Scholars are agreed that the central metaphor in Jesus' proclamation was the kingdom of God. But what did that phrase mean in the first-century Palestinian world of Jesus? Since it is a political metaphor, what did Jesus envision as the political import of his message? Since this is tied to the political economy, how was that structured in Jesus' day? How is the violence of Jesus' Mediterranean world addressed in the kingdom? And how does "self-denial" fit into Jesus' agenda?

Malina tackles these questions in a very accessible way, providing a social-scientific analysis, meaning that he brings to bear explicit models and a comparative approach toward an exciting interpretation of what Jesus was up to, and how his first-century audience would have heard him.

The point in turning to faith is not to escape, but to engage.

'This is an astonishingly rich and fascinating book, which engages with French feminist theory as well as with Islam, Hinduism and Judaism, as it revisits traditional Catholic themes: a book destined, I am sure, to renew and deepen reflection on the doctrine of God as Trinity.' -- Fergus Kerr, OP, Blackfriars, Oxford 'Gavin D'Costa is already well known for his questioning and sensitive theology of religions. In this book, he brings the same openness and sensitivity to a profound consideration of the Christian Trinity and its gendered representations in human culture. Through a series of lively and challenging engagements with the work of Luce Irigaray, Salman Rushdie and the Indian artist Jyoti Sahi, D' Costa develops a searching argument for why God is beyond gender and yet necessarily symbolized in both male and female terms. At once both deeply critical of his own Roman Catholic tradition, and yet passionate in defence of its possibilities, D' Costa argues for an understanding of the Church as 'completing' God's incarnation - in which all follow Mary as 'co-redeemers' with Christ - as a Marian and multi-gendered community. Confronting the complacency of both conservative and radical, this book is a brilliant example of the new 'theology of culture' that treats Christian tradition and contemporary concerns with equal seriousness.' -- Gerard Loughlin, University of Durham Gavin D'Costa is Senior Lecturer in Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Bristol.

It is widely believed that modern philosophers have dismissed the idea of God and opted instead for a secular humanism. Challenging these stereotypes through a careful study of major philosophical texts written since the Enlightenment, Philip Clayton shows how the main thinkers of the modern period have continued to wrestle with the problem of God and to make proposals for understanding the divine.

Following up on his award-winning book God and Contemporary Science, Clayton here explores the constructive resources that modern thought offers to those struggling with the notion of God as "infinite" and "perfect." He finds in the narrative of modern thought about God strong support for panentheism, the new theological movement that maintains the transcendence of God while denying the separation of God and the world.

Seldom does a teacher come along with the ability to take the exuberance of spiritual joy and put it on a page in lessons of graceful simplicity and life-giving power. But in "Colors of the Spirit, " readers are introduced to just such a teacher in Dorothy Ederer. Here she shares her own prescription for a fulfilling life, and illustrates it with the stories of those who have enriched her own journey. You will see in these stories people who looked inside themselves and discovered the potential God gave them to touch others. These individuals were the colors that brightened Dorothy's world, a world which was sometimes darkened by the hopelessness she encountered in her work as a counselor and teacher. Yet she found that just as white light is filtered through raindrops to create a rainbow, so too is God's light filtered through all of creation and manifested in each being in a unique way. In "Colors of the Spirit, " Ederer goes through each color of the rainbow to share the special meanings they have for her, and how the qualities they represent can bring us peace and joy in our own lives.

"From the Hardcover edition."

Biblical creation faith and biblical salvation faith both have important statements regarding creation theology. Karl Loning and Erich Zenger bring the parts of the divided yet unified Christian Bible into dialogue with one another, so that the entire biblical tradition attains a new life.

A probing look at one of America's pressing social concerns--crime and the spiritual needs of those who suffer because of it. Headlines and nightly news programs remind us constantly of the reality of crime and victims who suffer from it. This important book is the first to make a theological exploration of the spiritual issues that victims face in the aftermath of crime and to offer practical advice for assisting those in need. Written by teachers, theologians, and practitioners well known for their expertise in the field, GOD AND THE VICTIM probes and examines issues of evil, justice, victimization, and forgiveness. Working from the view that crime is primarily a spiritual issue, the authors look at examples of victimization in the Bible for guidance about we can better minister to victims today. Readers of the book will attain a deeper understanding of what crime victims experience, insight into their practical and spiritual needs, and concrete suggestions for giving wise and sensitive help. Including thought-provoking sidebars and study guides for personal or group use, this volume is the best av! ailable resource for readers ranging from pastors and counselors to individuals whose own lives have been impacted by crime.

