Books published by Augsburg Fortress Publishers

Comprehensive in scope, non-technical in expression, and concise in length, Is It Too Late? provides the scholar and the student alike with a readable and compelling orientation to the philosophical and theological stakes of ecology. This Fortress edition includes a new preface in which Cobb reflects on the current situation, the specific promises and perils we now face, and how his own thinking on matters theological and ecological has evolved in the last half century.

"In Pilgrim Letters, Curtis Freeman takes disciples on a contemporary journey into an ancient faith. The book is a series of letters written by "Interpreter" to "Pilgrim" that provide "instruction in the basic teaching of Christ" for candidates preparing to be baptized. The letters are framed by a short catechism based on the six principles enumerated in Hebrews 6:1-2--(1) repentance, (2) faith, (3) baptism, (4) laying on of hands, (5) resurrection, and (6) eternal judgment. The letters lead Pilgrim (the disciple/catechumen/baptismal candidate) step by step through the basics of Christian faith. Each letter explores one of the principles by providing a simple explanation and setting the practice within a broad biblical, historical, and theological context. The theological tenor of the letters is evangelical-catholic, free church-ecumenical, and ancient-future. A set of discussion questions follows each letter as does a short bibliography for further reading. Each letter begins with an image from William Blake's illustrations of John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress and exemplifying the subject of the letter, followed by an epigraph from the story that fits into the themes of the catechism."--Publisher

Until his untimely death, Vitor Westhelle's incisive scholarship shaped a generation. As a continuation of that legacy, presented here for the first time in English is a collection of Westhelle's Portuguese-language essays. In this collection, he addresses the most important issues of our day, including the cross and death, the ecological crisis, the ecumenical movement, the church's misuse of power, Luther's law-gospel dialectic, and the role of European theology in the conquest of the Americas.

"This is the story of how an intertwining of spirituality and organizing transformed a pastor and congregation. Using the metaphor of paying attention to the voice of God in the burning bush (Exodus 3), Moe describes how he and the congregation turned to the burning bush of deepened spirituality coupled with hard-nosed organizing embodied in the IAF network. The process was not easy or smooth, but the pastor and people changed, and together they impacted the larger Portland community.This is the story of listening, discerning, acting, and evaluating to address the upstream causes of pressing issues and of identifying and lifting up the public dimensions of people's pain. This is the story of prayer circles that addressed societal challenges contributing to people's private struggles. This is the story of unearthing and confronting the impacts of political decisions, overcoming the mentality that'church and politics don't mix.'Sunday worship shifted to include the stories of addiction, job loss, rising energy costs, and ecological grieving from the members and their neighbors.This book demonstrates how the power of spiritual discernment and community organizing can transform a community of faith. It's timely inspiration for congregations struggling to find their way out of decline and the immobilization caused by fear and lack of creative leadership."--Publisher

Schwarz offers a sweeping survey of views of the problem of evil, beginning with the world's major religious traditions before focusing on the major views across the broad span of Christian history. --Book cover.

Made, Known, Loved: Developing LGBTQ-Inclusive Youth Ministry builds on experience and wisdom developed through The Naming Project, a ministry created at the intersection of youth, faith, and LGBTQ identity. Ministry cofounder Ross Murray shows congregations how to examine their values and create a program that affirms LGBTQ youth in their faith and their identity, accepts and welcomes diverse sexual orientations and gender identities, and equips future leaders for the church and the LGBTQ community.

In Eyes of the Heart: Seeing God in an Age of Science, Russell Haitch offers a model for unifying faith and science that does not compromise either good science or Christian convictions. With wit and insight, Haitch shows how his model resolves long-standing (and still heated) issues of creation and evolution. Compelling stories and clear explanations will appeal to a wide audience, including parents, youth workers, and young people themselves.

How to Read Paul provides an incisive, yet brief, examination of Paul as a writer and theologian steeped in the cultural, intellectual, and religious crossroads of the ancient world. Through an analysis of Paul's undisputed letters, Yung Suk Kim explores and explains Paul's key theological concepts and situates them in their proper cultural context. By placing Paul in the Jewish, Hellenistic, and Roman worlds that informed his thinking, this book reexamines familiar themes in his letters, such as gospel, righteousness, and faith. In so doing, How to Read Paul provides teachers, students, and interested lay readers with a clear, user-friendly portrait of the apostle, informed by a critical, yet appreciative, integration of the new perspective on Paul, emphasizing the faithfulness of Christ as well as believers' participation in Christ. The first few chapters give an overview of Paul and his letters, while the remaining chapters deal with key theological concepts and their cultural contexts. Discussion questions at the end of each chapter help students focus their reading and reflection on central elements, features, and themes. How to Read Paul is an ideal textbook for both undergraduate and seminary classrooms and a helpful guide for professors, clergy, and lay readers.

"After decades of bouncing between hope and despair, Evangelical, Baptist-raised Julie Rodgers found herself making a powerful public statement that her former self would have never said: ""I support same-sex marriage in the church."" When Rodgers came out to her family as a junior in high school, she still believed that God would sanctify her and eventually make her straight. Wanting so intensely to be good, she spent her adolescent and early adult years with an ex-gay ministry, praying for liberation from her homosexuality. In Outlove Rodgers details her deeply personal journey from a life of self-denial in the name of faith to her role in leading the take-down of Exodus International, the largest ex-gay organization in the world, to her marriage to a woman at the Washington National Cathedral. Through one woman's intimate story, we see the larger story of why many have left conservative religious structures in order to claim their truest identity. Outlove is about love and losses, political and religious power-plays, and the cost to those who sought to stay in a faith community that wouldn't accept them. Shedding light on the debate between Evangelical Christians and the LGBTQ community--a battle that continues to rage on in the national news and in courtrooms across the country--this book ultimately casts a hopeful vision for how the church can heal."--Provided by publisher.

