LITMIR.BIZ

The relation between life and death is a subject of perennial relevance for all human beings–and indeed, the whole world and the entire universe, in as much as, according to the saying of ancient Greek philosophy, all things that come into being pass away. Yet it is also a topic of increasing complexity, for life and death now appear to be more intertwined than previously or commonly thought. Moreover, the relation between life and death is also one of increasing urgency, as through the twin phenomena of an increase in longevity unprecedented in human history and the rendering of death, dying, and the dead person all but invisible, people living in the industrialized and post-industrialized Western world of today have lost touch with the reality of death. This radically new situation, and predicament, has implications–medical, ethical, economic, philosophical, and, not least, theological–that have barely begun to be addressed. This volume gathers together essays by a distinguished and diverse group of scientists, theologians, philosophers, and health practitioners, originally presented in a symposium sponsored by the John Templeton Foundation.

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The field of ecclesiology is rapidly expanding as new material, theories, methods, and approaches are being explored. This raises important and challenging questions concerning ecclesiology as an academic discipline. This book takes the reader into the trenches of ecclesiological research where the actual work of reading, writing, interpreting, and analyzing is being done. The authors reflect on fundamental questions concerning theory and method in ecclesiology in relation to concrete and actual research projects. Ecclesiology is dealt with as a systematic, empirical, historical, and liturgical discipline. Essays explore theology in South Africa as shaped by apartheid, liturgical theology, the diaconate in an ecumenical context, Free Church preachership, suburban ecclesial identity, medieval church practices, liturgical texts, church floor plans, and ecclesiology as a gendered discipline.
Ecclesiology in the Trenches is a book for anyone who is interested and involved in ecclesiological research. It is also an example of a reflective approach to academic work. The book can be read as an overall argument for ecclesiology as a theological discipline with great potential for studying the church as a theologically defined empirical phenomenon.

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In the face of apparently rampant individualism, there has been a steady call for a return to community and tradition, particularly in religious communities and in recent Christian theology and ethics. The form of contemporary life upheld by modern ideals like freedom and universalism, the story goes, turns out to divide people from each other and from the communal sources of our traditionally moral values. But the call to community too often confuses individualism with individuality, assuming that any appeal to individuality as a value or ideal is a rejection of communal goods, rather than a mode of promoting those goods. What's necessary now is a recovery of the individual that understands individuality to serve community, even in resistance to it. In Transforming Faith, Joshua Daniel offers a fresh reading of H. Richard Niebuhr's theological ethics that provides an account of individuality and individual creativity as both the fruits and reformers of community. What is theologically at stake in Daniel's reconstructive interpretation is the human's existentially resonant relation with God and the christological revitalization of our symbolic and virtuous activity.

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This book is a reading of Matthew's Gospel as though it were written to integrate with, advance, and conclude the existing body of Scriptures. Matthew is read as though John was the last prophet of God and Israel's last chance for repentance, and that Jesus was YHWH who had come to judge the Temple, priesthood, and covenant nation according to the terms of the covenant God made with Moses at Sinai. Through this lens, new interpretations are given to the infancy narrative, the Sermon on the Mount, the mission, the parables, and Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem along with the events that followed.
By reading Matthew this way, a greater appreciation can be gained for its necessary place in the canon, and many of Matthew's well-known conundrums can be meaningfully addressed. As a Hebrew document, Matthew understood the necessity to record the crimes against YHWH/Jesus in Israel and Jerusalem as the ultimate cause for the termination of the ethnically and geographically bound covenant, which could then be replaced by the cross-cultural and international covenant that Christians now enjoy.

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Jesus' parables in Luke weren't only addressing his audience. Rather, Luke used them to address his audience. In so doing, the worlds of both Jesus and Luke had many ways to understand these parables. This book explores some of those ways based on the way Jesus and Luke told these stories, as well as the first century backgrounds. The ultimate goal is to help both people who lead Bible studies and preach in the church to grasp firmly Luke's message for us today.

