Long obfuscated by modern definitions of historical evidence and art patronage, Lucrezia Tornabuoni de' Medici's impact on the visual world of her time comes to light in this book, the first full-length scholarly argument for a lay woman's contributions to the visual arts of fifteenth-century Florence. This focused investigation of the Medici family's domestic altarpiece, Filippo Lippi's Adoration of the Christ Child, is broad in its ramifications. Mapping out the cultural network of gender, piety, and power in which Lippi's painting was originally embedded, author Stefanie Solum challenges the received wisdom that women played little part in actively shaping visual culture during the Florentine Quattrocento. She uses visual evidence never before brought to bear on the topic to reveal that Lucrezia Tornabuoni - shrewd power-broker, pious poetess, and mother of the 'Magnificent' Lorenzo de' Medici - also had a profound impact on the visual arts. Lucrezia emerges as a fascinating key to understanding the ways in which female lay religiosity created the visual world of Renaissance Florence. The Medici case study establishes, at long last, a robust historical basis for the assertion of women's agency and patronage in the deeply patriarchal and artistically dynamic society of Quattrocento Florence. As such, it offers a new paradigm for the understanding, and future study, of female patronage during this period.

In this timely and hopeful book, Jim Wallis shows how left and right, religious and non-religious, Christians and those of other faiths may find common ground working for the benefit of our communities, our neighbours, and our world. As Wallis writes, "Our life together can be better. It's time to hear and heed a call to a different way of life, to reclaim a very old idea called the common good." So who is my neighbour in an age of austerity when different ideas of fairness clamour for attention, and what can we do to build up the common good?

How is theology liberating? In this post-Gorbachev world in which many demand freedom, and which the West seems ill-equipped to deliver, can we even envisage a liberative theology? Taking as his starting point the Marxist complaint that Christianity is ideological, Dr Scott argues that it is not enough for Christian theology to talk about liberation. It must be liberative. Stressing with feminist and liberation theologies the embodied, contextual nature of theology, the constructive proposal made here locates God's liberating abundance towards society in an interpretation of resurrection as social. Only in this way can a trinitarian Christian account of liberation be adequately grounded. This study will be of interest to those who wish to know if theology may speak truthfully about the transformation of society. In a period of crisis and hope, the book offers the shape of a liberative theology that might nerve Christian practice towards social freedom.

Although Weber's path-breaking work on the Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism has received much attention ever since it first appeared in 1904-5, recent research has uncovered important new aspects. This volume, the result of an international, interdisciplinary effort, throws new light on the intellectual and cultural background of Weber's work, debates recent criticism of Weber's thesis, and confronts new historical insight on the seventeenth century with Weber's interpretation. Revisiting Weber's thesis serves to deepen our understanding of Weber as much as it will stimulate further research.

Anthropology and Christian Theology have traditionally interpreted religion in quite different ways and have often been thought of as hostile to one another. In fact, a fundamental concern for human experience lies at the heart of both disciplines. This innovative book takes a new look at key anthropological and theological themes, and explores the intricacies of their interplay throughout history and in the present. Sacrifice, embodiment, ritual, incarnation, symbolism, gift and power are all related in ways that shed new light on religious behaviour and belief. Detailed analysis of fundamental Christian rites shows how they help generate emotional meaning and inspire philosophical ideas, and demonstrates how the body serves as a vehicle for religious beliefs.
Through an examination of these issues and much more, Davies reveals how religious rituals help people to become secure in their sense of identity. This accessible foray into new territory is essential reading for anthropologists, theologians, or anyone interested in religion who is seeking new interpretations of familiar themes.

Anthropology and Christian Theology have traditionally interpreted religion in quite different ways and have often been thought of as hostile to one another. In fact, a fundamental concern for human experience lies at the heart of both disciplines. This innovative book takes a new look at key anthropological and theological themes, and explores the intricacies of their interplay throughout history and in the present. Sacrifice, embodiment, ritual, incarnation, symbolism, gift and power are all related in ways that shed new light on religious behaviour and belief. Detailed analysis of fundamental Christian rites shows how they help generate emotional meaning and inspire philosophical ideas, and demonstrates how the body serves as a vehicle for religious beliefs.
Through an examination of these issues and much more, Davies reveals how religious rituals help people to become secure in their sense of identity. This accessible foray into new territory is essential reading for anthropologists, theologians, or anyone interested in religion who is seeking new interpretations of familiar themes.

