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The work of John Howard Yoder has become increasingly influential in recent years. Moreover, it is gaining influence in some surprising places. No longer restricted to the world of theological ethicists and Mennonites, Yoder has been discovered as a refreshing voice by scholars working in many other fields. For thirty-five years, Yoder was known primarily as an articulate defender of Christian pacifism against a theological ethics guild dominated by the Troeltschian assumptions reflected in the work of Walter Rauschenbusch and Reinhold and Richard Niebuhr. But in the last decade, there has been a clearly identifiable shift in direction. A new generation of scholars has begun reading Yoder alongside figures most often associated with post-structuralism, neo-Nietzscheanism, and post-colonialism, resulting in original and productive new readings of his work. At the same time, scholars from outside of theology and ethics departments, indeed outside of Christianity itself, like Romand Coles and Daniel Boyarin, have discovered in Yoder a significant conversation partner for their own work. This volume collects some of the best of those essays in hope of encouraging more such work from readers of Yoder and in hopes of attracting others to his important work.""The New Yoder is John Howard Yoder as dialogue partner both with and against the grain of Adorno, Foucault, Derrida, de Certeau, Horkheimer, Rowan Williams, Said, Stout, Volf, and many more. Here is patient, Christian theological pacifism beyond the either/ors that burdened a previous generation: beyond universalism vs. isolationism, Church vs. world, politics vs. quietism, Scripture vs. social activism. Here the eschaton meets postmodernity. The result? Anguished laughter, exilic politics, apocalypse, and dialogue: the work of Yoder-reading for our time.""--Peter OchsUniversity of VirginiaPeter Dula is Assistant Professor of Religion and Culture at Eastern Mennonite University. Chris K. Huebner is Associate Professor of Theology and Philosophy at Canadian Mennonite University.

Born with cerebral palsy, Diana Ventura has known brokenness her entire life. Through telling her story, she shares what it means to live with and overcome brokenness of all kinds.As she reflects on her own experience and that of others, Diana offers understanding and insight. There is a mystical path through the landscape of suffering, she says, and those who travel it can find God and healing even in the midst of pain and sadness. Readers who join her on this journey of prayer and faith will be better equipped to meet the everyday challenges of living with brokenness with hope, dignity, and true love.""From the first stunning sentence of this book, Diana Ventura invites us to listen to the voice of her body. Lean in close and prepare to be transformed. Her book is a testimony to the power of the incarnation ablaze in the life of the body.""--Stephanie PaulsellHarvard Divinity School""Diana Ventura is a model of a theologian thinking through the most difficult issues of suffering and faith. I have known her work for several years and invite others to listen to her distinctive voice.""--David TracyUniversity of Chicago Divinity SchoolDIANA VENTURA, currently a PhD student in Practical Theology and Spirituality at the Boston University School of Theology, is an ethical reviewer for New England Institutional Review Board and head of standardization for the Center for Biostatistics in AIDS Research at Harvard University. Contact information is available at www.dianaventura.com.

In this commentary Kanagaraj examines how John projects the church as God''s ""new covenant community,"" which, is characterized by two virtues: love and obedience. Impossible to exhibit under the old covenant based on Moses'' Law, these qualities became possible by the initiative grace and faithfulness of God revealed in Jesus and demonstrated by the power of the Spirit.God''s new community is an inclusive and progressive community because its witness to Jesus in a world that hates and persecutes it has the power to bring in all people so that they may become one flock under one shepherd. Kanagaraj argues that the idea of founding and nurturing a new community was in God''s heart even before the time of creation and not just at the time of incarnation.""It is a precious gift when a key biblical scholar puts together a commentary that reflects the best current research and a concern to relate the text to today. Jey Kanagaraj''s commentary does just that, providing the reader with reliable historical information and perspectives that fuse the horizons of then and now. A sound guide for the careful and the caring.""--William Loader, Emeritus Professor, Murdoch UniversityJey J. Kanagaraj is Professor of New Testament who served a number of years at the Union Biblical Seminary, Pune, India, and who was the Principal of Bethel Bible Institute near Salem, India. He is the author of ''Mysticism'' in the Gospel of John: An Inquiry into its Background (1998), and of another commentary on John''s Gospel written to the Indian context (2005). In addition, he has edited two books and published numerous articles.

A thorough and insightful commentary on Paul''s letter to his coworker Timothy, which the Apostle wrote before and during Nero''s persecution. Spencer carefully examines each part of the letter and relates it to the overall flow of the argument and in light of the larger biblical, historical, social, and cultural contexts. How Paul''s writing related to the ancient communities is highlighted in the light of original data gleaned from her explorations on location in Ephesus and throughout Greece. In addition, Paul''s rhetorical and ministry strategies, especially as they relate to women and their role in the church, are explored. Throughout, Spencer presents an in-depth exegesis in a readable format enhanced by forty years of ministry.""By explaining both lexical, grammatical, historical, and theological matters, and by focusing consistently on canonical connections and pastoral application, Aida Spencer has written a lucid commentary that will prove helpful for general readers, students, and pastors alike.""--Eckhard J. Schnabel, Associate Editor, Bulletin of Biblical Research""In 1 Timothy, more than any other New Testament writing, Paul has specific instructions for how Christian women are to present and conduct themselves, and how they are to learn, teach, and minister in the church. How appropriate [it is], then, that a commentary on this book should be written by a woman. Dr. Spencer provides a carefully researched, well-balanced, and well-written exposition with special attention given to the difficult and controversial texts relating to women, men, and to all Christians. Highly recommended.""--John R. Kohlenberger III, Editor, The NIV Greek and English New Testament""Spencer well understands that our texts are in dialogue with their contexts and that the wise interpreter must mark out the intimate relationships between scripture and its worlds, both ancient and modern. 1 Timothy is a careful and confessional exploration of Paul''s message for the young pastor in Ephesus and the leader in today''s church. Both readable and detailed, this is a work that wise expositors will keep within easy reach.""--Gene L. Green, Professor of New Testament, Wheaton College and Graduate School""As a believer with the simple faith of a child, the author manages to provide a well-researched and easily readable scholarly contribution on 1 Timothy. It is refreshing to read this well-balanced contribution by a female scholar on this letter that repeatedly refers to the role of woman in the church but also to other ministerial strategies. Her perspectives on the influence of this text on a contemporary faith community are enlightening.""--Francois P. Viljoen, Professor, Faculty of Theology, North-West University""Spencer''s commentary on 1 Timothy provides an articulate defense of Pauline authorship that interacts well with critical scholarship. It is full of valuable grammatical, lexical, syntactical, historical, and theological insights. . . . Theological insights include its discussion of the heretical teaching addressed in 1 Timothy and its outstanding treatment of 1 Timothy 2:15. I enthusiastically endorse this well-documented commentary.""--Philip B. Payne, Author of Man and Woman, One in ChristAida Besancon Spencer (PhD, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY; ThM, MDiv, Princeton Theological Seminary) is Professor of New Testament at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, South Hamilton, MA, and Extraordinary Researcher for North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa. She is the author or coauthor of thirteen books, including 2 Corinthians (Bible Study Commentary), Beyond the Curse: Women Called to Ministry, and Paul''s Literary Style.

