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Cliff Edwards, a well-known Vincent van Gogh author and scholar, explores Van Gogh''s second gift--the surprising written works of Van Gogh in letters to his brother, fellow artists, and friends. Edwards illuminates Van Gogh''s vision and creative process for readers as a way of living and creating more deeply. Van Gogh''s Second Gift gives us another side of Van Gogh, whose poetic, creative, and original mind opened up startling insights on the creative process. A perfect book for creatives and those who want to understand more about one of the world''s most beloved artists, the genius creator of works like Starry Night. Focusing on more than 40 letter excerpts, Edwards offers clear background and insights into Van Gogh''s life and creative ideas, as well as suggestions for reflection and personal engagement. Van Gogh sketches are scattered throughout the book.

Fear of death is nearly as inevitable as death itself, so we have used modern medicine and the funeral industry to create an ever-increasing distance between us and our mortality. But these interventions have stripped death of its mystery and mysticism. Taking readers on a journey through history, guided by the mystics, Awakened by Death shows us how our psychological and spiritual relationship to death has changed over time, and helps us to reclaim a healthy engagement with our own mortality. Ultimately, readers will gain a deeper understanding of how facing the fear of death, and embracing rather than eschewing its mysteries, can help us live richer, fuller lives.

"Monsters may look and act scary, but deep down they're not so different from you and me"--

When you''re expecting a baby, all the focus seems to be on the external trappings of pregnancy--baby showers, doctor appointments, setting up the nursery, learning about baby''s development. But amid all that preparation, your own emotional and spiritual journey is also taking place. You''re not just growing a baby; you''re becoming a mother.In Expecting Wonder, Brittany L. Bergman dives into this identity transformation with wit and grace, offering a heart-level guidebook for women in the season of pregnancy. Bergman shares stories of wrestling with fear, learning to trust God''s goodness, and making space physically and emotionally for both her baby and her changing identity. By sharing her own honest journey of fear, change, and hope, Bergman offers the reader a picture of the miracle that God is working not just in the reader''s body, but also in her soul.

On the surface Liz Petrone looks as if she has it all: a family, a budding writing career, a successful marriage. But, like so many women, she is desperately lonely. She''s also dealing with the life and death of her alcoholic mother and the ghosts of her own suicidal past.The Price of Admission takes us on a journey with Liz from loss into renewed life. Raw, unflinchingly honest, and surprisingly funny, Liz writes from a universally understood place of struggle, whether that is the deep darkness of grief or the hazy, yet joyful, dimness of demanding everyday lives spent caring for ourselves and our families.Through a combination of personal narrative and common truths, Liz provides a timeless reminder to world-weary readers that, just as birth follows death, light does indeed follow darkness; and that, often, it is because of our pain--and not despite it--that we grow, survive, and--yes--thrive.

"In St. Thomas and India, renowned scholars trace the historical, religious, and cultural connections link India's Syrian Christian community with St. Thomas the Apostle. They use modern historiographical methods that seek to corroborate the ancient tradition that tells of St. Thomas's missionary journey to India in the middle of the first century, in which he established seven churches in some of the major commercial centers of Malabar. From this first churches, Christianity spread throughout the region. It also examines the legacy of ancient Christianity on the St. Thomas Christian community in India today, as well as explores the various cultural and religious connections between the Syrian church in Indian and other ancient churches in the east."--

Journalist and pastor Mark Wingfield describes how the congregation he serves undertook a detailed study of how the church should respond to the inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender members. The study was conducted by a nineteen-member blue-ribbon task force that included wide representation of the church's various constituencies. The author served as a staff liaison, recording secretary, and resource to the study group, keeping meticulous notes of the process and the aftermath of the study.Why Churches Need to Talk about Sexuality is written for clergy and lay leaders in Protestant congregations of all kinds who need a helpful guide to conversations about human sexuality within congregations. The book also has in mind anyone who wants to understand the controversial debates about human sexuality and the Christian church today and who desire to follow a process to discuss the topic and make decisions about how congregations and individuals will respond to matters of ministry and sexuality.This book not only details the process used at Wilshire but also tells the human story of why the study was undertaken and what happened to the lives and faith of real people inside and outside the church. The author's hope is to provide a resource to other clergy and church leaders to understand why this issue must be addressed, how difficult it is to address, and what to expect along the way. As the title indicates, even though this is a difficult conversation to have, churches must have the conversation anyway.

