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The second volume in the magisterial Christianity in the Making trilogy, Beginning from Jerusalem covers the early formation of the Christian faith from 30 to 70 CE. After outlining the quest for the historical church (parallel to the quest for the historical Jesus) and reviewing the sources, James Dunn follows the course of the movement stemming from Jesus "beginning from Jerusalem." Dunn opens with a close analysis of what can be said of the earliest Jerusalem community, the Hellenists, the mission of Peter, and the emergence of Paul. Then he focuses solely on Paul―the chronology of his life and mission, his understanding of his call as apostle, and the character of the churches that he founded. The third part traces the final days and literary legacies of the three principal figures of first-generation Christianity: Paul, Peter, and James, the brother of Jesus. Each section includes detailed interaction with the vast wealth of secondary literature on the many subjects covered.

This is a print on demand book and is therefore non- returnable. In his introduction De Vries sketches the canonical setting of the books of Chronicles, especially in relation with Ezra-Nehemiah, and then discusses the redacted and original versions of Chronicles. He describes Chronicles as genealogical and narrative history that tells who/what ideal Israel is, how it has suffered by its unfaithfulness, and how it will remain true Israel by trusting in God.

Recent theology offers few attempts to come to grips with the meaning and implications of the ascension of Jesus. Ascension and Ecclesia promises to refocus attention on this crucial Christian doctrine.Farrow begins with a discussion of the biblical treatment of the ascension and eucharistic celebration, from which emerges a unique ecclesial worldview. Succeeding chapters explore the link between the ascension, cosmology, and ecclesiology and examine the difficulties faced by the doctrine of ascension in our modern scientific world.

This is a print on demand book and is therefore non- returnable. How can a person who lived nearly two thousand years ago radically change a human life here now? How can Jesus of Nazareth radically affect us, as persons, to the depths of our being? How can he reach out over the great span of time that divides us from him and change us so profoundly that we become "new creatures" in him? The answer, according to the Apostle Paul, lies in the fact that Jesus Christ enters into union with us. Lewis B. Smedes believes that union with Christ is at once the center and circumference of authentic human existence. Union with Christ is Smedes' probing and sustained exegetical study of what Paul means when he speaks of our being in Christ and Christ being in us. Hailed as "a thoughtful, discerning, and thoroughly scriptural study" when it was first published in 1970 under the title All Things Made New, the book has been greatly streamlined in this edition. By judiciously cutting away what now strikes him as "scholarly clutter," Smedes has produced a carefully condensed version of his earlier work while retaining its basic substance.

Too long restricted to children's storybooks and cinematic extravaganzas, the Torah -- comprising the first five books of the Bible -- is an underappreciated mother lode of divine instruction, vitally important for Christians and the church. Convinced that both those who take the Torah too literally and those who neglect it are guilty of a naive simplicity, Johanna van Wijk-Bos presents guidelines to help ordinary Christians recover this treasure in their faith and practice.Having lived in the Netherlands during the Nazi occupation, van Wijk-Bos recognizes that after the attempted annihilation of the Jews from Christian Europe, it cannot be business as usual for Christianity. In light of the Holocaust, Christians must commit themselves to the restoration of just relations between Christians and Jews. This commitment to address all that fractures human relations undergirds van Wijk-Bos's call for Christians to reengage the Torah.Making Wise the Simple points out how God's care for and engagement with the whole world in the Torah set the tone for the entire biblical story. The book pays special attention to how our treatment of strangers lies at the heart of the Torah's teaching. Without attempting a purely Jewish reading of the Torah, van Wijk-Bos reclaims the Torah as a vibrant word for the Christian community in covenant with God.Written in a personal style conversant with current scholarship but sprinkled with anecdotes, this book is for everyone who has a hunger and enthusiasm for what the biblical text may convey, the courage to ask disturbing questions of the text, and an openness to old words that may bring forth new things, perhaps even making one wise.

This book explores the philosophical, legal, and theological roots of Western multiculturalism, that is, the encounter and coexistence of different cultures within a liberal society. Rather than concerning themselves with the particulars of cultural dialogue, the authors of this volume go deeper and question the very reality of multiculturalism itself. As a whole the volume devotes attention to the origins of human nature, arguing that regardless of how different another person or culture seems to be, universal human experience discloses what it means to be human and to relate to others and to God. The contributors represent different cultures and faith traditions but are united in friendship and in the conviction that the Christian faith enables an authentic approach to long-standing debates on multiculturalism. Contributors: Massimo BorghesiFrancesco BotturiMarta CartabiaCarmine Di MartinoPierpaolo DonatiCostantino EspositoStanley HauerwasAntonio LopezFrancisco Javier Martínez FernandezJohn MilbankJavier PradesDavid L. SchindlerAngelo Cardinal ScolaLorenza VioliniJoseph H. H. Weiler

In this book Ira Lupu and Robert Tuttle break through the unproductive American debate over competing religious rights. They present an original theory that makes the secular character of the American government, rather than a set of individual rights, the centerpiece of religious liberty in the United States.Through a comprehensive treatment of relevant constitutional themes and through their attention to both historical concerns and contemporary controversies -- including issues often in the news -- Lupu and Tuttle define and defend the secular character of U.S. government.

