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ContentsThe History of the Study of Israelite and Judean HistoryWellhausen as a Historian of IsraelThe Twelve-Tribe Israelite Amphicyony: An AppraisalThe Final Years of Samaria (730-720 BC)The History of the Form-Critical Study of ProphecyThe Usage of Oracles against Foreign Nations in Ancient IsraelAmos''s Oracles against the Nations (1:2--2:16)Restitution, Forgiveness, and the Victim in Old Testament LawCovenantCovenant and Hesed: The Status of the DiscussionThe diverse topics covered by the included articles find their unity in a particular posture and ethos from which Hayes''s work operated. Hayes consistently engages in a ""thick analysis"" that embeds the topic under consideration within broader interpretive contexts. More so than any one particular proposal, this way in which Hayes approached the study of specific methods, seminal figures, biblical texts, and historical reconstructions has potentially lasting implications for contemporary scholarship . . . [O]ne finds in Hayes''s work a dogged insistence that biblical texts must be understood as firmly embedded within particular historical, social, cultural, and political matrices out of which they emerged and within which they functioned. Following from this, at times when it was not always popular to do so, Hayes argued that the biblical texts must be taken seriously (but not uncritically) as yielding important data to be used in various ways for historical interpretation. Whether exploring the social formation of early Israel, the final years of Samaria, or the social concept of covenant, Hayes demonstrated a textually focused and exegetically based approach.--Brad E. Kelle, from the IntroductionJohn H. Hayes is Franklin N. Parker Professor Emeritus in the Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. He has authored, coauthored, and edited numerous academic volumes, including Dictionary of Biblical Interpretation, A History of Ancient Israel and Judah, Biblical Exegesis, Old Testament Theology: Its History and Development, An Introduction to Old Testament Study, and Old Testament Form Criticism.

Path of the Purified Heart traces the classic Christian spiritual journey toward transformation into the likeness of Christ in a unique, fascinating way. Drawing on the voices of wise elders from the past and present, Dunham illumines the common path all Christians and spiritual seekers may take toward union with God. Through the motifs of the liturgical year and the labyrinth, the author weaves in her own journey on this path during her ""year of purification.""""Laura Dunham invites the reader to share in the rich convergence in her own life. That convergence includes deep rootage in Reformed faith, alert participation in the great tradition of spirituality, engagement with contemporary masters of spiritual disciplines, and her own critical angle on her own experience. She lines out this convergence according to the liturgical year of the church, giving access that may lead the reader, along with the author, closer to the heart of God.""--Walter BrueggemannColumbia Theological SeminaryAuthor of The Practice of Prophetic Imagination (2012)""In Path of the Purified Heart, Dunham employs all the candor and intimacy of good memoir and all the objectivity of a trained pastor to give us an honest and informative look into Christian mysticism from the perspective of the Reformed tradition."" --Phyllis TickleAuthor of The Divine HoursΓäó series""Rare keen intelligence, simplicity of style, and compelling as literature! This book can teach all of us how transformation is possible if we take seriously one liturgical year and stay attentive. Rev. Laura Dunham has written a book not only different in degree, but different in kind. This is a new contribution to serious seekers in the Christian tradition . . . not only smart and personal but real and ready for any contemporary seeker who wants to go deeper right now.""Mary Margaret Funk, OSBOur Lady of Grace MonasteryAuthor of Into the Depths: A Journey of Loss and Vocation (2010)""Spiritually rich and beautifully written, Laura Dunham not only retrieves important traditions of Christian wisdom, she juxtaposes them in unique, insightful, and fully convincing ways. How does the embodied and transformative process of walking the labyrinth guide us also in the soul''s journey through purification, illumination, and union? How is the church''s liturgical calendar humanized through provocative yet honest personal antidote? In raising these questions Dunham honors Christian traditions as well as her readers.""--Steven Chase, PhDStudium Scholar, St. Benedict''s MonasteryAuthor of Nature as Spiritual Practice (2011)Laura Dunham is a Presbyterian minister and Benedictine oblate. Her professional life spans more than four decades as a college professor and administrator, a pastor and church leader. She now teaches, leads workshops, and writes about spiritual formation and transformation. Her previous books include Graceful Living: Your Faith, Values, and Money in Changing Times. She invites inquiries about her work through her website and blog at www.healingandwisdom.com.

Despite a wealth of literature on the ""missional church"" and ""missional living,"" few resources help Christians and churches think through what it means to be disciples of Jesus Christ and what specific practices help cultivate lives of discipleship. Written from, with, and for the church, Pilgrim Practices: Discipleship for a Missional Church introduces Christian practices from the Letter of James to help guide Christians and churches in their journey of discipleship. This book frames discipleship in a way that has been largely abandoned in modern congregational literature, as fundamentally an issue of identity--an identity that is necessarily formed and practiced in and with the church community. It is a lifestyle that cannot be lived on one''s own. Discipleship ultimately means engaging with others on a journey of faith sustained and cultivated through certain practices--pilgrim practices. The practices examined in this book develop and direct the risky pilgrim journey of Christians, transforming pilgrims into disciples--as the Body of Christ--who participate with God in God''s mission in the world. In this time of transient identities, individualist impulses, and fleeting commitments, this book offers specific practices to help Christians form their identity as disciples and to help Christian communities live their calling as the pilgrim Body of Christ in the world.""Kristopher Norris''s Pilgrim Practices is a winsome treatment of the Christian life organized around the key themes of pilgrimage and practice. Norris retrieves the ancient understanding of Christianity as not merely a set of doctrines but a people''s way of living as an alternative community on missional pilgrimage in the world. The book begins with a helpful exposition of this basic vision, which is followed by a quite rich discussion of key practices of Christian discipleship as these are revealed in the Epistle of James. This book is original, honest, humble, and always engaging. I strongly recommend it.""-David P. GusheeDistinguished University Professor of Christian EthicsMercer University""With writing as vivid and engaging as his vision of the Church, Kris Norris opens up fresh sky over what it means to follow Jesus in the world. I already want to read it again.""--Julie Pennington-RussellPastor, First Baptist Church, Decatur, GA ""Pilgrim Practices is a great example of what can happen when a scholar lands in a local congregation and real lives become fertile soil for ideas. The demonstration plot of real community breathes life into Norris'' theology. The result is a study of James that will benefit any congregation that''s eager to join God''s mission right where they are.""-Jonathan Wilson-Hartgroveauthor of God''s Economy and co-compiler, Common Prayer""It seems like there is a lot of talk these days about the ''missional church.'' But Kris Norris puts biblical flesh on those bones and helps those of us who want to be real disciples of Christ take the next steps. It''s about receiving and entering into a new identity--about falling in love with Christ, Christ''s people, and Christ''s work in the world. Norris walks us through the book of James and into a pattern for a bolder and more authentic way of living.""-Stephen A. Hayner President, Columbia Theological Seminary""Pilgrim Practices: Discipleship for a Missional Church, like the Letter of James on which it is based, is full of wisdom and passion. It is a poignant and powerful explanation of Christian discipleship, offering a compelling journey guide for individuals to follow Jesus in the context of missional communities. I especially appreciated the clear call to engage in ''practices'' that form identity and define what it means to be fully human.""--Daniel VestalExecutive Coordinator, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Atlanta, Georgia ""A refreshing and honest look at two critical ingredients for a New Testament church in our twenty-first-century world . . . missional discipleshi

