Playing off a child’s question concerning whether parents would put their son to death on a cross, this book plunges headlong into the ongoing debate about the character of God. The church confesses that God is revealed in Jesus. This book explores the implications of that radical claim. Jesus’ life reveals his rejection of violence and calls for an understanding of God in nonviolent terms. Weaver thus invites us to embrace a nonviolent atonement image, in contrast to our inherited atonement images. Deriving theology from the narrative of Jesus also leads Weaver into discussions about the very nature of theology, the character of the Bible, the divine violence in the Old Testament (as well as the purported divine violence in the book of Revelation), and a rethinking of historic Christology. Each of these discussions has implications for life today—for economics, forgiveness and restorative justice, violence, gender discrimination, racism, and more. This second, expanded edition of God Without Violence is an introduction to foundational issues of theology and ethics, suitable for church discussion groups and introductory college classes.

Playing off a five-year-old boy's question concerning whether parents would put their son to death on a cross, this book plunges headlong into the ongoing debate about the character of God. Following the historic faith confession that God is revealed in Jesus, the book's first chapter sketches the life and teaching of Jesus. That life, which reveals Jesus' rejection of violence, calls for an understanding of God in nonviolent terms. Weaver thus invites us to embrace a nonviolent atonement image, which stands as a direct challenge to the inherited atonement images. Deriving theology from the narrative of Jesus also leads Weaver into discussions about the very nature of theology, the character of the Bible, the divine violence in the Old Testament (as well as the purported divine violence in the book of Revelation), and a rethinking of historic Christology. Each of these discussions has implications for life today--implications for economics, forgiveness, violence, gender discrimination, racism, and more. The book is thus an introduction to foundational issues of theology and ethics, suitable for church discussion groups and introductory college classrooms. ""Inviting us to 'live the story of Jesus' and to 'join the conversation' the Bible poses about the character and identity of God, Denny winsomely guides us in reading the Bible as revealing a nonviolent and loving God. This is a wonderful book for Sunday School or discussion groups--accessible and compelling in its presentation of a coherent theology that resonates with the best of our contemporary values."" --James Rissler, Pastor, Atlanta Mennonite Fellowship ""Denny Weaver pulls together various strands from his long-term, fruitful project of reconfiguring theology in light of biblical nonviolence. This accessible and forceful call to a substantive engagement with nonviolence challenges us to embody Jesus' way of peace in thought and deed--consistently and practically. A timely and coherent message for the twenty-first century."" --Ted Grimsrud, Author of Instead of Atonement: The Bible's Salvation Story and Our Hope for Wholeness ""Drawing upon his groundbreaking work in narrative theology in The Nonviolent Atonement and The Nonviolent God, J. Denny Weaver has now written a practical, accessible guide for ordinary Christians on its implications for the most important issues of our day: economic justice, racism, gender equality, and care of creation. This book is a must-read for any serious Christian concerned about living the way of Jesus in the midst of our violent world."" --Scott Anderson, Executive Director, Wisconsin Council of Churches ""In this fresh and superb work, J. Denny Weaver challenges the church to loop back, again and again, to our Christian roots found in the story of Jesus. By some miracle he was able to write an accessible resource and also intertwine several of his key theological contributions from former books into one text. Read this book with others, and expect a meaningful conversation to open around how we can embody the narrative of Jesus for our time."" --Drew G. I. Hart, Assistant Professor of Theology, Messiah College; Author of Trouble I've Seen: Changing the Way the Church Views Racism J. Denny Weaver is Professor Emeritus of Religion at Bluffton University, Ohio. Among his recent books are Becoming Anabaptist (2nd ed., 2005); Defenseless Christianity (co-authored, 2009); The Nonviolent Atonement (2nd. ed., 2011); The Nonviolent God (2013); and John Howard Yoder: Radical Theologian (co-authored, 2014).

The only large-scale critical introduction to Western Marxism for biblical criticism. Roland Boer introduces the core concepts of major figures in the tradition, specifically Althusser, Gramsci, Deleuze and Guattari, Eagleton, Lefebvre, Lukács, Adorno, Bloch, Negri, Jameson, and Jameson. Throughout, Boer shows how Marxist criticism is relevant to biblical criticism, in terms of approaches to the Bible and in the use of those approaches in the interpretation of specific texts. In this second edition, Boer has added chapters on Deleuze and Guattari, and Negri. Each chapter has been carefully revised to make the book more useful on courses, while maintaining challenges and insights for postgraduate students and scholars. Theoretical material has been updated and sharpened in light of subsequent research and a revised conclusion considers the economies of the ancient world in relation to biblical societies.

