In recognition of Karl Barth's stature as a theologian and public figure in the life of Europe and the West, Swiss publisher Theologischer Verlag Zurich (TVZ) published Conversations, a collection of correspondence, articles, interviews, and other short-form writings by Barth. Collected in three volumes, Conversations reveals the depth and breadth of Barth's theological thought, as well as his humor and humanity. Now, for the first time in English, the second of those volumes is offered here. Covering the year 1963, Volume 2 highlights a period in which Barth was especially active, particularly in regard to ecumenism and issues related to the Cold War. Within these pages, scholars and students will find a comprehensive view into Barth's life and beliefs about theology and its role in modern society.

Through his death on the cross, Christ atoned for sin and so reconciled people to God. New Testament authors drew upon a range of metaphors and motifs to describe this salvific act, and down through history Christian thinkers have tried to articulate various theories to explain the atonement. While Christ's sacrifice serves as a central tenet of the Christian faith, the mechanism of atonementaexactly how Christ effects our salvationaremains controversial and ambiguous to many Christians. In Atonement and the Death of Christ ,William Lane Craig conducts an interdisciplinary investigation of this crucial Christian doctrine, drawing upon Old and New Testament studies, historical theology, and analytic philosophy.The study unfolds in three discrete parts:Craig first explores the biblical basis of atonement and unfolds the wide variety of motifs used to characterize this doctrine. Craig then highlights some of the principal alternative theories of the atonement offered by great Christian thinkers of the premodern era. Lastly, Craig's exploration delves into a constructive and innovative engagement with philosophy of law, which allows an understanding of atonement that moves beyond mystery and into the coherent mechanism of penal substitution. Along the way, Craig enters into conversation with contemporary systematic theories of atonement as he seeks to establish a position that is scripturally faithful and philosophically sound.The result is a multifaceted perspective that upholds the suffering of Christ as a substitutionary, representational, and redemptive act that satisfies divine justice. In addition, this carefully reasoned approach addresses the rich tapestry of Old Testament imagery upon which the first Christians drew to explain how the sinless Christ saved his people from the guilt of their sins.

What does it mean when we speak of human dignity? What challenges does human dignity confront in our culture today? What is the relationship between contemporary understandings of human dignity and the ancient Christian doctrine of imago Dei, the view that human beings are created in ""the image and likeness of God""? This book pursues these and related questions in the form of an ecumenical ""trialogue"" by leading scholars from the three major Christian traditions: John Behr from the Eastern Orthodox tradition, Russell Hittinger from the Catholic, and C. Ben Mitchell from the Protestant tradition. The book is the first of its kind to foster an ecumenical conversation around teachings of imago Dei and present-day understandings of human dignity. The three chapter-essays, the editor's introduction, and the afterword by Lutheran theologian Gilbert Meilaender draw from a wide array of sources, including Scripture, patristic works, ancients creeds, medieval and Thomistic writings, papal encyclicals, Protestant confessional statements, the works of modern theologians, and more. Imago Dei will serve as an indispensable resource for those wishing to deepen their grasp of the theological bases for Christian views of human dignity, as well as for those who believe that Christ's words ""that they be one"" (John 17:21) remain a theological imperative today. The combination of ethical inquiry and ecumenical collaboration makes this timely book a unique and compelling contribution to present-day Christian thought.

Grace Ji-Sun Kim's book centres on the Spirit as an avenue for better understanding God and reconciling with our faith. The Spirit is present in the Old Testament as ruach and in the New Testament as pneuma. When the field of theology was prominently German led, theologians used the word geist to talk about the Spirit. As an Asian American theologian, it is necessary to retrieve and disseminate Asian words and religious symbols into the mainstream discourse to revolutionize the accessibility and global understanding of God today. One important Asian concept is Chi, translated as wind, breath, spirit, energy, much like ruach, pneuma and geist. Chi is a term adept for coming to know God as the Spirit as it effectively conveys God's presence in the world. As such, we can move towards a nondualistic theology that provides an abundant space for everyone, including the marginalized and the subordinated, paving a path towards liberation and radical demarginalization.

'Son of Man' is practically the only self-designation employed by Jesus himself in the gospels, but is used in such a way that no hint is left of any particular theological significance. Still, during the first many centuries of the church, the expression as it was reused was given content, first literally as signifying Christ's human nature. Later 'Son of Man' was thought to be a christological title in its own right. Today, many scholars are inclined to think that, in an original Aramaic of an historical Jesus, it was little more than a rhetorical circumlocution, referring to the one speaking. Mogens Muller's 'The Expression 'Son of Man' and the Development of Christology: A History of Interpretation' is the first study of the 'Son of Man' trope, which traces the history of interpretation from the Apostolic Fathers to the present, concluding that the various interpretations of this phrase reflect little more than the various doctrinal assumptions held by its interpreters over centuries.

