The Council of Europe

Fourteen Presbyterian scholars enter into conversations with the confessions of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and examine the major theological themes that make the confessions such foundational commitments of faith. This collection of insightful essays provides readers with a clear understanding of the confessions from different periods of the church's life. These conversations with the confessions found in the PC(USA)'s Book of Confessions include some illuminating commentary on why they were written and demonstrate how they can be used to address major theological issues. This important work will help scholars, pastors, and church leaders interested in studying the Reformed tradition appreciate the role of the confessions in shaping Christian life and faith today.

This durable study edition of the Book of Confessions includes the official texts of the eleven confessional statements of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Each creed is introduced by an informative essay providing historical and theological background.

This book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com. This book explores what is at stake in our confessional culture. Thomas Docherty examines confessional writings from Augustine to Montaigne and from Sylvia Plath to Derrida, arguing that through all this work runs a philosophical substratum - the conditions under which it is possible to assert a confessional mode - that needs exploration and explication. Docherty outlines a philosophy of confession that has pertinence for a contemporary political culture based on the notion of 'transparency'. In a postmodern 'transparent society', the self coincides with its self-representations. Such a position is central to the idea of authenticity and truth-telling in confessional writing: it is the basis of saying, truthfully, 'here I take my stand'. The question is: what other consequences might there be of an assumption of the primacy of transparency? Two areas are examined in detail: the religious and the judicial. Docherty shows that despite the tendency to regard transparency as a general social and ethical good, our contemporary culture of transparency has engendered a society in which autonomy (or the very authority of the subject that proclaims 'I confess') is grounded in guilt, reparation and victimhood.

Confessions of a Father, subtitled Living Biblically Balanced in a Cultural World: Sanity in Insanity. This book and the stories I share with you have a meaning and purpose. As the pages unfold, as you see my life, my heart, my journey with Christ, you will see what the Holy Spirit has taught me. You will read how God has worked through my misunderstanding, my false doctrines, and false beliefs. You will read how the Lord has worked through my family, my home, my relationships, and circumstance to lead me into a deeper love of and for Him. You will read how God's Word and His working in my life has led me into an intimate personal relationship with Christ and how God has used His Word to correct my false doctrines, my false beliefs, and my life. To put it very simply, you will read what I have learned. I am a child of God. The One true living God. I am a servant of the Lord and disciple of Jesus Christ. I am empowered by the Holy Spirit to seek out and bring God's meaning and purpose into my life and to bring glory to the One who created me. I am called to strive to live according to God's Word while trying to live in a world powered by false doctrine and false beliefs. He is my sanity in this world of insanity. I want to state that this book is in no way an attempt to authenticate the Scripture. That has already been done many times over by individuals who are far more knowledgeable than I am and who are true Bible theologians. In these pages, I make reference to the Bible and books of the Bible but generally not direct citations. I hope and I pray that will encourage you to read the Bible for yourself, not just parts, but the whole Bible. I say this, I hope this and I pray this because I know that if you do, you will find what I have found. If we take the cultural glasses off and try to see the world through Christ and live according to God's Word, then we will know sanity in insanity-we will know Christ Jesus. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (John 1:1-5).

This accessible text explains how Russian law works in all its principal areas. It elucidates the main concepts and frameworks behind Russian law, and uses original legal sources and case law to explain how it operates in practice. The contributors, all of whom are leading experts on Russian law, employ original research to further knowledge of the Russian legal profession, legal culture, judiciary and court systems, providing a scholarly and practical account of Russian law for students and scholars alike. It is essential reading for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the subject.

Praise for Forensic Psychology and Law "In Forensic Psychology and Law, three internationally known experts provide exceptional coverage of a wide array of topics that address both the clinical applications of forensic psychology and the role of psychological science in understanding and evaluating legal assumptions and processes." —Norman Poythress, PhD, Research Director and Professor, Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, Dept. of Mental Health Law and Policy "Forensic Psychology and Law is a major contribution to the teaching of law and psychology. Roesch, Zapf, and Hart offer a timely, comprehensive, and succinct overview of the field that will offer widespread appeal to those interested in this vibrant and growing area. Outstanding." —Kirk Heilbrun, PhD, Professor and Head, Department of Psychology, Drexel University "In this volume, three noted experts have managed to capture the basic elements of forensic psychology. It is clearly written, well organized, and provides real world examples to hold the interest of any reader. While clarifying complex issues, the authors also present a very balanced discussion of a number of the most hotly debated topics." —Mary Alice Conroy, PhD, ABPP, Psychological Services Center, Sam Houston State University A Comprehensive, Up-to-Date Discussion of the Interface Between Forensic Psychology and Law Forensic Psychology and Law covers the latest theory, research, and practice in the field and provides thought-provoking discussion of topics with chapters on: Forensic assessment in criminal and civil domains Eyewitness identification Police investigations, interrogations, and confessions Correctional psychology Psychology, law, and public policy Ethics and professional issues

Despite what most evidence law texts say, religious confession privilege does exist at common law. This book provides proof from both historical and common law materials with consequences even in jurisdictions where the privilege now exists in statutory form.