Is there a value to suffering for women? Is Christianity a religion that condones the victimization of women? Can Christians faith, who are called to hope in the midst of despair, respond to experiences of suffering in all their ambiguity and complexity? How can people proclaim the good news" in the midst of radical suffering? Women and the Value of Suffering explores these questions and offers a critical summary of recent discussions of evil and suffering from a variety of women's theological and spiritual perspectives. It incorporates the insights of feminist theory, cultural studies, biomedical research, psychology, theology, and spirituality. By exploring the complexity of suffering in our times, it reflects on how women of faith can come to terms with the enormity, diversity, and, at times, apparent senselessness of human suffering. Chapter one introduces the search for meaning in suffering. Chapter two defines the experience of pain and suffering from current and historical perspectives. Chapter three surveys how women within a Christian context have spoken about suffering and how these expressions might be similar to or differ from the ways men theologize about suffering. Chapter four considers how an incorporation of a tragic Vision of reality might enhance theological considerations on evil and radical suffering of women. Chapter five focuses on the role of Christian spirituality in responding to the experiences of women's suffering. The conclusion provides a response to the question, is there a value to suffering for women, and incorporates the poem Rowing by Anne Sexton to convey that response. Women and the Value of Suffering contemplates whether women can find value in their suffering - individually and effectively - so that they are empowered to work for change while acknowledging their need for and openness to God's activating presence in transforming their suffering. Woman and the Value of Suffering shows that through suffering and despite all expectations to the contrary, people can come to an encounter with One who knows our suffering with love, grace, and even joy. Chapters are "Attempts to Define the Experience of Pain and Suffering," "Selected Women's Experiences and Theological Reflections on Suffering," "Tragic Vision and Suffering," and "Elements of a Proposed Spiritual Response to Suffering." Kristine M. Rankka holds a bachelor of arts in religion in symbolic expression and a master of Library science from the University of Washington. She has also completed another graduate degree at the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley.

The principal concern of this book is not complex theoretical discussions of justice so common to the discipline of ethics, but how working for justice fits into the church s mission and especially into its preaching. An opening chapter sets forth a biblical and theological basis for the conviction that justice is at the heart of the church s mission and witness. Then follows a chapter on preaching that distinguishes between merely moralizing about justice and genuinely preaching it. The remaining chapters in the book speak of preaching justice in dialogue with current contextual realities such as: (1) the racism of our American context, (2) the church s pentecostal heritage of communicating in and through all cultures, (3) the fact that much of the injustice in our society is a by-product of greed in its individual and enculturated manifestations, and (4) the need to deal appropriately and faithfully with the multicultural context of today. A concluding chapter brings the preacher back into the context of the church and its gospel foundations, that is, the source of preaching justice and walking together with the people of God in quest of it. James M. Childs is the Joseph A. Sittler Professor of Theology and Ethics and Academic Dean at Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, Ohio. He is the author of Faith, Formation, and Decision: Ethics in the Community of Promise (1991) and Ethics in Business: Faith at Work (1995). For: Clergy, seminarians, homileticians, ethicists, peace-and-justice readerships, students of mission and modern culture

The immense suffering caused by sin and evil within the modern world, especially in the light of the Holocaust, has had a profound impact on the contemporary understanding of God and his relationship to human suffering. Since the early part of this century there has been a growing consensus among theologians that God himself, within his divine nature, suffers in solidarity and love with those who suffer. This present theological position contradicts the traditional Christian understanding of almost two thousand years that God is impassible and so does not experience negative emotional states, such as suffering. Thomas Weinandy, O.F.M., resolutely challenges this contemporary view of God and suffering. Calling upon scripture, and the philosophical and theological tradition of the Fathers and Aquinas, Weinandy creatively and systematically addresses all of the contemporary concerns. He strongly advocates the incarnational truth that the Son of God actually does experience, as man, all that pertains to living an authentic human life, and so does indeed suffer. This book is both a challenge to much received contemporary philosophical and theological wisdom, and a scholarly, original, and refreshing account of the Christian Gospel. It is one of the most comprehensive Christian presentations of God and human suffering available today.

