Books published by Augsburg Fortress Publishers

Many people look to the 1970s and 1980s to find the cause of the rapid growth of Christianity in Korea. But to understand the real story behind the growth of the Korean church, we need to rediscover the story of the American missionary enterprises of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. There, we will learn how the story of the Americ

Kent Dobson climbed Mount Sinai in search of the God who had eluded him. Instead he got bitten by a camel. The senior pastor of one of the most prominent churches in America, Dobson was growing disillusioned with his faith. One Sunday, he preached, I dont know what the word God means anymore. He left the church, but his quest for God became more intense than ever. On the foundation of Jesus and the Bible, Dobson reconstructs a faith that is life-giving and truetrue to himself and true to God.

Building on his previous work on embodied liturgy, Frank C. Senn explores the relationship between the sacramental body and blood of Christ, the ecclesial body of Christ, and the body of the communicant. Drawing on the richness of the eucharistic prayer traditions and his own life experiences, this book expands our understandings of the Eucharist to include a life of gratitude (anaphora), cosmology and praise (preface), body and remembrance (anamnesis), Spirit and community (epiclesis), orthodoxy and world view (doxology), presence and union with Christ (communion), and initiation and reconciliation (fencing the table).

The electronic Bible is here to stay??packaged in software on personal computers, available as apps on tablets and cell phones. Increasingly, students look at glowing screens to consult the Bible in class, and congregants do the same in Bible study and worship. Jeffrey S. Siker asks, what difference does it make to our experience of Scripture if we no longer hold a book in our hands, if we again "scroll" through Scripture? How does the "flow" of electronic Scripture change our perception of the Bible''s authority and significance? Siker discusses the difference made when early Christians adopted the codex rather than the scroll and Gutenberg began the mass production of printed Bibles. He also reviews the latest research on how the reading brain processes digital texts and how churches use digital Bibles, including American Bible Society research and his own surveys of church leaders. Siker asks, does the proliferation of electronic translations reduce the perceived seriousness of Scripture? Does it promote an individualistic response to the Bible? How does the change from a physical Bible affect liturgical practice? His synthesis of the advantages and risks of the digitized Bible merit serious reflection in classrooms and churches alike.

To understand Jesus of Nazareth, it is essential to read writings from the four-century gap between the Old and New Testaments. Matthias Henze introduces this period and its writings, discusses how they have been read over history, guides the students encounter with select texts, then introduces key ideas in New Testament texts that cant be understood without these intertestamental writingsthe Messiah, angels and demons, the law, and the resurrection of the dead. Mind the Gap broadens students perspectives on early Judaism and Christianity and welcomes them to deeper study.

Questions have preoccupied Christian communities throughout historyWho is Jesus? How should we organize ourselves?and theyve 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, its a hoot!

Archaeological exploration of Syria-Palestine and the ancient Near East has revolutionized our understanding of the Bible. David A. Fiensy describes how key archaeological discoveries have opened up new understandings of Israels own history and religion as well as the ancient Near Eastern and later Greco-Roman environments. He discusses the impact these discoveries have had on biblical studies, theology, and the task of biblical interpretation. The challenges for the future of archaeology and biblical study will be explored. Part of the series, Reading the Bible in the 21st Century: Insights.

A landmark text on the history of Christian spirituality embarks on the journey afresh. This accessible and engaging history provides an excellent primer on the two-millennium quest for union with God, a "thirst" at the center of Christian life and practice. Holt traces the practice of Christian devotion, prayer, and contemplation from the biblical and influential early periods through the diverse insights of the Reformation and modern eras. Globally framed, the book highlights the local contributions of people from a wide array of traditions and perspectives as unified yet diverse voices giving witness to the thirst for the experience of the divine that is at the heart of the Christian pilgrimage.This new edition not only updates all the chapters and features but also adds more material on the spirituality of Jesus, medieval women mystics, contemporary spirituality, spiritual faith and practice in the digital age, and spirituality in a globalized world. Excerpts and illustrations from primary sources, a glossary, a timeline, new bibliographies, sets of spiritual exercises and discussion questions, and an online resource guide heighten the book''s usefulness for students and lay persons alike.

