Books published by Cascade Books

In Fragile World: Ecology and the Church, scholars and activists from Christian communities as far-flung as Honduras, the Philippines, Colombia, and Kenya present a global angle on the global ecological crisis--in both its material and spiritual senses--and offer Catholic resources for responding to it. This volume explores the deep interconnections, for better and for worse, between the global North and the global South, and analyzes the relationship among the physical environment, human society, culture, theology, and economics--the ""integral ecology"" described by Pope Francis in Laudato Si'.Integral ecology demands that we think deeply about humans and the physical environment, but also about the God who both created the world and sustains it in being. At its root, the ecological crisis is a theological crisis, not only in the way that humans regard creation and their place in it, but in the way that humans think about God. For Pope Francis in Laudato Si', the root of the crisis is that we humans have tried to put ourselves in God's place. According to Pope Francis, therefore, ""A fragile world, entrusted by God to human care, challenges us to devise intelligent ways of directing, developing, and limiting our power.""

This book wrestles with quandaries of pastoral ministry in what psychotherapist Mary Pipher calls ""the age of overwhelm."" Drawing especially from the wisdom of Jesus' own teaching and healing ministries as portrayed in the Gospel of Luke, it offers an intimate narrative introduction to pastoral theology for guiding bewildering tasks of pastoral care and counseling. These essays encourage seminarians and ministers to embrace their role as agents of healing by exploring their own debilitating shame and daring to speak what in childhood could not be spoken; by revealing their discoveries to a trusted confidant so as to feel less loathsome or lonely; by attending to even minute individual differences, in self and others, that fuel social isolation; and by believing in those persons who first believed in them.""While this age of overwhelm floods individuals with streams of anxiety that flow from every direction, in this beautiful book Robert C. Dykstra throws us a life raft by fighting zombies in our midst, giving us permission to be sexual, and liberating our imagination, showing us the way back to God as one who delights in us. We would be lost without Dykstra.""--Nathan Carlin, Associate Professor of Medical Humanities and Ethics, and Chair of the Faculty, McGovern Medical School""In culling the wisdom of Donald Capps, Dumbledore, Mister Rogers, and others, Robert Dykstra has woven together a series of choice essays that evince the protean resources available to the pastoral theologian. Certainly, when such resources are used with care, as is the case with Finding Ourselves Lost, we discover that there is, indeed, a cloud of witnesses ready to comfort us in this age of overwhelm.""--Jay-Paul Hinds, Assistant Professor of Pastoral Care, The Divinity School, Howard University""In an age of professionalism and specialists, the human predicament of isolation, disconnection, even that of being lost, threatens our spiritual, emotional, and physical wellbeing. These intimate and empathic reflections shared from the heart of a pastoral counselor, educator, and mentor are an affirmation that connection, honesty, and vulnerability may be the way we move from being lost to being found.""Landon Bogan, Director of Clinical Pastoral Education, Stanford Health Care, Stanford, California""This book crystallizes Dykstra's interpretation of pastoral theology: to the extent that ministers explore their own pain, they will be equipped to care for others and to tend their wounds. Dykstra writes with the candor of someone who has plunged into the depths of his inner world, only to discover that grace is within us but also among us. He reminds us that if we find ourselves lost, someone is likely to find us and contribute to our revivification."" Ruben Arjona, Assistant Professor of Pastoral Theology and Care, Iliff School of TheologyRobert C. Dykstra is Charlotte W. Newcombe Professor of Pastoral Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary. He is the author of Counseling Troubled Youth (1997), Discovering a Sermon (2001), and Images of Pastoral Care (2005), and he is coauthor with Allan Hugh Cole Jr. and Donald Capps of Losers, Loners, and Rebels (2007).