"Sexuality and the Christian Body" addresses the challenges to traditional Christianity by gay and lesbian Christians and their critics within the church. This controversial book will be welcomed for the radical new insights it provides into Christian arguments about the body.

Rogers starts by offering description and rigorous analysis of both conservative and liberal conceptions of the body within the church, exposing similarities between apparently opposing positions. Drawing on the work of Barth, Geertz, Aquinas and others, he then goes on to constructively reconnect doctrines like incarnation, election, and resurrection with race, gender and sexual orientation. In a final section he offers arguments for the fittingness in the Christian tradition of marriage-like homosexual relationships.

Jesus for President is a radical manifesto to awaken the Christian political imagination, reminding us that our ultimate hope lies not in partisan political options but in Jesus and the incarnation of the peculiar politic of the church as a people "set apart" from this world. This collaboration between Shane Claiborne's writing and stories, Chris Haw's reflections and research, and Chico Fajardo-Heflin's 4-color art and design creates lyrical theology that poetically weaves together words and images to sing (rather than dictate) its message. This one-of-a-kind book includes: Messages drawn from biblical theologians Lessons from church history Examples from modern-day saints and ordinary radicals A poetic and illustrative perspective of faith This book is perfect for those who seek to follow Jesus, rediscover the spirit of the early church, and represent the kingdom of God. Jesus for President stirs the imagination of what the church could look like if it placed its faith in Jesus instead of Caesar. A fresh look at Christianity and empire, Jesus for President transcends questions of "Should I vote or not?" and "Which candidate?" by thinking creatively about the fundamental issues of faith and allegiance.

A Spiritual City provides a broad examination of the meaning and importance of cities from a Christian perspective. * Contains thought-provoking theological and spiritual reflections on city-making by a leading scholar * Unites contemporary thinking about urban space and built environments with the latest in urban theology * Addresses the long-standing anti-urban bias of Christianity and its emphasis on inwardness and pilgrimage * Presents an important religious perspective on the potential of cities to create a strong human community and sense of sacred space

Addiction to pornography has exploded to epidemic proportions, infiltrating churches and holding our pastors, friends, and family members prisoner. But no one not even the church is talking about this dangerous and destructive addiction. The Dirty Little Secret follows Pastor Craig Gross as he breaks the silence and begins his ministry XXXchurch.com, a website devoted to fighting pornography. As he meets people in the industry and those addicted to porn, Craig exposes the very real, human face of pornography and the destructive physical, emotional, and spiritual toll it takes. The Dirty Little Secret plainly reveals the addictive lure of pornography, explores the pain and brokenness it causes, and challenges us as individuals and as the church to talk about and openly fight pornography. Don t be tempted to keep this secret any longer. If this book won't make you roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty, then you need to check your pulse. Skip Mathews, president, Integrity Online"

This book examines the roles and functions that women assumed in the early Christian communities from AD 33 to the Council of Nicaea. It surveys, too, the views about women held by various New Testament authors including Paul and the Evangelists.

The I Love You More Workbook for Men will help you personalize the discoveries you make in I Love You More and then turn them into practical action. As you convert principles into hands-on application to meet the unique needs of your marriage, you truly will grow to love each other more knowledgeably, more effectively, and more deeply.
EXERCISES AND ASSESSMENTS Twenty-one exercises furnish you with vital insights, guidance, and tools for applying the principles you'll encounter in the book and DVD. You can turn your marriage's prickly issues into opportunities to love each other more as you learn how to:
- build intimacy while respecting personal space
- tap the power of a positive marriage attitude
- replace boredom with fun, irritability with patience, busyness with time together, debt with a team approach to your finances . . . and much, much more.
DISCUSSION GUIDE This will help your small group enjoy lively and eye-opening interaction through six sessions in the ZondervanGroupware small group DVD. As couples, you'll discuss how you can turn the problems in your marriages to your advantage, defend your relationships against six "sneak attacks," solve any problem in five realistic steps, and more. Each session links with the workbook exercises and concludes with an exercise each couple can do together over the next week.

