Calvinist, Reformed and Presbyterian Churches Books

Book SynopsisThis study of the Catholic Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg and its largely Protestant aristocracy demonstrates that shared family ties and traditional privilege could reduce religious based conflict. These findings raise fundamental questions about current interpretations of the Reformation era. Prince-bishops regularly appointed Lutheran nobles to administrative positions, and those Lutheran appointees served their Catholic overlords ably and loyally. Bamberg was a center for social interaction, business transactions, and career opportunities for aristocrats. As these nobles saw it, birthright and kinship ties made them suitable for service in the prince-bishopric. Catholic leaders concurred, confessional differences notwithstanding. This study tells the complicated story of how Lutheran nobles and their Catholic relatives struggled to maintain solidarity and cooperation during an era of religious strife and animosityTrade Review"To Ninness’s credit, he has discovered that noble, familial alliances were the true authorities of this prince-bishopric. [...] Ninness reminds us that this is a fascinating and complex moment in early modern German history, one that is well served by this fine study." – Erica Bastress-Dukeheart, in: H-HRE, H-Net Reviews, May 2013 "This study, which looks at the role of the imperial knights in the governance and politics of the prince-bishopric of Bamberg in the late sixteenth century, advances our understanding of how the imperial church in particular, and the Empire more generally, responded to the challenges posed by the Reformation." – Marc R. Forster, in: German Studies Review'(GSR) 36/1 (February 2013), 167-170 "This interesting story is told in an able analysis based on solid archival research." – R. Po-chia Hsia, Pennsylvania State University, in: The Journal of Ecclesiastical History 63/4 (October 2012), pp. 820-821 "[H]istorical realities revealed by Ninness’s careful study of the prince-bishopric of Bamberg. Hopefully it will inspire historians to take up a similar approach for other areas of the Empire." – C. Scott Dixon, in: The Catholic Historical Review 98/3 (July 2012)Table of ContentsAbbreviations Introduction 1 Lay of the Land 2 The Protestant Reformation and Aristocratic Control of Bamberg 3 The Aristocratic Church and Resistance to Reform 4 Protestant Officials as Agents of the Counter-Reformation 5 The Counter-Reformation and the Alienation of the Imperial Knights, 1594–1599 6 Confession and the Limits of Cooperation Conclusion The Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg and the Imperial Knights Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisCultures of Care: Domestic Welfare, Discipline and the Church of Scotland, c. 1600–1689 explores voluntary networks of charity and their interaction with the Reformed Church of Scotland. Whereas most previous histories have assessed the growth of institutional charity, this book contends that the Reformed Church of Scotland was heavily reliant on informal, domestic modes of self-help throughout the seventeenth century. The existence and widespread acceptance of informal care dramatically changes our understanding of the impact of the Calvinist Reformation. Local ecclesiastical and secular leaders did not have a concerted policy to affect or ameliorate informal networks of care. Reformed authorities were members of these networks, as well as agents to police them, collapsing distinctions between informal and formal modes of Calvinist authority.Trade Review“The strengths of Langley’s work lie in its readability. The prose is engaging and the various specific examples allow for connection with the individuals living in the distant past. He takes a broad concept—‘care’—and makes it more digestible.” Charlotte Holmes, in: Scottish Historical Review, Vol. 100, No. 2 (August, 2021), pp. 287–288. “This book provides a significant step forward in early modern Scottish social history. However it also has important implications for the history of the Reformed Kirk in demonstrating that kirk sessions did not seek to marginalise, downgrade, or control informal care.” John McCallum, Nottingham Trent University. In: Scottish Church History, Vol. 50, No. 2 (2021), pp. 171–173.Table of ContentsPreface Introduction 1 Poor Relief 2 Non-Institutional