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Herbert McCabe, who died in 2001, was one of the most intelligent Roman Catholic thinkers of the twentieth century. An influence on philosophers such as Anthony Kenny and Alasdair MacIntyre he was also befriended by poets and literary critics such as Seamus Heaney and Terry Eagleton. Equally at home in philosophy and theology, he despised jargon and intellectual posturing as a substitute for reason and argument. At the time of his death, he left a wealth of unpublished material- so outstanding in its quality and originality that it is surprising that it was never published in book form. This is now put to rights. In God Still Matters we have the chance to read McCabe on the topics that interested him most - philosophy of God, Christology, Fundamental theology, Sacramental theology and ethics. No-one who reads this volume will doubt that McCabe was one of the outstanding Christian thinkers of his generation and the epitome of Dominican intellectual openness and rigour.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

Hofmann (1810-1877) was one of the most significant theologians of the 19th century and perhaps the century's most influential Lutheran theologian. Matthew L. Becker introduces us to Hofmann's trinitarian view of God. According to Hofmann, God freely chose to give himself out of divine love. Becker's book centers on Hofmann's understanding of history. In Hofmann's trinitarian kenosis, the eternal God has become historical by self-emptying God's self into Jesus. For Hofmann, world history can only be understood within the historical self-giving of the triune God who is love. Thus, for Hofmann all of history is salvation-history, a kind of history that embraces and fulfills God's purposes in the world.
Matthew L. Becker is a Professor of Theology at Concordia University, Portland, Oregon. An ordained Lutheran minister, Dr. Becker has served congregations in Chicago and Orgegon. He is a co-editor of God Opens Doors, a history of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod in the Pacific Northwest.

"I confess that I am an unreconstructed optimist. Not a naive one; I ve lived too long for that, long enough to have experienced a resounding case for pessimism. I have vivid memories of the Great Depression, and I ve lived through several wars and those international anomalies that we call police actions. I ve watched what has seemed to me to be a rather steady decline in both public and private morals, and a growing confusion about ethics. And of course, I ve watched the increasing prevalence of both evil and inanity (sometimes they re synonymous) in television and on the Internet." from the Introduction But: There is God. And because there is God, there is goodness. I profoundly believe that God is at work in our world and that our planet has not yet been written off as a lost cause. History seems to tell me that though our human race appears so often to dedicate itself to its own destruction, God is always at work, usually, I think, behind the scenes. And because of God, faith, love, and goodness keep being reborn. So I write about Life from the Up Side.

Twelve sessions: On Being Born with a Rusty Spoon: For those who ve had a bad start When Life Is at January: Who knows what wonders lie ahead? A Woman Who Lived with Scorn: For those who suffer rejection close athand Don t Blame the Donkey Capitalize on your adversity When You ve Been Given a Bad Name: Don t let others define you Color Her Moses: Never give up. Never. Plot for a Life: More than success Party Gone Flat: What to do when life loses its flavor Suppose You re Worth More Than You Think You Are: It s time you calculated your worth How Wide Is a Boat? Gladness is nearer than you think Strange Victory: The gains in our losses The View from Mount Nebo: And then, there is heaven "

In this significant work, Professor T.F. Torrance examines the importance of the Nicene Faith for Christian Theology. By cutting across the divide between East and West and between the Catholic and Evangelical, he also offers a unique contribution to our understanding of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. The author provides an account of the principal themes of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed; the doctrine of God, as Father and Creator, the doctrine of the Holy Spirit and of the Church; and the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. He allows the patristic theologians so speak for themselves and brings to light the inner theological connections which give coherent structure to the classical theology of the ancient Catholic Church as it was formulated during the fourth century. T.F. Torrance engages with the theologians of the fourth century, illuminating and developing the one authentically ecumenical confession of faith of the churches of East and West. In the realisation of this approach, the theology of T.F. Torrance himself, one of our greatest contemporary theologians, is itself illuminated and developed, creating what is truly a remarkable 'one volume dogmatics' of today. The Very Reverend T.F. Torrance was Professor of Systematic Theology at the University of Edinburgh.

Furthering his contribution to the science and religion debate, David Ray Griffin draws upon the cosmology of Alfred North Whitehead and proposes a radical synthesis between two worldviews sometimes thought wholly incompatible. He argues that the traditions designated by the names "scientific naturalism" and "Christian faith" both embody a great truth--a truth of universal validity and importance--but that both of these truths have been distorted, fueling the conflict between the visions of the scientific and Christian communities. Griffin contends, however, that there is no inherent conflict between science, or even the kind of naturalism that it properly presupposes, and the Christian faith, understood in terms of the primary doctrines of the Christian good news.

