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Beyond the Walls of Separation is an essential and easy-to-read guidebook for chaplains and volunteers working in the context of prison, and for all those who are professionally or through family links related to those in prison. The book tells the story of what life behind bars is, and how inmates experience transformation through Christian faith: People at the crisis points of their life, where they are shattered, and where little is left of what made them, may experience life as fragile and as a transparent filter for the mysterious. Yet they also may experience God's life-giving presence. Love, expressed in forgiveness--against all odds, against all merits and previous experiences--lies at the root of many stories of transformation that emerge from prison.The book guides visitors to approach inmates without condescension, with an awareness of the social dimension of power and inequality, and with sensitivity to the suffering and alienation that individual prisoners experience. The many years of prison ministry in different cultural contexts and with inmates from all nations have taught the author that Christ does not need to be brought to prison through visitors, through evangelistic events, or through Christian outreach. He is already powerfully present in prison.

Two trends in the early twenty-first-century intersect to give this volume immediate relevance: 1) The emerging postmodern ethos in North America is calling into question many things we have taken for granted, including the purposes of the church; and 2) our time is increasingly fractious as groups with distinct worldviews become polarized and often antagonistic. Eleven noted contributors join a growing current that sees conversation as an image to refresh our thinking about the nature and purpose of the church, and as a process in which individuals and communities with different perspectives come together for real understanding. Under the Oak Tree employs the image of Sarah and Abraham greeting three visitors under the Oaks of Mamre as an image for the church as a community of conversation, a community that opens itself to the otherness of the Bible, voices in history and tradition, others in the contemporary social and ecological worlds. Furthermore, the book shows how conversation can lead the church to action.The book takes a practical approach by exploring how conversation can shape key parts of the church's life. Topics include preaching, worship, formation, evangelism, pastoral care, mission and ecumenism, social witness, and the relationship of Christianity to other religions. Foundational chapters consider God as conversational, the church as community of conversation, and the minister as conversation leader.

Cultural and ethnic diversity is the reality of our world, and much more so in this age of heightened globalization. Yet, do our ways of doing theological education match with our current reality and hopes for a colorful and just tomorrow? How shall we do theological formation so it helps give birth to a culturally diverse, racially just, and hospitable world? This edited volume gathers the voices of minoritized scholars and their white allies in the profession in response to the above questions. More particularly, this volume gathers the responses of these scholars to the questions: What is the plight of theological education? Who are the teachers? Who are our students? What shall we teach? How shall we teach? How shall we form and lead theological institutions? It is the hope of this volume to contribute to the making of theological education that is hospitably just to difference/s and welcoming of our diverse population, which is our only viable future. When we embody this vision in our daily educational practices, particularly in the training of our future religious leaders, we may help usher in a new, colorful, and just world.

Many philosophers since Hegel have been disturbed by the thought that philosophy inevitably favors sameness over otherness or identity over difference. Originally published at a time when the issue was not so widely discussed in the English-speaking world, William Desmond here offers a constructive and positive approach to the problem of difference and otherness. He systematically explores the question of dialectic and otherness by analyzing how human desire inevitably seeks immanent wholeness in a manner that opens it to irreducible otherness. He faces the difficulties bequeathed to Continental thought by Hegelian dialectic and its tendency to subordinate difference to identity, whether appropriately or not. Unlike many recent critics of Hegel, he argues that we must preserve what is genuine in dialectic. Granting the positive power of dialectic, Desmond offers his first articulation of a further philosophical possibility--what he terms the Metaxological--a discourse of the ""between,"" a discourse doing justice to desire's search for wholeness without any truncating of its radical openness to otherness. In a wide-ranging yet unified discussion, Desmond tackles such issues as the nature of the self, the ambiguous restlessness and inherent power of being revealed by human desire, desire's relation to transcendence, its openness to otherness in agapeic good will and in relation to the sublime as an aesthetic infinitude. Finally, Desmond brings this metaxological understanding to bear on the metaphysical question of the ultimate origin. This book is a remarkable introduction to Desmond's metaxological philosophy, prefiguring many of the ideas with which his later thought is associated. This second edition contains a substantial new preface and an afterword to each chapter in which Desmond reflects on the material from the standpoint of his current thinking.

