging both people and the planet.Can the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Global Mission respond to mechanistic dehumanization through mission as accompaniment?
The notion of mission as accompaniment, which emerges from liberation theology and development methodology, promotes solidarity among church companions that embodies interdependence and mutuality. Grounded in the New Testament expression of koinonia, Mission as Accompaniment is affirmed in this study as a suitable foundation to counteract mechanistic dehumanization.
Through this research with the University of KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) Theology and Development program, Brian E. Konkol incorporates economics, ecology, anthropology, and postcolonial missiology. He maintains that two particular elements-the African concept of Ubuntu, and an Olive Agenda-when integrated into mission as accompaniment, will equip the ELCA Global Mission with an advocacy-driven trajectory in response to mechanistic dehumanization.
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Nature Of Christ
$6.00Add to cartThis book explains the view of our Orthodox church regarding the Nature of Christ. It tells you that it is One Nature formed of two natures, united without mixture, nor mingling, not confused…. perfect Divinity and perfect Humanity. We do not speak of two natures after their being united in the Virgin’s womb.” H. H Pope Shenouda III
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Embodied Hope : A Theological Meditation On Pain And Suffering
$25.99Add to cartA Necessary Prelude
Part I: The Struggle
1. Hard Thoughts About God
2. Don’t Answer Why
3. Longing And Lament
4. Embracing Embodiment
5. Questions That Come With PainPart II: The Strangeness Of God
6. One With Us: Incarnation
7. One For Us: Cross
8. Risen And RemainingPart III: Life Together
9. Faith, Hope, And Love
10. Confession And The Other
11. FaithfulAdditional Info
This book will make no attempt to defend God. . . . If you are looking for a book that boasts triumphantly of conquest over a great enemy, or gives a detached philosophical analysis that neatly solves an absorbing problem, this isn’t it. Too often the Christian attitude toward suffering is characterized by a detached academic appeal to God’s sovereignty, as if suffering were a game or a math problem. Or maybe we expect that since God is good, everything will just work out all right somehow. But where then is honest lament? Aren’t we shortchanging believers of the riches of the Christian teaching about suffering? In Embodied Hope Kelly Kapic invites us to consider the example of our Lord Jesus. Only because Jesus has taken on our embodied existence, suffered alongside us, died, and been raised again can we find any hope from the depths of our own dark valleys of pain. As we look to Jesus, we are invited to participate not only in his sufferings, but also in the church, which calls us out of isolation and into the encouragement and consolation of the communal life of Christ. Drawing on his own family’s experience with prolonged physical pain, Kapic reshapes our understanding of suffering into the image of Jesus, and brings us to a renewed understanding of-and participation in-our embodied hope. -
Christian Ethics : Four Views
$25.99Add to cartThe field of Christian ethics is the subject of frequent conversation as Christians seek to understand how to live faithfully within a pluralistic society. The range of ethical systems and moral philosophies available can be confusing to people seeking clarity about what the different theories mean for everyday life. Christian Ethics: Four Views presents a dialogue between four main approaches to ethics in the Christian tradition. Virtue ethics focuses less on the action itself and more on the virtuous character of the moral agent. A divine command approach looks instead at whether an action has been commanded by God, in which case it is morally right. Natural law ethics argues for a universal, objective morality grounded in nature. Finally, prophetic ethics judges what is morally right in light of a biblical understanding of divine justice and shalom. The four views and their proponents are as follows: Brad J. Kallenberg: Virtue EthicsJohn Hare: Divine Command EthicsClaire Peterson: Natural Law EthicsPeter Heltzel: Prophetic EthicsChristian Ethics: Four Views, edited by noted ethicist Steve Wilkens, presents an accessible introduction to the key positions in Christian ethics today.
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Parish : An Anglican Theology Of Place
$31.00Add to cartThe Anglican parish is uniquely embedded in English culture and society, by virtue both of its antiquity and close allegiance with secular governance. Yet it remains an elusive and surprisingly overlooked theme, whose ‘place’, theologically, is far from certain. Whilst ecclesiastical history has long formed a pillar of academic training for ordained ministry, ecclesiastical geography has not contributing to the often uninformed assumptions about locality in contemporary church debate and mission strategy. At a time when its relevance and sustainability are being weighed in the balance and with plans progressing for the Church in Wales’ abandonment of parochial organisation, there is an urgent need for a clear analysis of the parish’s historical, geographical and sociological – as well as theological significance.?