"It's not a process," one pastor insisted, "rehabilitation is a miracle." In the face of addiction and few state resources, Pentecostal pastors in Guatemala City are fighting what they understand to be a major crisis. Yet the treatment centers they operate produce this miracle of rehabilitation through extraordinary means: captivity. These men of faith snatch drug users off the streets, often at the request of family members, and then lock them up inside their centers for months, sometimes years. Hunted is based on more than ten years of fieldwork among these centers and the drug users that populate them. Over time, as Kevin Lewis O'Neill engaged both those in treatment and those who surveilled them, he grew increasingly concerned that he, too, had become a hunter, albeit one snatching up information. This thoughtful, intense book will reframe the arc of redemption we so often associate with drug rehabilitation, painting instead a seemingly endless cycle of hunt, capture, and release.

Answers to real-life, nitty-gritty private questions Christians are asking about sex Louis and Melissa McBurney offer frank, humorous, sensitive, and biblically grounded answers to the thousands of sex questions readers have sent to the editors of Marriage Partnership, a publication of Christianity Today International. The authors deal with sensitive issues that need to be talked about, but within a solid spiritual, psychological, and therapeutic context. This book is perfect for newlyweds, newlyweds of 25 years, or for parents to give their engaged son or daughter who is soon to be married. The McBurney s give frank, honest answers to real, honest questions that many Christians have always wanted to ask, but were too embarrassed or afraid. The author s authentic, unblushing, yet thoroughly Christian perspective is presented in a two-column format. Their humor, husband-wife dialogue, and to-the-point answers provide an ideal reference for all the stages of married sex."

This is not your typical birds-and-the bees discussion. Inside this book is an exploration of the real questions you have about sex and your sexuality-all the ones you're too afraid to ask out loud (especially to your parents. Shudder.). Drawn from actual questions and with totally honest answers about what is and isn't okay to look at, think about, and do, this book breaks down what God really has to say about keeping your clothes on. Let's face it, the sex talk you got and the messages you hear at church aren't always that helpful when it comes to what is really going through your mind (or bothering you elsewhere) in real life. And asking those questions is not exactly easy when you want a real answer instead of, "You'll go blind." But in these pages, no topic is off-limits, and the answers you'll see are a real discussion of what you want to know (and exactly what the Bible does and does not say on the topic), or even what it means if you've already experimented. From pre-marital sex to masturbation to the temptations of porn and what it means to be a technical virgin-and questions about homosexuality-Questions You Can't Ask Your Mama About Sex is a go-to handbook for the things you need to know but don't want to ask out loud. Questions You Can't Ask Your Mama About Sex: comes from authors with decades of experience on the topics of relationships and sex, who have been featured on The TODAY Show, Good Morning America, The Daily Show, Anderson Cooper 360, as well as in The New York Times and Buzzfeed uses a straight-forward approach to answer over 50 questions teens have asked goes beyond "how far is too far?" to look at the nuances and real things you wonder about and face-done though straight-forward and honest discussion

Western civilization is becoming increasingly pluralistic, secularized, and biblically illiterate. Many people today have little sense of how their lives have benefited from Christianity s influence, often viewing the church with hostility or resentment. How Christianity Changed the World is a topically arranged Christian history for Christians and non- Christians. Grounded in solid research and written in a popular style, this book is both a helpful apologetic tool in talking with unbelievers and a source of evidence for why Christianity deserves credit for many of the humane, social, scientific, and cultural advances in the Western world in the last two thousand years. Photographs, timelines, and charts enhance each chapter. This edition features questions for reflection and discussion for each chapter."

Racial and ethnic hostility is one of the most pervasive problems the church faces. It hinders our effectiveness as one body of believers. It damages our witness. Why won't this problem just go away? Because it is a spiritual battle. In response, we must employ spiritual weapons-prayer, repentance, forgiveness. In this book Brenda Salter McNeil and Rick Richardson provide a model of racial reconciliation, social justice, and spiritual healing that creates both individual and communal transformation. Read this book if you want to learn how to use your faith as a force for change, not as a smoke screen for self-protection embrace your true self and renounce false racial identities receive and extend forgiveness as an act of racial reconciliation experience personal transformation through the healing of painful racial memories engage in social action by developing ongoing crosscultural partnerships This classic is now part of the IVP Signature Collection, which features special editions of iconic books in celebration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of InterVarsity Press. It includes a list of definitions and a discussion and activity guide for groups. A new companion Bible study is also available.

Your battle against porn isn’t about porn. It’s about hope.

Pornography may seem inescapable, but God can free us from its destructive power. The gospel replaces the dehumanizing lies of pornography with this surprising truth: God created us as royalty. How then can we reclaim our God-given identity to take a stand against―and ultimately starve―the predatory porn industry?