""The totalitarian state clearly intends to eliminate all those forms of organic community that rival the absolute loyalty of the individual to the state. This god is a jealous god. . . . Mrowczy¿ski-Van Allen's diagnosis is therefore no less relevant after the fall of the Berlin Wall. And his proposed cure is no less salutary. He appeals to the work of Grossman and other voices from the East to oppose the idolatry of the deified self with the icon, which opens up a distance in which giving and forgiving can occur. Eastern voices are so helpful because they refuse to quarantine theological questions; the borders between theology, politics, and literature are fluid and porous, because they are all a part of an integrated life. The holism of totalitarianism must be opposed by another kind of holism that replaces the idol with the icon. At the same time, the aspiration of secularism to separate politics from theology, and power from love, must be opposed by a politics based on an opening of human persons to God and to each other, the kind of self-donation found in Grossman, and for Christians, on the Cross.""--From the Foreword by William T. Cavanaugh

How can Christians committed to the classical Christian tradition (Evangelicals and Catholics) address the issues raised by contemporary Islam? Along with and even prior to much needed dialogue between Christians and Muslims, Christians need to ask themselves how their Scriptures and traditions might bear on such dialogue. Do the divisions among Christians (Catholic and Evangelical) fracture the classical Christian tradition in ways that undercut "Christian"-Muslim dialogue before it starts? Or does that classical tradition provide resources for thinking out and working out their own divisions in ways that will ready them for authentic conversation with Muslim brothers and sisters in Christ? And what does this tradition have to teach us about what Christians can and must learn from Muslims about their own traditions? The essays in this volume begin to address these questions.

In refreshing challenge to the common presumption that knowing involves amassing information, this book offers an eight-step approach that begins with love and pledge and ends with communion and shalom. Everyday adventures of knowing turn on a moment of insight that transforms and connects knower and known. No matter the field--science or art, business or theology, counseling or athletics--this little manual offers a how-to for knowing ventures. It offers concrete guidance to individuals or teams, students or professionals, along with plenty of exercises to spark the process of discovery, design, artistry, or mission.

At a time when women were expected to stick to their household duties, according to Peter Matheson, Argula von Grumbach burst through every barrier. Matheson offers here a biography of the Reformation's first woman writer. Argula von Grumbach's first pamphlet in 1523 was reprinted all over Germany. Thousands of copies of her eight pamphlets appeared. Through her writing, von Grumbach defied her Bavarian princes (and her husband), denounced censorship, argued for an educated church and society, and developed her own understanding of faith and Scripture. She even intervened in the Imperial Diets at Nuremberg and Augsburg.Drawing for the first time on her correspondence, the author shows how von Grumbach paid dearly for her outspokenness but remained undaunted. Though some saw her as a she-devil and others as a harbinger of a new age, Matheson shows von Grumbach as a woman engaged in the life of the villages where she lived, as one motivated by the dreams she had for her children.In a time of sweeping change and risking everything for the light and truth she was given, Argula von Grumbach showed what the vision and determination of one person could achieve.

The short pieces assembled in Salvation in My Pocket are miniature experiments in Christian joy. They are attempts at describing the difference God makes to ordinary experience, and to discover glimpses of God's light in everyday life. If there is any thread that holds these haphazard reflections together, it is just the conviction that beneath the surface of things there lurks an invitation, gentle and alluring; that even in sadness and misfortune there is always rising up, as if from hidden wells, the promise of peace; and that the final word spoken over this world, and over each human life, will be a word of joy.

