Emmanuel Levinas' Conceptual Affinities with Liberation Theology analyzes Levinas' work in relation to two important liberation theologians, Gustavo Gutiérrez and Jon Sobrino, whose scholarship, like his, needs to be brought into greater contemporary debate about the subject's encounter with the other. More specifically, this book argues that for Levinas, Gutiérrez, and Sobrino, commitment to the neighbor is the necessary context for «understanding» God. They posit the human other as the possibility of the subject's subjectivity. To be human is to act with love toward one's neighbor. Thus, the author articulates the possibility of reading Levinas' philosophy as a revalidation of one of the truths of Christianity: the concern for the humanity of every human person as expressed in Christian theology in general and liberation theology in particular. In order to show the relevance of Levinas' philosophy for Christian theology in general, the author discusses three Christian scholars, Enrique Dussel, Jean-Luc Marion, and Michael Purcell. Although they challenge some aspects of Levinas' philosophy, they nevertheless see its significance for Christian theological anthropology. The discussion concludes by proposing Levinas' philosophy and liberation theology's turn to the neighbor as significant for addressing contemporary socio-political and ethnic conflicts in sub-Saharan Africa.

Robert G. Hunter maintains that the impact of the Protestant Reformation on the Elizabethan mind was in great part responsible for the emergence of the outstanding tragedies of the age. Luther and Calvin caused men to ask how God can be just if man is not free, and Shakespeare's greatest tragedies confront the vexing problems posed by these altered conceptions of man's freedom of will and God's providential control of natural circumstance. Shakespeare's audiences were not single-minded. He wrote for semi-Pelagians, Augustinians, Calvinists, and men and women who did not know what to think. Confl icting certainties, doubts, and uncertainties were his raw material, both within his mind and the minds of the audience. Hunter shows how Shakespeare uses the major attitudes toward God's judgment in creating Richard III, Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, and King Lear. He notes that Shakespeare's different viewpoints are the heart of the tragedies themselves. Even after Shakespeare's imaginative considerations of the mysteries, the tragedies seem to consistently provide questions rather than answers, and what they inspire in their beholders is more likely to be doubt than faith.

The seven studies that comprise this book are the culmination of more than forty years of research into the meaning of Blake's symbolic themes by a scholar-poet who is internationally recognized as one of Blake's most profound interpreters. They are written so as to reach into the very heart of Blake's symbolic thought and for this reason may be read as an introduction to the whole of his imaginative vision.

Just as a churrasco is a Brazilian barbecue of a variety of meats, Churrasco skewers together an ebullient and eclectic assortment of theological texts from around the world to honor and celebrate one of Brazil's most eclectic and creative theologians, V'tor Westhelle. Churrasco brings together different fields and disciplines, transgressing boundaries and allowing them to seep into each other. Though predominantly Lutheran, the authors hail from various denominations and contexts. Poised between in-depth doctrinal and practically reflective essays are poetically creative pieces. The contributions are exemplars of how to develop and foster language for God-talk and how to appropriate our God-talk in relationships with fellow human beings and with the environment. The topical range is wide and spans from the theology of the cross, to eschatology, postcolonialism, ecumenism, science and religion, the erotic, otherness, experience, literature, poetry, and the reformer Martin Luther. Unfettered by a common theme, the essays nevertheless connect and weave a tapestry; they raise key questions and they challenge theologians not only to rethink traditional concepts and contemporary views but also to reevaluate the task of theology itself. Contributors include: Walter Altmann Oswald Bayer Kathleen D. (Kadi) Billman Luis H. Dreher Philip Hefner Reinhard Hÿtter Claudia Jahnel Antje JackelŽn Musimbi Kanyoro Robert Kolb John Arthur Nunes Kathlen Luana Ted Peters Mary Philip Jose David Rodriguez Deanna A. Thompson Else Marie Wiberg Pederson Robert Zwetsch

In this inspiring parenting book, learn how to create space for your children to get to know God in a way that focuses on trust instead of a list of rigid rules. Most Christian parenting books are ready with exact practices every family should follow in order to raise obedient children. In this obedience-training model, faith is a wall, constructed brick by brick, as adults tell children what to believe and how to behave. But what if obedience is not the goal of Christian parenting? What if it’s our job as parents to instead help our kids get to know God and discover that God can be trusted? And what if faith is not constructed brick by brick, but rather woven strand by strand? Much like a spider’s web, in which anchor strands and internal threads combine to form a unique web, Woven can help children anchor to who God is and have faith practices that are rich, textured, and all their own. Kids need space to explore the Bible, ask big questions, and even change their understanding of God and faith along the way. With Woven, families can nurture the kind of faith that can flex and grow, be broken and repaired. This is the sort of faith that can stand up to the life a child will live, the doubts they will encounter, and the questions that will come up along the way. So many parents want to pass along their faith, but know that God is so much bigger than the list of do’s and don’ts they were taught about as children. They want to pass along a faith their child doesn’t have to heal from. Woven is the guidebook parents have been looking for. With a deep reverence for scripture and suggested activities to help your family grow in faith together, Woven is for parents who want to go beyond a list of do’s and don’ts and pass along a resilient faith based on genuine love for and trust in God.

A philosopher of religion examines contemporary conceptions of God through close readings of three modern Jewish thinkers. For centuries, the traditional God of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam has been under pressure to conform to the scientific worldview, giving rise to a “liberal” conception of God compatible with a naturalism. For many, this liberal “new” God is the only credible God. But is it a useful God? Does belief in so malleable a deity come from, or lead to, different political, moral, psychological, or aesthetic phenomena from atheism? A Plausible God evaluates the new God by analyzing the theology of three recent Jewish thinkers —Mordechai Kaplan, Michael Lerner, and Arthur Green—and compares faith in the new God to disbelief in any gods. Mitchell Silver reveals what is at stake in the choice between naturalistic liberal theology and a nontheistic naturalism without gods. Silver poses the question: “If it is to be either the new God or no God, what does—what should—determine the choice?” Although Jewish thinkers are used as the primary exemplars of new God theology, Silver explores developments in contemporary Christian thought, Eastern religious traditions, and “New Age” religion. A Plausible God constitutes a significant contribution to current discussions of the relationship between science and religion, as well as to discussions regarding the idea of God itself in modern life.

Buttrick presents a complete homiletic that focuses on how sermons form in consciousness and how the language of preaching functions in the communal consciousness of a congregation. His "phenomenological" approach marks a sharp departure from older homiletics.

Jesus once said, “...I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10b). If you are not experiencing abundant life in your walk with Jesus, it is my hope this book will help you in your journey.