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Protestant ethics has often been associated with work and duty, excluding sensuality, sexuality and other pleasures. In an age of body worship as well as body loathing, Elisabeth Gerle explores new paths, embarking on a conversation with Martin Luther in dialogue with contemporary theologians on attitudes towards desire, ethics and politics. She draws on Eros theology to challenge traditional Lutheran stereotypes, such as the dichotomies between different forms of love, as well as between spirit and body. Gerle argues that Luther's spiritual breakthrough, where grace and gifts of creation became central, provides new meaning to sex and desire as well as to work, body and ordinary life. Women are seen in a new light - as companions, autonomous ethical agents, part of the priesthood of all. This had revolutionary consequences in Europe at the time, and it represents a challenge to contemporary theologies with a nostalgic appetite for austerity, asceticism and female submission. Luther's erotic and genderfluid language is a healthy challenge to oppressive political structures centred on greed, profit and competition. A revised Scandinavian creation theology and a deep sense of the incarnational mystery are resources for contemporary theology and ethics.
The story of Richard Aldington, outstanding Imagist poet and author of the best selling war novel, Death of a Hero (1929), takes place against the backdrop of some of the most turbulent and creative years of the twentieth century. Vivien Whelpton provides a remarkably detailed and sensitive portrayal of the writer from early adolescence. His life as a stalwart of the pre- war London literary scene, as a soldier, and in the difficult aftermath of the First World War is deftly rendered through a careful and detailed analysis of the novels, poems and letters of the writer himself and his close circle of acquaintance. The complexities of London's Bohemia, with its scandalous relationships, social grandstanding and incredible creative output, are masterfully untangled, and the spotlight placed firmly on the talented group of poets christened by Ezra Pound as 'Imagistes'. The author demonstrates profound psychological insight into Aldington's character and childhood in her nuanced analysis of his post- war survivor's guilt, and consideration of the three most influential women in his life: his wife, the gifted American poet, H.D.; Dorothy Yorke, the woman he left her for; and Brigit Patmore, his brilliant and fascinating older mistress. Richard Aldington: Poet, Soldier and Lover vividly reveals Aldington's warm and passionate nature and the vitality which characterized his life and works, concluding with his triumphant personal and literary resurrection with the publication of Death of a Hero.
Basilio Petra sees Christos Yannaras (b. 1935) as a philosopher and theologian whose refiguring, on the one hand, of Heidegger's refusal to define being in ontic terms and, on the other, of Wittgenstein's willingness to admit the inexpressible character of the mystical has led him to articulate a powerful vision of true human existence. This bold interpretation outlines the passage from an ontic 'mode of nature' governed by necessity to a 'mode of self-transcendence and self-offering' beyond the limitations of decay and death. In his native Greece, Yannaras revolutionised the way theology had been done for much of the twentieth century. This book examines the trajectory of Yannaras' thought from his initial encounter with Heidegger's philosophy to his formulation (via the tradition of the Greek Fathers) of a modern critical ontology. It is for both advanced students of philosophy and the growing scholarly audience interested in Yannaras' work. Written in accessible language that does not compromise intellectual rigour, it is the only survey of the development of Yannaras' philosophical thought as a whole.
An insightful examination of how the relationship between the Roman Catholic Church and Communist China has evolved over the years.
A critique of contemporary bioethical thought, drawing on the Patristic tradition to develop a Christian anthropology that offers an alternative approach to bioethics.
A compilation of fifty-eight of the essential documents of the English Reformation from 1526 to 1700, invaluable for both students and scholars.
A new collection of essays exploring the questions raised by children's fiction, from textual puzzles to historical and cultural conundrums.
Neither Here nor There: The Many Voices of Liminality draws together the expertise, experience, and insights of a coterie of authors, all of whom relate the core concepts of liminality to their unique contexts. The experience of and inquiry into liminal phenomena have developed into a distinct discipline of study which now crosses and informs many areas of thought, including anthropology, sociology, theology, psychology, literature and education. New vistas of interdisciplinary study have opened as a result of sharing the common language and symbol system of liminality. This anthology reflects the current resurgence of liminality and provides a critical source book ideal for individual reflection, study groups, classes and seminars. From the inner workings of spiritual life to large social transformations, liminality now provides a powerful interpretive tool and effective method for spiritual direction, teaching and leadership.
Christian engagement with economics tends to baptize pre-existing sociopolitical perspectives, thereby assuming a predetermined metaphysical narrative. What happens when the story of the development of economics, told from an anthropological and sociological perspective, is juxtaposed with a biblical theology that focuses primarily on relationships? Wagenfuhr tests a theological method grounded in three kinds of relationships: Creatorcreature,estrangement, and Reconciler-reconciled, by comparing these with a fourth relationship: the economic. He argues that economic relationships, and the worlds they create throughout history, are the fruit of relationships estranged from God. Much theology has committed itself to a metaphysic rooted in the reality of economics and his told a metaphysical story that tends to legitimize current sociopolitical realities. Wagenfuhr argues that reconciliation with God is entirely subversive to economic relationships. No economic relationship or system is established or justified by God; but neither does he reject them. Instead, the love of God in Christ speaks the economic language of a people, with a critical edge, leading to loving subversion of any and all economic relationships.This book argues for a robust theology that offers the post-Christendom church a renewed sense of the total scale of God's mission of reconciliation.
"e;Why does God hate me?"e; "e;How can I believe in a God who has allowed my suffering?"e; These are just two of the difficult spiritual questions that survivors of child sexual abuse struggle with. In addition, survivors often have mixed feelings about the church because of perceived judgment and indifference, their own shame, or their discomfort with certain aspects of worship. Of the many after-effects of sexual abuse, spiritual wounds are the least talked about, yet they are central to adult survivors who seek to heal and find faith and meaning in their lives. With grace and gentleness, this book seeks to answer survivors' spiritual questions and address some of the common misconceptions that often develop when young victims attempt to understand what has happened to them. Healing the Ravaged Soul explores the origins of their spiritual issues with clear psychological insights and guides survivors on a spiritual journey toward healing, wholeness, and a deeper relationship with God.
