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St. John of the Cross has long inspired Christians seeking a deeper knowledge of God. This sixteenth-century Spanish mystic left a record of personal faith as profound as any ever recorded. In Silent Music R. A. Herrera looks anew at the life and writings of St. John of the Cross and explores his continuing relevance to contemporary spirituality.Beginning with an erudite historical essay on the phenomenon of mysticism, Silent Music chronicles St. John's life story - from his humble birth in 1542, through his career as a professional religious, to his death in 1591 - placing the man and his spirituality squarely in their historical-cultural context. Herrera probes the saint's rigorous life of contemplation and his classic writings on such subjects as union with God and the "dark night of the soul," clarifying St. John's understanding of the mystical experience and paying particular attention to the notion of detachment and the recurring motifs of darkness, flame, and ascent in St. John's writings. His careful analysis of St. John's thought is enriched with examples from philosophy, psychology, literature, spirituality, and art - material not usually found in such a study.Appending his own original translations of select excerpts from St. John's poetry, Herrera here paints a richly detailed, multifaceted portrait of one of Christendom's most complex figures. His book will interest readers encountering St. John for the first time as well as those seriously engaged in the study of Roman Catholicism, Spanish history, Christian spirituality, and mysticism.

As Ancient Documents, the New Testament Gospels can seem distant from contemporary life or irrelevant to modern society. Further complicating the task of reading the Gospels is the way they seem to introduce differing, if not competing, pictures of Jesus. Reading the Gospels Today is meant to help Bible readers understand -- and move beyond -- the difficulties involved in interpreting Scripture in our current context. In these insightful studies several biblical scholars explore the content of the Gospels while also discussing how to read these writings in relation to each other and in terms of today's world. Some chapters consider issues that vex Gospel criticism; others look at particular texts or Synoptic themes; still others demonstrate how one's immediate interpretive context helps to raise the issues and shape the answers that are found when we read the Gospels. Well organized, thoughtfully written, and widely accessible, this volume will serve to draw readers into the exciting field of contemporary Gospels study.

This is a print on demand book and is therefore non- returnable. If God is loving and almighty, why do people experience so much pain, misery, and guilt? In the face of human suffering, the cry "why?" echoes through the ages. In this book A. van de Beek grapples honestly with the mystery of suffering and evil. His writing reveals a pastoral heart keenly aware of the profound evil and suffering in our world today, and he considers these perplexities via a fresh, different approach, pointing to a way in which we can "live with" God through the experience of suffering. Numerous thinkers -- particularly contemporary theologians such as Barth, Moltmann, and Pannenberg -- are considered in this study. Moreover, van de Beek carefully scrutinizes Scripture, especially Old Testament passages that relate God to evil and suffering. God is revealed in the Old Testament as changeable and free -- at times even unpredictable in his actions -- yet he remains faithful to his people and continues to move salvation history along. In the New Testament, however, God's ways and work are determined by the incarnate Christ. In Jesus God has chosen to suffer with and for his people; Jesus' death and suffering and death help answer (but do not explain away) our questions about God and suffering. God's way in Jesus is also the way of the Spirit, whose work in completing the process of redemption takes a zigzag tack here on earth. The Spirit works along with human wills and choices: prayer and argument with God are the human elements of God's salvation weave. Why? On Suffering, Guilt, and God is intended for all who are theologically interested, not just for professional theologians.

This informative, clearly written book introduces the New Testament in two main ways: (1) it explains where the New Testament came from, and (2) it examines the New Testament writings themselves.Ben Witherington first tells how and why the New Testament documents were written and collected and how they came to be known as the New Testament that we have today. He then discusses the main stories and major figures in the New Testament. Witherington looks particularly at the Gospels, examining how and why their stories differ and pointing out what these ancient biographies actually say about Jesus. He also surveys the ways that these stories were told and retold, explaining how this literary development has influenced Christian theology, ethics, and social thought.At once scholarly and accessible - it really is written in plain English - Witherington's guide to the origins and message of the New Testament is eminently suitable as a text for college and seminary students. With each chapter followed by a section called "Exercises and Questions for Study and Reflection," The New Testament Story will also prove valuable to individual readers and ideal for church classes and group Bible studies.

Wolfhart Pannenberg is widely regarded as one of the foremost Christian thinkers of this century. The publication of this book, the third and final volume of his masterful Systematic Theology, brings to completion the English translation of his magnum opus. In Volume 3 Pannenberg completes his theological project with the exposition of the Christian doctrines of the Holy Spirit, salvation, the church, and the eschatological hope. At the heart of this volume lies the theme of the church; it not only comprises the largest chapter but is intimately related to each of the other doctrines--to the Spirit as an eschatological gift and to individual salvation as a sign of its future consummation. Throughout this work Pannenberg brings to bear the vast historical and exegetical knowledge and keen philosophical argumentation for which he is well known.

According to the authors of this powerfully reasoned book, only a serious commitment to the Christian idea of forgiveness and reconciliation can meet the needs of today's troubled world - and the church must take the lead in this process.

For the Sake of the World gathers the presentations from one of the most successful Barth conferences ever held in the United States. Here thirteen of Karl Barth's most astute interpreters explore in fresh ways a variety of themes from Barth's life and work, showing how Barth still has much to offer the contemporary world.Organized as a dialogue between the contributors, this volume features cutting-edge studies followed by substantial critical responses. The subjects discussed in detail include the Barth-Brunner correspondence, Barth's position on the Jews during the Hitler era, Barth and politics, Barth's doctrine of providence, Barth's thought on Christian love and ethics, and Barth's conception of time and eternity. The volume ends with a winsome memoir of Barth as a teacher.

Calling Christians to be true to God's shalom in all dimensions of life, philosopher Nicholas Wolterstorff brings the religious vision of the Reformation to bear on such urgent matters as world poverty, nationalism, urban ugliness, and the tragedy of liturgy in Protestantism.

In the introduction to this volume, George Coats discusses narrative in general and the principal Old Testament narratives in particular. He then sets the book of Genesis in its larger Old Testament context, analyzing its major sections and subsections, and uses the succeeding chapters to treat each of the major sections individually.