In Jesus Is My Uncle, Luis Pedraja examines Christology and the doctrine of God from a Hispanic perspective, emphasizing the role played by language and experience. This volume provides a unique perspective and promotes a deeper understanding of Hispanic theology and, by inference, other theologies as well.

Living in the cultural borderlands, an important aspect of the Hispanic experience is the languages used: Spanish and English. Pedraja examines how the way Hispanics speak about Jesus and God in Spanish creates different theological imagery than speaking in English does. All languages are laden with affections, nuances, and images that enhance the meaning of certain words. Since languages reflect and affect our theology, how one speaks about God provides a window into theology and unconsciously affects the way one thinks about God.

What do you want to know about the work of the Holy Spirit in this century? In "1,001 Things You Always Wanted to Know About the Holy Spirit," J. Stephen Lang provides information on people such as Dennis Bennett, Aimee Semple McPherson, C. Peter Wagner, and John Wimber as well as insight into movements such as the Azusa Street Revival, the growth of the Assemblies of God, the Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship, the Keswick Convention, and the 1973 Notre Dame Conference. From Scripture songs to glossolalia, Charismatics to Pentecostals, this browse book is filled with important-and sometimes offbeat-information about what the Holy Spirit has (and has not) been doing in the twentieth century.

Here at last is a book that attends both to the call for more inclusive language in worship and to the traditional claims of Trinitarian theology. The authors insist that the Trinity must remain at the heart of Christian worship. But this need not confine us to a single formula or a narrow range of images; indeed, new forms of language are essential if we are properly to praise the unnamed, all-named, triune God. This book is brimming with liturgical resources, including prayers, hymn texts, and sample sermons.

Where did the Holy Trinity originate as a doctrine? Why did this doctrine develop? How can Christians speak of God as three persons and also worship one God? In "The College Student's Introduction to the Trinity, " Lynne Lorenzen examines how the doctrine of the Trinity has been interpreted in Eastern Christianity, Western Christianity, and by contemporary theologians including feminists and process theologians.

In Western Christianity the doctrine of the Trinity is an enigma. On the one hand, this doctrine is the foundation of liturgical worship. On the other hand, many Western Christians have focused theology and faith on the person of Jesus to the exclusion of any other theological categories. For these believers the doctrine of the Trinity has become divorced from the doctrine of salvation, soteriology; from the doctrine of the church, ecclesiology; and from how Christians understand what it means for Jesus to be the Christ, christology. For most believers this disjunction is so great as to make them wonder why, aside from tradition, theologians insist on speaking of the Trinity at al. That many theologians have not sensed this need to relate theology to the Trinity also indicates the breadth of the divorce.

In "The College Student's Introduction to the Trinity," Lynne Lorenzen examines the development of the separation of the Trinity from the rest of Christian theology, how it began with Augustine and continued in the Western tradition. One solution that she describes is for the Western Christian to rediscover the original function of the doctrine of the Trinity as integrating soteriology, christology, and the doctrine of God, to develop a doctrine that will reauthenticate the Trinity, and, above al, to integrate these doctrines in a doctrine of the Trinity for the West.

Lorenzen discusses four resources needed for a reauthenticated Western doctrine: orthodoxy, the theology of the pre-Augustinian tradition of the Christian Church that is currently still practiced in the Eastern Orthodox Christian Churches; the work of Jurgen Moltmann and his understanding that the Trinity includes christology and soteriology as foundational; feminism, which understands salvation occurs here and now and is the work of al creation; and process theology, which provides a metaphysics that describes how God relates with the world to bring about salvation. The work concludes by constructing a doctrine of the Trinity out of these resources.

