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." Bringing together psychology, theology, and narrative theory, this insightful and sensitive book offers new ways of looking at this common reaction to crisis. Book jacket.

he book has a genuine unity, and I can think of no better introduction for theological students to the variety of problems about language which confront the contemporary theologian. Analytical philosophy, existentialism, the problems of biblical criticism and those of continental neo-Protestant theology are allowed to contribute to a single argument in which Macquarrie is able to pose the problems of man's likeness to God and of anthropomorphism with a welcome degree of precision. Macquanle's strength is that he is straightforwardly writing from within theology. His exposition of Saint Athanasius on the Incarnation propounds squarely the claim that Christianity entails empirical judgments, that in principle at least it is refutable by the facts, if they are of one kind rather than another' (Alasdair MacIntyre in The Guardian). 'He lucidly explains the issues raised for Christian belief both by empiricist analytical philosophy and by existentialist hermeneutics. The hermerteutical question is brilliantly illuminated by an exposition of Athanasius's De Incamatione, and all the problems of mythology, symbolic language, analogy and paradox are carefully sorted out' (Alan Richardson in Theology). 'Following the lead of the later Wittgenstein, Macquarrie holds that we must allow each linguistic form to disclose its own logic. The dominant characteristic of all religious and theological language is its obliqueness. It speaks in terms of myth, symbol and analogy. Macquarrie . makes it plain that existentialist interpretation cannot exhaust the meaning of theological language. He clearly sees that if theology can be totally interpreted in this way, then it is reduced to anthropology. We must progress through existential interpretation to ontology--to talk about the transcendent Being of God.... The book does not finally solve the problems which it raises and does not claim to. But it develops a very promising manner of tackling them. Above all it is a very timely counter-poise to those over-facile analyses of the logic of theology which result in a kind of Christian atheism. John Macquarrie seems to me to grow in both spiritual and intellectual stature with every book he writes' (The Expository Times).

In this groundbreaking study, Anthony B. Pinn challenges the long held assumption that African American theology is solely theist, arguing that this assumption has excluded a rapidly growing segment of the African American population - non-theists. Rejecting the assumption of theism as the African American orientation, Pinn poses a crucial question: What is a non-theistic theology?

In this theological tour de force D. Stephen Long addresses a key question in current theological debate: the conditions of the possibility of God-talk, along with attending questions about natural theology, fideism, and theological truth-claims. He engages not only the most significant contemporary theologians and philosophers on this score (Denys Turner, Bruce Marshall, Charles Taylor, Fergus Kerr) but also the legacy of twentieth-century theology (Barth, von Balthasar) and the analytic philosophical tradition from Wittgenstein to Davidson. Throughout, Long sustains a careful exegetical engagement with Aquinas, showing that what s at stake in contemporary theology is just how we inherit St. Thomas. / Central to Long s project is averting the charge of fideism so often laid at the feet of postliberal approaches (like his own). To that end Long argues for a (chastened) natural theology, while challenging any simple distinction between natural and confessional theology. / In joining these many voices into one conversation, Long does a remarkable job of surveying the current theological scene with respect to issues of language and truth, arguing for the need to deal head-on with classical questions of metaphysics. . . . An excellent and significant book. James K. A. Smith / Calvin College / Long s discussion of the topic of God and language offers a refreshingly original treatment of traditional approaches. His book cannot be ignored by anyone interested in this topic at any level. John Milbank / University of Nottingham

Author and Seminary professor, Wayne Spear, teaches that men and women who are in a relationship with their Creator will be men and women who pray. He then looks to the Bible for answers about how and why to talk to God.

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.

How did a religion whose founding proponents advocated a shocking disregard of earthly ties come to extol the virtues of the "traditional" family? In this richly textured history of the relationship between Christianity and the family Rosemary Radford Ruether traces the development of these centerpieces of modern life to reveal the misconceptions at the heart of the "family values" debate.