The author of the New York Times bestseller The Good Book champions the recovery of the Western moral tradition.

Discover your spiritual gifts, personal style, and God-given passion for serving in the body of Christ. Network, the leading course for discovering spiritual gifts and empowering people for ministry has been revised and updated. This material, developed in partnership with the Willow Creek Association, helps churches appropriately guide people to the place of ministry that best reflects who they are. Churches will see increased participation, greater effectiveness, more enthusiasm, and less burn-out in their congregation. Believers in their church will discover the spiritual gifts God has given them. They will have a better understanding of God s will for their lives because of gaining a better understanding of who God created them to be. Participants will be assessed on their personal style, spiritual passion, and gifts. Network works with any size group, from small groups of 4 to 12 to large groups of 15 to 150. The six Network sessions can be presented successfully in three flexible formats: three sessions of two hours each; six sessions of forty-five minutes each; or one- two- or three-day retreats."

It is the dream of every publisher to hit upon a project that will win praise for contributing to the intellectual and cultural life. Theology Today Ignatius of Loyola: Spiritual Exercises and Selected Works edited by George E. Ganss, S.J. with the collaboration of Parmananda R. Divarkar, S.J., Edward J. Malatesta, S.J., and Martin E. Palmer, S.J. preface by John W. Padberg, S.J. I close by asking God through his infinite goodness to give us the perfect grace to know his most holy will and fulfill it completely. May it please the Sovereign Goodness that everything be ordered to his holy service and continual praise. Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556) September 27, 1990 marks the 450th anniversary of the foundation of the Society of Jesus in 1540, and the year 1991 brings the 500th anniversary of the birth of its founder, St. Ignatius of Loyola. In these circumstances the present volume will contribute to the study of Ignatius' charism and of the ministries he initiated-in Christian education, foreign missions, and other fields. It presents his four major writings: the Autobiography and Spiritual Exercises in their entirety, and his Spiritual Diary and Constitutions of the Society of Jesus in selections so chosen as to give an overview of each work. It also offers ten samples of his almost 7,000 letters. Ample explanations are given in the introductions and commentaries by way of notes. The General Introduction is an intellectual and spiritual biography that sketches the fascinating steps by which, largely through mystical favors from God, Ignatius reached his inspiring worldview, with everything in it ordered to the greater glory of God. In his Exercises we find a synthesis of his chief spiritual principles, and in his Constitutions an example of his organizational ability. The Autobiography tells of his mystical illuminations and gifts, and the Spiritual Diary lets us peer deeply into his heart in his most intimate dealings with God. His writing reveals many facets of the warm personality of this influential saint.

In Glimmers of Grace, Christian physician Kathryn Butler draws from her experience as a trauma surgeon and a Bible teacher to reflect upon how God's word remains living, active, and trustworthy in the midst of illness.

Gain a thorough understanding of the competing views on the historicity, chronology, and theological implications of the exodus. The biblical account of the Israelite exodus from Egypt is one of the most enduring narratives ever told and is a foundational event for several world religions. It resonates across cultures with its timeless themes of redemption and deliverance. It is also the only explanation the Bible gives for Israel's origin. Despite its unique legacy, many scholars regard the exodus as fictitious or a cultural memory that may not be a historical event. Even among those who believe the exodus happened, there is no consensus regarding its date. Five Views on the Exodus brings together experts in the fields of biblical studies, Egyptology, and archaeology to discuss and debate the most vexing questions about the exodus. Each offers their own view and constructive responses to other leading views: Early Date: The Exodus Took Place in the Fifteenth Century BC (Scott Stripling) Late Date: A Historical Exodus in the Thirteenth Century BC (James K. Hoffmeier) A Hyksos Levite Led Exodus in the Time of Ramesses II (Peter Feinman) Alternative Late Date: The Exodus Took Place in the Twelfth Century BC (Gary A. Rendsburg) The Exodus as Cultural Memory: A Transformation of Historical Events (Ronald Hendel) The Counterpoints series presents a comparison and critique of scholarly views on topics important to Christians that are both fair-minded and respectful of the biblical text. Each volume is a one-stop reference that allows readers to evaluate the different positions on a specific issue and form their own, educated opinion.

New study of aspects of a key subject in Christian belief and theology

Craig Keener carefully examines the New Testament Gospels and the book of Acts to provide a fuller understanding of what the Holy Spirit meant in the lives of early believers. Christianity did not arise in a vacuum, but rather it appropriated, modified, and utilized the Jewish understanding of the work of the Holy Spirit. By understanding the world in which Christianity emerged, we can better understand the earliest believers' experience of God's empowering and purifying Spirit. This paperback edition contains a new preface by the author.

