In Christians, the State, and War: An Ancient Tradition for the Modern World, Gordon Heath argues that the pre-Constantinian Christian testimony regarding the state’s just use of violence was remarkably uniform and that it was arguably a catholic, or universal, tradition. More specifically, that tradition had five interrelated and intertwined constitutive areas of consensus that can best be understood as parts of one collective tradition. Heath further argues that those five related areas of an early church tradition shaped all subsequent theological developments on views of the state, its use of violence, and the conditions of Christian participation in said violence. Whereas the sorry and sordid instances in the church’s history related to violence were times when the church drifted from those convictions of consensus, the cases when Christians had a more stellar record of responding to the horrors of the world were times when they lived up to them. Consequently, the way forward today is for Christians to forgo beginning with the just war-pacifist debate, and, instead, to begin by letting their views on war and peace be shaped by that ancient tradition.

From a medieval perspective, God had provided a church to shepherd believers toward salvation. It had a divine mission, a sacred history, a hierarchy of officers, and the intellectual support of respected thinkers. It provided a means for believers to interact with God. Believers also had to interact with neighbors, strangers, and their rulers. Fear God, Honor the King considers that sometimes surprisingly problematic issue. What is the correct relationship between the church, believers, and the ruling magisterial authority (whether alderman, mayors, or kings)? The thinkers of the Reformation era produced many answers. They explained in a variety of ways how the church related to, or fit in with, or was separate from, or was controlled by the temporal government of the realm, and they set into motion what became the determinant factors--social, political, economic, and philosophical--underpinning modern Western societies' determination to keep the church and the state in well-defined autonomous cubicles. The Reformers' rival ideas ushered in new philosophies (such as conciliarism and localism) as well as directly conflicting doctrines (such as Luther's two kingdoms or Bucer's co-terminus). This book examines, compares, and explains these new theories using the voices of the Reformers' themselves.

Describes 167 editions from the sixteenth century to recent times. Descriptions comprise full transcriptions of titles, collations, survey of contents, notes, and census of copies. A list of books about Menno Simons in the Appendix.

Why did Jesus die? What does it mean that Jesus died for our sins? Christian theology has been wrestling with these questions for centuries, and theologians have proposed lots of different answers and explanations in the form of theories of atonement. But most of these theories fall short when confronted by a contemporary, postmodern worldview. Many of these models come out of orthodox (rather than Free Church) traditions, so they also lack the distinctive elements that characterize Brethren ways of understanding God and the world. The Church of the Brethren is well known for its acts of service and discipleship in the nonviolent model of Jesus, but it has not produced much constructive theology. Cooperative Salvation attempts to remedy this situation by proposing a constructive Brethren model of atonement. It analyzes the diverse atonement models proposed throughout the Christian tradition, noting where they prove inadequate. To address the shortcomings of other models, this work draws on important claims of historical Anabaptist and Brethren theology while also incorporating ideas from feminist, liberation, and process theology in order to construct an understanding of atonement that contributes a contemporary Brethren voice to the centuries-long discussion of atonement.

The term "conscientious objector" was not in use during the Civil War, but the concept certainly existed. This engrossing volume studies the whole problem of objection to warfare on religious or moral grounds, as it existed during the Civil War. The author covers five major areas: the type of individuals and which religious denominations were actually opposed to the war on conscientious grounds; what efforts were made on behalf of objectors and what changes took place in their political status; the attitude of the civil and military authorities toward objectors; the number of objectors; and, finally, a comparison of the problem of conscientious objection in the Civil War with the same problem as it existed for the United States during World War I. The facts presented in this volume are of historical interest; the conclusions the author draws, however, are as relevant and important today as they have been during any period in American history.

A Christian attorney argues that Bonhoeffer was correct when he said we have developed a "Christianity without Christ" and exchanged Jesus' gospel of costly grace for one of "cheap grace." Del Tondo reviews all the major salvation statements and parables by Jesus. He then compares them to the prevalent doctrines of 'faith alone' which Bonhoeffer called 'cheap grace.' Del Tondo demonstrates that Jesus' doctrines on salvation insisted upon repentance from sin and obedience to His principles, thereby falsifying faith alone doctrine.

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ++++ The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to ensure edition identification: ++++ A Foundation And Plain Instruction Of The Saving Doctrine Of Our Lord Jesus Christ: Briefly Compiled From The Word Of God Menno Simons Printed by Boswell & M'Cleery, 1835 Theology, Doctrinal