Disputes that currently trouble Christianity often involve disagreement over scriptural interpretation. Such disagreement is nothing new, and insights available from past efforts at resolution can be valuable for modern Christians. This study elucidates the hermeneutic of Richard Hooker, a formative figure of Anglicanism, to recommend it as a resource for promoting dialogue. Hooker''s approach to scripture recognizes the importance of both rational reflection and inspiration while balancing claims of interpretive authorities and individual conscience, providing a hermeneutic that opens Christians to growth and reform while maintaining unity within the church.

The question of God and Cosmology raises the deepest questions of human existence: Why is there something rather than nothing? Or, to put it more personally, Why am I here? The 2014 Greer-Heard Forum featured Christian philosopher William Lane Craig and atheist cosmologist Sean Carroll presenting their views before a packed crowd of over nine hundred people. Spirited, civil, and often humorous, the debate highlighted not only their positions, but the full range of possibilities. In this volume, the debate is reprinted and supplemented by a range of essays.

This project generates conversation between the great thinkers of the Russian Orthodox tradition with the most significant Protestant theologian of the last century, Karl Barth. The body of Russian theological scholarship guided by sobornost challenges Barth, helping us to draw out necessary criticism while leading us toward unexpected insight, and vice versa. Accordingly, this collection not only illuminates but also stimulates discussions for those engaged in the study of Karl Barth''s corpus, the Orthodox tradition, and in the ecumenical discourse between East and West.  

The Impassioned Life argues that theology''s task today is to rethink the nature of the emotions and their relation to human reason. The Christian tradition contains the pastorally valid intuition that moderation and self-control are necessary virtues for the Christian life. At the same time, Christian theology attends to contemporary psychological research in order to achieve a more integrated understanding of the emotions and reason. At heart, this volume offers a holistic vision of the Christian life lived passionately in its full range of feeling as life in the Spirit.

Luther and Liberation recovers the liberating and revolutionary impact of Luther''s theology, read afresh from the perspective of the Latin American context. The work examines with fresh vigor Luther''s central theological commitments, such as his doctrine of God, Christology, justification, hermeneutics, and ecclesiology, and his forays into economics, politics, education, violence, and war. This new edition greatly expands the original text with fresh scholarship and contains several new chapters on Luther''s doctrine of God, the sacraments, his controversial perspective on Judaism, and a comparative account of Latin American liberation theology.

The Gospels include at least fifteen different stories about Jesus anger. Jesus anger shows us what godly anger is. Although sinful anger cannot achieve the righteousness of God, godly anger can rouse a sleeping church. Godly anger stirs people to wake up and be truthful so that many can be healed. Godly anger is the antidote to arrogance and addictions and senseless violence. Its the cure for selfish fearfulness and complacency. Its the spark for moral courage. Its the match that lights new fire for renewal in the church.

God is not an idea. Christian faith is not a set of propositions you either believe or reject. According to a proper Trinitarian understanding, God is essentially relationship, a relationship of sheer, active, ecstatic, self-giving love. This 51% Christian moniker is a ridiculous label with a deadly serious point. You now have permission to doubt, to question, to get angry at God. But, in the end, its not about you. Faith is about relationship: a living, daily relationship, based on trust, and active in concrete, daily practices.

Making Love with Scripture offers an accessible way of thinking about scriptural interpretation, showing how the destabilization of the text can open us up to the liberative work of Gods Spirit. It also shows how such a destabilization neither obviates deep evangelical commitments nor renders the text meaningless and ineffectual. It posits a mode of understanding the Word of God revealed in Scripture that melds what is best and life-giving from both the evangelical and mainline traditionsit offers a view of the Bible that is both faithful and anarchic.

John D. Caputo has a long career as one of the preeminent postmodern philosophers in America. Caputo now reflects on his spiritual journey from a Catholic altar boy in 1950s Philadelphia to a philosopher after the death of God. Part spiritual autobiography, part homily on what he calls the nihilism of grace, Hoping against Hope calls believers and nonbelievers alike to participate in the praxis of the kingdom of God, which Caputo says we must pursue without why.

