This book constitutes the second volume of a three-volume study of Christian testimonies to divine suffering: God's Wounds: Hermeneutic of the Christian Symbol of Divine Suffering, vol. 2, Evil and Divine Suffering. The larger study focuses its inquiry into the testimonies to divine suffering themselves, seeking to allow the voices that attest to divine suffering to speak freely, then to discover and elucidate the internal logic or rationality of this family of testimonies, rather than defending these attestations against the dominant claims of classical Christian theism that have historically sought to eliminate such language altogether from Christian discourse about the nature and life of God. This second volume of studies proceeds on the basis of the presuppositions of this symbol, those implicit attestations that provide the conditions of possibility for divine suffering-that which constitutes divine vulnerability with respect to creation-as identified and examined in the first volume of this project: an understanding of God through the primary metaphor of love (God is love); and an understanding of the human as created in the image of God, with a life (though finite) analogous to the divine life-the imago Dei as love. The second volume then investigates the first two divine wounds or modes of divine suffering to which the larger family of testimonies to divine suffering normally attest: (1) divine grief, suffering because of betrayal by the beloved human or human sin; and (2) divine self-sacrifice, suffering for the beloved human in its bondage to sin or misery, to establish the possibility of redemption and reconciliation. Each divine wound, thus, constitutes a response to a creaturely occasion. The suffering in each divine wound also occurs in two stages: a passive stage and an active stage. In divine grief, God suffers because of human sin, betrayal of the divine lover by the beloved human: divine sorrow as the passive stage of divine grief; and divine anguish as the active stage of divine grief. In divine self-sacrifice, God suffers in response to the misery or bondage of the beloved human's infidelity: divine travail (focused on the divine incarnation in Jesus of Nazareth) as the active stage of divine self-sacrifice; and divine agony (focused on divine suffering in the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth) as the passive stage of divine self-sacrifice.

God's Wounds: Hermeneutic of the Christian Symbol of Divine Suffering, Volume I: Divine Vulnerability and Creation is the first of a three-volume study of Christian testimonies to divine suffering. The larger study focuses its inquiry on the testimonies to divine suffering themselves, seeking to allow the voices that attest to divine suffering to speak freely. The goal is then to discover and elucidate the internal logic or rationality of this family of testimonies, rather than defending these attestations against the dominant claims of classical Christian theism that have historically sought to eliminate such language altogether from Christian discourse about the nature and life of God. In this first volume, the author develops an approach to interpreting the contested claims about the suffering of God. Through this approach to the Christian symbol of divine suffering, he then investigates the two major presuppositions that the larger family of testimonies to divine suffering normally hold: an understanding of God through the primary metaphor of love ('God is love'); and an understanding of the human as created in the image of God, with a life (though finite) analogous to the divine life - the imago Dei as love. When fully elaborated, these presuppositions reveal the conditions of possibility for divine suffering and divine vulnerability with respect to creation.

This book constitutes the first volume of a three-volume study of Christian testimonies to divine suffering: God's Wounds: Hermeneutic of the Christian Symbol of Divine Suffering, Divine Vulnerability and Creation. This study first develops an approach to interpreting the contested claims about the suffering of God. Thus, the larger study focuses its inquiry into the testimonies to divine suffering themselves, seeking to allow the voices that attest to divine suffering to speak freely, to discover and elucidate the internal logic or rationality of this family of testimonies, rather than defending these attestations against the dominant claims of classical Christian theism that have historically sought to eliminate such language altogether from Christian discourse about the nature and life of God. Through this approach this volume of studies into the Christian symbol of divine suffering then investigates the two major presuppositions that the larger family of testimonies to divine suffering normally hold: an understanding of God through the primary metaphor of love ("God is love"); and an understanding of the human as created in the image of God, with a life (though finite) analogous to the divine life--the imago Dei as love. When fully elaborated, these presuppositions reveal the conditions of possibility for divine suffering and divine vulnerability with respect to creation.

Vulnerability is at the core of the political drama of our time. Countering conventional approaches, this book presents human vulnerability as a source of political community and a potential for political agency in precarity. Analyzing Christian celebrations of Christmas and Easter in contexts of struggle, it shows how religious resources inspire precarious politics. Combining critical political theory, liberation theology, and lived religion, Sturla J. Stålsett sees in such celebrations a ‘political sacralization’ of vulnerability and a ‘dispossession of divinity.’

In the past, scholars and others have asked whether Mormons are Christian. This work reverses the question by asking, "are Christians Mormon?" By identifying Mormon doctrines formerly considered heretical and documenting how these doctrines have gained increasing acceptance within mainstream Christian theologies, the work presents some surprising insights. In chapters focusing on subjects such as deification, the divine feminine, and the reopening of the scriptural canon, among others, the book sets out Joseph Smith's teachings on these ideas, summarizes the criticisms of those positions, and examines trends in contemporary Christian theology that significantly converge in Joseph's direction. Exploring the convergence of contemporary Christian theology with Mormon doctrines, this book will appeal to a broad range of students and readers exploring Christian theology and the Latter-day Saint tradition.

