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""Of very few people can it be legitimately said that their work fundamentally reconfigured the landscape of two theological disciplines. But if there is anyone in recent memory who would be worthy of such an accolade, it is John Howard Yoder. The two disciplines are, of course, theological ethics and biblical studies--though Yoder would cringe at their separation, and his work was both explicitly and implicitly a prolonged exercise in maintaining their indissoluble union. For him, to hear the word rightly was to do the word publicly. . . . [Yoder] guides us toward a truly ecclesial yet missional reading of Scripture, with a profoundly Anabaptist yet ecumenical and catholic spirit, in historically astute and literarily sensitive ways that are nonetheless ""straightforward"" and pastoral. Or, as he would himself say, he guides us toward a reading of Scripture that proceeds from and focuses on Jesus: Vicit Agnus Noster, Eum Sequamur; ''Our Lamb has conquered; let us follow him.''""--from the foreword by Michael J. Gorman""Yoder''s biblical exposition, perhaps more than his work in either ethics or history, inspired a whole generation to re-engage ''Word and World.'' I, like so many others, am grateful and indebted. This volume gives us unique insights into Yoder''s integral approach to reading scripture, which remains instructive, compelling and fruitful.""--Ched Myers, Bartimaeus Cooperative Ministries and author of Binding the Strong Man: A Political Reading of Mark''s Story of Jesus""For anyone interested in theological interpretation of Scripture, this book is a welcome event. This updated version of To Hear the Word brings together a compelling collection of John Howard Yoder''s many writings on biblical interpretation and theology. Those engaged in current discussions about how to interpret and embody Scripture in the church will find that on many of the most pressing issues in the current debates, Yoder has already engaged the issues in provocative and challenging ways. It only sharpens our sorrow that his voice has been lost.""--Stephen E. Fowlauthor of Theological Interpretation of Scripture (Cascade 2009)John Howard Yoder (1927-1997) earned his PhD from the University of Basel and taught theology at the Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminaries and the University of Notre Dame. For nineteen years he served the Mennonite Fellowship in church relations and education. His published books include The Politics of Jesus, The Priestly Kingdom, To Hear the Word, When War Is Unjust, What Would You Do?, and He Came Preaching Peace.

Here is a vivid, poetic, and evocative story of the painter Vincent van Gogh''s struggle to become his true self. The author listens in on Vincent''s most intimate, frequently startling thoughts on a host of topics, drawn from three volumes of his correspondence and his 900 extant paintings. What emerges is the portrait of an artist whose spiritual vision was borne of an agonizingly prolonged experience of the ""dark night of the soul"" through which his art dared to envision the triumph of joy over sorrow, of resurrection over suffering and death.Readers will discover that in many ways Vincent''s story is as much about us as about him. Tracing van Gogh''s pilgrimage from being an apprentice art dealer to being called to minister, in self-renunciation and misery, among destitute coal miners, the narrative follows his winding, tortuous path into adulthood as he struggles with family, associates, lovers--and with himself. Constantly evidenced in Vincent''s own eloquent words and paintings is his tussle with the mysterious presence and maddening absence of God. Vocation unveils as a process of summoning and birthing his own self, through an attempt to imitate Christ, calling forth van Gogh''s extraordinary creative powers from deep within.Adding choice supplies from other observers, Davidson here weaves his own exact, artful tapestry of interpretation, producing a suspenseful excursion into the life of van Gogh that offers profound meaning at every turn.""This richly detailed and deeply felt account of van Gogh''s tormented and self-tormenting life, together with many telling quotations from his correspondence with his faithful brother Theo, will be essential reading for all who see him as one of the geniuses of the nineteenth century.""--Frederick Buechnerauthor of Secrets in the Dark and The Yellow Leaves ""Charles Davidson''s book viewing Vincent van Gogh''s life and work is an excellent contribution to ways we might best understand the artist''s struggle and spirituality. The flow of the narrative and the presence of theological and psychological motifs help us re-vision the artist in a postmodern framework that opens new and creative channels for understanding.""--Cliff Edwardsauthor of Van Gogh and God, The Shoes of Van Gogh, and Mystery of the Night Cafe""This work of supreme art unveils Vincent van Gogh''s own great art--in life, work, and death. It accomplishes this in amazingly varied fashion and unpretentious, religious depth. It is remarkably attuned to, and mostly uses, Vincent''s own strikingly honest, poetic statements in company with some of Vincent''s paintings. In the process, it interprets both with every conceivably appropriate tool, drawing in others'' profoundly insightful responses to Vincent with the author''s own. From beginning to end, Charles Davidson--pastor, teacher, clinician, poet, musician, and scholar--has created, reflectively, a rare, simply magnificent portrayal. Any attentive reader who has known either deprivation or struggle in life can find here a healing love and joy.""--Terrence N. Ticeeditor of Hermann Peiter''s collected essays, Christian Ethics According to Schleiermacher, and translator of Friederich Schleiermacher''s Christmas Eve Celebration""Bone Dead, and Rising is a psychologically and theologically incisive analysis of the life and work, the psyche and spirituality of Vincent Van Gogh. It is difficult to imagine that the artist himself would have missed the magnitude and worthiness of this verbally artistic rendering."" --Lallene J. Rector co-editor of Psychological Perspectives and the Religious Quest""Charles Davidson''s remarkable volume is a powerful and pastorally sensitive biblical/theological interpretation of Vincent van Gogh''s utterly productive and painful pilgrimage as a passionate artistic genius. Davidson''s exquisite exegesis of Vincent''s voluminous correspondence to his caring brother (who was convinced of his greatness) has rendered his incredible letters ac

This book offers an important new perspective on the Western tradition of musical aesthetics through an examination of Anicius Boethius and Immanuel Kant. Within the trajectory illuminated by these two thinkers, musical meaning is framed by and formed through the concept of beauty--a concept which is shaped by prior understandings about notions of the self and the world. Beauty opens up a space within which the boundary between the self and the world, subject and object, is negotiated and configured. In doing so, either the subject or the object is asserted to the detriment of the other, and to the physicality of music. This book asserts that the uniqueness of music''s ontology emerges from its basis in sound and embodied practice. It suggests that musical beauty is generated by the mutuality of subject and object arising within the participation that music encourages, one which involves an ekstatic mode of attention on the part of the subject.""Musical Beauty is an interesting and original contribution to theological aesthetics.""--Patrick SherryLancaster University, UK""Here is a fresh and impressive new voice in the burgeoning conversation between music and theology. With considerable skill, Dr. Stone-Davis negotiates two of the most important figures in Western aesthetics. She emerges with striking proposals about the interrelation of beauty, physicality, and musical perception that have far-reaching consequences, affecting every aspect of the way we hear and listen to music in our own time.""--Jeremy BegbieThomas A. Langford Research Professor of Theology, Duke University""The philosophy of music is finally starting to emerge from the straitjacket imposed by the analytical tradition. Ferdia Stone-Davis'' Musical Beauty makes a vital contribution to the growing realization that music is a resource for philosophical thinking, rather than simply an object to be defined by philosophy.""--Andrew BowieProfessor of Philosophy and GermanUniversity of London""Beauty leads to more than just pleasure. This elegant new study argues that it can reveal epistemological insights as well, and that musical beauty in particular can help us better understand our relationship to the world around us. As Stone-Davis argues, musical beauty is the most abstract, problematic, and, for that very reason, the most revealing of all varieties of beauty in art. She brings both historical and contemporary perspectives to this wide-ranging account.""--Mark Evan BondsBoshamer Distinguished Professor of MusicUniversity of North CarolinaFerdia Stone-Davis holds a doctorate from the University of Cambridge and a masters in performance from Trinity College of Music, London. She is an interdisciplinary academic working in the fields of music, theology, and philosophy. She is also an accomplished performer of both baroque and contemporary recorder repertoire.

