Two great theologians endeavor to recover the centrality of Marian doctrine and devotion for the contemporary Church, offering a view of Mary as both the embodiment of the Church, and the mother who cooperates in giving birth to the Church in the souls of believers.

In this book, Will N. Timmins provides a close rereading of Romans 7 within its literary-argumentative context and offers a fresh and compelling solution to the identity of the 'I' in this text. Challenging existing paradigms, which fail to provide both literary coherence and theological plausibility, he develops his own positive theory about the device. Along the way he also re-examines a number of key texts within the letter, which have hitherto not been given due weight within the scholarly discussion. This study offers a fresh and satisfying solution to one of the Bible's most notorious cruxes, and contributes to our understanding of the apostle Paul's thought. It will be of interest to all scholars and students within the fields of biblical studies and Christian theology.

For a brief moment in history, Jesus Christ stooped to earth and became a man-He suffered for us, experienced our pain, felt our grief. Now you can meet the Savior face to face, with sensitive insights from Dr. Jack Hayford about that holy visit.

In The Divine Visitor you will find a deeper understanding of Christ by studying His incarnation, His suffering, His wounds, His blood, and His death.

You'll learn to access the power of God for your life to help you triumph over sin and shame, heal your broken heart, and restore you to your vast worth in the eyes of Heaven.

This book draws on a study of the Sunday Assembly- a "godless congregation"- to reflect on how the Church might better deal with suffering, lament and theodicy. Against a backdrop of a shifting attitudes towards religion, humans are now better connected than ever before. It is no exaggeration to suggest that we carry the suffering of the world in our pockets. In the midst of these intersecting issues, the Sunday Assembly provides insight into how meaning-making in times of trauma and crisis is changing. Drawing on practical theology and using ethnographic tools of investigation, this book includes findings from interviews and observation with the Sunday Assembly in London and Edinburgh. It explores the Sunday Assembly's philosophy of "celebrating life," and what this means in practice. At times, this emphasis on celebration can result in situations where suffering is "passed over," or only briefly acknowledged. In response, this book considers a similar tendency within white Protestant churches to avoid explicit discussion of difficult issues. This book challenges churches to consider how they might resist the avoidance of suffering through the practice of lament.The insights provided by this book will be of particular interest to scholars of Religious Studies, Practical Theology, Secularism and Atheism/Non-religion.

Is it time to take your spiritual pulse, reorient yourself to your Creator, and seek his guidance to live your faith more seriously? The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola outline the rigorous self-examination and spiritual meditations St. Ignatius sets forth. Readers will learn how to make a new beginning on the path to holiness, repenting of their sins and attaining freedom from Satans power. Though St. Ignatius wrote the Spiritual Exercises as a handbook for a four-week guided retreat, this edition contains step-by-step explanations suitable for independent use over any time period.

This work covers ancient beliefs about life after death from Homer's Hades to ancient Jewish beliefs, from the Bible to the Dead Sea Scrolls and beyond. It examines early Christian beliefs about resurrection in general and that of Jesus in particular, beginning with Paul and working through to the start of the third century. It explores the Easter stories of the Gospels and seeks the best historical conclusions about the empty tomb and the belief that Jesus did rise bodily from the dead.

C. S. Lewis sets out to persuade his audience of the importance and relevance of universal values such as courage and honor in contemporary society.

A comprehensive and contemporary statement of classic Reformed faith A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith expresses a fully biblical Reformed faith, showing its enduring appeal, coherence, and truthfulness. This standard of Reformed theology is saturated with Scripture, performing more exegesis and quoting more Scripture than other one-volume theologies and always encouraging the reader to measure theological assertions by the ultimate standard of Scripture itself. The result is theology that is God-centered. Other important features include: A truly systematic theology: comprehensive--covering all the main teachings of Scripture; coherent--showing how these teachings interrelate; contextual--relating biblical teachings to current issues; and conversational--engaging biblical, historical, and contemporary points of view Distinctively biblical perspectives on matters such as a presuppositional approaches to Scripture, the use of traditional arguments for God's existence, the description and classification of God's attributes, the view of the Trinity freed from medieval embellishments; and much more Upholds classic Calvinist positions on baptism, the Trinity, church government, and much more Interacts with contemporary issues, the work of other theologians, and important contemporary theological documents, including Catechism of the Catholic Church and "Evangelicals and Catholics Together" Terms from biblical languages appear in Hebrew or Greek and in transliteration, allowing English-only readers full access. Numerous appendices covering special topics Abundant resources for further study through footnotes, and a carefully compiled theological bibliography The book captures the author's warmth and sensitivity born of more than twenty-five years as a professor at leading Reformed seminaries Theology students, preachers, teachers, and professional theologians alike will benefit from A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith, finding it to be a rich resource for study and reference as they seek to understand and communicate about God and his ways.

