From the fall of 1918 to summer 1919, six YWCA women are attached to the North Russia Expeditionary Forces, an international military mission posted in the city of Arkhangelsk, North Russia. With this change, Clara Taylor's second year working for the YWCA in Russia turns out to be vastly different from her previous year in Moscow. No longer teaching home economics or surveying factory conditions, Clara now finds herself dancing with soldiers at parties, then learning of their deaths in action the next day; reading to ill soldiers in the hospital; and serving hot coffee to ragtag men on the front lines of the Vologda railroad front in the bitter Russian winter. Throughout, she remains strong, courageous, and dedicated to her ideals of service. Even her own hospitalization for appendicitis does not stop her from supporting others in an untenable situation. Able to let loose about her own political views in these letters, Clara writes scathing commentary about the ineptitude of the military command. She also writes of the frozen landscape, the astounding beauty of the northern lights, homesickness, the strength of the Russian people, and, finally, the overwhelming joy of returning home to her family.

This book is concerned with the difficulties faced by modern Westerners in their search for a meaningful life. It sheds light on this enduring cultural dilemma through a close reading of four popular film and television narratives.

This book is concerned with the difficulties faced by modern Westerners in their search for a meaningful life. It sheds light on this enduring cultural dilemma through a close reading of four popular film and television narratives.

The 1964 comedy film Dr. Strangelove, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb has achieved cult and now iconic status in popular culture. It is also the flagship of an entire genre of Cold War nuclear crisis films, which is employed in numerous academic disciplines to depict what many view as the prime absurdity of the Cold War: nuclear deterrence and its possible failure. The films of the Cold War nuclear crisis genre are regularly used by educators to illustrate nuclear warfare theories of the time. However, the further we get away from those dangerous years, the more art takes over from life/history/reality. There were (and remain) layers of absurdity in places like the RAND Corporation and in other "think tanks." However, those who also served should get their due. And Dr. Strangelove does not give it to them. Dr. Strangelove, Fail-Safe, The Bedford Incident, and others are about the internal and external failures of the deterrent system. That system did not fail in real life. Why is that? How is that? Can we use Dr. Strangelove and related films as vehicles to help us understand the answers to those questions? What was really going on in that secretive world? Answering those questions was impossible in the 1970s. Years after the end of the Cold War, we have much better insight. And now we can know.

Are not al religions equally close to and equally far from God? Why, then, the Church? Gerhard Lohfink poses these questions with scholarly reliability and on the basis of his own experience of community in "Does God Need the Church?"

In 1982 Father Lohfink wrote "Wie hat Jesus Gemeinde gewollt?" (translated into English as"Jesus and Community") to show, on the basis of the New Testament, that faith is founded in a community that distinguishes itself in clear contours from the rest of society. In that book he also described a sequence of events that moved directly from commonality to a community that was readily accessible to every group of people and was made legitimate by Jesus himself. Only later did Father Lohfink learn, within a new horizon of experience, that such a description is not the way to community. The story of the gathering of the people of God, from Abraham until today, never took place according to such a model.

Today Father Lohfink states that he would not write "Wie hat Jesus Gemeinde gewollt?" the same way. The situation of belief and believers has undergone a shift: the question of the Church has become much more urgent. Church life is declining and the religions are returning, often in new guises.

In light of these shifts and the change in his own view of community, Father Lohfink inquires in "Does God Need the Church?" of Israel's theology, Jesus' praxis, the experiences of the early Christian communities, and of what is appearing in the Church today. These inquiries lead to an amazing history involving God and the world - a history that God presses forward with the aid of a single people and that always turns out differently from what they think and plan.

"Gerhard Lohfink, ThD, was professor of New Testament exegesis at the University of Tubingen until 1986 when he resigned from his professorship in order to live and work as a theologian in the Catholic Integrierte Gemeinde and its community of priests."

Both resistance to and renewed interest in the sacraments mark current theological thought. This work acknowledges human limitations of the sacraments but stresses that God's relationship to human beings cannot be other than sacramental." Sacramental structures and events constitute salvation history, and thus permeate all theology. What makes this sacramental view comprehensible is faith; faith is an indispensable precondition for a sacramental theology.

Therefore, the author first demonstrates the preconditions of faith on which sacramental theology rests, and what place it holds within the whole of theology. Following this, he briefly presents the concept of sacraments and the history of that concept, the teachings of Church tradition on sacraments in general, and the basic features of a sacramental theology. Next, he explains from a theological perspective the traditional sacraments of the Catholic Church, including related topics such as indulgences and sacramentals.

This well-known and respected work on the eucharistic celebration has been updated and revised. The editor Monsignor Maas-Ewerd has incorporated the insights of recent research, updated the bibliography, and re-formulated many passages in light of some important changes in thought and language since the first edition.