In this pertinent and engaging volume leading Christian philosophers, theologians, and writers from all over the denominational map explode the black-and-white binaries that characterize both sides of the New Atheism debate. They transcend the self-assured shouting matches of this latest expression of the culture wars by engaging in rigorous, polychromatic Christian reflection that considers the extent to which the atheistic critique-both new and old-might help the church move toward a more mature faith, authentic spirituality, charitable witness, and peaceable practice. With generous openness and ferocious wit, this collection of essays, interviews, memoir, poetry, and visual art-including contributions from leading intellectuals, activists, and artists such as Stanley Hauerwas, Charles Taylor, John Milbank, Stanley Fish, Luci Shaw, Paul Roorda, Merold Westphal, and D. Stephen Long-provides substantive analysis, incisive critique, and a hopeful way forward for Christian dialog with atheist voices.""I was watching a TV documentary the other night that featured several highly religious parents dealing with their highly addictive adult childrens'' drug and sexuality issues. ''Their faith seems to make them worse parents and worse people,'' I said to my wife after the last commercial. I feel the same way when political leaders bring in religion to justify the unjustifiable, as they too often do. That''s why I am so grateful for this brilliant book: atheism isn''t just something to oppose or refute--it also can be a mirror, with much to teach us believers about ourselves and our distorted and unworthy ideas about God and religion. The atheist too is our neighbor, and God may want to speak to us all through the incisive insight of an honest atheist. Highly, highly recommended.""--BRIAN MCLARENauthor of Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope""The very shape of this book is a response to the New Atheism precisely because it refuses their narrow imagination and rationalist fundamentalism. Instead of playing by their rules, this book imagines faith otherwise in a stunning collection of poetry, prose, interviews, and images. It is an intellectual feast which seats us at the table with some of the most significant voices of our day.""--JAMES K. A. SMITHauthor of The Devil Reads Derrida: And Other Essays on the University, the Church, Politics, and the Arts""In this exceptionally readable and engaging volume of essays--ranging from the accessibly academic to the largely belletristic--the diverse authors, along with their editors, pose one of the most effective answers to the so-called ''new atheists'' that has come down the pike in recent years. Avoiding both the baroque scholasticism of so much contemporary postmodernist philosophy and the kitschy special-pleading of many popular theologians, God is Dead and I Don''t Feel So Good Myself is special soul food for today''s thinking Christian. . . . The book is a must read for all those frustrated onlookers who feel the new atheists have received far more attention than they deserve.""--CARL RASCHKEauthor of The Next Reformation and GloboChrist""A rich, diverse nuanced collection of essays, interviews, musings, poetry, and art that together add up to a generous, engaging response to the New Atheism. Readers will either be shocked or unsurprised to learn that the ''god'' declared dead by the New Atheists turns out not to be the God of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, and Jacob that Christians affirm. God is not an explanation. This volume makes a strong case that the appropriate response to the resurgent atheism is not better arguments, but patient humility, and the practice of gratitude with the fruit of wonder, and the honey of love.""--James H. Olthuis, Institute for Christian Studies, Toronto, Emeritus ""Through insightful essays, penetrating conversations, and beautiful poetry, ''God is Dead'' and I Don''t Feel So Good Myself brings thoughtful theologians, philos

We do not like to talk about loneliness. We like even less to talk about the fact that the experience that faith does not automatically heal it. This is a problem, but what if it does not have to be that way? What if we can tap into loneliness as a source of personal empowerment? In The Power of One, Anette Ejsing makes exactly this case. Relying on personal stories, she first shows why romantic, spiritual, and social loneliness are particularly difficult to understand in the context of Christian faith. She then reflects theologically on these three kinds of loneliness, and describes it as a mystery that faith both does and does not heal them. In response to this mystery, she suggests thinking about loneliness as a privilege. Arguing from the perspective of a theology of suffering, she encourages each of us to tell our stories of loneliness from the perspective of the end God has in mind for us. This means accepting and embracing loneliness as a means through which God raises us up and strengthens us to persevere in joy and faith. Learning to do this is a privilege that gives us the opportunity to experience loneliness as a source of personal empowerment.""This is a wonderful book of wisdom. I hope it will be read widely. Anette Ejsing reflects on our lives in a way that is very impressive.""--Stanley HauerwasDuke University""I hope every pastoral care student will have the opportunity to read this book. It combines Augustinian confessions on loneliness for the twenty-first century, piety informed by theology, theology inspired by astute observation of the human, all-too-human, and freedom to agree and to disagree. It is a book that can make you grow beyond the easy solutions.""--Antje JackelenBishop of Lund, Sweden""It is surprising that a book about romantic, spiritual, and social loneliness could be such a joyful and hopeful book. This book is that and more; it is also a beautiful book. Anette Ejsing has a gift for asking the right questions. She also has a gift for answering them in a way that is personal, powerful, and helpful, speaking with equal clarity to both heart and mind. Ejsing''s insight, compassion, and clarity make this a book that everyone should read.""--David O''HaraAugustana CollegeAnette Ejsing, PhD, lives in Copenhagen, Denmark. She is the author of Theology of Anticipation: A Constructive Study of C. S. Peirce (2007).

Best-selling author Thomas Friedman says that globalization has made the world flat and that we cannot stop the process. But while it is right to say that globalization tends to flatten our world, it is wrong to say that there are no alternatives to current patterns of economic, ecological, political, and cultural integration. This book argues that the Christian liturgical calendar provides a constructive alternative to the globalization of economics, ecologies, politics, and cultures. It does so by incorporating the church into the fullness of time in the gospel narrative, thereby helping us escape from the dead end of Friedman''s flat world so that we can improvise healthier ways of being globally integrated.""We usually think of globalization as a matter of space--a shrinking globe, porous boundaries, flows of capital. In an insight that is jarring and brilliant, Scott Waalkes argues that globalization is also a matter of time. Diagnosing the corrosive construals of time and space in globalized consumer capitalism, Waalkes shows how ancient Christian practices of time-keeping can remake our world and our economic habits, apprenticing us to the One born ''in the fullness of time.'' A stellar book that deserves wide attention.""--James K. A. Smithauthor of Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation""In this book Waalkes brings the best of political science and theology to bear on the question of globalization. Waalkes understands that there is more than one way to imagine globalization. In the face of ideologies that treat globalization as fate, Waalkes provocatively argues that Christian liturgical practices provide a truer way of narrating the world. Liturgy can thus help Christians and others to understand and resist the negative effects of globalization. This is an excellent work of practical theology.""--William T. Cavanaughauthor of The Myth of Religious Violence: Secular Ideology and the Roots of Modern Conflict""Scott Waalkes has delivered an integrated analysis of global politics, economics, and the church--timely in its descriptions, analyses, and recommendations. He moves smoothly from global abstractions to the particularities of his--and our--everyday, local church life. This book aims to teach and encourage and succeeds admirably at both.""--Michael L. Buddeauthor of The (Magic) Kingdom of God: Christianity and Global Culture Industries""This book will challenge you to see Christian worship and the global economy in a fundamentally new way . . . For all Christians who have felt overwhelmed by the tsunami forces of globalization or seduced by the mantra that ""time is money,"" this book offers a word of hope . . . and a practical guide to more faithful forms of worship and discipleship.""--John D. Rothauthor of Choosing Against War: A Christian ViewScott Waalkes (PhD University of Virginia) is Professor of International Politics at Malone University in Canton, Ohio. He spent a year abroad as a Fulbright Scholar with his family in 2004-05.