Ephesians speaks to our deepest questions about God: the redemptive plan of God written from ages past now revealed; the work of Christ complete and effective now and for eternity; the power of the Holy Spirit to change lives and build a community. The clear message of God''s unfathomable grace establishes the believer''s hope and undergirds the call for faithful living. Down through the centuries, the clarion call to unity that permeates Ephesians has inspired and challenged the faithful to live out the promises found in Christ. This short letter speaks to the twenty-first century''s longing for friendship and wholeness.""Lynn Cohick''s commentary on Ephesians provides a practical explanation and appropriation of the letter. She demonstrates that she is well-informed about the issues, sane in her judgments, effective in her communication, and that she cares about the lives of modern Christians. Her knowledge of the ancient world allows her to bring historical and sociological information to bear on the text and its interpretation. People seeking an easily accessible and non-technical treatment of Ephesians will enjoy this commentary.""--Klyne SnodgrassPaul W. Brandel Professor of New Testament StudiesNorth Park Theological Seminary, ChicagoLynn H. Cohick is Associate Professor of New Testament at Wheaton College. She is the author of Women in the First Christian Century (2009) and co-author with Gary Burge and Gene L. Green of The New Testament and Antiquity (2009).

In this wide-ranging collection of essays Ronald E. Osborn explores the politically subversive and nonviolent anarchist dimensions of Christian discipleship in response to dilemmas of power, suffering, and war. Essays engage texts and thinkers from Homer''s Iliad, the Hebrew Bible, and the New Testament to portraits of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Noam Chomsky, and Elie Wiesel. This book also analyzes the Allied bombing of civilians in World War II, the peculiar contribution of the Seventh-day Adventist apocalyptic imagination to Christian social ethics, and the role of deceptive language in the Vietnam War. From these and other diverse angles, Osborn builds the case for a more prophetic witness in the face of the violence of the ""principalities and powers"" in the modern world. This book will serve as an indispensible primer in the political theology of the Adventist tradition, as well as a significant contribution to radical Christian thought in biblical, historical, and literary perspectives.""In reading Osborn you cannot help but think, ''He has to be kidding. He has to be putting us on to suggest there is a connection between anarchy and that form of Christianity called Adventist.'' But he is not kidding. Rather he has written a book of lively essays to remind us that a commitment to peace is a challenge to any order based on violence. It was the Adventists, in their early formations, who reminded us that a commitment to peace cannot avoid challenging orders based on violence; that peace requires a different kind of order altogether. This is a call to the church to be that community based on the order of Christ''s peace.""--Stanley Hauerwasauthor of Christianity, Democracy, and the Radical Ordinary""This book is a bracing read for anyone trying to make sense of Christian witness in a violent world. Osborn ranges both widely and deeply, connecting insights from theology, history, literature, and political science in startling and inventive ways. He shows how violence creates its own momentum, and offers a wide range of resources for countering that momentum. Anyone interested in living creatively in a destructive world will benefit from this book. It is the kind of book that has the power to transform lives.""--William T. Cavanaughauthor of The Myth of Religious Violence""The Christianity of the American Empire has not only come to accept the normalization of violence; it often celebrates it! How desperately American Christians need the keen insights regarding the demonic dynamics of power and violence that Ronald Osborn reflects in these essays!""--Greg Boydauthor of The Myth of a Christian NationRonald E. Osborn is a Bannermen Fellow with the Program in Politics and International Relations, University of Southern California

Preachers around the globe have come to rely on Will Willimon for insight and advice on the craft of preaching. For over a decade, Willimon has published his reflections in the ""Five-Minute Preaching Workshop,"" a quarterly column he writes as editor of Pulpit Resource. Here the best selections from that column have been brought together into a single volume for the first time. Drawing on years of experience, study, and careful observation of the current state of preaching, Willimon offers candid thoughts on a wide range of homiletical issues-from theological to pastoral, cultural, and stylistic. Readers will find challenge and inspiration from a few hours spent in the studio of this master preacher.""Will Willimon is a master preacher who is eminently qualified to teach a ''master class'' on preaching. Paradoxically, he refuses to master the text or the awesome responsibility of preaching the gospel. Instead, he shows us how to listen for God''s word and to experience it in every moment of the pastoral life. In Willimon''s reading, preaching is not an onerous burden but a lively exercise of the theological and biblical imagination. He really can''t help himself! He loves words, but he loves the Word even more. The outcome of this book is something we could all use--a newfound joy in the art of preaching.""--Richard LischerDuke Divinity Schoolauthor of The End of Words ""What a wonderful collection of insightful essays that invite us preachers to learn from the homiletic wisdom of Bishop Will Willimon. Arguably, what is best about this little book is that the teacher of this wisdom has been a faithful preacher of the gospel for more than thirty years. I hope many readers will take advantage of this opportunity to enhance their growth in the art of preaching for building up the faith and life of the church.""--Michael Pasquarello IIIGranger E. and Anna A. Fisher Professor of PreachingAsbury Theological SeminaryWilliam H. Willimon is Bishop of the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church and former Dean of the Chapel at Duke University. He is the author of over fifty books and is widely recognized as one of America''s best preachers.

The history of the Jesus movement and earliest Christianity requires careful attention to the characteristics and peculiarities of oral and literate traditions. Understanding the distinctive elements of Greco-Roman literacy potentially has profound implications for the historical understanding of the documents and events involved. Concepts such as media criticism, orality, manuscript culture, scribal writing, and performative reading are explored in these chapters. The scene of Greco-Roman literacy is analyzed by investigating writing and reading practices. These aspects are then related to early Christian texts such as the Gospel of Mark and sections from Paul''s letters.""At last! This collection of essays by Pieter Botha is a tremendous gift to those interested in issues related to orality and literacy in the ancient world. Botha is among the leading voices in this conversation. His thoughtful and carefully crafted essays represent some of the best work in the field. This collection deserves to be a part of any conversation moving forward.""--Holly Hearon, Author of The Mary Magdalene Tradition""For twenty years Pieter Botha has been doing foundational research on the communications media of the ancient world . . . I have repeatedly returned to his articles, learned from them again, and cited them often. Finally, we have Botha''s important articles collected and easily accessible in this book.""--Richard Horsley, Author of Hearing the Whole Story""Botha''s work is a significant, historical study that cuts through dichotomous views of communication and demonstrates the complex relationship of oral and written media in antiquity. This is responsible scholarship that seeks to define ''orality'' and ''literacy'' as cultural activities informed by their historical settings."" --James Maxey, Author of From Orality to OralityPieter J. J. Botha is Professor of New Testament and Early Christian Studies at the University of South Africa (Unisa) in Pretoria. He is the author of Everyday Life in the World of Jesus.

