Books published by Cascade Books

In the fall of 2006, Mark Douglas, a professor of Christian ethics, was invited to write weekly editorials for a secular newspaper. Surprisingly, his editor placed no limits around either the content or the rhetoric of those editorials. This book offers Professor Douglas''s reflections on that work and the editorials themselves. Taken together, they model a particular vision of Christian engagement in the public sphere. This book offers a single sustained argument about why and how the Christian faith should shape the public lives of its adherents. Both the reflections and the editorials model various aspects of that argument.At the center of this book''s argument are the Christian virtues of faith, hope, and love. Douglas begins by arguing not only that faith matters in the public sphere but describing how this is so. He then describes the way hope shapes a worldview through which to interpret public life. Finally, the virtue of love informs the practices of a life in which Christians learn to ""believe aloud."" Many recent books have made the case that it is important for people of faith to engage in matters of public interest-this one actually shows how one person has done so.""Mark Douglas consistently finds ways to surprise the reader--not with gimmicks, but with hope so truthful it reveals the world anew. That hard-won hope lets Douglas make a crucial contribution to academic debates about religion and politics. It also helps him write editorials that crackle with good humor and fresh insight. Douglas calls his readers to believe aloud--and then gives rich samples of what that sounds like for our time.""--Ted A. Smithauthor of The New Measures: A Theological History of Democratic Practice""Mark Douglas''s Believing Alou is a wonderful book, or really two books: one a collection of his newspaper columns, the other a series of meditations (which connect the columns) on what he was trying to do in the columns, and how he thought he did. Combining theological depth, political and cultural acumen, and a vivid and sharp writing style, the book is both an education in Douglas''s wise and persuasive understanding of religion''s role in public life, and an education about how to communicate that understanding to others. A delight.""--Charles Mathewesauthor of A Theology of Public LifeMark Douglas is Associate Professor of Christian Ethics at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA. He is the author of Confessing Christ in the 21st Century (2005).

""McGill has the power to make ideas, concepts, differing perspectives vivid--to ''in-flesh'' them. . . .Then comes the ""switch"" or reversal or inversion empowered by the very confrontation McGill has arranged. . . . McGill leaves only the demonic as the object of our worship. Just when we supposed that he was about to come to the defense of this ""world-governing, background God,"" he dismisses such a God, leaving us with the demonic, leaving us room to affirm our own doubts and perplexities, leaving us with a harsher formulation than we might have ventured, leaving us attentive to what he is going to do next and to where he is going to lead us. Because by now we are following him."" --From the ""Introduction.""One of Art McGill''s favorite passages from the Gospel of John (12:24) notes that a grain of wheat becomes fruitful not when it is on the stalk but when it falls to the ground and dies. The stalk of wheat must expend itself in letting a new crop flourish. Nourishment rather than domination described McGill''s sense of the Christian life. It is the theme of this collection of his writings on the New God, New Death, and New Life. David Cain has admirably, painstakingly, and patiently expended himself in making McGill''s work available for our tasting and nourishment.--William F. May, Testing the National Covenant: Fears and Appetites in American PoliticsArthur C. McGill was the Bussey Professor of Theology at Harvard Divinity School. A distinguished philosopher and theologian, he also taught at Amherst College, Wesleyan University, and Princeton University.David Cain is Distinguished Professor of Religion at the University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, Virginia, and minister in the United Church of Christ. He is editor of Sermons of Arthur C. McGill, (Cascade Books, 2007), and author and photographer of An Evocation of Kierkegaard / En Fremkaldelse af Kierkegaard (1997).

Where Faith Meets Culture is a Radix magazine anthology. What does Radix usually contain? Interviews and features. Reviews of significant books, films, and CDs. Informed opinions in ""The Last Word."" Eye-catching graphics. Mind-stretching prose. Image-rich poetry. Radix assumes that Christians live in the real world and takes lay Christians seriously. As one subscriber wrote: ""Radix is a more worldly magazine than one would expect from its deep commitment to Christ."" Radix monitors the cultural landscape, questions assumptions, and introduces new voices, remaining deeply rooted in Christ.Sociologist Robert Bellah wrote in a Radix article: ""Though social scientists say a lot about the self, they have nothing to say about the soul and as a result the modern view finds the world intrinsically meaningless."" Radix continues to talk about meaning and hope in a culture that has lost its way.The articles in this volume reflect the magazine''s wide-ranging interests: literature, art, music, theology, psychology, technology, discipleship, and spiritual formation. They''re written by some of the outstanding authors whose work has graced our pages over the years:Peggy Alter, Kurt Armstrong, Robert Bellah, Bob Buford, Krista Faries, David Fetcho, Susan Fetcho, Sharon Gallagher, David W. Gill, Joel B. Green, Os Guinness, Virginia Hearn, Walter Hearn, Donald Heinz, Margaret Horwitz, Mark Labberton, Henri Nouwen, Earl Palmer, Susan Phillips, Dan Ouellette, Steve Scott, and Luci Shaw. Sharon Gallagher is editor of Radix magazine and Associate Director of New College Berkeley. She is the author of Finding Faith: Life-changing Encounters with Christ.

In this groundbreaking work, Bible translation is presented as an expression of contextualization that explores the neglected riches of the verbal arts in the New Testament. Going beyond a historical study of media in antiquity, this book explores a renewed interest in oral performance that informs methods and goals of Bible translation today. Such exploration is concretized in the New Testament translation work in central Africa among the Vute people of Cameroon. This study of contextualization appreciates the agency of local communities--particularly in Africa--who seek to express their Christian faith in response to anthropological pauperization. An extended analysis of African theologians demonstrates the ultimate goals of contextualization: liberation and identity. Oral performance exploits all the senses in experiencing communication while performer, text, and audience negotiate meaning. Performance not only expresses but also shapes identity as communities express their faith in varied contexts. This book contends that the New Testament compositions were initially performed and not restricted to individualized, silent reading. This understanding encourages a reexamination of how Bible translation can be done. Performance is not a product but a process that infuses biblical studies with new insights, methods, and expressions.""What does ''orality'' and public performance have to do with translating the written Scriptures of God? Many misconceptions about the nature of the biblical texts and their communication in modern world languages are corrected in this thoroughly engaging, wide-ranging book that offers an innovative, multidisciplinary approach to the subject. I can heartily recommend James Maxey''s pioneering work on contextualizing the New Testament for effective contemporary, multi-sensory re-presentation. This is a vital resource for all students, exegetes, commentators, teachers, translators, and other communicators of the Word.""--Ernst R. WendlandTranslation Consultant, United Bible SocietiesInstructor, Lusaka Lutheran Seminary""In this volume, which brings together studies on Bible translation, orality, and performance criticism, James Maxey leads us into new and exciting ways of thinking about and doing Bible translation that takes into serious consideration the local context of the translation. The specific reference to the Vute New Testament translation in Cameroon takes the reader from theory to actual practice and shows the exciting future of Bible translation for performance.""--Roger L. OmansonUnited Bible SocietiesConsultant for Scholarly Editions and Helps""Discarding simplistic communication models and insisting on the role of receptor community in the construction of meaning, James Maxey''s From Orality to Orality deploys a strategic array of tools (orality studies, postcolonial critique, performance criticism, contextual case studies) that allows development towards a (contextual) ''missiology of Bible translation'' and aids in the much needed redefinition of Bible translation as a power activity. In this way, Dr. Maxey also contributes significantly to the relocation of Bible translation within the broader context of translation studies.""--Philip H. Towner,Dean, The Nida Institute for Biblical ScholarshipAmerican Bible SocietyJames A. Maxey is Director of Program Ministries for Lutheran Bible Translators in Aurora, Illinois.