""As the crucifixes drenched with Jewish blood drop from our hands, we stand impotent and wordless before this tragedy of Israel and Palestine . . . In the name of the crucified Messiah, we must struggle against the conditions which make history a trail of crucifixions. Only then, in solidarity with Jews and Palestinians, can we dream of Messianic times, of a shalom without victims."" With these words, theologian Rosemary Radford Reuther laid out the pitfalls for Christians entering the arena of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Nevertheless, in 1995, a small cohort of pacifist Christians decided to paddle against the currents of history, against the crusades, pogroms, and colonial enterprises of their co-religionists, toward that goal of ""a shalom without victims."" Setting up a project in the West Bank city of Hebron, over the next ten years Christian Peacemaker Teams forged relationships with Palestinians, Israelis, and internationals who were resisting the Israeli military occupation of Palestine. As ""resident aliens"" (See Exodus 23:9) they have sojourned in the Holy Land to support Palestinians and Israelis who reject violence as a means of solving the conflict, who think that one nation has no right to subjugate and exploit another, and who believe all the residents of the region are entitled to the same, exactly the same, human rights. This book charts the growth of CPT in Palestine, how it adapted to changing political conditions, spread to locations outside of Hebron, and developed networks with activists throughout Palestine and Israel.""In these pages, Kathleen Kern pens a fascinating and important account of the founding and history of the Christian Peacemaker Teams in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict . . . Enlisting dissenting Jews and Palestinians in a struggle for human and political rights, Kern stands as a dramatic Christian witness of the possibility of justice and reconciliation between and among peoples of different faiths. This book narrates the difficulties and sacrifices involved in such a task, a revolutionary task if you will, that continues today.""--Marc Ellis, University Professor of Jewish Studies and Director of the Center of Jewish Studies at Baylor University.""As Resident Aliens is a gripping narrative of Christian Peacemaker Teams'' attempts to transform prayer into practice as they stand with both Palestinians and Israelis in their struggles for peace. Kern''s skill as a writer, a truth-seeker, and a Christian activist shine throughout this troubled history of CPT''s mission in Palestine. This book is a significant addition to our understanding of both the crisis in the Middle-East as well as the need for international accompaniment."" --Ramzi Kysia, Arab-American essayist and pacifist.""A meticulous, painful, and trustworthy account, written with faith, love, and concern, of ten years of peacemaking efforts under unbelievably difficult conditions-when every person who opens this book makes an effort to get it into the hands of those perpetrating this mess and the (American!) politicians who not only close their eyes to it but actually fund and defend it, we''ll be a lot closer to peace.""--Rabbi Jeremy Milgrom, Palestinians and Israelis for NonviolenceKathleen Kern has worked with Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) since 1993, serving on assignments in Haiti, Washington, D.C., Hebron, Chiapas, South Dakota, Colombia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. She is the author of, ""The Human Cost of Cheap Cellphones"" and In Harm''s Way: A History of Christian Peacemaker Teams (Cascade Books, 2008).

This cutting-edge volume has been brought together in honor of Thomas Boomershine, author, scholar, storyteller, innovator. The particular occasion inviting this recognition of his work is the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Society of Biblical Literature''s section on The Bible in Ancient and Modern Media (BAMM), which Tom was instrumental in founding. For two and half decades this program unit has provided scholars with opportunities to explore and experience biblical material in media other than silent print, including both oral and multimedia electronic performances. This book explores many, though by no means all, of the issues lifted up in those sessions over the years.ContributorsA. K. M. AdamAdam Gilbert BartholomewArthur J. DeweyDennis DeweyJoanna DeweyRobert M. FowlerHolly E. HearonDavid RhoadsPhilip Ruge-JonesWhitney T. ShinerMarti J. SteussyRichard W. SwansonHolly E. Hearon is Associate Professor of New Testament at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis. She is the author of The Mary Magdalene Tradition: Witness and Counter-Witness in Early Christian Communities.Philip Ruge-Jones is Associate Professor of Theology at Texas Lutheran University in Seguin, Texas. He is the author of The Word of the Cross in a World of Glory, and Cross in Tensions: Luther''s Theology of the Cross as Theologico-Social Critique.

Despite astute critiques and available resources for alternative modes of thinking and practicing, individualism continues to be a dominating and constraining ideology in the field of pastoral psychotherapy and counseling. Philip Rieff was one of the first to highlight the negative implications of individualism in psychotherapeutic theories and practices. As heirs and often enthusiasts of the Freudian tradition of which Rieff and others are critical, pastoral theologians have felt the sting of his charge, and yet the empirical research that McClure presents shows that pastoral-counseling practitioners resist change. Their attempts to overcome an individualistic perspective have been limited and ineffective because individualism is embedded in the field''s dominant theological and theoretical resources, practices, and organizational arrangements. Only a radical reappraisal of these will make possible pastoral counseling practices in a post-individualistic mode. McClure proposes several critical transformations: broadening and deepening the operative theologies used to guide the healing practice, expanding the role of the pastoral counselor, reimagining the operative anthropology, reclaiming sin and judgment, nuancing the particular against the individual, rethinking the ideal outcome of the practices, and reimagining the organizational structures that support the practices. Only this level of revisioning will enable this ministry of the church to move beyond its individualistic limitations and offer healing in more complex, effective, and socially adequate ways.""There is simply no finer new scholar working in this field today. All readers will profit substantially from this work, since McClure''s vision of an ecclesial mission committed to social transformation far exceeds the particular issues of pastoral counseling.""--Rodney J. HunterEmory University""Moving Beyond Individualism in Pastoral Care and Counseling is truly groundbreaking in its theological envisioning and analysis of the implications of social location for the structuring of pastoral care. Rarely is serious attention paid to the class implications of our ministries. On that issue Barbara McClure has set a very high standard for us all.""--Mary McClintock-FulkersonDuke University""In this lucid, critical, and constructive book Barbara McClure moves the whole debate about the nature and locus of appropriate pastoral care and counseling on to a new level of analysis and sophistication. The implications of her careful arguments and studies are nothing short of revolutionary. This is a book that should be read and acted upon by anyone who really wants to see pastoral work make a difference in the contemporary world.""--Stephen PattisonUniversity of Birmingham, UK""In Moving Beyond Individualism Barbara McClure offers a brilliantly constructed new synergistic model for pastoral theology and the practices of care that recognizes the more profoundly socio-cultural and relational complexity of human beings and suffering. Her model helps us transcend the theological and social limitations of individualism and provides new resources for engaging in effective care with persons and systems whose distress is shaped by larger social forces.""--Nancy J. RamsayBrite Divinity School""Dr. McClure serves as a helpful conversation partner for pastors serving congregations. By challenging the individualistic models that most of us learned in seminary, she helps us to imagine a more synergistic and prophetic vision for pastoral care that encourages pastors to facilitate healing by drawing connections between the personal and the socio-political, leading us from the safety of our book-lined offices into the risky, vulnerable, and ultimately healing work of changing the world.""--Bradley E. SchmelingSt. John''s Lutheran Church, Atlanta, Georgia.Barbara J. McClure is Assistant Professor of Pastoral Theology at the Graduate Department of Religion and the Divinity Scho

