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Christians believe that the Logos is the sou rce of all life, yet Christian worship remanins unashamedly humanocentric. This book provides 14 new liturgies which are animal friendly and animal-inclusive. '

Trans Formations is not a book about trans and non-binary Christians it is a book by trans and non-binary Christians. Who they are, what they experience, and what they understand stretches beyond trans-apologetics to formative anthropological and theological notions without which the body of anthropological and theological knowledge is incomplete. They have things to say about God and about being human and their yet-to-be-accessed insights matter. Whilst there is an abundance of material about trans ethics, there is little trans-written theology or theological anthropology that is formative, rather than trans critical or trans-apologetic. Situated within a queer paradigm, this book presents the identities, insights, and ideas of ten diverse trans and non-binary Christians. Alex Clare-Young, through their own identity, experiences, and insights of researching alongside nine other wonderful human-beings, writes their trans formational journey into being. Will you be transformed?

This book analyses the context, history, theology and praxis of the first Pentecostal missions in the first two decades of the twentieth century. Based largely on primary sources, it explores the social and historical context in which Pentecostalism arose, the revival, holiness and healing movements associated with it in the late nineteenth century, and the influence of colonialism on Pentecostal missions. It traces the stories of Pentecostal missionaries and 'native workers' in Africa, China, India and other parts of Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. The first part of the book is historical, while the second part is analytical, missiological and theological. It looks at the doctrine and experience of the Spirit so central to Pentecostal mission, the emphasis on evangelism, healing and premillennialism, the translation and contextualization of the Christian message by Pentecostal missionaries, and issues of religion, race, gender and culture. It concludes with an analysis of the missionary nature of Pentecostalism and the contemporary implications of this for the wider church.

In his Preface, Professor Maurice Wiles writes: 'Origen and Augustine tower above all other figures in the history of early Christian thought. Augustine has been well served by his recent commentators, especially by Peter Brown in his superb biography. But Origen has remained a much more shadowy figure, largely unknown except to the specialist scholar. Joseph Trigg's book should go a long way to remedy that state of affairs. It is hardly an exaggeration to say that his book does for Origen what Peter Brown did for Augustine. It weaves a study of the thought of Origen into the story of his biography and thereby quite literally brings it to life. The sureness of Dr Trigg's interpretative touch means that the book has many things of interest to the patristic specialist. But above all it fulfils the invaluable task of making Origen's thought much more accessible to that far wider range of people concerned with the origins of Christian faith as the system of belief that has so powerfully moulded the world in which we live.'

John Hick has long argued that the widespread realization that Christianity is only one among several great world religions calls for a need to rethink Christian doctrine. He himself see the great world faiths as very different and (so far as we can tell) equally valid ways of conceiving, experiencing and responding in life to ultimate reality that we call God, The rainbow, as the sun's light refracted by the earth's atmosphere into a glorious spectrum of colours, is a metaphor for the refraction of the divine Light by human religious cultures.

The commentary by Professor B. S. Childs of Yale on the book of Exodus represents a major attempt to break new ground, both in its understanding of the biblical book itself and also in its conception of the purpose of the commentary writer . It is readily evident that the task Professor Childs has set himself is a mammoth one, and everywhere the reader becomes impressed with the thoroughness and care with which the task has been carried out. in consequence a vast store of biblical and theological learning is compressed into the book making it an invaluable guide to the book of Exodus in its contents and in the way they have been understood by Jews and Christians. The preacher will find a rich collection of comment to provoke further thought and reflection. However, the more traditionally critical biblical scholar will also find a great deal that is fresh here regarding the modem understanding of the book of Exodus. in particular the amount of attention given to tradilio-historical and redaction-critical aspects of the text provides a welcome supplementation to the information already available in other commentaries The final evaluation of its success as a new form of commentary will no doubt lie in its value to the teacher and preacher. However, it has much to say to the scholar, and it will undoubtedly command a wide readership and make a very durable contribution to Old Testament scholarship' (The Expository Times). This remarkable book, the product of nearly twenty years of research, study, and reflection, inaugurates a new age in the exegesis of biblical literature . Here is a complete commentary in which each and every important critical and theological problem is considered. Its redaction-criticism is fresh, but the author's insistance that redaction-criticism influences exegesis is even newer. It is in the setting of disciplined learning and well-argued scholarly discourse that the theological work is developed. That, too, is an innovation, as anyone familiar with what passes for theological writing, biblical or otherwise, knows. In a word, Childs now has set a new standard for future commentaries' (Journal of Jewish Studies).

