The rule of faith was a summary of apostolic preaching and teaching made by writers of the early Christian centuries. As such it carries great importance for what the early church considered basic to its being and identity. It was not a fixed text, like a creed, but varied in wording and content according to circumstances. Yet, despite this flexibility and diversity, there is a clear Christ-centered, Trinitarian core at the heart of the rule sha ...
In The End of Captivity?, Tripp York addresses how we talk about the good of other animals in light of a stark impossibility: their freedom from us. While all of us in the animal (and plant) kingdom are interdependent upon one another, humans are unique in that we are the only animals who keep other animals captive. We keep animals in zoos, sanctuaries, circuses, conservatories, aquariums, research facilities, slaughterhouses, and on our farms a ...
How can faith speak directly to people's real lives? How can conversation around Scripture make «all the difference» in the arenas of one's daily world? People who have heard the Bible many times–or for the first time–want to know in the terms and images of their life situation. «When my world seems to be shaking all around me, why doesn't it help to hear 'You are forgiven'?» And further, «What can I say to someone who f ...
What is the significance of the body? What might phenomenology contribute to a theological account of the body? And what is gained by prolonging the overlooked dialogue between St. John Paul II and Emmanuel Levinas? Nigel Zimmermann answers these questions through the agreements and the tensions between two of the most important thinkers of the twentieth century. John Paul II, the Polish pope, philosopher, and theologian, and Emmanuel Levinas, t ...
Forgiveness is a profound, life-changing experience for many people who have been hurt by others. But forgiveness is paradoxical in that if one relies on forgiveness language or if others prescribe it as an expectation, the depth of that experience can be significantly compromised. By the same token, many people experience deep forgiveness without ever using the language of forgiveness. Most of the stories in this book testify to how forgiveness ...
What makes the difference between those who aspire to lead and those who actually do it? What does anyone need to know about themselves and others, in order to be ready to lead? How might society benefit from persons who give time and energy to learn the skills of leadership readiness? This book offers a lifelong resource for persons committed to improving their own personal effectiveness as a key step toward leading–in whatever the cont ...
Rather than viewing the Apostle Paul's many references to peace and non-retaliation as generalized ethical principles drawn from Paul's background, Jeremy Gabrielson argues that peace and non-retaliation should be understood in relation to Paul's biography of being a violent persecutor of Jesus' followers. After his «Damascus road» experience, Paul zealously announced the gospel, but abandoned his violent ways. His apostolic ...
Over the last four decades, the focus of M. Douglas Meeks' work has placed him at the center of many of the most important developments in theological reflection and education. As a political, ecclesial, and metaphorical theologian, Meeks has given witness to the oikonomia of the triune God, the Homemaker who creates the conditions of Home for the whole of creation, in critical conversation with contemporary economic, social, and political ...
"Let not your hearts be troubled . . ." The opening words from John 14 frame the balance of this sermon to the disciples. Immediately following the Passover supper and the washing of their feet, our Lord preaches one last sermon to his faithful friends and disciples–a sermon full of longing, full of promise, full of hope, and full of disclosures about their future, the work of the Holy Spirit, and key verses supporting the doctrine of the T ...