Michael Bird''s commentary on Colossians and Philemon in the New Covenant Commentary Series pays close attention to the socio-historical context, the flow and dynamics of the text, their argumentative strategy, theological message, and the meaning of Colossians and Philemon for the contemporary church today. Bird situates Colossians in the context of Paul''s Ephesian ministry and describes how Paul attempts to persuade a congregation in the Lycus Valley to remain firm in the gospel and to grasp the cosmic majesty of Jesus Christ over and against the views of certain Jewish mystics who have thrown the Colossians into confusion. He shows how, in the letter to Philemon, Paul intercedes for a slave estranged from his master through a carefully crafted feat of pastoral persuasion from a missionary friend of Philemon. The commentary combines exegetical insight, rhetorical analysis, theological exposition, and practical application all in one short volume. Bird shows Paul at work as a theologian, pastor, and missionary in his letters to the Colossians and Philemon.""Every generation needs to grapple anew with the Bible, and every pastor needs a series that pushes the text into the community. This commentary series accomplishes these tasks. May God bless these commentaries to yield communities that live out God''s gracious covenant with us.""--Scot McKnightKarl A. Olsson Professor in Religious StudiesNorth Park University""Michael Bird''s treatment of Colossians and Philemon is incisive, informative, and independent. He guides readers with a light touch, accurately setting out competing positions, but judiciously weighing the merits of each of these alternatives. The commentary is built on a foundation of mature, balanced, and sane exegesis--and from this firm foundation Bird draws weighty theological implications. This is a masterpiece of succinct writing and an auspicious start to the New Covenant Commentary Series.""--Paul FosterSchool of DivinityUniversity of EdinburghMichael Bird is New Testament Tutor at the Highland Theological College in Scotland. He is the author of Jesus and the Origins of the Gentile Mission, The Saving Righteousness of God, A Bird''s Eye-View of Paul, and with James Crossley, How Did Christianity Begin? He is also coeditor of the New Covenant Commentary Series.

Even though Jonathan Edwards is arguably America''s greatest theologian, the content and value of his work remains a mystery to most. Stahle systematizes and summarizes Edwards''s biblically grounded thought in contemporary language and makes Edwards accessible to pastors, students, and church study groups. Edwards''s conceptions of the Trinity are explained in detail and shown to be the basis for the rest of his theology, including his ideas about sin, salvation, holiness, the purpose of history, Scripture, revivals of religion, heaven and hell, and the church. Reflection and study questions are provided to enrich comprehension and demonstrate the relevance of Edwards''s theology for contemporary life. The wealth of this Puritan''s personal piety and intellectual brilliance is no longer beyond the reach of twenty-first century Christians.""With The Great Work of Providence, Rachel Stahle provides a helpful and practical summary of Jonathan Edwards''s theology for busy pastors, church leaders, and laypeople who recognize the importance of being theologically literate (especially in a culture that seems to see no need for deeper theological study) but do not have the time needed for diving deeply into the writings of Edwards. In the end, the book whets the appetite for more theological reflection and more Edwards.""--Rev. Rich NobleWashington Union Alliance Church, New Castle, Pennsylvania Geneva College, Adjunct FacultyRachel S. Stahle (PhD, Boston University) is pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Carteret, New Jersey, and the author of numerous articles and papers.

Theologian, poet, public intellectual, and clergyman, Rowan Williams is one of the leading lights of contemporary British theology. He has published over twenty books and one hundred scholarly essays in a distinguished career as an academic theologian that culminated in his appointment as Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity at Oxford University. Williams left this post to serve in the Anglican Church, first as Bishop of Monmouth, then Archbishop of Wales, before finally being enthroned in 2003 as the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury.In this collection of essays, a talented younger generation of Australian theologians critically analyzes the themes that bind together Williams''s theology. These sympathetic yet probing essays traverse the full breadth of Williams''s work, from his studies on Arius, the Desert Fathers, Hegel, and Trinitarian theology to his more pastoral writings on spirituality, sexuality, politics, and the Anglican Church.""I read these essays with surprise and delight. This excellent collection of constructive critical essays are a tribute both to the richness of Rowan Williams''s theology and the intellectual commitment, discernment, and fairness of their authors. Highly recommended.""--Alister E. McGrath Professor of Theology, Ministry, and EducationKing''s College, London.""I welcome this book very warmly. It offers a thoughtful, engaging, and respectful--albeit critical--account of Rowan Williams''s theology that does him justice. Even when disagreeing on crucial areas such as sexuality or war, the contributors to this fresh and well-informed book show much affection and respect for Rowan Williams himself at this difficult time for Anglicanism. Would that all debates among Christians were conducted in a similar manner.""--Robin GillMichael Ramsey Professor of Modern TheologyUniversity of Kent, Canterbury""Neither setting Rowan Williams''s work on an implausible pedestal nor dismissing it in caricature, the essays that Matheson Russell has gathered engage the Archbishop in thoughtful and critical conversation. I found myself by turns intrigued, delighted, puzzled, convicted, and annoyed--but also repeatedly driven to think again about Williams''s work and, more importantly, about the issues that his work explores."" --Mike HigtonSenior Lecturer in TheologyUniversity of ExeterMatheson Russell is Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Auckland. He is the author of Husserl: A Guide for the Perplexed (2006), as well as essays on Heidegger, phenomenology of religion, and political theology.