This is the second edition of a 1979 commentary on the book of Daniel. The commentary is completely revised, and the introduction in particular is here much extended and addresses fundamental questions regarding the book of Daniel and the apocalyptic movement it inaugurates (with 1 Enoch). Daniel is an indispensable trove and reference about issues like the apocalyptic vision of world's periodized history, the notion of Son of Man, messianism without a messiah, the belief in resurrection, the kingdom of God, the centrifugal spread of divine revelation, and the positive role of the Jewish diaspora. This edition is meant for scholars, college and university researchers, and students of the Bible (of the Old Testament and New Testament) in general.""LaCocque brings to this book his vast knowledge of biblical and related texts and, in this second edition, integrates added insights gleaned from a lifetime of study and experience, along with his wisdom and good judgement. Scholars, pastors, and theological students are sure to devour this book with enthusiasm and joy."" --Doreen McFarlane, St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada ""In this expanded edition, Andre LaCocque offers the serious scholar or student a richly drawn guide to the book of Daniel, especially its apocalyptic dimensions. He presents the necessary historical-critical arguments and explores the theological implications, firmly grounding the work in its historical context while preserving the multivalence of apocalyptic symbolism.""--Rachel S. Mikva, Chicago Theological Seminary""This second edition of Lacocque's classic commentary on the book of Daniel revives interest in one of the 'strange books of the Bible.' New updated introductions and fresh critical discussions of the biblical text enhance this masterful commentary that is enriched by illuminating insights from rabbinic literature. Also, profound and existential reflections on life and the meaning of history give this ancient book pertinence and relevancy.""--Jacques Doukhan, Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, Andrews UniversityAndre LaCocque is emeritus professor of Hebrew Scripture and Director of the Center of Jewish-Christian Studies at the Chicago Theological Seminary. He is the author or coauthor of numerous books, including the Cascade Books trilogy on the Yahwist: The Trial of Innocence (2006), Onslaught against Innocence (2008) and The Captivity of Innocence (2009). Other volumes include Thinking Biblically (1998, with Paul Ricoeur) and Jesus the Central Jew (2015).

Jesus invited his disciples to be with him in Gethsemane as he struggled with his own hour of death. These Lenten devotions are intended to help us do just that: to be with Jesus in his hour(s) facing dying--not just as observers, but as fellow mortals, with all of our own fears and anxieties. The daily exposure and interaction with texts of Scripture related to Jesus'' own dying will bring the reader into close interaction with Jesus and biblical sources of promise and hope. Through these devotionals, you and Jesus will be together in that place that you most intimately and equally share: dying. But it will be an encounter of hope, not despair; joy, not grief; vision, not disillusion. Lent is a time to know Jesus better. And perhaps to know ourselves better in the process. This disciplined pilgrimage begins with Jesus'' life and takes us through his death and the stunning implications of that death for each of us. This is a profoundly human story of the human Jesus, living and dying to help us live our lives in fuller knowledge of who we are and who he is.""Dale Goldsmith has written a rare treasure: a devotional that gently and consistently explores what it means for the Lord of the Universe to die, and what that means for us to live in imitation of Christ . . . As Christians reclaim a rightful focus on the art of dying well as part of living well, With My Eyes on Jesus is a gift.""--Susan Windley-Daoust, Director of Missionary Discipleship of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota""Death''s mystery looms at the end of each life. Without some sense of it, we cannot put our lives in context. Goldsmith does not answer death with pious platitudes. He gives us multiple stories touching, probing, interrogating death from every angle. Lenten reflection on these devotions will give a sense of death that undergirds the courage to live fully and faithfully.""--Dan Edwards, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Nevada""Dale''s voice strikes, catches, and safeguards the reader who would ordinarily fear their own heartbeat in reflecting on death. The cadence of his voice is genuinely meditative because he has lived through the realities of grief and followed his own life''s roots into a deeper Life than most of us ever fathom. The reader need not wait until the season of Lent to read these daily encouragements; today is a fine day to face and open one''s life.""--Gray Matthews, The University of Memphis""In this beautiful and compellingly written book of Lenten devotions, Dale Goldsmith keeps our eyes focused on dying. In the long pilgrimage through this reflective season, we gaze upon our own death, the deaths of others, and, most of all, Jesus'' death. As we come ever nearer to Easter, we are at last enabled to lift the hymn of the saints, ''God will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more.''""--Thomas G. Long, Candler School of TheologyIn his junior year at Princeton, Dale Campbell Goldsmith read Miguel de Unamuno''s Christ of Velazquez, a poetic meditation on the crucified Christ. After earning a PhD in New Testament from the University of Chicago, and a career teaching college and pastoring, Dale returns to the theme of the dying Christ as our hope for facing life''s deepest questions. He and daughter Dr. Joy Goldsmith and Fred Craddock authored Speaking of Dying: Recovering the Voice of the Church in the Face of Death (2012).

