The idea that God, understood as the most perfect being, must create the best possible world is often underacknowledged by contemporary theologians and philosophers of religion. This book clearly demonstrates the rationale for what Justin J. Daeley calls Theistic Optimism and interacts with the existing literature in order to highlight its limitations. While locating Theistic Optimism in the thought of Gottfried Leibniz, Daeley argues that Theistic Optimism is consistent with divine freedom, aseity, gratitude, and our typical modal intuitions. By offering plausible solutions to each of the criticisms levelled against Theistic Optimism, he also provides a vigorous and original defence against the charge that it deviates from the Christian tradition. Engaging with both the Christian tradition and contemporary theologians and philosophers, Why God Must Do What is Best positions the idea of Theistic Optimism firmly within the language of contemporary philosophy of religion.

The church engages in mission as it is formed and transformed by the triune God whose nature is missional. If the church is not motivated by foundational, theological convictions, the church can blindly run toward 'cool' trends instead of focusing on God's purposes. In Missio Dei, the authors guide their readers through reflections on a biblical and theological understanding of God's mission, while pointing out ways in which we can participate in the mission of God.Missio Dei contains essays by several church leaders, including Ron Benefiel, Thomas A. Noble, Douglas S. Hardy, and Roger L. Hahn. Edited by Keith Schwanz and Joseph Coleson, this book reveals a clear understanding of what it means to be the missional church and participants in the Missio Dei.

Hans Urs von Balthasar is widely recognized as perhaps the greatest Catholic theologian of the twentieth century. No writer has better revealed the spiritual greatness of the revelation to which the art of the church and the historic liturgies bear witness. Yet students and nonspecialist readers often find Balthasar daunting and difficult. This volume is the ideal introduction to his work. It unlocks the treasure of his theology by focusing on the beautiful, the good, and the true. These are the three qualities of being around which his great trilogy--"The Glory of the Lord," "Theo-Drama," and "Theo-Logic"--revolves. Though brief, the book captures the essence of what Balthasar wished to say.

With clear writing---technical terms kept to a minimum---and a contemporary approach, emphasizing how each doctrine should be understood and applied by present-day Christians, Making Sense of Who God is explores the existence of God through inner knowledge and evidence found in Scripture and in nature. Topics include but are not limited to Traditional Proofs for God s Existence: covering cosmological, teleological, ontological, and moral evidence of the Creator; The Trinity: the three distinct persons each equal to the whole being of God; Creation: including the assertion that, when all the facts are understood, there will be no final conflicts between Scripture and natural science; and God s Providence: the Creator s continued involvement with all created things and human actions that make a difference within God s providence. Written in a friendly tone, appealing to the emotions and the spirit as well as the intellect, Making Sense of Who God is helps readers overcome wrong ideas, make better decisions on new questions, and grow as Christians."