In The Death of Porn, Ray Ortlund writes six personal letters, as from a father to his son. Ideal for individuals and small groups, it will give hope to men who have been misled by porn into devaluing themselves and others. Through Scripture and personal stories, Ortlund assures readers that God loves them the most tenderly in their moments of deepest shame.

The Death of Porn inspires men to come together in new ways to fight the injustice of porn and build a world of nobility for every man and woman―for the sake of future generations.

Foreword INDIES 2020 Book of the Year Award (BRONZE Winner for Religion) "[A] powerful work. . . . Provides a road map for any Christian seeking greater racial justice."--Publishers Weekly Reconciliation is not true reconciliation without justice! Brenda Salter McNeil has come to this conviction as she has led the church in pursuing reconciliation efforts over the past three decades. McNeil calls the church to repair the old reconciliation paradigm by moving beyond individual racism to address systemic injustice, both historical and present. It's time for the church to go beyond individual reconciliation and "heart change" and to boldly mature in its response to racial division. Looking through the lens of the biblical narrative of Esther, McNeil challenges Christian reconcilers to recognize the particular pain in our world so they can work together to repair what is broken while maintaining a deep hope in God's ongoing work for justice. This book provides education and prophetic inspiration for every person who wants to take reconciliation seriously. Becoming Brave offers a distinctly Christian framework for addressing systemic injustice. It challenges Christians to be everyday activists who become brave enough to break the silence and work with others to dismantle systems of injustice and inequality.

David Anderson writes about multicultural leadership not from the perspective of an ivory tower intellectual, but as a hands-on practitioner who loves and believes in the body of Christ. . . . If you believe there is no solution to the race problem, I urge you to reconsider and to learn from someone who is on the frontlines of making multicultural ministry a reality in the church today. ---Bill Hybels, founding and senior pastor, Willow Creek Community Church Multiculturalism isn t a trend, it s a reality. Evidence of this country s rich racial mix is all around us in our schools, our stores, our neighborhoods, our recreational facilities---everywhere except our churches. Heaven may include every culture, tongue, and tribe, but in the United States, Sunday morning remains one of the last bastions of ethnic separatism. It s time to stop merely talking about multicultural worship and start living it. In this groundbreaking book, David Anderson invites us all---African-American, Asian, Caucasian, and Latino---to learn how to dance the dance of multicultural ministry. We ve all got different moves, but that s the beauty of diversity: the various gifts we bring, the wisdom of our heritages, the different creative ways we express the same Lord. Think it can t be done? Think again. As Anderson demonstrates, it is being done successfully by more and more churches. Wherever your church is now on the multicultural continuum, you can join the ranks of those moving toward a diverse and thriving ministry. Combining frontline insights with inspiring stories, Anderson takes you and your church into the strategy-level realities of what it takes to make multicultural ministry work in your setting. Do you hear the beat of the Spirit? God is calling your church to the dance of unity in diversity. Don t hold back Grab this book, get out on the dance floor, and let Multicultural Ministry show you the steps. Includes a Racial Reconciliation survey and six-session Racial Reconciliation curriculum."

Immigration is a key concern in British society; however, the ethical implications of the issue are often overlooked. Produced by Theos, a leading Christian think tank, this collection of short essays explores the ethical issues surrounding immigration in a post-Brexit Britain with contributions from across the Christian and political spectrums. This timely collection considers the many issues surrounding immigration including economics, community, nationhood, sovereignty, and internationalism, and demonstrates the range of conclusions that can be drawn on this topic, with possible interventions from the Christian perspective. Insightful for policy-makers and politicians, as well as anyone looking for orientation on a complex subject, this book is also full of ethical questions and considerations for readers from any faith or background.

Something is wrong in our society. Deeply wrong. The belief that all lives matter is at the heart of our founding documents--but we must admit that this conviction has never truly reflected reality in America. Movements such as Black Lives Matter have arisen in response to recent displays of violence and mistreatment, and some of us defensively answer back, "All lives matter." But do they? Really? This book is an exploration of that question. It delves into history and current events, into Christian teaching and personal stories, in order to start a conversation about the way forward. Its raw but hopeful words will help move us from apathy to empathy and from empathy to action. We cannot do everything. But we can each do something.

Understanding the Faith aids those who desire to profess their faith publicly and become communicant members of a church. This workbook walks students through the essentials of the Christian faith, modeling the format of the Westminster Shorter Catechism. New ESV Edition.