To many people the law stands in opposition to the gospel. While it may be possible to read Paul''s epistles this way, the book of Deuteronomy will not allow this reading. Like the book of Romans in the New Testament, Deuteronomy provides the most systematic and sustained presentation of theology in the Old Testament. And like the Gospel of John, it represents mature theological reflection on God''s great acts of salvation, in this case associated with the exodus of Israel from Egypt. The gospel according to Moses begins and ends with the gracious work of God for undeserving subjects. In a book that consists largely of Moses'' farewell sermons to his congregation, Israel''s first pastor seeks to inspire his congregation to a life of faith and godliness in response to God''s great mercy. Unfortunately, for many Christians, Deuteronomy is a dead book, because we have lost sight of the gospel. The essays in this collection arise from a larger project driven by a passion to recover for Christians the life-giving message of the Old Testament in general and the gospel according to Moses in particular. The ""meditations"" in this volume cover a wide range of topics, from explorations into the origins of Deuteronomy to considerations of the ethical and homiletical relevance of the book for Christians today.""Dan Block is one of the finest Old Testament exegetes of this generation. This collection of his thoughtful articles on Deuteronomy will be invaluable to anyone studying the book. His labors and analyses are a gift to both the academy and the Church.""--John H. WaltonProfessor of Old TestamentWheaton College and Graduate School""With the seasoned skill of a mature scholar and the passion of a preacher, Dan Block offers us another fine volume on Deuteronomy. This theological manifesto of ancient Israel continues to speak across the centuries, and there can be no better guide than Block to help the people of God today hear the abiding voice of the one true God in its pages.""--M. Daniel Carroll R.Distinguished Professor of Old TestamentDenver SeminaryDaniel I. Block is the Gunther H. Knoedler Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL. He is the author of The Book of Ezekiel Chapters 1-24 (1997), The Book of Ezekiel Chapters 25-48 (1998); Judges and Ruth (1999); and Deuteronomy (NIVAC), forthcoming).

James Atwood contends that the thirty thousand gun deaths America suffers every year cannot be understood apart from our national myth that God has appointed America as ""the trustee of the civilization of the world"" and even ""Christ''s light to the nations."" Because these purposes are noble, and we are supposedly a good and trustworthy people, violence is sometimes ""required"" and gives license to individuals to carry open or concealed weapons, which ""save lives"" and can even be ""redemptive."" Atwood, an avid hunter, cautions that an absolute trust in guns and violence morphs easily into idolatry. Having spent thirty-six years as a Presbyterian pastor fighting against the easy access to firearms, one of which took the life of a friend, he uses his unique experience and his biblical and theological understanding to graphically portray the impact guns have on our society. He documents how Americans have been deceived into believing that the tools of violence, whether they take the form of advanced military technology or a handgun in the bedside stand, will provide security. He closes with a wake-up call to the faith community, which he says is America''s best hope to unmask the extremism of the Gun Empire.""Atwood knows that guns are not just weapons, but symbols, and not only symbols, but idols that demand enormous sacrifice in American lives. This book gets at both the depth and meaning of this on-going tragedy. As a gifted organizer and thinker, Atwood then unveils the inspiring theological bases of an awakening to gun violence [prevention] that has already begun in some cities and congregations.""--Christian Iosso, Coordinator of Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy""When it comes to tackling the plague of gun violence in the U.S., no one ''walks the walk'' with more integrity than Atwood. He has devoted his life to saving lives from gun violence by increasing awareness and challenging popular myths about guns. He now gives us a much needed theological undergirding for our work to end the violence.""--John W. Wimberly Jr., Pastor of Western Presbyterian Church""Gun violence destroys families everyday in America. Atwood presciently shows how our weak gun laws result from treating guns as if they were religious idols. By unpacking the theological significance of policies that allow for unfettered access to firearms, he makes a compelling argument that people of faith have a religious and moral duty to fight for stronger gun laws.""--Joshua Horwitz, Executive Director of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence""Atwood''s fervent account of the multiple costs of gun violence and the need to restrain it is of urgent and timely importance. This book is a challenge to Christians to lead the way in unmasking the peculiar American obsession with guns. It illuminates the origins of that obsession and recounts a distressing record of statistics and broken laws, all in a compelling theological framework.""--David Little, Harvard Divinity School""This is the book I''ve been waiting for. Atwood''s analysis is deeply theological, and I hope it will bring conversations in our churches about idolatry, faithfulness, and the violence that has become so interwoven into our culture. Read this book for an exploration of your own acquiescence to the gun culture, and then study it with your book club or church group to begin planning the revolution that will stand up to the gun industry.""--Rick Ufford-Chase, Executive Director of Presbyterian Peace Fellowship""Atwood writes with righteous purpose and theological wisdom. All people of faith should read and embrace his admonition to the American faith community to heed God''s call to save the lives of our sisters, brothers, and children by renouncing the idolatry of guns and joining together in a faith-based movement to end the uniquely and devastatingly American regime of gun violence.""--Bryan Miller, Executive Director of Heeding God''s Call""With searing insight, prophetic