The trailers for Star Wars: The Force Awakens made a strong impression on fans. Many were excited by what they saw as a return to the spirit of George Lucas''s 1977 creation. Others--including several white supremacy groups--were upset and offended by key differences, most notably the shift away from a blond, blue-eyed, male protagonist. When the film was finally released, reactions similarly seemed to hinge on whether or not The Force Awakens renewed the ""mythic"" aspects of the original trilogy in ways that fans approved of. The Myth Awakens examines the religious implications of this phenomenon, considering the ways in which myth can function to reinforce ""traditional"" social and political values. In their analyses the authors of this book reflect on fan responses in relation to various elements of (and changes to) the Star Wars canon--including toys, video games, and novels, as well as several of the films. They do so using a variety of critical tools, drawing from studies of gender, race, psychology, politics, authority, music, ritual, and memory.""Ken Derry''s introduction sets the tone for this book. He argues that we ought to take study of popular culture, in this case the Star Wars saga, seriously, because it opens up areas of discussion and interest that are ignored by theology and film. At the same time that we take popular culture seriously, Derry also suggests we take ourselves less seriously. The serious study of religion, myth, and film can actually be fun. You will have fun reading the essays in this book.""--William L. Blizek, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Founding Editor, Journal of Religion & Film""''Crazy thing is . . . it''s true. The Force. The Jedi . . . All of it . . . It''s all true."" So says Han Solo in The Force Awakens. This excellent collection helps us to better understand the Star Wars universe, but also gives us insight into the study of religion in our own universe.""--Amir Hussain, Loyola Marymount University, Los AngelesKen Derry is Associate Professor of Religion, Teaching Stream, at the University of Toronto. His published essays have considered the relationship between religion and violence in a range of written and visual creative works, including John Woo''s The Killer, contemporary Indigenous literature, The Wizard of Oz, and the Netflix series Luke Cage. He is very fond of Patton Oswalt''s routine about the awfulness of the Star Wars prequels.John C. Lyden is Liberal Arts Core Director and Professor of Liberal Arts at Grand View University. He is the author of Film as Religion (2003) and editor of the Routledge Companion to Religion and Film (2009). He saw the original Star Wars film so many times when it first came out that he memorized most of the dialogue, and can still plausibly impersonate most of the voices.

The nature miracle stories of Jesus--walking on the water or feeding thousands with a small amount of food, for example--are so spectacular that many find them a problem, whether historical, philosophical, or even theological. This is the first book to tackle this problem head on. Do the stories reflect events in the life of the historical Jesus, or are they myths or legends? Or, perhaps they grew out of parables or from more ordinary events into the incredible stories we now have. Or, again, perhaps this the wrong approach! A group of high-ranking biblical historians, philosophers, and theologians with very diverse views set out to provide possible answers. Contributors include:- James Crossley- Eric Eve- Craig S. Keener- Michael Levine- Timothy J. McGrew- Scot McKnight- Graham H. Twelftree- Ruben Zimmermann""This truly engaging collection of essays on a fascinating subject features not only different points of view but, much more importantly, good arguments for different points of view. Every reader will come away with much to ponder.""--Dale C. Allison, Jr., Princeton Theological Seminary ""This marvellous book by Graham H. Twelftree and his renowned co-authors is the first monograph dedicated solely to the nature miracles and a milestone in research on the New Testament miracle stories. The well-written essays give us a profound insight into the historical background and the understanding of the biblical narratives demonstrating Jesus'' power over nature.""--Bernd Kollmann, University of Siegen""Asking historiographical, philosophical, sociological, and literary questions and arriving at diverse answers, this splendid collection models exegetical care, theological sensitivity, and respectful scholarly debate. The essays show not only what is at stake in studying nature miracles for understanding Jesus of Nazareth, they also reveal the import of the subject for those who call him Lord.""--Amy-Jill Levine, Vanderbilt Divinity School""An insightfuland accessible introduction to the nature miracles of Jesus Christ, ideal foracademicresearchers, teachers, students, and anyone who wants to sample the spectrumof contemporary scholarlyinterpretations by some of their most outstandingexponents. This work is a brilliant achievement and doesthe reader the great courtesyof providing a forum for the presentation and exchange of views withoutforeclosing the debates.""--Andrew Pinsent, University of OxfordGraham H. Twelftree is the Academic Dean and Professor New Testament and Early Christianity at the London School of Theology. He is the author of numerous books, most recently Paul and the Miraculous: A Historical Reconstruction (2013).

