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Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Protestantism & Protestant Churches > Calvinist, Reformed & Presbyterian Churches > General
If we believe in God's sovereign predestination, how can we offer
Christ to sinners indiscriminately? How could someone who knew that
no one can come to Christ unless the Father draws them still plead
with them to look to the Saviour? The Bible clearly entreats us to
go after the lost, so Donald Macleod tackles the objections raised
by those who argue that since there is no universal redemption
there should be no universal gospel offer.
In many societies all over the world, an increasing polarization
between contrasting groups can be observed. Polarization arises
when a fear born of difference turns into 'us-versus-them' thinking
and rules out any form of compromise. This volume addresses
polarizations within societies as well as within churches, and asks
the question: given these dynamics, what may be the calling of the
church? The authors offer new approaches to polarizing debates on
topics such as racism, social justice, sexuality and gender,
euthanasia, and ecology and agriculture in various contexts. They
engage in profound theological and ecclesiological reflection, in
particular from the Reformed tradition. Contributors to this volume
are: Najib George Awad, Henk van den Belt, Nadine Bowers Du Toit,
Jaeseung Cha, David Daniels, David Fergusson, Jan Jorrit Hasselaar,
Jozef Hehanussa, Allan Janssen, Klaas-Willem de Jong, Viktoria
Koczian, Philipp Pattberg, Louise Prideaux, Emanuel Gerrit Singgih,
Peter-Ben Smit, Thandi Soko-de Jong, Wim van Vlastuin, Jan Dirk
Wassenaar, Elizabeth Welch, Annemarieke van der Woude, and Heleen
Zorgdrager.
The seventeenth century Reformed Orthodox discussions of the work
of Christ and its various doctrinal constitutive elements were rich
and multifaceted, ranging across biblical and exegetical,
historical, philosophical, and theological fields of inquiry. Among
the most contested questions in these discussions was the question
of the necessity of Christ's satisfaction. This study sets that
"great controverted point," as Richard Baxter called it, in its
historical and traditionary contexts and provides a philosophical
and theological analysis of the arguments offered by two
representative Reformed scholastic theologians, William Twisse and
John Owen.
In this volume, leading systematic theologians and New Testament
scholars working today undertake a fresh and constructive
interdisciplinary engagement with key eschatological themes in
Christian theology in close conversation with the work of Karl
Barth. Ranging from close exegetical studies of Barth's treatment
of eschatological themes in his commentary on Romans or lectures on
1 Corinthians, to examination of his mature dogmatic discussions of
death and evil, this volume offers a fascinating variety of
insights into both Barth's theology and its legacy, as well as the
eschatological dimensions of the biblical witness and its salience
for both the academy and church. Contributors are: John M. G.
Barclay, Douglas Campbell, Christophe Chalamet, Kaitlyn Dugan,
Nancy J. Duff, Susan Eastman, Beverly Roberts Gaventa, Grant
Macaskill, Kenneth Oakes, Christoph Schwoebel Christiane Tietz,
Philip G. Ziegler.
In the second volume of her Essays in Ecumenical Theology, Ivana
Noble engages in conversation with Orthodox theologians and
spiritual writers on diverse questions, such as how to discover the
human heart, what illumination by the divine light means, how
spiritual life is connected to attitudes and acts of social
solidarity, why sacrificial thinking may not be the best frame for
expressing Christ's redemption, why theological anthropology needs
to have a strong ecological dimension, why freedom needs to coexist
with love for others, and why institutions find the ability to be
helpful not only in their own traditions but also in the Spirit
that blows where it wills.
Guided by a penchant for self-reflection and thoughtful discussion,
Presbyterians have long been pulled in conflicting directions in
their perceptions of their shared religious mission-with a tension
that sometimes divides hearts as well as congregations. In this
first comprehensive history of the Presbyterian Church in Oklahoma,
historians Michael Cassity and Danney Goble reveal how Oklahoma
Presbyterians have responded to the demands of an evolving society,
a shifting theology, and even a divided church. Beginning with the
territorial period, Cassity and Goble examine the dynamics of
Presbyterian missions among the Five Tribes in Indian Territory and
explain how Presbyterians differed from other denominations. As
they trace the Presbyterian journey, they examine the way
Presbyterians addressed the evil of slavery and the dispossession
of Oklahoma's Indians; the challenges of industrial society; the
modern issues of depression, war, and racial injustice; and
concerns of life and faith with which other Americans have also
struggled. An insightful and independent history that draws upon
firsthand accounts of congregations and church members across the
state, Divided Hearts attests to the courage of Presbyterians in
dealing with their struggles and shows a church very much at
work-and at home-in Oklahoma.
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