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

Writing from a Jewish perspective, Jon Levenson reviews many often neglected theoretical questions. He focuses on the relationship between two interpretive communities--the community of scholars who are committed to the historical-critical method of biblical interpretation and the community responsible for the canonization and preservation of...

How should living things and our own human nature be changed in the hands of those who can alter them genetically? How do we set limits, and what goals are legitimate pursuits? Neither the science of genetics nor the theory of evolution can answer these questions alone. This book's contribution to a theological understanding of science and...

How does a congregation best serve its own neighborhood? This practical guide for congregations and parishes addresses this question by reviewing the growth of the ecumenically oriented community ministry movement in recent years. David Bos believes the typical "community ministry" rising from that movement possesses three vital and energizing...

Donald Capps draws upon the poetry of William Stafford and Denise Levertov to show how poetry can benefit the field of pastoral care. He argues that poetry focuses on the immediate experience and attends to life itself, whereas theology and ethics focus more on abstract discourse, seeking to achieve a more panoramic view of...

Ted Peters brings Trinitarian theology conversation to a new level by examining the works of Karl Barth, Karl Rahner, Eberhard Jungel, Jurgen Moltmann, Robert Jenson, Wolfhart Pannenberg, and Catherine Mowry LaCugna. He highlights talk about the becoming of God by process theologians, sexism in Trinitarian language by feminists, and divine and...

This book takes a novel, cultural approach to studying mainline denominations, focusing on the denominations' religious and moral vision--the beliefs, values, symbols, stories, and style that make a denomination distinct. Of special concern are the ways in which denominations passed on their vision and how they maintained plausibility under...

This book is a handy tool for pastors, theological students, and laity seeking a better understanding of the teaching of John Calvin. It is a comprehensive, easy-to-read introduction to the most influential book of the Protestant Reformation: Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion.The brief quotations from the Institutes, alphabetized by...

This historical survey of the relationship between archaeology and biblical studies in the archaeological excavations in Palestine at Tell el-Hesi from 1840 to 1990 concentrates on the work of major excavators and scholars. It is a panoramic overview of the methods and theories that served to illuminate the archaeology of the Holy Land...

This much-needed work examines the three most litigated areas in clergy counseling: breaches of confidentiality, sexual misconduct, and the content and quality of counseling service. The authors provide clear and concise explanations of clauses in the U.S. Constitution pertaining to religion as well as up-to-date accounts of cases against...

This comprehensive introduction to all the books of the Bible, including the Apocrypha, is written in a clear, easy-to-read style and is an ideal learning tool for laity, students, adult study groups, and ministers. The one-volume format is convenient for individual study groups, and this revision reflects the most up-to-date biblical...

In this book, James Nelson offers an incarnational way of doing theology. He takes body experiences seriously and views sexuality as central to the mystery of human experience and to the human relationship with God. He seeks to identify what scripture and tradition says about sexuality, focusing on three areas of concern: sexual theology, men's...

The Bible helps to shape our understanding of Christian responsibility. However, different church bodies and individuals who claim scripture as an authority on ethics often reach different conclusions about moral life. In this book, C. Freeman Sleeper describes how the Bible can be used as a guide to moral life. He shows how various church...

Including an analysis of "A Brief Statement of Faith," which became part of the Book of Confessions in 1991, this book is used in the training program for church officers of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Written by a pastor experienced in officer training, We Believe will help Presbyterians, especially current and future church officers...

In this concise and clearly written commentary, Charles H. Talbert brings to mainline Christians a fresh reading of the book of Revelation, demonstrating that it is not only accessible but relevant for the modern-day Christian. According to Talbert, the primary causes of the marginalized status of the book of Revelation by mainline Christians...

According to Carl Dudley and Sally Johnson, the discovery of strong and compelling congregational self-images binds church members together and energizes ministry. They describe five images of churches' relationships to their communities over time--the Survivor, Prophet, Pillar, Pilgrim, and Servant styles--thus allowing churches to gain the...

