LITMIR.BIZ

In an age in which scholars continue to produce books on the nature and significance of Jesus's death, books that often assume the Old Testament cult was the New Testament authors' primary background for their conception of Jesus's death, Jarvis J. Williams offers a fresh and novel contribution regarding both the nature of and background influences behind Paul's conception of Jesus's death. He argues that Paul's conception of Jesus's death both as an atoning sacrifice and as a saving event for Jews and Gentiles was significantly influenced by Maccabean Martyr Theology. To argue his thesis, Williams engages in an intense exegesis of 2 and 4 Maccabees while also interacting with other Second Temple Jewish texts that are relevant to his thesis. Williams further interacts with relevant Old Testament texts and the key texts in the Pauline corpus. He argues that the authors of 2 and 4 Maccabees present the deaths of the Jewish martyrs during the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes IV as atoning sacrifices and as a saving event for Israel. He further argues that, although the Old Testament's cultic language certainly influenced Paul's understanding of Jesus's death at certain junctures in his letters, the Old Testament cult alone-which emphasized animal sacrifices-cannot fully explain why or even how Paul could conceive of Jesus's death, a human sacrifice, as both an atoning sacrifice and a saving event for Jews and Gentiles. Finally, Williams highlights the lexical, theological, and conceptual parallels between Martyr Theology and Paul's conception of Jesus's death. Even if scholars disagree with Williams's thesis or methodology, serious Pauline scholars interested in the background influences behind and the nature and significance of Jesus's death in Paul's theology will want to interact with this work.

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What vision for our political life does Christian faith affirm and how might its principles be applied to specific political issues? In speaking to these questions, this book defends a third alternative to the liberal and conservative ideals so influential in American public life, and, in the process, criticizes the so-called Christian Political Right for misunderstanding what Christian faith means for politics. Christians worship the God of all-embracing love who wills that all people flourish here in this world through a beloved community. Because this God is ever-present in the deepest experience of all people, the true vision for our common life can be discerned and applied through politics by way of full and free discussion and debate. Democracy is, then, the political form of the beloved community, and justice means empowering all to achieve in ways that enhance human mutuality. This theological account is articulated in relation to diverse contemporary issues: abortion, same-sex marriage, affirmative action, campaign finance reform, economic inequality, and our nation's responsibilities within the wider world. The writings herein represent the author's engagement with Protestants for the Common Good, a Chicago-based organization that seeks to educate and mobilize Christians for democratic politics, and contains some of the official political statements of that organization.

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Thomas Jefferson's views have led many to conclude that he was an atheist, as recently as in the work of Christopher Hitchens. But the third President has also been labeled a deist, a Unitarian, and a Christian. Philosopher and theologian Stephen Vicchio takes on the challenge of analyzing Jefferson's writings in detail to see if any of these appellations is fitting. The author finds that Jefferson's two volumes on the New Testament Gospels (A Syllabus of an Estimate of the Merit of the Doctrines of Jesus and The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth) reveal a great deal concerning the theological perspective of this famous American statesman.

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A basic question in philosophy is, "how do we know what we think we know? Constructivists answer this question as follows: categories for constructing reality reside in the human mind, so reality cannot escape the mind's limitations. Human beings constantly assimilate new knowledge and experience.
Constructivists apply the same logic to the question of truth. What we claim to be true is always provisional. New information and breakthroughs may supplant what we presently hold to be true. Ultimate or absolute truth is unknowable.
In The Flipside of Godspeak, John Crosby applies the principles of philosophical and theological constructivism to theistic belief. The idea of God is a constructed idea.We come to think that we know there is a God because we have internalized stories, images, and historical accounts passed on to us by people with authority.
In these pages, however, and without reference to an authoritarian deity, Crosby considers questions of ethics and morality. An ethic of eudaemonism or "well-being is posited to be based on the principles of equality, honesty, and responsibility to self and others. Implications of the meaning and purpose of human existence are considered from the existential perspective, that is, from the viewpoint that we oursleves invent, create, and construct meaning.

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A nuclear Israel waits for its Messiah, a nuclear America eagerly anticipates the second coming of Christ, and a nuclear Iran believes it can expedite the return of the hidden or twelfth imam. Are apocalyptic expectations, like all other ideologies, simply evolution's way of keeping the human population in check? Is religion true? Does God exist? What happens to us when we die? What should the afterlife mean for us while we are alive? Are these the greatest of all questions, and if so, why? After thousands of years and countless religious traditions, why does the world continue to hunger for spiritual truth? Why are religious lives so often filled with doubt, worry, and dark nights of the soul? Do you believe in pregnant virgins? Do you believe in the incarnation of an immutable God? Do you believe that an eternal God died? Do you believe Jesus redeemed an Israel that has totally rejected him? Do you believe a loving Jesus will return to bring the world to a tragic end? Do you believe that contradictions can't both be true? Do you believe the human anatomy is designed for meditation or mobility? If God had indeed chosen the prophet Muhammad to warn the people, why didn't Muhammad warn Muslims not to split Islam into Sunni and Shiite? It has been said that if we don't challenge our beliefs, our beliefs will eventually challenge us. Disillusionment with religion, not to mention global crises, is forcing believers to question the basis of their faith. Socrates on Judaism, Christianity, and Islam addresses those who are unsatisfied with the belief systems they encountered in orthodox religions. This book will assist searchers as they embark on their solitary quest for spiritual discovery.

