In this fresh commentary, Deanna A. Thompson makes this important Old Testament book come to life. Recounting God's foundational relationship with Israel, Deuteronomy is set in the form of Moses' speeches to Israel just before entry into the promised land. Its instructions in the form of God's law provide the structure of the life that God wants for the people of Israel. Although this key Old Testament book is occasionally overlooked by Christians, Deuteronomy serves as an essential passing down to the next generations the fundamentals of faith as well as the parameters of life lived in accord with God's promises. Thompson provides theological perspectives on these vital themes and shows how they have lasting significance for Christians living in today's world. Thompson's sensitivity to the Jewish context and heritage and her insights into Deuteronomy's importance for Christian communities make this commentary an especially valuable resource for today's preacher and teacher.

Over the last two decades, traditional formulations of the idea of atonement have come under heavy attack from feminist theologians and others. They argue that the traditional view valorizes suffering and encourages people to acquiesce in needless self-sacrificing, that it is unseemly to think of God as demanding suffering of his son, and that the theology of the cross needs to be rethought in light of the whole life, ministry, and resurrection of Jesus. Equally committed to the insights of the theology of the cross and feminist theology, Deanna Thompson takes up these contentious issues here in a creative and nuanced way. Her work emerges from direct engagement with Martin Luther and the Heidelberg Disputation as well as with the architects of reformist feminism. She finds surprising common ground on issues of suffering, abuse, atonement, reform, ethics, and the import of Jesus, and her book culminates in a constructive and promising feminist theology of the cross.

Description: ""We tend to use words like miracle and mystery in the context of serendipity. In this frank and eloquent account of life transformed by cancer, Deanna Thompson explores these articles of faith as they are also wont to appear--on the hard edges of hope and the dark side of joy."" --Krista Tippett, from the Foreword Hoping for More is a story of a young religion professor with a stage IV cancer diagnosis and a lousy prognosis for the future. Amid the grief and the grace of her fractured life, this theologian--who is also a wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend--searches for words adequate to express her faltering faith. More Anne Lamott meets Harold Kushner than the teller of a pious, God-saved-me-from-cancer tale, Thompson unpacks the messy realities that arise when faith and suffering collide. Told in shimmering prose, Hoping for More takes readers on an unsentimental journey through the valley of the shadow of cancer--beyond the predictable parameters of prayer, the church, even belief in life after death. What emerges is a novel approach to talking faith and accepting grace when hope is all you've got. Endorsements: ""Deanna Thompson's honest and faithful book shows how healing happens in community, and how blessing is found amid doubt and pain. This is a book of grace."" --Sara Miles Author of Take This Bread (2007) and Jesus Freak (2010) ""I learned so much by reading this book, as a pastor, friend, and mother. Thompson's insights are for everyone who has ever struggled with serious illness or loved someone who has, which means that this book is ultimately for everyone. If you have ever wondered, ""What do I say?"" or ""What do I do?"" this book offers wise counsel, with humor, intellect, and, most of all, grace. In Hoping for More, you get to eavesdrop on the intimate thoughts of someone worth listening to. In the end, Thompson's deepest theological insights are not about cancer but about life itself."" --Lillian Daniel Senior Minister, First Congregational Church UCC, Glen Ellyn, Illinois Author of This Odd and Wondrous Calling (2009) and Tell It Like It Is: Reclaiming the Practice of Testimony (2006) ""Thompson stands in her cancer with rare, radical awakeness to its bracing truth . . . and gives us a moving, life-lived testimony to the graciousness of grace."" --Serene Jones President of Union Theological Seminary ""In Hoping for More, Deanna Thompson presents her extraordinary journey of diagnosis and treatment of stage IV breast cancer. Thanks to her strong personal voice, reading this book is like listening to a friend tell you about part of her life over a cup of tea. Of the many miracles in this book is Deanna's ability to reflect on her faith, illness, and loved ones at the same time. She quietly offers a systematic theology enriched by living with cancer--making this book a valuable resource for those interested in the intersection of medicine and faith."" --Monica A. Coleman Associate Professor of Constructive Theology and African American Religions, Claremont School of Theology Author of Not Alone: Reflections on Faith and Depression (2012) About the Contributor(s): Deanna A. Thompson is Professor of Religion at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota, and author of Crossing the Divide: Luther, Feminism, and the Cross. She lives with her husband and two daughters in St. Paul