A thorough defense of C.S. Lewis' Argument from Desire that expands and updates an often neglected argument for the existence of God.
Traces the development of the surname over the centuries, from its conception, to its unquestioned acceptance. This book states that this development was subject to historical events and social change, occurrences which shaped the lives of our ancestors as they advanced toward a more complex society and ordered civilization.
The worldwide Anglican movement is a vibrant and flourishing, if sometimes troubled, international phenomenon. The Anglican movement, at its best, has always been about people rather than structures or institutions. This book introduces sixteen men and women from the Church of England, spread over the centuries from the early middle age onwards.
A systematic re-examination of the First Book of Samuel and its treatment of Saul, shedding new and unexpected light on the character of the first King of Israel.
The first scholarly biographical study on one of the most fascinating figures in 20th century Christianity, who has been neglected for many years by professional historians. Geoffrey Fisher worked to modernize the Church of England and to develop the worldwide Anglican Communion. His historic meeting with Pope John XXIII, his participation in national debates on the Suez Crisis and nuclear weapons, and his role in crowning Queen Elizabeth II made him a well-known figure in post-war Britain. A short and accessible book that will be essential to both the professional scholar and the interested amateur who wish to gain a greater understanding of the Church of England and the Anglican Communion during the turbulent post-war period.
A comprehensive history of religion in Victorian England, covering such topics as religion and science, religion and society, the press, literature and art, worship, new critical methods, federation and reunion.
An original and intriguing new contribution to the history of 18th Century art, revealing the Masonic symbolism that prevades the work of one of Britain's greatest painters.
Yeo's intriguing volume is an apologia for Chinese Christians. It articulates how a Chinese identity and a Christian identity can co-exist without capitulating to some Western or other cultural model of Christian identity. To be a Chinese Christian is to adopt a distinctive, unique identity that owes much to both traditions but is sui generis. Providing great resources for the construction of a Chinese Christian theology, Confucius and Paul converge across a surprisingly broad front. Yet, the Christ of the Cross completes or extends what is merely implicit or absent in Confucius; and Confucius amplifies various elements of Christian faith (e.g., community) often under played in Western Christianity. The Christ of God as found in Paul's Letter to the Galatians brings Confucian ethics in The Analects to its fulfilment while simultaneously protecting the church from the aberrations of Chinese history and protecting China against the aberrations of Christian history in the West. China can develop a distinctive vision of Christianity, and will fulfil its global mission if it can find its own authentic identity.The Confucian tradition within that identity will revitalize global Christianity.
There have been various thinkers who have attempted to explain the Earth-altering (even ecocidal) features in modern life. Jacques Ellul, for instance, a French intellectual, became famous for his exposition of technique. But technique does not adequately address the institutional context out of which technique itself arises. In these essays, Paul Gilk stands on the shoulders of two American scholars in particular. One is world historian Lewis Mumford, whose work spans fifty years of scholarship. The other is classics professor Norman O. Brown, who brought his erudition into a systematic study of Freud. From these intellectuals especially, Gilk concludes that the accelerating ecocidal characteristics of globalisation are inherent manifestations of perfectionist, utopian, predatory institutions endemic to civilisation. Our great difficulty in arriving at or accepting this conclusion is that civilisation contains no negatives it is strictly a positive construct. We are therefore incapable of thinking critically about it. A corrective is slowly emerging from Green intellectuals. Green politics, says Gilk, is not utopian but eutopian. It is not aimed at perfectionist immortality but, rather, at earthly wholeness. Yet the ethical message of Green politics confronts a society saturated with utopian mythology. The question is to what extent, and at what speed, ecological and cultural breakdown will dissolve civilised, utopian certitudes and provide the requisite openings for the growth of Green, eutopian culture.
A lively and accessible guide to the development of the novel, emphasising a thematic approach to the conventions and variety of the form.
Shows that a theistic epistemology incorporating Platonic and Aristotelian/Thomist elements can revitalize the Cartesian approach to the solution of the central problems of epistemology, including that most elusive of prizes - the proof of the external world. This book is suitable for students of epistemology, metaphysics, and philosophy.
A new and expanded edition of the classic introduction to the development of Western Philosophy, from the Ancient Greeks to the 20th Century.
A comprehensive survey of Reformation and post-Reformation thinkers who repudiated the medieval doctrine of the soul's immortality.
The first volume of the classic study of spirituality and mysticism in the Western religious tradition, focusing on the life of Catherine of Genoa. Also available as a two volume set.
Presents a study about the spirituality of Catherine of Genoa. This book shows how Catherine's mysticism relates to her life and thought. It develops the author's major theory about the three basic elements of religion, institutional, intellectual and mystical.
A detailed study of the New Testament concentrating on the Christian doctrine of salvation and atonement, examining the importance of Christ's atoning act for man's redemption.
A detailed and scholarly historical study of the schism between orthodox Christians and the Monophysites during the 5th to 7th centuries.
A complete guide to repairing any clock - mechanical or electric, modern or antique.
A review of the life and work of Miles Coverdale, the reformer and translator who issued the first printed English translation of the complete Bible in 1535.
Dr. Reichelt was known in missionary circles as the West's greatest interpreter of Chinese Buddhism. For years Buddhist priests lived with him in the Mission at Tao Feng Shan, Hong Kong where he got to know them intimately. The author's study is based on his extensive experience and depth of knowledge of Buddhism.
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