The Reformer Martin Luther is the source of endless fascination and dispute. Not only his antagonists but also his supporters have created a host of representations of his thought. On the one hand, Catholic and other similar voices have accused Luther of being the major agent in the birth of modern secularism. On the other hand, Lutherans themselves are divided on the meaning of Reformation. In view of all these interpretations and dismissals of Luther and the Lutheran Reformation, it requires a certain boldness to claim that Luther''s theology is intellectually fascinating and contains exceptional resources. This is precisely what the present volume claims. The studies collected in this volume aim at showing in which sense Luther remains a fully Catholic and genuinely Augustinian theologian who is not so much a forerunner of problematic modernity as a representative of classical Christianity. At the same time, Luther''s theology contains ideas that can be made fruitful in dialogue with currents like communitarianism or Radical Orthodoxy. The volume consists of articles written by scholars affiliated with the project known as ""the New Finnish Interpretation of Luther."" The topics include Luther''s theological anthropology, Trinity, christology, sacraments, faith, theology of the cross, the Virgin Mary, sexuality, music, and the spiritual reading of the Holy Scriptures.""This compelling volume continues the ground-breaking project known as the ''new Finnish interpretation of Luther.'' It is the contention of this movement that, for Luther, union with Christ in faith necessarily entails active and robust participation in God''s own life. Building upon the Reformer''s unique vision, at once evangelical and catholic, this book offers powerful contributions to contemporary theology and renewed sustenance for ecumenical advances. Highly recommended.""--Thomas G. GuarinoSeton Hall University""For over twenty years a remarkable group of Finnish scholars has been offering a new interpretation of Luther''s theology. Here for the first time in English these theologians give us not only a presentation of their challenging approach to Luther research, but a splendid introduction to Luther''s theology as a whole. Beginners and experts alike will find much to ponder in the Luther who speaks from these pages.""--Bruce MarshallPerkins School of TheologySouthern Methodist UniversityOlli-Pekka Vainio is an Adjunct Professor of Ecumenical Theology at the University of Helsinki, and a member of the Center for Theological Inquiry, Princeton. He is the author of Justification and Participation in Christ (2008) and Beyond Fideism: Negotiable Religious Identities (2010).

At a time when the Western church is having to come to terms--painfully and often reluctantly--with its diminished social and intellectual status in the world following the collapse of Christendom, we find ourselves, as interpreters of Paul, increasingly impressed by the need to relocate his writings in their historical context. That is not a coincidence. The Future of the People of God is an attempt to make sense of Paul''s letter to the Romans at the intersection of these two developments. It puts forward the argument that we must first have the courage of our historical convictions and read the text before Christendom, from the limited, shortsighted perspective of an emerging community that dared to defy the gods of the ancient world. This act of imaginative, critical engagement with the text will challenge many of our assumptions about Paul''s ""gospel of God,"" but it will also put us in a position to reconstruct an identity and purpose for the people of God after Christendom that is both biblically and historically coherent""The Future of the People of God: Reading Romans Before and After Western Christendom is clearly written and compellingly argued. Andrew Perriman probes the meaning of Romans, Paul''s most important letter, shedding light on the respective places of Jews and Gentiles in the redemptive plan of God. Perriman has captured the apostle''s thought and with impressive skill shows how it unfolds step by step. More impressive still is how the letter to the Romans is read in the light of the political realities of the Roman Empire in the middle of the first century and the dominical prophecy of Jerusalem''s impending doom. This is a great book. Highly recommended.""--Craig A. EvansPayzant Distinguished Professor of New TestamentAcadia Divinity College, Nova Scotia""Andrew Perriman here gives a fresh, highly stimulating reading of Romans rooted in its first century setting. His approach focuses on a soon-to-come historical crisis for Judaism and for the pagan world of Paul''s day, and provides new angles on passage after passage in Romans. This highly original book cannot fail to provoke thought, debate, argument, reflection and re-reading of Romans, both in its first century setting and for today.""-Steve WaltonSenior Lecturer in Greek and New Testament Studies, and Director of ResearchLondon School of Theology, United KingdomAndrew Perriman is a traveler, blogger (www.postost.net), ad hoc teacher and pastor, and independent theologian. He is the author of Speaking of Women: Interpreting Paul (1998), Faith, Health and Prosperity (2003), The Coming of the Son of Man: New Testament Eschatology for an Emerging Church (2005), and Re:Mission: Biblical Mission for a Post-Biblical Church (2007).

CONTRIBUTORS:Mustafa Abu-Sway, Al-Quds University, JerusalemAsma Afsaruddin, Indiana UniversityReinhold Bernhardt, Basel UniveristyDavid Burrell, CSC, University of Notre DameCatherine Cornille, Boston CollegeGavin D''Costa, University of BristolDavid M. Elcott, New York UniversityJoseph Lumbard, Brandeis UniversityJonathan Magonet, Louis Baeck Institute, LondonJohn Makransky, Boston CollegeAnantanand Rambachan, St. Olaf CollegeDeepak Sarma, Case Western UniversityJudith Simmer-Brown, Naropa UniversityMark Unno, University of Oregon""Discernment as the evaluation of one religious community by another is a critical question in contemporary interfaith dialogue theory and practice. How do the members of different religions judge the relative worth of other religious traditions? And how does this judgment connect with the complicated religious lives of modern people? The question of religious discernment has become much more pressing in an age of the globalization of religion along with economic and cultural exchange. What is so refreshing about these essays is that the authors do not shy away from the fact that every religious tradition does have ways of judging the relative merits (and demerits) of the religions of other people . . . As the Kongzi (Confucius) taught so long ago, we need to find harmony but not uniformity. These essays help us on this path.""--John BerthrongBoston University""This is serious and careful work, a rich collection yielding honest and provocative lessons by religious scholars challenged to identify the criteria for critical judgments they employ when addressing different understandings within their traditions and, particularly, across religious boundaries. They contribute significantly to contemporary reflections on the dynamics of interreligious exchange from a diversity of perspectives. Here five major traditions are represented, but not uniformly so. Their insightful, at times formidable, even counter-intuitive suggestions are instructive to all who wish to understand more clearly diverse religious perspectives on dialogue.""Georgetown University""--John BorelliGeorgetown UniversityCatherine Cornille is Associate Professor of Comparative Theology at Boston College. She is the author of The Im-Possibility of Interreligious Dialogue (2008) and editor of Many Mansions? Multiple Religious Belonging and Christian Identity (2002) and Song Divine: Christian Commentaries on the Bhagavad Gita (2006). She is managing editor of the series Christian Commentaries on Non-Christian Sacred Texts.

Globalization and urbanization are twin forces that are powerfully shaping economics, politics, and religion in the world today. Traditional anthropological theories are inadequate to recognize and analyze trends such as global migration, diasporas, and transnationalism. New departures in anthropology and the social sciences seeking to address these and other phenomena can help us critique and reshape the theology and practice of Christian mission.Today most societies are no longer monocultural. In such multicultural contexts any given individual may be competent in several cultures, several languages, several social networks. What does it mean to be in mission with people on the move--people who present themselves in one social identity, language, and culture within a particular setting, and then in another setting, even on the very same day, present themselves in another social identity, language, and culture? In the face of widespread, rapid movement of peoples and their increasingly fluid and multifaceted identities, will the missionary settle down somewhere or be itinerant along with the people? How are perplexing new questions in particular contexts to be addressed, such as: In what ways is the Nigerian who is founding an AIC congregation near Houston a missionary too? How will Brazilians and Koreans be trained for cross-cultural ministry?The world is changing faster than missionaries can be retrained for service. And yet ethnographic tools are still crucial to missionary practice. This important work seeks to draw on recent developments in anthropology to bring valuable perspective and tools to bear on equipping missionaries for work amidst the rapid shifting and complex shaping of peoples by the forces of today''s globalized world.""Rynkiewich has written an excellent accessible introduction for missionaries to postmodern anthropology. Soul, Self, and Society provides up-to-date perspectives and ''tools'' for properly understanding the cultural/social phenomena of our complex and changing world today, such as migration, urbanization, globalization, and postcolonialism, and therefore enabling missionaries to proclaim, serve, and witness to God''s Reign more appropriately and deeply within the heart of the human situation.""-Roger Schroeder Catholic Theological Union in Chicago""This book is a worthy successor to texts by Nida, Luzbetak, Mayers, Hiebert, and Lingenfelter. Good writing, clear thinking, and cutting-edge engagement with contemporary concerns such as migration, diaspora, transnationalism, urbanization, and globalization set this volume apart from its predecessors. It deserves to become the standard textbook for introductory anthropology courses in Christian colleges and seminaries.""-Jonathan BonkOverseas Ministries Study Center""Anthropology has always played a critical role in missiological reflection. Yet, though the discipline of anthropology has changed, missiology often has not. In this important work, Michael Rynkiewich, a senior missiological anthropologist, calls for a much needed ''upgrade.'' His mature reflection challenges traditional missiological thinking as he argues for a postmodern, postcolonial missiology that engages current anthropological theory. All who take mission and context seriously must grapple with the ideas in this book!""-Christopher FlandersAbilene Christian University""In an irenic spirit, Rynkiewich chides anthropologists, missiologists, and missionaries for not adequately coming to grips with the enormous changes our world has undergone in the past fifty years. We therefore ignore at our peril these urbanizing and globalizing dynamics, and may by default promote a missiological practice or follow an anthropological theory that is no longer useful or even true in today''s world. In a masterful way, Rynkiewich, drawing on his anthropological research and mission experience in the South Pacific, brings together anthropology and missiology and shows us how both can

