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This unique book is an introductory guide to the life and theology of John Calvin (1509-64). Calvin''s theology has been highly significant as a major expression of Protestant theology. Reformed churches throughout the world appropriate Calvin''s theological understandings and find his work provides important insights into Scripture and communicates a vibrant Christian faith. The first part of this book describes events in Calvin''s life that helped shape his major work, the Institutes of the Christian Religion. The second part follows the flow of the Institutes and provides a narrative exposition of this major work, with numerous quotations of Calvin''s own words. This enables readers to hear Calvin''s voice as his views are explained. This close reading of Calvin opens the door to further, more thorough Calvin studies.""A superb primer on the life and thought of John Calvin by one of our finest Reformation scholars. Highly recommended!""--Timothy George Founding Dean of Beeson Divinity School of Samford University, General Editor of the Reformation Commentary on Scripture""McKim''s accessible and lucid presentation of Calvin''s life as well as his thought through a summary of the Institutes of the Christian Religion prioritizes the voice of Calvin in a fresh way that provides a solid and useful introduction for any reader.""--Jennifer Powell McNutt, Associate Professor of Theology and History of Christianity, Degree Coordinator of M.A. History of Christianity Program, Chair of Graduate Council, Wheaton College Graduate School""John Calvin''s ideals for theological writing were clarity and brevity. Don McKim''s work would have made him proud. In fewer than two hundred pages, McKim gives a rich but accessible biography of Calvin, and an equally inviting summary journey through Calvin''s mature theology as found in the 1559 Institutes. It makes a good first exploration of the influential Reformed theologian as well as a ready reference guide.""--Gary Neal Hansen, Associate Professor of Church History, University of Dubuque Theological SeminaryDonald K. McKim is a former seminary Dean, Professor of Theology, and Executive Editor for Theology for Westminster John Knox Press. He is the author and editor of a number of books, many focusing on John Calvin and the Reformed theological tradition. He is an Honorably Retired minister in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

Rudolf Bultmann is one of the most widely known but least read theologians of the twentieth century. He is famous as the one who ""demythologized"" the New Testament, but very few understand what he meant by this or how his hermeneutical program connects to the other areas of his theological project. Bultmann presents a unique challenge to readers, not only because of his radical theological inquiry but also because of the way his ideas are worked out over time, primarily through short, occasional writings that present complex issues in a disarmingly straightforward manner. In this introduction to his theology--the first of its kind in more than twenty years--David W. Congdon guides readers through ten central themes in Bultmann''s theology, ranging from eschatology and dialectic to freedom and advent. By gaining an understanding of these themes, students of Bultmann will have the necessary tools to understand and profit from his writings. The result is not only an accessible guide for those encountering Bultmann for the first time but also a cohesive, systematic presentation of his thought for those wondering how his work might speak to our current context.""With great clarity and insight, focusing on themes which lie at the very heart of Bultmann''s theological project and placing him in conversation with recent and contemporary trends, David W. Congdon has written the best short introduction to Bultmann''s thought. The point is not to ''return'' to the great New Testament scholar and theologian--but neither should we bypass him.""--Christophe Chalamet, University of Geneva""Who better than David Congdon to take us into the work of Christianity''s greatest interpreter of Scripture in the modern period? With an expert''s grasp of the entire architecture of Rudolf Bultmann''s thought, Congdon leads the reader through its conceptual entry points. Here is a reliable primer, likely a classic, to guide both beginning students and well-schooled theologians away from the misconceptions, even myths, so often bedeviling treatments of Bultmann.""--James F. Kay, Princeton Theological Seminary""In these pages, Bultmann stands before us as a difficult but compelling figure, a Christian thinker who took the eschatological vision of the New Testament as his charter and pursued its course with extraordinary tenacity and fearlessness. Congdon sets Bultmann''s thought into critical discussion with contemporary theology, posing sharp challenges to our current preferences for ressourcement and the rule of faith. And he saves the best till last. The book ends with a superb meditation on Bultmann''s Christmas sermons--a glimpse of Bultmann at his most attractive, or most seductive, depending on where you stand."" --Benjamin Myers, Charles Sturt University""David Congdon''s lucid and innovative treatment of Rudolf Bultmann is an excellent contribution to scholarship. Those eager to understand, appreciate, and, most importantly, learn from one of the most important (and, alas, most misunderstood) ''greats'' of twentieth-century European theology have, in this book, an indispensable resource.""--Paul Dafydd Jones, Associate Professor, Department of Religious Studies, University of Virginia""Being master of a subject matter as demanding as Rudolf Bultmann''s theology and a master communicator, capable of introducing that subject-matter to beginning students in a manner both interesting and arresting (!) is rare. David Congdon has that rare combination of skills. This is a wonderful ''guide'' to Bultmann''s thought. Indeed, it is hard to imagine one more perfectly executed. It is a companion worthy of the thought of one of the real giants of twentieth century theology.""--Bruce McCormack, Charles Hodge Professor of Systematic Theology, Princeton Theological Seminary; author of Karl Barth''s Critically Realistic Dialectical Theology (Clarendon Press) and Orthodox and Modern: Studies in the Theology of Karl Barth (Baker Academic)David W. Congdon is asso