Since its first appearance in 1980, Documents for the Study of the Gospels has been a highly regarded sourcebook for the study of the historical environment and the religious, philosophical, and literary texts comparable to aspects of the Gospels. In this third edition, David R. Cartlidge has added new discoveries (including the Gospel of Mary Magdala and the Gospel of Judas), updated the introductions in light of contemporary scholarship, and illustrated the texts with a rich repertoire of images from the ancient world and the cultural reception of the Gospels.

The Executed God is a searing indictment of the structures of Lockdown America and a visionary statement of hope. Outlining a theatrics of state terror, Taylor documents the instrumentsmass incarceration, militarized police tactics, surveillance, torture, immigrant suppression, and capital punishmentthrough which Lockdown America enforces global neoliberal economic and political imperialism. Against this, Taylor proposes a counter-theatricsthe way of the crossthat unmasks the powers of state control and enacts an adversarial politics of resistance and dramatic actiona Christian politics of remembering the Jesus executed by empire.

Philosophy: A Short, Visual Introduction is the ideal path to understanding the philosophical ideas that influence Christian theology. Scott Paeths fast-paced introduction covers the most important movements and thinkers with precision and clarity. The major ideas are creatively illustrated by artist Joseph Novak, whose crisp, modern style brings big concepts to life for readers. The result is an articulate, no-nonsense approach that guides readers from the ideas of ancient philosophers to contemporary thinkers and movements that impact Christians today.

The first two chapters of 1 Corinthians have played a significant role in the history of Christian theology. Interpreting the central event in Christianity, the crucifixion of Jesus, Paul reflects on the wisdom and foolishness of God in the word of the cross. This volume hopes to achieve two things by seeking to place exegetes, historians, philosophers, and theologians in conversation: to better understand Pauls text and its reception and also to examine the ways in which it can nourish our theological reflection today.

The Art of Empire contends that the art and imagery of Late Antiquity requires a deeper understanding of the context of the imperial period before and after Constantine. The chapters treat an aspect of the relationship between early Christian art and the rituals, practices, or imagery of the Empire. The long-held belief that Christian arts beginnings can be simply understood by Constantines acceptance of the religion and the imperial cult must be reconsidered. These chapters offer a fresh perspective on the development of Christian art in its imperial background.

The questions of Christianity are perennial. How are Judaism and Christianity related? Are Jesus and the Holy Spirit God? Is the end of the world imminent? How should we relate faith and reason? In this innovative work, Derek Cooper tells the story of Christian history by presenting the twenty questions (one for each century!) that shaped the Chris

This study examines Orthodox liturgical reform after Vatican II through the lens of Catholic-Orthodox ecumenical dialogue. Examining the initial pillars of liturgical reform, the study presents the history of movements for liturgical reform through four models: the liturgical reforms of Alexander Schmemann; the alternative liturgical center in the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR); the symposia on liturgical rebirth authorized by the Church of Greece; and the renewed liturgy of New Skete Monastery, and concludes with suggestions for liturgical reform that meet the challenges of postmodernity and ecumenical fidelity.

It is easy to forget how often Luthers concerns turned toward helping the common person understand and take comfort from Gods word. In this brief volume, Dennis Ngien helps contemporary readers engage Luthers commentary on the lament psalms. Difficult to understand, and perhaps even more difficult to implement in life and devotion, the lament Psalms play a key role in Luthers thought, and Dennis Ngiens careful explanation of them and their use rewards the reader.

Until recently, many scholars have read Pauls use of the word Christos as more of a proper name (Jesus Christ) than a title, Jesus the Messiah. Joshua Jipp broadens the discussion by surveying Greco-Roman and Jewish depictions of the ideal king and argues for the influence of these traditions on several aspects of Pauls thought, including Pauls language of participation in Christ. Jipp finds that Pauls use of royal tropes is indeed significant, and concludes that Christos is a royal title, an honorific, within Pauls letters.

With contributions from Jrgen Moltmann, N. T. Wright, Marianne Meye Thompson, Mary Clark Moschella, Charles Mathewes, and Miroslav Volf, this volume puts joy at the very heart of Christian faith and life, exploring joys biblical, dogmatic, ecclesiological, and ethical dimensions in concert with close attention to the shifting tides of culture. All together, the volume offers a compelling Christian vision of the good life, showing the connections between joy and themes of creation, theodicy, politics, suffering, pastoral practice, and eschatology.