Embracing Solitude focuses on the interior turn of monasticism and scans the Christian tradition for women who have made this turn in various epochs and circumstances. New Monasticism is a movement assuming diverse forms in response to the turn to classical spiritual sources for guidance about living spiritual commitment with integrity and authenticity today. Genuine spiritual seeking requires the cultivation of an inner disposition to return to the room of the heart. The lessons explored in this book from women spiritual entrepreneurs across the centuries will benefit contemporay New Monastics--both women and men. The accounts will inspire, challenge, and guide those who follow in the footsteps of the renowned spiritual innovators profiled here.

Richard Froude wrote in 1833 to John Henry Newman that "the present state of things in England makes an opening for reviving the monastic system." Seemingly original words at the time. Yet, monasticism is one of the most ancient and enduring institutions of the Christian church, reaching its zenith during the High Middle Ages. Although medieval monasteries were regularly suppressed during the Reformation and the magisterial Reformers rejected monastic vows, the existence of monasticism has remained within the Reformation churches, both as an institution and in its theology. This volume is an examination of Protestant theologies of monasticism, examining the thought of select Protestant authors who have argued for the existence of monasticism in the Reformation churches, beginning with Martin Luther and John Calvin and including Conrad Hoyer, John Henry Newman, Karl Barth, and Donald Bloesch. Looking at the contemporary church, the current movement known as the "New Monasticism" is discussed and evaluated in light of Protestant monastic history.

Philosophy is the quest for a life that is fully alive. Drawing on the insights of philosophers through the ages, The Way of Philosophy clarifies what it means to live life intensely. It exposes the shallowness of conventional wisdom by asking such questions as¿ Can science know everything?¿ Should we do it if it feels good?¿ Is beauty in the eye of the beholder?¿ Is life about creating ourselves?¿ Is love supposed to be selfless?¿ Can we ignore death?¿ If God exists, why is he hiding?Philosophers invite us to go down deep and live a life in light of truth, goodness, and beauty. If we tread this path, we can discover for ourselves the hidden source of the philosophical life in the unending wellspring of wonder."This work is a call to wonder! Professor Engelland has reflected deeply on the questions that move the human heart--love, beauty, goodness, truth. These pages thus serve as a form of spiritual exercise for thinkers, aiming to arouse us from our various levels of psychic torpor and to bring us to see the marvels of existence at all levels."--David Meconi, Professor of Theology, Saint Louis University; Editor, Homiletic and Pastoral Review "This is a beautiful little introduction to philosophy, which, with its humor, provocative observations, and clever anecdotes and examples, will draw students in before they know what's happening. Engelland does a marvelous job of speaking plainly and directly to students without diluting philosophical content, and of opening up classical themes in a fresh and unpretentious way."--D. C. Schindler, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Metaphysics, John Paul II Institute; author of The Perfection of Freedom and The Critique of Impure ReasonChad Engelland is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of Dallas in Irving, Texas. He is the author of Ostension (2014).

