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

Fred B. Craddock examines the letters of First and Second Peter and Jude, asking, what kind of literature is it? who wrote the letter? to whom was the letter written? and for what purpose was the letter written? Craddock's answers let us draw from these often undervalued epistles an awareness of what is involved in living a Christian life in...

In this book, Paul Walaskay discusses Luke's description of the early church, its leadership, and its struggles as a people of God amid competing religious claims. He helps the reader understand Luke and his contemporaries and examines the first-century church's situation in light of today's issues.Books in the Westminster Bible Companion...

David Bartlett explores Paul's letter to the Romans and there discovers Paul's vision of the nature of God. Along the way, Bartlett also highlights Paul's thoughts on God's gift of Jesus Christ, the world of the first Christians, and the nature of faith. Fascinating and clearly written, this rewarding and uplifting book will encourage and...

This work challenges pastors, seminarians, and active members of the laity to rethink the social character of their ministry. Dieter Hessel calls on parish communities to "meet human need with good Samaritan love while acting for justice with prophetic boldness." In this updated edition, Hessel assesses major new developments that have occurred...

What does it mean to imitate another person? What relationships are possible and necessary, or unthinkable, because of exhortation advising people to imitate Paul? What are the effects of giving special status to likeness? Questions such as these are posed in this thought-provoking book that addresses the notion of mimesis (imitation) and how...

In this very personal book, W. Paul Jones sees the diverse experience of individuals as the backbone of spirituality, and claims that the Trinity affirms a rich diversity within God and within God's way of relating to the world. He considers each Person of the Trinity as being involved in each "function" of God--as creator, redeemer and...

In this book, Howard Rice provides help for reclaiming spirituality in the Reformed tradition. He draws on a wide range of sources, including Calvin, confessional writers of the sixteenth century, Puritans, and other influential sources from later...

In this book, Thomas Jemielity demonstrates the striking relationship between satire and Hebrew prophecy by reviewing the role of ridicule in both and analyzing questions of nature, structure, form, and audience. This pioneering study makes compelling reading for all interested in the Bible and Western literature.The Literary Currents in...

Carol Noren helps lay people evaluate what they do Sunday morning and suggests positive steps for making worship better. She shows lay people how to work with their pastors and demonstrates how to make worship the work of the people. Separate chapters provide an overview of worship and explore the role of laity, the physical setting, the music...

This practical guide provides an alternative to the standard methods of arbitration and litigation used by divorcing couples--and shows how mediation can be utilized instead. Based on the author's professional experience in law and as a minister who has mediated for more than five hundred couples, Tim Emerick-Cayton provides illustrations on...

This historical reappraisal of the Acts of the Apostles, written in narrative form, allows the reader to understand the biblical author's worldview, historical and ideological assumptions, and purposes as they were communicated through portions of this work. Marion Soards analyzes the speech texts by comparing them to writings from ancient...

Is it possible to empathize fully with the victims of the Holocaust? Can those who approach the Holocaust in the aftermath ever know it in a way that does not trivialize its horror? With what language can we speak of such an event without at the same time betraying its meaning? In this powerful book, Karl Plank takes a hard look at these...

This useful, theologically informed guide prepares teachers in the church, whose purpose is to awaken, support, and challenge faith. Richard Osmer offers practical suggestions for preparing good lectures and leading lively discussions. He explores four important dimensions of faith--faith as belief, as commitment, as relationship, and as...

Knowledge of key philosophic terms or concepts is vital to the understanding of many issues in Christian theology. Diogenes Allen's book Philosophy for Understanding Theology explores such terms and concepts and their relationship to theology. This new anthology, edited by Allen and Eric Springsted, provides primary texts undergirding that...

How can a person preach a word of hope and faith in a world filled with violence and suffering? Christine Smith says one must encounter and name the evil that oppresses persons in the world--evils such as handicapism, ageism, sexism, heterosexism, white racism, and classism. She argues preaching is an interpretation of our present world and an...

AIDS in the Church provides important information about the changing evolution of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the persons it is affecting, and its global impact. It offers accurate scientific and sociological data and psychological insight. But most importantly, AIDS and the Church presents a compassionate and prophetic vision of how the church...

This book starts with a general introduction by Jurgen Becker, and continues with a study of the interaction of Jesus with the world around him by Christoph Burchard. Varieties of early Christianity are illuminated in an examination of the oldest Jewish-Christian community by Carsten Colpe; "The Circle of Stephen and Its Mission," by Karl...

Based on his years of experience as a pastor and seminary professor, John Leith's Basic Christian Doctrine provides a brief but comprehensive statement of Christian faith for contemporary Christians. Leith draws from the theologians of the ancient church and affirms the faith of ancient creeds: the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, the...

In this helpful book, Zach Thomas shows how clergy, friends, and congregations can reclaim the ancient practice of healing touch. He presents biblical principles that encourage wholesome behavior and protect against unhealthy touch. He provides a model for reflecting on touch in pastoral care, offers case studies that demonstrate how and when...

This helpful resource provides extensive information about each hymn in The Presbyterian Hymnal (1990)--background detail about hymn origins, publication history, authors, translators, composers, and arrangers. Stories about some of the hymns are also...

In this graphic, thought-provoking book, Ed Griffin-Nolan depicts the experiences of Witness for Peace (WFP), a group of Americans who bore witness to the war in Nicaragua--an event that resulted in the killing and wounding of many innocent Central American civilians. Griffin-Nolan explains how WFP participants spent weeks in the war zones in...

Chris Glaser believes that spirituality and sexuality are not opposing forces, but that they are both important parts of the human experience that ought to be embraced. This book of prayers encourages readers to "come out" to God as sexual and spiritual...

"The face of God" is a potent metaphor, like none other. To see God's face is something more than theoretical, mystical, or conceptional--and to see it, we must look at the face of Jesus. In this innovative book, John Purdy focuses on the face of Jesus and explores twelve Gospel stories beginning with Jesus' birth and moving through his...

Using a bioethical approach, John Cobb Jr. tackles some of the most controversial issues facing society and the church today--something theologians have often failed to do in the past. His four major topics are animal well-being, death with dignity, the moral status of the fetus, and sexual activity outside of...

Liberator, ancestor, cosmic Christ, and Black Messiah: these are just some of the ways that Jesus is viewed in the world. This rare book provides a global tour of the Christologies emerging in Latin America, Asia, and Africa, and those of North American feminist and African American...

In eighty-two very personal poems, Peggy Shriver writes about a broad range of human relationships and the search of God moving within those relationships--from the intimacy of marriage to the reality of the New York streets. With sensitivity to the human predicament, Shriver demonstrates that grace can be found in daily...

Prominent biblical scholar and author Walter Brueggemann studies three passages from the books of Samuel, using the methods of literary criticism and rhetorical analysis. He examines the ways the themes of power, divine providence, and David's personality cohere in the biblical narrative to explain David's rise to power and assumption of the...

Focusing on Psalms 78, 105, 106, and 136, Walter Brueggemann considers these psalms on their own terms and then takes up two issues that move in opposite interpretive directions: the Psalms in relation to the historical writing of modernity and the Psalms in relation to the voices of marginality. Brueggemann attempts to enter Israel's past as...

This timely selection of readings represents the work of some of the best and most influential writers the Christian feminist movement has produced--both in Britain and America. With its helpful introduction and editorial commentary it will be warmly welcomed by all who wish to be better informed about the wide range of key theological issues...

This informative book examines the issues surrounding the process of forming the marriage bond such as courtship, the early years of marriage, and specifically, the events that must happen for successful bonding to take place. This book is designed for couples planning to marry, for parents who are struggling to stay close to their children...