"The Eucharist: Essence, Form, Celebration" helps readers gain an understanding of correct form for celebration of the eucharistic liturgy in light of the renewals of Vatican Council II. It is therefore an explanation of the Mass, as Pius Parsch, to whom the first edition was dedicated, understood it. It is an explanation both of the biblical foundations and of the historical development of the liturgy within its two-thousand-year tradition. Thus, Maas-Ewerd maintains that we must inquire into both aspects - Jesus' foundational intention and the Church's long tradition of celebrating the Lord's legacy - to obtain a clear picture of the enduringly valid form of the Mass at all times, including its present realization.

In the foreword to the first edition, Johannes Emminghaus wrote that, despite the many content and language changes since the first edition, Parsch's fundamental principle was correct, and it remains so today: the essence or nature of the liturgy can only be explained on the basis of Christ's institution (as witnessed in Scripture) and the traditional teaching of the Church. Its form, in turn, with its many changes and its high and low points, is explicable also through Scripture and history; but the manner of its celebration can only be explained through the form as we know it and especially through the concrete faith of people.

The intent of "The Eucharist: Essence, Form, Celebration" is practical: it is meant as an aid to an appropriate and responsible celebration of the congregational Eucharist. Readers - those in ministry, teachers, catechists, and members of parish liturgical committees and study groups, as well as those interested in Church history - are invited to an active participation, one that bears fruit because it stems from faith.

Maas-Ewerd maintains that our task now is to live with the renewed liturgy, to integrate it more fully into our lives, and at the same time understand and celebrate it as a sign of salvation and as the Church's self-expression. "The Eucharist: Essence, Form, Celebration" encourages this process.

Part One is "The Fundamental Structure of the Mass Through the Ages." Chapters are: "Fundamental Structure of the Mass," and "The Continuing Identity of the Mass Through Many Changes." Part Two is "The Celebration of Mass in Its Current Form." Chapters are: "The Celebration Begins," "Liturgy of the Word," "The Celebration of the Eucharist," and "The Conclusion of the Mass." A reminiscence of Professor Johannes H. Emminghaus (1919-1989), a bibliography, appendices, and an index are also included."

Does Martin Luther have anything to say to us today? Nearly five hundred years after the beginning of the Reformation, Hans-Martin Barth explores that question in this comprehensive and critical evaluation of Luthers theology. Rich in its extent and in its many facets, Barths didactically well-planned work begins with clarifications about obsolete and outdated images of Luther that could obstruct access to the Reformer. The second part covers the whole of Martin Luther's theology. Having divided Luther's theology into twelve subsections, Barth ends each one of these with an honest and frank assessment of what today can be salvaged and what's got to go. In the final section he gives his summation: an honestly critical appropriation of Luthers theology can still be existentially inspiring and globally relevant for the twenty-first century.

2020 Catholic Press Association second place award for English translation edition Is the Christian hope for resurrection still alive or has it become tired? How can we talk about the Resurrection today? Gerhard Lohfink takes up the question of death and resurrection in this new book. He argues against the dazzling array of today's ideas and expectations and seeks his answers in Scripture, the Christian tradition, and human reason. With his characteristically gentle but clear language, he reveals the power of Christian resurrection, showing it is not about events that lie in the distant future but rather occurrences incomprehensively close to us. They were long since begun and they will embrace us fully in our own death..

Worship is at the heart of the Christian faith. This applies equally to all denominations. For that reason it is all the more important that the ordering of worship and its place in the life of the church is regularly rewritten and reinterpreted. This volume-based on the third, completely revised German edition from 2013 by two of the foremost liturgical scholars in Germany-offers a contemporary, comprehensive introduction to the foundations for the study of liturgy today, one from which scholars and students in the English-speaking world can also profit. Beyond appealing to students of liturgy and theology, this book reaches out to everyone who wants to know more about the liturgical essence and dimensions of the church.

A personal, surprising, and heart-warming book wherein two spiritual masters of our time advance the central questions of life and faith."Brother David Steindl-Rast and Father Anselm Grun are figures of hope, people who by the power of their example can offer an orientation in a world that has become too complex to comprehend. The spirituality they radiate is an everyday thing that is nevertheless both profound and vivid. . . . "Our conversations, on which this book is based, could be read as a 'crash course' in Christian spirituality. This book will be an inspiration and an aid to spiritual life for many people of our time, whether they are believers or not."Johannes KaupFrom the Introduction

On June 9, 2009, Carol M. Maloney, a veteran teacher, experienced a transient ischemic attack in the left hemisphere of her brain. She helplessly observed her mind deteriorate to the point where she could not speak, walk, read, identify household objects, or recall her family. Maloney traveled between the worlds of the surreal and the logical. The stroke resulted in aphasia, the loss of communication and other functions of her left hemisphere.

After eighteen months of rehabilitation, she was finally able to communicate with others by using her hand as a metronome. The frustration of having the words and sentences formed in her mind but being unable to share them caused frustration and depression. Her verbal abilities suffered, along with her reading and comprehension skills. Even so, hard work, strong will, and persistence has allowed her to reach out to other teachers to offer new insight into the minds of her beloved special-education and reading-disabled students.