Jürgen Moltmann’s The Crucified God is one of the most influential theological books of the twentieth century and a classic to be found on every reading list on Christian doctrine.Arguably the most powerful of Moltmann's books. The Crucified God is a seminal work on the crucifixion and its significance. The book takes death, despair and dreadfulness, the dark side of the human condition, with total seriousness and relates these to a liberating hope of redemption through divine agony and suffering. Influential for many years, especially with political and liberation theologians, but also much more widely, the book represents a concentrated blast of hard-edged doctrinal reflection and will continue to inspire upcoming generations who take seriously the life-changing notion that 'God was in Christ.' Reissued with a new foreword by the author himself.

More than ten years after it was first published, this book is as important and influential as when it first appeared. By way of celebration, Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza has written a new introduction, surveying responses and developments over recent years and the issues which arise from them, and commenting on her own intentions. This gives added value to what is already a classic.

From the dawn of Western thought to the present day, The Love of Wisdom tells the story of philosophy as something intensely theological, both in its insights and its wrong turns. The book will be invaluable for any student of theology or intellectual history, and for anyone who wants to see the intellectual cogency of the Christian faith at its best. The intellectual tradition of the Church emerges clearly from this book as one of the glories of the Christian inheritance. Andrew Davison argues that Christian thinkers will be more faithful to Christian teaching, not less, if they pay attention to philosophy. Our thinking is always philosophical, since we cannot think without categories or assumption. Our philosophy may as well, therefore, be good philosophy. By bringing our philosophy out into the open we can bring them under theological judgement.Clear and articulate, this book provides the philosophical background to Christian theology down the ages, and examines the intellectual climate of our own times.

Academic theology is in need of a new genre. In "Transgressive Devotion" Natalie Wigg-Stevenson articulates a theological vision of that genre as performance art. She argues that theology done as performance art stops trying to describe who God is, and starts trying to make God appear. Recognising that the act of studying theology or practicing ministry is always a performance, where the boundaries between what we see, feel, experience and learn are not just blurred but potentially invisible, Wigg-Stevenson brings together ethnographic theological fieldwork, historical and contemporary Christian theological traditions, and performance artworks themselves.A daring vision of theology which will energise anybody feeling ‘boxed in’ by the discipline, Transgressive Devotion blurs borders between orthodoxy, heterodoxy and heresy to reveal how the very act of doing theology makes God and humanity vulnerable to each other. This is theology which is a liturgy of Divine incantation. In other words: this is theology which is also prayer.

In this volume, Jurgen Moltmann explores the existential questions and explicit theological concerns raised by modern science, at a time when theology is widely regarded as insignificant. The issues he discusses include: the theological dimension of science; the meaning of "creation"; traditional ideas about the end of the universe, alongside eschatological theology; the concept of time and eternity; God and space; bioethics; social Darwinism; and science and wisdom.

In "Raging with Compassion", Michael Ramsey prize-winning author John Swinton argues for a practical theodicy, one embodied in the life and practices of the Christian community. This practicality does not seek to provide an explanation for the existence of evil, but rather presents ways in which evil and suffering can be resisted and transformed. This, he insists, will enable Christians to live faithfully with unanswered questions as they await God's redemption of the whole creation. Swinton explores essential practices of redemption - lament, forgiveness, thoughtfulness, hospitality, and friendship - drawing out their implications for the faithful resistance of evil. Enhanced by case studies from current events and by Swinton's own experience as a pastor and mental health nurse, "Raging with Compassion" seeks to inspire fresh Christian responses and modes of practice in our broken, fallen world.

SCM Briefly 25 Great Philosophers offers a brief guide to the lives, writings and principal philosophical ideas of some of the world’s great philosophers, from Plato to Jean Paul Sartre. Here is a brief and accessible introduction to philosophy and its main proponents. In only five pages, readers get an introduction to the life, the context and the writing of each philosopher. A glossary of philosophical terms is provided at the end of the book. Philosophers covered in this book include: Plato (c. 429-347 BC), Aristotle (384-22 BC), Marcus Aurelius (121-80), Augustine (354-430), Anselm (1033-1109), Aquinas (1224/5-74), Montaigne (1533-92), Hobbes (1588-1679), Descartes (1596-1650), Locke (1632-1704), Spinoza (1632-77), Leibniz (1646-1716), Berkeley (1685-1753), Hume (1711-76), Rousseau (1712-78), Kant (1724-1804), Bentham (1748-1832), Hegel (1770-1831), Mill (1806-73), Kierkegaard (1813-55), Russell (1872-1970), Moore (1873-1958), Wittgenstein (1889-1951), Sartre (1905-80), Ayer (1910-89).