Since the Renaissance of the 14th through 17th centuries, and particularly since the Enlightenment of the 18th century, the ancient creeds of faith have been under serious fire, and the struggle has not gone well for popular religion in America. The rapid advances made by the physical sciences in the 19th and 20th centuries and the corresponding reliance on scientific accomplishments in American life have been matched by the growing influence of reason in the way Americans think about religion. Except for pockets of resistance, these developments have negatively influenced the practical role of traditional religion in American life. These essays-published over a twenty-year period as newspaper editorials addressed to the general public-confront popular beliefs and morals with the challenge of human reason. At issue in this meeting of faith and reason is nothing less than the nature of religion in the twenty-first century. Will faith embrace reason to create a House where both dwell in harmony or will faith ignore the claims of reason and continue to live in an Enchanted Forest? Each essay, written in the practical language of the streets, attempts to dialogue with the general reader and gently provoke critical thinking on sensitive issues of belief.""Charles Hedrick is a scholar who has come clean. From the ""buckle on the Bible Belt"" comes this honest, intelligent, and creative reflection on the struggle between reason (and/or science) and personal faith. Charlie''s reminder to take our personal absolute truths (house of faith) a little less seriously and enjoy the diversity of thought and experience (enchanted forest) is practical, powerful, and incredibly timely.""--Glenna S. Jackson, Professor, Department of Religion and Philosophy at Otterbein College.""House of Faith or Enchanted Forest? is a personal and lively journey along the path of faith and doubt. Charles Hendrick poses deep questions that for centuries have haunted philosophers, historians, and theologians alike. This book awakens and celebrates critical thinking yet remains warmly accessible and resolutely honest. Anyone who wishes to re-think life''s great questions in light of the changing face of Christianity will find joy in reading this book. Here is an excellent resource for discussion groups, book clubs, and inquiring individuals."" --David Galston, Director of the Eternal Spring Learning Centre, Hamilton, Ontario""Charlie Hedrick asks a lot of questions in this provocative collection of short essays. One specific question that, perhaps, sums up the others, ''Can a critical thinker also be a person of traditional religious faith?'' Spanning a wide range of topics, Hedrick offers readers challenging questions to ponder, rather than easy answers to swallow. Yet, by pondering such questions, careful readers will find themselves closer to honest answers than they were before they read this helpful book."" --J. Bradley Chance, Professor and Chair, Department of Religion, William Jewell CollegeCharles W. Hedrick is Distinguished Profesor of Religion Emeritus at Missouri State University. He is also the author of Parables as Poetic Fiction, When History and Faith Collide, and Many Things in Parables.

Anglicans around the world have responded to the gospel in many different cultural contexts. This has produced different customs and different ways of thinking about church issues. In the process of enculturation Anglicans have found themselves encountering social and political realities as malign forces against which they have had to struggle. As a consequence, the personal and local dynamic in Anglicanism has created not just diversity of custom and mental habits, but it has done so at points that have been vital to the way Anglicans have been committed to the gospel.Conflict and the Practice of Christian Faith looks at the process by which local traditions developed in Christianity and how these traditions have related to other sub-traditions of the universal church. It assesses some specifics of the Anglican experience and argues for a significant re-casting of some prominent elements of that tradition, at the same time clarifying some of the distinctive elements in the Anglican tradition. This leads to a more nuanced appreciation of the force of the social and political framework within which Anglicans have had to work out their salvation and of the different forms of secular society and different understandings of plurality and diversity. It also entails showing how the imperial route to catholicity took no firm root in Anglicanism. Going global has been a significant experiment in Anglican ecclesiology that is by no means over yet. The terms of that experiment lie at the heart of the current Anglican debates. The book will be of interest to Christians generally who belong to faith traditions spread across different cultures. It is also a case study of the issues of global reach and local tradition.""In this wise and erudite book, Bruce Kaye provides a constructive way forward for Anglicans and all Christians to negotiate how to find unity without denying our necessary differences. In particular, Kaye draws us into the mystery of Christ''s universal Lordship so that we can see how locality is a necessary expression of the cosmic character of Christ''s cross. Kaye also provides an extremely important account of Anglican identity beginning with Bede that frees us from the unhappy political alternatives of modernity. I know of no more hopeful book for the future of the Anglican Communion.""--Stanley Hauerwas, Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theological Ethics, Duke Divinity School ""There are few Anglicans in the world who can write with such clarity about the global Communion and few theologians who can range with such confidence across the fields of history, sociology and philosophy. This is a beautifully crafted book that reveals Dr Kaye''s wide reading and reflects his deep thinking. It will persuade Anglicans of all affiliations to think again about their Church and will help non-Anglicans to make sense of the challenges and the conflicts that every Christian community must face as the local expression of a universal faith. This is a fine book from a gifted theologian and an accomplished writer. It is highly recommended.""--Tom Frame, Director, St Mark''s National Theological Centre""Bruce Kaye continues to be one of the most astute and accomplished thinkers on ecclesiology and world Christianity today. In this book he uses the case of the current challenges before the Anglican Communion to present an understanding of the catholicity of the Church that honors the realities of both the universal and the personal. Here is a defense of plurality and diversity that goes beyond political correctness to the heart of the Gospel. Anglicans, global Christians, and anyone interested in the intersection between faith and globalization will profit greatly from this book."" --The Rev. Ian T. Douglas, Angus Dun Professor of Mission and World Christianity, Episcopal Divinity SchoolBruce Kaye was General Secretary of the Anglican Church of Australia from 1994 to 2004. After studying in Sydney he took a doctorate in Basel and