Many people fear dying and are uncertain about life after death. In this engaging book, a Catholic theologian addresses perennial human questions about death and what lies beyond, making a Christian case for an afterlife with God. Nichols begins by examining views of death and the afterlife in Scripture and the Christian tradition. He takes up scientific and philosophical challenges to the afterlife and considers what we can learn about it from near death experiences. Nichols then addresses topics such as the soul, bodily resurrection, salvation, heaven, hell, and purgatory. Finally, he addresses the important issue of preparing for death and dying well.

A recent string of popular-level books written by the New Atheists have leveled the accusation that the God of the Old Testament is nothing but a bully, a murderer, and a cosmic child abuser. This viewpoint is even making inroads into the church. How are Christians to respond to such accusations? And how are we to reconcile the seemingly disconnected natures of God portrayed in the two testaments?
In this timely and readable book, apologist Paul Copan takes on some of the most vexing accusations of our time, including:

God is arrogant and jealous
God punishes people too harshly
God is guilty of ethnic cleansing
God oppresses women
God endorses slavery
Christianity causes violence
and more

Copan not only answers God's critics, he also shows how to read both the Old and New Testaments faithfully, seeing an unchanging, righteous, and loving God in both.

The nine chapters in this book, along with a critical introduction, address complex theological issues relating to structural inequalities of our society, exacerbated by the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic. Pastoral theology as an academic discipline is not a value-free enterprise. This book strives to speak against all forms of injustice and to advocate for those who suffer under existing structural inequalities because such a liberative and social transformative task constitutes the fundamental work of pastoral theology. Each chapter in this book analyses how private problems of individuals are occurring within the immediate world of experience with public issues historically, socially, and politically. As a whole, this book addresses racial injustice, ableism, foster family care, and issues faced by Christian churches during the COVID-19 pandemic. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Pastoral Theology.

"The books are beautifully, almost lavishly presented and scholars of the highest caliber have taken part in the work of editing.... This is a comprehensive attempt to make the spiritual tradition of large areas of mankind more generally accessible to the ordinary interested reader." A. M. Allchin in Church Times Catherine of Siena-The Dialogue translation and introduction by Suzanne Noffke, O.P., preface by Giuliana Cavallini "If you have received my love sincerely without self-interest, you will drink your neighbor's love sincerely. It is just like a vessel that you fill at the fountain. If you take it out of the fountain to drink, the vessel is soon empty. But if you hold your vessel in the fountain while you drink, it will not get empty: indeed, it will always be full." Catherine of Siena, 1347-1380 This is the crowning spiritual work of the only woman other than Teresa of Avila to be granted the title of Doctor of the Roman Catholic Church. This volume was simply called "my book" by the fourteenth-century Italian saint. The aim of her book (one of the first books to see print in Spain, Germany, Italy, and England), says Dr. Noffke in her Foreword, was "the instruction and encouragement of all those whose spiritual welfare was her concern." Catherine was "a mystic whose plunge into God plunged her deep into the affairs of society, Church and the souls who came under her influence." Professor Noffke goes on to call The Dialogue "a great tapestry to which Catherine adds stitch upon stitch until she is satisfied that she has communicated all she can of what she has learned of the way of God." In this, the sixth centenary of the great Dominican's death, we live in a time so badly in need of her sense of institutional reform as flowing from Divine truth, love and charity. Dr. Noffke says: "In the opening pages of The Dialogue Catherine presents a series of questions or petitions to God the Father each of which receives a response and amplification. There is the magnificent symbolic portrayal of Christ as the bridge. There are specific discussions of discernment, tears (true and false spiritual emotion), truth, the sacramental heart ('mystic body') of the Church, divine providence, obedience.... It is not so much a treatise to be read as it is a conversation to be entered into with earnest leisure and leisurely earnest."

In recent years the Christian faith has been challenged by skeptics, including the New Atheists, who claim that belief in God is simply not reasonable. Here prominent Christian philosopher C. Stephen Evans offers a fresh, contemporary, and nuanced response. He makes the case for belief in a personal God through an exploration of natural "signs," which open our minds to theistic possibilities and foster belief in the Christian revelation. Evans then discusses why God's self-revelation is both authoritative and authentic. This sophisticated yet accessible book provides a clear account of the evidence for Christian faith, concluding that it still makes sense to believe.