A sophisticated theological anthropology that takes into account evolutionary theories and our relationships to other animals In this book Celia Deane-Drummond charts a new direction for theological anthropology in light of what is now known about the evolutionary trajectories of humans and other animals. She presents a case for human beings becoming fully themselves through their encounter with God, after the pattern of Christ, but also through their relationships with each other and with other animals. Drawing on classical sources, particularly the work of Thomas Aquinas, Deane-Drummond explores various facets of humans and other animals in terms of reason, freedom, language, and community. In probing and questioning how human distinctiveness has been defined using philosophical tools, she engages with a range of scientific disciplines, including evolutionary biology, biological anthropology, animal behavior, ethology, and cognitive psychology. The result is a novel, deeply nuanced interpretation of what it means to be distinctively human in the image of God.

There is no doubt that ecumenism occupies a prominent place in the history of the church in the twentieth century: countless churches have been renewed through encounter with Christian sisters and brothers in other confessions and cultures. But it is not clear that this ecumenical impulse will continue to figure prominently in the church''s story. In this book Michael Kinnamon argues that the ecumenical movement, which has given such energy and direction to the church, needs to be reconceived in a way that provides renewing power for the church in this era -- and he shows how this might happen. He names the problems with ecumenism, identifies strengths and accomplishments upon which the church now can build, and suggests practical, concrete steps we can take in the direction of revitalization, especially at the local level.

"God revealed himself in Jesus Christ!" Christian faith has confessed and proclaimed this message for nearly two thousand years. But what does it really mean?In God the Revealed Michael Welker delves into this declaration and shows how it offers genuine insight into Christian faith. He asks "Who is Jesus Christ for us today?" and approaches the answer from five different angles -- the historical Jesus, the resurrection, the cross, the reign of Christ, and eschatology. Uniquely, Welker argues for the need to place historical Jesus research in a Christology and proposes a "Fourth Quest" for the historical Jesus.

Why is there such a deep divide between evangelical and liturgical churches, especially when it comes to worship? How did this unfortunate evangelical-liturgical dichotomy develop, and what can be done about it?In this book Melanie Ross draws on historical analysis, systematic theology, and the worship life of two vibrant congregations to argue that the common ground shared by evangelical and liturgical churches is much more important than the differences than divide them.As a longtime evangelical church member who is at the same time a teacher of liturgical studies, Ross is well qualified to address this subject, and she does so with passion and intelligence. Evangelical versus Liturgical? is an important addition to the scant literature explaining nondenominational worship practices to those from more historically established liturgical traditions.

For many, the historical-critical method has released a host of threats to Christian faith and confession. In Pandora''s Box Opened, however, Roy Harrisville argues that despite the evils brought upon biblical interpretation by the historical-critical method, there is still hope for it as a discipline. Harrisville begins by describing the emergence and use of the historical-critical method. He then attends to the malaise that has come over the method, which he says still persists. Finally, Harrisville commends the historical-critical method, though shorn of its arrogance. He claims that the method and all its users comprise a Pandora''s Box that, when opened, releases a myriad other pains, but hope still remains.

Describes and defends a long-standing tradition that maintains a proper balance between religious faith and human rationality Many of the early apologists, including Justin Martyr and Origen, presented a defense of the Christian faith that sought to combine the message of the Gospels with respect for the kind of rationality associated with Socrates and his followers. Michael Langford argues that, despite many misunderstandings, the term liberal theology can properly be used to describe this tradition. Langford''s Tradition of Liberal Theology begins with a historical and contemporary definition of liberal theology and identifies eleven typical characteristics, such as a nonliteralist approach to interpreting Scripture, a rejection of original guilt, and the joint need for faith and works. Langford then gives vignettes of thirteen historical Christian figures who personify the liberal tradition. Finally, he explores some contemporary alternatives to liberal theology -- fundamentalism, the Catholic magisterium, Karl Barth''s theology -- and presents a rational defense of the tradition of liberal theology.

Based on several years of teaching and careful observation in preaching classes, this book by Michael Brothers explores the benefits of distance in preaching -- and listening to -- sermons. Having noticed that sermon listeners generally want to be given room for their own interpretations and experiences, Brothers argues that critical and aesthetic distance as a hermeneutical tool is vital to hearing the gospel today and should be intentionally employed in sermon construction and delivery. He explains this distance in the field of homiletics, equips teachers and students of preaching to evaluate the function of distance in sermons, and encourages preachers to practice the use of distance in their preaching.

This volume presents an integrated collection of constructive essays by eminent Catholic scholars addressing the new challenges and opportunities facing religious believers under shifting conditions of secularity and post-secularity. Using an innovative keywords approach, At the Limits of the Secular is an interdisciplinary effort to think through the implications of secular consciousness for the role of religion in public affairs. The book responds in some ways to Charles Taylor''s magnum opus, A Secular Age, although it also stands on its own. It features an original essay by David Tracy -- the most prominent American Catholic theologian writing today -- and groundbreaking contributions by influential younger theologians such as Peter Casarella, William Cavanaugh, and Vincent Miller. CONTRIBUTORSWilliam A. Barbieri Jr.Peter CasarellaWilliam T. CavanaughMichele DillonMary DoakAnthony J. GodziebaSlavica JakelicJ. Paul MartinVincent J. MillerPhilip J. RossiRobert J. SchreiterDavid Tracy