In Slaying the Dragon: Mythmaking in the Biblical Tradition, Bernard Batto argues that biblical authors, like other ancient Near East authors, used mythic traditions in composing their works. Batto joins massive evidence with masterful argument to show that myth actually lies at the heart of the theological enterprise of the biblical authors...

Ulrich Mauser uses the Bible, especially the New Testament, as a guide for present-day peace efforts. He explores the meaning of peace, and throughout the book he interlaces the New Testament experience of peace with elements of the Old Testament idea of shalom, not overlooking the wars of...

This rare volume provides a concise statement of the major ideas of one of the greatest Protestant thinkers of the twentieth century, Karl Barth. Divided into three parts, it presents Barth's lecture, "The Holy Spirit and the Christian Life." This work emphasizes Barth's focus on the Trinitarian character of God's self-revelation. Barth insists...

This anthology by Christian ethicists and ecclesial groups is concerned with the justice of war in the twentieth century. Included are writings from Pope Pius XII, the Niebuhrs, the Calhoun Commission, John Ford, Elizabeth Anscombe, Paul Ramsey, Ralph Potter, the U.S. Catholic bishops, and the U.S. Methodist bishops. These authors, whose ideas...

A comprehensive work in the field of Christian ethics, Basic Christian Ethics remains, more than fifty years after its original publication, an engaging and important work.The Library of Theological Ethics series focuses on what it means to think theologically and ethically. It presents a selection of important and otherwise unavailable texts...

Reinhold Niebuhr is renowned for his unflinching honesty concerning issues of social ethics, specifically, love and justice. Humans, Niebuhr says, are incapable of perfect love. Therefore, their struggle against evil and injustice is doomed to only relative victory, although they strive to live in the ideal world. Niebuhr's concern with this...

Walter Rauschenbusch was the primary architect of the Social Gospel, a movement that responded to the changing social and industrial conditions in the United States during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In this book, he presents his path-breaking and prophetic interpretation of Jesus and the kingdom and his understanding of...

This book compiles essays by over thirty urban pastors, community organizers, seminary professors, and church leaders. Their essays seek to present creative opportunities for urban ministries to bring hope and renewal to their congregations and...

This rare and important study of John Calvin's sermons gives a complete review of Calvin's preaching activity, purpose, method, and style. Included are the theological considerations that moved Calvin to preach the way he did; his view of the preacher's office, his duty, and the congregation's active participation; a historical account and the...

This book challenges American Presbyterians to remember their calling as Christians. The author believes that Presbyterians are summoned to a character of life that will awaken and address the religious questions of today with powerful and persuasive Christian perspectives and answers. By recognizing again the message of the good news of the...

This section-by-section, line-by-line commentary reflects on the meaning of "A Brief Statement of Faith" and its relevance for today. It will help Presbyterians think about who they are and what they believe, and will interest others concerned with the relationship between the Christian tradition and contemporary...

In Souls Are Made of Endurance, Stewart Govig gives a personal account of his family's struggle with their son's mental illness. After his son was diagnosed with schizophrenia, Govig's family faced not only the difficulty of finding medical care and therapy but also the personal anguish and the questioning of faith and of God that often...

In this book, Peter Stuhlmacher stresses the Old Testament and postbiblical Jewish traditions as the primary backdrop to Paul's thought, as these traditions were known by Paul himself or mediated to him through Jesus and the early church. The themes of the righteousness of God and the corresponding justification of both Jews and Gentiles are...

The book of Ezekiel was written during a tumultuous time in Israel's history. It follows a period that began with Ezekiel's warning of Jerusalem's fall and his prediction of the destruction of the temple--a sanctuary regarded as so holy that its destruction was unimaginable. The period continues with Ezekiel's and others' exile to Babylon...

Often called "minor prophets," these first great classical prophets spoke to issues that dominated their times--love, redemption, fidelity, renewal, authority, justice, righteousness, and inclusivity--and that continue to have great relevance today.Books in the Westminster Bible Companion series assist laity in their study of the Bible as a...