Since the early 1980s there has been a philosophical turn to the analysis of Christian doctrines. This has been stimulated by the renewal of the Philosophy of Religion in the 1960s and 1970s by figures like Alvin Plantinga, Nicholas Wolterstorff, William Alston, Anthony Flew, Alistair MacIntyre, Marilyn Adams, Robert Adams and others. This new literature is usually dubbed 'philosophical theology', and has a wide range of application to particular doctrines, theological method, and the work of particular theologians in the past, such as Anselm, Thomas Aquinas, John Calvin, Louis de Molina, Jonathan Edwards and Karl Barth. Yet there are very few (if any) textbooks devoted to this new work.The renewal of philosophical theology is of interest to theologians as well as philosophers. This textbook on the subject fosters this cross-disciplinary interest and make a literature that has developed in the professional journals and a number of monographs accessible to a much wider readership - particularly a student readership.It fills an important gap in the market, and should have a wide appeal for teachers at University and Seminary level education, as well as to postgraduate courses.

This is a major contribution to the link between theology and philosophy, introducing the core ideas of Michel Foucault to students of theology. Near the end of his life, Michel Foucault turned his attention to the early church Fathers. He did so not for anything like a return to God but rather because he found in those sources alternatives for re-imaging the self. And though Foucault never seriously entertained Christianity beyond theorizing its aesthetic style one might argue that Christian practices like confession or Eucharist share family resemblances to Foucaultian sensibilities. This book will explain how to do theology in light of Foucault, or more precisely, to read Foucault as if God mattered. Therefore, it will seek to articulate practices like confession, prayer, and so on as techniques for the self, situate 'the church as politics' within present constellations of power, disclose theological knowledges as modes of critical intervention, or what Foucault called archaeology, and conceptualize Christian existence in time through mnemonic practices of genealogy. "The Philosophy and Theology" series looks at major philosophers and explores their relevance to theological thought as well as the response of theology.

Paul D. Molnar discusses issues related to the concepts of freedom and necessity in trinitarian doctrine. He considers the implications of "non-conceptual knowledge of God" by comparing the approaches of Karl Rahner and T. F. Torrance. He also reconsiders T. F. Torrance's "new" natural theology and illustrates why Christology must be central when discussing liberation theology. Further, he explores Catholic and Protestant relations by comparing the views of Elizabeth Johnson, Walter Kasper and Karl Barth, as well as relations among Christians, Jews and Muslims by considering whether it is appropriate to claim that all three religions should be understood to be united under the concept of monotheism. Finally, he probes the controversial issues of how to name God in a way that underscores the full equality of women and men and how to understand "universalism" by placing Torrance and David Bentley Hart into conversation on that subject.

This book reveals and counteracts the misuse of biblical texts and figures in political theology, in an attempt to decolonialize the reading of the Old Testament. In the framework of Critical Theory, the book questions readings that inform the State of Israel's military apparatus. It embraces Martin Buber's pacifist vision and Edward Said's perspective on Orientalism, influenced by critical authors such as Amnon Raz Krakotzkin, Ilan Pappe, Shlomo Sand, Idith Zertal, and Enrique Dussel's.

This volume addresses the complex topic of the preeminent status of the divine feminine power, to be referred also as Female, within the theosophical structures of many important Kabbalists, Sabbatean believers, and Hasidic masters. This privileged status is part of a much broader vision of the Female as stemming from a very high root within the divine world, then She was emanated and constitutes the tenth, lower divine power, and even in this lower state She is sometime conceived of governing this world and as equal to the divine Male. Finally, She is conceived of as returning to Her original place in special moments, the days of Sabbath, the Jewish Holidays or in the eschatological era. Her special dignity is sometime related to Her being the telos of creation, and as the first entity that emerged in the divine thought, which has been later on generated. In some cases, an uroboric theosophy links the Female Malkhut, directly to the first divine power, Keter. The author points to the possible impact of some of the Kabbalistic discussions on conceptualizations of the feminine in the Renaissance period.

Islamic theology had to wait a long time before being granted a place in the European universities. That happened above all in German-speaking areas, and this led to the development of new theological and religious pedagogical approaches. This volume presents one such approach and discusses it from various perspectives. It takes up different theological and religious pedagogical themes and reflects on them anew from the perspective of the contemporary context. The primary focus is on contemporary challenges and possible answers from the perspective of Islamic theology and religious pedagogy. It discusses general themes like the location of Islamic theology and religious pedagogy at secular European universities. The volume also explores concrete challenges, such as the extent to which Islamic religious pedagogy can be conceptualised anew, how it should deal with its own theological tradition in the contemporary context, and how a positive attitude towards worldview and religious plurality can be cultivated. At issue here are foundations of a new interpretation of Islam that takes into account both a reflective approach to the Islamic tradition and the contemporary context. In doing so, it gives Muslims the opportunity to take their own thinking further.

This book engages a complex subject that mainline theologies avoid, Indigenous Australia. The heritages, wisdoms and dreams of Indigenous Australians are tormented by the discriminating mindsets and colonialist practices of non-Indigenous peoples. This book gives special attention to the torments due to the arrival and development of the church.

For centuries, science and religion have been on the opposite sides of the debate about the moral nature of human beings. Now science is confirming what people of faith have long known: human morality is embedded in our biology. Drawing on the latest research in neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, and behavioral science, this book affirms the four-fold prophetic vision of morality as expressed hundreds of years ago by the great philosopher and theologian, the Blessed John Duns Scotus. It proclaims the dignity of the individual and celebrates freedom of will for moral living, stemming from the place of innate natural goodness where love prevails.

The history of Israel goes back 4,000 years, and conflict has dogged much of its past. But today's headlines continue to highlight the Israeli-Palestinian struggle and Israel's quest for peace. Even so, another struggle is quietly rampant within world Jewry: the fight to secure Israel's future.

Offering a unique perspective on this issue, "The Fair Dinkum Jew" serves as an informative primer to show how the Abrahamic Covenant is vital to Israel's survival. Author Allan Russell Juriansz discusses the three great pillars of this Covenant-Land, Torah, and Messiah-and shows how Israel's only hope for security lies within these terms.

Juriansz breaks down years of Jewish history to prove the relevance of Judaism to Jewish existence and future in terms of the Abrahamic Covenant. He then discusses diff erent aspects of the Arab infi ltration and occupation of Palestine and examines the current confl ict between Jews and Arab Palestinians in terms of the post-1967 borders. In addition, he off ers potential solutions for peace that could possibly lead to stability within the Middle East.

"The Fair Dinkum Jew" issues a stirring call for Israel's need to believe in and defend its political, national, and religious integrity.

This is an introduction to the most important theological work of the Middle Ages. In the intellectual tradition of the Christian faith, few thinkers have had a more profound effect upon both the nature of theology and the materials with which it deals than Thomas Aquinas. A knowledge, therefore, of his major work, the "Summa Theologiae", is necessary for the student of theology, let alone any who are concerned with the Western intellectual tradition, so pervasive is Aquinas' thought to the fabric of Western thought. This, together with the immensity, length, and difficulty of the Summa, make a Reader's Guide valuable, even crucial, to a student's first exposure to this work. To address the needs of undergraduates who attempt a reading of this work, Stephen Loughlin presents the basic principles that underlie the "Summa Theologiae" both as a whole and with respect to its three parts, and the varying treatises found within them. "Continuum Reader's Guides" are clear, concise and accessible introductions to key texts in literature and philosophy. Each book explores the themes, context, criticism and influence of key works, providing a practical introduction to close reading, guiding students towards a thorough understanding of the text. They provide an essential, up-to-date resource, ideal for undergraduate students.