Aspects of religion Books

Book SynopsisBoundless Love provides a detailed survey of the scholarship on Luke 15:11-32, the parable of the Prodigal Sonarguably the best loved and most familiar of Jesus'' parables. Readers will find key insights regarding the teachings of the parable from leading experts on the Gospels including William Barclay, Kenneth Bailey, Fred Craddock, Luke Timothy Johnson, Henri Nouwen, Pheme Perkins, and N.T. Wright. Part I of this volume offers students of the Bible a firm grasp on the scholarly consensus regarding the parable''s historical, literary, and theological contexts, as well as its wide-ranging applicability in today''s world. Part II focuses on the exploration of the parable''s potential contributions in discussions of reconciliation and draws on the insights of authors such as Annie Dillard, Sam Keen, Desmond Tutu, and Miroslav Volf. Boundless Love is thoroughly accessible and will appeal to both general readers and specialists.Trade ReviewWith its focus on forgiveness, reconciliation, and joy, the Parable of the Prodigal Son goes to the very heart of Christianity. In this wise and thoughtful book, Joel Huffstetler manages to capture the essence of the parable and how, if we let it, it can transform us. -- Dr. Rick Mathis, Author, The Christ-Centered HeartIn this thorough and masterful examination of the Parable of the Prodigal Son, Father Huffstetler presents a readable, scholarly, and spiritually uplifting gift to all Christians. His treatment of the two sons, who are so unalike and yet alike, and the all-embracing goodness and forgiveness of the father is not only fair, but immensely inspiring. Anyone who carefully reads this work and takes its message of reconciliation seriously will choose, by the very force of God's grace so vividly portrayed herein, to awaken to our universal need for Christian reconciliation, and perhaps to orient his or her faith toward compassion, forgiveness, and reconciliation. -- The Rev. Dr. Michael Doty, Rector, The Episcopal Church of the Holy Cross in Tryon, North CarolinaThis book is an excellent resource for small group discussions or class seminars, useful both to average readers as well as the more scholarly. The bibliography is extensive, supporting further reading and research. Part I examines the Parable of the Prodigal Son itself with chapters devoted to each of the three principal persons—the younger son, the father, and the elder brother. Part II has chapters examining each person again as an aspect of the concept of reconciliation, but it would also be useful to [an] examination of many other concepts such as forgiveness, relationships, or the character of love. The reader will find many thought-provoking insights and suggestions in this work. -- The Rev. Dr. Jack B. Van Hooser, Former Professor of Old Testament, Seabury Western Theological SeminaryJoel Huffstetler guides his readers through this most literary of the parables, giving us a concise and useful overview of the scholarship. The book's greatest strength, though, is in the multitude of voices it brings together—theologians, novelists, political leaders, poets, and Huffstetler himself—all of whom remind us once again of the deep meaning we can find in the seemingly simple story of a father and two sons. Huffstetler's focus on reconciliation is timely and speaks to a wide range of challenges facing contemporary Christians. -- Dr. Rachel Reneslacis, Assistant Professor of English, Lee UniversityMany churches—perhaps most—have "Biblical study" as a regular feature, but few congregations, unfortunately, will generate a book by their collective labors. A few fortunate parishes will have scholarly pastors who integrate learnings from the people as well as the books and then share those learnings with others in books of their own. Joel Huffstetler is one such pastor. In this book, which began in parish Bible study, he argues that the parable of the prodigal son is especially useful in learning how to accomplish reconciliation. By considering each of the characters in this astonishing story not as unrelated models or choices or destinations but rather as closely related aspects of each one of us, we can learn to deal with each other as God deals with us all: repenting, forgiving, including, reconciling. Because Huffstetler includes many quotations from other writers (with bibliography), his book will be a useful compendium for those engaged in either individual or group study of this parable. -- Dr. James W. Dunkly, School of Theology Librarian, Lecturer in New Testament, The University of the SouthDisunity seems to be the common theme that defines the reality of most of our lives. Division marks our world, our communities, our families, and even our churches. While reconciliation is sought, it by and large remains but an elusive hope. Dr. Huffstetler, in this well-documented exegesis and treatment, suggests that the Parable of the Prodigal Son offers not only one of the best-loved images of the costly grace of the father but a pattern for all of us if we are to find unity with one another in Christ. The volume is both scholarly and personal and invites the reader to an honest engagement on both levels. -- The Rev. Dr. Gary E. Callahan, Rector, St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Chattanooga, TennesseeIn a time of great division and party spirit in the life of the church, Joel Huffstetler calls us to re-examine our common heritage in the teaching of our Lord on reconciliation in his parable of the Prodigal Son. In his wonderfully judicious way, Dr. Huffstetler succinctly weaves an enormous amount of teaching from many sources to focus us on the implications of our Lord's call to reconciliation in our own life and in our own actions towards others. He moves us beyond being correct and satisfied to that yearning place of relationship and righteousness in Christ that heals antipathies and forgives trespasses. -- The Rev. Carter N. Paden III, Rector, St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Chattanooga, TennesseeIn this brief work Joel Huffstetler presents the best of current writing on this richly nuanced parable. He challenges his readers with the image of the waiting father, who lavishes his love on both erring sons, discovering in this picture lessons for the transforming of lives and relationships. -- Dr. Susan Rogers, Assistant Professor of English, Lee University... a definitive look at the story of the prodigal son. -- The Rev. Dr. Don Armentrout, Professor of Church History and Historical Theology, The University of the SouthA work that succeeds in appealing to both the scholar and the lay reader is rare indeed, but Joel Huffstetler's treatment of one of the Bible's best known parables fits into that category. After effectively providing the first extensive summary of scholarship available on the Prodigal Son, Huffstetler convincingly presents his own interpretations of the parable as primarily a story of reconciliation. It is both a thoughtful and thought-provoking study that will appeal to a wide audience. -- Dr. Verbie Lovorn Prevost, Connor Professor of American Literature, The University of Tennessee at ChattanoogaThe Rev. Dr. Joel Huffstetler's passion for scholarship and hunger for reconciliation come together in his new book, opening our eyes to the timeless teachings of Jesus' parable of the Prodigal Son from Luke's Gospel. Whether we identify with the younger prodigal son or the older faithful brother, we cannot help but see the need to ultimately live into the compassionate love of the forgiving father who is forever seeking out return. May all who read his book come to understand the necessity of one day celebrating unity with God our Father and with one another, our brothers and sisters in Christ. -- The Rev. Dr. Stephen Askew, Canon to the Ordinary, Episcopal Diocese of East TennesseeThe book provides a detailed survey of the scholarship on Luke 15:11-32, the parable of the prodigal son. * Chattanooga Times Free Press *Every sentence in his small book carries weight. It is full of powerful statements that seem to encompass the universe. Father Joel has an extraordinary ability to express and to quote deep truths succinctly. The whole book is the product of profound study, with references carefully recorded. * Anglican Chaplaincy Magazine *His work as a pastor and scholar comes together in this volume in a unique and useful tool that is easily accessible, yet rigorous in its academic underpinnings....As a teaching tool the book is easily read by anoyone and provides excellent references to resources which are dependable, balanced and well considered in their author's presentations....I have been inspired and educated by his thoughtful and powerfully sincere desire to see the purpose of Christian faith as primarily concerned with the reconciliation of every one of us to God and to one another. -- REV. DR. MICHAEL DOTY, Rector, Holy Cross, TryonMany experts agree and calls Huffstetler's examination of the parable masterful and useful to the average readers as well as the more scholarly. * Cleveland Daily Banner *Fr. Joel Huffstetler has done a wonderful thing. Rarely do you find a writer who can successfully bridge the gap between the experts and the common man. But here, in Boundless Love, Fr. Joel masterfully connects the world of theologians with the world of the laity. * Southern Cross *This book is commended as an excellent example - even a laboratory - of traditional hermeneutics that is designed to reveal a text's theme for sermonic purposes: word studies, text-critical concerns, commentary research that range from William Barclay to Fred Craddock. For this reason, this book would be useful in the college classroom…. The book is highly motivational for all Christians to participate in the heart of Jesus' ministry of reconciliation. * Restoration Quarterly *Huffstetler concludes with a personal story from his teen years that exemplifies with the power of joyful tears how wonderful it is when we live this parable. That final story alone is worth the price of admission. * Brethren Life And Thought *Table of ContentsChapter 1 Foreword Chapter 2 Preface Chapter 3 Acknowledgments Part 4 PART I Chapter 5 Introduction Chapter 6 Chapter 1: The Prodigal Son Chapter 7 Chapter 2: The Compassionate Father Chapter 8 Chapter 3: The Elder Son Chapter 9 Chapter 4: The Interpretation of Luke 15:11-32 in Broad Outline Part 10 PART II Chapter 11 Introduction Chapter 12 Chapter 5: The Prodigal Son and Reconciliation Chapter 13 Chapter 6: The Compassionate Father and Reconciliation Chapter 14 Chapter 7: The Elder Son and Reconciliation Chapter 15 Conclusion Chapter 16 Postscript Chapter 17 Bibliography Chapter 18 Index of Names Chapter 19 About the Author

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Book SynopsisFaith Negotiating Loyalties draws readers into the world of Christian faith in South Africa and the question of loyalties in the new post-apartheid state. It carries out its investigation in two parts. Part one examines Christian faith and loyalty during the first nation-building exercise following the South African War, positioning the creation and contestation of three Christianities corresponding to three nationalisms, each of which imagined South Africa in a particular way, shaping faith accordingly. The idea of an undifferentiated South African Christianity gives way to contesting and contested Christianities, nationalism gives way to nationalisms, and faith emerges in tension with and in criticism of these loyalties. Part two discusses the American theologian H. Richard Niebuhr in South Africa. Three kinds of faith in his wittings are set forth: social faith, radial faith, and reconstructing faith. Contextualized within the South African story, Niebuhr''s ideas suggest self and sTrade ReviewAn exceptionally fine work that makes a contribution both to theological ethics, through its interpretation of H. Richard Niebuhr, and to the study of Christianity in South Africa, through its critical use of Niebuhr's thought to organize and refocus the South African debate on the relation of Christianity to the reconstruction of South African society and national identity. -- William Johnson Everett, Herbert Gezork Professor of Christian Social Ethics, Andover Newton Theological SchoolSteve Martin's reading of H. Richard Niebuhr's legacy in relation to the South African story is remarkable for its creativity, insight, and breadth of scholarship. . . . I strongly and warmly commend it to all who seek to read history from a theological perspective. -- John W. de Gruchy, Robert Selby Taylor Chair in Christian Studies, University of Cape Town and Extraordinary Professor, Stellenbosch UniversityTable of ContentsChapter 1 Part 1: Exploring South African Christianity Chapter 2 Prologue: Faith, Nationalism and Loyalty in South Africa Chapter 3 1: South African Nationalism: The One and the Many Chapter 4 2: Afrikaner Nationalism: Myth and Mobilization Chapter 5 3: African Nationalism: Mission and Politics Chapter 6 Interlude: Reflection and Transnation Chapter 7 Part 2: Reading H. Richard Niebuhr in South Africa Chapter 9 5: Entangling Faith and Social Ideal Chapter 10 6: Radical Faith and the Crisis of American Christianity Chapter 10 7: Radical Faith in History and Community Chapter 11 8: Faith Engaging Culture Chapter 12 9: Reconstructing Faith and the Renewal of Covenant Chapter 13 Conclusion: Point(s) of Return

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Book SynopsisIntricately Connected contains academic papers presented by Kim at various international conferences in the fields of biblical studies, literary criticism, and intertexuality. The articles examine the question of how various literatures connect to consciousness and culture at personal and collective levels.Table of ContentsChapter 1 1: The Lord's Supper as the Key Signifier in The Da Vinci Code (2006) Chapter 2 2: Jeremiah 11:1-17 and Deuteronomy 29 Compared: A Study in Structure, Language, and Ideas to Elucidate Their Relationship Chapter 3 3: Luke 4:14-30 and its Socio-Historical Context of Galilee for Understanding Jesus of Nazareth and the Jesus Movement Chapter 4 4: The Psalms of Solomon as a Proz-Zadokite Document: A Content-Thematic Examination of Chapter 17 Chapter 5 5: Prohibition Imperative in Septuagint Greek Chapter 6 6: Beloved as the Source of Redemption: Toni Morrison's Contribution to the Phenomenon of Scripturalization