Charity, Domesticity and Reformed Intervention 3 Method and Sources 4 Charity and the Kirk Session 1 Kindness and the Parish  1 Carers and Care Acts  2 Petitioning 2 Childcare  1 Fosterage and Wet Nursing  2 Childcare and Sermons 3 Illegitimacy  1 Parish Networks  2 Fostering Bastards  3 Negligence and Infanticide 4 Illness  1 Neighbourly and Kin Assistance  2 Disciplinary Consequences  3 Charming 5 Disability  1 Attitudes towards Disability  2 Parish Stability 6 Death  1 Providing Deathbed Care  2 Clerics and Carers  3 Post-Mortem Practices Conclusion 1 Informality 2 Social Capital Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisCalvinism in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth 1548–1648 offers an in-depth history of the Reformed Churches in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in their first hundred years. Kazimierz Bem analyses church polity, liturgy, the practices of Calvinist church discipline and piety, and the reasons for conversion to and from Calvinism in all strata of the society. Drawing on extensive research in primary sources, Bem challenges the dominant narrative of Protestant decline after 1570 and argues for a continued flourishing of Calvinism in the Commonwealth until the 1630s.Trade Review"This handsome volume is a pleasure to handle (---) The attractive presentation is enhanced by the clarity of the work’s structure. (---) [Bem's] unconcealed sympathies and convictions have not hindered him from writing the first modern historical synthesis in any language of Calvinism, broadly understood, in the entire Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. It can be recommended to all scholars and advanced students interested in the history of the Reformation in Europe." - prof. Wioletta Pawlikowska Butterwick, Journal of Ecclesiastical History "This is the first scholarly monograph of the Reformed Churches in Poland-Lithuania in the period of the Reformation’s growth down through the beginning of its decline. (...) It is also a merit of the book to have drawn our attention to the manifold roles women played in Reformed congregations of the Commonwealth." - prof. Waldemar Kowalski, Religious Studies ReviewTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Name and Place Conventions Timeline of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Maps and Illustrations PART 1 The Commonwealth in the Age of the Reformation 1 Introduction 2 The Land of Many Sects  2.1 The People and Their Religions  2.2 The Territories and Their Governance  2.3 The Reformation in Poland and Lithuania before 1548 PART 2 The Reformed Churches 3 Church Polity  3.1 The Early Years: 1548–1595  3.2 Growing Together: 1595–1630s  3.3 The 1634 Wlodawa General Convocation and Its Aftermath 4 The Liturgy  4.1 The Early Years 1550–1595  4.2 Krainski’s Forma of 1599 and the 1601 Agenda in Lesser Poland  4.3 Liturgical Developments in the Greater Poland Brethren Churches  4.4 Reformed Liturgy in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania 1550–1621  4.5 Toward a Unified Reformed Liturgy in Poland and Lithuania 5 Church Discipline  5.1 Theological Background of Reformed Church Discipline before 1634  5.2 The Practice of Reformed Church Discipline before 1634  5.3 Reformed Church Discipline after the 1634 Wlodawa Convocation 6 The Ministry 7 Patterns of Piety PART 3 The Reformed Faithful 8 The Nobles Convert 9 A Few Sheep Are Better than a Herd of Pigs 10 Calvinists in Royal Towns 11 Calvinist Fishing in Lutheran Waters 12 “Most Fanatical Champions of Their Perfidious Dogmas”— Women and Calvinism in the Commonwealth 13 The Ambiguity of Numbers 14 Conclusion Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThis research guide introduces scholars to the field of Reformed theology, focusing on works of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries in the English language. After a brief introductory section on the debates about what counts as “Reformed theology,” Martha Moore-Keish explores twenty-one major theological themes, with attention to classical as well as current works. The author demonstrates that this stream of Protestantism is both internally diverse and ecumenically interwoven with other Christian families, not just a single clearly defined group set apart from others. In addition, this guide shows that contemporary Reformed theology has been rethinking