Theologian Stanley Grenz here tells the story of trinitarian theology in the last century. He analyzes the remarkable ferment in the discipline and discusses key theologians-such as Karl Rahner, Jrgen Moltmann, Wolfhart Pannenberg, Robert Jenson, Elizabeth Johnson, Catherine Mowry LaCugna, Leonardo Boff, John Zizioulas, Hans Urs von Balthasar, and Thomas F. Torrance-on such issues as God's inner life versus God's relationship to creation (immanent and economic trinity), social versus psychological analogies for the relationships within God, the relationship between trinity and Christology, the feminist critique of classical categories, and how God's trinitarian life figures in evolution, social justice, and spirituality. Grenz's introduction places this ferment historically in the course of Christian thought from the medieval period to now, while his conclusion sets a future agenda for the doctrine and theology.

God is: unconditional love, gratefully received, safely returned. The way in to the Trinity for anyone is a way in to the mystery of love, and the story turns out to have a happy ending. The mystery of the Trinity was revealed to us, not to stop us thinking, but to start us loving. "I have never read anything on the Trinity which is as life-giving as this book. The mystery, instead of appearing unintelligible and better left alone, remains mystery, but becomes something exciting, energizing, a source of life, the source of our own lives, which can never be exhausted by any amount of exploration" Gerard W Hughes SJ GeraldO'Mahony completed this book in his 50th year as a Jesuit, his 38th as a priest, and his 20th year as a retreat director and author working in Loyola Hall Jesuit Spirituality Centre in England.

If the Spirit is not equal to the Father and the Son, can the Trinity survive? Is the role of the Spirit in salvation as important as that of the Son? Why was the divinity of the Spirit problematic in the early Church? If the Son, Jesus Christ, is the way the truth and the life," what role does the Spirit have in God's reaching out to touch the Church and the world? Is there any contact with, any experience of God, apart from the Spirit? In what sense is the Spirit the goal of the Christian life? "The Other Hand of God" addresses these theological queries.

Chapters are *To Do Pneumatology is to Do Trinity, - *Struggling with Ambiguity, - *The Way of Doxology, - *To Do Pneumatology is to Do Eschatology, - *Movement Toward Fixity: Holy Spirit in Patristic Eschatology, - *To Do Pneumatology Is to Start at the Beginning, - *No Unified Vision in the New Testament, - *Losing the Battle to Stay with the Imprecision of the Scriptures, - *The Mission of the Spirit: Junior Grade? - *God Beyond the Self of God, - *The Return: The Highway Back to the Father, - *The Spirit Is the Touch of God, - *The Tradition of Subordinationism, - *Basil: Not Subordination but Communion of Life with the Father and the Son, - *Gregory Nazianzus: The Divine Pedagogy in Steps, - *The Council of Constantinople: The Triumph of Discretion, - *To Do Pneumatology is to Start with Experience, - *Experience of the Spirit in the Early Church, - *William of St. Thierry: 'so I May Know by Experience, '- *Bernard of Clairvaux: 'Today We Read in the Book of Experience, '- *The Role of Pneumatology in an Integral Theology, - *The Continuing Quest for a Theology of the Holy Spirit, - and *Toward a Theology in the Holy Spirit. -

"Kilian McDonnell, OSB, STD, a monk and priest of St. John's Abbey, Collegeville, Minnesota, is the founder and the president of the Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research in Collegeville. For years he was a consultor to the Pontifical Council for Unity in Rome. He has been involved both nationally and internationally in dialogues with the Lutherans, Presbyterians, Pentecostals, and Disciples of Christ. He has published on John Calvin, Christian initiation, and on the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan, as well as collections of poetry. The Catholic Theological Society of America has honored him for his contributions to theology.""

This popular theology on the Holy Spirit is at once profound and remarkably accessible. Jack Haberer tracks the doctrine of the Spirit through the Bible, contemporary experiences, and church life and examines the way it applies to social issues in the world today. Haberer's clear presentation brings stories from the Bible to life and makes this book a standout among those on the Spirit and spirituality.

A new edition covering the latest scientific research on how the brain makes us believers or skeptics

Recent polls report that 96 percent of Americans believe in God, and 73 percent believe that angels regularly visit Earth. Why is this? Why, despite the rise of science, technology, and secular education, are people turning to religion in greater numbers than ever before? Why do people believe in God at all?