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Book SynopsisThis study investigates the procedural techniques, significance, and the tangible effects of the laying on of hands in the New Testament. The author investigates the background of the New Testament practice by conducting investigation in the Old Testament and contemporary Judaism and the Graeco-Roman and Near-Eastern literature. The main chapters are exegetical, each discussing a particular use of the laying on of hands in the New Testament: for blessing, healing, reception of the Spirit and ordination. A special attention is given to the inner process of transfer of power through physical contact. It is the author''s conclusion that in the New Testament the gesture always signifies transfer of some positive materia: blessing, ''life-force'', the Spirit and charismata. In the final section, an attempt is made to gauge the possibility of any uniformity in the significance of the various New Testament uses of the laying on of hands.Trade ReviewJohn Tipei deals in a careful and historically-sensitive manner with a wide range of evidence for the practice of the laying-on of hands in biblical and post-biblical Jewish literature and in the Graeco-Roman world. Within this framework, he is able toconsider the New Testament material dispassionately and in detail, asking appropriate theological questions about the significance of the practice in Christian tradition, but without seeking to press a particular denominational or party line. I know of no other work that does such a thorough job of laying out the biblical evidence within its historical framework, and I believe it will soon become a standard work of reference. -- Rev Canon Professor Dr Loveday Alexander, The University ofJohn Tipei deals in a careful and historically-sensitive manner with a wide range of evidence for the practice of the laying-on of hands in biblical and post-biblical Jewish literature and in the Graeco-Roman world. Within this framework, he is able to consider the New Testament material dispassionately and in detail, asking appropriate theological questions about the significance of the practice in Christian tradition, but without seeking to press a particular denominational or party line. I know of no other work that does such a thorough job of laying out the biblical evidence within its historical framework, and I believe it will soon become a standard work of reference. -- Rev Canon Professor Dr Loveday Alexander, The University ofTable of ContentsChapter 1 INTRODUCTION—The Hand as a Symbol of Power ,The Issue, Survey of Modern Scholarship on the Role of the Laying on of Hands in the New Testament, Statement of Purpose and Methodology, Delimitations. PART I: HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE LAYING ON OF HANDS Chapter 2 THE LAYING ON OF HANDS IN THE JEWISH ENVIRONMENT—The Laying on of Hands in the Old Testament in Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha, in the Qumran Literature, in Rabbinic Literature Chapter 3 THE LAYING ON OF HANDS IN THE GRAECO-ROMAN ENVIRONMENT—The Hellenistic Concept of Power, The Laying on of Hands in Healing, The Hands of Deities, Human Hands, The Laying on of Hands in Exorcism, The Laying on of Hands in the Installation of Officials, in Chapter 4 THE LAYING ON OF HANDS IN HEALING—Recent Perspectives on the Role of LH/Touch in Healing, Jesus' Use of the Hand in Healing, Exorcism by the Laying on of Hands, The Laying on of Hands and Healing Media, The Gesture for Healing in Light of the Old Testame Chapter 5 THE LAYING ON OF HANDS AS A MARK OF FAVOUR—The Blessing of the Children, The Disciples, The Gesture of Blessing in Light of the OT Terminology Chapter 6 THE LAYING ON OF HANDS FOR THE RECEPTION OF THE SPIRIT—Recent Perspectives on the Role of the LH in the Reception of the Spirit, Exegesis of Pertinent Passages in Acts, The Relationship between Baptism, LH and the Giving of the Spirit in Acts, The Signif Chapter 7 THE LAYING ON OF HANDS FOR COMMISSIONING AND ORDINATION—Commissioning/Ordination in Acts, Ordination/Commissioning in the Pastoral Epistles, The significance of the LH in appointment, The origin of the Christian rite of ordination, The uniformity of the Chapter 8 CONCLUSIONS

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Book SynopsisThis collection of five essays and two book reviews draws on a half-year of work, from mid-2008 to early 2009. The collection begins with historical theological essays: one on the apologetics of Judaism, the other on its soteriology. Both were written in response to invitations to contribute to collections of historical theology. The second set of two essays deals with the canon of Rabbinic Judaism. This is The Jack Chester Memorial Lecture to the Tenth Anniversary Celebration of the Sue and Leonard Miller Center for Contemporary Judaic Studies at the University of Miami. Two brief reviews complete the collection of six months of work.Table of ContentsChapter 1 Preface Chapter 2 Historical Theology Chapter 3 1. Analysis and Appreciation. The Case of Judaism Chapter 4 2. The Restorationist Soteriology in Formative Judaism Chapter 5 The Canon Chapter 6 3. The Rabbinic Canon Chapter 7 4. Comparing Misrashim: Sifré to Numbers and Sifré Zutta to Numbers Chapter 8 Constructive Theology Chapter 9 5. Time for Islam. From Dialogue to Trialogue in Interfaith Relations Chapter 10 Book Reviews Chapter 11 Joel L. Kraemer, Maimonides. The Life and World of One of Civilization's Greatest Minds Chapter 12 Hillel Goldberg, Hallel Hakkohen. Buir HaGRA, Hilkhot Miqvaot

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Book SynopsisThis book analyzes the logical reasoning of Jesus Christ's Words in the Holy Bible. The author demonstrates that formal human reasoning can be an applicable method of interpreting these statements, but not generally for logical inferences nor for a few specific passages.Trade ReviewDr. Prichard's research on the logical nature of Christ's statements, which demonstrates that Christ's words are very generally consistent with human reasoning, takes a key step toward regaining the theological ground that was lost needlessly in the debate between faith and science. He has reframed the structure of that debate from its traditional adversarial configuration of "science versus faith" into the conciliatory configuration of "science plus faith," thereby recapturing the much-too-long ceded ground. The significant evidence that Dr. Prichard's research demonstrates for such a reconciliation should reinvigorate the believers' attack on the shopworn view that faith and science have no common ground; and the place in his research that clearly distinguishes where a reconciliation cannot be made is not only consistent with all of the logical theorems regarding axiomatic incompleteness but also clarifies the view that while faith and science are overlapping and mutually supportive in many cases, they are not and never will be fully unified. -- David Lutzweiler, Cyrus Scofield biographerTable of ContentsChapter 1 List of Figures Chapter 2 Preface Chapter 3 Chapter 1 - Overview Chapter 4 Chapter 2 - Logical and Analystical Methodology Chapter 5 Chapter 3 - Comparative Analysis Chapter 6 Chapter 4 - General Conclusions Chapter 7 Chapter 5 - The Axioms of the Logic Employed by Christ Involving Humanity: The Indispensible Christian Values Chapter 8 Appendix A - Annotated List of All Conditional/Procedural Forms from Words Attributed to Jesus Christ in the Four (4) Gospels, Including Contexts and Cross-Referencing For All Forums

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Book SynopsisThis book focuses on the study of the Old Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary from 1929 to 1998. Moore focuses on highly influential scholars responsible for changing the shape of Old Testament studies at Westminster through the introduction of novel scholarly tools and ideas that reveal methodological and theological development.Trade ReviewA well-structured and researched piece of work written in a pleasing style…an excellent job of absorbing and assessing the work of the Westminster faculty in a way that is sympathetic without lapsing into hagiography. -- Dr. Brian P. Irwin, assistant professor of Old Testament/Hebrew scriptures, Knox College, Toronto School of Theology, University of Toronto[This study is] crucial for understanding the way theological traditions develop and even diverge from the founding generation's original vision…particularly valuable for critics and defenders of recent changes at Westminster. -- Dr. D.G. Hart, author of The Lost Soul of American ProtestantismAn important study that is not merely an intellectual history. Though his study centers upon the Reformed tradition, it is of perennial importance for all evangelicals. He showcases the interaction between faith and critical scholarship….to see and understand more fully the interaction between the church and the academy, between faith and unbelief. -- Dr. J.V. Fesko, associate professor of systematic theology and academic dean, Westminster Seminary California, Escondido, CaliforniaAn invaluable backdrop to the current discussion of the interaction between confessional commitments and Biblical scholarship…Yeo shows how the nature of that response shifted over the period surveyed from a stance of strong antithesis to a more integrationist position, all the while seeking to uphold a conservative Reformed theology. -- Dr. Iain M. Duguid, professor of religion/Old Testament, Grove City CollegeTable of ContentsChapter 1 Preface Chapter 2 Acknowledgements Chapter 3 Chapter One: Introduction Chapter 4 Chapter Two: Old Princeton Redivivus Chapter 5 Chapter Three: Toeing the Line Chapter 6 Chapter Four: A Changing of the Guards Chapter 7 Chapter Five: Conclusion Chapter 8 Selected Bibliography Chapter 9 Index

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Book SynopsisIn God''s Roadmap to Peace, David R. Bradley steps through God''s revealed roadmap as described in the book of Revelation one event at a time. Before time began, the Creator knew that His decision to create mankind with the freedom to reject Him would eventually lead to suffering and death. Thus, He designed a roadmap that, if followed, would lead men back to the peace God intended. God then revealed this roadmap in His word, the Bible. The final stages of His roadmap were revealed to the Apostle John in what we call the Revelation. In concert with the rest of Scripture, these events come to life as the horrors unfold toward those who choose their own way. As the roadmap continues to its final destination, what is revealed is a glorious, peaceful inheritance beyond imagination awaiting those who place their trust in Him.Trade ReviewFrom the Foreword: Here is a volume that is simply written by a pastor who is committed to verse by verse expository preaching. A novice in Bible study can understand this exposition and yet it bears the marks of careful study. -- Stanley D. Toussaint, Ph.D., Dallas Theological Seminary[This book is] for pastors and serious lay people who want a good overall grasp of the book [of Revelation]. -- Eugene Merrill, Ph.D., Dallas Theological SeminaryBradley, pastor of First Baptist Church of Grapeland, Texas, contends that what is said in the book of Revelation is 100% accurate and reliable and will take place, just as Jesus revealed it to John on Patmos, whether or not we completely understand it beforehand. He describes his task as an expositor of Revelation as showing how the visions given to John fit together. He emphasizes the function of prophecy as glorifying God and giving people hope, and the necessity of letting Scripture interpret Scripture. After a twelve-page introduction, he considers why God revealed his roadmap (Rev 1:1-8); the Son with his stars and lampstands (1:9-20); his letters to his lamp- stands (2:1–3:22); God’s magnificent throne room (4:1-11); God’s scroll and the only one who can open it (5:1-14); and so forth. * New Testament Abstracts *Table of ContentsPart 1 Introduction Chapter 2 The Framework of the Prophets Chapter 3 Why Did God Reveal His Roadmap? Chapter 4 The Son with His Stars and Lampstands Chapter 5 His Letters to His Lampstands Chapter 6 God's Magnificent Throne Room Chapter 7 God's Scroll and the Only One Who Can Open It Chapter 8 The Preparations for the Takeover Chapter 9 The Trumpets Begin to Blow Chapter 10 The Preparations for the Final Trumpet Chapter 11 The Drama of the Ages-The Dragon's Assault Chapter 12 The Drama of the Ages-God's Response Chapter 13 The Final Trumpet Sounds Chapter 14 The Destruction of Babylon the Great Chapter 15 The Final Takeover and Reign of the Son Chapter 16 Everlasting Peace-God's Retirement Plan Chapter 17 Encouragement While Following the Roadmap Part 18 Bibliography Part 19 Subject Index Part 20 Scripture Index Part 21 About the Author