the doctrines of God, humanity, and their relationship in significant ways that challenge old stereotypes and offer fresh wisdom for our world today.Trade Review"The book has a very rich bibliography which occupies twelve pages. [T]he reader gets a trustworthy introduction into specific tendencies in Reformed theology and at the same time an impression of the ecumenical potential and responsibility of the Reformed Church. There is no doubt that Reformed theological themes overlap with other confessional traditions." Torleiv Austad, Oslo, in: European Journal of Theology, Volume 30.2 (2021).Table of ContentsReformed Theology  Martha L. Moore-Keish Abstract Keywords  Preface  1 What Is “Reformed Theology”?  2 Major Themes in Current Reformed Theology  3 Conclusion  Bibliography

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Book SynopsisIn this historical study, Jonathon D. Beeke considers the various sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Reformed expressions regarding the duplex regnum Christi (the twofold kingdom of Christ), or, as especially denominated in the Lutheran context, the “doctrine of the two kingdoms.” While a sampling of patristic and medieval sources is considered, the focus is on select magisterial Reformers of the sixteenth century and representative intellectual centers of the seventeenth century (Leiden, Geneva, and Edinburgh). A primary concern is to examine the development of these formulations over the two centuries in question, and relate its maturation to the theological and political context of the early modern period. Various conclusions are offered that address the contemporary “two-kingdoms” debate within the Reformed tradition.Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Abbreviations 1 Introduction, Historical Method, and Statement of the Argument  1.1 Introduction  1.2 Overview of Secondary Scholarship  1.3 Relevance of This Study  1.4 Research Questions  1.5 Method of Investigation and Outline of Study  1.6 Statement of the Argument part 1: Early Magisterial Reformers and the Duplex Regnum Christi 2 Laying the Patristic and Medieval Foundation  2.1 Introduction  2.2 John Chrysostom: “The Scripture Acknowledges Two Kingdoms of God”  2.3 Augustine of Hippo: An Eschatological Tension between Two Cities  2.4 Pope Boniface VIII and the Medieval Two-Swords Construct: Spiritual and Temporal Authority  2.5 Thomas Aquinas: “That the Office of Governing the Kingdom Should Be Learned from the Divine Government”  2.6 William of Ockham  2.7 Conclusion 3 Martin Luther and the Two-Kingdoms Doctrine  3.1 Introduction  3.2 Luther and the Two Kingdoms: A Conceptual Framework  3.3 Luther and the Two Kingdoms: Temporal Authority (1523)  3.4 Luther on the Two Kingdoms and the Created Order  3.5 Conclusion 4 Martin Bucer and John Calvin on Christ’s Kingdom  4.1 Introduction  4.2 Martin Bucer: De Regno Christi  4.3 The Twofold Kingdom of Christ in Calvin’s Thought: The Institutes  4.4 Calvin on the State of Sinless Adam  4.5 Calvin’s Twofold Kingdom: Consistent or Confused Application?  4.6 Conclusion part 2: Development of the Duplex Regnum Christi in Reformed Orthodoxy 5 Introducing Terms and Concepts  5.1 Introduction  5.2 Terminological Considerations and Key Concepts  5.3 Placement of the Duplex Regnum Christi in Theological Systems  5.4 An “In-House” Debate  5.5 Conclusion 6 The Duplex Regnum Christi in Reformed Orthodoxy: Leiden as Representative Center  6.1 Introduction  6.2 Contextual Considerations  6.3 Franciscus Junius on the Twofold Kingdom of Christ  6.4 Scholastic Disputations at Leiden University and the Duplex Regnum Christi  6.5 Conclusion 7 The Duplex Regnum Christi in Reformed Orthodoxy: Geneva as Representative Center  7.1 Introduction  7.2 Contextual Considerations  7.3 Francis Turretin on the Twofold Kingdom of Christ  7.4 Bénédict Pictet and the Twofold Kingdom of Christ  7.5 Conclusion 8 The Duplex Regnum Christi in Reformed Orthodoxy: Edinburgh as Representative Center  8.1 Introduction  8.2 Contextual Considerations  8.3 Edinburgh University  8.4 Johannes Scharpius and the Twofold Kingdom of Christ  8.5 David Dickson and the Twofold Kingdom of Christ  8.6 Conclusion 9 Conclusion  9.1 Restatement of Argument  9.2 Summary of Findings  9.3 Reassessment of Secondary Literature  9.4 Conclusion Bibliography  Primary Sources  Secondary Sources Index

