At the tense intersection of biblical interpretation and contemporary politics, this book stands out as an imagined political campaign guide based on a creative deep dive into Luke’s vibrant evangelical account of Jesus’s messianic mission. It seeks to challenge any group that blithely claims Jesus’s endorsement of their partisan agendas today, but especially those trumpeting authoritarian rule. Close attention to Luke’s narrative discloses a distinctive figure who strikingly ill fits standard strongman profiles and straitjacket labels. Warning: If Luke’s Jesus doesn’t change your vote, he might well change your mind, challenge your life, and shake up your politics along the way.

"With Christ in the Voting Booth is not a dated Voter's Guide that promotes certain candidates and after the election becomes as useful as day-old toast. Instead, Shedlock has written a book that addresses issues that crop up in every election. What if the candidate isn't fully pro-life? What if he or she wants to raise my taxes? What about third parties, or sitting it out altogether?" Governor Mike Huckabee Know who to vote for doesn't always come easy for the Christian. No unambiguous voice from heaven whispers: "This is my candidate, vote for him." Even though almost every candidate in America makes a Christian profession, most of us know some Christians we wouldn't trust with a loaded BB gun, let alone access to the launch button of the world's largest cache of nuclear weapons. Thankfully, God has given us His Word, "The Ultimate Voter's Guide." Using the Bible, With Christ in the Voting Booth provides us tools to resist Government Too Small and Government Too Big, while embracing Government Just Right, not based on false promises and "Christian" utopian fantasies, but rather the most important political success story of all: The Voter (and Governor) Who Pleases God. David Shedlock graduated from Central Bible College in Springfield, Missouri and received his Master's Degree in English as a Second Language from Minnesota State University (Mankato). He is a leading contributor and assistant editor to the blog, Caffeinated Thoughts and its companion site Caffeinated Theology. He has been a member of Trinity Presbyterian Reformed Church in Johnston, Iowa, since 1996. He and his wife, Judy, have five children and 16 grandchildren. Sheldock may be contacted at djshedlock@gmail.com or through www.turretinpress.com.

Election, Atonement, and the Holy Spirit' is an examination of the doctrines of election and atonement in Karl Barth's 'Church Dogmatics', taking up Barth's own challenge to his reader to surpass his argument and offer a better typological interpretationof the cultic texts. Barth's radical re-working of Calvin's doctrine of election is one of the most important developments in twentieth-century theology. Christ synthesizes for Barth a particular dialectic: the binary structure of God's Yes of election and God's No of rejection. The book's central question - how can Jesus simultaneously be both the elected and the rejected (CD II/2), acting as both the judge and the judged (CD IV/1)? - is followed by an exploration of the roles of the Holy Spirit and human freedom in God's electing and saving action. Although commentators acknowledge Barth's innovation in this area but also identify problems with his approach, few have offered what David Ford has called a correction 'from within' Barth, using Barth's ownmethod. Using the concept of Existenzstellvertretung, this critique of Barth's exegetical justification for the doctrines offers an alternative exegesis that not only provides this much-needed correction, but also immerses the reader in a fresh engagement with Scripture itself.

Should Christianity's theological face remain largely European and North American in the twenty-first century in the wake of the expansion of Christianity in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and Latin America? The question about the theological face of Christianity cannot be ignored. For too long African, Asian, and Latin American theologians have been left out of mainstream theological discussions. Few standard textbooks on Christian theology acknowledge the unique contributions theologians from these continents have made to global Christianity. Introducing Christian Theologies: Voices from Global Christian Communities is a two-volume textbook that alters the predominantly European and North American theological face of Christianity by interacting with the voices of Christian communities from around the globe. Introducing Christian Theologies explores the works of key theologians from across the globe, highlighting their unique contributions to Christian theology and doctrine.

Offering not only state-of-the-art introductions from Biblical, historical, and constructive theologians, this volume also fosters an inter-disciplinary and cross-confessional conversation, reclaiming the idea of election as a central notion for any retelling of the biblical narrative. Several essays explore the variety of ways in which election is spoken about in the Scripture, drawing on research from the last twenty years that offers a more sophisticated framework than the traditionally theological categories of “elect” and “reject”. The historical part of the volume covers new analyses of Medieval and post-Reformation Catholic and Protestant debates on predestination, while the book's constructive part contributes to contemporary conversations on the relationship between Trinity, Christology, and election, the development of a post-supersessionist understanding of Israel's chosenness, as well as voices from contextual struggles in South America, Palestine, and South Africa.

A discussion of election in a perspective and spirit that will be quite novel to most theologians and ministers. The author contends that election can be understood only within faith, and within a spirit of doxology, for election takes place 'in Christ'. Hence election must be understood and employed in terms of the Gospel. He then repudiates theological usage which employs election and reprobation as a principle of interpretation for theology with the usual consequence of deducing from this truth a nice logical system of theology. Another powerful feature of this book is its criticism of the conception of the sovereignty of God and then makes it into a mere principle of naked 'abosolute power', and ethically neutral principle of brute force. [Book jacket].

Christian Spirituality and Ethical Life offers a helpful study of the place of the Spirit in John Calvin's theology. It also discovers a notion of the spiritual life in connection with ethical life. It thus overcomes the prevailing popular pictures about the theology of John Calvin in several significant ways, providing a refreshing alternative to the anemic spirituality so prevalent today. It can be stated confidently that Calvin was a theologian of the Holy Spirit in solidarity with the poor, standing in openness to others.

A non-threatening entrance into texts from the Apostolic Fathers to Mary Daly.