Many Christians believe our future in heaven is all that really matters. But that's not what the Bible teaches. In this six-session small group Bible study, Surprised by Hope, premier Bible scholar N. T. Wright brings you inside the Scriptures to grasp the full, breathtaking hope Jesus offers the world, and its impact on your life today. Gain an exciting new vision for your life on earth in light of your future in heaven. Wonderful as is the promise of heaven, a glorious hereafter is just part of what salvation is about. What about today? Jesus called his followers the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Your life here and now is of tremendous consequence, and what you believe about the future has a direct impact on how you live in the present. In six transforming, faith-inspiring sessions, premiere biblical scholar N. T. Wright opens your eyes to the amazing full scope of what God's Word has to say about the world to come and the world that is. Filled with discussion questions, thoughts for reflection, and ideas for personal application, this study guide will help you get the most out of each session as you explore such questions as What is heaven really like? Is our main duty as Christians simply to help non-Christians get there? What hope does the gospel hold for this present life? In what ways does God intend for us to experience that hope personally and spread its healing power to the world around us? Surprised by Hope provides a clearer vision both of the future and of God's kingdom at hand today. This Participant Guide is designed for use with the companion Surprised by Hope DVD (sold separately) and provides individual and group activities, additional background material, and between-session personal studies that will enhance your experience of the video sessions. Sessions include: 1. Hope for the World2. The Hope of the Resurrection 3. The Hope of Heaven 4. The Hope of Jesus Second Coming5. The Hope of Salvation 6. The Hope of the Church"

In recent years our knowledge of the individual parts of the Bible has increased greatly, but our understanding of how they fit together has not kept pace. In particular, the relationship between the Old and New Testaments has been a neglected field of study. The latest in IVP's developing family of New Dictionaries, the 'New Dictionary of Biblical Theology' is an essential tool for students, preachers and ministers, as well as for scholars and others seeking a better grasp of the Bible's teaching. The aim of this prestigious dictionary is to integrate the various biblical books and themes into the overarching story of the Scriptures. The volume embodies three perspectives on biblical theology, which are reflected in its structure.

During study of the scriptures for his previous book, Alpha and Omega, it became apparent to the author that when the Lord talked to the disciples about His coming for Israel, He also intimated that there is likely to be a period of delay between the signs of His expected coming, and His actual appearance for them as their Messiah. In the light of this the author decided to follow through and find out what this period may involve, and his conclusions are set out in this book. Whilst Israel, the Lord's people, remain special to Him, even more important is that His Word and promises will be kept, and that His Father's will is completed in its perfection. This book is an attempt to interpret how Israel will be expected to play its part, and how in the process it will be proved faithful before the Lords return.

For four years, John Bell has been a contributor to Radio 4's "Thought for the Day", attempting - as the project demands - to offer a religious perspective on matters of current social and international importance. Sometimes affirming, sometimes controversial but always contemporary, these short reflections represent the prickly interface between faith and politics from the perspective of a Christian believer.

The classic, fascinating life of St. Antony of the Desert, and the Father of Monasticism, both East and West. St. Antony revealed that there are swarms of devils everywhere, but that they are powerless to harm us when we use the Holy Name of Jesus and sacramentals to ward them off.

The Lord's commitment to make himself known throughout the nations is the missionary theme that spans the Bible, and is the central theological concern of the book of Exodus. Countering scholarly tendencies to fragment the text due to theological problems, Ross Blackburn contends that Exodus can be read as a unified whole, and that an appreciation of this missionary theme in its canonical context is of great help in dealing with difficult issues that the book poses. For example, how is Exodus 6:3 best understood? Is there a tension between law and gospel, or mercy and judgment? How should we understand the painstaking detail of the tabernacle chapters? From a careful examination of Exodus, Blackburn demonstrates that: * the Lord humbles Pharaoh so that the world would know that only God can save; * the Lord gives Israel the law so that she might display his goodness to the world, and live in a state of order and blessing; * the Lord deals with Israel's idolatry severely, yet mercifully, for his goodness cannot be known if his glory is compromised. In the end, Exodus not only sheds important light on the church's mission, but also reveals what kind of God the Lord is, one who pursues his glory and our good, ultimately realizing both as he makes himself known in Christ Jesus.