This book is a study of the Christian life and the practice of Christians and the church from an Anglican perspective. It begins with an analysis and explication of the structure and process of the Christian life before God in the church and the world involving a five-fold rule of life and the relation of this to spiritual direction. This is followed by an analysis and critique of the current spirituality movement, which arose in the 1970s and which has come to dominate and mislead the churches. A sequel to the latter explains the origin of the spirituality movement in the current Romantic movement that arose in the 1960s and has influenced all aspects of our culture with ambiguous results. Next there is a critique of contemporary parish ministry as practiced in residential parishes that at best ministers only to the private lives of its members, followed by a fictional story of such a residential parish that suggests a new departure in parish ministry. Then there is a critique of preaching in the Episcopal Church that is generally considered to be poor, and a proposal of a way to overcome this. The concluding three chapters treat a fundamental problem in our approach to private prayer and a way to resolve this, a proposal for a way to overcome the current impasse in the Anglican Communion concerning homosexuality, and a meditation on the responsibility of Christians in public life.""Owen Thomas is a prophet, in the biblical sense of the word, calling a community to examine its way of life and look to the rock from which it was quarried. His book is progressive, at times radical, precisely because it is rooted in the best of a tradition he knows as well as anyone. The scope of these essays is remarkable-from philosophical theology to parish administration-with a solid center in the life of the Spirit, lived amid the perplexities of history."" -Charles Hefling, Professor of Systematic Theology, Boston College""What Owen Thomas has to say about Christian life and practice will delight many, confound others, and challenge all of us to think more critically about things that matter. This is a distinctively Anglican voice crying out on behalf of embodied spirituality, political engagement, and prophetic ministry.""-Arthur Holder, John Dillenberger Professor of Christian Spirituality, Graduate Theological Union""In this legacy of his years as theological reflector on Christian life, Owen Thomas, in his own creative way, articulates the persistent insistence of the Bible and Anglican tradition that faith and practice, truth and action have been so joined together by God that they must never be put asunder. Well worth reading and pondering.""-Harvey H. Guthrie, Former Dean and Professor of Old Testament, Episcopal Divinity SchoolOwen C. Thomas (1922 -2015) was Emeritus Professor of Theology of the Episcopal Divinity School, Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the author of eight previous books in theology and the philosophy of religion. A former physicist, he has been a visiting professor at the Gregorian University and the North American College in Rome, an adjunct professor at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, and past president of the American Theological Society.

It is well known that Henri de Lubac''s groundbreaking and highly controversial work on nature and grace had important implications for the Church''s relationship to culture and was intended to remove a philosophical obstacle hindering Catholicism''s faithful engagement with the secular world. This book addresses a too-often neglected dimension of de Lubac''s theological renewal by examining the centrality and indispensability of spiritual exegesis in his oeuvre and making explicit its social and political significance for the Church''s worship and witness. In addition to exploring the historical and ecclesial context within which he worked, the current work brings de Lubac into a critical engagement with the more recent theological movements of postliberalism and radical orthodoxy in order to demonstrate the enduring significance of his theological vision.""Hollon offers the best introduction to date on de Lubac''s spiritual interpretation of Scripture. His bold recovery of Henri de Lubac''s participatory hermeneutic offers an excellent contribution to the rapidly growing scholarship on the French Catholic theologian. The book argues for a hermeneutic that avoids the dual trap of isolating Jesus'' biblical identity from the life of the Church (the post-liberal tendency) and of reducing Christology to ecclesiology (the fallacy of Radical Orthodoxy). Hollon convincingly argues that the Church''s ontological participation in Christ is mediated through the practice of spiritual interpretation along the lines advocated by de Lubac. The result is both an incisive, sympathetic-critical engagement with contemporary hermeneutics and a superb introduction to one of the central concerns of de Lubac.""--Hans Boersma, author of Nouvelle theologie and Sacramental Ontology: A Return to Mystery (forthcoming)Bryan C. Hollon is Assistant Professor of Theology at Malone College in Canton, Ohio.

Augustine of Hippo is arguably the most influential author in the history of Christian thought and institutions. Yet he has been revered by some reviewers and vilified by others. Contemporary critical approaches to historical authors can illuminate features of Augustine''s thought and activities that are not noticed when reviewers'' attention is either exclusively sympathetic or intransigently critical. Anyone who seeks to present an Augustine who has relevance for the twenty-first century must somehow hold together delight in the beauty of his prose and the profundity of his thought with dismay over some of the intentions and effects of his teachings. The essays in this book endeavor to read Augustine simultaneously critically and appreciatively. Miles places his thought in the context of his classical heritage and notices how pervasive in later Christian authors are the themes that informed Augustine''s thought. Understanding his writings as a passionate effort to describe a metaphysical universe that accounts for the endlessly fascinating mystery of embodied life makes many of Augustine''s proposals accessible, useful, and delightful in the context of contemporary quandaries and issues. His conclusions are less important than his method: In Augustine, knowledge and life mutually illuminate, energize, and critique each other, exemplifying the practice of a fully human life. Exploring some of his most persistent themes, these essays seek to show how Augustine''s theology works.""For years Margaret Miles has been patiently honoring the question of the body in historical theology. In this collection of sixteen of her best essays, she tracks the ambivalences in Augustine''s love of the flesh, finds a Platonism with an earthly pull, sustains her sense of an antique social location, and finishes with a flourish of mystics and reformers--all successors to an Augustinian passion. An historian of great cultural sensitivity, Miles is not afraid to meet the past under the skin of contemporary life (where it, in fact, has always been). In the art of critical sympathy, she has no peer.""--James Wetzel, Villanova University""Margaret Miles has long been one of the most imaginative and suggestive readers of Augustine and his thought. Combining the highest standards of critical historical scholarship with an extraordinary ability to penetrate to the heart of Augustine''s thought, Miles is always worth reading and reading over. These essays should be required reading for all interested in Augustine and--equally importantly--in his legacy in the Christian tradition.""--Lewis Ayres, Candler School of Theology, Emory University""This book does what few academic books attempt--a real engagement and conversation with an ancient author, letting our thoughts and views interact with his. As Miles touches on diverse topics of interest to any modern person, others are also brought into the conversation--not just Augustine, but also Plato, Aristotle, Calvin, and Luther. Whether one wishes to discredit or to appropriate Augustine''s views, one will find here much material that challenges and leads to further discussion."" --Kim Paffenroth, Iona College""Reading Miles reading Augustine is a delight and a window on the development of modern critical theory applied to historical theology. Miles is simply brilliant and her Augustine shines with a brilliance borne of Miles''s careful and close reading, important new theories, and her love of Augustine that brings the ancient theologian to life. This is a significant collection of essays that no serious historian of theology should miss."" --Richard Valantasis, Candler School of Theology, Emory University""In these sixteen essays, Miles claims--against an ''escapist transcendence''--that bodies are central to theological knowledge. She explores themes of desire, beauty, and happiness in their relation to the body in the writings of Augustine''s philosophical predecessors, of Augustine (our ''fellow pilg

