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There is a virtual epidemic of addiction in the United States, both traditional addictions to drugs and alcohol but also newer addictions, like sex, gambling, rage, work, and food/eating. Some authorities have labeled addictions the number one mental health problem in America. We are spending millions of dollars annually trying to prevent, understand, and treat this epidemic–and yet by any measure of success we are losing this «war.» In this cultural context Dr. Sullender invites us to look again at the spiritually based scheme of the Seven Deadly Sins, which originated at the dawn of Western civilization. He suggests that what our spiritual forebears meant by «deadly» is best captured in the modern concept of «addiction.» Based on this thesis, this book explores what is addictive about the sins of pride, envy, anger, greed, gluttony, sloth, and lust, and suggests that these sins are all obsessive, and as such become the mental component in the addictive cycle. Each chapter concludes by offering some spiritual resources, practices, and insights that can help us win the battle against addiction, which is ultimately won or lost on a mental or spiritual plane.

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Honesty. Humility. The purpose and future of the church. Useful and not useful parts of the Bible. A doctrine of salvation that includes mosquitoes. These are some of the topics dealt with in this controversial book. Written for those who still have hope for the church as well as those who don't, Wes Bergen's aim is to cast a vision of the church beyond divine fire insurance.
Bergen's contention is that salvation is something that either happens here and now, on this earth, or not at all. Salvation is something that happens to bodies. More importantly, salvation is something that either will happen on this earth or we risk making the world uninhabitable by human beings. Souls are irrelevant when the air is dirty, the water is undrinkable, and there isn't enough to eat. These are the things that the Bible really cares about and form the building blocks for the salvation that God offers.
This is also why this book is not about heaven. The Bible is not a manual for getting to heaven. The Bible cares very little about heaven and neither should you. Salvation is about what happens to bodies on Tuesday rather than what we do Sunday morning or what happens to souls after the body dies. Forget about heaven. Either you trust in God or you don't. Now get to work helping salvation happen.

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Who was Papias, who did he know, and what did he believe about the writings that now comprise the canonical New Testament? Very little can be objectively known about him, his ministry, and his work, and yet he demands the attention of any scholar, student, or layperson who desires to understand the origins of the New Testament.
This book explores Papias as a source and what he wrote about the origins of certain New Testament books. It also analyzes what other patristic and medieval authors understood about him. Shanks argues that the surviving «Fragments of Papias» are indeed a valuable resource because they document a very early Christian belief that certain books of the New Testament originated from some of the original followers of Jesus Christ. This evidence cannot be quickly dismissed in proposals about the origins of these books.

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Every culture has a way of perceiving and practicing marriage. Many contemporary Western Christians mistake what their culture prescribes regarding marriage with what the Bible portrays, and thereby take as biblical what is merely cultural. Uncritical conformity to cultural imperatives of marriage then becomes a Christian virtue, and a sweet surrender. Few recognize, much less question this confusion, even when its consequences are unhealthy. In Sweet Surrender Dennis Hiebert challenges Christians to comprehend what is cultural in their view of marriage, hold as optional what is not explicitly required by the Bible, and live out their marriages within the transcendent grace of God. Gaining greater awareness can free marriages from the control of culture for something more simply but deeply Christian. Marriages benefit when they are released from cultural directives that are not biblical callings, even if they choose to retain them as cultural practices. This book is for Christians who are ready to rethink their assumptions about marriage.

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The book of Jonah remains an engaging part of the religious lives of Jews and Christians. On the human level, the dramatic story speaks to us of the possibility of second chances in our lives. On the spiritual level, it describes the paths an individual and a people can take leading them back to God. Medieval Jewish commentaries unfold new perspectives of meaning beyond the surface of the biblical text. In explaining the verses of the book of Jonah, the commentators explore many core topics, including human nature, our relationship with God, the interaction of Jews and gentiles, and the meaning of our lives. This book offers the first full English translation of the commentaries of Rashi, Ibn Ezra, Kimchi, Abarbanel, and Malbim. It also provides an explanation of their comments, making them accessible to contemporary Western readers. Until now one needed a high level of Hebrew to explore these works. Go to Nineveh opens this world to the modern English reader. The book also includes the author's own modern commentary, considering questions not raised by earlier commentators.