These provocative questions lie at the heart of How We Believe , an illuminating study of God, faith, and religion. Bestselling author Michael Shermer offers fresh and often startling insights into age-old questions, including how and why humans put their faith in a higher power, even in the face of scientific skepticism. Shermer has updated the book to explore the latest research and theories of psychiatrists, neuroscientists, epidemiologists, and philosophers, as well as the role of faith in our increasingly diverse modern world.

Whether believers or nonbelievers, we are all driven by the need to understand the universe and our place in it. How We Believe is a brilliant scientific tour of this ancient and mysterious desire.

Who has authority to speak for God? Does His message come through other people, through Scripture, or both?

According to Neil Anderson, answers to these common questions must be based on two powerful truths: We are alive in Christ, and we are God's children. He examines the danger of counterfeit messages the roles of Scripture, the Spirit, and other believers ways to guard against Satan's deceptions the freedom that can replace fear of wrong decisions true spiritual discernment

This confidence-building resource will help readers listen for God's word to their own hearts. Questions for group study or discussion are provided at the end of each chapter.

Some material previously released in "Walking in the Light."

Written particularly for the Charismatic Renewal in the English-speaking world, "Come, Creator Spirit" is a helpful guide for a better understanding of the Holy Spirit. In this detailed commentary on the famous hymn "Veni Creator," sung at the beginning of every new year, ecumenical council, and priestly ordination, Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa describes the Paraclete and gives praise to its glory. Progressing through the hymn line by line, he provides insights, reflections, hymnography of Christian traditions, and testimonies of the saints.

This book describes the Church's experience of the Spirit of today, as well as the past. The biblical and theological base of the hymn opens the reader to the perspectives and inspirations in this book. Its Vision of the Holy Spirit in the history of salvation emerges as the reader progresses through the reading. In the celebration of the ecumenical character of "Veni Creator," this book draws from Orthodox, Protestant, and Catholic traditions for al those who wish to seek a better understanding of the Holy Spirit.

Chapters are Spirit, Come " *Creator, - *Fill with Heavenly Grace the Hearts that You Have Made, - *You Whom We Name the Paraclete, - *Most High Gift of God, - *Living Water, - *Fire, - *Love, - *Anointing for the Soul, - *Sevenfold in Your Gifts, - *Finger of God's Right Hand, - *The Father's Solemn Promise, - *Gifting Lips with the Word to Say, - *Kindle Your Light in Our Minds, - *Pour Love into Our Hearts, - *Infirmity in This Body of Ours Overcoming with Strength Secure, - *The Enemy Drive from Us Away, - *Peace Then Give without Delay, - *With You As Guide We Avoid al Cause of Harm, - *Through You May We the Father Know, - *Through You May We Know the Son As Well, - and *And You, the Spirit of Them Both, May We Always Believe. -

"Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap, is past professor of the history of Christian origins at the Catholic University of Milan and a member of the International Theological Commission. He is preacher to the papal household and author of "The Mystery of Pentecost, Easter in the Early Church; The Eucharist: Our Sanctification; The Mystery of God's Word; The Holy Spirit in the Life of Jesus; Jesus Christ, The Holy One of God; Mary, Mirror of the Church; The Mystery of Christmas;" and "The Mystery of Easter" published by The Liturgical Press."

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The Nature of God explores a perennial problem in the philosophy of religion. Drawing upon developments in philosophy, most notably those in philosophical logic, Edward R. Wierenga examines the traditional divine attributes of omnipotence, omniscience, eternity, timelessness, immutability, and goodness. His philosophically defensible formulations of the nature of God are in accord with the views of classical theists. The author provides an account of each of the divine attributes by stating in contemporary terms what such classical theists as Augustine, Anselm, and Aquinas wrote about the nature of God; he then seeks to determine whether one can defend the ascription of traditional divine attributes to God against philosophical objections.Clearly written and comprehensive, The Nature of God contains a wealth of illuminating and original material on a central topic in the philosophy of religion