Being Salt addresses both ordination and leadership by taking as its point of departure the most distinctive yet often overlooked feature of ordination: indelibility--being ordained for life. Sumner wholeheartedly agrees with the Reformation emphasis on the ministry of the whole people of God. Still, he argues that we can only understand priesthood if we understand what one is ordained for. Indelibility--lifetime ordination--provides an entree to the question of what sets the ordained apart. In sum, Being Salt offers an evangelical argument for a catholic practice and so goes to the heart of what Anglicanism understands itself to be.""This gem of a book shimmers with the practical and spiritual insights we would hope to find in a good discussion of the ordained ministry. . . . Readable, eloquent, informative, and passionately acute in its encouragement of the ordained minister''s calling, Being Salt should be read by every pastor and priest, and should shape every congregation''s discernment of its common vocation.""--Ephraim Radner, rector of Ascension Episcopal Church in Pueblo, Colorado""Being Salt offers a Christocentric-semiotic understanding of the priesthood, a splash of cold water on the face of a languishing church . . . Sumner writes in an engaging and colorful style which will delight the reader. This is a ''must'' for pastoral theologians and seminarians: Being Salt will energize you and make you rejoice in your vocation as priest of the Church.""--Kathryn Greene-McCreight, assistant rector of St. John''s Episcopal Church in New Haven, Connecticut""George Sumner begins with a question that at first glance seems of importance only to a few. If one is ordained to the Christian Ministry, is it for life? However, in Sumner''s hands the question opens into one of central importance for all Christians. Just how is the Church to understand the significance of its own life and that of its Lord? And how is it to order that life so that it expresses truly what the church is called to be? George Sumner has written a book that is must reading for all clergy, seminarians, seminary faculty, and the congregations they are called upon to serve.""--Philip Turner, Interim Dean and President, Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest, and retired Dean of the Berkeley Divinity School at YaleGeorge R. Sumner is Principal of Wycliffe College, Toronto. He is the author of The First and the Last: The Claim of Jesus Christ and the Claims of Other Religious Traditions.

Much has been written on the centenary of the First World War; however, no book has yet explored the tragedy of the conflict from a theological perspective. This book fills that gap. Taking their cue from the famous British army chaplain Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy, seven central essays--all by authors associated with the cathedral where Studdert Kennedy first preached to troops--examine aspects of faith that featured in the war, such as the notion of ""home,"" poetry, theological doctrine, preaching, social reform, humanitarianism, and remembrance. Each essay applies its reflections to the life of faith today.The essays thus represent a highly original contribution to the history of the First World War in general and the work of Studdert Kennedy in particular; and they provide wider theological insight into how, in the contemporary world, life and tragedy, God and suffering, can be integrated. The book will accordingly be of considerable interest to historians, both of the war and of the church; to communities commemorating the war; and to all those who wrestle with current challenges to faith. A foreword by Studdert Kennedy''s grandson and an afterword by the bishop of Magdeburg in Germany render this a volume of remarkable depth and worth.""Padres were given a rough ride by British memoir writers of the First World War. However, Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy, ''Woodbine Willie'' to the soldiers, demonstrates how wrong they were. His reflections on the war and its implications for his own Christian faith resonate to this day. The innumerable insights in this powerful book make plain how the conflict''s spiritual challenge still reverberates.""--SIR Hew Strachan, author of the Oxford University Press History of the First World War ""Michael Brierley and Georgina Byrne have judiciously gathered these measured essays on ministry, suffering, tragedy, and hope: they leave the reader more immersed in sadness, admiration, desolation, and ultimately faith. After all, if Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy''s life was a failure, so was that of Jesus.""--Sam Wells, Vicar, St Martin-in-the-Fields, London ""Life after Tragedy is a profound and moving account of the struggle of Christian theology with the ravages of the First World War. . . . Essential reading for anyone trying to understand the earthquake that was the Great War.""--Jay Winter, Yale University ""A significant contribution to the flourishing revisionist scholarship on religion and war, the central essays in this volume . . . offer a set of moving, often provocative reflections on the complex and transformative relations between faith and suffering that are as relevant now as they have ever been.""--Sue Morgan, University of Chichester, UKMichael W. Brierley is the canon precentor of Worcester Cathedral. He is the editor of Public Life and the Place of the Church (Ashgate, 2006), and the author of a dozen articles on the history of twentieth-century theology.Georgina A. Byrne is a residentiary canon of Worcester Cathedral and a chaplain to Her Majesty the Queen. She is the author of Modern Spiritualism and the Church of England, 1850-1939 (Boydell, 2010).

Dante, Mercy, and the Beauty of the Human Person is a pilgrimage to rediscover the spiritual and humanizing benefit of the Commedia. Treating each cantica of the poem, this volume offers profound meditations on the intertwined themes of memory, prayer, sainthood, the irony of sin, theological and literary aesthetics, and desire, all while consistently reflecting upon the key themes of mercy and beauty in the revelation of the human person within the drama of divine love.""This thoughtful collection of essays convincingly demonstrates that that the Divine Comedy has something to say to a society that is overly plugged-in yet increasingly disconnected, tribal, and short on that quality of mercy by which we come to recognize both beauty and God''s unimaginable, steadfast love. Dante, Mercy, and the Beauty of the Human Person is a gift of respite and reorientation to our roiling age.""--Elizabeth Scalia, Author of Strange Gods: Unmasking the Idols in Everyday Life ""This superb collection is more than simply an anthology of scholarly essays on Dante''s Commedia; it is also an invitation for readers to be transformed intellectually, aesthetically, and spiritually as they journey through Dante''s poem into his living theological imagination and his extraordinary vision of the mystery and grandeur of human personhood. Read alongside Dante himself, this volume may become something more than an invitation--it may become an initiation!""--Jacob Holsinger Sherman, University Lecturer in Philosophy of Religion, University of Cambridge and author of Partakers of the Divine: Contemplation and the Practice of Philosophy""This delightful volume invites us to see Dante''s poem as a pilgrimage, and to ourselves take steps along with the poet, not as solitary seekers of truth but as a community of fellow travellers who need to learn from one another. Written for the general audience by gifted scholars of literature, theology, and philosophy, the volume invites us into one of the greatest poetic accounts of the journey from dark to light, not in some other lifetime, but right in the midst of this one.""--Janet Soskice, Professor of Philosophical Theology, University of CambridgeLeonard J. DeLorenzo is Associate Professional Specialist in the McGrath Institute for Church Life, with a concurrent appointment in the Department of Theology at the University of Notre Dame.Vittorio Montemaggi is Associate Professor of Religion and Literature and Concurrent Associate Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame.

FEATURING:Ken Gonzales-DayAngela Alaimo O''DonnellShelly RamboFrank SeeburgerChelle StearnsPLUS:God Gave BirthTweeting the Impossible ForgivenessHow Cancer Made Me Less of a Bastard (and More Human)What''s Love Got to Do with It? Theodicy, Trauma, and Divine Love Naming the Animals--AND MORE . . .