Description:John''s gospel does not record "Thomas''s doubt," as later generations of Christians have branded the story. Rather, John presents Thomas''s faith. In this work, Robert H. Smith approaches Thomas as one who believes in the reality of incarnation: God has a body. Too often, Smith argues, Christians read John''s gospel for its lyrical discourses. The resulting portrait of Jesus is a "cross-less Christ," a portrait that contributes powerfully to Christian triumphalism. In contrast, Smith finds that the evangelist always has the cross in view. Smith reads John "backwards," through the eyes of Thomas. In so doing, he demonstrates the centrality of a wounded Lord in the theology of the gospel. But this book does not end with hermeneutics. Smith advances his discussion into the life of discipleship. Anyone dwelling in Christ''s body will be similarly marked. What does it mean to live in the world as the marked body of Christ? Everyone who poses the question will want to read this book. Martha E. StortzProfessor of Historical Theology and EthicsPacific Lutheran Theological Seminary/The Graduate Theological UnionBerkeley, CaliforniaEndorsements:"Always an innovative teacher and writer, Smith trumps all that in his final book. He finds in Thomas''s plea to see Jesus''s wounds precisely what John''s Gospel wants us to see: a God who became incarnate in Jesus, wounds and all. This gospel is not saying, according to Smith, ''Jesus is like (the almighty) God'', but that ''God is like this wounded Jesus.'' When I used Robert''s ideas recently to end a gospels course, one student said, in effect, ''You have kept the best teaching until now.''"--Everett R. KalinChrist Seminary Lutheran Theological Seminary, Berkeley"In Wounded Lord we find Robert Smith''s last testament, a meditation on his favorite gospel. Renouncing all moralizing, ethnocentrism, and religious triumphalism, Smith focuses on Jesus''s self-sacrificing love as the clue to God''s nature and as power to heal all divisions. This is a book for everyone to reencounter John''s Jesus, whose glory was to give self away so that all humanity might even now be one with him ''in the lap of the Father.''"--Gary PencePacific Lutheran Theological Seminary"From the beginning of my pastoral ministry, I have relied on Robert H. Smith for cogent, pertinent, and deep reflection on Christian scriptures . . . Is he correct that the whole of the book needs to be refracted through the Thomas story, that the risen Christ always and necessarily bears the wounds of crucifixion? I believe so, and you ought to read the book to consider the question yourself. It will bless your devotional practice, your teaching and preaching, and your understanding of God''s suffering for and with us."--Rev. Brian Stein-WebberTrinity Lutheran Church, Oakland, CaliforniaAbout the Contributor(s):Robert H Smith (1932-2006), was professor of New Testament at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary and served as a member of the core doctoral faculty of the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. He is the author of Apocalypse: A Commentary on Revelation in Words and Images (2000), and Easter Gospels: The Resurrection of Jesus According to the Four Evangelists (1983) He has published commentaries on Matthew (1989), Acts (1970), and Hebrews (1984). He co-authored several books with Paul Fullmer, Read Greek by Friday (Wipf &Stock, 2004), Read Greek by Friday: The Gospel of John & 1 John (Wipf & Stock, 2005), Greek at a Glance (Wipf & Stock, 2007).