This collection of previously unpublished essays and lectures provides a fascinating insight into over fifty years of incisive theological reflection by John Macquarrire. Having written and taught extensively in the fields of theology and philosophy, Macquarrie was struck by the fact that certain difficult theological questions have continued to recur in the history of the subject. These are the so-called 'stubborn questions' referred to in the title. The context in which Macquarrie situates his thinking is that of a largely secularized world, in which religious knowledge has been discredited and marginalized. The book falls into three broad parts, which revolve around three 'stubborn questions'. The first part discusses questions relating to God; the second poses questions relating to incarnation and the person of Jesus Christ; and the third raises questions about the sources of religious knowledge. These three questions run through the book, as Macquarrie discusses some of the most profound issues in the history of theology, and those theologians who have been at the forefront of theological enquiry. Several prominent thinkers are given wide coverage here, including John Wycliffe, William Temple, Jurgen Moltmann, Nicolai Berdyaev, Rudolf Bultmann, Meister Eckhart, Martin Heidegger and Immanuel Kant. Stubborn Theological Questions is a fascinating survey of some of the most fundamental theological controversies of recent years by one of the world's leading scholars of theology and philosophy. It will prove essential reading for all students of contemporary theology.

Here we revisit The Trickster, The Hunter, The Shape Shifter, The Green Man and Gods of Wisdom Wealth and Laughter. There are many Gods and they are also the Guardians of Nature and Protector of Animals. Whether European, Hindu, Ancestors of The Dreamtime, American Kachinas, Ussen and Wakan Tanka they are all accessible today. Walk through the complexities of belief and style and find the answers to your questions.

Meant for both believers and non-believers, this book can strengthen an already good relationship with God or help begin the process of moving closer to the Almighty. For some, religious education was minimal, leading to a limited formal knowledge about God and the church. These people may wish for a clearer understanding, wanting answers to many unasked questions. Consequently, this book is written as a set of questions and answers, hopefully covering some of the relevant religious topics. As Matthew wrote in his Gospel, "Ask and it will be given to you...."

In the first book wholly concerned with divine authority, Mark C. Murphy explores the extent of God's rule over created rational beings. The author challenges the view widely supported by theists and nontheists alike that if God exists, then humans must be bound by an obligation of obedience to this being. He demonstrates that this view, the "authority thesis," cannot be sustained by any of the arguments routinely advanced on its behalf, including those drawn from perfect being theology, metaethical theory, normative principles, and even Scripture and tradition. After exposing the inadequacies of the various arguments for the authority thesis, he develops his own solution to the problem of whether, and to what extent, God is authoritative.For Murphy, divine authority is a contingent matter: while created rational beings have decisive reason to subject themselves to the divine rule, they are under divine authority only insofar as they have chosen to allow God's decisions to take the place of their own in their practical reasoning. The author formulates and defends his arguments for this view, and notes its implications for understanding the distinctiveness of Christian ethics."

Using poetry, story and philosophy to bring theology alive, this book shows that theology cannot be reduced to conventional forms, but is rather like the enigmatic illustrations of M.C. Echer, many of whose pictures the book reproduces. The book draws on the writings of Rainer Maria Rilke, Gabriel Garcia Marques, Emily Dickinson, Albert Camus, Sigmund Freud and the "Tao Te Ching", among other works, to show how good theology is best compared to the image of wild birds flapping their wings and refusing to be caged. This material was originally delivered at the 1990 Edward Cadbury Lectures in the University of Birmingham.

God as Communion explores ancient and new meanings of the symbol of God as Trinity and brings the Christian traditions of West and East into dialogue. Through an exploration of the works of two contemporary theologians, John Zizioulas and Elizabeth Johnson, Patricia Fox retrieves this central Christian symbol and uncovers its transforming power for the Church and world today. God as Communion shows how both Zizioulas and Johnson, from their very different theological traditions and starting points, provide a rich understanding of the symbol of the Triune God. Fox proposes we reclaim that doctrine of the Trinity as an eminently practical doctrine that challenges Christians and the Christian Churches to transforming changes in this new century. Part one examines the trinitarian theology of John Zizioulas, which focuses on the formative and seminal period of the first centuries of Christianity. Part two examines Elizabeth Johnson's exploration of the mystery of the triune God in feminist theological discourse. Part three brings the trinitarian theologies of John Zizioulas and Elizabeth Johnson into a mutually critical correlation. Fox concludes that the respective theologies of Zizioulas and Johnson together provide a rich resource for the retrieval of this ancient Christian symbol. Chapters under Part One: The Trinitarian Theology of John Zizioulas are The Trinitarian God - Persons in Communion," "God and Creation," and "The Church as Communion." Chapters under Part Two: The Trinitarian Theology of Elizabeth Johnson are "Renaming the Trinitarian God," "SHE WHO IS: The Being of God and Suffering," and "Reclaiming the Creator Spirit, Women and Earth." Chapters under Part Three: Towards a Retrieval of the Symbol of the Triune God are "Zizioulas, Johnson and the Retrieval of the Trinity," "Pneumatology and Christology in Mutual Relation," "Foundations for Trinitarian Theology: Persons, Naming, Structure," "Trinitarian Theology in Practice: The Issues of Suffering and the Ecological Crisis," and "Towards a Constructive Retrieval of the Symbol of the Triune God." Patricia A. Fox, RSM, PhD, teaches Christian spirituality at the Adelaide College of Divinity at the theology school of Flinders University of South Australia and coordinates the Spirituality Office for the Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide. "

