Books published by Augsburg Fortress Publishers

Tragically, religion has often been associated with violence, repression, war, and vengeance. Where was God during the Holocaust? The violence in Bosnia, Rwanda, or the Middle East? Theologian and author Marc Ellis takes a searing look at religious integrity in the face of evil. Ellis's uncompromising moral sensitivity poses a frank examination of conscience for Christians and Jews alike who seek honestly to engage their tradition and their God.

Everyone in-or associated with-pastoral ministry knows of the heavy toll on pastors' personal and professional lives. Surveys commonly report time pressures, stress, overextension, loneliness and isolation, marital and family difficulties, spiritual dryness, and feelings of loss of meaning. Covenants and Care takes these hard realities into account as the authors, a team of experts in ministry and the Bible, offer skills for the long haul. They employ the Old Testament notion of covenant and ask ministers to enter a covenant both for their own self-care and as a key to framing and enlivening their care for others in ministry. True-to-life stories show how biblically-based covenantal relationships with clear boundaries promote healthy relationships, and how they are integral to faithful personal and pastoral care. The authors' sensible yet sensitive approach offers practical help for the minister's self-care while providing tools for meeting such challenges as conflict in the congregation, issues of sexual ethics, questions of power and conscience, and the dynamics of spirituality.

A reader-friendly, basic introduction that maps the central ideas of the major theologians of the twentieth century, easily accessible to both the theological student and the inquiring lay reader.

The Challenge of Diversity argues that the present diversity in the church reflects a rich variety that was integral to the early Christian movement from its very beginnings. Rhoads shows how Galatians, Mark, Matthew, Luke and John each present a fundamentally different understanding of the human condition, a different vision for life under God, and a different portrayal of our transformation.

A cross-cultural analysis by two leading feminist theoloians of the sex industry, this book concentrates on the role of religion in shaping and sustaining related cultural values and the roles of militarism and business in the sexual exploitation of women, men, and children.

This book demonstrates how counselors can help people to use the resources they already have so they can address issues that come up in life. The authors show that most people have within themselves the strengths and resources to confront the issues positively that trouble their lives. The counseling method elicits resiliency, assets, and successful experiences from the client's past to foster positive change in the present. Case studies are included, drawn especially from marriage and family counseling.

A major work from one of today's leading theologians, this book attempts to "think the unthinkable", how God comes forth actively and redemptively to meet the human situation. Apologetic but not polemical, Farley's work sympathetically engages yet moves beyond both the classical tradition as well as contemporary anti-theisms in formulating a concept of God that is strikingly original, intellectually honest, and comprehensive.

These twenty-two sermons from a master interpreter demonstrate how ancient texts can speak to the whole gamut of human experience even now. Included in Walter Brueggemann's purview are keen observations about the timeless issues of human life, both personal and social: the pain we face, often inflicted on each other; the use and abuse of power; the weakness and fragility of life; the redemptive power of faith; and much more.

This much-hailed volume, here reissued, anchors Song's monumental trilogy--the Cross in the Lotus Land. Against the rich cultural backdrop of Asia, Song's volume explores the mystery of the Word that in the beginning of time now comes into the thick of our times through stories and testimonies of women, men, and children.

A theological resource for spiritual transformation and social change in which Heyward rethinks the figure and import of Jesus.

Fewer people today are familiar with vital theological ideas from the Christian tradition. Preaching about the continuing relevance and richness of this heritage is one of the pastor's most important responsibilities in this age of relativities. Robert Hughes and Robert Kysar show how this situation has come about and offer imaginative and empowering suggestions for proclaiming Christianity's profoundest truths to a new generation.

Orthodox writers--Justin, Ireneaus, Hippolytus, Eusebius, Epiphanius, and others--wrote about the persons and movements they considered heretical. In this book the editors have gleaned excerpts from these and other writers concerning heretical figures and movements of the first two centuries, including Gnostics, Marcion, Montanus, Ebionites, Adoptionists, and others, plus excerpts on the origins of Gnosticism.

Written by a new generation of recognized experts in pastoral care, these brief, foundational books offer practical advice to pastors on the most frequent dilemmas of pastoral care and counseling.

Moloney offers a close reading of the crucial middle section of the Gospel of John, taking the reader on a journey as Jesus' ministry unfolds. Among the events dealt with are the cure of a cripple on the sabbath, Jesus' walk on the sea of Galilee, and the description of the good shepherd.