What does pressing pause look like? In Reclaiming Rest, Kate H. Rademacher explores the gifts pf solitude, stillness and Sabbath rest in a world of motion and noise. Ultimately, Rademacher claims, pausing for sacred rest pierces our illusions of self-reliance and control - and that's good news. What if keeping the Sabbath is not only a command to obey but a gift to reclaim?

Women haven't always had the right to vote. From such diverse voices as John Stuart Mill and Cokie Roberts, the absolute right of both women and men to vote has been affirmed. And yet, resistance to women's suffrage even by women themselves has a long and painful history. In this exciting volume, thirteen theologians and religious leaders in America look back at the historic victory in 1920 when women in the United States won the right to vote. They then assess the current situation and speak into the future.Women with 2020 Vision: American Theologians on the Vote, Voice, and Vision of Women commemorates the 100th anniversary of women in the United States obtaining the right to vote, a story that must be told and retold and reflected upon in light of the current sociopolitical-theological realities.

The Politics of Faith addresses key biblical texts and their intersection with questions of good government, social policy, and societal leadership. It speaks to Christians and others who seek to ponder and discuss the role of faith and Bible in their decisions about civic politics and faithful citizenship. This book aims to enable readers to see more clearly that the Bible does speak about the kinds of economic and social policies a nation should adopt. It will empower them to claim the message of Scripture in favor of policies that promote the good of those who are disadvantaged and the good of the community. It will help them make the argument that the Bible calls for laws and policies that expect the wealthy to contribute to the good of all, including policies and laws that are not always to their personal financial advantage. The author explores ways the Old Testament shows God's concern for social structures, the ideal early church community in Acts, and how the Gospel of Matthew shows concern for social structures in the ministry of Jesus. The final section looks at the writings of Paul, showing how they demand certain kinds of political commitments. This book will help readers talk about how a deeper understanding of Scripture can affect how one votes and the kinds of policies one supports. Each chapter ends with a set of questions for discussion that both review what is in the chapter and provoke discussion about faithful action.

Preeminent biblical scholar and preacher Walter Brueggemann says the book of Jeremiah is not a sermon, but it does sound the cadences of the tradition of Deuteronomy that serve as sermons--that is, as expositions based on remembered and treasured tradition. In this volume, Brueggemann conducts an experiment in homiletics. He wants us to wrestle with the question, What if we allow the canonical shape of the book of Jeremiah to instruct us concerning the shape and trajectory of the sermon? More specifically, he wonders: What if the book of Jeremiah is treated as a long sermonic reflection about the traumatic events that led to exile and displacement for the people of Judah? Why did it happen? Is God faithful? Does God punish? Is there any future? This theme and these questions can also be related to the crucifixion of Jesus and the displacement experienced by his followers. Brueggemann extends his wonderment further to the displacement experienced in modern American culture, as events jolt our notions of exceptionalism and chosenness. All of those same propensities were at work in ancient Israel in the wake of the displacement of Jerusalem, a wake given voice in the book of Jeremiah. Brueggemann analyzes the various parts of the sermon through the organization of the book of Jeremiah, looking at Introduction, Body, and Conclusion, comparing them to Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Resurrection Sunday. The task of the preacher mirrors the task of the prophet who seeks to pluck and tear down, as well as to plant and to build. The preacher cannot, as he says, participate in a cover-up. The preaching task requires honesty about what God requires and a clear proclamation of what God has done and will yet do.

"In '2020s Foresight', authors Tom Sine and Dwight Friesen seek to "wake up" Christian leaders and those whom they serve to the realities that leaders in other fields must deal with all the time. We are no longer simply living in changing times. We live in the reality that we are racing into a new world of accelerating change. The authors want to enable leaders in churches and Christian organizations to learn how to lead in this time of acceleration. They focus on three vital practices: foresight (analyzing the accelerating changes and anticipating new opportunities and strategies for addressing change); reflection (discerning biblical purposes for times like these); and creating innovative ways to engage new challenges so as to advance God's purposes in our lives, congregations, and organizations in the 2020s." --

Clear, Calm, and Connected offers wisdom on leadership drawn from common ministry scenarios, family systems thinking, and Scripture. Paul E. Walters and Robert F. Holley, experienced pastors and long-time students of family systems theory, provide insights and tools to help ministry leaders--lay and ordained, as individuals and groups--view a congregation or organization and understand in fresh ways their own behavior, presence, and functioning.Through accessible stories about familiar ministry situations, readers are introduced to key elements of family systems theory: self-differentiation, cut-off, triangles, family projection, multi-generational transmission, emotional process in society, and the nuclear family emotional system. As readers grow in their understanding of these concepts, they will be able to serve congregations more effectively and conduct their personal life with more grace.Clear, Calm, and Connected is an excellent leadership training tool for boards, committees, or teams. Each chapter addresses one challenging issue, and chapters may be read in any order. Readers are encouraged to explore topics when anxiety is low, so when challenges arise and anxiety is higher, they have already practiced how to respond rather than react. It is an especially valuable resource for leaders working to discern mission, define roles, and respond to conflict.Healthy Congregations 2020 Book of the Year

Reprint: Previously published: Minnearpolis: Fortress Press, 2020.