What would biology look like if it took the problem of natural evil seriously? This book argues that biological descriptions of evolution are inherently moral, just as the biblical story of creation has biological implications. A complete account of evolution will therefore require theological input. The Dome of Eden does not try to harmonize evolution and creation. Harmonizers typically begin with Darwinism and then try to add just enough religion to make evolution more palatable, or they begin with Genesis and pry open the creation account just wide enough to let in a little bit of evolution. By contrast, Stephen Webb provides a theory of how evolution and theology fit together, and he argues that this kind of theory is required by the internal demands of both theology and biology. The Dome of Eden also develops a theological account of evolution that is distinct from the intelligent design movement. Webb shows how intelligent design properly discerns the inescapable dimension of purpose in nature but, like Darwinism itself, fails to make sense of the problem of natural evil. Finally, this book draws on the work of Karl Barth to advance a new reading of the Genesis narrative and the theology of Duns Scotus to provide the necessary metaphysical foundation for evolutionary thought.""The ongoing, critical re-evaluation of Darwinian evolution by theologians has revived an interest in the problem of natural evil. Stephen Webb must be counted as one of the most imaginative and adventurous contributors to this literature, someone who at once reasserts the significance of Satan in nature and the person of Christ as the archetype for the human condition. In Webb one encounters a close reader of the Bible who manages to render a providential view of divine creation compatible with recent convergent approaches to evolution that suggest, on scientific grounds, a more purposeful view of humanity than Darwin would ever have allowed."" --Steve FullerProfessor of SociologyUniversity of Warwick""Classic Webb--a take-no-prisoners assault on complacent assumptions, sharp-taloned critiques, a rip-roaring theological voice, Formula One urgency, and smart, rat-tat-tat prose.""--Russell R. RenoProfessor of Theological EthicsCreighton UniversityStephen H. Webb is Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Wabash College, Crawfordsville, Indiana. He is the author of nine previous books, including Dylan Redeemed (2006).

""All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.""Lady Julian of NorwichUniversalism runs like a slender thread through the history of Christian theology. It has always been a minority report and has often been regarded as heresy, but it has proven to be a surprisingly resilient ""idea."" Over the centuries Christian universalism, in one form or another, has been reinvented time and time again. In this book an international team of scholars explore the diverse universalisms of Christian thinkers from the Origen to Moltmann. In the introduction Gregory MacDonald argues that theologies of universal salvation occupy a space between heresy and dogma. Therefore disagreements about whether all will be saved should not be thought of as debates between ""the orthodox"" and ""heretics"" but rather as ""in-house"" debates between Christians.The studies that follow aim, in the first instance, to hear, understand, and explain the eschatological claims of a range of Christians from the third to the twenty-first centuries. They also offer some constructive, critical engagement with those claims.Origen (Tom Greggs)Gregory of Nyssa (Steve Harmon)Julian of Norwich (Robert Sweetman)The Cambridge Platonists (Louise Hickman)James Relly (Wayne K. Clymer)Elhanan Winchester (Robin Parry)Friedrich Schleiermacher (Murray Rae)Thomas Erskine (Don Horrocks)George MacDonald (Thomas Talbott)P. T. Forsyth (Jason Goroncy)Sergius Bulgakov (Paul Gavrilyuk)Karl Barth (Oliver Crisp)Jaques Ellul (Andrew Goddard)J. A. T. Robinson (Trevor Hart)Hans Urs von Balthasar (Edward T. Oakes, SJ)John Hick (Lindsay Hall)Jurgen Moltmann(Nik Ansell)""This is a lively and illuminating collection of essays. Its well-judged blend of theological analysis and historical context makes it accessible to the general reader as well as raising provocative questions for theologians about the place of universalism in Christian tradition. I will certainly use it in my teaching.""--Morwenna LudlowLecturer in Patristics, University of Exeter, UK""Is universalism the heart of the gospel or an idea concocted by the ''devil'' to desensitize human beings to the possibility of eternal damnation? The stakes could not be higher! This volume shows why many of the great theologians in the Christian tradition responded positively to the former question even as their engaging the arguments back-and-forth will equip readers to formulate their own answers to the latter and other associated rationales rejecting the universalist notion. For all booklovers, the riveting theological biographies in chapter after chapter will keep readers tuned in from start to finish to follow the twists and turns that have perennially characterized the quest to understand universal salvation and its implications.""--Amos YongJ. Rodman Williams Professor of Theology, Regent University, Virginia Beach Gregory MacDonald is Robin Parry, an Acquisitions Editor with Wipf and Stock.

What if we are more multiple as persons than traditional psychology has taught us to believe? And what if our multiplicity is a part of how we are made in the very image of a loving, relational, multiple God? How have modern, Western notions of Oneness caused harm--to both individuals and society? And how can an appreciation of our multiplicity help liberate the voices of those who live at the margins, both of society and within our own complex selves? Braided Selves explores these questions from the perspectives of postmodern pastoral psychology and Trinitarian theology, with implications for the practice of spiritual care, counseling, and psychotherapy. This volume gathers ten years of essays on this theme by preeminent pastoral theologian Pamela Cooper-White, whose writings bring into dialogue postmodern, feminist, and psychoanalytic theory and constructive theology.""The polyvalent beauty of the titular metaphor weaves right through this powerful new contribution to relational theology--in its most currently postmodern theory and practice. Managing to remain breathtakingly readable, this text offers its manifold gifts to the whole range of theological disciplines. Braid this book into your lives, your ministries, your studies, your selves!""--Catherine KellerProfessor of Constructive TheologyDrew Theological School""Braided Selves is a remarkable collection of richly nuanced, provocative, debatable, generative, and above all, truly important essays at the intersection of psychoanalytic theory, theological anthropology, constructive theology, and pastoral theology by one who may now be the most profound and searching pastoral theologian of our time. Pamela Cooper-White writes in a fluid, interesting, and highly readable style, while probing the depths of some of the most important issues in contemporary, postmodern theological anthropology and clinical and pastoral practice. This book cannot be too highly recommended.""--Rodney J. HunterProfessor Emeritus of Pastoral TheologyCandler School of Theology, Emory University""Braided Selves is what authentic theology could be in the twenty-first century: theoretically rich without fleeing into metaphysical and rhetorical abstractions; rooted in human experience without degenerating into sentimentality and cliche. Anyone who cares about religious reflection in this troubled time should read this book. It will be a loss if Dr. Cooper-White''s text is in any way restricted only to those who have ''pastoral'' in their job description.""--James W. JonesProfessor of Psychology of ReligionRutgers UniversityPamela Cooper-White is the Ben G. and Nancye Clapp Gautier Professor of Pastoral Theology, Care, and Counseling at Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, Georgia, and Director of the Atlanta Theological Association''s ThD program in Pastoral Counseling. In 2005 she received the American Association of Pastoral Counselors'' national award for Distinguished Achievement in Research and Writing. Cooper-White holds PhDs from Harvard University and from the Institute for Clinical Social Work in Chicago. She is the author of Many Voices: Pastoral Psychotherapy and Theology in Relational Perspective (2007), Shared Wisdom: Use of the Self in Pastoral Care and Counseling (2004), and The Cry of Tamar: Violence against Women and the Church''s Response (1995).

