Books in the SCM Classics series

One of the classics of prison literature, this collection of documents serves as the last will and testament of the Lutheran theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, executed by the Nazis after incarceration in Tegel Prison

Combining New Testament study with the terseness of thriller writing, Theissen conveys the Gospel story in the imaginative prose of a novel. This is a story of our times, or how the gospels might have turned out if they were written by John Le Carre: racy, readable and full of incident.

This work represents a statement of the importance for theology of eschatology - and of an eschatological theology which emphasizes the revolutionary effect of Christian hope upon the thought, institutions and conditions of life in the here and now.

Freed from the weight and onus of Christian doctrine or Jewish animus, Jesus here appears as a vividly human, yet profoundly misunderstood, figure, thoroughly grounded and contextualized within the intellectual and cultural cross-currents of his day.

Barth stands before us as one of the greatest theologians of the 20th century, yet the massive corpus of his work - "Church Dogmatics" - can seem daunting and formidable to readers today. Here, in concentrated form, are the essential tenets of his thinking.

This is the credo and seminal text of the movement which was later characterized as liberation theology. This powerful, compassionate and radical book attracted criticism for daring to mix politics and religion in so daring a manner.

This work discusses the importance for theology of narrative and story. The central contention of the book is that, if Jesus' parables are taken as models of theological reflection, there is a form there that unites language, belief and life.

This volume argues that theology and Christology are inseparably bound together: one can only talk about God when one talks about Jesus. The author develops that connection systematically and brings together dogmatics, biblical exposition and philosophical reflection.

This text began in the 1860s as a phrase from Matthew Arnold's picture of the decline of religion as the retreat of the tide on Dover's beach. The book has had a significant impact, for its account of historical developments and its presentation of Christian non-realism.

Conducting a thorough examination of sexual ethics in the New Testament, Countryman discusses biblical notions of purity and property, and characterises sex as one of the rich blessings of creation.

The publication of the first edition in 1984 was a significant event in the development of liberation theology.

This volume brings together seven essays which are representative of the author's style, approach to and outlook on contemporary biblical topics. It serves as an introduction to one of the most important issues facing the church today - the authority of the Bible.

This concise introduction to the main themes of the Apostles' Creed emphasizes the fundamentally Trinitarian character of the Creed. The author aims to show that, in using the Creed, we grow in knowledge of ourselves, each other, the world and the mystery of God.

In a sympathetic and warmly empathic style, John V. Taylor tells of his encounters with many different African people, and reflects theologically on the conversations he has shared with people in a wide variety of circumstances.

Here, the author examines four Old Testament narratives of suffering in ancient Israel: Hagar, Tamar, an unnamed concubine and the daughter of Jephthah. The stories prompt much reflection on contemporary misuse of the Bible, and therefore have considerable relevance in modern times.

These 16 sermons contain in concentrated form some of Tillich's most lambent themes. He discusses, among other topics, wisdom; salvation; loneliness and solitude; creation in relation to the creator; inequality and spiritual presence.

On first publication in the 1960s, "Honest to God" did more than instigate a passionate debate about the nature of Christian belief in a secular revolution. It epitomised the revolutionary mood of the era and articulated the anxieties of a generation.

Here, Ruether uses feminist theology as a tool to expose the male-centred bias of classical theology, examining the ways in which the female has been (uncomfortably) accommodated within the Christian tradition. She then articulates a faith which encorporates both genders in their totality.