Books published by Westminster/John Knox Press,U.S.

In this unique work, Paul Hanson traces the concept of "community" from its early biblical origins through the end of the apostolic age. This edition includes a chapter devoted to the contemporary implications of this concept and in his new introduction, the author further explores the importance of this...

In contrast to the perspective taken in many popular books on the historical Jesus, the Christian tradition does not offer a boring, safe Jesus who can be studied from a distance and needs only to be placed in his historical context. Instead, William Placher argues that Jesus is one who radically challenges the way we understand the world and...

In this book, the second of his three-volume history, Gary Dorrien explores American theological liberalism in its heyday--at the advent of the research university and the institutionally identified school. He argues that in its prime theological liberalism effected a creative blending of theological schools, featured a tension between its...

Focusing on Israelite history from the tribal period through the time of Persian domination, Paula McNutt employs a social-scientific perspective to examine recent reconstructions of the social and cultural contexts that nurtured the literature of the Hebrew Bible. She also offers a helpful overview of the components and dynamics of ancient Israelite society.Volumes in the Library of Ancient Israel draw on multiple disciplines--such as archaeology, anthropology, sociology, linguistics, and literary criticism--to illuminate the everyday realities and social subtleties these ancient cultures experienced. This series employs sophisticated methods resulting in original contributions that depict the reality of the people behind the Hebrew Bible and interprets these insights for a wide variety of readers.

Virtually all the current debates about the historical Jesus have their roots in questions that have been pursued by biblical historians over the past two centuries. This anthology brings together seminal essays by those scholars who have been most influential in the rise and development of Jesus studies, enabling the reader to compare their...

In this revised and expanded edition of Christian Perspectives on Politics, J. Philip Wogaman updates his comprehensive discussions on the interaction of Christian ethics and American politics. Wogaman clearly and fairly analyzes the long-standing debate about Christianity and politics and then constructs his own approach, all the while...

This volume, a part of the Old Testament Library series, provides an introduction to the Old Testament. The Old Testament Library provides fresh and authoritative treatments of important aspects of Old Testament study through commentaries and general surveys. The contributors are scholars of international standing.

In this history of the rise, development, and near-demise of Karl Barth's theology, Gary Dorrien carefully analyzes the making of the Barthian revolution and the reasons behind its simultaneously dominating and marginal character. He discusses Barth's relationship to his predecessors and contemporaries, as well as to modern theologians, and...

This seventh volume in the popular Old Testament for Everyone series tells the story of Israel when it was a monarchy, from the accession of Solomon to the exile.

In this book, Calvin Roetzel explores the social, political, religious, and intellectual environment of the New Testament writers. Roetzel maps the major features of the first-century landscape so that the student may be able to view the whole, and through the whole gain new perspective on and insight into each part. Now updated with the most...

In this examination of the ethical significance of preaching, Charles Campbell provides both fresh insights into the relationship between preaching and ethics and a challenging moral vision for the contemporary church. Moving beyond a narrow focus on moral decision-making or social-issues sermons, Campbell argues that a particular...

This volume is a collection of meditations fostering Christian discipleship drawn from The Daily Study Bible. The meditations focus on God's love for the world, our responsibility to care for one another, and being a faithful witness to God.The William Barclay Library is a collection of books addressing the great issues of the Christian faith...

The Old Testament Library provides fresh and authoritative treatments of important aspects of Old Testament study through commentaries and general surveys. The contributors are scholars of international standing.

William Barclay brings to these "best-known stories in the world" new force and significance for the modern reader. Each chapter analyzes an individual parable--identifies its theme, explains it in the light of the language and customs of the ancient world, and clearly interprets its meaning for us today.The William Barclay Library is a...

When pastors look out over their congregations, there's a good chance that they see a lot of gray hair. This book gives practical instruction and examples of biblical and theological sermons to this growing population, enabling the preacher to proclaim the gospel more clearly for older adults. Covering topics from biblical and historical views...