In the twenty-first century, amid globalized violence, rising demagogues, and the climate emergency, contemporary philosophers and theologians have begun to debate a fundamental question: Is our reality the result of the overflowing, ever-present creativity of Love, or the symptom of a traumatic rupture at the heart of all things? Drawing on decades of research in postmodern philosophy and experience as a psychotherapist, James H. Olthuis wades into this discussion to propose a radical ontology of Love without metaphysics. In dialogue with philosophers like John D. Caputo, Slavoj Žižek, Luce Irigaray, and others, Olthuis explores issues from divine sovereignty and the problem of evil to trauma and social ethics. Experience in therapeutic work informs these investigations, rooting them in journeys with individuals on the path to healing. Olthuis makes the bold claim that while trauma, pain, and suffering are significant parts of our human lives, nevertheless Love is with us to the very end. Creation is a gift that comes with a call to make something of it ourselves, a risky task we must take on with the promise that Love will win. We are all dancing in the wild spaces of Love: ex amore, cum amore, ad amorem.

"All Scripture is God-breathed" and yet some parts seem rather less God-breathed than one might imagine, or even like. The prophecy concerning Moab in Jeremiah 48 is one such text, since it appears to equate the Lord's work with bloodshed and curses those who withhold their swords. How, if at all, might such a passage inform the Christian community of faith? In this sophisticated study Julie Woods identifies some salient features of Jeremiah's Moab oracle by means of a careful analysis and comparison of both the Septuagint and the Masoretic Text of Jeremiah 48. She also explores the implications of links between the Moab oracles in Jeremiah 48 and Isaiah 15-16. The focus then moves to theological hermeneutics via an examination of some recent Christian interpretations of the oracle (from Walter Brueggemann, Ronald Clements, Terence Fretheim, Douglas Jones, and Patrick Miller). Building on the observations of these scholars and the conclusions reached from her own textual analyses, Woods provides an innovative Christian reading of the oracle (including two imaginative film scripts to bring the text to life). Perhaps one of the more surprising proposals is that Easter is the ultimate horizon of Jeremiah 48.

William J. Meyer engages in critical and illuminating conversation with major figures in contemporary philosophy and theology in order to explain why theology has been marginalized in modern culture and why modernity has had such difficulty integrating religion and public life. Wrestling with notable philosophers like MacIntyre and Stout, and theologians such as Gustafson, Hauerwas, Porter, Milbank, and Reinhold Niebuhr, Meyer argues that theology must embrace modernity's formal commitments to public and democratic discourse while simultaneously challenging its substantive postmetaphysical outlook. Drawing on the philosophical perspectives of Whitehead and Hartshorne and the theologies of Ogden and Gamwell, he concludes that a process metaphysical theology offers the most promising path for theology to regain a vital public voice in the world of the twenty-first century.

The most outstanding theological thinker of the twentieth century is proving to be the most pivotal theological figure of the twenty-first century as well. It is no wonder some have referred to Karl Barth as a "Father" of the Church. Karl Barth, widely acknowledged as the most influential theologian of the modern era, continues to provoke and inspire Christian theological reflection in a distinct and enduring way. His work has occasioned appreciation, critique, and rejection, but however one responds to Barth, one must reckon with him in pursuing the theological task. This volume draws together scholars whose essays exhibit work "after Barth" in engaging the doctrine of the Trinity and its related themes. Barth's thought, as evidenced amongst his most expert commentators, allows for a variety of interpretations, the details of which are being hammered out on the pages of academic journals and volumes such as this one. It is this variety of responses to and interpretations of Barth's theology that gives such vibrancy to the essays in this volume by seasoned Barth scholars and voices new to the conversation. Contributors: Ivor J. Davidson, Bruce L. McCormack, John C. McDowell, Paul D. Molnar, Murray A. Rae, and a Foreword by John B. Webster.

This study builds upon recent scholarship exploring the significance of the Old Testament covenant metaphor in the Johannine writings. By examining the Gospel of John as a whole through a narrative lens and focusing on several key dialogues, the author sheds light on the dialogical nature of the revelatory process and the central role of covenant for the Fourth Evangelist. Also incorporating recent scholarship that suggests the evangelist understood himself to be writing Scripture based upon fulfillment language present in summary statements across the Gospel, and demonstrating a relationship between the Fourth Gospel and ancient drama that renders speech as action, this work attempts to construct a new paradigm for reading John against the background of the Old Testament covenant metaphor. The claim is twofold: the Johannine story of Jesus Christ is a carefully crafted literary treatise theologically underpinned by discourse on covenant and Scripture, and the Fourth Evangelist provides catechesis to a believing community on the nature of its faith in the God of Israel's ongoing covenant with the created order. By grasping the theological fabric of the evangelist, the richness of the dialogue and imagery of his Gospel is allowed to have its full voice in terms of covenant fulfillment and the ongoing commitment of God to a believing people.