Two parables that have become firmly lodged in popular consciousness and affection are the parable of the Good Samaritan and the parable of the Prodigal Son. These simple but subversive tales have had a significant impact historically on shaping the spiritual, aesthetic, moral, and legal traditions of Western civilization, and their capacity to inform debate on a wide range of moral and social issues remains as potent today as ever. Noting that both stories deal with episodes of serious interpersonal offending, and both recount restorative responses on the part of the leading characters, Compassionate Justice draws on the insights of restorative justice theory, legal philosophy, and social psychology to offer a fresh reading of these two great parables. It also provides a compelling analysis of how the priorities commended by the parables are pertinent to the criminal justice system today. The parables teach that the conscientious cultivation of compassion is essential to achieving true justice. Restorative justice strategies, this book argues, provide a promising and practical means of attaining to this goal of reconciling justice with compassion.""This is how political theology ought to be done. Marshall takes the fundamentally local problem of how communities restore relationships broken by criminal behavior and applies the insights of Jesus'' best-known parables. Marshall shuttles back and forth between the biblical narratives and the best of social science to enhance both . . . I felt like I was reading Jesus'' parables for the first time, and I also learned to think in new ways about criminal justice.""--William T. Cavanaugh, Senior Research Professor, DePaul University""In his important new book, Marshall presents penetrating readings of the parables of the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son and uses these to provide fascinating new insights into the nature of restorative justice. The book culminates with an outstanding analysis of the role compassion should play in criminal justice. This is essential reading for anybody interested in serious thinking about the meaning of crime and justice.""--Gerry Johnstone, Professor of Law, University of Hull ""Few but Marshall could have written this book. In it he brings the parables of the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son into a lovingly detailed conversation with the main facets of restorative justice. The result is a deeply instructive journey . . . The gospel announces peace, and Marshall maps out here, recalling the words of Jesus, the only path--a steep and narrow way, much overlooked--that leads to peace. Those who reject the tyranny of the urgent and attend to Marshall''s patient prose will experience an insightful, remarkable, and profoundly important book.""--Douglas A. Campbell, Associate Professor of New Testament, Duke Divinity School""Compassionate Justice is an impressive addition to the burgeoning literature on restorative justice. However, it is much more than that. This is a theologically rich account of the foundations and contradictions of substantive justice viewed though the lens of the two most beloved biblical parables: the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son. It is imaginative and compelling and powerfully demonstrates the author''s deep understanding of justice issues and his commitment to the ethical ideals of mercy and compassion.""--Warren Brookbanks, Professor of Criminal law, University of Auckland, New Zealand ""This is a beautifully written and thoughtful reflection on two familiar parables and the normative implications of the central moment in each: when the protagonist is ''moved by compassion.'' An especially important contribution to restorative justice literature.""--Daniel W. Van Ness, Prison Fellowship International""As with his earlier publications, such as Beyond Retribution, Marshall has given us a profound book in highly readable form. His blend of biblical scholarship and contemporary insights from the social sciences an

C. S. Lewis is one of the best-loved and most engaging Christian writers of recent times, and he continues to be a powerful defender of the faith. It is in his imaginative fiction that his genius finds its fullest expression and makes its most lasting theological contribution. Famously, Lewis had friends who, like him, employed powerfully creative imaginations to explore the profundities of Christian thought and their struggles with their faith. These illuminating essays on C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, Dorothy L. Sayers, Rose Macaulay, and Austin Farrer are written by an international team of Lewis scholars.""These essays helpfully remind us how and why imagination should matter to people of faith. The contributors make a compelling case that C. S. Lewis and his circle were not merely tellers of tales but theologians in their own right, whose stories and images advance faith''s search for understanding.""-Kevin J. VanhoozerBlanchard Professor of Theology, Wheaton College and Graduate School ""In this tidy collection several of the most astute and theologically competent readers of C. S. Lewis and his friends tackle the role and register of the imagination as a theological property of mind. The result is a thoughtful, mature, and illuminating insight for any serious readers of this group of writers.""-David Lyle Jeffrey, FRSCDistinguished Professor of Literature and the Humanities, Baylor University""There are undoubtedly too many books published on C. S. Lewis and his friends, so why yet another? In this case, four very good reasons indeed: the caliber of the contributors, the quality of the chapters, the range of figures considered, and--perhaps most of all--the consistent and insistent thematic focus on how imagination and reason interact within the life of faith. This book is thus of interest for its theme as much as for its topic. Highly recommended!"" -Robert MacSwainThe School of Theology, University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee, and co-editor of The Cambridge Companion to C. S. Lewis ""We have much to learn from the authors discussed here, all of them faithful practitioners of the imaginative arts. This well-grounded, thought-provoking collection of essays helps us to that end and does so in a scholarly yet accessible manner. A book worth owning, reading and re-reading.""-Michael WardChaplain of St Peter''s College, Oxford, and author of Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis""C. S. Lewis and Friends is particularly strong on the subjects of faith, reason, and their relation. What members of Lewis''s circle have to say on these topics is of contemporary relevance at every turn.... The authors of this book typically strike just the right balance between a survey of the figure at the heart of the particular chapter and a presentation of some specific examples of their theological interests... .The result is an ideal, more theological, book to put alongside Humphrey Carpenter''s group biography The Inklings."" -The Church Times (London)David Hein is Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Hood College, Maryland.Edward Hugh Henderson is Professor of Philosophy and Christian Studies at Louisiana State University.

In ""Thoughts Upon Methodism,"" John Wesley shared his hopes and fears for the future of his religious movement. The article contains this well-known passage: ""I am not afraid that the people called Methodists should ever cease to exist either in Europe or America. But I am afraid, lest they should only exist as a dead sect, having the form of religion without the power. And this undoubtedly will be the case, unless they hold fast both the doctrine, spirit, and discipline with which they first set out."" The Form and Power of Religion unpacks this statement by explaining what Wesley meant by the form and power of religion, identifying what Methodist Doctrine, Spirit, and Discipline were according to Wesley, and discussing how these aspects of Methodism worked together to maintain the vitality of the Revival. The book concludes with an evaluation of Wesley''s theory of Methodist Vitality, and discusses its viability as a basis for contemporary Church Vitality programs.""Felleman takes us Methodists back to the source of the movement in order to move our church forward. She uncovers the distinctive shape of Wesleyan Christianity through a wonderful explication of Wesley''s sermons and writings. Then she gives a truly Wesleyan prescription for today''s church, whereby we might recover some of the spiritual power our church so desperately needs."" --Will Willimon, Professor of Christian Ministry, Duke University""Felleman provides a helpful guide to the core of John Wesley''s doctrine and practice, which was so central to the vitality of early Methodism. It will be of interest to all contemporary Wesleyans who are seeking to recover the ''power'' of religion in churches that have retained only its ''form.''""--Randy L. Maddox, Professor of Wesleyan and Methodist Studies, Duke Divinity SchoolLaura Bartels Felleman is the Pastor of First United Methodist Church in Plattsmouth, Nebraska. She has taught courses in Wesleyan theology and Methodist history at the seminary level. Her research focuses on British intellectual history and the influence that Wesley''s historical context had on his theological viewpoint.