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Book SynopsisIn Ordained Ministry in Free Church Perspective Jan Martijn Abrahamse presents a constructive theology of ordained ministry by returning to the life and thought of the English Separatist Robert Browne (c. 1550-1633). This study makes a substantial contribution not only by solving one of the most thorny problems in congregational ecclesiology, but also by recovering the legacy of this ecclesial pioneer. Through an in-depth analysis of Browne’s literature, the author provides a covenantal theology of ordained ministry in conversation with present-day authors Stanley Hauerwas and Kevin Vanhoozer. Inspired by the emerging trend of ‘theology of retrieval’ Abrahamse offers a methodologically innovative way of doing systematic theology in a manner in which voices from the past can be made fruitful for today.Trade Review"As Abrahamse observes, it takes a village to raise a child and ‘... a local community to minister the Christian faith’ (292). In many ways that takes us to the heart of his book’s message. He successfully retrieves the life and thought of an early Separatist to offer, in words from his introductory chapter, ‘new pathways of formulating a viable theology of ordained ministry from a Free Church perspective’." — Michael I. Bochenski, Nottingham (UK), in: European Journal of Theology, Volume 30.2 (2021). In ‘retrieving’ the covenantal theology of Robert Browne, the author skilfully combines historical theology with systematic theology, as he develops a theology of ordained ministry in a congregational tradition. He achieves a remarkable conversation both with a significant (though under-regarded) theologian of the past, and with present-day theologians such as Stanley Hauerwas and Kevin Vanhoozer. With scrupulous scholarship, yet also in a thoroughly interesting style, he measures Browne’s grounding of ordained ministry in a covenantal theology against challenges raised by contemporary critiques of ordination. Making a consistent argument that Browne advocates a ‘prophetic’ understanding of ministry, he demonstrates the relevance of this to current questions with an authority and conviction. The book is essential reading both for those who hold a ‘free church’ perspective, and for those who enquire about its place in the modern world. — Paul Fiddes, Professor of Systematic Theology, University of Oxford The 1982 Lima Document challenged all Christian churches to strive toward ecumenical consensus on the faith and practice of baptism, eucharist, and ministry. Free Churches have made significant strides on the first two, but theological work on the third has lagged behind. Jan Martijn Abrahamse’s study of Robert Browne marks an important contribution in ecumenical conversation. It shows how ordination among Free Churches is more than a particular congregation consecrating the call of a minister or a denominational body recognizing action by a congregation. By revisiting the origins of congregational ecclesiology in early English Separatism, Abrahamse offers a constructive proposal for how ordination may be understood as being set apart for ministry in the Church of Jesus Christ. — Curtis W. Freeman, Research Professor of Theology, Duke University Divinity School. What happens when a young scholar does not echo established scholars but explores the sources himself? Jan Martijn Abrahamse shows the result with this study of Robert Browne’s theology of ordained ministry. With his fresh and accurate reading of Browne’s works, the author succeeds in going beyond the old and well-trodden path of a sharp distinction between Presbyterian and congregational models of church. Browne’s emphasis on the covenantal character of the community of the church helps to understand ordained ministry as a gift to the community, not as replacement of the communal christocracy. In all, Abrahamse has provided us with a must-read in ecumenical theology. — Cornelis van der Kooi, Professor Emeritus Systematic Theology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. This book offers a timely perspective on the understanding of ordained ministry in the times of a crisis of authority, doubts regarding the permanency of divine gifts, and human commitments. Retrieving the 16th and 17th century debate in religiously divided England, Abrahamse shows a paradoxical insight learned from the