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At a time when many despair of culture, Elshtain recovers the life-affirming essence of what it means to be human.Respected Christian ethicist Jean Bethke Elshtain finds in the tensions and tragedies of our turn-of-the-century society hope in the recovery of personhood. She explores the internal and external trappings that so easily lead us to forget how to be faithful to something other than ourselves.This is a work of political analysis, cultural criticism, and theological engagement. Elshtain suggests that much of what we rightly interpret as troubling presents fascinating interpretive occasions for Christians, who, of all people, are called to live in hope. She highlights in particular certain aspects of youth culture, taking up popular films like Seven and Titanic and tragedies like the shootings at Columbine High School. What she finds running through all of these are examples of courage and a search for a source of truth and meaning that seems to elude so many.

For more than a decade developments in science have prompted wide-ranging discussions about human nature. Gone are the days when this subject was the preserve of theologians and philosophers; today the fields of genetics and neuroscience are shifting attention to the biological basis of human nature. This engaging book takes readers straight to the intersection of religion and science, exploring what new scientific knowledge does and does not say about religious views on personhood.Written by an international, interdisciplinary team of scholars sponsored by the John Templeton Foundation, From Cells to Souls - and Beyond examines such questions as personal identity, the meaning of "human," the mind-body relationship, and subjective spiritual experience. Each topic is discussed against the backdrop of biblical theology with the relevant science made clear. The result is a fresh interpretation of the Christian doctrine of humankind true to both science and Scripture.Contributors: Diogenes Allen Warren S. Brown Gaius Davies Lindon Eaves Joel B. Green Malcolm Jeeves D. Gareth Jones David Parkes C. Michael Steel Alan J. Torrance Glenn Weaver Michael Welker Philip H. Wiebe

Foreword by Mary Ann MeyersRecent years have seen an explosion of interest in the doctrine of panentheism - the belief that the world is contained within the Divine, although God is also more than the world. Here for the first time leading scientists and theologians meet to debate the merits of this compelling new understanding of the God-world relation.Atheist and theist, Eastern and Western, conservative and liberal, modern and postmodern, physicist and biologist, Orthodox and Protestant - the authors explore the tensions between traditional views of God and contemporary science and ask whether panentheism provides a more credible account of divine action for our age. Their responses, which vary from deeply appreciative to sharply critical, are preceded by an overview of the history and key tenets of panentheism and followed by a concluding evaluation and synthesis.Contributors:Joseph A. BrackenMichael W. BrierleyPhilip ClaytonPaul DaviesCelia E. Deane-DrummondDenis EdwardsNiels Henrik GregersenDavid Ray GriffinRobert L. HerrmannChristopher C. KnightAndrew LouthHarold J. MorowitzAlexei V. NesterukRuth PageArthur PeacockeRussell StannardKeith WardKallistos Ware

In the challenging dialogue of this book, three of today's most respected Christian thinkers explore the role of theology, the task of Christian learning, and the meaning of the self in our contemporary Western society.

This is a print on demand book and is therefore non- returnable. The Sacraments is the tenth work to appear in the American edition of Berkouwer's monumental Studies in Dogmatics. In it the author examines, explicates, and defends the Reformed teaching on the sacraments in the light of the Word of God and church theology. In the process, Berkouwer discusses and evaluates the Roman Catholic, Lutheran, and various contemporary views of the sacraments. His method is to construct a general concept of the "sacraments" first, during which he takes into consideration the sacraments proper (baptism and the Lord's Supper). He does not seek to analyze the essence of "the sacraments" apart from a consideration of the individual sacraments, for, Berkouwer contends, the nature of the sacraments turns precisely upon the concrete givenness of baptism and the Lord's Supper in the historical revelation in Christ. The study proceeds to deal with the questions of: the number of sacraments, the relation between Word and sacrament, the efficacy of the sacraments in relation to faith, the nature of Christ's presence in the sacrament, the meaning of "sign and seal," and the controversial questions of infant baptism and open communion. In treating these issues, Berkouwer sorts out the massive complications that have developed over the years and, with devout faith and unfaltering logic, threads his way between confusion and oversimplification.