In ""Eyes That See Not"", Ludemann begins by first establishing the foundation of objective-critical analysis of history. ""The historian,"" he writes, ""is obliged to present objective evidence for his or her assertions. The rules of the game do not permit one to rely on uncorroborated testimony or claims of authority."" The chronicler who fails to challenge eyewitness testimony and to submit documentary sources to critical examination, Ludemann points out, is not an historian.The so-called historical method used by the Pope, continues Ludemann, ""has the sole aim of proving the reliability of the gospels."" In fact, he says, the Pope ""never examines their historical trustworthiness."" Furthermore, his argument that Jesus was divinely inspired and that his teachings were not derived from human learning is absurd, says Ludemann. ""We do not live in antiquity, or even in the Middle Ages. In our world, metaphysical or meta-historical statements do not go without saying."" Science and the arts have long been autonomous and radically independent of doctrinal belief. That epitomizes the nature of today's revolution in theology.In ""Eyes That See Not"", Ludemann offers readers an irresistible invitation: Rather than be a passive inheritor of an ancient and jealously mediated tradition, join with him and thousands of other independent seekers of knowledge and become a thinker in your own right.

John Swinton argues that theologians' own stories inevitably matter in relation to the study of the divine. It follows that Swinton describes his place of formation walking alongside people living with intellectual disabilities, mental health challenges and dementia, and how it has gifted him with the opportunity to ask different questions of the tradition; questions that emerge from the lives of people who see the world differently. That learning has shaped him as a theologian and raised some crucial questions around the nature of faithfulness, discipleship and the question of exactly what kind of community the church is and should be in both theory and in practice - one, Swinton hopes, that can encourage Christians to begin to appreciate even more deeply the goodness, kindness and love of God for all human beings.

Using biblical and historical data, this book first describes the biblical and theological basis for worship in the Free Church tradition, then shows how this tradition is expressed in worship at special occasions as well as in traditional services.

How does a scientist find God in the universe? My Theology: Finding God in the Universe is the personal reflection of a Jesuit brother and astronomer, the director of the Vatican Observatory. Br. Guy Consolmagno SJ insists that science is more than observing the universe; it's learning how to pay attention, how to concentrate on one aspect while setting aside, at least momentarily, all the other interesting aspects that can distract us from a deeper knowledge of the universe.... or of God. In his telling, Joy is our compass, Truth is our goal; and Imagination weaves the story where we situate the joy that leads us to truth. Most importantly, both science and theology are done within a community of fellow seekers, where we share the stories that teach us how to explore, and with whom we can try to make sense of what we think we have found.

After two millennia, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ remain the foundation of Christian faith. No matter how often the story of Easter is told and how much it is explained, we are awed by the inscrutability of God's incarnation in Christ and find ourselves caught up in an event that transcends our understanding and surrounds us in a sea of divine love that belongs to the realm of mystery. These forty mediations invite the reader to reflect on Christ's walk on the Via Dolorosa, the path of suffering that a bruised and exhausted Jesus had to trudge from the place of his condemnation to the site of his crucifixion. It is a sobering journey. It is also a holy path toward God. With the author the reader can walk from sacred place to sacred place and feel the transforming power of the presence of Christ. In this pilgrimage we encounter a tormented Judas, a bewildered peter, a transformed Thomas, and two startled disciples on the road to Emmaus. The passion story leads believers and readers through the tragic disintegration of moral and spiritual claims to a fresh reaffirmation of the promise of transfiguration and resurrection.

Calling All Mama (and Papa) Bears! When your kids come home from school asking questions about everything from moral relativity to cultural Marxism to whether God even exists, you need to be prepared with biblically sound answers. With this user-friendly companion to the bestselling book Mama Bear Apologetics (R), you'll understand the secular worldviews your children face every day and build the foundation of faith and knowledge you need to equip them to respond to culture's lies. Perfect for individual or group study, this study guide will help you... examine more thoroughly the issues facing your children, and analyze them from a biblical perspective discover practical ways to empower your kids with God's wisdom for cultural challenges counter nonbiblical viewpoints with truth, love, kindness, and respect Knowing what is true is the best way to argue against what is false. The Mama Bear Apologetics (R) Study Guide will ready you to be confident as you seek effective ways to help your kids stand strong.

Contemporary western culture is awash with ideologies that reduce sexuality to an outlet for pleasure, an ecstatic form of release needed for personal fulfillment, or a commodity to be bought and sold. Many Christians living in such a culture find themselves uncertain as to how to respond from within churches torn by controversy, embarrassed by scandal, and thus driven into uneasy silence on sexual matters. Catholic moral theology, itself at the epicentre of this controversy over sexual issues since ""Humanae vitae"", has struggled to respond to the call for renewal issues by the Second Vatican Council. This book provides a theological foundation for consideration of the moral dimensions of human sexuality from a Roman Catholic perspective. Drawing upon key biblical themes such as covenant, discipleship and beatitude, it proposes an understanding of covenant fidelity wedded to the virtue of chastity that provides a suitable framework for a Catholic and Christian approach to issues of sexuality in a contemporary context. What is needed to counter dominant cultural ideologies is a vision of sexuality as integral to the human vocation to communion as well as attention to the specific practices that enable persons to grow in moral goodness. This work represents an original synthesis of biblical categories, the tradition and language of virtue, and a theological understanding of the human person. It is also among the first systematic applications of the renewal of virtue theory in recent decades to issues of sexuality.

The broad impact of Paul Tillich on present-day philosophical-theological thoughtforms--especially of Protestant Christianity--continues unbated into the new century. "Dialogues of Paul Tillich presents Tillich's "conversations with past religious thinkers" basic to Tillich's thought, but also carries the dialogue beyond Tillich's own formulations into conversations with current issues regarding feminism, liberation theology, fundamentalism, world religions, and Christian realism. The essays in "Dialogues of Paul Tillich reflect and contribute to that conversation.