Never before has the problem of evil been a more urgent subject for our reflection. The Yahwist confronts the issue through a sequence of stories on the progressive deterioration of the divine-human relationship in Genesis 2-11. In Genesis 4 he narrates the initial slaughter of one human being by another, and strikingly, it is described as fratricidal. Onslaught Against Innocence: Cain, Abel, and the Yahwist provides a close reading of J''s story by using literary criticism and psychological criticism. It shows that the biblical author has more than an ""archaeological"" design. His characters--including God, Adam, Eve, Cain, and Abel, plus minor characters--are paradigmatic. They allow J to proceed with a fine analytical feel for the nature of evil as performed by ""homo"" as ""homini lupus."" No imaginative ""mimesis"" of evil has ever been recounted with such an economy of means and such depth of psychological insight.""Among Scripture interpreters, Andre LaCocque is a singular force because of his generative and restless mind that always seeks a new angle on the text. Here he continues his close reading of the early Genesis materials-this time the Cain and Abel narrative. LaCocque is an urbane intellectual who knows the world of myth and the critical claims of psychology. He is, at the same time, a most able and cunning reader of texts. The outcome of his interpretation is a vigorous fresh reading of Genesis 4 as a primal statement of failure and possibility in Western culture. This book is an offer of his rich, suggestive interpretation and an example of how to connect what is ancient and thick to contemporary life.""-Walter Brueggemann, author of A Pathway of Interpretation""In this remarkable book, Andre LaCocque uses insights from literature, art and psychology to probe the ancient story of Cain and Abel. He argues for a dialogic view of God, which respects human freedom, and he uncovers the roots of human violence in the quest for immortality. This is a first-rate, highly original, contribution to biblical theology.-John J. Collins, author of Does the Bible Justify Violence?""The master of a truly extraordinary range of techniques of interpretation, Andre LaCocque is able to extract deep theological, psychological, and moral meanings out of a deceptively simple and often under-interpreted chapter of the Bible. This sophisticated yet accessible book will repay the attention of many types of readers-Jewish or Christian, religious or secular, with training in Biblical Studies or without.""-Jon D. Levenson, author of Creation and the Persistence of Evil""LaCocque presents a literary-critical analysis of the myth of Cain and Abel, exploring its anthropological, theological, and psychological dimensions. The resources he draws upon are classical exegetical studies, but additionally Ellul, Girard, Jung, Kant, Kierkegaard, Levinas, Nietzsche, Ricoeur, Sartre, and others. Students and scholars-and also the ordinary reader of the Bible-will greatly profit from this book, which I highly recommend to all.""-Walter Vogels, author of Biblical Human Failures""It was said that William James wrote like a novelist and that his brother, Henry James, wrote like a psychologist. Andre LaCocque writes like both, adding to the mix the perspectives of anthropology, linguistics, historiography, and literary-criticism. Rarely have I stepped into a volume of biblical scholarship with the sense of beginning a journey into undisclosed depths of a tale I had known for years, surrounded by a chorus of voices ranging from Aristotle to Ricoeur, from Freud to Voegelin, from the Yahwist (''the greatest story teller in the Hebrew Bible'') to Dostoevsky. The denouement leads to a penetrating, sobering, yet hopeful revisioning of the Cain and Abel saga as a story profoundly embedded within Judaeo-Christian cultural consciousness."" -Wayne G. Rollins, author of Soul and PsycheAndre LaCocque is Professor Emeritus of Old Testament at Chicago

How does the Bible shape the perspective from which Christians view politics, the manner in which they engage in public debate, and the strategies they adopt when they translate faith into action? In Political Engagement as Biblical Mandate, Hanson suggests that many believers give insufficient thought to the basic principles that biblical study contributes to the lives of those who simultaneously seek to live in obedience to the central confessions of the Christian faith and to engage constructively in the life of a nation guided by the First Amendment and populated by an increasingly religiously diverse citizenry.""A genuine manifesto! But one charged with and rooted in the words of Scripture, calling the church to a renewed faithfulness in its commitment to the well-being of the human community. Hanson''s passionate convictions are matched by his openness to other views. Like the prophets of old, he sets forth a strong critique of our inattention to the sociopolitical world, but that critique is on the way to an imaginative and biblical vision of the way it should and can be. Some readers may find themselves uncomfortable at times, but that is the reason they should keep reading.""--Patrick D. MillerPrinceton Theological SeminaryPaul D. Hanson is Florence Corliss Lamont Professor of Divinity at Harvard University. He is the author of numerous works, including The People Called, The Dawn of Apocalyptic, Dynamic Transcendence, and The Diversity of Scripture.

Ethical discourse about the institution of voting rarely includes the option of abstaining for principled reasons. This collection of nine articles widens the discussion in that direction by giving readers a new question: At what point and on what grounds might one choose not to vote as an act of conscience? Contributors offer both ethical and faith-based reasons for not voting. For some, it is a matter of candidates not measuring up to high standards; for others it is a matter of reserving political identity and allegiance for the church rather than the nation-state. These writers--representing a wide range of Christian traditions--cite texts from diverse sources: Mennonites, Pentecostals, and pre-Civil Rights African Americans. Some contributors reference the positions of Catholic bishops, Karl Barth, or John Howard Yoder. New Testament texts also figure strongly in these cases for ""conscientious abstention"" from voting. In addition to cultivating the ethical discussion around abstention from voting, the contributors suggest alternative ways beneficially to engage society. This volume creates a new freedom for readers within any faith tradition to enter into a dialogue that has not yet been welcomed in North America.People often forget that voting can be a coercive practice, just to the extent it justifies a majority''s silencing of minorities. We should therefore be grateful that these essays raise an issue that too often goes undiscussed.--Stanley Hauerwas, Duke Divinity School, Duke UniversityIf the definition of a good book is that it challenges long-held and cherished opinions while inspiring readers to think new thoughts and imagine new possibilities, then this is a great book--and one that all American Christians (in particular) need to read! This diverse collection of excellent essays serves as a prophetic call for American Christians to wake up from our political slumber and realize how we''ve been seduced by the idols of nationalism and political power.--Greg Boyd, author of The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power is Destroying the Church (2006)Half the electorate typically stays home on election day, and not an eyebrow is raised. But if one suggests that people shouldn''t vote for religious reasons, be prepared to run for cover--you''re guaranteed a firestorm of outrage and indignation. The ""sacred right to vote"" still generates powerful emotions, even among those who don''t make it to the shrine on a regular basis. And that''s why the Christian community owes a debt to Ted Lewis and his contributors for raising the uncomfortable question of whether voting may be incompatible with the practice of Christian discipleship. Electing Not to Vote is a provocative but respectful collection that deserves serious attention from Christians of all sorts.""--Michael L. Budde, Department of Political Science, DePaul UniversityTed Lewis works as an acquisitions editor at Wipf and Stock Publishers and writes articles and book reviews for Mennonite periodicals. He also manages the Restorative Justice Program at Community Mediation Services in Eugene, Oregon, and provides mediation services and conflict transformation workshops for faith-based communities.

Should Christians w00t or wail about the scope and power of modern entertainment? Maybe both. But first, Christians should think theologically about our human passion to be entertained as it relates to the popular culture that entertains us. Avoiding the one-size-fits-all celebrations and condemnations that characterize the current fad of pop culture analyses, this book engages entertainments case by case, uncovering the imaginative patterns and shaping power of our amusements. Individual chapters weave together analyses of entertainment forms, formats, technologies, trends, contents, and audiences to display entertainment as a multifaceted formational ecology.""Brent Laytham carefully analyzes the social and theological problems attached to entertainment as it has become wedded to technology. But this is neither a screed against its dangers nor a doomsday resignation to its hegemonic power. Rather, Laytham asks us to keep entertainment in its proper place in God''s economy, practicing resistance to its idolatrous tendencies while embracing it as a ''trivial pursuit'' that acknowledges God as ''the giver of laughter, pleasures, and joy.''""--L. Edward Phillips, Emory University""Witty, wistful, and wickedly provocative, Brent Laytham''s theological investigation into the cultural phenomena of entertainment, technology, and media is a surefire conversation starter. Whether for the college classroom, the seminary seminar, or the Christian education class in the church basement, this book is certain to engage the imagination and faith of its readers.""--Todd Johnson, Fuller Theological Seminary""Are we amusing ourselves to death? That enduring question is reworked in fresh and insightful ways as Laytham skillfully navigates a new era of technological pastimes and pleasures. The formative power of our cultural amusements is met with keen theological analysis, and the result is a book that is eminently useful and--dare I say--vastly entertaining.""--Debra Dean Murphy, West Virginia Wesleyan College""A generation of theologians has been worried about the deforming practices of the liberal state. What we really need to worry about are its games. The devil is in its bread and circuses. In this wise, accessible book Brent Laytham offers an engaged theological analysis of our entertainments and distractions, inviting us to follow Jesus with new intentionality.""--James K. A. Smith, Calvin College""Brent Laytham is one of the most creative and substantive theologians working today. In this work he directs his considerable skills to a theological analysis of technology and culture. It is a delightful read and a profound critique. It deserves to be read and discussed widely within the church, the academy, and any other place where people gather to seek truth and wisdom--for there is much of that here.""--D. Stephen Long, Marquette UniversityD. Brent Laytham is Dean of the Ecumenical Institute of Theology of St. Mary''s Seminary and University in Baltimore, and professor of theology there. He is the editor of God Is Not (2004) and God Does Not (2009).