Rural contexts are often over-looked, treated as "flyover land." But because everyone must eat, rural communities and their work in food production are vitally important to the whole of society. Mark Yackel-Juleen spent many years in rural ministry and is the founder and executive director of Shalom Hill Farms, and so offers valuable insight on the present issues of food production and environmental sustainability, and connects it in profound and practical ways to the biblical and theological tradition. The result is a clear set of powerful and actionable tools for rural leaders and ministers to help them address issues of sustainability and land use in their ministry. Everyone Must Eat masterfully shows how one can integrate the sociology of community, the secular realities of economics and public policy, and the powerful presence of God's word in order to practice faithful leadership.

How is comedy relevant to the global crises of late modernity and the theological critiques that respond to them? For an earlier generation of theologians, whose experiences were shaped by war, tragedy was the literary paradigm for ethical and theological understanding. By contrast, this work draws upon recent philosophical, anthropological, and psychoanalytic studies of humor to develop a theology of comedy. By deconstructing secular accounts of comedy, Marcus Pound argues that comedy is a participation in the divine. As such, it should inform our thinking about liturgical, sacramental, and ecclesial life, especially if theology is to respond to postmodern capitalism's ideological imperative to "have fun." --

Between the Sea and the Sky is an inquiry into the religious world of a traditional fishing community on the Southwest coast of India. It explores the vital role religious and spiritual beliefs play in sustaining people in such a precarious, even deadly occupation. Despite periodic natural calamities and the extreme challenges that accompany their everyday lives, a remarkable spirit of resilience is evident in this coastal community. Using the concept of 'lived religion, ' Mathew explores the theological, religious, and spiritual contours of this remarkable community, and draws from them broader insights into the nature of belief.

"Managing with Integrity challenges the readers to explore different perspectives on and conceptions of corporate ethics. It is situated within the broader context of the emerging interests of the people of India to eradicate corporate unethical conduct. The massive protest against corporate unethical conduct and public opinion puts leaders, top managers and employees under strong social and political pressure. This book aims at articulating arguments for the necessity of incorporating personal integrity formation along with codes of ethical conduct to reduce unethical corporate activity more steadily and effectively. This book is an ethical guide for managers, employees, politicians, clergy, candidates for priesthood, and business students, equipping them to eradicate corporate unethical conduct from all spheres of life."--Publisher's description

"This book situates public theology within the genre of political theology. Drawing upon the distinct strands of political theologies identified by Daniel M. Bell, Jr., Gnana Patrick treats public theology as the form of political theology for our contemporary era and takes special care to relate these strands of political theologies to the Indian context, thereby opening up the theological horizon for Indian public theology. Further, Public Theology dwells upon certain prominent features of our contemporary global world and discerns the human need for experiencing transcendence today. Taking faith to be the catalyst for this experience of transcendence, it points to civil society as the interstice through which faith can be imparted to the contemporary world. And, it argues for the relevance of public theology for that work."-- Back cover.

This book looks at how Christians can think about their own theology in a manner that will allow them to not only be more open to interfaith dialogue but also to see that conversation as essential to what it means to be a Christian. For much of history, Christian theology has been used to undergird and justify imperial power. This has required a theological construction that advances a vision of belief that stands above and against the world and other faiths, or at the very least acts as the one vision under which all the others must unite. Empire and the colonizing enterprise do not lend themselves well to plural ways of understanding Christian faith, let alone a plurality of religious faiths. To take plurality seriously, we need a Christian theology that sees itself as a participant in that plurality.

This work offers a series of theological explorations into questions of both contemporary and enduring interest in the Hindu tradition. These reflections build dialogical bridges with other religious traditions around matters of shared concern, including the nature of theology, vocation, social justice, nationalism, and violence and non-violence. In exploring these issues, Rambachan draws deeply from authoritative Hindu sources and offers an interpretation of the Hindu tradition to meet the challenges of the modern world.

Series numbering from series preface, page xiv.

Now in its 8th edition, Anatomy of the New Testament is one of the most trust-worthy and enduring introductory textbooks of its kind. Its authors bring literary and historical approaches to the New Testament together, offering a comprehensive and accessible approach that appeals to students at all levels. Visually appealing and well-designed this compact edition has been designed for today''s student, and is illustrated with engaging images, refreshed maps, and updated bibliographies that make the textbook enjoyable to read and easy to teach.The stand-out pedagogical features have been updated as well, updated for new advances in biblical scholarship and the needs of today''s student: Have You Learned it? Offering questions for analysis and reflection; What Do They Mean? Presenting definitions for key terms to enhance student comprehension and critical thinking.