Education is about learning to think. Much of what we call thinking, however, is a hodge-podge of repetitious self-talk, opinion, and cutting and pasting of second-hand ideas. Moreover, thinking in the present has often been alien to scholars who were tempted to think abstractly. But life and thought belong together and require each other, as Plotinus pointed out many centuries ago: ""[T]he object of contemplation is living and life, and the two together are one"" (Ennead 3.8.8). Presently, many women and men in the academic world are thinking concretely within the context of their own lives and with acknowledged accountability to broader communities with whom they think and to whom they are answerable. The essays in this volume consider Christianity as an aspect of North American culture, bringing the critical tools of the academy to thinking about some of the perplexing and pressing problems of contemporary public life.Three interactive and interdependent themes traverse these essays: gender, the effects of media culture, and institutions. Each of these themes has been central to Margaret Miles''s work for thirty years. Each understands corporeality as fundamental both to subjectivity and society. Miles finds that Christianity, critically appropriated, provides ideas and methods for thinking concretely about life in North American society. Through her prolific career Margaret Miles has focused her scholarly sensibilities on the history of Christianity in conjunction with real and abiding social concerns. Not least of these are the problems and promises of gender relations. In this collection of essays, she turns her critical gaze upon food and film, media and mythology, delight and desire, as she examines the verbal and visual dimensions that comprise institutional, personal, communal, and artistic bodies. Miles mines the history of Christianity for ways to overcome our contemporary dis-ease with bodies. Incisively descriptive, Miles nonetheless remains unafraid to write prescriptions.--S. Brent Plate, author of Blasphemy: Art that Offends and Religion and Film: Cinema and the Re-Creation of the WorldThis collection of essays, written over two decades, displays Margaret Miles''s remarkable breadth as a theologian, administrator, and cultural critic. With equal adeptness, she brings ancient theological insights to bear on contemporary culture and sheds critical, historical light on Christianity. The essays are written with elegance, humor, and acuity, and their subject matter offers something for almost everyone--from film to sexuality, asceticism to pleasure, philosophical reflection to institutional strategy. But they are unified by a single quest--for embodied, passionate life in all its fullness. Following that pilgrimage through these essays, one cannot help but breathe and think more deeply.--Kathleen Sands, Associate Professor and Director of Religious Studies at the University of Massachusetts, BostonMargaret R. Miles is Emerita Professor of Historical Theology, the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley. She was Bussey Professor of Theology at the Harvard University Divinity School until 1996, when she became Dean and Academic Vice President of the Graduate Theological Union. Her books include A Complex Delight: The Secularization of the Breast, 1350-1750 (2008), Rereading Historical Theology: Before, During, and After Augustine (2008), The Word Made Flesh: A History of Christian Thought (2005), and Plotinus on Body and Beauty (1999).

Astrotheology: Science and Theology Meet Extraterrestrial Life looks at both ends of the telescope: the unfathomable reaches of cosmic space and the excited stirrings within the human psyche. It takes a scientist to explain what we are looking at. It takes a theologian to understand who is doing the looking.This book's scientific authors update readers on astrobiology's search for extraterrestrial life. Theologians add to the science a theological analysis of the place of space in understanding God's creative work, the prospects of sharing God's creation with extraterrestrial neighbors, and the question of whether one or many incarnations are required for cosmic redemption.Finally, these scholars lay the foundations for an ethic of space exploration. This book introduces a comprehensive astrotheology with an accompanying astroethic.""In this fascinating book, the authors not only update readers on contemporary cosmology and astrobiology's search for extraterrestrial life, but also develop the kind of public, interdisciplinary theology where both theology and the sciences are reshaped to contribute to a comprehensive understanding of what will be at stake for these widely divergent disciplines once extraterrestrial life is discovered.""--J. Wentzel van Huyssteen, Princeton Theological Seminary""This book is a treat for those who tire of treatments of astrobiology that focus only on the science and the technology of the subject. The very likely existence of intelligence and sentience elsewhere in the universe begs questions that center on philosophy and religion. This scholarly and entertaining treatment of these issues is very welcome.""--Chris Impey, University of Arizona""Here is a much needed book by leading thinkers in the field--deeply grounded in Christian theology and sensitive to the scientific complexities.""--David Wilkerson, St. John's CollegeTheologians and scientists at the Francisco J. Ayala Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences (CTNS) at the Graduate Theological Union (GTU) in Berkeley, California, have edited this comprehensive volume. Editor-in-chief Ted Peters teaches systematic theology and ethics at the GTU. Partner editors include Robert John Russell, Ian G. Barbour Professor of Theology and Science at the GTU; Joshua Moritz, managing editor of the journal Theology and Science on behalf of CTNS; and Martinez Hewlett, Professor Emeritus of Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Arizona and adjunct professor at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology at the GTU.