separatist “gathered churches”: the value of catholicity emerges most clearly when it is in danger of being lost. Ordained ministry as a lasting and yet vulnerable gift to vulnerable people and a vulnerable church is placed into a broader ecclesiological vision, complementing the Free Church Tradition with previously excluded voices. — Ivana Noble, Professor of Ecumenical Theology, Protestant Theological Faculty of Charles University, PragueTable of ContentsPreface Abbreviations 1 Introduction: Challenges and Controversies  1.1 Ministering a Gathering  1.2 Restoring Our Story  1.3 Doing Systematic Theology by Retrieval  1.4 Historical Challenges  1.5 Systematic Challenges  1.6 Ordained Ministry in Browne’s Historiography  1.7 Ordained Ministry: Areas of Controversy  1.8 Outline and Prospect Part 1: A Reconstruction of Robert Browne’s Theology of Ordained Ministry 2 Ordained Ministry in the Context of Sixteenth-Century Cambridge: A History of Controversy  2.1 Introduction  2.2 The Story of Robert Browne  2.3 Reformation and Nonconformity at Cambridge University  2.4 Ordained Ministry in the Context of Cambridge  2.5 Conclusions 3 Ordained Ministry in Browne’s Separatist Literature (1582–1585): A Theology of Covenant  3.1 Introduction  3.2 A Treatise of Reformation without Tarying for Anie (1582)  3.3 A Treatise vpon the 23. of Matthewe (1582)  3.4 A Booke Which Sheweth the Life and Manners (1582)  3.5 A True and Short Declaration (1583)  3.6 An Answere to Master Cartwright (1585)  3.7 Ordained Ministry in Robert Browne’s Ecclesiology: An Assessment  3.8 Conclusions part 2: A Retrieval of Robert Browne’s Theology of Ordained Ministry 4 Controversy After Christendom: Ordained Ministry in the Ecclesiologies of Stanley Hauerwas and Kevin Vanhoozer  4.1 Introduction  4.2 The Problem of a Distinctive Ministry  4.3 The Suspicion Toward Authority  4.4 Ordination and the Fear of Clericalism  4.5 Systematic Directions and Browne’s Contributions  4.6 Conclusions 5 Reforming Controversy into Covenant: A Retrieval of Robert Browne’s Theology of Ordained Ministry  5.1 Introduction  5.2 Criterion 1: Communal Priesthood  5.3 Criterion 2: Permanent Accountability  5.4 Criterion 3: Interdependence  5.5 Conclusions Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisOn Theology: Herman Bavinck's Academic Orations presents four previously untranslated works by Herman Bavinck (1854-1921). These works offer important insights into Bavinck’s conceptualisation of the discipline of theology, its place in the modern university, and the relation in which theology stands to religion. In the introductory essay, Bruce R. Pass draws attention to the way these speeches shed light on the development of Bavinck’s thought across his tenure at the Kampen Theological School and the Free University of Amsterdam as well as the complex relationship in which Bavinck’s thought stands to that of Friedrich Schleiermacher.Trade Review"Ich bin mir sicher, dass die Herausgabe dieser vier Reden in englischer Sprache weitere Studien zum Einfluss Schleiermachers auf Bavinck anregen wird.", Ron Kubsch, in: Glauben und Denken Heute 2 (2020).Table of ContentsContents Preface Introduction The Science of Holy Theology (1883) The Teaching Office (1899) Religion and Theology (1902) Modernism and Orthodoxy (1911) Index

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Book SynopsisCovenant: A Vital Element of Reformed Theology provides a multi-disciplinary reflection on the theme of the covenant, from historical, biblical-theological and systematic-theological perspectives. The interaction between exegesis and dogmatics in the volume reveals the potential and relevance of this biblical motif. It proves to be vital in building bridges between God’s revelation in the past and the actual question of how to live with him today.Trade ReviewInterview with Jaap Dekker about Covenant: A Vital Element of Reformed Theology. By Michael Morales, Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary on New Books Network, 23 March 2022. Full link: click here.Table of ContentsAbbreviations Introduction  Hans Burger, Gert Kwakkel and Michael Mulder Part 1: Biblical Perspectives 1 Berith and Covenants in the Old Testament   A Contribution to a Fruitful Cooperation of Exegesis and Systematic Theology  Gert Kwakkel 2 Biblical Covenants in Their Ancient Near Eastern Context   A Methodological, Historical and Theological Reassessment  Koert van Bekkum 3 Covenant in Deuteronomy: The Relationship between the Moab, Horeb, and Patriarchal Covenants  Arie Versluis 4 What Does David Have to Do with It? The Promise of a New Covenant in the Book of Isaiah  Jaap Dekker 5 The New Covenant in the Context of the Book of Jeremiah  Mart-Jan Paul 6 The Concept of Covenant in Luke and Acts   With Special Focus on the Speech of Peter in Acts 3: 12–26  Arco den Heijer 7 Is Covenant an Important Concept for the New Testament?   