Description: Joseph A. Sittler (1904-1987) was one of the most influential theologians of the twentieth century, distinguished for his pioneering work in ecology and for his preeminence as a preacher. He gave both the Beecher Lectures at Yale and the Noble Lectures at Harvard. As the ""preacher's theologian,"" Sittler approached the interpretation of Scripture with a clear understanding of current critical scholarship, but also in the freedom of the gospel at the center of Scripture and with the humility of a theologian of the cross. In following the trajectory of the text into the preaching situation he gave a lively, timeless, and eloquent expression to the fact that the interpretation of texts is in the service of proclamation. This collection of readings from Sittler's rich legacy contains a great many presentations and sermons that have never before appeared in print. Theologically serious preaching, close attention to language, engagement with the best of sacred and secular culture, and a deep respect for the text, all characteristics of Sittler's work, are the sort of features that continue to edify. They remain as benchmarks for good preaching even as styles and contexts evolve. Endorsements: ""This book is a trove for discerning preachers. The text comes from one of the premier American theologians of the twentieth century. His vast work has been sifted for us by two similarly significant theologians of the present century: Richard Lischer and James M. Childs. Through their careful editing, we see three great minds at play in the field of homiletics and theology. After reading all the how-to books on preaching, read this one for the 'why to' of preaching. It will fund both beginning and experienced preachers with theological purpose through a preaching career."" --Clay Schmit, Provost, Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary ""A problem with the legacy of a life like Sittler's, devoted as it is to the spoken word, is it disappears when its sound waves have died. . . . Yet, this book by its very existence demonstrates, ironically, how valid and valuable written rhetoric is, can be, and as books like this one live on, will be."" --From the foreword by Martin E. Marty About the Contributor(s): Richard Lischer is James T. and Alice Mead Cleland Professor of Preaching at Duke Divinity School, Durham, North Carolina. He is the author of The Preacher King: Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Word that Moved America (1995) and The End of Words: The Language of Reconciliation in a Culture of Violence (2005). James M. Childs Jr., formerly the Joseph A. Sittler Professor of Theology and Ethics at Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, Ohio, now serves there as Senior Research Professor. He is the author of Ethics in the Community of Promise: Faith, Formation, and Decision (2nd ed., 2006) and The Way of Peace: Christian Life in the Face of Discord (2008).

In the spirit and style of Paul Tillich, theologian and ethicist James M. Childs Jr. argues that, for Christians, peace poses particular problems because of the permanence of conflict and violence amid the assurance that God and Christ are at work creating peace. Uncertainty, ambiguity, struggle, debate, and tragedy are not avoidable. Christian discipleship and peacemaking, Childs argues, are to be lived in and not despite these realities. Exploring such topics as the church as peacemaker and justice as a way of life, his insightful, accessible, honest scoping of the complex way of peace for Christians brings a welcome view of the personal imperative and social prospects that lie within the gritty redemption wrought by the cross and resurrection.

In this excellent and accessible introduction, now in a second edition, Childs helpfully articulates the shared features of Christian faith and shows how that communal commitment forms our values, character, virtues, and "eagerness to do what is right." Who we are informs what we choose. This dynamic, dialogical basis for ethics is an open framework. Childs applies it to a host of tough, real-life dilemmas such as affirmative action, end-of-life decisions, medical ethics, truth telling, environmental justice, and war-making. Previously published by Fortress Press in 1992 as Faith, Formation, and Decision, the new edition updates discussions throughout, adds numerous cases and illustrations, adds questions for discussion and items for further reading, and contains a new section on courage.

Bitter battles over the churches' stance toward its gay and lesbian members have tested the churches' fundamental orientation and even threatened to split whole denominations apart. The blessing of homosexual unions and ordination of gays and lesbians have proven to be special flashpoints at both local and national levels. Part of the widespread perplexity over the issues stems from their complexity. They involve questions not only of personal ethics and church polity but also of Christian history, conflicting readings of the biblical data, and uncertainty over basic anthropological frameworks, especially as driven by findings of the social sciences.This volume, initiated by the ELCA seminary presidents in response to a churchwide mandate for study of the issues, is aimed at engendering real reflection and conversation by providing Christians with the basic tools to engage the many dimensions of this question for themselves and with each other. Based on sound scholarship but written in a readable fashion for a broad audience of laypeople and pastors, the volume includes five essays, an authors' forum about how specific issues in the church are affected by these perspectives, a select bibliography of further readings, and directions on how this resource might be used. Contributors: James M. Childs Jr., Mark Allan Powell, James Arne Nestingen, Martha Ellen Stortz, Richard J. Perry Jr., Jos David Rodr guez, Daniel L. Olson

We live in an age of greed. Economic good times and the self-immolation of socialist alternatives have left capitalism unrivaled in popular minds as a way of life-a prized set of values and expectations. However, capitalism is not without its downside or its victims. Basic human services-and even religion-have become commodities. Corporations reorganize for short-term gain at the expense of employees-and of their own long-term viability. Increasingly, people see themselves not as citizens but as consumers. First World countries, 15 percent of the globe, account for 86 percent of private consumption. In this important book, Childs probes this disturbing development in its economic and cultural dimensions, gauging contemporary ways in light of Christian ethical principles and investigating a wide range of particular sectors and problems. This is an accessible, clear discussion of a complex topic accompanied by thoughtful questions for further group discussion.

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

Noted ethicist James Childs shows how businesspeople can bring their religious convictions to bear on business life and economics without being overbearing, provincial, or dogmatic. Tackling such nettling topics as competition, regulation, environment, risk, truth-telling, whistle-blowing, leadership, discrimination, affirmative action, and conflict resolution, Childs is neither preachy nor simplistic. This is the book that will at last help businesspeople to push "beyond conventional morality" and infuse character into corporate culture.