How can one believe in an age of doubt? How can we name the mystery of God in human words? Does nature speak of the glory of God? Does science undermine faith? Is the problem of evil unanswerable? In this volume scientists, theologians, philosophers, as well as a historian and social scientist, take seriously the challenge of knowing and speaking about God in an age of doubt and challenge. All New Zealand writers, the authors reflect a variety o ...
Face to Face is about personal relationships. Everyone talks as though they want one, but most of us are missing the strategies to live with this intimacy, especially with God. This book is an invitation to explore the «ah-ha» moments of a theologian who believes that theology should be practical and speak to where we live. Drawing from years of study in theology, biblical studies, counseling, and addiction therapy, this book is a creative conve ...
The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob brings readers on a surprising journey from the dawn of divine-human communion to the present, showing how this mysterious, ongoing relationship holds the keys to true worship. Laying a new foundation for understanding worship, the book makes a compelling case for distinguishing the church's practices from those of the world. Recognizing the holiness of worship, the author observes that music itself, apa ...
This volume brings together a decade of reflection at the intersection of culture, economics, and theology. Addressing topics ranging from the family to work, politics, and the church, Jordan J. Ballor shows how the Christian faith calls us to get involved deeply and meaningfully in the messiness of the world. Drawing upon theologians and thinkers from across the great scope of the Christian tradition, including Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Martin ...
This third volume of Ken Vaux's memoirs covers the calendar year of 2012 which focused on (1) teaching in the Evanston church as this body struggled to be both evangelical in theology and oriented to social justice in the community. We searched together for having what it takes to be a «University Church»–preaching and teaching a credible and relevant message and living out a vital witness; seeking honest responses to issues in church and s ...
A Bird in the Hand is not a «how to» book, but a «how so» book in which the reader is invited to travel with Leah Kostamo on the wild ride of salmon saving, stranger welcoming, and God worshiping as she and her husband help establish the first Christian environmental center in Canada. Avoiding simplistic prescriptions or cliched platitudes, Leah wrestles with issues of poverty, justice, and the environment through the narrative of her own life e ...
The present volume is the first in a five-volume study of church doctrine. The multivolume set will cover the major parts of church doctrine: Canon, God, Creation, Reconciliation, and Redemption. This first volume begins with an introduction on why doctrine matters, which stresses the ecumenical, global, and above all biblical horizons of church doctrine as a primary expression of Christian witness. The purpose of this volume is to begi ...
Gripping stories, whether modern or ancient, always include heroes and villains. The Synoptic Gospels, chock full of villains (religious leaders and others) in pursuit of an emerging hero (Jesus), are no different. Drawing first-century Jews into their familiar past and beckoning modern readers to join in its appreciation, these writers employ a literary tactic that intensifies this conflict; they depict these characters as Old Testament heroes ...
That we are afraid is no revelation. Only God has the power to calm our fears and to make us courageous. But what happens when God refuses to meet your expectations? What happens when Jesus turns out to be more difficult to deal with, more serious, and more unpredictable than we once thought he was? Will we wait on him to answer us? Will we trust him when he seems to be making no sense? In our hurry to offer each other hope, have we neg ...