In this companion and sequel to the best-selling Power in the Pulpit (2002), which has sold over 11,000 copies, more of America's best-known and most influential African American preachers describe how they go about preparing their sermons. Each preacher also presents a sermon that highlights his or her particular method of sermon preparation...

This critical assessment of the book of Jeremiah enables the reader to rediscover many of the most profound and relevant features of Jeremiah's message and of the agonies and fears of those to whom it was first given. The picture that emerges of the prophet is an intensely moving one, often at variance with the conventional image of earlier...

This volume in the popular For Today series, written by the highly respected theologian and author Justo GonzA!lez, explains the familiar Apostles' Creed in easy, accessible language. GonzA!lez explores not only what the Creed meant in the early centuries but also its ongoing importance and relevance for Christian faith and practice today.The...

In this important study, Mark Toulouse maps the ambiguous landscape between American Christianity and American public life. Built on an extensive study of religious periodical literature since the mid-1950s and on an analysis of landmark events in American history, Toulouse develops an insightful typology for understanding how Americans have...

Comprised of four lectures and two sermons, Passion for God provides a unique look into the theological perspectives of renowned theologians Jurgen Moltmann and Elisabeth Moltmann-Wendel, each a preeminent figure in the proliferation of contemporary theology in the twentieth...

This is a collection of thirty-one beautifully written and wonderfully moving sermon-length reflections that read more like stories from Lake Wobegone. Wood weaves together history, legends, and references to popular culture seamlessly with biblical passages to create reflections that are both inspirational and educational."A modern...

In this concluding volume of his magisterial trilogy, Gary Dorrien sustains his previous definition of liberal theology and his mixture of theological, philosophical, and historical analysis, while emphasizing the unprecedented diversity of liberal theology in the postmodern age. Dorrien argues that liberal theology has been in crisis for the...

As most readers of the New Testament know, the words of Jesus are often spoken in riddles--in parables and other sayings that were and continue to be difficult to understand. In Jesus the Riddler, Tom Thatcher explains that Jesus may have been intentionally ambiguous, using riddles to establish his authority as a teacher and to encourage his...

Now, forty years since its original publication, Hans Kung's groundbreaking study--acclaimed as a model for ecumenical discussion--has become a classic work. Looking at the doctrine of justification as understood by the Protestant theologian Karl Barth in comparison to classic Roman Catholic theology, Kung found that the two had similar ideas...

Ronald Allen and Gilbert Bartholomew introduce preachers to verse-by-verse preaching, in which the preacher interprets the passage unit by unit and the sermon unfolds much like a commentary on the Bible. They note its applicability in a variety of settings and occasions, and offer practical suggestions for preparing a sermon in this style...

In this volume, a part of the Westminster Bible Companion series, Paul Hooker suggests that First and Second Chronicles is not a "history of Israel," but rather a theological reflection on the story of Israel's faith. The Chronicler, according to Hooker, seeks to sketch the lines of Israel's future as the people of God by drawing on the...

This comprehensive volume features a collection of interpretive essays on the work of missions in the Presbyterian Church for over sixty years. It discusses challenges to the church's mission activities and to its missionaries and examines the ways in which changes in denominational structures impacted mission work. Reflections from...

In this volume, Luther Ivory reflects on how to live the call to discipleship as an individual and as a community. He describes the significance of active listening in the invitational rhythm of call and response and clarifies the biblical mandate for individuals and the church to respond to the call to join God in the struggle against evil and...

Beginning with the motto "The Church Reformed and Always Being Reformed," thirteen Presbyterian leaders and representatives of a number of different groups across the theological spectrum offer their reflections on the current state of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and what the denomination needs today. This book presents various viewpoints...

This splendid introductory textbook for Christian theology presents two essays by leading scholars on each of the major theological questions. William Placher provides an excellent discussion of the history and current state of each doctrine while the essays explore the key elements and contemporary issues relating to these important...