The year 2017 marks the five-hundredth anniversary of the Reformation, if that event is dated from the posting of Martin Luther''s Ninety-Five Theses. Admittedly, 2017 is an arbitrary and somewhat artificial milestone. Nevertheless, anniversaries can be special occasions that allow for an appreciation and evaluation of memorable persons and events. As a number of Reformation anniversaries approach, the historical significance of the Reformation merits increased attention. Employing a variety of historiographical methods from intellectual history to postcolonial theory, this volume demonstrates how four major traditions observed the Reformation: Lutheran, Anglican, Reformed, and Roman Catholic. The foreword and preface place the essays into the contemporary and broader historical contexts in the history of reform. Commemorations of the Reformation varied in different periods, often influenced by immediate historical contexts. How are those sixteenth-century events, which caused both renewal and conflict in church and society as well as divisions between those expressions, to be viewed in the twenty-first century in a setting broader than Europe?""All Christians must salute the editor and contributors to this volume, which could not have been written on the 500th anniversary of the traditional birth of the Reformation. Only a century of serious ecumenical discussion (and coordinated action for the good) has made the production of this book possible. Here we have four substantial essays, each historically and theologically well-informed, that address, in order, the evolving image of Luther, the developing relationship of the Anglican to the Lutheran communions, the fascinating influence of the Reformed tradition on Christian India, and maturing Roman Catholic views of central Lutheran doctrines revolving around justification. An exemplary conversation in print, this is an intellectual feast. Into it, not only historians and the ordained but all the baptized are invited, and from it all will be richly nourished.""--Kevin Madigan, Harvard Divinity School""Reformation Observances goes beyond simple commemoration of Martin Luther''s Ninety-Five Theses. Its contributors examine past centennials in historical context, while looking at ecumenical dialogue concerning the theological issues dividing Christian denominations. Most intriguing, one contributor reaches beyond the West to Christianity in India. In relatively few pages, Reformation Observances challenges us to see the dawn of the Reformation in an ecumenical, multicultural light.""--Thomas Izbicki, Rutgers University""Much attention is being given to 2017 as the 500th anniversary of the Reformation and especially to the present ecumenical setting. Yet 2017 can only be appreciated and understood by giving attention to how the Reformation has been observed in the past. How did the Lutheran, Anglican, Reformed, and Roman Catholic traditions in the course of 500 years note or not note the Reformation? The answer to this question can only enrich consideration of the Reformation in this century. This volume of collected essays seeks to supply an answer. Anyone interested in the significance of this anniversary of the Reformation will gain insights by means of this collection of reflections.""--William G. Rusch, The Divinity School, Yale UniversityPhilip D. W. Krey, Ministerium of New York Professor Emeritus at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia and president there from 1999 to 2014, is Senior Pastor at St. Andrews Lutheran Church in Perkasie, Pennsylvania. He has coedited Romans 9-16 (2016) and The Catholic Luther (2016), both with his brother, Peter D. S. Krey.

For the last two centuries biblical interpretation has been guided by perspectives that have largely ignored the oral context in which the gospels took shape. Only recently have scholars begun to explore how ancient media inform the interpretive process and an understanding of the Bible. This collection of essays, by authors who recognize that the Jesus tradition was a story heard and performed, seeks to reevaluate the constituent elements of narrative, including characters, structure, narrator, time, and intertextuality. In dialogue with traditional literary approaches, these essays demonstrate that an appreciation of performance yields fresh insights distinguishable in many respects from results of literary or narrative readings of the gospels.""From Text to Performance presents a set of suggestive new essays on various key issues in performance of texts, including how a text-in-performance can have a powerfully moving impact on a community of listeners. The essays offer several sensitive insights into the significant differences between literary criticism deeply rooted in print culture and the emerging performance criticism that considers the effects of performed texts on the audience.""--Richard Horsley, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MAKelly R. Iverson is Associate Professor of New Testament at Baylor University. He is the author of Gentiles in the Gospel of Mark (2007), and coeditor of Mark as Story (2011) and Unity and Diversity in the Gospels and Paul (2012).

The Spirit of Adoption explores many of the complexities inherent in adoption and its relationship to spirituality, challenging us to move beyond the common mythologies about adoption to consider the more difficult questions adoption raises about the nature of God, family, culture, loss, and joy. Rather than hearing from experts in adoption, this collection uses the narratives of birth parents, adoptive parents, and adoptees themselves, bearing witness to the ways adoption shapes its participants'' spiritual lives. By allowing others to narrate their spiritual journeys through adoption, we hope to proclaim that adoption can be a wonderful, powerful, hopeful experience, and one that is difficult, painful, despairing--and that these paradoxes of adoption might be held together in God''s hand.""Adoption requires many acts of faith: the birth mother''s, that her offspring will find a better life elsewhere; the adoptive parent''s, that he will be able to provide it; the adopted child''s, that the tension between what is and what might have been will be a force of creation, not destruction. The Spirit of Adoption presents myriad perspectives in the context of rich Christian faith that hold this tension and call it grace.""--Meghan Krogh, Goodreads.com""The warp and weft of these stories highlight the uniqueness of every adoption, even while the various patterns reveal common interwoven threads of love, joy, loss, and grace. Adoptive families will see blessedly honest glimpses of themselves in this tapestry. People of faith considering adoption will do well to wrap themselves in what they find here. In fact, it''s grace-filled reading for anyone who has ever been a part of a family.""--Cheri L. Larsen Hoeckley, Westmont College, California""Adoption is such a powerful act of humanity that one cannot comprehend the emotions, trials, and rewards that are involved in the overall process. The testimonies that are shared in this book are a testament of the undying faith that each family has in God. As a first generation adoptee from Vietnam, I am encouraged by the families that have chosen to grow their family, one child at a time.""--Richard V. Silver, George Fox University, OregonMelanie Springer Mock is a Professor of English at George Fox University. She is the author most recently of Just Moms (2011). Martha Kalnin Diede is a Professor and Chair of English at Northwest University, Kirkland, Washington. She is the author of Shakespeare''s Knowledgeable Body (2008).Jeremiah Webster is an Assistant Professor of English at Northwest University. He is the author of Paradise in The Waste Land (2013).

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 insightful and accessible introduction to the nature miracles of Jesus Christ, ideal for academic researchers, teachers, students, and anyone who wants to sample the spectrum of contemporary scholarly interpretations by some of their most outstanding exponents. This work is a brilliant achievement and does the reader the great courtesy of providing a forum for the presentation and exchange of views without foreclosing 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).