Chapters are The Development of the Doctrine of the Trinity," "The Western Doctrine of the Trinity," "Recent Formulations of the Augustinian Tradition," "Non-Augustinian Formulations in the Western Tradition," "The Doctrine of the Trinity by Jurgen Moltmann," "Feminism and the Doctrine of the Trinity," "Process Theologians and the Trinity," and "reauthenticated Doctrine of the Trinity."

"Lynne Faber Lorenzen, PhD, is associate professor of religion at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, and president of the American Academy of Religion upper Midwest region.""

Adams argues that much of the discussion in analytic philosophy or religion over the last forty years has offered too narrow an understanding of the problem. The ground rules accepted for the discussion have usually led philosophers to avert their gaze from the worst "horrendous" evils and their devastating impact on human lives. They have agreed to debate the issue on the basis of religion-neutral values, and have focused on morals, an approach that -- Adams claims -- is inadequate for formulating and solving the problem of horrendous evils. She emphasizes instead the fruitfulness of other evaluative categories such as purity and defilement, honor and shame, and aesthetics.

If redirected, philosophical reflection on evil can, Adams's book demonstrates, provide a valuable approach not only to theories of God and evil but also to pastoral care.

Karen Baker-Fletcher here seeks to recover and renew that strong historic tie of black peoples to the land, sometimes broken by migration and urbanization. Cultivating the ecological side of black womanism, she combines a keen awareness of environmental racism with reflection on her own journey and a constructive theological vision. She works the biblical and literary metaphors of dust and spirit to address the embodiment of God, Spirit, Christ, creation, and humans and to fashion a powerful justice-oriented spirituality of creation.

Baker-Fletcher evinces a strong sense of God in nature, and its earnest, reflective character makes this small volume ideal for individual, adult study, or classroom use.

Where does God s revelation reside, in the event or in the interpretation? If history is about the creation of meaning, what does it mean to say that God reveals God s self in history? Those who take seriously scripture as revelatory must wrestle with such fundamental questions and their far-reaching implications. Dan Via addresses these and related issues in this original volume. The title of the book, particularly the and/as, demands exposition. To speak of God s revelation and human reception is to suggest that God s self-disclosure is something other than and prior to the human response that it elicits. To speak of God s self-manifestation as human reception is to suggest that revelation does not occur apart from the specific ways in which it is received by human beings and that human response is in fact, a positive and constitutive factor in the actualization of revelation. In brief, then, this book is a study of what several New Testament writers understand by the revelation of God to humankind, including both the and and the as. An opening chapter sketches in a selective way a provisional definition of revelation that embraces a horizon reaching back into neo-orthodoxy while also coming close to the present. Then follow chapters on the word as content and the elusive historical element, including the place of the historical Jesus in revelation; a discussion of Paul based on 2 Cor. 2:14-4:15, with special reference to the four elements of the revelation situation; the use of the historical setting of Mark as a constituent of actualized revelation for all four Gospels followed by similar chapters on Mathew and John. A concluding chapter redescribes the four constituent elements of the revelation situation and relects on some of their interrelationships. Here, then, is a resourceful and thorough study of an important issue in New Testament and systematic theology, and one that takes human action and reception into full account. Dan O. Via is Emeritus Professor of New Testament as Duke University Divinity School and author of Self-Deception and Wholeness in Paul and Matthew.

Langdon Gilkey's account of his experiences as a witness for the ACLU at the 1981 creationist trial in Little Rock, Arkansas. The book brings to life principal characters and anecdotes from the trial and translates the abstract religious concepts of the case into digestable language.