This book is a contribution to the Christian ethics of war and peace. It advances peacebuilding as a needed challenge to and expansion of the traditional framework of just-war theory and pacifism. It builds on a critical reading of historical landmarks from the Bible through Augustine, Aquinas, the Reformers, Christian peace movements, and key modern figures like Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Reinhold Niebuhr, and recent popes. Similar to just-war theory, peacebuilding is committed to social change and social justice but includes some theorists and practitioners who accept the use of force in extreme cases of self-defense or humanitarian intervention. Unlike just-war theorists, they do not see the justification of war as part of the Christian mission. Unlike traditional pacifists, they do see social change as necessary and possible and, as such, requiring Christian participation in public efforts.Cahill argues that transformative Christian social participation is demanded by the gospel and the example of Jesus, and can produce the avoidance, resolution, or reduction of conflicts. And yet obstacles are significant, and expectations must be realistic. Decisions to use armed force against injustice, even when they meet the criteria of just war, will be ambiguous and tragic from a Christian perspective. Regarding war and peace, the focus of Christian theology, ethics, and practice should not be on justifying war but on practical and hopeful interreligious peacebuilding.

Theology and the Globalized Present focuses on the world's future in God and God's creativeness. In response to a globalized economy that reconfigures time to the detriment of human flourishing, McDowell presents a re-imagined theological vision of eschatological memory and Eucharistic performance. This entails not so much a dreaming of a different world as a dreaming of this world differently. The theological materials offer a temporality that is hope-generating, critically attentive to the inequitable character of features of our world, and educative of ethical wisdom in a self-regulating and emancipatory witness of remembering and anticipating the transformative presence of God.

Author Dana Horrell has called on his years of experience in community action to create this practical guide to help congregations reach out to their local communities. Church leaders often want to do more to engage their community contexts, but when it comes to the actual "how-to-do-it," they find themselves blocked. Engage! provides practical and proven tools to help leaders develop methods and strategies to get started and break through these barriers.These tools, twenty-six in all, are drawn from a variety of sources, including congregations, church consultants, researchers, and nonprofit organizations. Some of these tools have a long history of use and may seem quite familiar, while others may seem new and untested, yet intriguing. These tools represent best practices and have been tried somewhere and found a degree of success.

Enrich each day with wisdom from the greatest spiritual thinkers. Through brief daily readings and reflections, the 30-Day Journey series invites readers to be inspired and transformed. Whether readers are familiar with Bonhoeffer or are encountering him for the first time, this journey provides the perfect way to engage with the thought of a pivotal Christian figure.

St. Hildegard of Bingen was a visionary mystic, a spiritual leader, and a woman ahead of her time. This edition highlights the thoughts of a compelling 12th-century saint.

In this critical time in history, this volume argues that what is urgently needed is a cogent, clear, biblically based and theologically grounded rationale for the manner in which the church speaks and acts in the political arena. Lured at times into other-worldly quietism because of the pressure of historical events or distorted through a rigid understanding of the two kingdoms, the church of the Reformation has at times been silent in addressing the political factors that create and contribute to hunger, injustice, and war. This book looks carefully at the public witness of Martin Luther and its meaning for preaching, teaching, and carrying out public ministry today.Luther's conviction was that government is responsible to God for containing evil and maintaining peace and good order, and for ensuring that no person is hungry or in want.The book asks critical questions: When should the church support the state's agenda? When should it resist? What are the options for critical but constructive cooperation?This helpful volume includes essays from leading Lutheran theologians, a summary description of what this means for local ministry, and a study guide to encourage conversation and action.

The Civil Rights Movement. The Cuban Missile Crisis. The assassination of a president and a senator. Praise turns into protest; hope into disenchantment. The 1960s was an era born in hope that ended in deep conflict. during this era, Reinhold Niebuhr, once dubbed "America's theologian," retired from Union Seminary in New York. in this book, the author introduces us to Niebuhr's life in the 1960s from his critical vantage point as Niebuhr's former student and later, colleague. Though little has been published about this decade in Niebuhr's life, the author's analysis shows a theologian whose work shifts to speak more effectively to the less religious, more secular world around him. The author introduces readers to never-before-seen letters between the author and Reinhold and Ursula Niebuhr, which shed light not only on the impact Niebuhr had on the 1960s but also on the way the 1960s shaped Niebuhr.