To many readers the book of Ezekiel is a hopeless riddle. We still find many features of the man and his message difficult and sometimes even shocking, if not offensive. The bizarre opening vision catches us off guard and tempts us to stop reading. However, if we persist, and if we meditate long and hard on individual utterances and sign actions, we will discover that despite the strangeness of the man and his utterances, this is the most clearly organized of the major prophetic books. Individual prophecies are clearly marked by headings and often by conclusions. If we persist, we will also discover that from a rhetorical perspective, this priestly prophet knew his audience; he recognized in Judah''s rebellion against YHWH the underlying cause of the divine fury that resulted in the exile of his people and the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians in 586 BCE. But he also recognized that YHWH''s judgment could not be the last word. Because his covenant was eternal and irrevocable he looked forward to a day of spiritual renewal and national restoration.This is the first of two volumes of essays on Ezekiel and his book. The seven general essays and two studies of particular texts in this collection explore the times, the message, and the methods of the prophetic priest. ""Once again Daniel Block has provided wise perspectives that enable us to ''see with our eyes, hear with our ears, and set our hearts'' (Ezek 40:4) on many of the enigmas in the book of Ezekiel.""--Mark J. Boda, McMaster Divinity College""Few scholars, whether evangelical or critical, Christian or Jewish, know the book of Ezekiel like Daniel Block. This collection of essays profoundly deepens and enriches our appreciation of the prophet''s work and is an essential resource for all who study it.""--Iain Duguid, Grove City CollegeDaniel I. Block is the Gunther H. Knoedler Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois. He is the author of The Book of Ezekiel Chapters 1-24 (1997), The Book of Ezekiel Chapters 25-48 (1998), Judges and Ruth (1999), ""How I Love Your Torah, O LORD!"" (2011), The Gospel according to Moses (2012), and Deuteronomy (2012).

To many readers the book of Ezekiel is a hopeless riddle. However, if we take the time to study it, we will discover that despite the strangeness of the man and his utterances this is the most clearly organized of the major prophetic books. If we persist, we will also discover that from a rhetorical perspective, this priestly prophet knew his audience; he recognized in Judah''s rebellion against YHWH the underlying cause of the divine fury that resulted in the exile of his people and the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians in 586 BCE. But he also recognized that YHWH''s judgment could not be the last word. Because his covenant was eternal and irrevocable he looked forward to a day of spiritual renewal and national restoration. This is the second of two volumes of Block''s essays on the book of Ezekiel. The essays in this volume explore the theme of Kingship in Ezekiel--both his assessment of Judah''s historical kings and his hope for a restored Davidic King/Prince--and the mysterious visions concerning Gog''s attack on restored Israel (Ezek 38-39) and concerning the new temple (40-48). Block brings to bear decades of study of the book to open up fresh insights on the ancient text. ""Few people know the book of Ezekiel as well as Block does and fewer still are able to explain the unique and challenging aspects of this great prophet''s rich theology as well as he does. The book''s nine individual studies address Ezekiel''s purposes in ways that allow a reader to see, through experienced eyes, real treasures of biblical theology. For anyone planning to preach or teach Ezekiel, Block''s work provides a wonderful introduction--better, I think, than one could find in any of the standard commentaries.""--Douglas Stuart, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary""Daniel Block is one of the foremost Ezekiel scholars of our time, author of a major two-volume commentary on the book and numerous other studies. In Beyond the River Chebar: Studies in Kingship and Eschatology in the Book of Ezekiel he gathers together a selection of the important essays he has written on these themes over the years. It is splendid to have these available between two covers and we are again indebted to Daniel Block.""--Paul M. Joyce, Samuel Davidson Professor of Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, King''s College LondonDaniel I. Block is the Gunther H. Knoedler Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois. He is the author of The Book of Ezekiel Chapters 1-24 (1997), The Book of Ezekiel Chapters 25-48 (1998), Judges and Ruth (1999), ""How I Love Your Torah, O LORD!"" (2011), The Gospel according to Moses (2012), and Deuteronomy (2012).

In Integrating the New Science of Love and a Spirituality of Peace, the contributors explore the intersection between the science of attachment theory and the vision of Anabaptism. What emerges is a deeper sense of what it means to be human and a hope for a different tomorow, inspired by the kingdom of God as preached by Jesus of Nazareth.""This book is about what it means to be human, and it may not be what you expect. Contemporary neuroscience is rapidly undermining some of our dearly held assumptions about who we are and how we function. This is not another idle academic conversation. These assumptions have been the basis of our educational and legal institutions, and changing them could have far-reaching consequences for how we structure our lives . . . How we see ourselves is an urgent moral issue. The implications of attachment theory are personal, social, and global, and that is why this book is so important.""--Howard Zehr, from the ForewordChristian E. Early is Professor of Philosophy and Theology at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. He is coeditor with Ted Grimsrud of A Pacifist Way of Knowing (Cascade Books, 2010).Annmarie L. Early is Professor of Counseling at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

The essays in this volume aim to contribute to the newly developing academic subject of biblical spirituality. It is prompted by the belief that, although the Christian tradition has always nurtured an emphasis on spirituality rooted in the Bible and its interpretation, few biblical scholars, until recently, have pursued their work by making connections with either this religious tradition or present-day interest in the broader phenomenon of spirituality. Spiritual interpretation has overlaps with theological interpretation but is distinctive because of its focus on the wisdom of lived experience and practice. The essays therefore attempt, from within the context of the academy, responsible readings of Scripture that have as a major focus the study of how particular texts might contribute to a spirituality in which individual and communal flourishing is a major feature.The essays began as papers produced for an international symposium on the Bible and Spirituality in May 2012, hosted by the Centre for the Study of the Bible and Spirituality in the School of Humanities at the University of Gloucestershire.""What a fascinating, creative, wide-ranging, thoughtful, thought-provoking collection! It repays careful, slow reading."" --John GoldingayProfessor of Old TestamentFuller Seminary""In The Bible and Spirituality we find responsible exegesis with an eye focused on the spiritual dimension of reading and experiencing the biblical text. This book sets the trajectory for an emerging hermeneutic that reunites the oft-estranged emphases on Spirit and Word within biblical reading communities.""--Mark J. BodaProfessor of Old Testament, McMaster Divinity CollegeThe editors teach and research in the School of Humanities and the Centre for the Study of the Bible and Spirituality at the University of Gloucestershire, Cheltenham, UK. Andrew Lincoln is Portland Professor of New Testament. Gordon McConville is Professor of Old Testament Theology. Lloyd Pietersen is Senior Lecturer in New Testament.

