Books published by Cascade Books

One day, Matthew Eaton was walking through an impromptu animal shelter display at his local pet store when suddenly an eight-month-old kitten dug his claws into Eaton''s flesh. Eaton recognized that the ""eyes of this cat and the curve of his claw"" compelled a response analogous to those found in the writings of Buber, Levinas, and Derrida. And not just Eaton but a whole community of theologians have found themselves in an encounter with particular places and animals that demands rich theological reflection. Eaton enlisted fellow editors Harvie and Bechtel to collect the essays in this volume, in which theologians listen to horses, rats, snakes, cats, dogs, and the earth itself, who become new theological voices demanding a response. In this volume, the voice of the more-than-human world is heard as making theology possible. These essays suggest that what we say theologically represents not simply ideas of our own making subsequently superimposed onto the natural world through our own discovery, but rather flow from an expressive Earth.""It is often said in hyperbolic praise of a book that it is ''a revelation.'' Encountering Earth is in the most literal way a collection of revelations. At once deeply personal, rigorous, and erudite, there is no other collection like it. Rarely has a scholarly volume elicited such depth of affective response in me, not only provoking questions but evoking tears and laughter and, in their wake, hope.""--Aaron Gross, Theology and Religious Studies Department, University of San Diego""The original essays in this outstanding and wide-ranging book deserve a broad and global readership. When we encounter nonhuman animals--aka animals--and are open to the messages they clearly send to us about who they are and what they want from us, the more-than-human world opens widely and we are obliged to help them in all ways possible. Other animals help us to re-wild our hearts and remove us from a narrow and damaging anthropocentric view of the diverse community of beings with whom we are blessed to share our fascinating and magnificent planet.""--Marc Bekoff, Author of Rewilding Our Hearts""Our meetings with non-human creatures are both key motivations for academic work about them, and illuminative sites of reflection. The non-human creatures that we encounter in the pages of this volume lead the authors to vivid, engaging, and original insights, which together make an important new contribution to the field.""--David Clough, Professor of Theological Ethics, University of ChesterTrevor Bechtel is Creative Director of the Anabaptist Bestiary Project. Matthew Eaton is Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow at Fordham University in New York. Timothy Harvie is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Ethics at St. Mary''s University in Calgary, Canada.

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 the500thanniversary 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.

Promise has a long pedigree in the history of Christian understandings of the gospel. This volume gathers together leading homileticians to consider the breadth of its understanding today in light of the struggle to reconcile God''s grace with God''s justice. Assuming that promise is a core sense of the gospel, how does this relate to the variety of contexts in which homiletical theology is done? In this final volume in the series, six homileticians from a variety of contexts and perspectives try to move specifically toward a homiletical theology of promise as a way to articulate the central theological gift and task that is preaching the gospel today.""Each chapter of this compelling book teaches a vital aspect of the promissory nature of preaching: as a lure to new forms of human dwelling and action, as a unique way of liturgically embodying eschatology, as a key to homiletical genre, as God''s unique way of acting and speaking in sermons, and as the way preaching becomes provisional good news in difficult situations. Highly recommended for all serious students of preaching.""--John S. McClure, Vanderbilt Divinity School""Continuing the ''turn to theology'' in contemporary homiletics, this thoughtful and wide-ranging collection of essays explores preaching as a theological expression of divine promise that embodies and empowers our human response. Jacobsen is to be congratulated for bringing this important project to completion."" --Michael P. Knowles, McMaster Divinity College""These final six essays of the Promise of Homiletical Theology series proceed from the central conviction that any hope worth preaching proceeds from the world-transforming, justice-making promises of the God revealed in Jesus Christ, the crucified and risen Lord of God''s new creation. Strikingly varied in their methodological approaches and rich in theological creativity, these writers urge hope-fueled preaching that is healing and prophetic, poetic and theologically discerning, accompanied by locally embodied, diverse, and hope-infused practices of worship and witness."" --Sally A. Brown, Princeton Theological SeminaryDavid Schnasa Jacobsen is Professor of the Practice of Homiletics and Director of the Homiletical Theology Project at Boston University School of Theology. His books include Preaching in the New Creation, Preaching Luke-Acts, Kairos Preaching: Speaking Gospel to the Situation, and Mark.

Fakes, Forgeries, and Fictions examines the possible motivations behind the production of apocryphal Christian texts. Did the authors of Christian apocrypha intend to deceive others about the true origins of their writings? Did they do so in a way that is distinctly different from New Testament scriptural writings? What would phrases like ""intended to deceive"" or ""true origins"" even mean in various historical and cultural contexts? The papers in this volume, presented in September 2015 at York University in Toronto, discuss texts from as early as second-century papyrus fragments to modern apocrypha such as tales of Jesus in India in the nineteenth-century Life of Saint Issa. The highlights of the collection include a keynote address by Bart Ehrman (""Apocryphal Forgeries: The Logic of Literary Deceit"") and a panel discussion on the Gospel of Jesus' Wife, reflecting on what reactions to this particular text--primarily on biblioblogs--can tell us about the creation, transmission, and reception of apocryphal Christian literature. The eye-opening papers presented at the panel caution and enlighten readers about the ethics of studying unprovenanced texts, the challenges facing female scholars both in the academy and online, and the shifting dynamics between online and traditional print scholarship.