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The life of Jesus is at the heart of the Christian faith, and is one of the great works of Western literature. This book presents the story in a new form, more accessible than ever before. It weaves the four separate gospel accounts into one continuous story. And it presents the story in a new translation: traditional, but clear.
Here the reader can find the episodes laid out in an understandable narrative sequence. The nativity at Bethlehem is followed by the visit of the three wise men. And for each scene the rich details are collected from all the gospel accounts, giving a complete picture of complex events like the Sermon on the Mount or Jesus' climatic encounter with Pilate.
The new language is clear as well. It is traditional scripture inconspicuously updated for modern readers, supplemented with contemporary language for difficult concepts, and using the grand and familiar language of the King James where appropriate. Low-key explanations fill in the details. Short footnotes explain the key concepts, and longer endnotes provide additional depth.
This book opens the gospels to everyone–Christians who want to better understand their faith, and general readers who want to rediscover a great work of literature.

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The times they are a-changin'. As such, our theology needs to adapt–to be responsive to the changing landscape. The idea for Embracing the Past–Forging the Future: A New Generation of Wesleyan Theology came from our assessment that Wesleyan theology has yet to fully adapt to this changing landscape, and that the future of Wesleyan theology requires the bringing together of old and new voices.
The difficult task of balancing between continuity and change–keeping up with the developments of our culture and staying true to the roots of our tradition–requires the dual focus of looking forward and backward simultaneously.
In this volume, we have brought together contributions by young Wesleyan scholars (graduate students and junior faculty) as a way of illustrating and articulating a new generation of Wesleyan theology. These younger voices demonstrate the desire to push Wesleyan theology in new directions. Additionally, we have included contributions from senior scholars who have been doing important work and who have already made significant contributions to Wesleyan theology. This is not simply the «old guard» but the voices of scholars who continue to make a profound impact on Wesleyan theology.

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Although a large majority of believers agree that they should share their faith, most report that they, in fact, do not. That's not really all that surprising given today's pluralistic cultural setting. But maybe this same culture's longing for transcendence, community, and a place to call home points to a backstory that makes sense of it all. If such a narrative exists, it deserves a hearing, and those who know and live this story have both the responsibility and privilege of sharing its message of hope.
The narrative of the Bible tells just such a story where God's purpose from the beginning has been to dwell–or tabernacle–in the midst of the people he has created. This book traces the theme of God's tabernacling presence across Scripture, reading the story afresh through a missional lens in order to gain insights for mission and gospel witness. The hope is that readers will awaken wide-eyed to the wonder of God's tabernacling presence in our midst, that we will live in such a way that others recognize this reality, and that we will boldly and joyfully share the good news of Jesus under the direction and power of his indwelling Spirit.

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This book attempts to solve the Samaritan riddle that is the focal point of the Dunn Debate. Dr. James D. G. Dunn's first book, Baptism in the Holy Spirit (1970), claims the New Testament says baptism in the Holy Spirit always occurs simultaneously at conversion-initiation. In contrast, classical Pentecostals contend that Spirit baptism always occurs subsequent to conversion and is evidenced by tongues-speaking. They mostly cite Acts 8:4-25 for «subsequence.» It says Philip preached to the Samaritans and they «believed,» but they did not receive the Spirit until Peter and John came days later and laid hands on them. Dunn says these Samaritans and Jesus' 120 Jewish disciples in Acts 2 were not «Christians» until they were baptized with the Holy Spirit. Zarley agrees with Pentecostals about subsequence in both cases. But he claims these Samaritans and the Gentiles in Acts 10 were Spirit baptized due to Peter's presence, using his metaphorical «keys of the kingdom» Jesus had promised to give him in Matt 16:19. After Peter opened kingdom doors for all three of these biblical classifications of people, all people afterwards are Spirit baptized simultaneously upon conversion, as Paul teaches and Dunn says, except for the Ephesians anomaly in Acts 19:1-7.

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All of the member churches of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) are related to Lutheran theology in one way or another. However, that does not mean they act similarly or draw the same conclusions about any particular issue. Rather, Lutheran churches around the globe display great diversity. This book has its background in a study of five Lutheran churches: the ILCO in Costa Rica, the IECLB in Brazil, the ELCI in Iceland, the FLM in Madagascar, and the HKBP in Indonesia. It addresses the questions of how the Lutheran heritage today is expressed in different churches and what is the role of Lutheran theology in how they handle their respective situations. The churches in this study share with other churches the need to handle dilemmas such as the relations between «community and pluralism,» «openness and particularity,» «power and servanthood,» and «closeness to culture and being an alternative to culture.» In doing this they use their culture and history as well as their Lutheran heritage as tools.

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