A provocative study that cuts to the very heart of Christian thought, The Nonviolent Atonement challenges the traditional, Anselmian understanding of atonement along with the assumption that heavenly justice depends on Christ s passive, innocent submission to violent death at the hands of a cruel God. Instead J. Denny Weaver offers a thoroughly nonviolent paradigm for understanding atonement, grounded in the New Testament and sensitive to the concerns of pacifist, black, feminist, and womanist theology. While many scholars have engaged the subject of violence in atonement theology, Weaver s Nonviolent Atonement is the only book that offers a radically new theory rather than simply refurbishing existing theories. Key features of this revised and updated second edition include new material on Paul and Anselm, expanded discussion on the development of violence in theology, interaction with recent scholarship on atonement, and response to criticisms of Weaver s original work. Praise for the first edition: The best current single volume on reconstructing the theology of atonement. S. Mark Heim in Anglican Theological Review Weaver provides an important contribution to atonement theories by seriously inserting the contemporary concerns of pacifist, feminist, womanist, and black theologians into the centuries-old christological conversation. . . . A provocative but faithful proposal benefiting any student of christology. Religious Studies Review A noteworthy contribution to the literature on the atonement. Weaver provides a useful critique of the history of atonement motifs; he does a fine job of placing Anselm s theology in its historical context; he creatively fuses a singular biblical vision from the earthly narrative of the Gospels and the cosmic perspective of the Apocalypse; and he attempts to relate discussions of the atonement to Christian social ethics. Trinity Journal This is a superb succinct survey and analysis of classical and contemporary theories of the atonement, ideal for students and general readers. . . . A clearly written, passionately expressed introduction to current debates on the atonement. . . . Excellent resource. Reviews in Religion and Theology

The Life Recovery Bible 25th Anniversary Edition points to God himself as the primary source of recovery. Millions of people have been helped by this Bible. New articles provide a fresh perspective on recovery. Help for leaders is provided in a general facilitator's guide and a step-by-step meeting guide. These offer help to anyone starting or running recovery groups at church or in the community. Features: New inspirational Preface Article: A Word about Addictions Article: An Early History of Life Recovery Article: Thriving in a Secular Recovery Group Article: Life-Giving Recovery Groups in the Church Life Recovery Facilitator's Guide Step-by-Step Life Recovery Meeting Guide The 12 Christian Foundations of Life Recovery The 12 Self-Evident Truths of Life Recovery Resources page, directing readers to helpful books and online resources

Jean-Luc Marion is one of the world’s foremost philosophers of religion as well as one of the leading Catholic thinkers of modern times. In God Without Being, Marion challenges a fundamental premise of traditional philosophy, theology, and metaphysics: that God, before all else, must be. Taking a characteristically postmodern stance and engaging in passionate dialogue with Heidegger, he locates a “God without Being” in the realm of agape, or Christian charity and love. If God is love, Marion contends, then God loves before he actually is. First translated into English in 1991, God Without Being continues to be a key book for discussions of the nature of God. This second edition contains a new preface by Marion as well as his 2003 essay on Thomas Aquinas. Offering a controversial, contemporary perspective, God Without Being will remain essential reading for scholars and students of philosophy and religion. “Daring and profound. . . . In matters most central to his thesis, [Marion]’s control is admirable, and his attunement to the nuances of other major postmodern thinkers is impressive.”—Theological Studies “A truly remarkable work.”—First Things “Very rewarding reading.”—Religious Studies Review

The Life Recovery Bible 25th Anniversary Edition points to God himself as the primary source of recovery. Millions of people have been helped by this Bible. New articles provide a fresh perspective on recovery. Help for leaders is provided in a general facilitator's guide and a step-by-step meeting guide. These offer help to anyone starting or running recovery groups at church or in the community. Features: New inspirational Preface Article: A Word about Addictions Article: An Early History of Life Recovery Article: Thriving in a Secular Recovery Group Article: Life-Giving Recovery Groups in the Church Life Recovery Facilitator's Guide Step-by-Step Life Recovery Meeting Guide The 12 Christian Foundations of Life Recovery The 12 Self-Evident Truths of Life Recovery Resources page, directing readers to helpful books and online resources