With discussions of the Trinity increasingly coming to the fore in theological controversies over human relationships, this book seeks to restore the focus to theology proper. In The Will of Him Who Sent Me Andrew Moody proposes that a carefully defined model for ordered Trinitarian willing can help us better understand the great themes of the Bible and the reason for salvation history itself.

Six Ways to Improve Your Balance as a Group Leader Leading a successful small group is like walking a tightrope. You traverse a taut, exciting line, balancing the dynamic tensions characteristic of every group. Drawing from the concept of "polarity management," Bill Donahue and Russ Robinson help you understand and deal with six dynamic areas every group leader must manage in order to create genuine, transforming small group community. Your group is in for unprecedented connection and growth when you harness the interplay between * Truth and Life * Care and Discipleship * Friendship and Accountability * Kindness and Confrontation * Task and People * Openness and Intimacy Effective, life-giving small groups learn how to embrace both ends of each continuum. Walking the Small Group Tightrope will strengthen your sense of balance, help you gain confidence as a leader, and show you how to release the untapped creative and relational energy in your group.

Seeking to move beyond current heated debates on justification, this accessible introduction offers a fresh, alternative approach to a central theological topic. Michael Allen locates justification within the wider context of the gospel, allowing for more thoughtful engagement with the Bible, historical theology, and the life of the church. Allen considers some of the liveliest recent debates as well as some overlooked connections within the wider orbit of Christian theology. He provides a historically informed, ecumenically minded defense of orthodox theology, analyzing what must be maintained and what should be reconfigured from the vantage point of systematic theology. The book exemplifies the practice of theological interpretation of Scripture and demonstrates justification's relevance for ongoing issues of faith and practice.

For over a thousand years, Benedictine monks around the world have followed the daily pattern of morning, noon, and evening prayer known as the Liturgy of the Hours, or the Divine Office. Gathered from the Benedictine tradition, the prayers included in this book grew up around the celebration of the Divine Office-embellishing it, illuminating it, and echoing it for generations of the faithful. The Saint Benedict Prayer Book also reclaims little-known prayers (Little Offices, Commemorations, and Litanies) from long ago. For anyone seeking a way of prayer rooted in ancient wisdom, this little book offers a sure path.

Scholars, clergy and lay people alike will welcome this publication that addresses the problems raised by biblical scholarship concerning the man Jesus and his mission. "A cross between a "life of Christ" and a contribution to the "quest of the historical Jesus," this book offers a thorough presentation and analysis of all the major events and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. Sometimes the groupings are thematic, sometimes the structure is chronological, but always there is a robust defense of the historicity of the canonical Gospels' material along with penetrating analysis as to its meaning... Evangelicals who want to write on the historical Jesus and/or the life of the Christ in the future will most assuredly have to take thoroughly into account both the form and content of Seccombe's volume. Someone who has never read a work of this genre would be hard pressed to find a better exemplar with which to begin." - Craig L Blomberg.

Popular author Ben Campbell Johnson discusses how the will of God relies on the depths of the human psyche. He addresses in specific terms how one may use intuition, imagination, and memory to ascertain the leading of God's will. Johnson claims that once God's will is sensed, one must trust that God will continue to give guidance. For each chapter, a series of reflection exercises is provided along with a brief guide to the process of discernment.

Research on Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity has increased dramatically in recent decades, and a diverse array of disciplines have begun to address a range of elements of these movements. Yet, there exists very little understanding of Pentecostal theology, and it is not uncommon to encounter stereotypes and misperceptions. Addressing this gap in current research, The Routledge Handbook of Pentecostal Theology is an exceptional reference source to the key topics, challenges, and debates in this growing field of study and is the first collection of its kind to offer a comprehensive presentation and critical discussion of this subject. Comprising over forty chapters written by a team of international contributors, the Handbook is divided into five parts: Contextualizing Pentecostal Theology Sources Theological Method Doctrines and Practices Conversations and Challenges. These sections take the reader through a comprehensive introduction to what Pentecostals believe and how they practice their faith. Looking at issues such as the core teachings of Pentecostalism concerning Spirit baptism, divine healing, or eschatology; unique practices, such as spiritual warfare and worship; and less discussed issues, such as social justice and gender, each chapter builds towards a nuanced and global picture of the theology of the Pentecostal movement. The Routledge Handbook of Pentecostal Theology is essential reading for students and researchers in Pentecostal Studies, World Christianity, and Theology as well as scholars working in contemporary Religious Studies.

Bestselling author and theologian Scott Hahn views the author of Chronicles as the first biblical theologian. Chronicles offers the first attempt to understand and interpret the entire sweep of Old Testament history from the creation of the world to the Israelites' return from exile.
This commentary presents 1-2 Chronicles as a liturgical and theological interpretation of Israel's history. Hahn emphasizes the liturgical structure and content of Chronicles and provides fresh insight on salvation history: past, present, and future. He also shows how Chronicles provides important insights into key New Testament concepts. The book gives professors, students, and pastors a better understanding of Chronicles, salvation history, and theological interpretation of the Old Testament.

