This scholarly study of the Psalms retains its rigor while focusing particularly on the pastoral use of the Psalms, looking at how they may function as voices of faith in the actual life of the believing community.

The Cross. The central symbol of the Christian faith. "Can a church be an authentic Church and not focus on the cross?" William Powell Tuck began answering that question in his book, The Church Under the Cross, and now he leads us into the second part of his answer in his new book, The Last Words from the Cross. "The words of our Lord on the cross have become very memorable. These words of Jesus have been designated as the seven last words. They are, of course, more than individual words. They are really sentences or fragments of sentences. One of these seven words is found in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark. Three of them are found in the Gospel of Luke, and three are recorded in John. No one gospel contains all of them. But, to me, that is a way of authenticating the gospels. Each writer drew on what he remembered or considered most important in those moments or what he had heard from others who shared their experiences." says Tuck. A study of these words gives us, His disciples, a deeper insight into Jesus' thoughts through suffering, facing death, and what His death meant to Him as He met our need for salvation. Rev Tuck further says, "These words reveal his personal agony, his concern for others, his forgiving spirit, his physical suffering, his ultimate trust and faithfulness in the One he had proclaimed. Even in his moments of forsakenness he still resisted the temptation to turn away ultimately from God's will or deny the One who led him to this shameful death as he identifies with sinners." This book is an ideal study for Lent, or at any time for a church that would like to better understand taking up their cross. And what church can't benefit from that?

Use this common coping mechanism to help people respond to crises! This thoughtful book offers a fresh theological interpretation for the ways people talk about God in times of crisis. A Theology of God-Talk: The Language of the Heart probes the meaning behind phrases like “It must have been God’s will” and “The Lord took Uncle Harry.” Though many caring professionals dismiss such talk as insensitive or irrational, these phrases offer powerful clues to the speaker’s personal religious feelings. A Theology of God-Talk demonstrates the ways that God-talk moves the sufferer through the grief and doubt of the crisis. By recognizing the ways God-talk resembles myth, apocalyptic tale, tragedy, story, and even prayer--all literary categories--the caregiver can begin to help sufferers rewrite their personal narratives in the wake of tragedy. A Theology of God-Talk examines the crucial issues of God-talk, including: common false assumptions about it the theology of God-talk interpretations and misinterpretations how to glean counseling insights from God-talk differing stances for sufferers and survivors of tragedy Bringing together psychology, theology, and narrative theory, this insghtful and sensitive book offers new ways of looking at this common reaction to crisis. A Theology of God-Talk is an instant classic and an essential resource for pastors, chaplains, therapists, grief counselors, and theologians.

Have you been bruised or wounded by your faith or belief system? This book is not about arguing theology but about providing practical insights and meditations to enhance the Christian journey. Your faith may be going through a transition. It is the hope of the author of this work that Coming Back to Faith will be a sensitive and caring beacon of hope along the way.

In this theology of adoption, Stevenson-Moessner argues that while the church has long understood the grounding self-concept of a Christian as a "child of God, " it has failed to underscore that all people come into the family of faith by adoption.

The fresh riches of biblical poetry for communities of faith A New Song includes nine essays on the hidden intricacies of poetry in the Hebrew Bible, ten poems in dialogue with biblical poetry, and three reflective responses. On Reading Genesis 49: How Hebrew Poetry Communicates Then and Now (John Goldingay) Shirat Ha-Yam (the Song of the Sea) in Jewish and Christian Liturgical Tradition (C.T.R. Hayward) Hannah's Prayer (1 Samuel 2:1–10): On the Interface of Poetics and Ethics in an Embedded Poem (David G. Firth) Bending the Silence: Reading Psalms through the Arts (Ellen F. Davis) Psalms "Translated" for Life in the 21st Century – A South African perspective (June F. Dickie) Prosody and Preaching: Poetic Form and Religious Function in Biblical Verse (Benjamin D. Sommer) "With Fists Flailing at the Gates of Heaven": Wrestling with Psalm 88, A Psalm for Chronic Illness (Shai Held) Truth and Hidden Things: Reading Isaiah 45:9–25 as Scripture (Katie M. Heffelfinger) The Dynamic Relationship between God and Man in the Book of Hosea: A Dynamic – Synchronic Reading (Yisca Zimran) Poems by Maria Apichella, Kilby Austin, Edward Clarke, Jacqueline Osherow, Micheal O'Siadhail, Richard G. Rohlfing Jr., and Jock Stein. Edited by Stephen D. Campbell, Richard G. Rohlfing Jr., and Richard S. Briggs, A New Song brings together a diverse roster of Jewish and Christian scholars to explore biblical Hebrew poetic texts within the context—and for the benefit—of communities of faith. These thoughtful essays and poems encourage readers to join in the singing of the old songs anew.