Bücher veröffentlicht von William B Eerdmans Publishing Co

Founding not only a world religion but also an empire and a civilization, the prophet Muhammad was undoubtedly one of the most influential men in history. Amid the swirl of current judgments regarding Muslims and their religion, this book by Daniel Peterson offers a concise, objective, accessible biography of the first Muslim. Blending the texts of traditional sources into an engaging narrative, Peterson begins with the impoverished and orphaned childhood of Muhammad, highlighting his evident strength of will, character, and resourcefulness. Peterson then moves through the prophet''s life, detailing Muhammad''s visions and revelations and examining the beginning of a religion that continues to affect the entire world in dramatic ways. Respectful and readable, Muhammad, Prophet of God opens a clear window on the life and influence of the founder of Islam.

From the pen of award-winning author Cornelius Plantinga Jr. comes this book of flesh-and-blood Christian meditations with a theological spine.Building on the success of two earlier editions and now splendidly updated, Beyond Doubt unpacks the deep truths of the Christian faith by raising basic questions like these: What is God like?Why pray?Male and female -- how are we related?What is Jesus doing?What is the shape of the godly life?If the Lord is with us, why do we suffer?How do we face death? Plantinga addresses such questions through short, vivid meditations, each of which begins with a Bible verse and ends with a brief edifying prayer.Written in the graceful, polished prose that Plantinga is celebrated for, Beyond Doubt will help both new Christians and mature believers to grow in their faith.

Given all that has been written about the Gospel of John over the past twenty centuries, can anything more possibly be said about it? Yes, says Jerome Neyrey -- by reading this "maverick Gospel" in terms of ancient rhetoric and by viewing it in terms of cultural anthropology. / By interpreting the text in these two fresh ways, Neyrey distinctively illuminates the Gospel of John, casting new light on its theological message and on such topics as Jesus the revealer practicing secrecy, foot-washing as transformation ritual, and the Jewish background of Jesus'' equality with God, of Jesus being "greater than" Abraham. Neyrey''s scholarly study will certainly educate -- and at times provoke -- attentive readers.

Catholic moral theology faces a radical challenge in this age of moral upheaval. No longer must it simply respond to specific questions about particular matter, nor elaborate some method for the formulation of norms. The challenge now is instead no less than comprehending the mystery of human action in its proper dynamism. Livio Melina here guides the reader on a path that seeks to recover the integrality of moral experience and its place in Christian existence. This path aims at rediscovering in moral action an epiphany of love and attempts to help us recognize a profound synergy between human and divine action.

At the beginning of the twenty-first century, Christianity faces one of its greatest opportunities, as well as one of its greatest challenges -- the formulation of a global theology. In Beyond Pentecostalism Wolfgang Vondey argues that Pentecostal thought and praxis represent an indispensable catalyst for the realization of this task. Accentuating Pentecostalism as a manifestation of what he calls the crisis of global Christianity, Vondey describes the elements of this crisis -- manifested chiefly in theology''s turn toward a performance-oriented enterprise -- and suggests that the task of overcoming the crisis demands an integration of Pentecostalism in the global theological agenda. This task will inevitably push Christianity beyond the boundaries of the classical Pentecostal tradition. In fact, Vondey suggests, Pentecostalism itself is in the process of going beyond its own historical, theological, socio-cultural, and institutional boundaries. His ultimate goal is not a "pentecostalization" of Christianity but rather a renewal of the theological landscape in light of the significance of Pentecostal voices, thoughts, and practices worldwide.

DESCRIPTION > The coming-of-age stories in Thin Ice relate a range of experiences both good and bad, including happy memories and heartwarming recollections but also personal traumas, intergenerational and racial conflicts, the strictures of religious belief and practice, the joys and sorrows of young romance, and more. Above and beyond the stories of the more notable personalities -- Jim Harrison, Roger Wilkins, John Hockenberry, President Gerald Ford, Betty Ford, Al Green, Paul Schrader, William Brashler -- the book as a whole is chock-full of crisp, humorous, irreverent, and moving writing. Reinder Van Til and Gordon Olson have excerpted half of the pieces from previous publications, while they directly solicited the other half from active writers specifically for this book. The earliest stories go back to the 1830s and 1850s, and the most recent are a cluster of contemporary pieces that describe coming of age in the Grand Rapids of the 1960s through the 1980s. Together they paint a multifaceted, impressionistic portrait of a century and a half in the fair city of Grand Rapids, Michigan. All in all, Thin Ice is a nostalgic treasure for any Grand Rapidian and literary treasure for e v e r y one. Contributors Albert Baxter Charles E. Belknap A. J. Muste Arnold Gingrich David Cornel DeJong Gerald R. Ford Betty Ford Edward V. Gillis John Thompson Roger Wilkins Jim Harrison Glen Peterson Max Apple John Otterbacher Reinder Van Til Al Green Paul Schrader Robert VanderMolen William Brashler Sheri Venema Hank Meijer Charles Honey Tom Rademacher Levi Rickert John Hockenberry Laura Kasischke Kaye Longberg Bich Minh Nguyen