Galatians 4: 21–31 as a Test Case  Donald E. Cobb 8 Covenant, Election and Israel’s Responsibility   A Clarification through an Intertextual Analysis of Quotations from Scripture in Romans 10  Michael Mulder Part 2: Historical Perspectives 9 Not for Gentiles? The Covenant in Mekhilta de-Rabbi Ishmael  Eveline van Staalduine-Sulman 10 The Concept of the ‘New Covenant’ (Jeremiah 31: 27–40) in Ancient Jewish Reception History  Aaron Chun Fai Wan 11 From Zurich to Westminster: Covenant as Structuring Principle in Reformed Catechisms  Daniël Timmerman 12 Heinrich Bullinger (1504–1575) and the Covenant of Works  Pierrick Hildebrand 13 Friendship, Covenant, and Law: The Doctrine of the Covenant of Works in Johannes Braun (1628–1708)  Matthias Mangold 14 The Fruitfulness of a Paradox: The Doctrine of the Covenant in Wilhelmus à Brakel (1635–1711) Reapplied  Willem van Vlastuin Part 3: Systematic-Theological Perspectives 15 Covenant Theology as Trinitarian Theology   A Discussion of The Contributions of Michael S. Horton, Scott W. Hahn, and N.T. Wright  Arnold Huijgen 16 Theology without a Covenant of Works   A Thought Experiment  Hans Burger 17 Conditions in the Covenant  Dolf te Velde 18 The Meaning of ‘Covenant’ in Educational Practices   Towards a Framework for Qualitative Research  Bram de Muynck Part 4: Concluding Reflections 19 Covenantal Theology: Risks and Chances of a Controversial Term  Georg Plasger Index

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Book SynopsisIn this volume, leading systematic theologians and New Testament scholars working today undertake a fresh and constructive interdisciplinary engagement with key eschatological themes in Christian theology in close conversation with the work of Karl Barth. Ranging from close exegetical studies of Barth’s treatment of eschatological themes in his commentary on Romans or lectures on 1 Corinthians, to examination of his mature dogmatic discussions of death and evil, this volume offers a fascinating variety of insights into both Barth’s theology and its legacy, as well as the eschatological dimensions of the biblical witness and its salience for both the academy and church. Contributors are: John M. G. Barclay, Douglas Campbell, Christophe Chalamet, Kaitlyn Dugan, Nancy J. Duff, Susan Eastman, Beverly Roberts Gaventa, Grant Macaskill, Kenneth Oakes, Christoph Schwöbel Christiane Tietz, Philip G. Ziegler.Trade Review"this volume offers a fascinating variety of insights into both Barth’s theology and its legacy, as well as the eschatological dimensions of the biblical witness and its salience for both the academy and church. " Jim West Zwinglius Redivivus, 30-02-2022.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction  Kaitlyn Dugan and Philip G. Ziegler 1 The Beginning of the End or the End of the Beginning? Barth’s Eschatology as a Guide to the Perplexed  Christoph Schwöbel 2 Eschatology and Gospel in the Time of Expectation  Kenneth Oakes 3 The Custody of Hope—The Resurrection of the Dead and Christian Existence  Susan Eastman 4 “The Day Is at Hand”—Barth’s Interpretation of Pauline Eschatology in the Römerbrief  John M.G. Barclay 5 The Idolatrous Self and the Eikon—The Possibility of True Worship  Grant Macaskill 6 The Finality of the Gospel—Barth’s Römerbrief  on Romans 9–11  Beverly Roberts Gaventa 7 Paul’s Account of the Future: A Case Study in Pauline Dogmatics  Douglas A. Campbell 8 Redemption of This World—Reflections on Eschatology in Light of Barth’s Dogmatic Lectures in Münster (1925–1926)  Christophe Chalamet 9 “Standing on the Boundary, Where Now and Yet Then Touch Each Other”—Barth on Theodicy and Eschatology  Christiane Tietz 10 The Ethics of Resisting and Accepting Death in Karl Barth’s Theology  Nancy J. Duff 11 The First and Final “No”—The Finality of the Gospel and the Old Enemy  Philip