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

Equal Rites is a much-needed collection of worship services, ceremonies, and celebrations that is attuned to the unique needs of sexual minorities. The selections, written primarily by lesbians and gay men, include rites of spiritual beginnings, healing, blessings, holy communion, and pride and empowerment. Also included are funeral memorial...

This book invites theological reflection that is focused and critical, but that does not require a great deal of expertise. Hugh Kerr offers essays that articulate key aspects of the gospel in an accessible way. His intent is not to make theology simple or to glide over the complexities of Christian truth, but to provide a statement of the...

Drawing upon the experiences and insights of a diverse group of notable contributors, this volume is perhaps the most complete study available on clergy ethics. The topics discussed include the separation of church and state, clergy professionalization, ethical pastoral care, and many...

This excellent resource provides help for ministers who must plan their sermons not only according to the liturgical church year but also in response to the secular calendar of national holidays and public ceremonies, and in response to the program calendar of local and denominational emphases. Individual chapters discuss preaching about racial...

Who we are and what we do as moral persons are shaped by the institutional and organizational environments we inhabit; the images and metaphors with which we perceive problems, people, and ourselves; the worldviews of myths that situate us in an ultimate frame of reference; and the personal stories through which we live. All of these things...

The birth of a child is important in the lives of women, families, and communities. It can also be a vital force to churches in providing them with a model for strength, endurance, and compassion, says Margaret Hammer. Despite a wealth of fascinating material, childbearing is an underdeveloped theme in theology and ministry. Hammer intends to...

What do we know about the history, literature, and religion of Judaism in its formative age? How do we know it, and why does it matter? In Studying Classical Judaism, renowned scholar and author Jacob Neusner addresses these and other important questions. Applying many of the same methods Christian scholars use to study Christianity, Neusner...

This comprehensive consideration of Luke-Acts offers lucid introductions to a wide variety of exegetical methods. Emphasizing the use of literary criticism, and relating the methods of Roland Barthes's five literary voices, the author analyzes point of view, levels of reliability, and strategies for reformulating reader response, narrative...

This useful collection of prayers has grown out of David Currie's own weekly worhsip services. His style is modern but not trivial or lacking in dignity. The calls to worship and confession, especially, speak in contemporary language and use experiences of everyday life for illustration. Included are calls to worship and opening prayers, calls...

This book is the result of a collaborative effort on the part of a group of outstanding theologians, historians, and biblical scholars within the American Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature. Clarifying for themselves and others the distinctive character of feminist interpretation, they continue the process of liberating...

Scott Hendrix argues in this book that the sixteenth century reformers all shared the same goal: to Christianize Christendom, that is, to replant authentic Christianity in the vineyard of the Lord, in the same European Christendom which they believed had been devastated by the medieval church. He believes it is more accurate and useful to...

In this biblically grounded study, Stanley Grenz synthesizes theology, ethics, and current medical research to offer an evangelical perspective on the profound role which sexuality plays in our lives, and in doing so, calls the church to be a reconciling community which proclaims God's grace to...

Accomplished author Richard Stoll Armstrong speaks openly and honestly about how a pastor functions with evangelical sensitivity in the roles of visitor, counselor, teacher, discipler, administrator, and public figure. He describes the specific opportunities for evangelism in each of these functions. Ways are suggested in which pastors can lead...

Edward Wimberly utilizes case studies to illustrate how spiritual discernment can be used in pastoral counseling. He shows the value of seeking to discern God's presence in the counseling process to bring healing and wholeness to those who suffer from broken relationships. A discernment model of pastoral/Christian counseling is provided for...

Drawing upon the perspectives of Christian education, biblical studies, worship, ethics, the arts, the role of women, the role of minorities, sexuality, and vocation, this book provides a multifaceted picture of the meaning of spirituality. Becoming Christian is an accessible text that introduces readers to the important issues involved in...

The family narratives in the book of Genesis are important in understanding the meaning of the book and are fundamental to the unfolding story of the birth of the Israelite nation. Devora Steinmetz sees kinship in ancient narratives as a symbolic structure representing the ability of the emerging culture to survive despite conflict that...

This book looks at the experiences of people with AIDS as a means of examining the way Christianity views the problem and deals with it on both personal and community levels. This book begins by sharing the experience and ministry of those living with AIDS. Also presented is a series of theological reflections on what living with AIDS means for...

Using interpretation from modern critical scholars, rabbis, and feminist scholars, Katheryn Darr offers a fascinating book that provides new ways of understanding the stories of four biblical women. The author studies Ruth, a foreigner from Moab who became the ancestor of Israel's King David; Sarah, who lost hope of bearing a child yet she...

With this book, Anna Case-Winters provides a reconstruction of the doctrine of God based on process theology and feminist thought. She takes a fresh approach to the problem of theodicy (the justification of God's goodness and omnipotence in view of the existence of evil) and contends that traditional attempts to address this problem are...

With the Lord's Prayer, the Apostles' Creed, and the Ten Commandments as his outline, Albert Winn offers plain talk about the basics of Christian faith. From these familiar sources which constitute the backbone of Luther's Catechism, Calvin's Catechism, and the Heidelberg Catechism, Winn fashions a primer to help renew faith. His book initiates...

Designed for clergy and lay people in congregations, this book makes an excellent resource for exploring the question of why and how the church can, should, and may confess its faith today, in a pluralistic world and in an ecumenical context. Also, it provides a basis for considering certain theological issues that have emerged as significant...

In this classic work in patristic studies, R. P. C. Hanson elucidates the views of the third-century theologian Origen on the nature and interpretaion of Scripture. The introduction by a leading Origen scholar sets Hanson's work in its context and explores its significance to Origen...

Readers have repeatedly called The Lord of the Rings the most important book of our age--absorbing all 1,500 of its pages with an almost fanatical interest and seeing the Peter Jackson movies in unprecedented numbers. Readers from ages 8 to 80 keep turning to Tolkien because here, in this magical kingdom, they are immersed in depth after depth...

Sonja Stewart and Jerome Berryman have taken the needs of children into account and devised an exciting method for introducing three- to seven-year-olds to the wonder of worship. Their approach, which integrates religious education and worship, has been presented at numerous workshops and training sessions. Based on the authors' experiences...

Written by two leading Old Testament scholars and widely used throughout the world, Philip Davies and John Rogerson's The Old Testament World describes the historical, social, and cultural setting in which the Old Testament was written and examines the major genres of literature that it contains. Ideally suited for college-level introductory...

The thought of Karl Barth has undergone a remarkable renewal of interest in recent decades. Joseph Mangina's Karl Barth: Theologian of Christian Witness offers a concise, accessible guide to this important Christian thinker. Unique among introductions to Barth, it also highlights his significance for Christian ecumenism and brings his views...

This work casts new light on the genre, function, and composition of Paul's first letter to the Corinthians. Margaret Mitchell thoroughly documents her argument that First Corinthians was a single letter, not a combination of fragments, whose aim was to persuade the Corinthian Christian community to become...

This book seeks to do for the study of Paul and Stoicism what E. P. Sanders did for Paul and Judaism. Instead of making a brick-by-brick analysis, Troels Engberg Pedersen provides the first comprehensive building-to-building comparison of how the two religious/philosophical systems functioned. The book moves through the major letters of Paul...

Following retirement, older people today are starting new businesses, returning to universities, becoming world travelers, entering the arts, taking full-time volunteer jobs, and setting new patterns of divorce and remarriage. In this "why to" book, Frank Hutchison gives encouragement to mature persons who wish to have satisfying personal lives...