The Ten Commandments belong to the ""classics"" of Western culture. They are an authoritative part of the Hebrew and the Christian Scriptures. Since they come to us from an ancient past, it is both necessary and worthwhile to inquire what they may mean for us today. Thorwald Lorenzen contends it is important to hear God''s invitation to an alternative lifestyle: ""you shall not kill,"" ""you shall not commit adultery,"" ""you shall not covet."" His thoughtful reflections on the commandments for today''s tumultuous world begin with the God who ""speaks"" ten word to liberate God''s people from oppression. Grounded in God''s liberating ""yes,"" the ""ten words"" are neither laws nor rules. They are elements for a culture of freedom in which people are invited to celebrate life.""Thorwald Lorenzen presents an inspiring call to embrace freedom as a matter of spiritual inheritance and destiny. Pastors and prophets alike will use this text to sharpen their vision, and every reader will find in it a guide to break free from those chains that bind them.""--David Batstone, author, Professor of Ethics, University of San Francisco, and President, NOT For Sale""Combining exegetical acumen with sharp theological insight, Lorenzen has produced a fresh and deeply profound meditation on the Ten Words of the Torah. Filled with historical and contemporary illustrations, Lorenzen proves that the Decalogue is as relevant, practical, challenging, and disturbing today as ever. Highly readable yet informed by a lifetime of scholarly study, Lorenzen''s book will be immensely valuable to both pastors and laypersons and would make an excellent supplemental classroom text. The appendices on interpreting the Ten Commandments and on making ethical decisions make a book that is already well worth the price a bargain indeed.""--Kent Blevins, Professor, Department of Religious Studies and Philosophy, Gardner-Webb University""Here is the most careful and relevant study of the Ten Commandments now available. Biblically grounded, theologically astute, Lorenzen''s penetrating treatment of each of the commandments results in constructing a mature, global ethic for Christians. Far from a legalistic list of commands, Lorenzen shows how ''the Ten Words'' function as a blueprint for connecting the dots between a private and social ethic in a pluralistic world.""--D. Dixon Sutherland, Professor of Religious Studies, Director, Christian Ethics Institute, Stetson University""Toward a Culture of Freedom is a superb ethical treatise based on the Ten Commandments. Deeply grounded in scriptures and equipped with an expansive and compassionate experience of today''s world, Professor Lorenzen will help you to discern some solid rocks to stand on in an era when all human foundations seem to be quivering. Though writing from a Christian perspective, he speaks to persons of all faiths and even no faith. Would that every American, nay, every human being, would glean the wisdom she or he will find here.""--E. Glenn Hinson, Professor Emeritus, Baptist Theological Seminary at RichmondThorwald Lorenzen is Professor of Theology at Charles Sturt University; a guest lecturer at St. Mark''s Theological Center and Whitley College, University of Melbourne; and a Principal Researcher within the Public and Contextual Theology Strategic Research Centre (PACT), Charles Sturt University, in Canberra, Australia. He is author of Resurrection and Discipleship: Interpretive Models, Biblical Reflections, Theological Consequences (1995 and 2003) and Resurrection--Discipleship--Justice: Affirming the Resurrection of Jesus Christ Today (2003).

This translation of the Gospel of Thomas represents a departure from the usual literal English of previous publications. It aims at providing a reader-friendly translation of the original Coptic language in contemporary idiomatic English, while remaining true to the complexities of the Coptic. The commentary seeks to clarify each saying as it likely would have been understood in the historical context of the Coptic language during the period of Thomas''s popularity in Egypt. The sayings in Thomas in this period are no longer sayings of the Jewish man Jesus of Nazareth, but they have become sayings of a revelation bearer, the living Jesus, who announces a radical faith for a new age of the church. The historical matrix that best serves to inform the text is found in a continuation, albeit in a radical direction, of the traditional faiths represented in the earliest Christian literature.""Hedrick, himself an expert in non-canonical (""apocryphal"") Gospels, has here presented for a popular audience a free-flowing non-literal (but accurate) translation of The Gospel of Thomas, with a commentary on each saying, followed by an extensive glossary to explain the more technical terms . . . [T]his impressive volume initiates in a readable way the beginner into the scholarly discussion as far as one may wish to go.""--James Robinson, Claremont Graduate University""Professor Hedrick''s clear modern-English translation and commentary will make this important early source for the teachings of Jesus understandable to anyone who is interested in the foundations of Christianity. His commentaries are particularly valuable because they show the many ways that Jesus'' sayings in the Gospel of Thomas relate to Jesus'' sayings in the Bible, as well as how those sayings are similar to other passages in ancient religious literature.""--Stevan Davies, Misericordia University ""A text like the Gospel of Thomas poses special difficulties to a translator: should its apparent obscurity be retained or clarified? Like all best translators, Charles Hedrick has first decided what the text means and then translates accordingly. The result is a fresh, often bold and unexpected, and yet always dependable translation of this important text.""--Ismo Dunderberg, University of Helsinki""Unlocking the Secrets of the Gospel according to Thomas offers a reader-friendly introduction to the Gospel of Thomas that is, at the same time, the product of a career of detailed study of this early gospel. Hedrick''s introduction is both balanced and readable, his new translation of the Coptic text is fresh and idiomatic, and his brief comments on each saying filled with learning. This is ideal for undergraduate teaching and for the general reader.""--John S. Kloppenborg, University of Toronto""While clarifying its numerous relations to antique literature both within and outside the Bible, Hedrick presents Thomas'' Gospel as a collection of sayings that speak for themselves by inviting each reader''s individual response to the transforming wisdom of Jesus as seen by its users from the second century onwards, rather than as a mere historical artifact or aid for determining the character of Jesus'' original message.""--John Turner, University of NebraskaCharles W. Hedrick is Distinguished Emeritus Professor at Missouri State University, Springfield, Missouri. He is author of numerous books and articles on subjects relating to New Testament studies. His most recent book is: House of Faith or Enchanted Forest? American Popular Belief in an Age of Reason (Cascade Books, 2009).