Homiletics is taking a theological turn. But what does the preaching task look like if we think of it not so much as a mastery of technique, but an exercise in theological method? Homiletical Theology in Action: The Unfinished Theological Task of Preaching tries to envision the work of homiletics as theological in root and branch. By placing theological questions at the center of the process, the authors, some of the leading lights of the field of homiletics, try to show how their work as preachers and homileticians is a thoroughgoing theological activity. By beginning with troublesome texts and problematic doctrines, they seek to show how preachers and homileticians engage in theology, not as consumers, but as producers--and in the thick of the kinds of questions that preachers have to ask. Practitioners and theological educators alike will catch a glimpse of how they too are residential theologians in their own preaching praxis.""Scholars and preachers alike will want this new contribution to homiletical theology. The homiletical theology movement explores how preaching is itself a form of doing theology, and not just a consumer of the work of systematic theologians. The preacher can be a creative theologian and not just one who applies the theologies of academic theologians. In this fast-moving volume, seven eminent scholars of preaching--all of whom are gifted in theology--think in exciting and critical ways about homiletical theology in three modes: description, confessional, and analytical.""--Ronald J. Allen, Professor of Preaching and Gospels and Letters, Christian Theological Seminary ""Preachers describe, confess, and analyze a multitude of theologies. Like Jacob, we wrestle with a vast and powerful presence until we receive a word that may be painful, provisional and unfinished, but also a deep blessing. Homiletical Theology in Action graciously urges us to name God again and again into our cultures and communities. This book is an invitation to join a theological conversation that will shape the future of homiletics."" --Sarah Travis, Minister-in-Residence, Knox College""After decades of emphasis on rhetorical methodologies, the scholarly pendulum is now swinging back toward more directly theological considerations. This provocative, diverse, and rewarding collection of essays contributes significantly to a new definition of preaching as an intrinsically theological activity."" --Michael Knowles, G. F. Hurlburt Chair of Preaching, McMaster Divinity College""Homiletic Theology in Action: The Unfinished Task of Preaching is the second in a series of books that seeks to rekindle an appreciation for homiletics as an inherently theological act and to expand that perspective in response to new questions raised within a changing context. In this volume, scholars do the work of describing the process of theological reflection that results in proclamation, examining how the theological ''confessions'' of certain faith traditions give shape to that process of theological reflection in preaching, and questioning long-held assumptions about the interplay of scripture, tradition, rhetoric, and human situation in a move toward homiletical theology in the contemporary context. These scholars bring years of experience in practicing theology through preaching. As preachers wrestling with issues of context, tradition and text, each one walks us down her or his own homiletic pathway to demonstrate theology in action. This book moves the discussion of homiletical theology to a more practical level, giving students and practitioners new ways of thinking about what happens each time a preacher takes on the task of proclaiming gospel to the world through preaching. This text is for anyone who wants to join the ongoing conversation about homiletic theology or who hopes to deepen their awareness of how the act of preaching remains a complex theological task."" --Mary Lin Hudson, Professor of Homiletics and Liturgics, Memphis The

The Spirit of Adoption explores many of the complexities inherent in adoption and its relationship to spirituality, challenging us to move beyond the common mythologies about adoption to consider the more difficult questions adoption raises about the nature of God, family, culture, loss, and joy. Rather than hearing from experts in adoption, this collection uses the narratives of birth parents, adoptive parents, and adoptees themselves, bearing witness to the ways adoption shapes its participants' spiritual lives. By allowing others to narrate their spiritual journeys through adoption, we hope to proclaim that adoption can be a wonderful, powerful, hopeful experience, and one that is difficult, painful, despairing--and that these paradoxes of adoption might be held together in God's hand.

This groundbreaking volume highlights the contemporary relevance of Jacques Lacan (1901-1981), whose linguistic reworking of Freudian analysis radicalized both psychoanalysis and its approach to theology. Part I: Lacan, Religion, and Others explores the application of Lacan's thought to the phenomena of religion. Part II: Theology and the Other Lacan explores and develops theology in light of Lacan. In both cases, a central place is given to Lacan's exposition of the real, thereby reflecting the impact of his later work. Contributors include some of the most renowned readers and influential academics in their respective fields: Tina Beattie, Lorenzo Chiesa, Clayton Crockett, Creston Davis, Adrian Johnston, Katerina Kolozova, Thomas Lynch, Marcus Pound, Carl Raschke, Kenneth Reinhard, Mario D'Amato, Noelle Vahanian, and Slavoj ¿i¿ek. Topics traverse culture, art, philosophy, and politics, as well as providing critical exegesis of Lacan's most gnomic utterances on theology, including "The Triumph of Religion."