“Parish” examines the distinctive form of social and communal life created by the Anglican parish: applying and advancing, the emerging discipline of place theology by filling a conspicuous gap in contemporary scholarship. Andrew Rumsey will help in forming a vision for the future of the English parish system, contribute towards the Church’s strategy for parochial ministry and also inform the broader national conversation about ‘localism’ and cultural identity.
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Henry Chadwick : Selected Writings
$38.99Add to cartRare scholarly insight into the early church – still relevant for the church today
This anthology offers a choice selection of writings by one of the twentieth century’s premier church historians, Sir Henry Chadwick. Many of Chadwick’s considerable contributions to a fuller understanding of the early church were unpublished or not circulated widely during his lifetime, but here they are compiled in a convenient, accessible form.
Reflecting Chadwick’s wide-ranging expertise, this volume contains his essays on a variety of themes pertaining to the early church, including the emerging faith’s relationship to classical culture; the interaction between piety, politics, and theology; councils in the early church; the power of music in the church; and more. As relevant for the study of early Christianity today as when they were first written, Chadwick’s essays remain a valuable resource for better understanding the church both past and present, shedding light on ecumenical problems that still keep Christians visibly divided.
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Wholly Citizens : God’s Two Realms And Christian Engagement With The World
$39.00Add to cartIntroduction
?1. The Legacy Of Luther
2. The Two Realms: Interpreters Of Luther, Faithful And Otherwise
3. Two Realms For Today: Suitable And Wholly Relevant
4. Applying The Teaching To The Church And Her Pastors
5. Applying The Teaching To The Individual Christian Believers
6. An Essay Grounded In The Two Realms: “Story Time In America”Bibliography
IndexAdditional Info
Wholly Citizens addresses the relation between the church and the world in light of the Reformation teaching of the two realms-especially as presented by Luther. Rather than exploring again the usual texts of Luther from the 1520’s, this book begins with a careful reading of Luther’s Commentary on Psalm 81 (1531), and then considers subsequent interpreters of Luther, both faithful and otherwise, and the dubious legacy they have left the church. The book argues that both the corporate church as well as individual believers are responsible for the world, and that each must speak directly about and to the world in meaningful ways. The final section of the book addresses the concrete situation facing believers in the early 21st century in light of faithful Reformation teaching about the two realms. Following this path leads to conclusions not entirely expected, including the forthright rejection of “a wall of separation” between church and state, and also a rebuke of the familiar clamor for the preservation of the rights of Christians and the church. Heedless of the status quo, Wholly Citizens offers an engaging and bracing picture of Christian life in today’s world-a picture framed in theological truth. -
Double Particularity : Karl Barth Contextuality And Asian American Theology
$49.00Add to cartIntroduction
1. Particularity: Defining The Context
2. Contextuality: The Logic Of Contextual Engagement
3. Reconciliation: Dialectical Grammar For Cultural Engagement
4. Missionality: Asian American EcclesiologiesConclusion
BibliographyAdditional Info
Double Particularity is a constructive proposal for theological methodology addressing the Asian American context using the theology of Karl Barth. It focuses primarily on employing Barth’s theology to develop a methodology for engaging the Asian American context. This methodological focus means that it is an integrative and synthetic work, bringing seemingly disparate thoughts and concepts together. Here, the Asian American context serves as an important case study.With the center of worldwide Christianity moving to the global South, and even as American Christianity becomes more reflective of immigrant populations, the theological need for a deeper engagement with context is more urgent than ever. Karl Barth, particularly his thought on election, Christology, and reconciliation, offers much wisdom and insight for the churches of the majority world and for these ethnic churches, even though he is often seen as just a figure in the Western historical tradition. Hence, this study is a contribution to the development of a connection between Barth and contextual theology, to the stimulation and enrichment of both.
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Peril And Promise Of Christian Liberty
$38.99Add to cartHow do Christians determine when to obey God even if that means disobeying other people? In this book W. Bradford Littlejohn addresses that question as he unpacks the magisterial political-theological work of Richard Hooker, a leading figure in the sixteenth-century English Reformation.