From the very beginning there have been Christians who wanted to go all the way--who, rather than asking, ""What must I do to be a Christian?"" asked instead, ""What can I do to be more Christian?"" These highly intentional Christians have had an impact on the development of both Christianity and western civilization that has been completely out of proportion to their numbers. The greatest impact of these Christian has come through the communities of like-minded believers--some of lay evangelicals and others of celibate monastics--formed based upon their common desire to live more intentional Christian lives. Throughout the past twenty centuries, hundreds of groups of both kinds have formed.This probing work tells the story of these communities, both monastic and lay. It is a story that, though often overlooked, is both inspiring and instructive. Above all it is a story that opens the way for greater understanding between two groups of Christians who have long been estranged--Protestant evangelicals and Catholic monastics.""Evangelicals are often accused of being ahistorical because we jump from Paul to Martin Luther without a pause to consider what the Spirit did in between. But every Christian tradition finds some way to draw the line from Jesus to the present. How we tell that story shapes who we are. ''Follow Me'' tells the Christian story in a way that sparks my imagination and gets me excited about who the church is becoming in our post-Christian era. I hope every community of disciples will read it and ask, ''How is God calling us to live the next chapter?''"" --Jonathan Wilson-Hartgroveauthor of To Baghdad and Beyond: How I Got Born Again in Babylon""Kauffman offers us a first installment on the kind of scholarship becoming possible thanks to the stereoscopic perspective of those who are learning to live on both sides of a great river that has long divided Christianity. . . . Unexpected though the news may be, it is the very burden of Kauffman''s book to show us why we should not have been surprised, and would not be surprised, if we read the history of Christianity looking for its broadest unifying patterns rather than for the basis of our separate identities. . . . He has done a service to historian, ecumenist, and renewal-minded Christian alike by looking for the forest not just the trees, surveying the lay of the land, and marking the river that gives it life.""--Gerald W. Schlabachauthor of Just Policing, Not War: An Alternative Response to World ViolenceIvan J. Kauffman grew up in one of the oldest surviving lay evangelical communities, the Amish Mennonites. Educated as both a Mennonite and a Catholic he has been active in Mennonite Catholic dialogues from their beginnings in the 1980s, and was a founder of the North American grassroots Mennonite Catholic dialogue, Bridgefolk, which meets regularly at Saint John''s Abbey, Collegeville, Minnesota. He identifies himself as a Mennonite Catholic.

If the church is more than just a building, what could it mean to live in it--to inhabit it as a way of life? From their location in new monastic communities, Otto, Stock, and Wilson-Hartgrove ask what the church can learn from St. Benedict''s vows of conversion, obedience, and stability about how to live as the people of God in the world. In storytelling and serious engagement with Scripture, old wisdom breathes life into a new monasticism. But, like all monastic wisdom, these reflections are not just for monks. They speak directly to the challenge of being the church in America today and the good news Christ offers for the whole world.Conversations between contemporary Christian communities and Benedictine monasticism are among the most surprising and promising in the church today. Given that the roots of monasticism and of contemporary Protestantism lie in different parts of the Christian tradition, mutual engagement between contemporary Christians and monastics has been rare. Recently, however, the scene has shifted, and Inhabiting the Church represents the new eagerness to learn the art of living together faithfully from experienced and ancient practitioners.--Christine D. Pohl from the foreword""Protestants looking for a richer, thicker, more robust and enchanted way of living into the Christian story should not ignore this invitation into the rhythms and cadences of Benedictine spirituality. Indeed, only one kind of person should avoid this book: the reader who does not wish to be changed.""--Lauren F. Winner author of Girl Meets God and Real Sex ""This book is a timely intersection of the new and ancient, breathing fresh life into an aging body. An older generation will find this book a long-awaited reassurance that the Spirit is still stirring radical nonconformity on the margins of empires. And the contemporary renewal of new monastics and prophetic tricksters will find a cure for the pretension and sloppiness that can so often taint our vision or tempt us to pretend that there is ''something new under the sun.'' With both courage and humility, we will all find ourselves invited to inhabit the incarnational body that makes God visible to the world . . . May it inspire all of us to become the church that God longs for."" --Shane Claiborne author of The Irresistible Revolution, founding member of The Simple Way, and recovering sinner""These folks are bringing things both old and new out of the great Christianstorehouse! The New Monasticism is discovering what is alwaysrediscovered--and always bears great life for the Gospel.""--Fr. Richard Rohr, O.F.M.Center for Action and ContemplationAlbuquerque, New MexicoJon Stock is a member of Church of the Servant King, publisher of Wipf and Stock, and proprietor of Windows Booksellers in Eugene, Oregon.Tim Otto serves as an Associate Pastor of the Church of the Sojourners in San Francisco. He is also a part-time nurse at the San Francisco county hospital, working with AIDS and cancer patients.Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove is a member of Rutba House in Durham, North Carolina. He is the author of To Baghdad and Beyond.

This unique theological biography traces the emergence of William Stringfellow''s theology and the place of biblical politics within it. It highlights the centrality of life and work to his theology, and the inseparability of one from another. It tells the story of an ordinary life made less ordinary, radicalized through becoming a biblical person. Amidst periods in America of threat and prosperity (1950s), and later dissent and protest (1960s), Dancer examines not only how Stringfellow held America to account, but the way in which he offered a hopeful alternative in which the place of the Bible and the world were both central. It explores the way Stringfellow learned that the Bible makes sense of us and not us of it. This is biblical politics--a radicalizing, organizing engagement with the person and the world of which the church seems to sadly have lost both sight and interest.The advocacy of Karl Barth, his love of the circus, his scholarship to LSE, the National Conference on Religion and Race, his love for his parable of hope, Anthony Towne, and his prophetic confrontation with Johnson''s ""Great Society,"" all offer clues and insights into this radicalizing force at work in his life. Yet it was a life-threatening illness and personal confrontation with death in many ways became the final point of radicalization that lead to the production of Ethic for Christians and Other Aliens in a Strange Land-ethics as pertinent to today as they are to any age.""For me and many others, the life and work of William Stringfellow were seminal in developing a biblical public theology. In what Anthony Dancer calls ''biographical theology,'' this book lays out the social and political context that influenced and informed Stringfellow''s theology of public discipleship. I commend it to anyone seeking for an authentic way of living faithfully, and enacting what Stringfellow called ''biblical politics.''""--Jim Wallisauthor of Rediscovering Values: On Wall Street, Main Street and Your Street""Few American Christians have borne such powerful witness to the word of God and the life of the Christian as did William Stringfellow. While superbly situating him in his own turbulent historical moment, Anthony Dancer also makes clear how powerfully we need to listen to the voice of Stringfellow today.""--William O''BrienCoordinator of The Alternative Seminary""This book is a gift. In the absence of a definitive biography, for which we may yet hope, Dancer provides us the most thorough reflection to date on William Stringfellow''s life. In the process he establishes himself, not only as a biographic theologian, but a voice in the Stringfellonian tradition. May his own summon a new generation to ''Listen to this Man.''""--Bill Wylie-Kellermanneditor of Keeper of the Word: Selected Writings of William StringfellowAnthony Dancer works as the Social Justice Commissioner for the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. He is editor of William Stringfellow in Anglo-American Perspective (2005).