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In the wake of the 2003 General Convention approval of the consecration of Gene Robinson, an openly gay and partnered man, to be a bishop, the Convention of the Diocese of Pittsburgh took steps to secede from the Episcopal Church. When it became clear that by rewriting and reinterpreting the canons, the Diocese deemed itself entitled to the assets of the Diocese, the Rector and Vestry of Calvary Church, Pittsburgh, took the unprecedented, and as it turned out, successful action of challenging these actions in civil court, by suing the bishop and other officers of the Diocese. The Recent Unpleasantness tells the story of the circumstances in church and society that long predated Robinson's election, which set the stage for these developments, and discusses the ramifications of the lawsuit in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, the Episcopal Church, and throughout the Anglican Communion. It is an intriguing tale of the interface of bishops and archbishops, prelates and primates, synods and standing committees, and addresses issues surrounding the challenges and costs of rebuilding a church «by schisms, rent asunder, by heresies distressed.»

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In this book, Nicholas Haydock explores the biblical presentation of the Levitical priesthood, drawing out themes that run throughout Scripture and reveal God's intention for the priesthood. It is successfully argued that this intention cannot be divorced from God's desire to reveal himself to the nations. This hypothesis is shown to be true in examining the various functions and metaphors ascribed to the Levites.
Whereas in much of Old Testament criticism, the Levitical priesthood has been painted in a light contrary to the biblical depiction, The Theology of the Levitical Priesthood takes the canonical presentation of the Levites at face value. It is the author's conviction that in attending to the biblical presentation of the Levites, the Church will be aided and better equipped to apply herself to Scripture and to participate within God's mission, in the present day.

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Americans are using more medical services every year, but as many as half of those services do nothing to improve their health. For many, the alarming rise in health care costs is stretching family budgets to the breaking point. This book challenges the notion that more medical care is always better.
A clearer understanding of the health benefits–and the risks–of the most widely prescribed drugs and the most commonly performed procedures will enable you to evaluate your doctors' recommendations in a new light. For example, before you go to see your doctor, you can learn the answers to questions like: What is the exact probability that taking a statin drug will protect me from a heart attack? Does spinal surgery relieve back pain better than rehabilitation programs? Using examples from real patients, you will learn how to steer the conversation with your doctors to be sure your questions are answered and your preferences respected.
Finally, if you read this book you will be reminded of the Bible's message about life on earth and life after death–and you will see a clear contrast between that message and what the world is saying.

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When you are young, how do you reconcile so many contradictions in your surroundings? How do you explain being Christian in the face of racial segregation in the church? What do you do with an inquisitive mind in a culture that discourages questioning? These questions clashed for Mitchell Carnell in an unexpected experience in St. Paul's Cathedral in London. Episodes in his life that had remained separate suddenly came together. Everything changed from that point forward.
This is Carnell's story as seen through his eyes as he struggled to explore his journey of faith and to determine God's plan for the rest of his life after experiencing unimaginable loss and heartbreak. Mitchell's journey begins in a small provincial town in South Carolina and brings him to one of America's most beautiful cities and to a historic church that encourages an enlightened faith. His story is heavily influenced by family, friends, mentors, hardships, heartaches, great loves, great joy, and overwhelming sorrow. It explores the consequences of experiencing personal discrimination and the satisfaction of not being defeated by such injustice. Carnell's struggles shed light our own struggles and will help us come through them stronger and with an empowered faith.

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Throughout the history of the church, many excellent books have been written addressing the theological significance of Christian identity. Such works have delineated important doctrines such as adoption, justification, and sanctification. While these studies of being «in Christ» have been fruitful, and numerous, they have often neglected one of the most useful tools in understanding Christian identity, namely, the use of metaphor. A search of Scripture reveals that Jesus and his apostles frequently utilized images from everyday life to illustrate spiritual truths about our identity. In this fresh work, Knowing Who You Are invites the reader to explore eight lesser-known images of Christian identity found in the New Testament. Among others, the author investigates how being a Christian is like being a boxer in ancient Corinth, a citizen in Philippi, a farmer in Galilee, and a sheep in a flock. This engaging assessment of first-century images will draw the reader in and leave them challenged, encouraged, and often surprised as they discover afresh what it means to be «Christian.»

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