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Book SynopsisTeaching with the Wind tackles the question, Can education for a Canadian civic spirituality bridge the sometimes incommensurable worldviews of faith-based schools and secular public schools? An affirmative answer is offered based on two foundations. First, that a national soul can be identified and thus serve as the content of spiritual education in Canada schools. Second, that a reconstructed approach to the contemplation-in-action method found in world religions and philosophy can provide an appropriate pedagogy for Canadian spiritual education. This book argues that education for civic spirituality is of paramount importance as Canada continues its transition from a Judeo-Christian and bicultural nation to a multi-faith and multicultural nation within a secular democracy. It offers a direction that would enrich religious and secular education systems as well as Canada as a whole.Trade ReviewDallaire argues that spirituality is the middle ground between the secular and the religious and it is in this space that we can renew education… The author calls on teachers to engage in their own spiritual practices so that their teaching comes not just from the head but the soul. I am grateful that Michael Dallaire has shared his work and sensibilities with us in this book and I hope educators seriously explore this vision in their lives and work. -- John P. Miller, professor, The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto From the ForewordMichael Dallaire has always shared his wisdom, personal experience, and rich spiritual knowing so as to open awareness and give modern voice to the universal quest for spirituality. In his latest book he shares his knowledge and experience in hopes to provide a clearer lens through which we can all recognize the value in building a strong foundation to nurture spirituality in Canadian education. -- Patricia McGarry Roberts, Ph.D., Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, CanadaIn this important book, Michael Dallaire explores the relationship between the Canadian soul and such aspects of nature as the wind. He also examines the concepts of inclusiveness, justice, compassion, and compromise as they relate to the Canadian soul. Dallaire explores both the positive and negative components of the Canadian soul and underscores the importance of finding balance. This book is for those teachers who sense that there is more to life than what is at first apparent; that the social, political, and spiritual dimensions of life cannot be ignored in the classroom; and that they are called to address the more component of their students’ education. Teaching with the Wind reflects postmodern reconstructive pedagogies that are full of hope Dallaire succeeds in identifying a Canadian soul and in offering pedagogical guidance to teachers implementing the contemplation-in-action method. For those individuals who want a deeper understanding of spirituality as a contemporary issue, this book provides further enlightenment. Regardless of one’s pedagogical preferences, Dallaire expands the reader’s knowledge and understanding of spirituality and describes an avenue for application that may arm Canada’s future citizenry with the ability to succeed in a secular and multifaith world. * Journal Of Education and Christian Belief *Table of ContentsPart 1 Foreword Part 2 Acknowledgements Chapter 3 Introduction: The More of Teaching Chapter 4 Chapter One: Canadian Education and Spirituality Chapter 5 Chapter Two: Foundations of Spiritual Knowing Chapter 6 Chapter Three: Canadian Soul Chapter 7 Chapter Four: Engaged Spirituality Chapter 8 Chapter Five: Teaching the Path Chapter 9 Chapter Six: Teacher Formation Chapter 10 Chapter Seven: Spiritual Governance Chapter 11 Conclusion: Teaching with the Wind Part 12 Bibliography Part 13 Index

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Book SynopsisFrom the Preface:Get real was a slang term that became popular in the 1960''s when Michael Hickey was growing up in East Boston. It implied that someone wasn''t in touch with reality and had to change their way of thinking or living. If you put on the television today, all you might find is one of the hundreds of so-called reality TV shows. More often than not, these reality shows are illusions of reality because the real persons utilized as actors/performers are seemingly coached to act in certain ways by the directors, judges, or producers who really control the reality. Nonetheless, reality TV is a modern phenomenon; people watch it constantly, and that does indicate a high degree of the public''s interest in some concept of reality. As for mystery, it seems we are approaching an age where there will be the death of mystery, and we will have only reality. Hickey believes this is because the vast majority of the populace doesn''t view reality in the context of mystery. They imagine mTable of ContentsSection One-Reality Preface Chapter One: Reality of Being Chapter Two: Roles of Truth and Belief Chapter Three: Reality of Life Chapter Four: Imagining the Real Chapter Five: The Final Earthly Reality Chapter Six: The Ultimate Reality Chapter Seven: Self-Realizing Section Two-Mystery Chapter Eight: Mystery? Chapter Nine: Ancient Mystery Cults Chapter Ten: Early Christianity: Another Mystery Cult Chapter Eleven: Sacramentality Chapter Twelve: Revelation: The Unveiling of God Chapter Thirteen: Myth Chapter Fourteen: Old Testament Mystery Chapter Fifteen: New Testament Mystery Chapter Sixteen: Mystery of Suffering Chapter Seventeen: Miracles Mystery Chapter Eighteen: The Hidden Kingdom Chapter Nineteen: Those Peculiar Parables Chapter Twenty: Mysticism Chapter Twenty-One: Two Types of Theological Mysteries Chapter Twenty-Two: The Mystery of the Female Chapter Twenty-Three: A Beginning and End Times Mystery Section Three-Reality Meets Mystery/ "This is That" Chapter Twenty-Four: Unity of Opposites Chapter Twenty-Five: Personal and Universal Chapter Twenty-Six: Matter and Spirit Chapter Twenty-Seven: Nature and Grace Chapter Twenty-Eight: Natural and Supernatural Chapter Twenty-Nine: Heaven and Earth Chapter Thirty: Time and Eternity Chapter Thirty-One: Knowing and Unknowing Chapter Thirty-Two: Consciousness and Unconsciousness Chapter Thirty-Three: Humanity and Divinity: The Cross + Chapter Thirty-Four: Man the Reality and God the Mystery Chapter Thirty-Five: God the Reality and Man the Mystery Chapter Thirty-Six: Self-Transcending Chapter Thirty-Seven: Conclusion: God Mysteriously In Us and Us Really In God

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Book SynopsisWhat does the Bible say about poverty and our responsibility toward the poor? This book examines the concept of brother's keeper in both the ancient Near East and the biblical world. Wafawanaka contends that biblical Israel failed to play the rightful role of brother's keeper and claims that we, too, have strayed from this responsibility. Am I Still My Brother's Keeper? reveals what we can learn about poverty from a biblical context and how we might appropriate those insights to fight poverty in our own communities. Beginning with the biblical mandate in Deuteronomy 15, Wafawanaka surveys the Hebrew Scriptures and challenges those with power and resources to reevaluate their response to the poor. Failure to revisit the notion of brother's keeper threatens to create a society that is increasingly disenfranchised and unjust. A glance at our world in light of biblical history suggests that poverty is an endemic global problem that requires a radical global solution.Table of Contents Foreword Preface Acknowledgments Abbreviations Introduction PART ONE: Overview of Study Chapter 1: The Biblical Mandate PART TWO: Poverty in the Hebrew Bible Chapter 2: Poverty in the Law Books Chapter 3: Poverty and the Prophets Chapter 4: Poverty in the Writings PART THREE: Conclusion Chapter 5: Summary and Conclusions Bibliography Index About the Author

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Book SynopsisIn this groundbreaking work, Joseph Fitzpatrick challenges the traditional interpretation of chapter three of Genesis: the story of Adam and Eve in Eden. Fitzpatrick claims that this story is actually a symbolic tale about the ascent of a hominid couple to full human consciousness.Trade ReviewHis wide ranging and thought provoking study challenges what has been known since the time of Augustine as "the fall" and its associated doctrine of "original sin," and consequently also the Christian understanding of redemption. Such a re-interpretation is certainly necessary, given not only the shaky biblical foundations on which traditional interpretations have been built, but also the need for an informed understanding of human evolution. * Open House *Dazzlingly good and utterly convincing. The Fall and the Ascent of Man is an important book that could revolutionize Christian thinking on sin and salvation and go a long way towards demonstrating the complete compatibility of the Bible with the scientific theory of evolution. . . . His argument is based closely on scripture and supported by modern developments in textual analysis, anthropology, and theology. Written in clear, jargon-free language and cogently argued, the book will be read not only by theologians but by many within and beyond the Church with no specialist knowledge of theology who simply wish to acquire a better understanding of that strange anomaly, the human animal. —Vivienne Blackburn, Ph.D., author of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Simone Weil: A Study in Christian Responsiveness -- Vivienne Blackburn, Ph.D., author of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Simone Weil: A Study in Christian ResponsivenessIt is a most important book that should work major shifts in Western approaches to spirituality. His extended understanding of the role of the two paradise trees in biblical thought as sharings in divinity, the one through creation/evolution and the other in Christ, is the best new idea I have come across in years.—Sean McEvenue, Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Old Testament at Concordia University, Montreal -- Sean McEvenue, Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Old Testament at Concordia University, MontrealThe third chapter of Genesis...tells how our first parents, though they were created immortal and perfect in mind and body, through pride committed a sin of disobedience, as a result of which our nature was corrupted and we all die...Joseph Fitzpatrick not only marshals formidable arguments against it but proposes a radically different reading of the chapter....he writes in a style, unpretentious but not humourless, which makes him easy to read. He endeavours to win over doubters, not to crush them. He is generous to his opponents, and the way in which he develops his arguments, coming back to his conclusions from different angles, seems to me admirable. * The Tablet *The Fall and Ascent of Man [by] Joseph Fitzpatrick is interestingly provocative and [a] beautifully written interpretation of Genesis 3 in its context of biblical pre-history and of wider salvation history.Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction Chapter One: Augustine on Original Sin Chapter Two: Setting the Context Chapter Three: The Primitive Tradition Chapter Four: The Quest for Immortality Chapter Five: A Tale of Two Trees Chapter Six: Restoring Roots Chapter Seven: Some Loose Ends Index

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Book SynopsisIn this groundbreaking work, Joseph Fitzpatrick challenges the traditional interpretation of chapter three of Genesis: the story of Adam and Eve in Eden. This narrative was imposed on the Christian West, but not the East, through the genius of Augustine of Hippo and came to dominate Catholic and Protestant theology. Fitzpatrick points to weaknesses in Augustine's interpretation of the Genesis story before providing a revolutionary interpretation of his own. Fitzpatrick claims that this story is about nothing less than hominisation. Far from being an account of the original sin against God, it is in fact a symbolic tale about the ascent of a hominid couple to full human consciousness. Aided by modern anthropology, Fitzpatrick is able to enter into the mentality of the ancient Hebrews and adopt a literary approach to the biblical text by comparing it with the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh. In The Fall and the Ascent of Man, he clears away the clutter of centuries and lets us see the famouTrade ReviewHis wide ranging and thought provoking study challenges what has been known since the time of Augustine as "the fall" and its associated doctrine of "original sin," and consequently also the Christian understanding of redemption. Such a re-interpretation is certainly necessary, given not only the shaky biblical foundations on which traditional interpretations have been built, but also the need for an informed understanding of human evolution. * Open House *Dazzlingly good and utterly convincing. The Fall and the Ascent of Man is an important book that could revolutionize Christian thinking on sin and salvation and go a long way towards demonstrating the complete compatibility of the Bible with the scientific theory of evolution. . . . His argument is based closely on scripture and supported by modern developments in textual analysis, anthropology, and theology. Written in clear, jargon-free language and cogently argued, the book will be read not only by theologians but by many within and beyond the Church with no specialist knowledge of theology who simply wish to acquire a better understanding of that strange anomaly, the human animal. —Vivienne Blackburn, Ph.D., author of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Simone Weil: A Study in Christian Responsiveness -- Vivienne Blackburn, Ph.D., author of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Simone Weil: A Study in Christian ResponsivenessIt is a most important book that should work major shifts in Western approaches to spirituality. His extended understanding of the role of the two paradise trees in biblical thought as sharings in divinity, the one through creation/evolution and the other in Christ, is the best new idea I have come across in years.—Sean McEvenue, Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Old Testament at Concordia University, Montreal -- Sean McEvenue, Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Old Testament at Concordia University, MontrealThe third chapter of Genesis...tells how our first parents, though they were created immortal and perfect in mind and body, through pride committed a sin of disobedience, as a result of which our nature was corrupted and we all die...Joseph Fitzpatrick not only marshals formidable arguments against it but proposes a radically different reading of the chapter....he writes in a style, unpretentious but not humourless, which makes him easy to read. He endeavours to win over doubters, not to crush them. He is generous to his opponents, and the way in which he develops his arguments, coming back to his conclusions from different angles, seems to me admirable. * The Tablet *The Fall and Ascent of Man [by] Joseph Fitzpatrick is interestingly provocative and [a] beautifully written interpretation of Genesis 3 in its context of biblical pre-history and of wider salvation history. * Church Times *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction Chapter One: Augustine on Original Sin Chapter Two: Setting the Context Chapter Three: The Primitive Tradition Chapter Four: The Quest for Immortality Chapter Five: A Tale of Two Trees Chapter Six: Restoring Roots Chapter Seven: Some Loose Ends Index