Twenty years before his famous trial, Galileo Galilei had spent two years carefully considering how the results of his own telescopic observations of the heavens as well as his convictions about the truth of the Copernican theory could be aligned with the Catholic Church's position on biblical interpretation and the authority of the magisterium. The product of these two years was an unpublished letter to the Grand Duchess Christina of Tuscany, the mother of his patron, Cosimo II de' Medici.Much has changed since this letter was written in 1615, but much has remained the same. This collection of articles by renowned international scholars provides the historical context of the letter as well as a description of the scientific world of Galileo. It also explores those issues that make this 1615 letter a document for our time: the public role of religious authority, the truth of the Bible, and the relationship of scientific inquiry to social justice. Galileo's letter to Christina has become a classic text in the history of the relationship between science and religion in the West for good reason; this volume explores why the letter has earned its rightful place as a classic even for today.

In literature, the advice often given is to show and not tell. In academia, it is the opposite: tell and do not show. Sigurd's Lament is a text that asks the question, can scholarship show rather than tell? On the surface, it is the collected work of a mid-twentieth-century scholar, Hawthorne Basil Peters, who has curated the life's work of his father--the translation of a Welsh epic into the alliterative meter of the English Revival. The poem is produced in full, but so too is the historic introduction, commentary, and academic apparatus. Peters, for the first time, shares with the world his father's wonderful translation and his previously unpublished academic ideas. In a text rife with distention, however, Peters draws the reader's attention to the unexpected flexibility of language and asks only one thing in return: drink deeply. For Sigurd's Lament is a text of the most serious play. It is ambiguous and obfuscating and riddled with footnotes that have lurking within them--like goblins in the weeds--future tales of past narratives.

Philip Turner's contributions as a leader and thinker in Christian missions and social ethics are here engaged by an array of friends and colleagues. Turner's scholarly and clerical career spans a key era of transition in American and world Christianity, and his thinking and teaching about the intersection between ecclesial and civil life have encouraged several generations of Christian theologians and ministers. The essays in this collection touch on key topics in which Turner has been involved: cross-cultural missions, social relations in terms of family and procreation, ecclesiology, scriptural interpretation, the nature of the public good, and the character of a human life before God. Turner has been a pioneer, within the Anglican world especially, in promoting what has been called a "generous orthodoxy," and these essays by prominent theologians from America and the United Kingdom extend his witness in lively and fruitful ways.

In recent decades the ancient apocalyptic work 1 Enoch has been intensively explored for its historical meaning and its contribution to Israelite and Christ-movement thought and identity. Yet its theological meaning, what it can contribute to understanding of the divine-human interface today, has been neglected by scholarship. This is surprising given that 1 Enoch is Scripture for the Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox churches and has been a major influence on Christian theology, experience, and art in Ethiopia since the fifth and sixth centuries CE. This book inaugurates a project in Western scholarship to bring 1 Enoch into theological discussion. It contains a number of essays delivered at meetings in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and Cheltenham, England, involving scholars from Ethiopia, Germany, the UK, and the USA. The papers cover topics such as the appropriate theological response to a text that is Scripture for only some Christians; the role of 1 Enoch in Ethiopian ecclesial and theological tradition; the theological potential of 1 Enoch in areas such as the environment, politics, social justice, Christology, persecution, the problem of evil and how 1 Enoch stimulates artistic expression today. The Blessing of Enoch aims to launch a wider discussion on 1 Enoch and contemporary theology.

A Land Full of God gives American Christians an opportunity to promote peace and justice in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It shows them how to understand the enmity with brief, digestible, and comprehensive essays about the historical, political, religious, and geographical tensions that have led to many of the dynamics we see today. All the while, A Land Full of God walks readers through a biblical perspective of God's heart for Israel and the historic suffering of the Jewish people, while also remaining sensitive to the experience and suffering of Palestinians. The prevailing wave of Christian voices are seeking a pro-Israeli, pro-Palestinian, pro-peace, pro-justice, pro-poor, and ultimately pro-Jesus approach to bring resolution to the conflict.

He has captured the imagination of people around the world, including those who thought they were ""done with"" Christianity. In ways no one could have expected and no one predicted, Pope Francis has become a living example of what it might mean to be a Christian in our time and place. The modern world was not ready for Pope Francis, but as has been demonstrated--in his travels to the United States and around the world, in his calls for mercy and defense of the vulnerable--Pope Francis was ready for the modern world.New World Pope: Pope Francis and the Future of the Church explores how Jorge Mario Bergoglio became Pope Francis--the ideas, experiences, influences, and passions that have formed this pastor who has inspired, challenged, encouraged, and angered people worldwide. Ten experts from around the world--scholars, journalists, church leaders, and others--provide insights into the origins and trajectories of Pope Francis' vision and hopes for the Christian community in our day. Persons intrigued by Pope Francis will find deeper insights into his witness via this exploration of the roots and trajectories of his sense of Christian mission and discipleship.

Who is God? What is God's relation to the world? How is God disposed towards us? What does God ask of us? These questions are not mere intellectual puzzles. They matter for us. A disinterested theology would be no theology at all, for we are fundamentally, at our very core, invested in God. God is the one who concerns us most deeply. Put differently, any theology worth the name is, as Miroslav Volf has put it, theology ""for a way of life."" We ask theological questions as those whose lives depend on the God whose character we try to articulate in the answers--and also in the asking. How we ask and answer these questions gives shape to our lives. In this volume, published in Volf's honor, leading Christian, Jewish, and Muslim theological scholars reflect on the shapes flourishing human life takes in light of God. Considering concrete questions--from how to talk about suffering to the value of singing in congregational worship--in light of their deep theological commitments, the contributors exemplify the kind of theological reflection our cultures so deeply need.Contributors to this volume:Matthew CroasmunRyan McAnnally-LinzMarianne Meye ThompsonDavid H. KelseyMichael WelkerChristoph SchwobelAlon Goshen-GottsteinReza Shah-KazemiJurgen MoltmannNatalia MarandiucNancy BedfordNicholas WolterstorffLidija Matosevi¿Ivan Sar¿evi¿Linn Marie Tonstad