Peter Stevenson provides an introduction to the practice of preaching. It is designed for people from various church traditions, in the early stages of ministerial formation. Preaching is a complex and challenging business requiring a demanding mixture of skills. People listening to a sermon have the right to expect that a person who stands up to preach, can interpret the Bible competently, has a grasp of core Christian beliefs, and believes what they preach. They also expect someone who has the necessary range of communication skills to put the message across in an accessible way. Such a range of expectations presents daunting challenges to the most experienced preacher. Including practical exercises which could be used by individuals or by groups, this book is suitable for introductory courses in preaching or for modules which consider preaching within an overall focus upon leading public worship.

The far right is on the rise across Europe, pushing a battle scenario in which Islam clashes with Christianity as much as Christianity clashes with Islam. From the margins to the mainstream, far-right protesters and far-right politicians call for the defence of Europe’s Christian culture. The far right claims Christianity. This book investigates contemporary far-right claims to Christianity. Ulrich Schmiedel and Hannah Strømmen examine the theologies that emerge in the far right across Europe, concentrating on Norway, Germany and Great Britain. They explore how churches in these three countries have been complicit, complacent or critical of the far right, sometimes intentionally and sometimes unintentionally. Ultimately, Schmiedel and Strømmen encourage a creative and collaborative theological response. To counter the far right, Christianity needs to be practiced in an open and open-ended way which calls Christians into contact with Muslims.

Briefly: Kant’s Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals is a summarized version of Immanual Kant’s original treatise, which is designed to assist university and sixth-form students in acquiring knowledge and understanding of this key text. Based on, and page referenced to, Mary Gregor's edition of the Groundwork, CUP an important feature of the book is its close adherence to Kant’s text, enabling the reader to follow each development in the argument as it occurs. It will be of particular value in helping students to revise for university examinations in Philosophy and Theology and for A-level examinations in Religious Studies. The introduction contains a brief biography of Kant, examines and assesses the importance of the main issues covered by his Groundwork, and indicates where they are to be found in the text. There is a comprehensive glossary of terms.

This is the last book that Bonhoeffer wrote before he was arrested by the Nazis. Pages of it were on his desk the day he was taken away and it remained unfinished. It is bold, provocative and profound.Based on careful reconstruction of the manuscripts, freshly and expertly translated and annotated, this crown jewel of Bonhoeffer's body of work is the culmination of his theological and personal odyssey.This edition is published with a foreword by Sam Wells.

This is the last book that Bonhoeffer wrote before he was arrested by the Nazis. Pages of it were on his desk the day he was taken away and it remained unfinished. Bold, provocative and profound.Based on careful reconstruction of the manuscripts, freshly and expertly translated and annotated, this crown jewel of Bonhoeffer's body of work is the culmination of his theological and personal odyssey.

The work of Marcella Maria Althaus-Reid is both groundbreaking and notoriously difficult to read, as it blends theories from post-colonial studies, queer studies, gender and sexuality studies, and feminist and liberation theologies. Offering a much needed introduction to the work of the theologian, Queer and Indecent shows the development of Althaus-Reid’s core concepts - indigeneity, economic oppression, the body, indecency, heterosexuality, and sex, as well as setting her life in context with an overview of her stance on feminist teaching and activism, and her critique of Latin American liberation theology. Designed to introduce a new generation to her work, the book serves as both an indispensable guidebook and a launchpad for students to explore her extraordinary writing for themselves.

This book does not separate church history from the wider history of the world in which it is set, uses all available traces of the past to tell it's story, provides direct quotations from the written sources in translation. Vol 2 also available.

'Love has its speed. It is a spiritual speed. It is a different kind of speed from the technological speed to which we are accustomed. It goes on in the depth of our life, whether we notice or not, at three miles an hour. It is the speed we walk and therefore the speed the love of God walks.'Once we grasp that in Christ God chooses to walk amongst us, it changes our whole understanding of the speed of love, and the speed of theology. In Three Mile an Hour God, renowned Japanese theologian Kosuke Koyama reflects beautifully on a theme lost to western theology and western culture in general – the need for slowness. With a new foreword from John Swinton

Winner of the Michael Ramsay Prize 2016 Dementia is one of the most feared diseases in Western society today. Some have even gone so far as to suggest euthanasia as a solution to the perceived indignity of memory loss and the disorientation that accompanies it.In this book John Swinton develops a practical theology of dementia for caregivers, people with dementia, ministers, hospital chaplains, and medical practitioners as he explores two primary questions:• Who am I when I’ve forgotten who I am?• What does it mean to love God and be loved by God when I have forgotten who God is?Offering compassionate and carefully considered theological and pastoral responses to dementia and forgetfulness, Swinton’s Dementia: Living in the Memories of God redefines dementia in light of the transformative counter story that is the gospel.