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For almost two millennia, Jesus' story has been retold in various forms and fashions, but in the last century a new way of reimagining the man from Galilee and rewriting the canonical Gospels has sprung up in the form of Jesus novels. While the novels themselves are as varied as their authors, this work aims at introducing readers to some common literary strategies and theological agendas found in this rewriting phenomenon by surveying a few prominent examples. It also explores the question of what happens when we examine the intertextual play between these Gospel rewrites and their Gospel progenitors as we allow these contemporary novels to pose new questions to their ancient counterparts. An intriguing hermeneutical circle ensues as we embark on our quest for the fictional Jesus and accompany his incarnations as they lead us back to reexamine the canonical portraits of Jesus anew.

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Evaluations of John Howard Yoder's legacy have proliferated since his death in 1997. Although there is much disagreement, a broad consensus is forming that his theology was, on the one hand, focused on the social and political meaning of the New Testament accounts of Jesus Christ and, on the other hand, sociologically reductive, hermeneutically tendentious, and ecclesiologically ambiguous. This book proposes a revision of Yoder's theology that maintains its broadly sociological emphasis but corrects for its apparent problems. In specific, adjustments are made to his social theory to open it to spiritual reality, to hone its analytical approach, and to clarify its political import. His preferred framework for social criticism, the theology of the principalities and powers, is examined in the context of his wider work and its critics, and then synthesized with concepts from Pierre Bourdieu's influential reflexive sociology.

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Bernard of Clairvaux is best known by many today for his mystical approach to spirituality and his eloquent sermons on the Song of Songs. In his letters, however, a different Bernard emerges–one who had fled the world for the cloister yet possessed a soaring vision for the Church on earth. By examining select letters and placing them in the larger context of the people and the world around him, we discover a man who loved the Church–but who realized that the Church is comprised of individuals who did not share his ideals and agendas. In Letters of Ascent, we travel to medieval Europe and view society through the eyes of one of history's most passionate ecclesiastical reformers.

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As Christianity expands and grows in Africa, there is deep new interest in African theology in general, and the way in which some African theologians are interpreting the significance of Christ within African culture, in particular. This volume explores the Christology of two of the foremost African thinkers against the background of the West African Akan culture. The result is a rare and fascinating look at some of the key cultural symbols of African culture, the struggle to reinterpret the «white, blond, blue-eyed Christ» presented by pioneering missionaries to Africa, and the pitfalls and promises that attend the exercise. The selected theologians, John Samuel Pobee and Kwame Bediako, are put into a critical conversation with Karl Barth in order to initiate a dialogue between Western theology and African theology that brings to the fore some of the pertinent issues about the particularity and universality of Christ. The volume, while seeking to make Christ relevant for Africa, moves away from romanticizing African culture and insists on being faithful to the biblical witness to Christ. The result is an attempt to present an engaging piece of work that makes a significant contribution to contemporary debates on Christology and indigenous theology.

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Was America founded as a «Christian» nation? What role has the Christian faith of many of its leaders played in the course of its history? How has Christianity affected American culture and society?
This trenchant critique of the role of Christianity in American history highlights both the ways in which Christians have made many valuable contributions as «salt and light,» and how they have caused a great deal of damage by trying to be «savior and lord.»
Believers in Christ have built one of the most «Christianized» countries in the world, with benefits for millions. They have also nurtured messianic aspirations that have spawned disasters for themselves and other countries. Generous in praise for dedicated believers who have reflected the character of Christ, the book is also unsparing in criticism of Christians who have, sometimes with the best intentions, failed to act wisely.
In short, the reader will be encouraged by the many «triumphs» of Christianity in America, and sobered by its «tragedy.»

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