Collecting essays from prominent scholars who span the globe and academic disciplines, Practicing with Paul speaks into the life of the church in ways that inspire and edify followers and ministers of Jesus Christ. Each contribution delves into the details and historical contexts of Paul's letters, including the interpretation of those texts throughout church history. Meanwhile, each author interprets those details in relation to Christian practice and suggests implications for contemporary Christian ministry that flow out of this rich interpretive process. By modeling forms of interpretation that are practically-oriented, this book provides inspiration for current and future Christian ministers as they too attempt to incarnate the ways of Christ along with Paul.""As the title promises, the essays here draw, even compel, the reader into Pauline 'practice,' that is to say, into engagement with the Pauline gospel as it informs contemporary Christian ministries of transformation, justice, and peace-making. The essays span a distinguished, intergenerational company of authors whose work is informed and enriched by Susan Eastman's extraordinary, generous, and generative gift for showing how careful Pauline exegesis speaks to the most urgent concerns of our times.""--Alexandra Brown, Washington and Lee UniversityPresian R. Burroughs is Assistant Professor of New Testament at United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. In addition to Pauline scholarship, her research interests include ecological theology.

In every church--in every pew, it sometimes seems--there is someone who has been deeply hurt in the Catholic Church. And yet these people find themselves coming to church, wondering if anybody else can understand their experiences, their questions, and their needs. This book brings together twelve authors who describe the pain they've experienced in Catholic institutions--and the pathways they've found to healing and renewed faith. In poetry, memoir, pastoral guidance, and practical advice, these authors explore issues ranging from racism to sexual abuse to gossip and judgment. They offer support and encouragement to all those for whom the church has been a place of harm as well as holiness.""Eve Tushnet has collected stories from Catholics who, like Paul are 'completing what is lacking in Christ's afflictions' for the sake of his body, the Church. Each of the essayists is pierced, like Christ, by the very people who were called to welcome and love them and, through Christ, they endure what seems unendurable and accept healing and transfiguration. Required reading for all those called to love their neighbor (i.e. all of us).""--Leah Libresco, Author of Arriving at AmenEve Tushnet is the author of Gay and Catholic: Accepting My Sexuality, Finding Community, Living My Faith (2014) and Amends: A Novel (2015).

In every church--in every pew, it sometimes seems--there is someone who has been deeply hurt in the Catholic Church. And yet these people find themselves coming to church, wondering if anybody else can understand their experiences, their questions, and their needs. This book brings together twelve authors who describe the pain they've experienced in Catholic institutions--and the pathways they've found to healing and renewed faith. In poetry, memoir, pastoral guidance, and practical advice, these authors explore issues ranging from racism to sexual abuse to gossip and judgment. They offer support and encouragement to all those for whom the church has been a place of harm as well as holiness.""Eve Tushnet has collected stories from Catholics who, like Paul are 'completing what is lacking in Christ's afflictions' for the sake of his body, the Church. Each of the essayists is pierced, like Christ, by the very people who were called to welcome and love them and, through Christ, they endure what seems unendurable and accept healing and transfiguration. Required reading for all those called to love their neighbor (i.e. all of us).""--Leah Libresco, Author of Arriving at AmenEve Tushnet is the author of Gay and Catholic: Accepting My Sexuality, Finding Community, Living My Faith (2014) and Amends: A Novel (2015).