In Becoming Friends of Time, John Swinton crafts a theology of time that draws us toward a perspective wherein time is a gift and a calling. Time is not a commodity nor is time to be mastered. Time is a gift of God to humans, but is also a gift given back to God by humans. Swinton wrestles with critical questions that emerge from theological reflection on time and disability: rethinking doctrine for those who can never grasp Jesus with their intellects; reimagining discipleship and vocation for those who have forgotten who Jesus is; reconsidering salvation for those who, due to neurological damage, can be one person at one time and then be someone else in an instant. In the end, Swinton invites the reader to spend time with the experiences of people with profound neurological disability, people who can change our perceptions of time, enable us to grasp the fruitful rhythms of God’s time, and help us learn to live in ways that are unimaginable within the boundaries of the time of the clock.

A short summary of Jean-Paul Sartre's Existentialism and Humanism which is designed to assist university and school-leaving students in acquiring knowledge and understanding of this key text in the philosophy of religion. The book closely adheres to Sartre's text, enabling the reader to follow each development in the argument as it occurs. Following the detailed summary, which page references the original and includes useful key quotes, is a shorter summary acting as an overview of Existentialism and Humanism, which is intended to aid memory. With a brief introduction to Sartre, and the period in which he wrote, and why Existentialism and Humanism is so significant, as well as suggestions for further reading and an extensive glossary of terms, this book is a perfect introduction to this important philosophical text by Jean-Paul Sartre.

The contributors to this symposius are scholars of high distinction: Thorleif Boman, Paul S. Minear, Amos N. Wilder, Markus Barth, Frederick C. Grant, James M. Robinson, Floyd V. Filson, N. A. Dahl, Rudolf Bultmann, Eduard Schweizer, K. H. Rengstorf, Leonhard Coppelt, C. K. Barrett, Johannes Munck and Krister Stendahi. The book was planned in honour of Dr Otto Piper, who was driven by the Nazis from his chair at Munster and has been a Professor at Princeton Theological Seminary since 1937. His writings are listed. Explaining the wide range of subjects covered (from Ontology to Gnosticism), Dr James McCord writes that Dr Piper 'has lived in an age that has been forced to rediscover the living centre of the Christian faith, Jesus Christ, and that has begun to move out from this centre to engage the various issues confronting modern man.' Thus this book provides the student of theology, the preacher or the interested layman with an opportunity to survey the world of New Testament scholarship in action today.

Many Christian commentators have been taken aback by the seemingly unstoppable rise of the ‘mindfulness revolution’ that has occurred over the past decade. But there are many Christians who worry that mindfulness techniques constitute a covert import from Buddhism. How far are Christians adopting Buddhist techniques, ideas and ideologies? Do we risk squaring Buddhist ideology and approaches to fit the Christian circle? Beginning with an exploration of the practice of mindfulness in its Buddhist origins, Peter Tyler reflects on the practical use of mindfulness, its place within the Christian tradition of prayer, and its future within the Christian tradition.Tyler argues that far from a foreign import mindfulness is not only endemic but essential to the Christian understanding of how the human person relates to the divine.Each chapter concludes with practical exercises to help the reader in their understanding of mindfulness in the Christian context.

This book completes a trilogy which started in 1973 with Jesus the Jew and continued ten years later with the appearance of Jesus and the World of Judaism, by a leading Jewish expert on the history and literature of Jesus' time whose name is especially associated with work on the Dead Sea Scrolls.Like its predecessors, it is one man's reading of the Synoptic Gospels of Mark, Matthew and Luke. It does not offer a survey of scholarly views or a discussion of competing theories but focusses on the New Testament material and what can be understood from it.It is primarily addressed to readers whose expertise lies outside the Bible, the New Testament and theology, namely those interested in ancient religions, history and culture, and especially in Judaism, though of course biblical scholars and theologians will find much that is fascinating in it. Christians ignorant or unconcerned about the historical reality behind their faith may, however, find many of its pages, and above all the final chapter, disturbing.For Professor Vermes argues that Jesus, enthusiastic herald of the imminent Kingdom of God, could not have entertained the idea of founding and setting into motion an organized society intended to endure for. ages to come. He died in despair, with his heart broken, for having done the wrong thing in the wrong place at the wrong time.The genuine message of Jesus confronts Christianity with its greatest challenge and at the same time constitutes a powerful appeal to those outside the fold of organized religion.

This is a pastoral rather than a controversial book. Its main aim is not to show fundamentalists that they are wrong, but rather to help those who have grown up in the world of fundamentalism or have become committed to it but in the end have come to feel that it is a prison from which they must escape.