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Book SynopsisThis volume contains two closely related studies: Echoes of the Shema and Our Father's Footprints. The term Shema is derived from the initial word to hear in the Old Testament: Hear O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one (Deut. 6:4). Hence, God is deserving of ardent adoration and unqualified commitment. Morris A. Inch discusses God as Spirit, Light, and Love and also touches on divine holiness, grace, and compassion. The second study picks up with Jesus' allusion to God as our Father (Matt. 6:9). While this reference is primarily related to his authority, Jesus pointedly ties in his benevolent character. In this regard, he exclaims: If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father give good gifts to those who ask him! (Matt. 7:11). This quotation invites us to reflect on such associated themes as God's faithfulness, generosity, resolve, forgiveness, and creativity. Echoes of the Shema and Our Father's Footprints will Table of ContentsAcknowledgment Echoes of the Shema—Part I Preface Due Reverence God As Spirit God As Light God As Love The Holy One The King of Glory Sufficing Grace Mightier Than Unfailing Compassion Carrots and Clubs From Everlasting to Everlasting Our Father Our Father's Footprints—Part II Preface The Paper Trail Divine Authority God's Faithfulness God's Generosity Divine Commentary God's Resolve Divine Forgiveness Divine Creativity God's Consolation Divine Commendation Divine Caution God's Patience Divine Amenability Divine Righteousness God Is Love Consequently Endnotes Part I Part II Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisGeis argues the differences in Synoptic accounts are explained by evidence that shows a Hebrew subtext, which the Greek translation misses. Geis also maintains Matthewâs role as tax collector and record keeper makes the claim that he kept a cotemporaneous written account of Jesus quite credible, as well as accurate.Table of ContentsPREFACE DISCREPANCY AND CONTRADICTION EVANGELION APPLYING ORIGEN’S EXEGETICAL METHOD HEBRAISMS: EARLIER GOSPEL DATINGS TOWARDS AN NT CANON AUGUSTINE AND HARMONIZATION BREAKDOWN OF HARMONIZATION EXEGESIS AND SKEPTICISM NOTES TEXTS FROM THE CANON INDEX ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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Book SynopsisLife of Christ bridges the gap between commentaries and devotional accounts of Christâs ministry. Applying the requisite analytical tools, it addresses the question, is His life worth studying?Table of ContentsTable of Contents PREFACE CORPUS VERUM FROM THE BEGINNING JERUSALEM THE BIRTH OF CHRIST FLIGHT THE HIDDEN YEARS GALILEE THE PUBLIC MINISTRY BEGINS CHRIST IN THE DESERT TWELVE MIRACLES AND SKEPTICISM MIRACLES AND ANIMOSITIES MIRACLES FROM FAITH AND FORGIVENESS MIRACLES AND PRAYER RAISING THE DEAD THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT PARABLES OF THE EARTH PARABLES AND WEALTH PARABLES AND FAMILY PARABLES OF COIN AND TREASURE PARABLES OF THE RIGHTEOUS WHAT HE ALSO TAUGHT PILATE AND CAIAPHAS THE OPPOSITION GATHERS THE LAST PASSOVER VERDICT WITHOUT TRIAL MURDERED ON A CROSS RESURRECTION AND EVIDENCE NOTES TEXTS FROM THE CANON INDEX ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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Book SynopsisThis study uses early Jewish sources to analyze the significance of Day of Atonement and High Priest imagery in the narrative of Simon Peter's threefold denial of Jesus. It then describes the influence of other early Jewish sources on Jesus' commissioning his main disciple Simon Peter as his own successor in John 21:15-19. Aus relates this event to Moses' commissioning his main disciple Joshua as his successor.Trade ReviewThe great benefit of Aus’s work . . . is that it opens up perspectives too frequently neglected and so provides a rich resource for future investigation both of these passages and of the passion narrative as a whole. * Catholic Biblical Quarterly *How did it all begin—the Jesus thing? It began, one could argue, with telling stories: what he did, what happened, the enigmas, the surprises, the wonder. And the first tellers of those stories lived and breathed a culture of stories: ancient stories enshrined in the sacred books, yet malleable, subject to constant retelling. Roger Aus has taken us repeatedly into that world, enabled us to think in an haggadic way about the oldest Jesus traditions. In this latest volume, rich in detail and provocative surmise, Aus invites us to imagine how some long-forgotten disciple, perhaps a low-ranking priest, might have used traditions of priestly lore and practice to flesh out the story of Jesus, the Anointed High Priest of the end time, thus producing some of those details in the Gospel narratives that have puzzled commentators for twenty centuries. -- Wayne Meeks, Yale UniversityWith unrivaled precision, Dr. Aus has gathered together from the literature of ancient, primarily rabbinic, Judaism a real treasure of information on Jewish trial procedures, the great significance of the rituals of the Day of Atonement, and much more. In light of this background, the events reported in the Gospel Passion narratives are filled with life in a surprisingly new way. The connections and analogies which Dr. Aus points out are very striking indeed. -- Friedrich Avemarie, University of MarburgTable of ContentsPreface Simplified Outline of the Inner Temple of Jerusalem Introduction I. The Priesthood, the Day of Atonement, and the High Priest 1. The Priesthood 2. The Day of Atonement 3. The High Priest 3.1 The High Priest as an / the Anointed One 3.2 The High Priestly Garments and Blasphemy 3.3 The Seamless Robe of the High Priest and Jesus (John 19:23) 3.4 The Death of the High Priest and Atonement 3.5 The Binding or ?Aqedah of Isaac by the High Priest Abraham at Mount Moriah / Jerusalem on the Day of Atonement 3.6 The High Priest "Delivers" the Scapegoat to be "Led Away" 3.7 Standing at a Distance and Beholding the Death of the Scapegoat 3.8 Jesus as the Scapegoat at his Rejection in Luke 4:16-30 3.8.1 Jesus' Appearing Alone in Nazareth 3.8.2 The Scapegoat as Sent Out of the City 3.8.3 "Leading Away" the Scapegoat to the Site of its Being Killed 3.8.4 Jerusalem's Eminent Citizens Accompany the Scapegoat 3.8.5 The Steep Precipice (S[oq), a Hill / Mountain 3.8.6 Pushing the Scapegoat Headlong Down to its Death 3.9 The Place Golgotha 4. Jesus' Last Meal with His Disciples with Day of Atonement Imagery 5. High Priest and Day of Atonement Imagery in Gethsemane 5.1 The Seclusion of the High Priest Before the Day of Atonement 5.1.1 A Secluded Place with the Name Gethsemane 5.1.2 Sleep 5.1.3 Keeping Watch / Waking 5.1.4 Sitting 5.1.5 Disciples 5.1.6 Weak 5.2 Fear of Death Before Making Atonement in the Holy of Holies 5.3 High Priestly Prayer 6. All Eleven Disciples Abandon Jesus and Flee at His Arrest in Gethsemane 6.1 Mark 14:27 6.2 Luke 22:31-34 6.3 John 16:32; 17:12; and 18:8-9 6.3.1 John 16:32 6.3.2 John 17:12 and 18:8-9 II. Peter's Denial of Jesus in Mark 14:53-72 par. and John 18:15-27 in Light of Day of Atonement Imagery Introduction: The Setting Within Jesus' "Hearing" 1. Two Movements Within the Setting 1.1 Two Movements of Jesus in the Gospels 1.2 Two Movements of the High Priest on the Day of Atonement 2. The House of the High Priest 3. The Upper Room 4. The Courtyard 5. The Gate 6. The Guards 7. Warming Oneself, and Seeing 8. Cockcrow 9. Swearing, and Bystanders 10. Turning Aside and Weeping 11. Denying and Persecution 12. The Original Author and Language 13. The Meanings and Historicity of the Narrative 13.1 The Meanings 13.1.1 Two Scenes of Contrasting Behavior 13.1.2 Echoes of Day of Atonement Imagery 13.1.3 Confessing and Denying During Persecution 13.2 The Question of Historicity III. The Threefold Commission of Simon Peter in John 21:15-19 Introduction 1. The Commissioning of All the Disciples 2. The Commissioning of Simon Peter Alone in John 21 3. Simon Peter as the "First" Disciple 4. Peter in Acts 5. The Pauline Letters 6. First and Second Peter, and Hebrews 1. Jesus as the Messianic Davidic Shepherd 1.1 The Verbs for Feeding / Tending 1.2 Jesus as a / the Son of David, the Eschatological Messianic King and Shepherd 1.3 The Various Kinds of Sheep in John 21:15-17 2. Jesus as the Shepherd of Israel 2.1 David 2.2 Moses 2.3 Jesus as the New Shepherd Moses 3. Joshua as Moses' Main Disciple, and Peter as Jesus' Main Disciple 4. Num 27:12-23, Cant 1:7-8, and Joshua's Treatment of Individual Groups 4.1 To Love 4.2 To Love More Than 4.3 To Know 4.4 The Threefold Question and Answer 4.5 A Threefold Question and Answer Formula of Ordination 4.6 Three Different Kinds of Sheep 4.7 Girding / Wrapping and Veiling Oneself 4.8 Being Young, Growing Old, and Stretching Out One's Hands 4.8.1 Being Young and Growing Old 4.8.2 Stretching Out One's Hands 4.9 Follow Me 4.10 Simon Son of John 4.11 The Seat of Moses 4.11.1 The Testament of Moses 4.11.2 Sifre Pinh@as 140 on Num 27:19 4.11.3 Petirat Mosheh 5. The Original Language and Provenance of John 21:15-19 6. The Question of the Historicity and Unity of John 21:15-19 7. The Genre 8. The Meanings of John 21:15-19 8.1 Feeding the Sheep 8.2 Forgiveness and Rehabilitation of a Penitent 8.3 The Criterion of Love 8.4 The Fulfillment of Prophecy 8.5 The Tenure of Simon Peter's Commission 8.6 Moses' Commission of Joshua in Judaic Tradition, and Jesus' Commission of Simon Peter Sources and Reference Works Author Index Index of Sources Cited About the Author

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Book SynopsisThis book uses rhetorical analysis to illuminate one of the most fascinating and complicated speeches by Saint Paul: 2 Cor 10â13. The careful crafting of his discourse based on Christological principles ultimately speaks for qualifying it as a self-praise speech (periautologia) with a pedagogical, not defensive, purpose.Trade Review[The book contains] compelling text interpretations. . . .[The author] shows a keen sense of the text, which makes the reading of the book . . . a joy. * Biblische Zeitschrift *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1: 2 Cor 10–13 and the Unity of the Letter Chapter 2: Oral and Discursive Models in 2 Cor 10–13 Chapter 3: 2 Cor 10 as a Key to Reading 2 Cor 10–13 Chapter 4: The Rhetorical Genre of 2 Cor 10–13 General Conclusions Abbreviations Bibliography Indices

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Book SynopsisThis book solves the greatest mystery of all time: where did the story of Jesus really come from? Secret of the Savior unearths the hidden history buried beneath the surface in the Gospel of Mark.Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments Introduction: Myth of the Messiah: An Epic of Salvation PART ONE: THE RISE Chapter One: My Son, the Beloved Chapter Two: Glories of a Shepherd King Chapter Three: The Teacher of Righteousness Arises Chapter Four: Mystery of the Kingdom Revealed Chapter Five: Exile to the Land of Damascus Chapter Six: An Appeal to the People Chapter Seven: The Saints Assemble Chapter Eight: Sectarian Strife Chapter Nine: Last Stand of the Essenes PART TWO: THE FALL Chapter Ten: Beginning Again Chapter Eleven: A Split in the Ranks Chapter Twelve: The Year of the Four Emperors Chapter Thirteen: Besieging the City Chapter Fourteen: A Lull in the Fighting Chapter Fifteen: Fall of the Temple Chapter Sixteen: Massacre of Martyrs Chapter Seventeen: The City Surrenders Chapter Eighteen: Judea Capta Conclusion: The Gospel According to Myth Appendix: Ears to Hear: Myth and History in Mark Bibliography Subject Index

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Book SynopsisThe cross of Christ represents the spiritual, physical, and metaphoric reasons for our existence. Old Testament scripture foreshadows Christ and his sacrifice at the cross. New Testament scripture reiterates that Old Testament vision as we are led to the singularly most significant event in the history of mankind. At the Cross is a line-by-line examination of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John as these apostles describe events from the Garden of Gethsemane to the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. This book is written for both new and seasoned believers so they may find direction for their commitment and the ramifications of that commitment. At the Cross is written for non-believers so they can see why believers from the martyrdom of Christ to the most recent Chinese Christian jailed and tortured for his faith would forfeit their lives and liberty rather than deny their Savior.Trade ReviewRichard Allen has written At the Cross under true inspiration. He is a gifted communicator. . . . I strongly recommend that you read At the Cross with your ‘thinking cap’ on and enjoy the full benefit of this excellent work. -- Rev. Jerry S. Beall, author; founder and director, SOT Ministries, ZambiaWe will all stand before the cross of Christ one day, and for those who come with humility and repentance, they will find freedom and unspeakable joy. In At the Cross, you will discover un-mined riches filling you with awe and wonder. -- Mark H. Vander Meer, pastor, Monocacy Valley Church, Frederick, MDRichard Allen’s book challenges the reader to examine one’s life in the shadow and light of the cross, thus bringing a great sense of hope. Mr. Allen gives us an intimate look at what it will actually cost to follow Jesus: our very lives. -- K. Craig Moorman, The Awe-full Privilege: This Thing Called ParentingHave you yearned for a closer relationship with Jesus but just didn’t know how to get there? Then let At the Cross be your guide. As you read the scriptures, stories, and advice within these pages, you will be drawn closer to Jesus. -- Jean Doerfler, editor and proofreader, Taylor Technologies