Littlejohn shows how Martin Luther and other Reformers considered Christian liberty to be compatible with considerable civil authority over the church, but he also analyzes the ambiguities and tensions of that relationship and how it helped provoke the Puritan movement. The heart of the book examines how, according to Richard Hooker, certain forms of Puritan legalism posed a much greater threat to Christian liberty than did meddling monarchs. In expounding Hooker’s remarkable attempt to offer a balanced synthesis of liberty and authority in church, state, and conscience, Littlejohn draws out pertinent implications for Christian liberty and politics today.
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Explorations In Asian Christianity
$50.00Add to cartAsia is the birthplace of Christianity. If Christianity is not usually seen as an Asian religion, that is because the history of Christianity in Asia has long been a difficult one. Whereas Christianity in the West received royal support, Asian Christianity has led a more nomadic and exilic existence. Today it is the least Christianized region of the world. Scott W. Sunquist is a recognized expert on the history of the Christian faith in Asia. Over the years he has published and spoken frequently on this theme. Explorations in Asian Christianity gathers his key writings on the topic and organizes them into four main categories: surveys that look at Asian Christianity in broad perspective, historical investigations that look at how Christianity shapes our understanding of history and historiography, missiological studies that look closely at issues of place, and finally essays on theological education. Topics explored in this volume include Ecumenism in AsiaThe cruciform nature of ChristianityA missiology of placeThe Christian view of timeGlobal migrationExplorations in Asian Christianity sheds light on one of the most important but least well-known areas in Christian history.
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God And The Problem Of Evil
$28.99Add to cartIntroduction Chad V. Meister And James K. Dew Jr.
Part 1: Perspectives On The Problem Of Evil
1. The Classic View Phillip Cary
2. The Molinist View William Lane Craig
3. The Open Theist View William Hasker
4. The Essential Kenosis View Thomas Jay Oord
5. The Skeptical Theist View: A Journey Stephen WykstraPart 2: Responses
6. Response To Other Contributors Phillip Cary
7. Response To Other Contributors William Lane Craig
8. Response To Other Contributors William Hasker
9. Response To Other Contributors Thomas Jay Oord
10. Response To Other Contributors Stephen WykstraAuthor Index
Subject IndexAdditional Info
Evil abounds. And so do the attempts to understand God in the face of such evil. The problem of evil is a constant challenge to faith in God. How can we believe in a loving and powerful God given the existence of so much suffering in the world? Philosophers and theologians have addressed this problem countless times over the centuries. New explanations have been proposed in recent decades drawing on resources in Scripture, theology, philosophy, and science. God and the Problem of Evil stages a dialogue between the five key positions in the current debate: Phillip Cary: A Classic ViewWilliam Lane Craig: A Molinist ViewWilliam Hasker: An Open Theist ViewThomas J. Oord: An Essential Kenosis ViewStephen Wykstra: A Skeptical Theism View According to the classic position, associated especially with the Augustinian tradition, God permits evil and suffering as part of the grand narrative of divine providence to bring about the redemption of creation. Molinism modifies the classic view by adding God’s middle knowledge to the picture, in which God has knowledge of what creatures would do in all possible worlds. Open theism rejects the determinism of the classic view in favor of an account of God as a risk-taker who does not know for sure what the future holds. Essential kenosis goes further in providing a comprehensive theodicy by arguing that God cannot control creatures and thus cannot unilaterally prevent evil. Skeptical theism rejects the attempt to provide a theodicy and instead argues that, if God exists, we should not expect to understand God’s purposes. Edited, with an introduction, by Chad Meister and James K. Dew Jr., God and the Problem of Evil hosts a generous and informative conversation on one of the most pressing issues in the Christian life. -
Radical Friendship : The Politics Of Communal Discernment
$39.00Add to cartA Print On Demand Title
In a society that is increasingly marked by apathy, division, and moral incompetence, how might Christians set about working with others in such a way as to begin to address those challenges that seem to overwhelm our capacity to respond? In Radical Friendship, Ryan Newson argues that the often-neglected practice of communal discernment provides a path to faithful political engagement that is worthy of reconsideration, especially given its ability to create authentic friendships both within and beyond the church. Such friendships, Newson maintains, are capable of fostering a type of competence in people who engage the practice that can counteract those social, political forces that are antithetical to competence’s formation.
Uniquely, Newson explores the contours of communal discernment as a practice that is especially relevant to Christians seeking radical democratic alternatives to political liberalism. Communal discernment is shown to be capable of generating conscientious participation in grassroots politics; additionally, this practice enables Christians to enjoy reciprocal, discerning relationships with people of differing convictional communities. Indeed, communal discernment turns out to be capable of preparing Christians to recognize and celebrate analogues to the practice in the world at large.