In this, her story, Maloney turns her experience into a unique opportunity to gain an understanding of her students difficulties and to share that knowledge with other teachers.

Ms. Carol Maloney has written a compelling story that chronicles her amazing life before, during, and after her devastating stroke. She writes with frankness that touches one s heart. Her story will lend encouragement to those who have suffered a stroke as well as offer strategies to those who have a loved one recovering from one. Carol Maloney developed aphasia after her stroke. I am happy to say that she has survived and conquered both the devastation of her stroke and her aphasia. I know this first hand: she conducts amazing PowerPoint presentations to my graduate class at Rivier University each semester. She is an inspiration to all who want to improve themselves. In this book, Carol clearly describes the strategies that she used to help her become the functioning writer and speaker that she is today.

J. Diane Connell, Ed.D.

Who was Jesus? A prophet? There have been many of those. A miracle-worker? A radical revolutionary? A wise teacher? There have been many of these, too. In his latest book, renowned Scripture scholar Gerhard Lohfink asks, What is unique about Jesus of Nazareth, and what did he really want? Lohfink engages the perceptions of the first witnesses of his life and ministry and those who handed on their testimony. His approach is altogether historical and critical, but he agrees with Karl Barth's statement that "historical criticism has to be more critical." Lohfink takes seriously the fact that Jesus was a Jew and lived entirely in and out of Israel's faith experiences but at the same time brought those experiences to their goal and fulfilment. The result is a convincing and profound picture of Jesus.

On June 9, 2009, Carol M. Maloney, a veteran teacher, experienced a transient ischemic attack in the left hemisphere of her brain. She helplessly observed her mind deteriorate to the point where she could not speak, walk, read, identify household objects, or recall her family. Maloney traveled between the worlds of the surreal and the logical. The stroke resulted in aphasia, the loss of communication and other functions of her left hemisphere.

After eighteen months of rehabilitation, she was finally able to communicate with others by using her hand as a metronome. The frustration of having the words and sentences formed in her mind but being unable to share them caused frustration and depression. Her verbal abilities suffered, along with her reading and comprehension skills. Even so, hard work, strong will, and persistence has allowed her to reach out to other teachers to offer new insight into the minds of her beloved special-education and reading-disabled students.

In this, her story, Maloney turns her experience into a unique opportunity to gain an understanding of her students difficulties and to share that knowledge with other teachers.

Ms. Carol Maloney has written a compelling story that chronicles her amazing life before, during, and after her devastating stroke. She writes with frankness that touches one s heart. Her story will lend encouragement to those who have suffered a stroke as well as offer strategies to those who have a loved one recovering from one. Carol Maloney developed aphasia after her stroke. I am happy to say that she has survived and conquered both the devastation of her stroke and her aphasia. I know this first hand: she conducts amazing PowerPoint presentations to my graduate class at Rivier University each semester. She is an inspiration to all who want to improve themselves. In this book, Carol clearly describes the strategies that she used to help her become the functioning writer and speaker that she is today.

J. Diane Connell, Ed.D.

Anselm Grun, OSB, famed Benedictine author and cellarer-supplies manager-of his monastery at Munsterschwarzach, offers brief reflections on aspects of the Rule of Benedict. He sketches the life of Benedict and reflects on how Benedict's instructions enable one to live constantly in the presence of God. Even the most mundane objects are signs of the presence of God. It is not merely that we focus our attention on God, but that we're aware that God always focuses attention on us, loving and encouraging us in all things. For example: he calls the cellarer to regard all utensils and goods of the monastery as sacred vessels of the altar. Grun also ponders how work is an aid to prayer and how the Benedictine vow of stability is essential to building community. Silence and the solitude that characterize the monastic are conditions for the possibility of genuine community. Each chapter concludes with a brief reflection on the state of contemporary society and how the aspect of the Rule of Benedict treated in the chapter applies to the needs of today.

Israel's story as a people of God is a tale of women, men, and their children. Moving past a patriarchal reading of the Bible, Fischer presents a new interpretation of neglected biblical narratives. From a gender-balanced perspective, she reveals the political dimension and narrative continuation of ancestral stories in the Book of Ruth. "Women Who Wrestled with God" demonstrates the significance of women in religious history in a way that will inspire as well as inform.

Chapters are: The 'Fathers' and the Beginnings of the People - An Introduction to Israel's Ancestor's, - - Sarah, Hagar, and Abraham: Scenes From a Marriage Under the Promise, - - Rebecca: A Strong Woman With a Colorless Husband, - - Rachel and Leah: The Founders of the House of Israel, - - Dark Sides of the Family Chronicle, - - Subversive Women at the Beginnings of the People in Egypt, - - Naomi and Ruth: The Unconventional Women Ancestors of the Royal House of David, - and - Women Who Wrestled with God. -

"Irmtraud Fischer is professor of Old Testament and women's studies (theology) at the University of Bonn, as well as chair of Old Testament studies at the University of Graz, Austria. President of the European Society for Women's Research in Theology, Fischer was given the 2003 Bad Herrenalber Akademie Preis.""