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Book SynopsisIn volume two of At the Cross, Richard Allen focuses on the sanctification that follows a believer's initial commitment to Christ. The cross of Christ represents the spiritual, physical, and metaphoric reasons for our existence. At the Cross is a line-by-line examination of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John as these apostles describe events from the Garden of Gethsemane to the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. This book is written for both new and seasoned believers so they may find direction for, and discover the ramifications of, that commitment. At the Cross is also written for nonbelievers so they can see why believers, from the martyrdom of Christ to the most recent Chinese Christian jailed and tortured for his faith, would forfeit their lives and liberty rather than deny their Savior. Trade ReviewThe author and my friend Richard Allen in this second volume of At the Cross, has given us a very challenging call to be holy in an unholy world. His writing style has a Lenard Ravenhill quality that will greatly probe and profit you in your walk with God. -- David Clardie, general evangelist, Clardie Evangelism Ministries, Free Methodist Church of North America, Bad Axe, MIAt the Cross is thought provoking and inundated with great illustrations. Richard Allen points to the great depths of the cross yet presents these deep truths in words which a child can understand. -- Bill Johnson, president, American Decency Association, Fremont, MII believe strongly that the evangelical life-style is the cross-style. The cross was an event shaping and shaking our world, but it was much more. It was the very attitude of the Kingdom manifested through one Man and promised to all people through His Spirit. Richard Allen’s At the Cross will help you embrace this attitude. -- Stephen Manley, lead pastor, Cross Style Church of the Nazarene, founder, Cross Style School of Practical Ministry, Lebanon, TN,At the Cross is a call to self-examination in light of the True Light, Jesus Christ. Richard Allen exhorts the reader to throw off the traditions of men and pride, laying himself and others at the foot of the cross. A book for the honest saint and the honest sinner. It’s for pastor and laity alike. -- Steve Huston, pastor and writer, American Decency Association, Fremont, MITable of ContentsIntroduction Chapter One: Where the world will neither accept nor believe and will lie to cover up the truth Chapter Two: Where the world will reject the truth Chapter Three: Where even when faced with the truth believers will still wonder, question and doubt Chapter Four: Where in times of testing and trials we will question Jesus and his deity Chapter Five: Where Scripture is proven true Chapter Six: Where we are reminded how little we know and told to read Scripture Chapter Seven: Where we won’t understand Scripture unless we commit to look deeply and study Chapter Eight: Where even believers will see things differently, but once together the whole message will be clear Chapter Nine: Where we will be accused—wrongly and rightly Chapter Ten: Where we will have a crisis of faith and will question ourselves and what we believe Chapter Eleven: Where our faith, faithfulness and commitment will be tested Bibliography

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Book SynopsisIn Three Mystics Walk into a Tavern, Jalal ad-Din Rumi, Moses de LeÃn, and Meister Eckhartâ three of the greatest mystics of all timeâmeet for an imaginary conversation that will inspire individuals of the twenty-first century to find their own spirituality and realize that everyone can be a mystic.Trade ReviewThe reader cannot help but join in the conversation, and not only because it is a conversation and not a treatise, a dialogue, and not a lecture. We join in because the conversation talks to the conditions and issues of today, in part through voices that speak today, in the present tense, and not only those that speak out of some misty distant past. The threads of this volume are woven together in a richly hued, tight, and very readable tapestry. The tapestry is also a doorway—into the warmest of intellectual and spiritual taverns, into which all of us are invited, out of the dark, windy night of the everyday world and its complications. The wise reader will read beginning to end, hardly stopping for breath, inspired. -- Ori Z. Soltes, Georgetown University, author of Mysticism in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: Searching for OnenessTable of ContentsForeword Introductory Comments—A Tavern? Chapter 1. What This Book Is—And Is Not—About Everyone Can Be a Mystic Restless Hearts Chapter 2. They Meet at Taverna degli Alighieri in Venice Chapter 3. Mysticism: For Everyone? Trying to Define the Indefinable Mysticism Back on Stage One River, Many Wells Historical Notes Characteristics Dangers of Mysticism Chapter 4. The 13th and Early 14th Centuries as Backdrop Christianity in Europe The Mongols Culture, Education, and Law Political Events 13th-Century Inventions Concluding Comments Chapter 5. Jalal ad-Din Rumi Teachings Major Works Order of Whirling Dervishes Legacy Chapter 6. Meister Eckhart Influence Works and Teachings Modern Spirituality Chapter 7. Moses de León The Zohar The Zohar and Kabbalah Concluding Comments Chapter 8. The Conversation Continues, About the Divine Chapter 9. More Tea, Wine, and Conversation: This Time, About Religion and Whether It Helps or Hinders Chapter 10. Still More Çay and Conversation: The Mystic, Society, and Justice—And How They Fit Together Chapter 11. Women and the Feminine Chapter 12. As Dawn Approaches: Mysticism and the 21st Century Chapter 13. They Conclude—The Underground River and Expanding the Circle Select Bibliography

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Book SynopsisThese five essays deal with the influence of Judaic haggadah or lore, especially in the form of creative historiography or imaginative dramatization, on four enigmatic passages in the Gospels, and one in Acts. They point to their deeper theological truths and negate the alternatives of true or false, historical or non-historical, usually applied to the narratives.Trade ReviewIn these sharply focused essays addressing perennially puzzling passages from the Gospels and Acts, Roger Aus combines an impressive command of rabbinic sources with imaginative, probing exegetical analysis to produce richly textured interpretations that challenge some cherished assumptions, while advancing our understanding of the ways in which "imaginative dramatization" (Judah Goldin) shaped early Christian discourse. These artfully executed studies are models of clarity and methodological precision that exemplify how the world of the rabbis can illuminate the world of the New Testament. -- Carl R. Holladay, Charles Howard Candler Professor of New Testament, Emory UniversityIn the five studies of this book, Roger Aus forcibly argues that rabbinic texts should not be neglected when interpreting the Gospels of the New Testament. Through detailed analyses of narratives in the Synoptic Gospels, John and Acts, he shows how the Jesus tradition of the New Testament frequently exhibits common points of contact with the traditions, the motifs, and the way narratives are presented in rabbinic texts. The author also treats the issue of dating the materials. He presents noteworthy arguments why rabbinic traditions should not be excluded from the study of the Gospels’ history of tradition by simply pointing to the late origin of the present texts. There are only few scholars who can deal with rabbinic sources with such sovereignty as the author of these studies does. The essays presented here provide important impulses for the investigation of the early Gospel tradition. -- Jens Schröter, Humboldt University, Berlin, GermanyTable of ContentsPreface Introduction I. The Cursing of the Fig Tree in Mark 11:12-14, 20-21 and Judaic Tradition on Ps 1:3 II. Jesus' Refusal to Drink the Wine Offered Him in Mark 15:23. Getting Behind the Text III. Luke 1:37 in Light of Gen 18:14 and Judaic Traditions on the Wondrous Conception of Isaac by the Rejuvenated Virgin Sarah IV. John 19:28-30 and the Significance of Hyssop V. "The Severe Famine to Come upon 'the Whole World'" in Acts 11:28 Sources and Reference Works Author Index Index of Sources Cited About the Author

