LITMIR.BIZ

This is the first comprehensive study of the thought of the Welsh theologian-philosopher Huw Parri Owen (1926-1996). Indebted to the heritage of Christian thought, and not bewitched by Barth, bothered by Flew, or bewildered by Bultmann, Owen brought considerable biblical, philosophical, and theological acumen to the articulation of a reasonable, experientially grounded faith. A sharp-minded Christian thinker–a number of whose discussions of philosophico-theological themes remain pertinent to current scholarly debate–is here rescued from unjustified neglect.

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In How Free Will Works, Steven M. Duncan provides not merely discussions of, but potential answers to two of the most vexed questions discussed by philosophers concerning free choice. First, supposing that the mind and the body are separate substances of opposed natures, how is it possible for them to interact such that an entirely non-physical immanent mental act can give rise to changes in the external world? Second, supposing that there is free will, how is it possible for our acts of volition/free choice to be neither causally determined nor merely chance/random events?
This book spells out a new way of envisaging the mind/body relation and the nature of mind/body causal interaction that avoids the traditional «interaction problem.» It also explains how it is possible for free choice neither to require an efficient cause nor to act as an efficient cause while nevertheless affecting the processes in the physical world through which intentional action is realized in human behavior. In the second half of the book, the theory developed in the first part of the book is applied to the difficult issues arising from the Christian doctrine of salvation: sin, grace, and redemption.

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For a world so out of tune, this treatise intends to correlate from various instruments of learning, a new sound–a sound of hope. This sound will be heard as each truth from key areas of knowledge will be played in a synthesis of theology, psychology, and philosophy, all in the context of a valid cosmology. To listen and read the key concepts and predictions of the secular authorities, our earth is either destined for a massive freeze or one ending in conflagration. Thus the concern of the author is that all too often each area of study is playing its own sound and, valid as it may be, is not listening or seeing what could be if these sounds became part of a symphony. In Sounds of Hope, Robert N. Janacek contends that, when these sounds are truly heard and projected in our anticipated symphony, a new and harmonious world will be enacted. At a time when there are almost constant sounds of hate, death, and hopelessness, a world awaits, one for us to hear and attend as a new concert, a concert playing a score of harmony and hope.

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James through the Eyes of Paul is a Bible study that guides readers in examining the book of James in light of Paul's teachings on faith, perseverance, and submission. James and Paul describe complementary parts of a believer's relationship with God, and together they shed light on every Christian's responsibilities to fellow believers, to nonbelievers, and to God. Studying only one of these men's teachings can only give you part of the story–but studying them together provides a complete and honest view into the Christian walk.
Each chapter is presented in a clear question-and-answer format to help Christians better understand the biblical truths behind their faith. Suitable for individuals as well as Bible study groups, James through the Eyes of Paul is an advanced study for the everyday believer.

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These reflections, based on the seven last words of Jesus from the cross (including an Easter message) invite readers to contemplate the spiritual, theological, and biblical significance of the death and resurrection of Jesus. These meditations, which combine theological reflection, biblical interpretation, and spiritual application, provide Christians with a good resource for group study and personal growth in Christian discipleship during Lent and Holy Week.
Pastors, teachers, Christian leaders, or anyone charged with the responsibility and privilege of presenting sermons, homilies, Bible lessons, or devotional talks during Lent and Holy Week will find rich material in these pages to spark the imagination.

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The biblical book of Esther is the dark, yet marvelous, story of a Jewish girl deported with her uncle to the Persian Empire. They are in exile from Israel and from humanity, condemned to wander as nomads and strangers in a foreign land. Yet, almost in spite of herself, Esther becomes a queen, succeeding in saving her people from extermination. How hard it is when everything seems to be falling apart to stay true to one's identity! It might be even more difficult for these exiles to keep faith with a God who seems hidden deep in the very heart of history. However, only this kind of faithfulness makes it possible to accept the other, the one who is different, and to be accepted by the other oneself. The stakes are high. In spite of conflicts and tragedies, this story sets forth a real spirituality of difference. Esther in Exile is a penetrating work on the human condition in general and on the female condition in particular.

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Contrary to what many church people (particularly church «professionals») say, God does not dwell in church, and church doesn't have the franchise on good news. Instead, author Peter Keese proposes the optimistic view that good news is much larger and more all-encompassing than any church can contain or convey, and that good news is everywhere to be found and experienced. In this imaginary dialogue between a traditionalist and his protagonist for a god-in-the-world perspective, Keese's sermons illustrate his conviction that God is out there, inviting us to join in and enjoy the riches of God's life and work. Indeed, as Keese writes, «Jesus has left the building–with all its strictures–and beckons us to come along where life in all its chaotic glory is to be experienced–and enjoyed!»

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Paul L. Holmer influenced the development of the so-called Yale School and several generations of students by seeing common logical and ethico-religious themes in the works of Soren Kierkegaard and Ludwig Wittgenstein. Holmer is perhaps the preeminent interpreter of Kierkegaard with his analysis of the logic of Kierkegaard's «truth as subjectivity» and «the morphology of the life of Christian belief.» In his polemical and constructive work The Grammar of Faith, Holmer explored the significance of the later philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein for theology and proposed a critical alternative to contemporary academic theology. In his C. S. Lewis: The Shape of His Life and Thought, Making Christian Sense, and various essays now compiled in The Paul L. Holmer papers, Holmer's reassessment of the traditional concepts of virtues and vices, his recognition of the importance of Christian praxis in providing the context for theological and ethical reflection, together with his emphasis on the role of emotions and passions in the life of faith, portray how the Christian faith forms character and helps one «make sense» with one's life.

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David Bebbington–one of the most influential historians working today–is widely acknowledged as a world authority on religious history. He is also recognized for having devised the Bebbington Quadrilateral as the standard definition of evangelicalism, one of the most important global religious movements of the twenty-first century. In this lively study, Eileen Bebbington–who first met her husband as an undergraduate at the University of Cambridge over forty years ago–paints a vivid portrait of the life and thought of this leading scholar. Many who know Professor Bebbington's most celebrated books, such as Evangelicalism in Modern Britain, Patterns in History, The Mind of Gladstone, and Victorian Religious Revivals, will be delighted to learn that his first such effort was actually A History of the Ancient World with Which Is Incorporated Classical Mythology, a duly footnoted, four-volume work written at the age of nine! A Patterned Life is much more than an account of the intellectual development of a preeminent historian; it is a study of a life lived as a disciple of Jesus Christ–a human and often humorous account of eccentricities, an honest acknowledgment of trials, and an inspiring witness to one person's efforts to integrate a deep, earnest Christian faith with the best of modern thought.

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Meet Me at the Palaver makes the case for a particular approach to pastoral counseling as a response to the destructive impact of colonial Christianity on indigenous African communities. The book opens with stories of destructive change brought to indigenous contexts (such as Zimbabwe, Africa), wherein the culture, values, religion, and humanity of African peoples were often marginalized. Mucherera demonstrates that therapy or counseling as taught in the West will not always suffice in such contexts, since these approaches tend to promote and focus on individuality, autonomy, and independence. Counselors in indigenous contexts need to «get off their couch or chair» and into the neighborhoods–into those places made vulnerable to disease and poverty by the collapse of «the palaver» and other traditional institutions of social stability. Since storytelling was at the heart of the practices of the palaver and continues to be a way of life in African cultures, Mucherera argues for a holistic narrative pastoral counseling approach to assess and service the three basic areas of human needs in indigenous African communities: body, mind, and spirit.

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