G. Ziegler Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisIn the second volume of her Essays in Ecumenical Theology, Ivana Noble engages in conversation with Orthodox theologians and spiritual writers on diverse questions, such as how to discover the human heart, what illumination by the divine light means, how spiritual life is connected to attitudes and acts of social solidarity, why sacrificial thinking may not be the best frame for expressing Christ’s redemption, why theological anthropology needs to have a strong ecological dimension, why freedom needs to coexist with love for others, and why institutions find the ability to be helpful not only in their own traditions but also in the Spirit that blows where it wills.Trade Review"In gesamten Buch bietet N. ein >>Bild gelebter Orthodoxie<<. Der wahre Wert dieses Buches, abgesehen davon, dass es nicht-orthodoxen Lesern einen Einblick in die Schatzkammer des Ostens gewährt, besteht darin, dass es eine Aussenperspektive von jemandem bietet, der sich während seiner gesamten akademischen Karriere mit Orthodoxie befasst hat. Dat beduetet sowohl Nautralität als auch Objectivität, gepaart mit Sachkenntnis. Meine Empfehlung hier basiert aber in erster Linie auf der wissenschaftlichen Qualität des Buches.", Vladimir Latinovic, Tübingen, in: Theologische Literaturzeitung, Volume 148.4 (2023).Table of ContentsContents Introduction 1 Freedom and Creativity in Spiritual Life  1 Why Freedom and Creativity as a Starting Point?  2 St Symeon the New Theologian  3 St Ignatius of Loyola  4 Conversing with St Symeon and St Ignatius on Freedom and Creativity 2 The Ladder Connecting Heaven and Earth  1 Does Spiritual Ascent Have a Recognisable Structure?  2 Inverted Order of Grace as Revealed in Jacob’s Dream  3 St John Climacus  4 Existentialist Reading of Climacus  5 Petre Ţuţea  6 The Role and the Problem of Structures in Pursuing Spiritual Life 3 The Experience and the Doctrine of Deification  1 Deification as Radical Unity with God  2 St Gregory Palamas  3 Lessons from (Post)Modern Philosophical Mysticism  4 Paradoxical Proximities 4 Integrating Hesychast Insights into Mainstream Western Tradition  1 Modern Revival of Hesychasm  2 Cardinal Tomáš Špidlík  3 Špidlík’s Followers  4 Inculturation of Patristic and Slavic Hesychasm 5 Kenotic Spirituality  1 Different Interpretations of Kenosis  2 Fr Lev Gillet – A Monk of the Eastern Church  3 Kenotic Spirituality in the Present Context 6 The Transformative Power of Holiness  1 The Beatitudes as a Mirror of Holiness  2 Mother Maria (Gysi)  3 Leonardo Boff  4 Integration of the Negative and the Role of Communion 7 Mission  1 Mission as a Theological Theme  2 Georges Florovsky  3 Emmanuel Clapsis  4 The Mission in which the Orthodox Participate 8 Liturgical and Sacramental Vision of Life  1 Liturgy and Sacrament  2 Communion with God according to Alexander Schmemann  3 Sacramentality in Louis-Marie Chauvet  4 Participation in the Transformative Feast 9 People as “Symbolic Animals”  1 Why “Symbolic Animals”?  2 Paul Tillich  3 Paul Ricœur  4 Openness and Roots 10 The Common Home  1 God Making His Home in Creation  2 Fr Dumitru Stăniloae  3 The Eschatological and the Practical Understanding of the Common Home 11 Redemption  1 Problems of Metanarratives  2 Theological Tendencies to Metanarrativity in the Doctrine of Redemption  3 Vladimir Lossky  4 Raymund Schwager  5 From the Economy of the Punishment to the Economy of the Gift? 12 Pan-Orthodoxy and the Vision of Christian Unity  1 Pan-Orthodoxy in the Time of the Rising Ecumenical Movement  2 Towards the Pan-Orthodox Council in Crete  3 Ecumenical Relations in the Conciliar Documents  4 The Aftermath of the Council Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThe seventeenth century Reformed Orthodox discussions of the work of Christ and its various doctrinal constitutive elements were rich and multifaceted, ranging across biblical and exegetical, historical, philosophical, and theological fields of inquiry. Among the most contested questions in these discussions was the question of the necessity of Christ’s satisfaction. This study sets that “great controverted point,” as Richard Baxter called it, in its historical and traditionary contexts and provides a philosophical and theological analysis of the arguments offered by two representative Reformed scholastic theologians, William Twisse and John Owen.