The apostle Paul was a man of many journeys. We are usually familiar with the geographical ones he made in his own time. This volume traces others--Paul''s journeys in our time, as he is co-opted or invited to travel (sometimes as abused slave, sometimes as trusted guide) with modern and recent Continental philosophers and political theorists. Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Benjamin; Taubes, Badiou, Zizek, and Agamben--Paul journeys here among the philosophers. In these essays you are invited to travel with them into the regions of philosophy, hermeneutics, political theory, and theology. You will certainly hear the philosophers speak. But Paul will not remain silent. Above the sounds of the journey his voice comes through, loud and clear.""Is it good news that Zizek, Badiou and Agamben have refound Paul? I am not yet sure, since this may signal a new route into the Word or a new route out. Paul, Philosophy, and the Theopolitical Vision offers urgent instruction on how to keep this a route in. And that is very good news indeed. A powerful, brilliant, and urgent book!""--Peter Ochs University of Virginia. ""To the surprise of many, the apostle Paul has brought new energy to continental philosophy. But to date, the ''Pauline turn'' in contemporary theory has been rather isolated from scholars in biblical studies--where Paul is undergoing a different kind of reconsideration. Finally, this volume changes all of that, bringing together philosophers, biblical scholars, and theologians to assess and engage the ''postmodern Paul,'' intimating a Pauline revolution that not even Zizek could have dreamed.""--James K. A. SmithCalvin College""This collection of essays forms a front that takes on recent philosophical interpretations of Paul by the likes of Heidegger, Benjamin, Taubes, Badiou, Zizek, and Agamben with the best voices in contemporary theology and biblical studies. What you get is nothing less than a new composition of the very core structures that make up theology, critical theory, and biblical studies--indeed the humanities as such! In this way, these arguments enact a very Paulinean Event that stands toe-to-toe with philosophy''s greats figures in order to identify the truth of God''s act in History--The Scandal of the Incarnation!""--Creston DavisRollins College""In this wonderful collection of essays, an adept team of scholars, expertly marshaled and framed by Douglas Harink, engages with the intriguing conversation currently unfolding between the apostle Paul and certain modern European theorists. The result is a dialogue rich with insights flowing in both directions--from modern theory to new (or recovered) angles of illumination on Paul, and from the apostle''s charged texts back to the presuppositions and conceits of modern theory. That the view of Paul often pressed is ''apocalyptic,'' in the sense of drawing on the seminal work of J. Louis (Lou) Martyn, makes the analysis still richer. The result is a book that both educates and delights."" --Douglas A. CampbellDuke Divinity School ""There is a rich education to be had within these covers. On the one hand, the essayists offer crucial insights into what all the fuss is about regarding the philosophical rediscovery of the apostle Paul, and readers come to appreciate his varied fate in the hands of Taubes, Badiou, Agamben, and Zizek. On the other hand, these secular despoilers of Paul are themselves despoiled here, and Christian theology has set before it a wealth of provocations to better faithfulness and understanding. Taken together, these essays illumine the contours of the apocalyptic gospel of God at the heart of Paul''s own witness and make plain its import for contemporary political thought. Philosophers and theologians alike are well reminded--indeed well warned--of the dynamite they take into their hands when, in quest of a better human politics, they turn to Paul.""--Philip G. ZieglerUniversity of AberdeenDouglas Harink is Professor of Th

From the polling place to the pulpit, The Romance of Innocent Sexuality investigates the passions that are enacted in debates about same-sex marriage. In a critique that is at once humorous and unrelenting, Geoffrey Rees argues that sexual desire is fundamentally a desire to make sense of oneself as a whole person. Through a constructive engagement with the writings of Saint Augustine on original sin, Rees turns on its head the conventional wisdom regarding the goodness of sexual relationship, arguing that sin, not innocence, is the starting point in pursing justice in sexual ethics. To that end Rees boldly reclaims the wisdom of the most disreputable teachings of the Augustinian tradition: that original sin is a literal inheritance of all humanity of the singular disobedience of Adam and Eve in Eden, and the inherent sinfulness of all human sexuality. This work also engages theological readings of nineteenth-century fiction and literary readings of contemporary theological writings. In so doing Rees shows that debates about same-sex marriage are so compelling because the participants are all telling a common story in which they seek to establish the innocence of their own preferred forms of self-understanding as defined against some other persons'' sinful selves. In contrast to this, Rees argues for the acceptance of responsibility for the sinful exclusions that make possible finding the meaning of embodied personal identity through marriage between any two persons.""This is a highly original and provocative inquiry into the sexual politics of sin, marriage, and identity. Tackling sensitive and controversial material head on, Rees''s tone is sober and serene. With Augustine and Foucault as guides, he crosses disciplinary boundaries between theology, philosophy, literature, and history with audacity and ease. Rees''s book demonstrates how, when it comes to same-sex relations, the personal is deeply political and innocence is overrated. Here is a new religious ethics which generates a radically innovative conversation on the nature of original sin, death, and pleasure.""--Richard KearneyBoston College""In this text Geoffrey Rees looks to the Augustinian tradition as providing constructive insights that are currently neglected, if not vilified, so that the tradition''s association of sexuality and sin affords a corrective to the perfectionist and simplifying liberationist trends in contemporary discourse . . . he also considers romantic narrative conventions that appear in nineteenth-century literature, and claims, originally I believe, that they epitomize the strains in contemporary discourse on sexuality that extol its perfectionist and liberationist possibilities . . . in doing so, Rees shows himself to be an astute thinker and an engaging and elegant writer.""--Gene Outka,Yale UniversityGeoffrey Rees teaches health care ethics in the Department of Religion, Health, and Human Values at Rush University in Chicago, Illinois, where he also serves on the ethics consultation service.