Foreword by Jean Bethke ElshtainThis important book is sure to foster informed public discussion about the death penalty by deepening readers' understanding of how religious beliefs and perspectives shape this contentious issue. Featuring a fair, balanced appraisal of its topic, Religion and the Death Penalty brings thoughtful religious reflection to bear on current challenges facing the capital justice system.One look at the list of contributors reveals the significance of this book. Here are recognized leaders from the academy, government, and public life who also represent a wide range of faith commitments, including Jewish, Christian, and Muslim. Like many people of faith and goodwill, the authors disagree with one another, variously supporting retention, reform, or abolition of capital punishment. As a result, the book presents the most comprehensive and well-rounded religiously oriented discussion of the death penalty available.Contributors:Khaled Abou El FadlVictor AndersonJeanne BishopJ. BudziszewskiJohn D. CarlsonMario M. CuomoE. J. Dionne Jr.Avery Cardinal Dulles, S. J.Eric P. ElshtainRichard W. GarnettStanley HauerwasFrank KeatingGilbert MeilaenderDavid NovakErik C. OwensGeorge H. RyanAntonin ScaliaPaul SimonGlen H. StassenMichael L. Westmoreland-WhiteBeth Wilkinson

After three- quarters of a century, Dr. Abraham Kuyper's exhaustive study of the work of the Holy Spirit -- how available for the first time in a paperback edition -- still stands undiminished as a comprehensive Protestant statement about a central but much-misunderstood part of the Christian faith. "I have made an effort," Dr. Kuyper writes in his preface, "to represent the work of the Holy Spirit in its organic relations, so that the reader may survey the entire domain. And in surveying, who is not surprised at the ever-widening dimensions of the work of the Holy Spirit in all the things that pertain to God and man?" The 123 brief sections that make up this work first appeared in the Heraut, a Dutch religious weekly of which Dr. Kuyper served as editor. So it is that this profound exposition is lucidly written in the language of the ordinary people for whose spiritual growth he was deeply concerned.

This is a print on demand book and is therefore non- returnable. The First Theologians represents an important contribution to the scholarly investigation of the nature and function of early Christian prophecy. This topic, occasioned by Harnack's publication of The Didache text in 1884, is one that continues to vex New Testament scholars, who have been unable to reach widespread assent on certain pressing questions: What were the function and location of the prophets in early Christianity? What were the nature and authority of their prophesying? What were the forms and content of their prophecy? Such questions point up the issues involved in the inquiry as it has developed, but the question of just what early Christian prophets were doing when they were prophesying remains open. Thomas Gillespie refocuses the issue by looking at the apostle Paul's own description of the prophetic phenomenon in 1 Corinthians. From a careful exegesis of Paul's arguments in chapters 12 and 14 and 2:6-16, Gillespie puts forth the idea that Paul understood Christian prophecy "as Spirit-inspired interpretation of the theological and ethical implications of the apostolic kerygma." Because prophecy represents primary reflection on the implications of the gospel, its yield may be termed theology. Therefore Gillespie is able to call the early Christian prophets the first true theologians of the church.

Taking vigorous issue with the pervasive Western notion that the arts exist essentially for the purpose of aesthetic contemplation, Nicholas Wolterstorff proposes instead what he sees as an authentically Christian perspective: that art has a legitimate, even necessary, place in everyday life. While granting that galleries, theaters and concert halls serve a valid purpose, Wolterstorff argues that art should also be appreciated in action -- in private homes, in hotel lobbies, in factories and grocery stores, on main street. His conviction that art should be multifunction is basic to the author's views on art in the city (he regards most American cities as dehumanizing wastelands of aesthetic squalor, dominated by the demands of the automobile), and leads him to a helpful discussion of its role in worship and the church. Developing an aesthetic that is basically grounded, yet always sensitive to the human need for beauty, Wolterstorff make a brilliant contribution to understanding how art can serve to broaden and enrich our lives.

Uniquely relevant to a world shaken by recent acts of terror, this provocative analysis of our culture of violence calls people of faith back to the way of peace that has always been the proper Christian response to aggression.With the newspaper in one hand and the Bible in the other, Lee Griffith takes a frank look at the historical events and modern forces that contribute to terrorism. This is not a book about small guerrilla bands of terrorists nor about so-called "Islamic terrorists" - it is a cogent, open-eyed analysis of a worldwide epidemic of violence.In a discussion that will no doubt be controversial, Griffith argues that terrorism and counter-terrorism are identical phenomena when viewed at the spiritual level. To oppose terrorism with violence acknowledges the terrorist assumption that meaningful change is only possible through suffering and fear. Likewise, terrorism and counter-terrorism both employ similar God language to justify horrendous acts of violence. This is true not only of "rogue states" but also of Western leaders who use religious language on the eve of battle.In response to today's culture of terror, Griffith points the way to a theology of peace. He first looks at specific current events that contribute to terrorism. Next, he mines the history of the church to see how the tradition has responded to violence in the past. Finally, he probes the biblical texts for meaningful answers. The result is a stirring message for our day: rather than serving as an incitement to violence, the biblical concept of "the terror of God" stands as a renunciation of all violence - and of death itself.Posing a radical faith for radical times, The War on Terrorism and the Terror of God is sure to generate discussion from every quarter.