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Book SynopsisIn many societies all over the world, an increasing polarization between contrasting groups can be observed. Polarization arises when a fear born of difference turns into ‘us-versus-them’ thinking and rules out any form of compromise. This volume addresses polarizations within societies as well as within churches, and asks the question: given these dynamics, what may be the calling of the church? The authors offer new approaches to polarizing debates on topics such as racism, social justice, sexuality and gender, euthanasia, and ecology and agriculture in various contexts. They engage in profound theological and ecclesiological reflection, in particular from the Reformed tradition. Contributors to this volume are: Najib George Awad, Henk van den Belt, Nadine Bowers Du Toit, Jaeseung Cha, David Daniels, David Fergusson, Jan Jorrit Hasselaar, Jozef Hehanussa, Allan Janssen, Klaas-Willem de Jong, Viktória Kóczián, Philipp Pattberg, Louise Prideaux, Emanuel Gerrit Singgih, Peter-Ben Smit, Thandi Soko-de Jong, Wim van Vlastuin, Jan Dirk Wassenaar, Elizabeth Welch, Annemarieke van der Woude, and Heleen Zorgdrager.Table of ContentsNotes on Contributors Introduction  Pieter Vos PART 1: Polarization in Church and Society 1 Can Conviviality Trump Polarization? Exploring the Notion of Conviviality as Calling of the Church in Times of Polarization  Nadine Bowers Du Toit 2 Re-forming the Conversation as a Response to Polarization: A Case Study Exploration of the Dallas Statement  Thandi Soko-de Jong 3 Retrieving the Concept of Unio Mystica cum Christo and Applying It to Concepts of Sexuality in a Pluralistic Postmodern Culture  Willem van Vlastuin 4 Theological Assessment of the Gender and Sexuality Debate in the Netherlands: The Case of the ‘Nashville Statement’  Heleen Zorgdrager 5 Passivity, Abuse, and Self-Sacrifice: Daoism and Feminist Christology  Jaeseung Cha 6 “Remove the Sandals from Your Feet”: Holiness in the Dutch Euthanasia Debate  Annemarieke van der Woude 7 Sowing Hope in a Polarized Agricultural Debate  Jan Jorrit Hasselaar, Phillipp Pattberg and Peter-Ben Smit PART 2: Polarization and the Reformed Tradition 8 Reformed Social Theology: Contexts and Constants  David Fergusson 9 Preclude to a “Post-xenophobic” Future: Interrogating the 1618 Baptism Debate at the Synod of Dort  David Douglas Daniels III 10 Protestant Schools and Hospitals in the Context of Religious Polarization in Yogyakarta  Jozef Mepibozef Nelsun Hehanussa 11 Election and Hope: Van Ruler and Dort  Allan J. Janssen 12 Polarization and the Pursuit of Unanimity in the Church: Ecclesiastical Decision-Making in the Dutch Reformed Tradition  Klaas-Willem de Jong and Jan Dirk Wassenaar PART 3: The Calling of the Church 13 Fighting against Polarization: The Indonesian Communion of Churches, Religious Plurality and Sexual Orientations in Indonesia  Emanuel Gerrit Singgih 14 Developing Koinonia in an Age of PolarizationThe Significance of Ecumenical Dialogue, with Particular Reference to The International Reformed Anglican Dialogue (2015–2020)  Elizabeth Welch 15 No Calling without Being Called: The Vocatio Interna at the Heart of Sanctification  Henk van den Belt 16 ‘They Are in the World, But Not of the World’: Biblical and Contextual Reflections on Church, Alterity and Self-Otherizing  Najib George Awad 17 Theology of Migration in the Discourse of the World Council of Churches and the Ecumenical Council of Churches in Hungary (2015–2019)  Viktória Kóczián 18 Against Polarization: Forming a Sense of ‘Otherness’ from a Conversation between Anthropology and Neo-calvinism  Louise Charlotte Prideaux Epilogue  Heleen Zorgdrager Index

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Book SynopsisIn their theological and historical interactions, neo-Calvinism and Roman Catholicism have often met in moments of conflict and co-operation. The neo-Calvinist statesman Abraham Kuyper polemicized against the Roman Catholic Church and its theology, whilst building bridges between those traditions by forging novel political coalitions across ecclesiastical boundaries. In theology, Gerrit C. Berkouwer, a neo-Calvinist critic of Roman Catholicism in the 1930s, later attended the Second Vatican Council as an appreciative Protestant observer. Telling their stories and others—including new research on lesser-known figures and neglected topics—this book presents the first scholarly volume on those dynamics of polemics and partnership.

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