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Book SynopsisMore Sermon Nuggets contains ninety-five topics treated in hundreds of Fred R. Zimmermanâs sermons delivered over the span of six decades to a wide-ranging number of Protestant congregations, mostly in Ohio.Trade ReviewFred's writings reflect for me the ‘wisdom of the ages.’ He has a special gift to select words and phrases that catch our attention and help us refocus on the really important matters of life and faith. -- John Bock, retired ministerReaders who have never had the opportunity to hear a sermon by Fred Zimmerman can now benefit from his insights and biblical knowledge through this second volume of “nuggets,” gleaned from a lifetime of preaching. Truly a treasure trove of truth and inspiration, these excerpts are presented in such a way as to be accessible to any serious sojourner seeking illumination and direction on the road of faith. -- Judy Tarjanyi Roberts, writer and former religion editor of The Blade, Toledo, O., blogs at quietkeepers.comTable of ContentsABRAHAM His Trust in God’s Promise ADVENT SEASON As God’s Offer of Grace ALTAR As Furniture of Worship Made Holy by God ASCENSION As Fulfillment of the Incarnation Jesus Christ Is Now Lord in Heaven as on Earth AUTHORITY Of Jesus as Given, Not Proven BAPTISM As God’s Promise to Us of His Gospel BIBLE As Comfort Amidst Conflict As Inward Confrontation Genesis—The Book of Beginnings Holy Spirit as Its Only True Interpreter Speaks of God in His Sovereignty Upfront about Human Wrongdoing BURDEN Of Daily Life Endured as Rest under the Yoke of Christ Of Our Humanity Overcome by Christ CHRISTIAN EXISTENCE As Conflict of Flesh and Spirit As a Fruitful Branch of the True Vine As Growth in the Grace of Christ As Living with Christ As a Pilgrimage, Not a Tourist Site As the Call to Freedom As True in a Hidden Belonging Exercised in Commitment Keeping Alert to Being IN Christ Learned in the Cradle of Forgiveness Letting God-in-Christ Fulfill His Purpose for You Not Defined by Human Standards CHRISTIANITY As Limited to the Golden Rule—St. Luke 6:31 As Merely Religious Summons Customary Versions of CHRIST JESUS As Being Surprised by Him As Guest in Our Home As Light that Overcomes Darkness As Our Eternal Contemporary As Reality of God’s Word Baptized by John the Baptist Daily Rebirth in Demonstrates the Wideness of God’s Love Friendship of His Consummate Word from the Cross His Entry into the Dominion of Death His Love the Basis of Family Care In Being Beyond Our Knowing Recognized by the Demon-Possessed Sovereignty of CHRISTMAS As Both Poetry and Prose As Experienced by the Bethlehem Shepherds As God’s Event Announced Only by Heaven’s Angels As God’s Gift that Requires a Wilderness Experience As God’s Own Story As Good News to Someone for Everyone Celebrated in a Hymn of Invitation CHURCH As Community of God’s Own People As the School for Issues of Gospel Faith Its Worldly Disorder Like Being with Abraham and Family COMFORT Worldly, in Being Self-Consolation As That Which Abounds in the Father of Mercies CONFIRMATION RITE As God’s Claim on You in Christ Jesus CONSCIENCE As Fear and Shame before God CONVERSION CREATION Of Light, as God’s First Work CROSS of CHRIST As God’s Righteous Judgment DECISION For God, as God’s Calling of Us DISCIPLESHIP As Being a Brother to All Persons As Fellowship with Christ’s Death As Following along with Christ and Doing as He Does As a Humanly Impossible Requirement As Laying Life’s Burdens down at the Cross of Christ As Oneness with God-in-Christ As Remaining Steadfast in Christ As Summons to Implicit Obedience As the Impossible Renunciation As the Way of the Cross Being Responsible to the Presence of Christ EASTER As Celebrated in Confusion As God’s Own Purpose As Living and Dying in Christ ELISHA His Vision of Spiritual Realities FAITH As a Continuing Struggle As Focused on God’s Commanding Purpose As Promise in God’s Power As Tested by Discouragement and Despair As Tested by Obedience to God As Thoughtful, Not Mindless Dependent on Loyalty of Devoted Love Is Staying in the Company of Jesus Not a Way of Proving God FORGIVENESS As the Fire of Divine Cleansing GLORY Divine, as Revealed by the Word GOD And Religious Patriotism As Confronted by His Reality As David’s Trust As Potter of a New Humanity As the Only Solution to One’s Loneliness Dimensions of His Love Glory as All His Own His Everlasting Word His Faithfulness His Friendship as a Reckoning Relationship His Hand His Love as David’s Only Testimony His Silence a Price in Learning to Believe Secure under His Wings To Whom We Are Bound to Give Account GOD, POWER OF As Denied by Pharaoh Exercised in Fulfillment of His Purpose GOD, PRESENCE OF As a Problematical Concern In the Birth of Jesus Not to Be Mistaken as a “Good-Luck” Charm To Be Sought Whether Asleep or Awake GOD, RIGHTEOUSNESS OF Revealed in Death as God’s Wrath Revealed in God’s Calling of the Prophet: Isaiah 6:1-8 GOD, SOVEREIGNTY OF As Revealed in the Cross of Christ GOD, WORD OF As Absolutely Trustworthy As Challenge of the NEW in Christ As a Joyful Imperative As a Misunderstood Voice As Power and Truth As Spiritual Food Its Fullness in Christ GOSPEL As Wholly Contained in Psalm 23 As God’s Holy Love, Subverted by Cultural Christianity GRACE As Dwelling in Community of God’s Love Its Three-Fold Dimension of Christian Existence GUIDANCE As Being Alive to God GUILT As a Prevalent Human Condition HEART As Channel of Life’s Issues As Determination of Character HOLY COMMUNION Its Reality Is in Being Received Jesus Giving Himself in an Intimate Event HOLY SPIRIT As Power in the Name of Jesus Christ Replaced by Evil When Withdrawn Represents the Reality of Christ Jesus HOPE True as Being Grounded in God IGNORANCE Concerning Christ INSECURITY As a Clue to the Gospel’s Relevance JACOB As Confronted by God’s Purpose in a Vision JESUS As Awesome Confrontation As Not Just Another Preacher As Not Primarily a Healer As Our Kingly God As the Crucified Christ As the Distinctive New Among the Old As the Invisible “Light of the World” Comes to Us as Christ the Lord Crucified with Two Criminals His Freedom in Mission His Ministry Ordained through John’s Baptism His Resurrection a FACT, Not a PRINCIPLE His Resurrection Not Just Another Miracle His Suffering as Eternal Sorrow His Teaching as the Gospel Enigma Mission and Message Misunderstood More than a Teacher of Good Unacceptable as Prophetic Fulfillment JOB, BOOK OF JOY As Distinct from Pleasure and Happiness Encompassed for Us in Christ JUDGMENT By and of Man in the Cross of Jesus KINGDOM OF GOD As Present in Christ Crucified As Promise of God’s Victorious Dominion Bears Fruit by Those Only with Ears to Hear Discovered and Gained as a Costly Treasure Entrance Price Entrance Requirement LIFE As Barren without God As Eternal in Its Mission As in Christ before Death and Resurrection As Mystery of Darkness and Light in God As Profane When Without God As a Spiritual Struggle As the Light of Eternity in Christ As Transformed by Christ Facing Its Reality Its Fulfillment in God Poses the Ultimate Question to God-Fearing People LOVE As GOD’S Purpose for Us As Sacrificial Giving For Christ as Being Emptied for Others In Christ the Lord as Prerequisite to Ministry When Fear is Overcome by God’s Love in Christ MARY, MOTHER OF JESUS MINISTRY Of God’s Word as Commitment to Pastoral Care MIRACLES Performed by Jesus as “Signs” NICODEMUS In Failing to Take Up His Cross OBEDIENCE As Being Bound to God, Not to the Law As Prescribed by the Mother of Jesus As the DOING of God’s Will As the Ultimate Decision Inadequate Simply as Sacrifice OLD TESTAMENT Reveals God’s Activity in Human Affairs PALM SUNDAY As a Spontaneous but Misunderstood Event The Challenge of Jesus’ Kingship PAUL, THE APOSTLE As Dying with Christ and Alive to God His Ministry to Be Judged Only by God PEACE As Faith Abiding in Christ As Revealed and Given to Us in Christ Jesus [John 14:28] PEOPLE As Crowd Followers of Jesus PETER, the DISCIPLE His Confession—As Imagined His Discipleship Transformed His Independence PETER, the APOSTLE Empowered by Christ in His Healing Ministry PHARISEES As Justified in Their Opposition to Jesus PRAYER As Being Alone with God As Deliverance from SELF As God’s Own Invitation As God’s Promises Fulfilled in Christ As True in the Context of God’s Glory As Wanting What God Determines Necessary as Taught by Jesus When It Requires Our Own Responsibility PREACHING Categories Genuine as God’s Action through His Spirit In the Apostolic Tradition Requires Faithfulness to the Word of God PRIDE As Refusing to Let Jesus Be Our Savior PROPHETIC HERITAGE, OUR As Reverential Fear of God PROVIDENCE As God’s Care for His Own Necessitates Human Response PSALMS As Expressive Guides in Our Daily Prayers Manifest Confidence in Faithfulness of God RECONCILIATION [See 2 Corinthians 5:19] As the Priority of the Father’s Love for the Son RELIGION Its True Priority and Promise True as Continuing Prayer RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE As Godly Fear As God’s Own Enterprise REPENTANCE As Readiness for God’s Grace Required in God’s Promise of Pardon RESURRECTION As General and Gospel Truth RIGHTEOUSNESS As Delight in God SALVATION As Realized in Exertion SANCTIFICATION Being Identified as Sinner-Saints Requires Self-Examination SELF-EXAMINATION As Authentic When in Christ As Being Beyond Introspection SELF-UNDERSTANDING As Process in Being Bound to Christ SIN As Claiming Life for Ourselves As Illustrated by the “Prodigal Son” As Judged in the Mirror of God’s Word Its Reality as Faced by St. Paul Revealed in the Shame of Disobedience SORROW Worldly versus Godly SPIRITUALITY As Confronted by Eternity As of Man or of God As the Secret of God’s Grace STEWARDSHIP As being Accountable Before the Judgment Seat of Christ SUFFERING As Manifest in Jesus Crucified TEMPTATION As a Serious Matter in Christian Existence As Portrayed in the Story of Job THANKSGIVING As Abiding Only in God As Gratitude in Christ As Honoring God in His Holiness As Living—Not Simply Giving—Thanks TIME As Enclosed by Eternity Of Crisis and of the End TRUTH As Being Cruciform As Fountain of Freedom As the Reality of God Manifested Only in Christ WAITING As Being in Readiness for God As Sponsored by God For God as Essential Obedience Is a Matter of Being Patient WISDOM As a Misunderstood Value As Awareness in the Heart of Knowing God Its Source as Humanly Elusive Its True Source WORK As Man’s Redemption in Christ As Prescribed by God WORLD In Its Negative and Positive Determinations WORLDLINESS As a Matter of Possessions WORSHIP As Being Confronted by the Mystery and Majesty of God As True in the One God Who Carries In Church as Sanctuary of Place and Time YOKE As Our Savior’s Discipline As Freedom in Surrender to Christ

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewI have long awaited a book that at last makes clear the connection between ancient Japanese spirituality and contemporary Japanese social behavior. Nishitani takes Nipponjinron into new territory in pursuit of discovering what truly lies at the heart of Japanese culture. Through his analysis of the Japanese reticence to organ transplantation he first draws our attention to the profound importance placed on blood-relationships in Japan and gradually thrusts forward to unpack the concept of “maternal-filial affection” as a cultural-religious key to understanding Japaneseness. While grappling with numerous sociological and anthropological factors, Nishitani’s work carefully builds a theology of contemporary Japanese behavior. Such an insight is urgently needed in this era of globalization. -- Hideo Ōki, President Emeritus, Tokyo Union Theological Seminary.Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments Chapter 1: Seminal Studies of Nipponjinron The First Substantial Nipponjinron-ron Nipponjinron as Consumer Goods The Significance of Befu’s Nipponjinron-ron Aoki’s Work as a Baseline for Nipponjinron-ron Four Stages of Post-war Nipponjinron Nipponjinron-bashing Benedict’s Nipponjinron as a Point of Departure Glocalism as a Conclusion Funabiki’s Nipponjinron-ron for the Twenty-first Century Nipponjinron in the Context of Modernization The Need for Nipponjinron as Public Property and Political Opinion Nipponjinron for the Self-transformation of the Japanese Chapter 2: My Own Perspective on Nipponjinron Modernization, Internationalization, and Globalization as a Grand Context for Nipponjinron The “Third Opening” of Japan and Globalization What Is Modernization, Internationalization, and Globalization? Fruits of the Age-old Struggle to Be Free A Critique of Democracy in Japanese Conservative Nationalism Making Democracy a Universal Public Good “Human Rights! Human Rights! Human Rights!” Anthropological Concentration Religious Plurality as a Public Framework vs. Religious Pluralism as a Frame of Thought The Need for Religious Reinterpretation of Modern Values Human Nature and National Feature Nipponjinron as a Particularistic View of Japanese National Features A Nipponjinron for the Public Forum Chapter 3: Encountering Nipponjinron The Nipponjinron Boom From Bushidō to Shomindō An Encounter of Japanese Identity with Christian Spirituality Organ Transplant and Nipponjinron Four Representative Cases The Etiquette of Giving and Receiving Obligation: The Psychological Complex of the Japanese Liver Transplant in Japan Kinship Driven Ethics Chapter 4: Nipponism The Creation of Nipponism Nipponism as Humanism Christian Nipponists The Difficulty of Defining the Concept of Nipponism Covenantal Adoption and Blood Relation The World of “Your You” Combinaison Binaire (Second Person Relation) Intimacy and Verticality in the Second Person Relation Honorifics in Japanese Language The Parental-filial Relation in Japanese Life The “Essence” of Nipponism The Life and Works of Fabian The Tale of Heike: A Rational Balance Sheet of Obligation The Story of Giō: On as Duty Mercury Poisoning: Claims for Compensation vs. Keeping the Peace Chapter 5: Reinterpreting Nipponism A Methodological Perspective for a Study of National Identity Discerning Characteristics Unique to a Nation The Rigidity of the Blood Relation System in Japan Parental-filial Relation: The Core of Nipponism Parental-filial Duty: Giving and Receiving On Non-blood Relation and On: A Rational Balance Sheet On in Japanese Social Ethics The Parental-filial Relation as Ethical Axiom Parental-filial Affection as the Religious Substance of the Japanese Nipponism as Civil Religion? Groupism and Kūki The Problem with Regarding Nipponism as Nationalism From Intratextuality to Globality Chapter 6: Japan as a Maternal Society Maternalism Paternalism The Predominance of Maternalism in Japanese Society The Dream of Shinran The Predominance of Paternalism in Western Society An Ethic of Place Inside and Outside the Place Is It Possible for the Japanese to Recover Paternalism? Puer Aeternus (Eternal Boy) in a Maternal Society Paternalism: National Feature or Human Nature? The Japanese Were Exclusively Raised by Mothers! Children of a Father May Marry but Those of a Mother May Not! When Did the Period of Puer Aeternus Begin? From Maternalism to the “Creation” of Paternalism Chapter 7: A Psychology of Japanese Maternalism A Psychoanalytical Theory Made in Japan Ajase Monogatari (Ajase Story) and The Ajase Complex Reciprocal Therapy: Repentance and Forgiveness The Transmission of Maternal-filial Conflict between Generations Ajase Story and Orestes Story: Maternalism and Paternalism Oriental Mechanism of Defense against Guilt-consciousness Japanese Masochistic Maternalism Amae (Dependence) and Japanese Maternalism A Definition of Amae Social Application of Amae in Japan Amae as a Predominant Y Derived from the Maternal-filial Relation Z Maternal Love, Amae and Homosexuality Manifestation of Maternal Feelings Latent in Japanese Society Japanese Society through Maternal Eyes The Song of Yoitomake Japanese Maternal Eyes “I love the authentic Japan more than the Japanese do” Kan’non the Sorrowful Mother Chapter 8: An Ethic of Maternal-filial Affection San’nin Kichisa (The Three Kichisas) A Society not of Chōtei (Arbitration) but of Chūsai (Intercession) Oyabun (Superior) and Kobun (Subordinate) Semi-Blood Relation: Oshō as Oyabun and Ojō or Obō as Kobun Saving One Another’s Face in the Parental-filial Relation On Receiving Something for Nothing Kobun’s Money in Oyabun’s Pocket An Anatomy of Japanese Politics A Model of Amae (Dependence) and Oya-gokoro (Parental Affection) The Handiwork of a Kyariya-kanryō (Career Bureaucrat) Amakudari (Golden Parachute) Dangō (Consultation) Why Social Reform Is So Difficult in Japan Okami as Oya (Parent) Victimizing Shimojimo as Ko (Children) Why Bureaucrats Prevail over Politicians in Japan An Important Dialogue with Mr. van Wolferen Chichi Kaeru (Father Returns Home) The Parable of the Prodigal Son and Chichi Kaeru The Return of the Prodigal. A Comedy for Fathers Instinctive Belief in the Japanese Parental-filial Affection “Even Akutagawa Was Crying” Kenagesa (Admirableness) of the Child Awaresa (Pitifulness) of the Old Person Affection and Forgiveness in Blood Relation Oya no Kogaeri (The Parent Becoming the Child) The Bottom Line of Parental-filial Affection for Ethics Chapter 9: Irresponsibility: The Decisive Problem of Japanese Society Social Irresponsibility and the Second Person Relation Irresponsible Hierarchy in the Emperor System A View of the Japanese Emperor as a Baby Irresponsibility and the Hollow-centered Structure of Japanese Society Abolishing the Emperor System: The Impossible Agenda “The Emperor Was Only Made Use of” Chapter 10: The Origin of the Japanese System Kojiki (Record of Ancient Matters) and Nippon-shoki (Chronicles of Japan) The Invention of Man’yō-gana Norinaga Moto’ori Sōkichi Tsuda Fujiwara no Fuhito: The Original Designer of the Japanese State The Emperor System in a Legal State The Emperor: High Priest as Political Figurehead Subordinate as True Leader A Survey of Japan’s Historical Formation Prince Shōtoku and the Soga Clan Taika Reform The Relationship of Emperor Tenji and Nakatomi no Kamatari to the Soga Clan The Compilation of a National History Emperor Tenmu on Buddhism and Taoism Empress Jitō’s Impatience Fujiwara no Fuhito’s Debut in the Yamato Dynasty An Alliance between Jitō and Fuhito The Sword of Prince Kusakabe A Principle Never to Be Changed A Personal Agenda under the Guise of Public Principle An Analysis of the Myths in Record and Chronicles Chapter 11: Interpreting Chronicles of Japan The Historical Process of Writing Chronicles of Japan The Key Importance of Man’yō-gana Group α Chinese Authors and Group β Japanese Authors The Two Divisions of the 30 Volumes of Chronicles Group α: Shoku Shugen and Satsu Kōkaku Group β: Yamada no Fuhito Mikata Who Wrote the Seventeen-Article Constitution? The Last Volume on Empress Jitō The Process of the Making of Chronicles A Chronology of the Compilation of Chronicles The First Term of the National History Project The Second Term of the National History Project The Relationship between Kojiki and the Fujiwara Clan The Relationship between Fujiwara no Fuhito and Yamada no Fuhito Mikata The Case for Fuhito as the Producer of Record and Chronicles Chapter 12: The Japanese System and Maternal-filial Affection The Significance of Ueyama’s View Japan as a Religious State: The Division of Labor in Buddhism and Shintō The DNA of the State of Japan: Jitō’s Filial Affection for her Descendants Maternal-filial Affection as a Public Value in Japan The Uroboric Regency as the Cost of the Emperor System Epilogue Think of Me as Your Mother Shintō Beliefs: The Blood Relation between Kami and Humans Shintō Faith: This World Alone Index