This book offers two things in particular: first, these are papers that have been commented on and re-worked in the context of a set of lively sessions from (International) SBL conferences from 2012 to 2014 (Amsterdam, St. Andrews, Vienna). Second, they offer an insight into the origins of the discipline as one which became conscious of itself in the early modern era and the turn to history and the analysis of texts, to offer something exegetical and synthetic. The fresh wind that the enterprise received in the latter part of the twentieth century is the focus of the second part of the volume, which describes the recent activity up to the present ""state of the question."" The third part takes a step further to anticipate the way forward for the discipline in an era where ""canon""--but also ""Scripture"" and ""theology""--seem to be alien terms, and where other ideologies are advanced in the name of neutrality. Biblical Theology will aim to be true to the evidence of the text: it will not always see clearly, but it will rely on the best of biblical criticism and theological discernment to help it. That is the spirit with which this present volume is imbued.""Questions of biblical theology are, at heart, questions about the understanding of the Bible in contemporary Christian thought and life. This collection of essays is a good guide to many of the key issues in contemporary debate about these questions."" --Walter Moberly (University of Durham)""We are in the debt of editors Walsh and Elliott for a volume that is historically informed (from Gabler on), engaged with all the relevant secondary literature of the past century, and thoughtfully undertaken. I have wondered if a contribution of B. S. Childs was simply his ability to keep an eye on biblical theology and interpretation at widest possible scholarly range, and to evaluate it on those comprehensive terms--the danger being that the discipline would otherwise break up into tribes of special interest or self-reference. The editors and contributors to this volume have kept that same goal in mind and have done so with fine scholarship and focused attention. The uncluttered title, Biblical Theology, is just right.""--Christopher Seitz, Senior Research Professor of Biblical Interpretation, Wycliffe College, University of Toronto; Author, Joel: The International Theological Commentary ""This outstanding book will introduce the reader into the questions that currently animate the field of Biblical Theology. One cannot say enough good things about the comprehensive character of the essays as whole, the consistent brilliance of their execution and even energy which bubbles underneath the various contributions. Highly recommended!"" -- Gary A. Anderson, Hesburgh Professor of Catholic Theology, University of Notre DameMark Elliott is Professor of Divinity (Historical and Biblical Theology) at the University of St. Andrews. He is author of Engaging Leviticus (2012) and Providence Perceived (2015).Dr. Carey Walsh is Professor of Old Testament at Villanova University. She is the author of The Fruit of the Vine (2000), Exquisite Desire (2000) and, most recently, Chasing Mystery: A Catholic Biblical Theology (2013).

This book offers two things in particular: first, these are papers that have been commented on and re-worked in the context of a set of lively sessions from (International) SBL conferences from 2012 to 2014 (Amsterdam, St. Andrews, Vienna). Second, they offer an insight into the origins of the discipline as one which became conscious of itself in the early modern era and the turn to history and the analysis of texts, to offer something exegetical and synthetic. The fresh wind that the enterprise received in the latter part of the twentieth century is the focus of the second part of the volume, which describes the recent activity up to the present ""state of the question."" The third part takes a step further to anticipate the way forward for the discipline in an era where ""canon""--but also ""Scripture"" and ""theology""--seem to be alien terms, and where other ideologies are advanced in the name of neutrality. Biblical Theology will aim to be true to the evidence of the text: it will not always see clearly, but it will rely on the best of biblical criticism and theological discernment to help it. That is the spirit with which this present volume is imbued.""Questions of biblical theology are, at heart, questions about the understanding of the Bible in contemporary Christian thought and life. This collection of essays is a good guide to many of the key issues in contemporary debate about these questions."" --Walter Moberly (University of Durham)""We are in the debt of editors Walsh and Elliott for a volume that is historically informed (from Gabler on), engaged with all the relevant secondary literature of the past century, and thoughtfully undertaken. I have wondered if a contribution of B. S. Childs was simply his ability to keep an eye on biblical theology and interpretation at widest possible scholarly range, and to evaluate it on those comprehensive terms--the danger being that the discipline would otherwise break up into tribes of special interest or self-reference. The editors and contributors to this volume have kept that same goal in mind and have done so with fine scholarship and focused attention. The uncluttered title, Biblical Theology, is just right.""--Christopher Seitz, Senior Research Professor of Biblical Interpretation, Wycliffe College, University of Toronto; Author, Joel: The International Theological Commentary ""This outstanding book will introduce the reader into the questions that currently animate the field of Biblical Theology. One cannot say enough good things about the comprehensive character of the essays as whole, the consistent brilliance of their execution and even energy which bubbles underneath the various contributions. Highly recommended!"" -- Gary A. Anderson, Hesburgh Professor of Catholic Theology, University of Notre DameMark Elliott is Professor of Divinity (Historical and Biblical Theology) at the University of St. Andrews. He is author of Engaging Leviticus (2012) and Providence Perceived (2015).Dr. Carey Walsh is Professor of Old Testament at Villanova University. She is the author of The Fruit of the Vine (2000), Exquisite Desire (2000) and, most recently, Chasing Mystery: A Catholic Biblical Theology (2013).