""Heaven is one of those great mysteries that somehow symbolize what we don''t know about ourselves and the world around us. At the same time it lifts our vision from the mundane realities of our everyday lives and reminds us that beyond the daily grind of our existence there is another, unseen reality. A reality that is as real--if not more so--than our everyday lives. Heaven suggests an answer to the familiar human feeling that there must be more than this, and prompts us to wonder whether there is indeed more in heaven and earth than can be dreamt of in all our philosophies.""-Paula Gooder, from the Introduction""As Paula Gooder puts it, this book tackles all the ''weird stuff'' the church tends to shy away from. We are in the realm here not of fluffy clouds and harps but of God''s presence, angelic beings and mystical visions. Heaven, we discover, is not just about the afterlife but the here and now--about how we live with each other, the planet, and God. This is indeed the essential ''rough guide'' to heaven, and much more.""-Steve Hollinghurst, author of Mission-Shaped Evangelism""In this profound, lucid and compassionate book, Paula Gooder demonstrates that heaven is not a vague future hope but the presence of the God who made heaven and earth. This means that believing in heaven involves us in God''s passionate commitment to earth. A concept of heaven that is only about the fate of the pious individual after death is a meager diet compared with the feast that this book lays before us: heaven and earth renewed, restored, and reconnected.""-Jane Williams, author of Lectionary Reflections""Paula Gooder has an extraordinary ability to offer top-class biblical scholarship in an accessible form. She makes a complex topic interesting and surprisingly relevant.""-Christopher Rowland, author of Christian OriginsPaula Gooder is a freelance writer and lecturer in Biblical Studies. She is Canon Theologian of Birmingham and Guildford Cathedrals, Lay Canon at Salisbury Cathedral, Visiting lecturer at King''s College, London, Associate lecturer at St Mellitus College, London, and Theological Adviser to the Bible Society. She has authored numerous books including Journey with Mark: Bringing the Gospel Alive for Groups and Individuals (with Mark Pryce and James Woodward), This Risen Experience: The Spirit of Easter, and A Way Through the Wilderness: God''s Help in a Time of Crisis.

At the same time as Catholic and evangelical Christians have increasingly come to agree on issues that divided them during the sixteenth-century reformations, they seem increasingly to disagree on issues of contemporary ""morality"" and ""ethics."" Do such arguments doom the prospects for realistic full communion between Catholics and evangelicals? Or are such disagreements a new opportunity for Catholics and evangelicals to convert together to the triune God''s word and work on the communion of saints for the world? Or should our hope be different than simple pessimism or optimism? In this volume, eight authors address different aspects of these questions, hoping to move Christians a small step further toward the visible unity of the church.""Christians are often divided by the justification of homosexuality or some other controversial moral issue rather than the doctrine of justification. This excellent collection of essays helps us think through the ways in which moral differences have reshaped the ecumenical task.""--R. R. Reno, Creighton University""This book identifies the chief cause of internal strife and division afflicting most mainline Protestant denominations. Separating faith from works is an old heresy that always breeds schism. The authors are leading theologians of their respective traditions who write from a wealth of experience in church service and with profound knowledge of classical Christianity. Anyone engaged in ecumenical dialogues and the quest for Christian unity needs to read and heed the message of this book.""--Carl E. Braaten, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago ""It is a historical fact that moral disagreement has divided the church. This is not possible unless certain kinds of moral disagreements are, in fact, doctrinal disagreements . . . and other kinds of moral disagreements are, in fact, tolerable divergences owing to context and judgment. The offerings in this excellent collection go a long way toward recognizing this difference and sorting it out for us today.""--Paul R. Hinlicky, Roanoke College James J. Buckley is Professor of Theology at Loyola University Maryland. He has contributed to and edited (with Frederick Bauerschmidt and Trent Pomplun) The Blackwell Companion to Catholicism (2007). He is associate director of the Center for Catholic and Evangelical Theology.Michael Root is Professor of Systematic Theology at The Catholic University of America and Executive Director of the Center for Catholic and Evangelical Theology. He was formerly the Director of the Institute for Ecumenical Research, Strasbourg, France.

How do people think about God as they look death squarely in the face? This is the central question in The Spiritual Lives of Dying People. Here are the stories of fifteen people who confront death in their own ways and who find spiritual strength in their faith. This is also the story of a remarkable and gifted priest, one who has made ministry with the chronically ill a special focus of his pastoral life and has guided people not only through their dying but also to God. In this book, readers will find the inspiring stories of people who found hope and courage in life so that they could meet death. Readers will also glean insights into how they might approach their own deaths or care for others who are in the midst of making the last journey of life. This is a book that illuminates how to answer one of life''s most important questions: How shall I die?""The modern hospice movement has become a new, major, and wonderful locus and focus for theology and ministry. This collection of striking stories is an excellent example of this Spirit-led development.""--Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, Founding Director, Center for Action and Contemplation""The Spiritual Lives of Dying People fills a void in the literature of death and dying that few have dared to explore. . . . As both a professional and one in remission from cancer, I recommend it enthusiastically to people faced with life-threatening illness and to their loved ones. It should be required reading for seminary, pastoral care, and spiritual direction students, and highly encouraged for all professionals who attend to dying persons.""--Jane Thibault, Clinical Professor Emerita, School of Medicine, University of Louisville""No topic has occupied the human spirit, mind, and imagination more than the end of life. Poets, philosophers, and theologians have all pondered and explored the mystery. This good book brings real-life stories of real-life people who have confronted their own mortality with courage and creativity. John Mulder and Paul Scaglione tell these stories out of their own lives of scholarship, teaching, experience, and faith.""--John Buchanan, Editor and Publisher, The Christian CenturyPaul A. Scaglione is pastor of St. Barnabas Catholic Church in Louisville, Kentucky, and is the former Director of Spiritual Formation at St. Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology.John M. Mulder is the former President and Professor of Historical Theology at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. The author of many publications, his most recent book is Finding God: A Treasury of Conversion Stories (2012).

With major themes like ""the knowledge of good and evil,"" ""knowing that YHWH is your God,"" knowing that Jesus is the Christ, and the goal of developing Israel into a ""wise and discerning people,"" Scripture clearly stresses human knowledge and the consequences of error. We too long for confidence in our understanding, the assurance that our most basic knowledge is not ultimately incorrect. Biblical Knowing assesses what Israel knew, but more importantly, how she was meant to know--introducing a comprehensive Scriptural epistemology, firmly rooted in the Scripture''s own presentation of important epistemological events in the story of Israel. Because modern philosophy has also made authoritative claims about knowledge, Biblical Knowing engages contemporary academic views of knowledge (e.g., Reformed Epistemology, scientific epistemology, Virtue Epistemology, etc.) and recent philosophical method (e.g., Analytic Theology), assessing them for points of fittedness with or departure from Scripture''s own epistemology. Additionally, Biblical Knowing explores what proper knowing looks like in the task of theology itself, in the teaching and preaching of the church, and in the context of counseling.""Dru Johnson attends carefully to Scripture to elucidate the dimensions of human knowing it exemplifies throughout. He compares biblical knowing favorably with scientific epistemology in a Polanyian vein, and he contrasts it with the myopic preoccupation with propositions in Anglo-American analytic philosophy. Johnson taps his multi-disciplinary expertise to bring Christian scholars a valuable study that itself calls us to listening and participation in order to see a broader reality.""--Esther L. MeekAssociate Professor of PhilosophyGeneva College""Dru Johnson''s Biblical Knowing is a superb introduction to the latest currents in scholarship seeking to elucidate the philosophical content of Scripture. Johnson focuses on biblical approaches to human knowledge, arguing that Scripture shies away from propositional affirmations in favor of phenomenal experience as constitutive of knowledge. In doing so he defends rigor and clarity as biblical values, but boldly insists that these can be no less present in biblical stories about gaining knowledge than in the discursive arguments of later traditions. This is an excellent work that deserves careful attention, opening up new horizons in both philosophy and biblical studies.""--Yoram Hazonyauthor of The Philosophy of Hebrew Scripture""Biblical Knowing makes a significant contribution to a fresh opening up of the relationship between Scripture and philosophy. This is no easy task, requiring the author to navigate philosophy, biblical studies, and theology. Dru does this masterfully. The result is a lucid, accessible text, and yet one that makes an original contribution. It is the sort of book that I have been waiting for when teaching epistemology and I suspect that many professors will have the same experience.""--from the foreword by Craig G. BartholomewH. Evan Runner Professor of PhilosophyRedeemer University CollegeDru Johnson is an Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies at The King''s College in New York City. He is also the Templeton Associate Research Fellow in Analytic Theology at the Institute for Advanced Studies at the Shalem Center in Jerusalem, Israel.