First published in 1985 as Les sources de la morale chretienne by University Press Fribourg, this work has been recognized by scholars worldwide as one of the most important books in the field of moral theology. Already its acclaim has warranted translations into Spanish, Italian, and Polish. Now it is available for the first time in an English translation, which includes a new preface. Writing in a tone that is reconciliatory rather than polemical, Servais Pinckaers returns Christian ethics to its sources, the Gospel and the Holy Spirit. After discussing the complementary domains of morality and the behavioral and natural sciences, he traces the scriptural themes particularly in the Sermon on the Mount and the writings of St. Paul that most influence moral instruction. He then examines in depth the history of moral theology from the patristic period to the present day. This history includes a discussion of the relation of Protestant and Catholic views of Christian ethics. The unique feature of Pinckaers's contemporary Thomistic view is its emphasis on the virtues, gifts, and evangelical Beatitudes as the heart of the Christian moral life. His approach to morality results in what he calls the freedom for excellence, a notion of freedom that he contrasts with the nominalist concept of the freedom of indifference, which has dominated moral theology since the fourteenth century. As a complete handbook of moral theology, this book will serve the needs of both beginning and advanced students in seminary and university courses in moral theology and ethics. For Catholic readers in particular, it will provide the background and perspective needed to achieve a fuller understanding of the moral teaching of the Catechism and of the encyclical Veritatis splendor.

Perversion, Pedagogy and the Comic studies how the idea-of-theater shaped western consciousness during the Christian Middle Ages. It analyses developments within western philosophy, Christian theology and theater history to show how this idea realized itself primarily as a metaphor circulating through various discursive domains. Beginning with Plato's injunction against tragedy the relation between philosophy and theater has been a complicated affair which this book traces at the threshold when the western world became Christian. By late antiquity as theatre was slowly banned, Christian theology put the idea-of-theatre to use in order to show what they understood to be the perverted nature of worldly existence and the mystery of the Kingdom of God. Interrogating the theological teachings of some of the early Church Fathers like St Augustine, Tertullian and Clement of Alexandria the book offers a new look at how the idea of theater not only inspired Christian liturgical practices but Christian pedagogy in general which in turn shaped the nature of Christian religious drama. Finally the author tries to demonstrate how this hegemonic use of the theatre-idea was countered by a certain comic sensibility which opened the idea of theatre in the Christian Middle Ages to a new and subversive materialist possibility. Please note: Taylor & Francis does not sell or distribute the Hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Are you equipped to reach perfection? God has called his people to a powerful way of living. We are meant to be fully alive in the authority God has ordained. Perfection is a clarion call to God-empowered righteousness, to remember who we are in Christ Jesus, and to evaluate God's expectations for those who claim to be born again in Him. The church can no longer afford to ignore the gospel that empowers it to be both relevant and powerful. It must purvey unsullied the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit and become the solution to the world's ills that God intended and predestined it to be. Pastor Richard Kuehn clearly outlines the problem of man's sinful nature, the carnal state of rebellion against God, and indifference to the well-being of others, which continue to be the source of all interpersonal and international maliciousness.

Although man has tried many philosophies, psychologies, governments, religions, laws, and organizations, none has provided a lasting peace or a framework for harmonious multi-cultural living. Perfection provides a framework for fulfilling God's righteousness in us and walking as Jesus walked. Discover God's full plan for man's reformation, conformation, and transformation and comprehend the depths and the beauty of His plan to bring His kingdom to pass on earth as it is in heaven.

A Fresh Look at the Holy Spirit. Recent decades have recognized pneumatology-the theology of the Holy Spirit-as a critical component in Christian thought, worthy of increased attention. While scholarly discussion about the Spirit is both creative and lively, it does sometimes occur in outlying areas of doctrine and practice rather than within its context of the doctrine of God. The Third Person of the Trinity represents the proceedings of the 2020 Los Angeles Theology Conference, which examined pneumatology as a core component of the doctrine of the Trinity, offering constructive proposals for understanding the doctrine of the Holy Spirit with theological and historical depth, ecumenical scope, and analytic clarity. The twelve diverse essays in this collection include discussions on: Understanding the Holy Spirit's presence in creation. The mystery of the Trinity and the procession of the Spirit. An exploration of a Black American pneumatology of freedom. Exploring pneumatology alongside sorrow and suffering. Each of the essays collected in this volume engage with Scripture as well as with others in the field-theologians both past and present, from different confessions-in order to provide constructive resources for contemporary systematic theology and to forge a theology for the future.