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New City Catechism
$9.99Add to cartThroughout the history of the church, catechisms have been written to be memorized and used for Christian growth and training. The New City Catechism is a modern-day resource aimed at reintroducing this method of teaching to Christians in today’s culture. This short book lays out fifty-two questions and answers in two versions-both a shorter children’s answer and an extended adult’s answer-about God, human nature, sin, Christ, the Holy Spirit, and more. The questions and answers can be used devotionally, recited orally, and memorized over the course of a year. Families, churches, small groups, and Christian schools will find this to be a valuable resource for developing the building blocks of important concepts in the minds and hearts of youth and adults alike.
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Entering Into Rest
$35.99Add to cartOliver O’Donovan’s Ethics as Theology project began with Self, World, and Time, an “induction” into Christian ethics as ordered reflection on moral thinking within the life of faith. Volume 2, Finding and Seeking, shifted the focus to the movement of moral thought from a first consciousness of agency to the time that determines the moment of decision.
In this third and final volume of his magnum opus, O’Donovan turns his attention to the forward horizon with which moral thinking must engage. Moral experience, he argues, is necessarily two-directional, looking both back at responsibility and forward at aims. The Pauline triad of theological virtues (faith, love, and hope) describes a form of responsibility, and its climax in the sovereignty of love opens the way to a definitive teleology.
Entering into Rest offers O’Donovan’s mature reflections on questions that have engaged him throughout his career and provides a synoptic view of many of his main themes.
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Wittenberg Meets The World
$25.99Add to cartProposes creative implications of the 500-year Reformation tradition for today
As the global church assesses the legacy of the Lutheran Reformation, Alberto Garcia and John Nunes in this book reimagine central Reformational themes from black, Hispanic, and other perspectives traditionally at the margins of catholic-evangelical communities.
Focusing on the central theme of justification, Garcia and Nunes delve into three interlinked aspects of the church’s life in the world-martyria (witness), diakonia (service), and koino-nia (fellowship). They argue that it is critically important and vitally enriching for the whole church, especially Eurocentric Protestant churches, to learn from the grassroots theological emphases of Christian communities in the emerging world.
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Hidden And The Manifest
$44.99Add to cartRowan Williams says that David Bentley Hart “can always be relied on to offer a perspective on the Christian faith that is both profound and unexpected.” A new collection of this brilliant scholar’s work, The Hidden and the Manifest contains nineteen essays by Hart on theology and metaphysics.
Spanning Hart’s career both chronologically and topically, these essays cover such subjects as the Orthodox understanding of Eucharistic sacrifice; the metaphysics of Paradise Lost; Christianity, modernity, and freedom; death, final judgment, and the meaning of life; and many more.
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Decalogue : Living As The People Of God
$24.99Add to cartPreface
Abbreviations
Introduction: What Is The Decalogue? Loving God1. First Of All
2. Worship
3. Reverence
4. Rest
5. FamilyLoving Neighbor
6. Life
7. Marriage
8. Property
9. Truth
10. Last But Not Least The Decalogue Today
11. Laws For LifeBibliography
Additional Info
The Ten Commandments have long inspired broad affirmation as a pillar of the Western tradition of law and culture. In more recent times they have been a point of controversy in the public square. But on closer scrutiny the commandments are particularly addressed to the people of God. In the exodus narrative, their revelation on Sinai is framed in symbols of awe-fire, smoke, and blaring trumpets. To this centerpiece of Sinai, David L. Baker brings his extensive research and reflection. Setting each commandment within its ancient Near Eastern setting, he clearly backlights their cultural profile. Then, within their covenantal framework, he illuminates their biblical-theological meaning. Finally, viewing each commandment in light of our contemporary setting, he reflects on how they cut against the cultural grain and shed light on our pathway as the people of God. The result is a focused commentary on the Decalogue. For anyone studying the Decalogue and Old Testament ethics-students or laypeople, teachers or preachers-this book is an indispensable guide to the “Ten Words” of Yahweh delivered at Sinai. -
Born From Lament
$33.99Add to cartProfound reflection on lament and hope arising out of Africa’s immense suffering
There is no more urgent theological task than to provide an account of hope in Africa, given its endless cycles of violence, war, poverty, and displacement. So claims Emmanuel Katongole, a recognized, innovative theological voice from Africa.