Trying to articulate the ways in which one''s life meshes with one''s own time can be perilous, yet friends have encouraged me to do just that. Nevertheless, for one oriented to serving others as teacher and mentor in a context of faith, writing about oneself seems unnatural. Yet the ""self"" we have been given to share embodies many others as well. So many of the encounters narrated here will open into friendships. Moreover, what spices those encounters are the places and passions they embody, so the story that emerges is hardly my own. Different places often unveiled different faith communities, each of which has altered, if not transformed, the ""self"" narrated here. In that respect, and in many others, my story is not mine but that of the times our generation has inhabited. Finally, it has been my religious community of Holy Cross that made these multiple transformations possible, so it is only fitting to dedicate the work to that community and the rich exchanges it continues to effect among women and men.""When the complex story called Roman Catholicism of our day is told, David Burrell''s memoir will be crucial for that telling. But even now the gift of this memoir is that it helps us see and understand what a life looks like when dedicated to discovering God in the stranger. To have been claimed as friend by David Burrell is one of the most cherished parts of my life. Which makes it all the more significant for me--and for others--to have him tell us his story.""--Stanley Hauerwas, Duke University""In this engaging autobiography, David Burrell serves as a modern-day troubadour, leading the reader nimbly from the Rockies to Rome, Notre Dame to Bangladesh, Cairo (and Athens) to Jerusalem, singing all the while of love.""--Janet Soskice, University of CambridgeDavid B. Burrell, CSC, Hesburgh Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Theology at the University of Notre Dame, has served as Professor of Comparative Theology at Tangaza College, Nairobi. His most recent work is Towards a Jewish-Christian-Muslim Theology (2011).

Cultural changes and social conditions today give evidence of a growing disregard of traditional authority and an increasing distrust of institutions. Relations between pastor and people are changing. In many situations, the practice of top-down leadership appears no longer to be effective. Members Are Ministers identifies the positive change necessary to achieve greater unity and to reduce conflict within the church. This book promotes an approach that generates a greater sense of community, enables a clearer corporate and personal witness to the faith, and reduces the social distances between pastors and people. Above all, it recognizes the Word as crucial for effecting change in our emerging new culture. Paul Goetting works from a biblical base that shapes the Christian ministry of all people through their various vocations, and equips them for a clearer witness to the Christian faith and to issues of injustice. The family, the workplace, the political arena, and the church are seen as the primary contexts for authentic servant ministry of both clergy and laity. ""Combining his decades of experience as a parish pastor and seminary professor, Paul Goetting gives us a savvy, impassioned appeal for the church to do what God continually calls it to do, turn itself upside down by striving to make the ministry of every baptized Christian effective. Why it matters and how to go about it with creative fidelity make for lively reading and faithful follow through.""-Dean LuekingGrace Lutheran Church, River Forest, Illinois""Drawing upon the theological cross-centered roots of the Reformation and his years of observation and experience in a variety of leadership roles in the church, Goetting proposes that the church utilize its core theology which manifests ''inverted leadership'' in a manner that will make use of the gifts of all the baptized, both with respect to fulfilling its vocation to proclaim the Gospel as well as caring for God''s creation and tending to justice. The book is a provocative read.""-Bishop Marcus C. LohrmannEvangelical Lutheran Church in America ""Goetting describes the nasty divorce in our congregations between Sunday and Monday. As one church member witnessed, ''No pastor has ever asked about my work.'' Goetting''s goal is to invert the pyramid of church leadership so that the people in the pew discover their callings. Goetting draws on the Reformation--along with modern leadership theories--to paint a new picture of ministry. Goetting''s real goal is to mess with our imaginations about how a congregation works. Consequently, handle with care. The calls for ''ministry in daily life'' are growing. Goetting''s contribution to these voices is an important one.""-Rick BlieseLuther Seminary""Combining theological and social analysis Goetting ably revives the theme of the ministry of the laity in its contemporary relevance.""-Richard BaeplerValparaiso UniversityPaul Goetting (1930-2013) was a Lutheran pastor who served the church through a very active career in three congregations and in seven interim ministries. He also became a professor at Concordia Seminary-St. Louis and Christ Seminary-Seminex. Goetting also held administrative positions for Lutheran Church in America and the Lutheran Council, USA, both in New York City. He spent six years in two major ecumenical research programs in Philadelphia and Chicago. He was often called to short-term service abroad, principally in India and Africa.