"This outstanding book . . . is a genuinely pivotal contribution to the lively current debate over divine foreknowledge and human freedom. . . . Hasker's book has three commendable features worthy of immediate note. First, it contains a carefully crafted overview of the recent literature on foreknowledge and freedom and so can serve as an excellent introduction to that literature. Second, it is tightly reasoned and brimming with brisk arguments, many of them highly original. Third, it correctly situates the philosophical dispute over foreknowledge and freedom within its proper theological context and in so doing highlights the intimate connection between the doctrines of divine omniscience and divine providence." Faith and Philosophy" God, Time, and Knowledge] is an elegantly written, forcefully argued challenge to traditional views, and a major contribution to the discussion of divine foreknowledge." Philosophical Review"This is a very competent, thorough analysis of the conflict between free will and divine foreknowledge (or, on some acounts, timeless divine knowledge of our future). It is exceptionally clear." Theological Book Review"

This book's title conveys its general premise, that is, that the quest for the historical Jesus has always been closely related to the Christian search for God. The author says that this is both good and necessary, provided that one properly understands the relationship between history and theology ("the Jesus of history" and "the Christ of faith") and does not confuse the two. An opening chapter explains the history of the quest for the historical Jesus and how it has always been related to the search for God. It also proposes a scheme for understanding the relationship between history and theology. The remaining chapters focus on various aspects of Jesus' life and teachings, related in large measure to the work of the Jesus Seminar. Patterson also develops a theology that might properly be called a "Jesus theology," and it is here that his input to the discussions of and about Jesus makes its most distinctive contribution. The accessible style of writing in the book makes it useful for lay study groups. It is also suitable for college and seminary classrooms as a beginning book on the historical Jesus. Stephen J. Patterson is Associate Professor of New Testament at Eden Theological Seminary and author of The Gospel of Thomas and Jesus.

In this book of reflections, Rowell encourages readers to pay attention, because we often find God in unusual places. He reflects on how we often miss God in the usual places such as the Bible, church, or home.

Why is it that many Christians find a theological-scientific debate about creation's ancient origins far more engaging than a speech about how to live responsibly in the creation today? Are we more fascinated by academic debates that focus our gaze on what happened long ago than by the hands-on discussions that focus our gaze on the world of wonders outside our windows right now? In Remember Creation, Scott Hoezee challenges readers to make today's world more central to the Christian faith by enjoying and preserving God's cosmos as a part of daily discipleship. Solidly grounded in a wealth of Scripture passages, this book reveals God's "ecology of praise," which all Christians should want to explore and preserve. Throughout the book Hoezee also offers suggestions to help congregations, families, and all Christians to take more delight in God's world while working to keep alive the wonders that bring God joy. "Scott Hoezee adds a refreshing new twist to the discussion on the environment: Shouldn't we start by simply enjoying creation and honoring it for what it is? With illustrations both biblical and personal, Hoezee makes a compelling case." - Philip Yancey

Otherness is a dominant motif in contemporary thought from the realm of science to the arts, and the otherness of God is likewise a major theme of current philosophical and religious thought. This volume offers essays on the nature of God and the fundamental tasks of philosophy and theology written by internationally recognized thinkers in the distinct fields of philosophy, religious studies, and theology.

The Otherness of God traces the lineage of its theme from Plato and Aristotle through Neoplatonic, medieval, and Renaissance expression, and on through Reformation thought and German idealism to dialectical theology and deconstruction. In spite of a variety of approaches, the contributors all recognize that one may still think theologically -- indeed, must do so -- even when one fundamentally challenges the very conceptualization of the nature of the divine that has traditionally dominated metaphysical theism. This provocative collection, drawn primarily from an interdisciplinary conference at the University of Virginia, should attract those interested in the philosophy of religion, the history of philosophy and theology, and the theological interpretation of secular culture.

The biblical Jubilee that was celebrated once every fifty years is referred to in Leviticus 25 as the "Sabbath of Sabbaths". Its requirements included that the land lie fallow, all debts be forgiven, captives be freed, and a celebration held. Maria Harris considers the implications of a living Jubilee for today and for the next century. She offers a compelling argument that a living Jubilee is a comprehensive spirituality that would have a positive political, economic, and moral impact on individuals, families, religious congregations, institutions, and nations.

Throughout the centuries the church has taught that the vast majority of humankind will suffer eternal punishment. But is this teaching truly biblical? In this provocative book Jan Bonda scrutinizes church tradition and Scripture -- especially Paul's letter to the Romans -- and concludes that neither Paul nor the prophets to whom he appeals show any trace of supporting the doctrine of eternal damnation. On the contrary, they tell us that God wants to save all people and that he will not rest until that goal has been achieved.