In the midst of suffering, Katongole says, hope takes the form of “arguing” and “wrestling” with God. Such lament is not merely a cry of pain-it is a way of mourning, protesting, and appealing to God. As he unpacks the rich theological and social dimensions of the practice of lament in Africa, Katongole tells the stories of courageous Christian activists working for change in East Africa and invites readers to enter into lament along with them.
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Rediscovering The Holy Spirit
$22.99Add to cartFor the Spirit, being somewhat forgotten is an occupational hazard. The Holy Spirit is so actively involved in our lives that we can take his presence for granted. As they say, familiarity breeds contempt. Just as we take breathing for granted, we can take the Holy Spirit for granted simply because we constantly depend on him. Like the cane that soon feels like an extension of the blind man’s own body, we too easily begin to think of the Holy Spirit as an extension of ourselves. Yet the Spirit is at the center of the action in the divine drama from Genesis 1:2 all the way to Revelation 22:17. The Spirit’s work is as essential as the Father’s and the Son’s, yet the Spirit’s work is always directed to the person and work of Christ. In fact, the efficacy of the Holy Spirit’s mission is measured by the extent to which we are focused on Christ. The Holy Spirit is the person of the Trinity who brings the work of the Father, in the Son, to completion. In everything that the Triune God performs, this perfecting work is characteristic of the Spirit. In Rediscovering the Holy Spirit, author, pastor, and theologian Mike Horton introduces readers to the neglected person of the Holy Spirit, showing that the work of God’s Spirit is far more ordinary and common than we realize. Horton argues that we need to take a step back every now and again to focus on the Spirit himself-his person and work-in order to recognize him as someone other than Jesus or ourselves, much less something in creation. Through this contemplation we can gain a fresh dependence on the Holy Spirit in every area of our lives.
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Retrieving History : Memory And Identity Formation In The Early Church
$31.00Add to cartExamines the ways early Christians related and transmitted their history–apologetics, martyrdom accounts, sacred biography, and the genre of church history proper–helping readers understand how Christian identity is rooted in the faithful work of preceding generations.
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Grace Alone Salvation As A Gift Of God
$21.99Add to cartHistorians and theologians alike have long recognized that at the heart of the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation were the five solas: sola scriptura, solus Christus, sola gratia, sola fide, and soli Deo gloria. These five solas do not merely summarize what the Reformation was all about but have served to distinguish Protestantism ever since. They set Protestants apart in a unique way as those who place ultimate and final authority in the Scriptures, acknowledge the work of Christ alone as sufficient for redemption, recognize that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone, and seek to not only give God all of the glory but to do all things vocationally for his glory.
2017 will mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. And yet, even in the twenty-first century we need the Reformation more than ever. As James Montgomery Boice said not long ago, while the Puritans sought to carry on the Reformation, today “we barely have one to carry on, and many have even forgotten what that great spiritual revolution was all about.” Therefore, we “need to go back and start again at the very beginning. We need another Reformation.”[1] In short, it is crucial not only to remember what the solas of the Reformation were all about, but also to apply these solas in a fresh way in light of many contemporary challenges.
[1]James Montgomery Boice, “Preface,” in Here We Stand: A Call from Confessing Evangelicals (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1996), 12.
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Christ Alone The Uniqueness Of Jesus As Savior
$24.99Add to cartHistorians and theologians alike have long recognized that at the heart of the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation were five declarations (or “solas”) that distinguished the movement from other expressions of the Christian faith.
Five hundred years later, we live in a different time with fresh challenges to our faith. Yet these rallying cries of the Reformation continue to speak to us, addressing a wide range of contemporary issues. The Five Solas series will help you understand the historical and biblical context of the five solas and how to live out the relevance of Reformation theology today.
In Christ Alone, Stephen Wellum considers Christ’s singular uniqueness and significance biblically, historically, and today, in our pluralistic and postmodern age. He examines the historical roots of the doctrine, especially in the Reformation era, and then shows how the uniqueness of Christ has come under specific attack today. Then, he walks us through the storyline of Scripture, from Christ’s unique identity and work as prophet, priest, and king, to the application of his work to believers and our covenantal union with him to show that apart from Christ there is no salvation. Wellum shows that we must recover a robust biblical and theological doctrine of Christ’s person and work in the face of today’s challenges and explains why a fresh appraisal of the Reformation understanding of Christ alone is needed today.