Teaching on the sanctification of Christians using the difficult word perfection has been part of Christian spirituality through the centuries. The Fathers spoke of it and Augustine particularly contributed his penetrating analysis of human motivation in terms of love. Medieval theologians such as Bernard and Thomas Aquinas developed the tradition and wrote of levels or ""degrees"" of ""perfection"" in love. However, the doctrine has not fared so well among Protestants. John Wesley was the one major Protestant leader who tried to blend this ancient tradition of Christian ""perfection"" with the Reformation proclamation of justification by grace through faith.This book seeks to develop Wesley''s synthesis of patristic and Reformation theology in order to consider how Christian ""perfection"" can be expressed in a more nuanced way in today''s culture. Noble examines what basis may be found for Wesley''s understanding of sanctification in the central doctrines of the church, particularly the atonement, the doctrine of Christ, and the most comprehensive of all Christian doctrines, the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. What he sets out is a fully trinitarian theology of holiness.""Holy Trinity: Holy People is a wise and winsome trinitarian account of Christian perfection. Noble conceives of holiness not in individualist terms of isolation from the world, but as a communion of love, [as] participation in God''s trinitarian love, which is essentially redemptive in character rather than judgmental. Anyone interested in what a trinitarian account of holiness could be need look no further than Noble''s profound and compelling work.""--Elmer M. Colyer, Professor of Systematic Theology and Professor of Wesley Studies, University of Dubuque Theological Seminary""Carefully contextualizing the vital doctrine of Christian perfection in terms of Scripture and church tradition, both Eastern and Western, Noble offers the reader a remarkably balanced assessment of John Wesley''s articulation of entire sanctification that is sophisticated, informed by a number of theological streams, and wonderfully trinitarian. Due to its many fresh insights, this engaging book will, no doubt, foster a lively conversation and considerable reflection among all who love holiness.""--Kenneth J. Collins, Professor of Wesley Studies and Historical Theology, Asbury Theological Seminary""This book is a landmark in treatments of Wesley''s doctrine of Christian perfection. Be assured: this is no parochial performance. Noble''s work does not just revisit the Wesleys of old; he integrates his critical assessment of their insights into a penetrating vision of the Triune God. Marked by a singular beauty of expression and structure, this work will become a benchmark in the field of Wesleyan and Methodist theology.""--William J. Abraham, Professor of Wesley Studies, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist UniversityT. A. Noble is Professor of Theology at Nazarene Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri, and also Senior Research Fellow in Theology at Nazarene Theological College, Manchester, UK. He was recently president of the Wesleyan Theological Society.

This work raises for the contemporary reader the ancient and abiding question of the nature and meaning of human virtue. In Part 1, it draws upon Plato, Aristotle, and Cicero and the works of Renaissance Christian humanists who were influenced by them, such as Pico, Vives, and Erasmus. The moral act guided by the cardinal virtues and the good is seen as the key to human happiness and the formation of character. Character is the basis for the pursuit of self-knowledge, decorum, and dignity, which properly guide human affairs.Part 2 takes up Hegel''s principle of the labor of the negative as applied to three phenomena of modern life: the presence of terrorism, the personality of the psycho-sociopath, and the problems of the technologically dominated life of the modern person. These are the most powerful impediments to the good life in the modern world and pose problems to which the ethical doctrines of utilitarianism and the categorical imperative provide an insufficient response. To confront these phenomena, we are led back to the classical conception of the role of prudence or practical wisdom as the foundation of ethical life.""Verene brings to life the truthfulness of an ancient and constant wisdom, lighting up more perennial perspectives on things human and divine, as well as current ethical perplexities about terrorism, psycho-sociopathy, and the technological person. The work singularly embodies the ideal held in highest regard by Renaissance Italian humanism, and of which Verene himself is a great admirer: ''la sapienza che parla,'' or ''wisdom speaking.''""--William Desmond, Villanova University""Moral Philosophy and the Modern World offers a challenging and original reflection on the nature of morality. Its argument is broadly philosophical and rooted in ancient and Renaissance humanism. It rejects a moral philosophy based on utilitarian or deontological principles, notions of diversity, or social justice and favors a moral philosophy based on prudence and the ideal of justice. . . . It is a provocative read for anyone interested in moral philosophy.""--Victoria Wike, Loyola UniversityDonald Phillip Verene is Charles Howard Candler Professor of Metaphysics and Moral Philosophy and director of the Institute for Vico Studies at Emory University. His previous books include Knowledge of Things Human and Divine (2003), Hegel''s Absolute (2007), Speculative Philosophy (2009), and The Origins of the Philosophy of Symbolic Forms (2011). He has been Visiting Fellow at Oxford University and is Fellow of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, Rome.

What is the way of the cross? Why does it create resistance? How do we answer objections to it? The revival of interest in Christ''s kingdom and radical discipleship has produced a wave of discussions, but sometimes those discussions are scattered. This book aims to pull together in one place the core claims of the way of the cross. It aims to examine the deeply cherished assumptions that hinder us from hearing Jesus''s call.When we do that, we''ll see that the gospel of Christ is not primarily about getting into heaven or about living a comfortable, individually pious, middle-class life. It is about being free from the ancient, pervasive, and delightful oppression of Mammon in order to create a very different community, the church, an alternative city-kingdom here and now on earth by means of living and celebrating the way of the cross--the reign of joyful weakness, renunciation, self-denial, sharing, foolishness, community, and love overcoming evil. ""This provocative book asks hard questions of contemporary expressions of Christianity, especially [its] deep embeddedness in contemporary societal and cultural values, practices, and structures. Engaging a wide range of biblical texts, this book wrestles with and sketches some alternative ecclesial practices that are variously challenging, disruptive, scary, inviting, and freeing.""--Warren Carter, Professor of New Testament, Brite Divinity School""Dismiss this book! Reading it will make a holy mess of your life. But if you want to enter into the pain of the world and see the Jesus revolution ignite, [then] pick up this fuel. Jones explains Jesus'' gospel of renunciation, enemy-love, weakness, deliverance, and sharing in practical terms. His book gives us the tools to form a revolutionary community of people who practice the way of Jesus.""--Tim Otto, Teaching and Preaching Pastor, The Church of the Sojourners""Dismissing Jesus identifies and invites us to remove the blinders that seduce us from the way of our crucified and risen Lord. Ultimately, Jones calls the church to be more fully herself. . . . His book is unsettling; frequently, it is unsettling in just the way Jesus is. Doug''s barbs sink deep, and, persuaded or not, every reader will profit from a slow, receptive engagement with this book.""--Peter J. Leithart, from the forewordDouglas Jones is an ordained minister in the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC) and a former senior fellow of humanities of New St. Andrews College, Moscow, Idaho. He helps oversee CREC Myanmar.