The view of ancient Israelite religion as monotheistic has long been traditional in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, religions that have elaborated in their own way the biblical image of a single male deity. But recent archaeological findings of texts and images from the Iron Age kingdoms of Israel and Judah and their neighbourhood offer a quite different impression. Two issues in particular raised by these are the existence of a female consort, Asherah, and the implication for monotheism; and the proliferation of pictorial representations that may contradict the biblical ban on images. Was the religion of ancient Israel really as the Bible would have us believe? This volume provides a comprehensive introduction to these issues, presenting the relevant inscriptions and discussing their possible impact for Israelite monotheism, the role of women in the cult, and biblical theology.

Ordained ministry cannot be understood by itself or only in its relationship with Christ. It must find its identity in relationship to the Church, for it exists to serve and build up the Church. In Sacramental Orders Susan Wood places the theology of ordained ministry within its ecclesial foundations, identifying four concepts that shed light on different aspects of ordained ministry and its relationship to the Church: a monarchical and hierarchical concept; a eucharistic, collegial model of ministry representing the communion of particular Churches; the priest, prophet, and king, which structures the concept of the Church as the people of God; and a theology of the Church as a sacrament of Christ and ordained ministry as a sacrament of the Church. Sacramental Orders is a liturgical and theological study of ordained ministry grounded in the liturgy of the 1990 typical edition of the rites. It addresses the three Orders within the one Sacrament of Order: bishop, presbyter, and deacon. By including each order with this study, the interrelationship between the three becomes more apparent, and the theology of one is allowed to inform the theology of the others. Wood points out that one of the challenges in theologies of ordained ministry today is to distinguish a bishop from a presbyter when both are ordinations to the priesthood and presbyters are assuming a greater ministry of oversight as they pastor more than one parish, and to distinguish deacons from presbyters at a time in church history when deacons are assuming more presbyteral functions. Sacramental Orders also focuses on the mutual reciprocity in the relationship between liturgical rite and the theology of the sacrament as explained in ecclesial documents. The ordination rites reflect the theology expressed by Vatican II and yet also present a theology of the sacrament embedded in the liturgical texts and actions. Chapters are The Ecclesiological Foundations of Ministry," "The Liturgical Rite of the Ordination of a Bishop," "The Sacramentality of Episcopal Consecration," "The Liturgical Rite of the Ordination of Presbyters," "Theology of the Presbyterate," "The Liturgical Rite of the Ordination of Deacons," and "Questions Concerning the Diaconate." Susan K. Wood, SCL, PhD, is Associate Professor of Theology at St. John's University, Collegeville, MN. She is the author of articles published in Theological Studies, Pro Ecclesia, One in Christ, Worship, Studia liturgica, Communio, and Studio Canonica. She is a member of the U.S. Lutheran/Roman Catholic Dialogue. "

The Crossroad Publishing Company once again makes available this examination of the quality and quantity of the "spiritual understanding" of Scripture that developed during the Christian centuries. Far from believing that modern exegetical insights and abilities make earlier interpretations of Scripture naive curiosity, de Lubac communicates to the modern reader his own appreciation and knowledge of the irreplaceably creative role that exegesis of the church fathers and of medieval theologians played in the survival and formulating of Christianity. Even more fundamentally, he links the process of exegesis to the permanent foundation of Christian thought, demonstrating that all forms of scriptural exegesis are part of the ongoing reflective life of God and the process by which the human race learns to share in this mystery.

This text is a radical representation of the Christian faith for the 21st century. Following the example of the Old Testament prophets and the first-century Christians it overturns received ideas about God. God is not an invisible person "out there" somewhere, but lives in the human heart and mind as "the sum of all our values and ideals" guiding and inspiring our lives.