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Book SynopsisIn gospel accounts, Jesus asks of his disciples, âœWho do people say that I am?â The author traces answers from major world religionsâChristianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. The final chapter explores how these religions view the ultimate fate of others.Trade ReviewAccording to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus asked his followers: “Who do people say that I am?” As simple a question as it seems, the answers are even more numerous now than they were in biblical times. Who or what do people and the faiths they follow say Jesus was? Was he human? Was he the son of God? Was he something else entirely? Prying deeper into this question, the author seeks answers from doctrines and thinkers of various religious groups. Who, for instance, is Jesus according to the Quran? How did ancient Gnostics view him? Incorporating the works of many famous and not-so famous minds (from Blaise Pascal to yogi Ramakrishna Paramahamsa), the main question, along with examinations of religions and the sects within religions, are investigated in a sober manner. Although many Hindus may believe Jesus was a man of peace and importance, he is “not the sole Great Man.” The same can be said of the Dalai Lama, who “accepts a Jesus that folds into that Buddhist story while declining to accept traditional Christian doctrine about Jesus.” It may be obvious that Jesus serves as a focus for most of Christianity and not for other religions (otherwise they, too, would be Christians), but what is of greater interest is why. This is where the book shines. Johnson articulates what he considers to be key differences between faiths; for example: “Christianity and Judaism disagree on the nature of the problem—the human condition—they also disagree on the answer to the problem.” Though the book is brief, it’s dense with information. While Christ’s place in all religions is not covered exhaustively (Jesus as portrayed in the Baha’i faith might have been of interest, likewise indigenous responses to Christianity in places like the Americas), the material provided offers a lot to consider. A concise, enlightened examination of various perspectives on Christ. * Kirkus *Table of ContentsForeword 1. The Stories by which We Live 2. Jesus in Christianity 3. Jesus in Judaism 4. Jesus in Islam 5. Jesus in Hinduism 6. Jesus in Buddhism 7. Jesus only? Religions and the Fate of Others Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisPrayer as Divine Experience examines the emotional language in the prayer preludes contained in 4 Ezra and the hymns recounted in John’s Apocalypse. Based on studies in neuropsychology, readers or hearers of the emotional language could potentially achieve a divine experience similar to what is described in this literature.Trade ReviewHow does biblical prayer move us and transform our lives? How does scriptural praying open up or break through the heavens to touch the heart of the transcendent God? How does God generate joy in our spirit, nurture confidence in our souls, and instill hope in our lives through prayer even in apocalyptic times? David Seal’s interdisciplinary study not only helps us to feel these questions through his examination of 4 Ezra and Revelation but also leads us to hear afresh divine answers in these texts. Take up-read-listen, and then be ready to pray like you’ve never prayed before! -- Amos Yong, Regent University School of Divinity, Virginia Beach, VATable of ContentsTable of Contents Chapter 1– Introduction Chapter 2–Orality, Neuroscience, Performance and Emotions Chapter 3–Prayer as Divine Experience in 4 Ezra Chapter 4–Prayer as Divine Experience in John’s Apocalypse Chapter 5–Conclusion Bibliography

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Book SynopsisThis book is a commentary on all the parables of Jesus in the gospel. Each parable is set forth in detail and following the parable are a commentary and interpretation of the parable. In all, 41 parables are printed and interpreted. Included in the book is a Preface as well as Acknowledgements. There are also three appendices. The first appendix is on the Ten Commandments; the second appendix comments and seeks to interpret The Sermon on the Mount. The third appendix consists of additional reflections on certain topics. The book concludes with a select bibliography.Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgements The Parable of the Sower The Parable of the Patient Husbandman The Parable of the Mustard Seed The Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen The Parable of the Budding Fig Tree The Parable of the Doorkeeper The Parable of Going Before the Judge The Parable of the Two Houses The Parable of the Children in the Market The Parable of the Return of the Unclean Spirit The Parable of the Tares Among the Wheat The Parable of the Leaven The Parable of the Treasure The Parable of the Pearl The Parable of the Seine-net The Parable of the Lost Sheep The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant The Parable of the Good Employer The Parable of the Two Sons The Parable of the Great Supper The Parable of the Guest Without a Wedding Garment The Parable of the Burglar The Parable of the Servant Entrusted with Supervision The Parable of the Ten Virgins The Parable of the Pounds and Talents The Parable of the Last Judgment The Parable of the Two Debtors The Parable of the Good Samaritan The Parable of the Friend Who Asked for Help The Parable of the Rich Fool The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree The Parable of the Closed Door The Parable of Places at the Table The Parable of the Tower Builder and the King Contemplating a Campaign The Parable of the Lost Drachma The Parable of the Prodigal Son The Parable of the Unjust Steward The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus The Parable of the Servant’s Reward The Parable of the Unjust Judge The Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican Appendix I: The Ten Commandments or The Decalogue Appendix II: The Sermon on the Mount Appendix III: Additional Reflections Bibliography Index of Biblical Citations

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Book SynopsisWith the aid of early Jewish sources, this study opens new avenues of interpretation regarding two enigmatic passages on baptism in Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, 10:1-5 and 15:29.Trade ReviewRoger Aus's meticulous, carefully executed analysis of Jewish comparanda sheds new light on two perennially puzzling Pauline passages. This richly rewarding study especially exemplifies how an informed, first-hand understanding of Rabbinic sources can illuminate New Testament exegesis. -- Carl Holladay, Emory University, U.S.A.This careful study by Roger Aus examines 1 Cor 10:1-5 and 15:29 on the basis of Israelite and early Jewish analogies. A broad spectrum of texts is investigated: prophetic and sapiential writings, Philo and Josephus, as well as rabbinic sources. New light from these texts is cast upon various aspects of Paul's peculiar statements regarding baptism, including the genre of 1 Cor 10:1-5. Roger Aus is one of the few scholars capable of making Israelite and early Jewish literature in such breadth fruitful for the interpretation of early Christian texts. In view of studies like this, appeal to, or rejection of, the commentary of (Strack-) Billerbeck will simply no longer suffice. -- Jens Schröter, Humboldt University, Berlin, GermanyTable of ContentsI. 1 Corinthians 10:1-5 and Judaic Tradition on Ezekiel 16 II. Paul's Toleration in Corinth of Baptism on Behalf of the Dead (1 Cor 15:29), and Intercession for the Dead in Early Judaism Sources and Reference Works Index of Sources Cited About the Author

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Book SynopsisThe book is an in-depth, reader friendly analysis of the Book of Judges, one of the most dramatic books of the Bible. This study argues that the Book of Judges has a single focused message: that it is the values held by a people and not its politics that determine its fate.Trade Review[Millgram]…wonderfully integrates an explanation of the relevant historical background of the book and includes an analysis of the concepts necessary for a deep understanding of the text. [He] also delineates… the literary, historical and religious significance of Judges… giving no little attention to linguistic and textual problems in order to explain words, expressions, and difficult concepts whose significance requires elucidation, comparing the text we have with those that exist in ancient translations of the Bible (the Septuagint, the Vulgate) and by examining the medieval Jewish commentaries and modern non-Jewish expositors. This is a unique work that every reader… will enjoy immensely, and will learn much from it about the Book of Judges in particular, and about the Bible in general. -- Shlomo Sharan, professor emeritus, Tel-Aviv University, professor emeritus, Tel-Aviv UniversityYou are not really a thinker unless you are thinking outside the box. If you are not thinking in a new way then you are really simply repeating the thoughts of others…. Hillel Millgram is a thinker because he thinks outside the box….[He] senses the glory and the tragedy of Biblical figures….[He] has keen cultural sensibility, bringing together different cultures in order to achieve a kind of wisdom. In his works he exhibits the literary and historical sensibility of a profound ethical thinker, showing that the bottom line is that ultimately God has to be the moral arbiter of the world. -- Avraham H. Feder, rabbi-emeritus and senior scholar, Beth Tikvah Synagogue, TorontoA beautifully written historical narrative which reads as a novel…. The Biblical characters come alive, and careful research and original translation clarify both the social structural, cultural, and psychological factors as well as the symbolism that contextualize the author’s explanation of the Book of Judges… a significant contribution to our understanding of this biblical period both in terms of history and social science and a profound message of how leaders may became part of the problem rather than its solution. -- Judith Porter, PhD, Professor Emerita of sociology, Bryn Mawr CollegeThe timeliness of this collection is part of its appeal. Immigration has moved from a vital part of our modern society to a political talking point. -- Lisa C. Taylor, Mom Egg ReviewTable of ContentsAbbreviations List of Maps Preface and Acknowledgements Introduction Prologue: Setting the Stage Foreword: A Flawed Follow-Up Chapter 1: Getting Our Bearings Chapter 2: The View from Olympus Part I: The First Saviors: Solo Beginnings Chapter 3: A New Age Dawns Chapter 4: The Left Hand of God A Minor Interlude: Shamgar Part II: The Deborah Duet Chapter 5: Canaan’s Last Gasp Chapter 6: Sing Muse, How the Enemies of the Lord are Fallen Part III: The Gideon Quartet Chapter 7: The Hewer of Idols Chapter 8: The Day of Midian Chapter 9: Nemesis Chapter 10: The Man Who Would Be King A Second Minor Interlude: Tola And Jair Part IV: The Jephthah Quintet: A Tragedy in Five Installments Chapter 11: A Dialogue Twixt Heaven and Earth Chapter 12: The Man from Tob Chapter 13: Giving Peace a Chance Chapter 14: Triumph and Tragedy Chapter 15: Into the Valley Of Death Final Minor Interlude: Ibzan, Elon and Abdon Part V: The Loose Cannon: The Samson Sextet Chapter 16: Introduction: The Tragedy Of Samson Chapter 17: Prologue: In the Beginning Chapter 18: Timnah Chapter 19: Vengeance Is Mine Chapter 20: The Way to Dusty Death Chapter 21: Unresolved Dissonances Epilogue: Has It Come To This? Chapter 22: Epilogue Part I: A Tale of Stolen Silver Chapter 23: Epilogue Part II (A): Atrocity! Chapter 24: Epilogue Part II (B): Outrage! Chapter 25: Epilogue Part II (C): Restoration Conclusion Chapter 26: Olympus Revisited Appendices Glossary of Terms and Place Names Who’s Who in Judges Selected Bibliography Index About the Author

