Like medieval maps with their intricate illustrations, unusual proportions, and omission of seemingly crucial details, medieval works of theology were designed to provide not an objective lay of the land for disinterested study but an itinerary for individuals traveling a specific route. To read was to be taken by the hand and to join fellow travelers on a journey of participation -- and ultimately union -- with God.

How may the notion of Trinity become a practical, down to earth, living reality? The parable of the Good Samaritan must be one of the most familiar stories of Jesus. Yet we often miss what prompted it. Jesus asks the lawyer pointedly, "How do you read?" This workbook seeks to show how people may read their Bibles in a most constructive way that leads to their living with and so loving truly the triune God, the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, who shares life-giving Holy Spirit with his people. In nine study sessions, for either individuals or small groups, with Questions for Reflection after each, readers are taken through the Story of Salvation. From Abraham to the New Testament church's catechism, they are presented with a particular strategy on how to approach the Christian Scriptures that the central actor in the drama, the triune God, more readily comes into view. This workbook therefore addresses what seems an intractable problem. No longer a formal creed from the fourth century, and certainly not just a medieval scholastic "game," the goal is for the notion of Trinity to become a practical, down to earth, living reality, for the church and for individual disciples of Jesus.

How may the notion of Trinity become a practical, down to earth, living reality? The parable of the Good Samaritan must be one of the most familiar stories of Jesus. Yet we often miss what prompted it. Jesus asks the lawyer pointedly, “How do you read?” This workbook seeks to show how people may read their Bibles in a most constructive way that leads to their living with and so loving truly the triune God, the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, who shares life-giving Holy Spirit with his people. In nine study sessions, for either individuals or small groups, with Questions for Reflection after each, readers are taken through the Story of Salvation. From Abraham to the New Testament church’s catechism, they are presented with a particular strategy on how to approach the Christian Scriptures that the central actor in the drama, the triune God, more readily comes into view. This workbook therefore addresses what seems an intractable problem. No longer a formal creed from the fourth century, and certainly not just a medieval scholastic “game,” the goal is for the notion of Trinity to become a practical, down to earth, living reality, for the church and for individual disciples of Jesus.

This volume of essays centers on the theme of doing Christian theology in the present postmodern context, a consistent theme of the teaching of John D. Castelein. The work will celebrate and honor John's years of service by representing reflections of his teaching in the thought of his students and colleagues. The essays range over such topics as theological reflections on the postmodern philosophical themes, the relations between Christian theology and culture, the contributions of philosophical hermeneutics for Christian theology, and the challenges of engaging in ministry in a postmodern context. The seventeen contributors to the volume are former students and both present and former colleagues involved in various ministries, be they in a college setting or in a local church.

Ashley Cocksworth presents Karl Barth as a theologian who not only produces a strong and vibrant theology of prayer, but also grounds theology itself in the practice of prayer. Prayer and theology are revealed to be integrally related in Barth's understanding of the dogmatic task. Cocksworth provides careful analysis of a range of key texts in Barth's thought in which the theme of prayer emerges with particular interest. He analyzes: Barth's writings on the Sabbath and uncovers an unexpected theology of contemplative prayer; the doctrine of creation of the Church Dogmatics and explores its prioritization of petitionary prayer; and the ethics of the doctrine of reconciliation in which a 'turn to invocation' is charted and the final 'resting place' of Barth's theology of prayer is found. Through the theme of prayer fundamental questions are asked about the relation of human agency to divine agency as conceived by Barth, and new insights are offered into his understandings of the nature and task of theology, pneumatology, sin, baptism, religion, and sanctification. The result is a rich engagement with Barth's theology of prayer, an advancements of scholarship on Karl Barth, and a constructive contribution to the theology of prayer.

Buschart and Eilers identify six critical areas—Scripture, theology, worship, spirituality, mission and culture—where contemporary Christians are retrieving aspects of our Christian past for life and thought today. The result is a fascinating tour and wise reflection on how Christians might receive, employ and transmit the treasures of their past.

This Companion introduces readers to the practice of Christian theology, covering what theologians do, why they do it, and what steps readers can take in order to become theological practitioners themselves. The volume aims to capture the variety of practices involved in doing theology, highlighting the virtues that guide them and the responsibilities that shape them. It also shows that the description of these practices, virtues and responsibilities is itself theological: what Christian theologians do is shaped by the wider practices and beliefs of Christianity. Written by a team of leading theologians, the Companion provides a unique resource for students and scholars of theology alike.

Reformed theology speaks of the divine act that leads to conversion in terms of the effectual call. In this lucidly written and carefully researched study, Jonathan Hoglund provides a constructive treatment of effectual calling, interpreting divine calling to salvation as an act of triune rhetoric in which Father, Son, and Holy Spirit work in a personal way to communicate new life.

This delightfully multifaceted volume, comprised of thoughtful essays by an esteemed array of cultural critics, probes the intersection of Christian faith and culture to honor the memory of A. J. "Chip" Conyers, a remarkably ecumenical Christian scholar and cultural "warrior" whose premature death in 2004 cut short a remarkable career in teaching and writing. As those who knew him can attest, Conyers lived his life at the intersection of Christian theology and cultural concern with a singular blend of astuteness, gracefulness, and Christian conviction. This festschrift, as esteemed theologian and Conyers's mentor Jurgen Moltmann indicates in the foreword, is intended to mirror Conyers's own commitment to incisive cultural criticism and theological faithfulness in the mold of the "great tradition." This is no small achievement even for so venerable a cast of scholars as the contributors to this volume, as Conyers crossed interdisciplinary boundaries--in a day of escalating hyper-specialization--with the greatest of ease. He was comfortable discussing contemporary church life or the christological controversy of the patristic era, Heideggerian hermeneutics or human dignity and the imago Dei, faith and the Enlightenment or the fatherhood of God, Catholic "substance" or Protestant reform. Yet Conyers always did this through the lens of historic Christian orthodoxy. Though he was a most incisive student of culture, in a most refreshing way he steered clear of being co-opted by the currents of culture. Neither retreating into pious devotionalism nor opting for the theologically unreflective activism that has become so chic in our post-consensus climate, he embodied a theological perspective that blends responsible cultural engagement with eschatological hope. The reader is sure to encounter the same blend in this festschrift, and to come away both challenged and edified toward fulfilling the message and hope of Conyers' life and work: to faithfully thrive in Babylon.

This is an imaginative exploration of the art of David Jones which addresses Christian teaching through engagement with selected artistic works: a poem, a painted inscription and a wood engraving. Elizabeth R. Powell's study does not just enable readers to understand Jones but also to use his kind of loving attention in their own lives – which, Jones would argue, is theology's most important task. Through close readings of material objects, Powell draws the reader into the participatory, performative and dialogical possibilities of the craft of theology. She frames an older style of theology in a distinctive and modern way, as a graced human practice and a place of transforming relation with the divine. Powell argues that Jones's art works offer places of beauty in which to 'become beauty' along the way. Located at the cross-section of theology, literature and the arts, this volume shows that being interdisciplinary is nothing less than finding ways for theology and humanity to be more richly itself.