In this compelling work, Fisher brings a fresh understanding to the book of Job by highlighting the four main sections of the book that have truly different perspectives: the folktale, the poetic dialogue, the poem on wisdom, and Elihu''s speeches. As he says in the Preface, ""the poem and its author were framed in both meanings of that word. The Ancient Folktale of Job formed a frame that was ancient and ornate, and it ruined the inserted poem or dialogue. It caused both books to be misunderstood."" Anyone interested in a fresh translation and a vibrant analysis of Job will want to read this volume.""Loren Fisher provides a fine translation and an insightful commentary on the book of Job. Over against efforts by ancient editors and contemporary interpreters to force the story into a single, often consoling, message, he highlights the disconcerting and opposing voices within the whole. These voices yield an open-ended debate between God unjust and cruel and God merciful and compassionate--a debate that endures to this day.""--Phyllis Tribleauthor of Texts of Terror""Many writers seek a single unifying thesis in the book of Job. Fisher uncompromisingly insists that it is not a coherent book. By taking it apart he exposes the contrasting views of God and justice. In particular he frees the angry Job to utter his powerful and unqualified attack on the orthodoxy of his day, and of ours."" --John B. Cobb Jr.author of A Christian Natural Theology""Loren Fisher proposes an insightful approach to the entirety of the book of Job, enabling us to read this prime exemplar of the biblical wisdom tradition differently. Instead of forcing its parts and speeches into a single mold, he shows how it speaks with different voices like the separate themes of a symphony.""--Baruch A. Levineauthor of In the Presence of the LordLoren R. Fisher took early retirement as Professor of Hebrew Bible at the School of Theology at Claremont and Professor of Semitic Languages and Literature at Claremont Graduate School. He edited Ras Shamra Parallels (vols. 1 and 2), and he is the author of Genesis: A Royal Epic, The Jerusalem Academy, and The Minority Report.

The Death of Secular Messianism argues that, the claims of secularists notwithstanding, modernity did not so much abandon humanity''s historic search for the divine, but rather transposed it into a new, innerworldly key. This ""secret religion of high modernity"" came in both positivistic and humanistic variants. The first sought to overcome finitude by means of scientific and technological progress. The second sought to overcome contingency by creating a collective Subject--the Modern Democratic State or the Communist Party--in and through which human beings would become the masters of their own destiny. In making his case for this thesis, the author outlines a new political-theological and social-theoretical perspective which saves what is best in modernity--its focus on human creative activity and its commitment to rational autonomy and democratic citizenship--while re-engaging humanity''s great spiritual traditions.""Anthony Mansueto''s book is an important contribution to the history of thought. He describes the roots and history of the contemporary world''s ''civilization crisis'' with an outstanding analytic mind and an encyclopedic knowledge of philosophy and the social sciences. This alone would be a considerable help in understanding the situation. But starting with those reflections, he goes further in studying what could be an answer to the crisis . . . This large synthesis, rigorously elaborated in a very clear language, is a milestone in contemporary social philosophy.""--Francois HoutartProfessor Emeritus of the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium and founder of the Tricontinental CenterAnthony E. Mansueto is President and Senior Scholar at Seeking Wisdom.

This book is an attempt to critically embrace a tradition--a culture--in which the author was formed and against which he has often found himself in resistance, using academic disciplines in which he is well versed but about which he is deeply suspicious. This book began to come together as a book in a series of lectures on the history of Western thought at Shenzhen University in the People''s Republic of China, an opportunity to cultivate disciplined criticism that might afford a second look at traditions behind the West which are being embraced all too quickly. In a time of acceleration, this book offers a meditation on the virtue of hesitation.The book is an invitation to philosophy and the history of ideas, but it is also a sustained critical reflection on the religious dimensions--explicit and implicit--of those ideas, with enough utopian vision left to imagine a city in which violence is not necessary.""Combining erudition of a true scholar and insight of a gifted poet, professor Steven Schroeder offers his readers an adventurous ''pilgrimage'' of mind into the realms of cultural history, philosophy, and religion. This perfectly structured, consistent, and well-argued book is a good companion to anyone who wishes to transgress the boundaries of supposedly ''Western'' ideas and open new vistas to the territories that reflect the legacy of so many vanished civilizations."" --Almantas SamalaviciusVilnius Gediminas Technical University and Vilnius University""This new book by Steven Schroeder contains careful examinations of and insightful reflections on the intellectual history of the West. It not only provides us with guidance when journeying through the labyrinth of Western ideas, but it enables us to see how ideas, almost always intertwined with human desires and fears, are projected into the real world and contribute to transform the place we live in. It is highly illuminating for understanding the human creation of ideas, and therefore, is instructive to anyone who wants to coexist harmoniously with others in the twenty-first century.""--Dongming ZhaoShenzhen University, People''s Republic of China.""Without ever raising his voice, the author challenges some of our most cherished assumptions--the centrality of ''the West,'' the primacy of Greek thought in the development of Western philosophy, and the identification of heroic virtue with aggression and conquest--among others. Here is philosophy restored to its mission of ''passionate engagements in a controversy that matters.'' The fact that Schroeder is a poet as well as a scholar makes this book a pleasure to read and of interest to the general reader as well as to scholars and specialists.--A. G. Mojtabaiauthor of Blessed Assurance ""How to summarize this heady ride from Babel to Thebes to Shenzhen, from the meaning of language to the meaning of meaning . . . Where is God? What is really real? Who is the stranger? This book rockets from the paradox of free will to the paradox of slavery, from redefining Descartes to rediscovering forgotten giants such as Anne Conway. Read this book and rediscover what the work of philosophy and the play of wisdom is all about.""--Rev. David Breedenauthor of This Is Just To Say: Meditations on a Theme by William Carlos WilliamsSteven Schroeder is an instructor in Asian Classics and the Basic Program of Liberal Education for Adults at the University of Chicago Graham School and Visiting Professor in the School of Foreign Languages at Shenzhen University in the People''s Republic of China. His most recent book is Six Stops South (2009).

Reading Revelation Responsibly is for those who are confused by, afraid of, and/or preoccupied with the book of Revelation. In rescuing the Apocalypse from those who either completely misinterpret it or completely ignore it, Michael Gorman has given us both a guide to reading Revelation in a responsible way and a theological engagement with the text itself. He takes interpreting the book as a serious and sacred responsibility, believing how one reads, teaches, and preaches Revelation can have a powerful impact on one''s own--and other people''s--well-being. Gorman pays careful attention to the book''s original historical and literary contexts, its connections to the rest of Scripture, its relationship to Christian doctrine and practice, and its potential to help or harm people in their life of faith. Rather than a script for the end times, Gorman demonstrates how Revelation is a script for Christian worship, witness, and mission that runs counter to culturally embedded civil religion.""With an exceptional blend of scholarly insight and confessional grounding, this book restores Revelation to relevance for the mission of the church. Gorman joins John of Patmos to inspire us with a risky and lofty vision of following the Lamb in radical and nonviolent witness in the world. This accessible volume is a theological wellspring for preachers, teachers, and any disciples seeking a reliable alternative to the scare-mongering eschatology that clogs airwaves and bookstores.""--J. Nelson Kraybillauthor of Apocalypse and Allegiance: Worship, Politics, and Devotion in the Book of Revelation ""Sometimes I think there are only two kinds of Christians in America: those who''ve never read Revelation and those who read almost nothing else. This book can help either kind. With careful use of scholarship and an evident love for the Lamb who was slain, Michael Gorman demystifies a book that''s meant to clarify what''s at stake when we say, ''Jesus is Lord.''""--Jonathan Wilson-Hartgroveauthor of The Wisdom of Stability: Rooting Faith in a Mobile CultureMichael J. Gorman is Professor of Sacred Scripture and Dean of the Ecumenical Institute of Theology at St. Mary''s Seminary & University in Baltimore, Maryland. His recent books include Reading Paul (Cascade 2008) and Inhabiting the Cruciform God (2009).