Is the Trinity complete in itself from all eternity, or is it constituted by the eternal decision of election? In this volume twelve eminent theologians address a crucial point of contention at the intersection of two key doctrines in the theology of Karl Barth -- Trinity and election -- engaging in a lively, constructive theological debate. Beginning with a retrospective look at the historical development of the ongoing debate, George Hunsinger, Bruce McCormack, Paul Molnar, and others offer their insightful contributions to the discussion through rigorous, critical treatment of select topics in Barth's theology. The book concludes with chapters by Nicholas Healy and Matthew Levering outlining Roman Catholic perspectives on the issues at stake and an essay by Paul Louis Metzger on the social and ethical implications of Barth's doctrine of the Trinity and election for a theology of culture in the world today. "What is at stake in this debate is not simply who will inherit the mantle of Karl Barth in the English-speaking world, but the being and glory of God as the one who is loving and free both in himself and for us." -- from introduction ContributorsMichael T. DempseyNicholas M. HealyKevin W. HectorChristopher HolmesGeorge HunsingerPaul Dafydd JonesMatthew LeveringBruce L. McCormackPaul Louis MetzgerPaul D. MolnarPaul T. NimmoAaron T. Smith

in cooperation with Roland Spliesgart The map of world Christianity has changed dramatically in just the last century. Today the majority of Christians live in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, making Christianity a world religion as never before in history. Given that global reality, Klaus Koschorke, Frieder Ludwig, and Mariano Delgado have created the first comparative documentary history of Christianity for these regions covering the period 1450?1990. Taking the changing ecumenical conditions into account, this volume enlarges the horizon of classical church historiography. In contrast to the prevailing Western perspectives on the history of Christianity in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, voice is given here to the multitude of local initiatives, specific experiences, and varieties of Christianity in very diverse cultural contexts ? addressing such questions as the colonial conquest, slavery, and the demand for ecclesiastical independence.

On October 1, 2000, Pope John Paul II proclaimed Katharine Drexel (1858-1955) to be a saint of the Roman Catholic Church. Only the second American-born Catholic saint in history, Drexel founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament in 1891 and established more than sixty Blessed Sacrament missions and schools. In this biography Cheryl Hughes chronicles the remarkable life of St. Katharine Drexel, exploring what drove her to turn away from her family''s wealth and become a missionary nun who served some of the most underprivileged and marginalized people of her time. Through her inspiration and effort Mother Katharine improved the lives of untold numbers of Native Americans and African Americans, overcoming open hostility to her work from various quarters, including the Ku Klux Klan. Her saintly legacy lives on today.

Stanley Hauerwas is one of the most important and robustly creative theologians of our time, and his work is well known and much admired. But Nicholas Healy -- himself an admirer of Hauerwas''s thought -- believes that it has not yet been subjected to the kind of sustained critical analysis that is warranted by such a significant and influential Christian thinker. As someone interested in the broader systematic-theological implications of Hauerwas''s work, Healy fills that gap in Hauerwas: A (Very) Critical Introduction. After a general introduction to Hauerwas''s work, Healy examines three main areas of his thought: his method, his social theory, and his theology. According to Healy, Hauerwas''s overriding concern for ethics and church-based apologetics so dominates his thinking that he systematically distorts Christian doctrine. Healy illustrates what he sees as the deficiencies of Hauerwas''s theology and argues that it needs substantial revision.

This book offers a fresh report and interpretation of what is happening at the intersection of two great contemporary movements: the rapid growth of higher education worldwide and the rise of world Christianity. It features on-site, evaluative studies by scholars from Africa, Asia, North America, and South America. Christian Higher Education: A Global Reconnaissance visits some of the hotspots of Christian university development, such as South Korea, Kenya, and Nigeria, and compares what is happening there to places in Canada, the United States, and Europe, where Christian higher education has a longer history. Very little research until now has examined the scope and direction of Christian higher education throughout the world, so this volume fills a real gap.

The phrase hopeful politics has dominated our public discourse in connection with the inspiring rise of Nelson Mandela in South Africa and the remarkable election of Barack Obama as president of the United States. But what happens when that hope disappoints? Can it be salvaged? What is the relationship between faith, hope, and politics? In this book Allan Boesak meditates on what it really means to hope in light of present political realities and growing human pain. He argues that hope comes to life only when we truly face reality in the struggle for justice, dignity, and the life of the earth. Dare We Speak of Hope? is a critical, provocative, prophetic -- and, above all, hopeful -- book.