The ongoing global financial crisis was not simply the fault of the financial sector. Bankers, households, and governments had all entered a spiral of greed, selfishness, and impatience in pursuit of their respective aims of higher remuneration, greater consumption, and enhanced popularity. The outcome, besides costly bank bailouts, has been rising private and public debt and stagnant economies. Economics, the ruling paradigm in today''s society, can explain their motivation of self-interest but not the underlying irrationality of their behavior. Taking a view from Scripture, Philip Davis critiques the overall aims of individuals, as assumed by economics--wealth, consumption, and power--in contrast to Jesus'' proclamation of the kingdom of God, the love for God and neighbor, and responsible stewardship of resources. In doing so, he aims to equip Christians to better understand the crisis from a kingdom perspective, to provide the church with a distinctive voice in these troubled times, and to press for radical Christian solutions to address the underlying difficulties. This little book aims to redress the gap in Christians'' understanding that led the theologian Jurgen Moltmann to remark trenchantly, ""The neglect of economics is a wound in the side of the church.""""The effects of the financial crisis have shown the impact economic issues have on all our lives and have underlined the importance for Christians of reflecting prayerfully on them. This book provides valuable support for that reflection, and I am delighted it is part of our continuing conversations on finance and Christian ethics.""-Rowan WilliamsArchbishop of Canterbury""The financial crisis of 2007-08, and its continuing unfolding since, has been the subject of many popular books seeking to explain what went wrong. But until now, there has been no substantial Christian voice addressing the crisis: the issues are too complex, and the Christian ethical response too poorly articulated to provide much guidance to concerned Christians. E. Philip Davis has expertly filled the gap with this book. It would be hard to find someone better qualified to do so: the author is an acknowledged academic authority on financial markets and systems, and he also brings substantial theological and biblical training to the task. His careful and judicious juxtaposition of explanations of what happened in the crisis with biblical critique is a model of clarity. His exposition goes beyond the financial system to challenge the accumulation of debt by households and government, and indeed the underlying motivations of wealth accumulation, consumption, and power in the modern economy. This is a truly ''prophetic'' short book that deserves to be widely read--and acted upon.""-Donald Hay author of Economics Today: A Christian CritiqueE. Philip Davis is Senior Research Fellow at the UK National Institute of Economic and Social Research, Associate Professor of Economics and Finance at Brunel University, London, and Pastor of Penge Baptist Church, London. Previous works include Debt, Financial Fragility, and Systemic Risk (Oxford University Press).

Prior to his death in 2007, the self-described secular philosopher Richard Rorty began to modify his previous position concerning religion. Moving from ""atheism"" to ""anti-clericalism,"" Rorty challenges the metaphysical assumptions that lend justification to abuses of power in the name of religion. Instead of dismissing and ignoring Rorty''s challenge, the essays in this volume seek to enter into meaningful conversation with Rorty''s thought and engage his criticisms in a constructive and serious way. In so doing, one finds promising nuggets within Rorty''s thought for addressing particular questions within Christianity. The essays in this volume offer charitable yet fully confessional engagements with an impressive secular thinker.""Jacob Goodson and Brad Stone have brought together a fair sampling of contemporary thinkers . . . The three sections of Rorty and the Religious take on the status of Christianity in analytic philosophy, the implications of Rorty''s thought for Christian moral understanding, and the prospects for social hope. This book . . . brings together the intellectual life, as exemplified by Rorty, and the ''sustained practice'' informed by ''spiritual nourishment and the hope of the risen Christ.''""--G. Scott Davis, University of Richmond""Goodson and Stone''s spirited gathering of Christian thinkers shows us not only why, but how Rorty''s pragmatism needs an account of religion to ground its vision of hope and love. [It shows] why and how contemporary Christian theology needs a chastened pragmatism to bring its imaginings back down to earth. Here is an engaging philosophy and a critically minded theology, a reason for hope.--Peter Ochs, University of Virginia""Goodson and Stone have brought together an excellent group of religious thinkers who take seriously the invitation to start a new conversation with a secular, though not antireligious, thinker, one who recognized the power of telling and retelling in our private lives, but also in the generation of civic solidarity. By doing so, they have enriched and expanded our understanding of Rorty''s thought and of our religious America.""--Eduardo Mendieta, Stony Brook UniversityJacob L. Goodson (PhD, University of Virginia) is Visiting Professor of Religious Ethics in the Department of Religious Studies at the College of William & Mary. He has published scholarly essays in The American Journal of Theology and Philosophy and Contemporary Pragmatism.Brad Elliott Stone is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Director of the University Honors Program at Loyola Marymount University. He has published several essays and book chapters in pragmatism, continental philosophy, and Spanish philosophy.

Throughout Walter Brueggemann''s career, he has repeatedly found his way back to the David and royal traditions. From some of his earliest articles and essays to monographs, commentaries, and sermons, he has explored this rich field in literary, social, and theological depth. As he has said, ""My preoccupation with David rests on the awareness that David occupies a central position in the imagination of ancient Israel and in the rendering of ''faith and history'' by that community. As the genealogies locate David, he stands mid-point between the rigors of Mosaic faith and the destruction of Jerusalem; as a consequence he becomes, in the artistry of Israel, the carrier of all the ambivalence Israel knew about guarantees and risks in the world YHWH governs."" This volume brings together some of Brueggemann''s key essays on the David traditions, as well as their interrelationships with traditions in the book of Genesis.--from the Foreword""This volume usefully brings together a powerfully argued body of material from Walter Brueggemann relating to David and the development of Israelite theology. Its chapters feature the typical hallmarks of Brueggemann''s scholarship: strong arguments on important themes, a very sharp eye for exegetical detail, a profound sensitivity to the theology of the narratives and a remarkable freshness of style. Students of the Bible encountering these contributions for the first time, or established scholars revisiting them, will find this book deeply enriching.""-Philip F. Esler DD (Oxon) FRSESt Mary''s University College, Twickenham""Various critical studies of the imposing figure and theological importance of David, written throughout the remarkable career of Walter Brueggemann, are brought together in this volume. Attentive to literary and historical matters, Brueggemann is always concerned about the impact the theological message can have on the church today. Grounded in the scholarship we have come to expect from this prolific author, this very readable book will appeal to a broad audience.""-Dianne Bergant, CSACatholic Theological Union""Walter Brueggemann is unexcelled in his ability to discern historical, literary, and theological connections between the Bible and our common work. This is amply demonstrated in this welcome collection of his essays on David, ''the carrier of all the ambivalence Israel knew about guarantees and risks in the world YHWH governs.'' For a focused probe on the royal establishment, and on the man who most enigmatically embodied it, there is no better place to begin than by reading David and His Theologian.""-Samuel E. BalentineUnion Presbyterian Seminary Walter Brueggemann is William Marcellus McPheeters Professor of Old Testament Emeritus at Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, Georgia. He is past President of the Society of Biblical Literature and the author of numerous books, including Truth-Telling as Subversive Obedience, Praying the Psalms, A Pathway of Interpretation, and Ichabod toward Home.

Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church in Seattle discovered that by forming the faith of new Christians and leading them to the waters of baptism, they as a parish were renewed and revitalized for mission in the world. Faith Forming Faith describes the year-long process of faith mentoring that has become the center of this congregation''s ministry. Hoffman''s easy narrative style weaves together solid pastoral and theological insights with the practical, real-life stories of lives transformed by a vibrant new faith--the lives of newcomers and long-time members alike. This is a great primer for anyone wanting more than a pastor''s class, more than another curriculum. It is a book for pastors, parish leaders, or seminarians. But it''s also a great witness to a skeptical, questioning world outside the Church as well, showing that a life of faith can be lived in a secular, questioning culture.""This is the book for which many of us have been waiting. In our new, post-Christendom time the critical need for faith formation--catechesis--has now been understood and accepted. But how? How to do faith formation for adults, for seekers, for a new time? Paul Hoffman''s inspiring report on ''The WAY'' goes a long way toward answering not only the ''why'' and ''what,'' but also the crucial ''how'' question. Invaluable.""-Anthony B. RobinsonPresident, Congregational Leadership Northwest""Paul Hoffman joyously testifies to God''s reviving breath stirring a congregation and bringing new Christians to baptism when a faith community embraces the Adult Catechumenate as the focus of its ministry. Those skeptical that an ancient way of forming Christians can work today will meet people whose lives were truly transformed as they walked with God, surrounded by God''s people, on a journey of revelation, faith, and discovery that a congregation in Seattle simply calls ''The WAY.''""Craig A. SatterleeProfessor of HomileticsLutheran School of Theology at Chicago""Paul Hoffman has written a stunning book. The book describes one congregation''s bold embodiment of the ancient catechumenate--a pattern of apprenticeship forming people into faith in Jesus Christ. It offers pastors, seminarians, and congregational leaders sage council for beginning this baptismal pattern of ''font-forming-faith'' in their own communities, and in doing so sets out a gracious and vital proposal about the witness of faith in an increasingly secular society.""-Christian ScharenCodirector, Learning Pastoral Imagination ProjectPaul E. Hoffman is Lead Pastor at Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church in Seattle, Washington. For the past fifteen years, along with other staff members and committed lay leaders, he has led The WAY at Phinney Ridge, a contemporary adaptation of the ancient ministry of the Adult Catechumenate.

Jacques Ellul (1912-1994) was one of the world''s last great polymaths and one of the most important Christian thinkers of his time, engaging the world with a simplicity, sincerity, courage, and passion that few have matched. However, Ellul is an often misunderstood thinker. As more than fifty books and over one thousand articles bear his name, embarking on a study of Ellul''s thought can be daunting. This book provides an introduction to Ellul''s life and work, analyzing and assessing his thought across the most important themes of his scholarship. Readers will see that his remarkably broad field of vision, clarity of focus, and boldly prophetic voice make his work worth reading and considering, rereading and discussing.""Understanding Jacques Ellul is an academic treasure. . . . The complicated correlation between Ellul''s biblical thinking and his social theoretical work is developed with extraordinary sophistication. This book lives up to its own internal promise, demonstrating with impeccable scholarship Ellul''s distinctiveness as a Christian thinker.""--Clifford Christians, University of Illinois""Understanding Jacques Ellul is a useful introduction to the prolific author, who was a sociologist, historian, and a Christian. This book is the first to give equal weight to his secular and Christian views. Given Ellul''s voluminous writings, the authors had to be selective, and their choice of topics is excellent.""--Richard Stivers, Professor of Sociology, Illinois State University""Jacques Ellul was one of the twentieth century''s most insightful Christian analysts of contemporary society. His writings remain of great value for Christian mission today. This study shows his continued relevance through its accessible, well-informed introduction and overview of some of the many key themes in his extensive corpus. I hope it introduces Ellul''s thought to a new generation of Christian disciples and scholars.""--Andrew Goddard, Associate Director, Kirby Laing Institute of Christian Ethics""This revealing overview of Ellul''s life and work enables us to grasp the underlying unity of his principal interests: communication and Christianity. . . . This balanced study will be of prime service to anyone who [wishes to] understand Ellul''s thought and insights.""--Eric McLuhan, author of Know Thyself: Action and PerceptionJeffrey P. Greenman is Associate Dean of Biblical and Theological Studies and Professor of Christian Ethics at Wheaton College (IL).Read M. Schuchardt is Associate Professor of Communication at Wheaton College (IL).Noah J. Toly is Director of Urban Studies and Associate Professor of Politics and International Relations at Wheaton College (IL).

John Heywood Thomas was probably the earliest twentieth-century British scholar to study Kierkegaard''s texts. Here he offers, as the fruit of a lifetime''s devotion to that study, what Kierkegaard would call a ""fragment""--a little of what needs to be said about the legacy of this radical Danish writer, philosopher, and theologian. This book, based on lectures given at the University of Calgary, seeks to explore different aspects of Kierkegaard''s work in its original context and its legacy. Chapters include studies on Kierkegaard the writer (located within the history and development of European literature and nineteenth-century aesthetic theory) and Kierkegaard the philosopher (understood within the context of the development of philosophy in the first quarter of the nineteenth century). Also, since he always described himself as a religious thinker, Kierkegaard''s view of religion is explored and in particular his attitude to the possibility of Christianity without the confines of an established church. Because Kierkegaard''s philosophy is never separate from his religious thinking, Heywood Thomas also offers studies on the issues of metaphysics in Kierkegaard--its relation to theology, the scope of reason, the problem of time, and the meaning of death. Finally, to appreciate Kierkegaard as a man of his time as well as a ""man for all seasons,"" his views on education are considered.""I enthusiastically commend this book by the doyen of British Kierkegaard scholars. To the elucidation of Kierkegaard''s thought, John Heywood Thomas brings incisive analytical skills, a scholarly grasp of the history of Christian thought, detailed knowledge of Kierkegaard in his historical context and in subsequent debate, and a deep commitment to the Christian faith. This book is the fruit of a lifetime''s reflection on Kierkegaard. It deserves to be widely read.""-Alan P F SellMilton Keynes, UK""John Heywood Thomas here presents the fruits of a lifetime of wrestling with the work of Kierkegaard. Always an astute reader of Kierkegaard, Thomas guides us through the central philosophical and theological concerns of Kierkegaard''s authorship, tracks the impact of Kierkegaard''s thought on much twentieth-century thought, and reminds us that the challenges set before Kierkegaard''s readers remain profoundly apposite in our own time.""-Murray RaeUniversity of Otago""In The Legacy of Kierkegaard Thomas gives us a reading of Kierkegaard which manages to be both faithful to the text and deeply original. While taking Kierkegaard''s Christian faith with the utmost seriousness, Thomas shows us a Kierkegaard who is a profound philosopher with deep things to say about metaphysics and ethics, time and immortality.""-C. Stephen EvansBaylor UniversityProfessor John Heywood Thomas studied under Paul Tillich and was described by Tillich as ""my logical critic."" A lifetime researcher on Kierkegaard, Heywood Thomas has taught philosophy and theology at the Seminary of the Southwest, Austin, Texas, and at the universities of Manchester, Durham, and Nottingham in the UK.