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Book SynopsisJack Shechter explores the idea of monotheism as it has evolved over the centuries: the belief in the existence of the One God who fashioned the world and remains involved in it and with humanity and its values.Trade ReviewWith The Idea of Monotheism: A Guide to Its Evolution, Jack Shechter makes a major contribution to the history of ideas. The author carefully and clearly illustrates how the conception of Monotheism—the foundational doctrine of Judaism, Christianity and Islam—has evolved from patriarchal times through the early modern period. Along the way, the book packs three major theological punches—in a chapter on the divergent God idea in Christianity vis-à-vis Judaism, one on the Divinity in the human being, and a concluding chapter on the meaning and relevance of Monotheism for moderns. To demonstrate how and why all this came about, the author culls the pertinent biblical texts, consults prominent ancient, medieval and modern philosophers and theologians, and distills their insights into lucid and readable prose. This work reflects the author’s experience over decades of teaching biblical ideas to students training for the rabbinate and priesthood. It also reflects his vast experience and highly effective work as educator of the public at large. -- Ziony Zevit, American Jewish University and author of What Really Happened in the Garden of Eden?In this book Jack Shechter shows how the monotheistic idea grew into its own over the biblical period and flowered fully among the rabbis. He shows that the core notions implicit in the One God idea during the pre-Mosaic and Mosaic eras emerged with greater power among the biblical prophets and classical rabbis, and especially that the ethical and practical implications of these core notions expressed themselves more clearly and definitively over time. Most importantly, in a set of very important chapters, the author relates the basic idea of monotheism—the absolute uniqueness of God—to the problem of a divine spark within human beings which enables them to live ethically and love. Shechter then draws out the moral corollaries from the understanding that one God created all humanity. He writes with great clarity and with an eye toward the concerns of a modern, searching religious person. -- Benjamin D. Sommer, Jewish Theological Seminary, author of The Bodies of God and the World of Ancient IsraelTable of ContentsChapter 1: The Patriarchs and Monotheism Chapter 2: Moses and Monotheism Chapter 3: The Prophets and Monotheism Chapter 4: The Rabbis and Monotheism Chapter 5: Judaism vis-à-vis Christianity on Monotheism Chapter 6: Was Monotheism Compromised? The Divinity and the Human Being Chapter 7: Why is the Notion of the Oneness of God—the Cornerstone of Monotheism—of Such Basic Importance?

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Book SynopsisIn this book, Stein uncovers the meaning behind mentions of mental symptoms found in the Old Testament. The verses of the Old Testament were written with a primary religious intention, but sometimes they reference well-known psychiatric symptoms, which only becomes clear when all religion, history, and myth are stripped away.Table of ContentsForeword by John Barton, FBA Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: Job: A Man With Severe Depression Chapter 3: Jeremiah: The Nature of His Woe Chapter 4: Lamentations Chapter 5: The Hebrew Psalms and Affective Disorder Chapter 6: King Saul: The Nature of His Insanity Chapter 7: Suicide, Suicidal Thoughts and Self-mutilation in the Bible Chapter 8: Ezekiel: Schizophrenia or Schizo-Affective Disorder? Chapter 9: Did Chronic Mental Illness Exist in the Ancient World? Chapter 10: Proverbs and Personality Disorders: Male Types of Antisocial Personality Disorder Chapter 11: The “Strange Woman” of Proverbs Chapter 12: Psychosomatic Disorders and Other Miscellaneous Episodes Chapter 13: Children Chapter 14: Alcoholism in Ancient Israel Chapter 15: Sirach: An Observer of Humanity and Psychiatry Chapter 16: Concluding Remarks Appendix 1 Appendix 2

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Book SynopsisIn this comprehensive treatment, Borowskisy nthesises what is known about the use of animals for clothing, transportation, food and cult practices in biblical times. Essays on pastoral systems and agricultural economics are included.Trade ReviewA well-written account of the role of animals in ancient Israel provides enough examples of the compexity of human/animal relationships to make it of general interest to all zooarchaeologists. * Society For Archaeological Sciences Bulletin *Table of Contentschapter 1 Preface chapter 2 Introduction chapter 3 The Story of Animals chapter 4 Ruminants chapter 5 Draft and Pack Animals chapter 6 Other Domestic Animals chapter 7 The Birds and the Bees chapter 8 Water Fauna chapter 9 Wild Animals chapter 10 Animals in the Cult of Ancient Israel chapter 11 The Place of Animals in the Daily Economy chapter 12 References chapter 13 Author Index chapter 14 Subject Index chapter 15 Index of Biblical Quotations chapter 16 Index of Semitic Terms chapter 17 Index of Archaeological Sites

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Book SynopsisThe agricultural world of Old Testament Israel swarmed with animalsbirds, insects, fish, pack animals, pets, animals for hunting, and domesticated herds of sheep, goats, and cattle. Using information from the Bible, Ancient Near Eastern documents, anthropology, and archaeology, Borowski synthesizes what we know about the use of animals in biblical times for food, clothing, transportation, and even cultic practices. This comprehensive catalog is a convenient desk resource for any reader_whether biblical scholar, archaeology student, or layperson. Essays on pastoral systems, cult, and agricultural economics, makes this also an important tool for researchers.Trade ReviewA well-written account of the role of animals in ancient Israel provides enough examples of the compexity of human/animal relationships to make it of general interest to all zooarchaeologists. * Society For Archaeological Sciences Bulletin *Table of Contentschapter 1 Preface chapter 2 Introduction chapter 3 The Story of Animals chapter 4 Ruminants chapter 5 Draft and Pack Animals chapter 6 Other Domestic Animals chapter 7 The Birds and the Bees chapter 8 Water Fauna chapter 9 Wild Animals chapter 10 Animals in the Cult of Ancient Israel chapter 11 The Place of Animals in the Daily Economy chapter 12 References chapter 13 Author Index chapter 14 Subject Index chapter 15 Index of Biblical Quotations chapter 16 Index of Semitic Terms chapter 17 Index of Archaeological Sites

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThe book opens with the familiar but still funny line some Jews use to describe their holidays: “They tried to kill us. We won. Let’s eat.” Happily, this book takes things further and does so in highly readable manner. All the major holidays are covered, as well as some of the lesser ones, including Tishah-b’Ab, a day that commemorates the destruction of both the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem. Ironically (or not), it is also the day the Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492. Because the book is written without affectation, those new to the holidays will find it a way to understand both the meaning and the observance of Judaism’s special days. The text is full of interesting facts, from the origin of the Kol Nidre service to the story behind gift giving at Hanukkah and the derivation of Moses’ name. And, appropriately, each holiday gets a section, called “Let’s Eat,” that details the foods associated with the day (or in the case of Yom Kippur, how to fast). A good starting point for both Jews and their non-Jewish friends who want to know more. * Booklist *If you want to know the story behind the Jewish a cappella group the Maccabeats’ latest video, look to this book. If you are one of a burgeoning number of interfaith families, this guide will help you. Axelrod (cantor, Congregation Beth Israel, Scotch Plains, NJ; Surviving Your Bar/Bat Mitzvah) has a facility for making the shofar and the seder accessible to all. Without compromising their theological importance, he sets the 11 most important Jewish holidays in their historical and ritual contexts, adding wit and a bit of whimsy. In explicating a holiday, he titles sections with such headers as 'The Back Story,' 'Let’s Eat,' and 'The Bottom Line.' Certain celebrations require additional headings such as 'Come on Baby, Light My Fire.' There are 'Tips for Parents' and 'In Depth' segments throughout. He describes the holidays also through real-life applications and scenarios such as alternatives to camping in a tent for seven days during Sukkot. The three appendixes—a 'Quick Guide to the Holidays,' a Jewish calendar, and a glossary—offer great value on their own. VERDICT. . . This is an excellent choice for readers new to Jewish holidays and history and anyone wishing to incorporate these meaningful celebrations into their own lives. * Library Journal *Table of ContentsTable of Contents Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Rosh Hashanah: Repent Now! 2. Yom Kippur: No Food For How Long? 3. Sukkot: Please Step Into The Booth 4. Shemini Atzeret & Simchat Torah: The Holiday That No One Knows 5. Chanukah: It’s A Miracle Anyone Can Spell It 6. Purim: The Ultimate Jewish Revenge Fantasy 7. Passover: Bring On The Matzah 8. Shavuot: The Forgotten Festival 9. Tisha B’av: The Saddest Day Of The Year 10. Calendar Oddities, Minutiae, and Miscellany Appendix I: Your Quick And Handy Guide To All The Holidays Appendix II: Your Quick and Handy Guide to All The Jewish Months Appendix III: Glossary Of Terms And Phrases About the Author

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Book SynopsisPresented here is a systemized worldview of how the sequence of time is structured through mitzvot, symbols, prayers, as well as weekly festival and holiday Bible readings and study.

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Book SynopsisThe events surrounding the holidays molded the foundation of the Jews as a nation and are related to their continuity and survival as Jews throughout history. The author contends that there is a cyclical nature to the events of Jewish history. It attempts to give the reader an appreciation of the cyclical nature of Jewish history.

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Book SynopsisDeals with the search for the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel by Jews and by Christians. This work discusses the motivations for the search and the methods used by the searchers, from similarity of language, physical appearance, customs and mythology, to a re-interpretation of biblical excerpts to suit specific situations encountered by the searchers.Trade ReviewReading on the Aztecs, the British people, or the Afghans, everyone has found mentions of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. So many people in so many places throughout history were fascinated by their story. What does it tell us about the nature of collective identities and the way they are built? Rivka Gonen's book is fascinating since it is the first to explore one of the most enduring myths in Western—and up to a point also in Eastern—history. -- Paul Claval, University of Paris-Sorbonne

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Book SynopsisA Woman''s Voice examines the themes reflected in the stories of women in the Bible and relates these motifs directly to the lives of women today. Marcella Bakur Weiner and Blema Feinstein celebrate the ideas and lessons found in traditional Jewish sources and explain their relevance for contemporary women.Trade ReviewFor many centuries the still, small voice of Jewish women would delicately penetrate the hearts of generations inclined to listen. This voice, forever mindful of the need for concealment, has given love, life, inspiration, and encouragement to Hashem's lonely children. In our times, more than ever, we desperately need to hear 'A Woman's Voice' to understand her unique message, to look at the Torah and ourselves through her eyes. A Woman's Voice takes us on a unique journey through Tenach so that we may once again hear the voice of those great women of our past, understand their message for the present, and be filled with a hope for the future. Read and be inspired! -- Rabbi Moshe Weinberger, Congregation Aish Kodesh of Woodmere, New YorkDr. Blema Feinstein and Dr. Marcella Bakur Weiner have presented to the modern reader access to what, for many of us, is a treasure beyond price; role models for our own lives. What an accomplishment! These true-to-life stories of women who have applied these insights to their own lives open new vistas for those of us whose gap has never been bridged. -- Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller, Neve Yerushalayim Seminary for Women

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Book SynopsisTo find more information on Rowman & Littlefield titles, please visit us at www.rowmanlittlefield.com.

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Book SynopsisMaking a Difference in Preaching offers a collection of Haddon Robinson''s shorter writings on preaching, penned over a forty-year period. Now available in paperback, the book provides readers with a helpful understanding of Robinson''s preaching theory, method, and practice. This collection, edited by Scott Gibson, illuminates the key differences between good preaching and poor preaching. Each chapter contains discussion/reflection questions and a list of books for further reading. The book is well-suited for pastors looking for refreshing insights into their preaching, as well as seminary students or lay speakers.

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Book SynopsisThe first book-length critical study of the theology of Charles G. Finneyârevivalist, professor, and president of Oberlin College.Trade ReviewA valuable contribution to the study of Finney and American evangelicalism....Rigorous analysis of Finney's theological works... * Religious Studies Review *Finney's life and work cannot be understood except in the light of his theology. David Weddle presents a complete examination of that theology in a clearly-written and relatively brief work. * New York History *Weddle pursues his thesis with vigor and amazing detail....Excellent for providing a clearer understanding of the mind of Charles Finney....A must for anyone interested in 19th-century revivalism in general, and Charles Grandison Finney in particular. * Criswell Theological Review *He gives us the most comprehensive extant analysis of the revivalist's theology....Should be extremely valuable to future historians of the revival. * Journal of the Early Republic *

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Book SynopsisA bibliography of the work of Jurgen Moltmann. It includes most of the theologian's early writings in either German or English up to the year 2001. It also contains a foreword and essay by Moltmann, and a bibliographic biography of his life, with works listed by title and place of publication.Trade Review"True theologians are more than good religious managers, for their hearts must be in what they are doing. Without personal authenticity, no one will believe in the truth of their message." - Jurgen Moltmann, from his lecture What is a Theologian? at the Pontifical University, Maynooth, Ireland (1998).

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