While process philosophers and theologians have written numerous essays on Buddhist-Christian dialogue, few have sought to expand the current Buddhist-Christian dialogue into a ""trilogue"" by bringing the natural sciences into the discussion as a third partner. This was the topic of Paul O. Ingram''s previous book, Buddhist-Christian Dialogue in an Age of Science. The thesis of the present work is that Buddhist-Christian dialogue in all three of its forms--conceptual, social engagement, and interior--are interdependent processes of creative transformation. Ingram appropriates the categories of Whitehead''s process metaphysics as a means of clarifying how dialogue is now mutually and creatively transforming both Buddhism and Christianity.""The Process of Buddhist-Christian Dialogue is many things: Reflections on the historical process of Buddhist-Christian dialogue, the author''s own intellectual process of evolving dialogue, and the vision of dialogue informed by a Whiteheadian view of process. The multifaceted complexity and richness of the work, however, issues from Paul Ingram''s wholehearted engagement with dialogue, not just as a scholar, but as a person. In plumbing the very depths of his own faith, he has been inexorably impelled to examine his life within the larger scope of human and cosmic diversity, to reach beyond any sort of dogmatically predefined boundaries. He is a scholar of Japanese Pure Land thought, East Asian Buddhism, and religion and science, but it is here in The Process of Buddhist-Christian Dialogue that he truly reveals the deep hues of his kaleidoscopic lifework."" --Mark Unno, University of Oregon""Ingram offers an insightful, well-structured, and panoramic view of the field of Buddhist-Christian studies, mapping out the conceptual, socially-engaged, and interior dimensions of the dialogue that continue to enrich and expand the horizons of both traditions.""--Ruben L. F. Habito, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist UniversityPaul O. Ingram is Professor of Religion Emeritus at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington. He is the author of Buddhist-Christian Dialogue in an Age of Science, Wrestling with God, and Wrestling with the Ox: A Theology of Religious Experience.

Johann Christoph Blumhardt (1805-1880) was a pastoral counselor and theologian of hope. His theology and pastoral approach, shaped as they were by the awakening in his congregation and numerous incidents of faith healing, provoked earnest and lively debate, and the controversy continues today. Ising''s work mines the original sources, the product of an interaction with Blumhardt''s life and work that goes back many years. He has drawn a portrait that explores the shadows as well as its bright side. Readers are invited to enter fully into the nineteenth century, Blumhardt''s century, yet are constantly reminded that the problems of that day have lost none of their currency within the altered mental horizons of today.""This is the long expected, definitive biography of the Swabian Protestant Pastor Johann Christoph Blumhardt ... Ising shows that Blumhardt''s legacy deserves more than nostalgic remembrance. It poses a genuine challenge to the perceptions and practices of Christian counseling, which is often highly professional but no longer dares to count on God''s presence in the counseling process itself.""-Christoffer H. Grundmannauthor of Sent to Heal! Emergence and Development of Medical Missions""Blumhardt''s biography, from its earliest beginnings until his quiet death, has received magisterial treatment by Dieter Ising. The narrative is as judicious as it is vivid; this is so particularly with regard to Blumhardt''s place within the framework of Pietism and the ''surplus'' in addition to Pietism that he was able to find, the way he grew beyond his limitations.""-Paul DieterichPrelate (ret.), Lutheran Church in Wurttemberg""There is now available a wealth of biographical material which enables us, to a much greater degree than before, to illuminate Blumhardt''s place in the history of the territorial churches and in contemporary church life. This has made possible the present biography, a model of its kind, in which Dieter Ising has been able to base his account on his comprehensive edition of Blumhardt''s letters as well as on further previously unpublished materials.""-Gerhard Sauterauthor of Die Theologie des Reiches Gottes beim alteren und jungeren Blumhardt""Until recently, Blumhardt has appeared as a mysterious figure. This has now changed with Dieter Ising''s clearly-written and thorough biography . . . The result is a vivid portrayal of a man set clearly in the context of his life and times and speaking to us today in ways that challenge our own ways of thinking. This biography must not be overlooked by anyone interested in contemporary theology or pastoral care, especially with the healing message so popular in the churches of the Southern Hemisphere. I enthusiastically recommend it.""-Frank D. Macchiaauthor of Spirituality and Social Concern: The Message of the Blumhardts in the Light of Wuerttemberg PietismDieter Ising wrote his doctoral thesis at Tubingen under the supervision of Jurgen Moltmann. His field of research is Wurttemberg church history and history of theology. In the Landeskirchliches Archiv Stuttgart he has edited the correspondence of Johann Christoph Blumhardt (7 volumes, 1993-2001) and is editing the correspondence of Johann Albrecht Bengel.

This lively commentary encompasses four major books focusing on women in the Hebrew Bible and Apocrypha. Each section in the volume addresses the biblical text in detail, and draws connections from the world of ancient audiences to that of present-day readers. Wolfe''s research is motivated by the usual inquiries of biblical scholarship, as well as the questions raised by the many church Bible study groups she has taught. Clergy and laity, students and scholars will benefit from these contemporarily relevant reflections on Ruth, Esther, Song of Songs and Judith.Ruth: The foreign widow who sneaks onto the nighttime threshing floor to find survival for herself and her devastated mother-in-law. Esther: The Jewish orphan-turned-queen who turns Persian banqueting on its head in an effort to defend her people. Song of Songs: The proud and alluring lover who claims her sexuality as her own and joyfully shares it with her beloved. Judith: The pious and beautiful widow who lets the enemy commander''s appetite become his downfall in order to save her besieged city.This volume is an opportunity to engage these women''s suspense-filled stories, which have sustained faith communities since ancient times.""In her study of Ruth, the Moabite daughter-in-law, Esther, the Jewish queen, Ra''ayti, the young lover, and Judith, the warrior, Lisa Wolfe takes us on a journey through tales about rags-to-riches, the triumph of the underdog, romance, and a widow warrior that challenge traditional gender roles and will keep us reading for more.""-Thomas B. DozemanUnited Theological Seminary""This remarkably engaging commentary translates solid critical biblical scholarship into forthright, accessible, everyday language that persuasively ''undermines the oft-repeated falsehood that women in the Hebrew Bible had no voice, no power, and no place in society.''"" -Kathleen A. Robertson FarmerUnited Theological Seminary""Well researched, accessibly written, with a deft touch of humor, this book will serve as a fine text for college students, study groups in the church, and as a stimulating guide for pastors preaching on these uppity women.""-Tex SampleSaint Paul School of Theology""Lisa Wolfe''s readings of Ruth, Esther, Song, and Judith are lively and judicious, a rare combination in the commentary literature. The work reflects extensive experience teaching the books and an impressive command of the scholarly literature. With an engaging feminist critical approach, Wolfe skillfully exploits ambiguities and ironies in the texts, and at just the right moments, introduces a refreshing sense of humor. Accessible and critically astute, this will be an excellent textbook for undergraduate and seminary courses, as well as a fine resource for laypersons.""-Harold WashingtonSaint Paul School of TheologyLisa M. Wolfe is Associate Professor in the Endowed Chair of Hebrew Bible at Oklahoma City University, and an ordained pastor in the United Church of Christ. Her DVD Bible study series ""Uppity Women of the Bible"" (Living the Questions, 2010) is a companion to this book.