This book seeks to place before a broad audience essays on Jeremiah and the book of Jeremiah. A poem featuring Jeremiah is also included. There are technical essays on text criticism, form criticism, and rhetorical criticism; scholarly articles on the scribes who figure in the Jeremiah tradition; and more popular lectures given to beginning students and lay audiences on this important prophet in ancient Israel. Also included is an essay on how the author went about writing his three-volume Jeremiah for the Anchor Bible commentary series. These thirteen essays are collected to be read with profit by scholars, beginning and advanced students, adults in Bible study classes, and people anywhere who want an introduction to important issues in the study of Jeremiah and the book bearing his name. If these aims are realized, the book will have achieved its goal.""Jack Lundbom''s long-time attention to the rhetoric of this prophet is unmatched in scholarly literature and provides a fresh approach to the meaning of the final form of the text. He also defends a new understanding of the shorter text of Jeremiah known from the Septuagint and from some of the Dead Sea Scrolls that deserves to be debated at the highest levels. This book also applies the insights of Jeremiah to Christian life today.""--Ralph W. Klein, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago""Jack Lundbom is an expert in Jeremiah studies. More than twenty-five years of his research on this prophet come alive in this new book, a collection of articles on important topics, like the rhetoric of the book of Jeremiah, the new covenant, and the figure of Jeremiah''s confident Baruch. Lundbom''s essays cover a wide horizon, ranging from questions regarding textual criticism to his experiences writing the Anchor Bible commentary.""--Georg Fischer, SJ, University of Innsbruck, Austria""Jack Lundbom has been writing groundbreaking studies of Jeremiah since the 1970s, climaxing with his massive Anchor Bible commentary. These essays are the perfect way into his lifetime''s work. They display his distinctive approach to the variant texts of Jeremiah, his insights into the scribes who crafted the book, the method of rhetorical criticism he applies so fruitfully in his commentary, and not least some central topics in Jeremiah''s teaching.""--Graham Davies, University of Cambridge""Jeremiah Essays grants unusual access to the background, perspective, and process of his major, three-volume commentary on Jeremiah. These essays reveal Lundbom as the mature, wide-ranging scholar and author he is in his own right. . . . This is must reading for any serious student of Jeremiah.""--Marvin L. Chaney, San Francisco Theological Seminary and the Graduate Theological UnionJack Lundbom is currently Distinguished Visiting Scholar at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, Evanston, Illinois. He is author of Jeremiah: A Study in Ancient Hebrew Rhetoric (1975; 1997), a three-volume Jeremiah in the Anchor Bible commentary series (1999; 2004), and a two-volume Deuteronomy commentary (2012).

In this book, which continues a renowned series of essays published in the Christian Century, thirteen prominent Christian theologians speak--in unusually personal voices--of their journeys of faith and of the questions that have shaped their writing and scholarship.Reflecting a variety of theological positions and approaches, these essays feature decisive encounters with prayer, scriptural tradition, struggles for justice, and religious and cultural diversity.Some of these ""changes of mind"" include a change in denominational allegiance, others reflect a shift in method or emphasis prompted by experiences inside or outside the church. Some of the essays display a long-term theological project that unfolds or deepens in changing circumstances. All display the renewed vitality of theology in the postmodern context.Contributors include Paul Griffiths, Sarah Coakley, Mark Noll, Nicholas Wolterstorff, Carol Zaleski, Kathryn Tanner, Scott Cairns, Robert Jenson, Emilie Townes, Peter Ochs, David Ford, Douglas John Hall, and Max Stackhouse.""The Christian Century''s How My Mind Has Changed series has always offered an invaluable picture of how theologians negotiated the crisis of belief in their time. This illuminating volume, the most theologically diverse in the series, is a compelling and worthy successor to the five that preceded it.""--Gary Dorrien, Union Theological Seminary""The Christian Century''s wonderful and illuminating series, How My Mind Has Changed, has yielded tremendous insights from theologians over the years. Too often we only get snapshots of a theologian''s reflections; here we glimpse the development of their thought. This collection gathers together many of the contemporary world''s most insightful and engaging thinkers, and the result is a delightful, intellectual feast.""--L. Gregory Jones, Duke Divinity School""These are luminous essays. Their authors do not merely represent topics or positions on the theological spectrum. They are honest and sometimes conflicted human beings, willing to drop the mask of world-class expertise and reveal the hope, agony, and changing contours of their faith. The honesty of these autobiographical accounts will create a sense of kinship between writers and readers. They will light the reader''s path through his or her own struggles with continuity and change.""--Richard Lischer, Duke Divinity SchoolDavid Heim has since 1998 been executive editor of the Christian Century, a biweekly magazine of religion, politics, and culture. He has written hundreds of signed and unsigned articles for the magazine, as well as reviews for the Washington Post and other journals.

Dreamcare: A Theology of Youth, Spirit, and Vocation helps parents, youth workers, and congregations cultivate purpose and vocation in youth and young adults. Recent findings disclose a pervasive sense of purposelessness that threatens young adults'' health and well-being, and also the common good. The good news is that research shows all young people also have an often hidden sense of purpose that can be noticed, named, and nurtured by parents and communities. This volume supplements research with findings from Emory''s Youth Theological Initiative (YTI), which identifies four pathways--desire, joy, compassion, and responsibility--by which young people discover a sense of purpose. Growing from research at YTI, this volume provides concrete suggestions for how Christian communities might engage young people in practices to cultivate a sense of purpose, including narrative resources by which to make theological sense of their impulses of desire, joy, compassion, and responsibility.""David White brings into conversation the wise insights of Christian theologians with the deep questions of today''s youth, modeling an innovative approach to ministry with young people. In so doing, he reminds us there is indeed a robust gospel the church can communicate, which invites young people--and all of us--into a life of meaning and purpose that participates in God''s redeeming work in the world.""--Elizabeth W. Corrie, Assistant Professor in the Practice of Youth Education and Peacebuilding, Candler School of Theology, Emory University""Books about youth ministry too often dismiss adolescents as inadequate and easily manipulated. White reminds us the Holy Spirit sparks in young people the capacity to respond with purpose to join their lives with God''s work in the world. His playful engagement with both young people and theologians invites us into deeper theological reflection on the purposes of human life and committed engagement with young people in their search for vocation.""--Katherine Turpin, Associate Professor of Religious Education, Iliff School of Theology""American consumerist culture seeks to marshal young people into lockstep conformity with its vision of personal empire through acquisition of material goodies. By contrast, David White here provides Christian communities with means to assist their youth in discerning the counter-rhythms of the Holy Spirit, rhythms that resound with young persons'' innate yearning for lives of joy and purpose.""--Fred P. Edie, Associate Professor for the Practice of Christian Education, Duke Divinity SchoolDavid F. White is the C. Ellis Nelson Professor of Christian Education at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Austin, Texas. He is author of Practicing Discernment with Youth, and coauthor of Awakening Youth Discipleship: Christian Resistance in a Consumer Culture. He was the editor of the Pilgrim book series Youth Ministry Alternatives. David is an ordained United Methodist minister who served for over twenty years as minister with youth at congregations in Mississippi, Kentucky, Alaska, and California.