""A major challenge for people of faith is to resist the growing demonization of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism . . . I want to do something to build bridges between the three religions. I feel called to embody in my own life the healing, the reconciliation, the unity I long for between people of different religions."" Art Gish became involved in the life and worship of all three religions; he considered himself a Christian, a Muslim, and a Jew, and worked at integrating those three perspectives into his life. Acknowledging that Judaism, Islam, and Christianity are all threatened by narrow-minded, violent extremists who put the particular interests of their own people above our common interests, he tells inspiring stories of open-minded Muslims, Jews, and Christians who struggle together for reconciliation and who confront injustices that spawn hostility. Gish looks not only at the disagreements but also at the unity of the three Abrahamic faiths. He writes, ""When people cross boundaries, exciting things happen. Each time in Israel/Palestine that I experience Jews, Muslims, and Christians eating, working, laughing, and crying together, I sense a foretaste of the coming kingdom of God, a demonstration of how things could be, and one day will be.""""Through stories of human witness in the contexts of suffering, hope, and personal testimony, Gish eloquently calls us to look more deeply into our faith--whether Muslim, Christian, or Jew--as the taproot for interfaith dialogue. Embodying the prophetic gift during his life and in these words published after his untimely death, Gish reminds us that because God can be trusted, we need not fear interfaith relationships.""--Ruthann Knechel Johansen, Bethany Theological Seminary ""Art Gish writes movingly as he draws from his diverse and difficult commitments in the world . . . Gish has seized his moment to be faithful in the world. It is up to us to seize our moment.""--Marc H. Ellis, Baylor University""Art Gish has written an inspiring book for secular and spiritually motivated people who still question the role religion can play in building a culture of peace in the Middle East and around the world. This book is full of wisdom . . . and it is rich with practical experiences of how religious leaders can act for solidarity and justice.""--Mohammed Abu-Nimer, American University""This book is full of inspiring stories of reconciliation and compassion that move toward countering religiously motivated violence. But more than that, Gish points us in a direction that is even more radical, one that will require deep collaboration by the peoples of the Abrahamic religions. He calls us to worship the one God through our words and actions.""--Lydia Neufeld Harder, Toronto School of TheologyRaised a Christian, Art Gish became more personally involved with Islam and Judaism in his work in Israel/Palestine since 1995, with the Christian Peacemaker Teams. He was active in peace and justice for over fifty years. In 2010, after completing this book, Gish died tragically in a farming accident. He is the author of The New Left and Christian Radicalism (1970), Beyond the Rat Race (1972), Living in Christian Community (1979), Hebron Journal: Stories of Nonviolent Peacemaking (2001), and At-Tuwani Journal: Hope & Nonviolent Action in a Palestinian Village (2008).

Christians are prone to so focus on the realities of Jesus'' divinity that we minimize or ignore the realities of his humanity. That he called himself the Son of Man more than any other title emphasizes that Jesus lived humanly in our fallen world, facing our temptations and living out the tensions of being human in the flow of life. He was just like us, human in a sinful world, yet he did not sin.So what can we learn from Jesus'' glorious life about the meaning of our own humanity, about the tensions of being human in a sinful world and the difference between being a sinner and being a finite, flesh-and-blood human being? With this book as a helpful and trustworthy guide, you will begin to see how we can learn from Jesus how to:- live gracefully in our bodies, even our wounded and dying bodies- live with integrity as finite human beings who are created to enjoy limits- love our family, friends, neighbors, strangers, and enemies- enjoy being alone without being lonely- enjoy the good things of life- wear our scars with hope and dignity- learn to dieAs Dr. Russ shows, it is by truly encountering, understanding, and learning from Jesus'' humanity that we can become more fully and truly human.""This book is a little gem rich with quiet wisdom and deep insights, and is beautifully written. This is a book to read slowly and savor long.""--Os Guinness, author of A Free People''s Suicide: Sustainable Freedom and the American Future""A book of uncommon power and insight. By providing incisive commentary on the gospel''s story of Jesus''s humanity, Russ opens wide a window into our own.""--Robert Walter Wall, Paul T. Walls Professor of Scripture and Wesleyan Studies, Seattle Pacific University""I don''t know when I have been more pleased with a book on Christian life than I am with this stunningly helpful examination of the humanity of Christ. . . . This is the kind of book that not only deserves, but needs, a wide readership.""--Luder G. Whitlock Jr., Former President, Reformed Theological Seminary""A marvelously surprising book. Surprising because it uncovers an obvious truth we have persistently managed to obscure or ignore. Marvelous because, like all truths, its discovery has the capacity to set us free, free to enjoy the limits of our finitude, and free to marvel, once again, at the full-orbed wonder of the Word-made-flesh. A tour de force.""--Stan D. Gaede, President, Christian College ConsortiumDan Russ is Academic Dean and faculty member at Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts. He is also a Fellow of the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture and a Senior Fellow of the Trinity Forum, where he has also served as a moderator, resource scholar, editor, and project director. He has previously published on biblical and classical literature as well as education.

Our theology does not exist in a vacuum but must relate to the world we inhabit and must influence our moral and ethical actions. This is especially true when discussing theology of ""the land"" in the context of a violent territorial conflict. The Holy Land has seen so much bloodshed that the earth itself is crying out to God.The chapters presented in this book form a unique collection of voices speaking from different perspectives on the issue of the theology of the land. These voices include Messianic Jewish and Palestinian Christian theologians and scholars who live in the Holy Land, as well as others from around the world. The various chapters reflect a wide spectrum of opinion and reveal how much disagreement still exists among followers of Christ. However, the dialogue generated by having these opposing voices side by side, speaking to each other rather than past each other, is encouraging. This book is both challenging and inspirational, and contributes in an innovative way to this important discussion.""This book plunges the reader into the complexities and intransigencies of this most urgent and most difficult of all of our public problems . . . the Holy Land. The discussion provides a rich, representative spectrum of opinion and puts acute hermeneutical differences fully on exhibit. The book inches toward the legitimacy of ''the other,'' and one author dares to conclude that it is not history or land that finally matters, but ''it is in the face of the other that we find the image of God.'' This collection adds more voices to the ongoing struggle. Like other voices in the cacophony, these voices fall short of the reconciliation that the cry of the land requires.""--Walter BrueggemannColumbia Theological Seminary""The Land Cries Out is a valuable anthology of theological perspectives of both Palestinian and Israeli followers of Jesus on the issue of ''the Land.'' The representative national (and international) voices serve as a helpful resource to acquaint one with the theological complexity of the Body of Christ in Israel/Palestine. The anthology illustrates how both regional politics and theological influences affect each community''s reading of Scripture and offers some constructive attempts to escape the theological impasse between both communities.""--Akiva CohenHaifa Theological InstituteSalim J. Munayer is a Palestinian Israeli theologian and lecturer at the Bethlehem Bible College, as well as the cofounder and director of Musalaha, a ministry that seeks to facilitate reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians. Lisa Loden is a leader in the Israeli Messianic Jewish community. She heads up and is a lecturer in the Department of Leadership Development Studies at the Nazareth Evangelical Theological Seminary.