When Jesus spoke at his local synagogue he boldly proclaimed that he was the one sent to free those who were oppressed. He came to provide hope, peace, and safety to those suffering in the world. When he left this earth, his followers were left with the task of continuing this ministry.Statistics suggest that in America one in four women has experienced physical violence in an intimate relationship. Dating violence, intimate-partner violence, and child abuse rank as some of our nation''s largest problems. Men are also being abused by intimate partners, parents, or care providers at increasing rates. The statistic is even more alarming worldwide. Unfortunately, these statistics represent only reported incidents. The rates of verbal, emotional, and spiritual abuse are even higher. In addition, countless women are encouraged by clergy to return to their abusive spouses. The faith community, while called by God to free the oppressed, has been slow to respond to this sin against humanity. Few seminaries offer quality domestic-violence-prevention training for clergy. However, clergy still continue to be sought for help from the community and as advocates for victims of domestic violence. A partnership between the church and community (locally and abroad) is necessary if we wish to transform humans caught in this form of oppression. In Setting the Captives Free Ron Clark proposed a theology of addressing domestic violence and its application for clergy. Freeing the Oppressed is a book that seeks to condense Clark''s previous work into a readable form for those seeking spiritual answers concerning abuse and batterer intervention, and for helpers of those caught in the cycle of family violence. It is also designed as an outreach for those seeking help from the faith community.""Thank you Dr. Clark for writing such a thoroughly readable work. Your book sounds the clarion call that many of us working in the field of domestic violence have hoped and prayed the church would hear. It clearly states the problem and the need facing our country, our communities, and our churches. More importantly, it provides a message of hope and a way for the church to touch and be touched by their communities . . . This is a rare gem of a Christian work that I can feel comfortable giving to clergy, victims, perpetrators, or anyone wanting to know how to address family violence.""--Patricia Warford, PsyDLicensed Psychologist""Ron Clark has provided a clear, concise, spiritually-informed, well-researched argument calling Christians to speak out against domestic abuse and to respond compassionately to women, men, and children impacted by its devastating consequences. Every pastor and every seminary student should read Freeing the Oppressed. Clark interweaves his pastoral experience with biblical insights and knowledge of the growing literature in domestic violence. The result: a prophetic call to social action.""--Nancy Nason-ClarkProfessor of SociologyUniversity of New Brunswick""Freeing the Oppressed is a wonderful resource for any reader who wishes to learn more about domestic abuse and Christian communities. Beginning with a chapter outlining the dynamics of domestic abuse, Ron Clark provides a chapter-by-chapter journey toward hope and healing for victim/survivors and perpetrators alike and toward greater understanding for those who seek to assist them. Interspersing his personal experiences as pastor, counselor, and educator within each chapter helps to frame the plethora of interrelated issues in a manner that makes them clear and accessible--and interesting--to all readers.""--Barbara Fisher-TownsendCo-Editor of Beyond Abuse in the Christian Church: Raising Voices for ChangeRon Clark is the lead church planter for the Agape Church of Christ in Portland, Oregon. He is the author of Setting the Captives Free and is active in community organizations for prevention of domestic violence, sexual assault, and homelessness.

When a boy cries, his father trains him in the way of the ancients. He is taught to ""man up,"" and rejects anything feminine in his life. Thus he begins the process of becoming a man in the image of his culture. This transformation comes at the expense of his own calling to reflect the image of God. Men and women, however, were both created in this divine image and were meant to live in harmony rather than enmity. Recently, influential Christian writers and leaders have suggested that men have become too feminized and need to return to their calling to be ""real men."" Clark believes that this ""new masculinity"" is in reality a return to the way of the ancients. Drawing from his experiences as a minister, domestic- and sexual- violence prevention advocate, and community leader, Clark suggests that Jesus came to redefine masculinity and resist the cultural view of manhood, power, and oppression.""Are men to be strong, tough, and raging? Or compassionate, empathetic, and caring? Ron Clark takes you through biblical and cultural history, providing a thought provoking case for what real manhood is. This book will definitely challenge you to think through whatever paradigms you may have instead of simply accepting the status quo.""--Eric and Jennifer GarciaCo-founders of the Association of Marriage and Family Ministries""Ron Clark makes a strong, religious case for the strength in gentleness and humility, and adds an urgently needed voice to the call for compassion in a world that too often feels cold and distant.""--Patrick J. LemmonCo-founder and former Executive Director of Men Can Stop Rape""Ron Clark is one of the leading voices among male clergy in the struggle to end men''s violence against women and children. This book contains all of the qualities of courageous honesty, wisdom, and humility that make him such an effective educator and leader. Women and men---nside and outside of Christian communities--will find great insight and compassionate teaching in these pages.""--Jackson Katzauthor of The Macho Paradox: Why Some Men Hurt Women and How All Men Can HelpRon Clark is the lead church planter for the Agape Church of Christ in Portland, Oregon where he is active in community organizations in domestic and sexual abuse, homelessness, and human trafficking. He is an adjunct faculty member at George Fox Evangelical Seminary and author of Setting the Captives Free, Freeing the Oppressed and The Better Way.

Scott Bader-SayeFrederick Christian BauerschmidtMichael Baxter Daniel M. Bell Jr.Jana Marguerite BennettMichael G. CartwrightWilliam T. CavanaughPeter DulaChris K. HuebnerKelly S. JohnsonD. Stephen LongM. Therese LysaughtDavid Matzko McCarthyJoel James ShumanJ. Alexander SiderJonathan TranPaul J. WadellTheodore Walker Jr.""Good arguments sustain good friendships, and this volume bears witness to the extraordinary friendships that Hauerwas and his students have been drawn into. Yes, there''s gratitude and devotion here, but it''s the criticisms that stand out, that make this a particularly feisty festschrift. His dependence on Yoder runs afoul of his devotion to Aristotle. He domesticates Wittgenstein''s skepticism in order to discount his own individualism. He misconstrues the church as polis, makes a mess of practical reason, and gives metaphysics short shrift. He bungles the relationship between disability and grace, misunderstands how liturgy affects the moral life, and runs rough shod over the just war tradition. He is not yet a pacifist! He is an heir of the liberalism he despises! And he''s a lousy dresser to boot! Those concerned that Hauerwas''s talk of tradition, community, and virtue encourages slavish emulation of authorities and exemplars will find little evidence of that here. Rather, what we find is appreciation mixed with complaint, confidence leavened with doubt, and loyalty expressed in conversation. That we might all have such students, such friends!""--John BowlinPrinceton Theological Seminary""Stanley Hauerwas is a public provocateur, a ravenous reader, a restless wrestler with the truth, and an eccentric devotee of baseball, murder mysteries, and liturgically-shaped discipleship. But most of all is he is a devoted, demanding, and dogged academic father to dozens of doctoral students. The breadth of his character takes a community to display. Here, more than ever before, that community of character does in public what Hauerwas and his students do best: tussle, and refine, and introduce new interlocutors, and dismiss out of hand, and rephrase more charitably, and rediscover ancient wisdom, and go back to Aquinas, and quote Barth, and dismantle platitudes, and unsentimentally face the gift and demands of Christ for church, academy, and politics today. This is a work of love turned into a call to renewal, a family reunion transformed into a symposium, a tribute in the guise of a challenge. Admirers and critics of Hauerwas will be enriched by these compelling essays, an ordered array of disagreements in love.""--Sam WellsDean of the Chapel, Duke UniversityCharles Pinches is Chair of the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Scranton.