This book initiates a new conversation about how theological education might be re-envisioned for the twenty-first century church. The prevailing curricular structure in today''s seminaries and divinity schools was fashioned in a very different era, one that assumed the continued cultural dominance of Christianity and the continued academic dominance of the canons of Enlightenment reason. Neither assumption is viable in today''s post-Christian world; hence, our new circumstances demand a new vision for theological education.The authors of this volume offer an important resource for this project through their creative appropriation of the classical rhetorical tradition, particularly as it has been rehabilitated in the contemporary context. Like St. Augustine, they believe that the chief goals of Christian theology are similar to those of classical rhetoric: ""to teach, to delight, and to move."" And the authors are united in their conviction that these must also be the goals of theological education in a post-Christian era.This volume arises out of a passionate commitment to the cause of theological education. The authors hail from a wide range of denominational traditions and have taught in numerous seminaries and divinity schools. They have also studied the classical and postmodern rhetorical traditions in both theory and practice. They met as a group on numerous occasions to read one another''s contributions to the volume and to offer guidance for the process of rewriting. As a result, this book is much more than a mere collection of essays; it is a jointly-authored work, and one which presents an integrated vision for the future of theological education.""Questioned by the larger church, marginalized within the Academy, divided internally about its mission, mainline theological education is not well, and most of us in the enterprise know it. In the last twenty years we''ve seen trenchant, insightful diagnoses, but unfortunately few engaging, feasible remedies. This volume may be an exception. While no sure cure is offered, these essays point in a healthy direction opened up by a rhetorical approach to the tasks and topics of theological education. Ranging from the modest but compelling to the comprehensive but controversial, these essays challenge faculty to rethink the enterprise in ways suited to the 21st century. Timely and telling.""Mark U. Edwards, Jr., Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Harvard Divinity School""''To Teach, to Delight, and to Move'' brilliantly accomplishes the imperatives of its title as it makes bold proposals for reconceiving theological education according to the insights of ancient and contemporary rhetoric. The rich dialogue of its authors over several years has yielded a surprisingly persuasive book. It will be among the handful of books whose reading is required for all those with a passion for better teaching and learning in theological education. It is, however, by no means simply for teachers and administrators of theological schools. All rhetors, pastors and lay persons alike, with responsibility for the gospel''s persuasion in the public, postmodern world will readily join this promising symposium."" M. Douglas Meeks, Cal Turner Chancellor Professor of Theology and Wesleyan Studies, The Divinity School, Vanderbilt UniversityDavid S. Cunningham is Professor of Religion and Director of the CrossRoads Project at Hope College in Holland, Michigan. He holds degrees in Communication Studies from Northwestern University, and in Theology and Religious Studies from the University of Cambridge (England) and Duke University. He has published widely in the areas of Christian theology and ethics, including ''Faithful Persuasion: In Aid of a Rhetoric of Christian Theology'' (Notre Dame, 1992) and ''These Three Are One: The Practice of Trinitarian Theology'' (Blackwell, 1998). His most recent book, ''Reading is Believing: The Christian Faith Through Literature and Film'' (Brazos, 2002) explores the cen

John Wesley (1703-91) was a unique character in history who left a disproportionately large imprint on the world. That imprint was a contagious passion for what he called real Christianity--the Good News of saving grace and scriptural holiness. This book examines Wesley''s life and faith in order to better understand what it means to be a present-day participant in that legacy. The book begins with the story of Wesley''s search for an authentic Christian experience. His steps are traced from his early days of struggle, through his conversion at Aldersgate, to his long years of remarkable ministry. The second part of the book outlines the basic Wesleyan understandings of sin, grace, redemption, new birth, sanctification, and perfection. A concluding exploration of some practical implications of the Wesleyan doctrine of holiness is found in the third part. This book celebrates the Wesleyan tradition, especially that branch known as the Holiness Movement. It is, however, not entirely uncritical. It seeks to provide an honest and sympathetic consideration of the heritage and faith of Wesley''s lasting imprint.""Dan Burnett''s new book In the Shadow of Aldersgate has captured the person of John Wesley and the theological movement that followed him with clarity and freshness. . . . This doctrinal overview refers to other spiritual traditions with respect and grace but assists the reader to understand Wesleyanism in respect to other faith perspectives. [It] is a gift to those who want to understand historic Wesleyan doctrine."" --Dr. Don BrayGeneral Director, Global Partners, The Wesleyan Church""For anyone interested in a concise biography of John Wesley, and an excellent summary of his doctrine of salvation, one could not go wrong in choosing In the Shadow of Aldersgate. I certainly intend to use it as a text in my course ''The Life and Theology of John Wesley.''""Mark L. Weeter, Professor, Division of Religion and PhilosophyOklahoma Wesleyan University""In the Shadow of Aldersgate . . . moves from John Wesley''s life to the thought and potential of the tradition that flows from that life. . . . Besides aiding the Wesleyan tradition in understanding its inaugural springs of authentic Christianity, this book will be an introductory source to those in the wider Christian community . . . . The evangelical spirit of the writer is evident throughout, but this posture does not diminish the book''s use for an ecumenical audience."" Richard K. EckleyProfessor of TheologyHoughton CollegeDaniel L. Burnett has worked in various capacities of ministry and theological education in both the USA and England. A graduate of Nazarene Theological Seminary (M.Div., D.Min.), he now serves as pastor of Central Wesleyan Church in Anderson, Indiana.

CONTENTSPART 1: METHODS, MODELS, AND COMPARATIVE STUDIESWhat Does Sociology Have to Do with The Bible?The Bible and Economic EthicsSocial Class as an Analytic and Hermeneutical Category in Biblical StudiesSocial Class and Ideology in Isaiah 40-55: An Eagletonian ReadingIdeology and Ideologies in Israelite ProphecyPeriodization, Interactive Power Networks, and Teleogical Constraints in Hebrew Bible StudiesIcelandic and Israelite Beginnings: A Comparative ProbeStructure and Origin of the Early Israelite and Iroquois ""Confederacies""PART 2: TRIBUTES TO COLLEAGUESJames Muilenburg: Superlative TeacherDavid Jobling: Fearless Frontiersman Marvin L. Chaney, Master Social CriticJack Elliott: Breacher of Boundaries

This book aims to provide advanced students of biblical studies, seminarians, and academicians with a variety of intertextual strategies to New Testament interpretation. Each chapter is written by a New Testament scholar who provides an established or avant-garde strategy in which:1) The authors in their respective chapters start with an explanation of the particular intertextual approach they use. Important terms and concepts relevant to the approach are defined, and scholarly proponents or precursors are discussed.2) The authors use their respective intertextual strategy on a sample text or texts from the New Testament, whether from the Gospels, Acts, Pauline epistles, Disputed Pauline epistles, General epistles, or Revelation.3) The authors show how their approach enlightens or otherwise brings the text into sharper relief.4) They end with recommended readings for further study on the respective intertextual approach.This book is unique in providing a variety of strategies related to biblical interpretation through the lens of intertextuality.

The liturgical season of Lent and Good Friday are very important for Christians as they meditate and reflect upon the dying of Jesus. These are traditions that take us back to the very beginnings of the Christian tradition. From early times, pilgrims have made their way to the Holy Land, especially Jerusalem, to walk where Jesus walked and to remember his death on the cross. Not everyone can go to Jerusalem, and we cannot stand at the foot of the cross of Jesus, but the Stations of the Cross and the Seven Last Words may take us to Jerusalem and to Calvary imaginatively.