Dieser Band könnte zu einem Wegweiser für die künftige Richtung der Calvinforschung, sicher aber mitbestimmend für die Reformationsforschung im Allgemeinen werden. Seine Beiträge reflektieren die neuesten Forschungen zu Biographie und Theologie Johannes Calvins (1509–1564). Die Calvinforschung hat in den vergangenen Jahren durch neue Archivfunde, die wiederbelebte Erforschung der Briefe und Kommentare Calvins sowie deren Neueditionen und neue theologische Fragestellungen viele fruchtbare Impulse erhalten. Der vorliegende Band wirft neues Licht auf die Calvin- und Reformationsforschung.

This unique work analyzes the crisis in modern society, building on the ideas of the Frankfurt School thinkers. Emphasizing social evolution and learning processes, it argues that crisis is mediated by social class conflicts and collective learning, the results of which are embodied in constitutional and public law. First, the work outlines a new categorical framework of critical theory in which it is conceived as a theory of crisis. It shows that the Marxist focus on economy and on class struggle is too narrow to deal with the range of social conflicts within modern society, and posits that a crisis of legitimization is at the core of all crises. It then discusses the dialectic of revolutionary and evolutionary developmental processes of modern society and its legal system. This volume in the Critical Theory and Contemporary Society by a leading scholar in the field provides a new approach to critical theory that will appeal to anyone studying political sociology, political theory, and law.

An accomplished theologian recovers the biblical theme of union with Christ, showing how it affects current theological and ministry issues.

The T&T Clark Companion to Augustine and Modern Theology is both a theological companion to the study of Augustine, and a resource for thinking about Augustine's importance in modern theology. Each of the essays brings Augustinian depth to a broad range of contemporary theological concerns. The volume unveils cutting-edge Augustinian scholarship for a new generation and at the same time enables readers to see the timely significance of Augustine for today. Each of the essays not only introduces readers to key themes in the Augustinian corpus but also provides readers with fresh interpretations that are fully conversant with the theological problems facing the church in our world today. Designed as both a guide for students and a reference point for scholars, it will seek both to outline the frameworks of key Augustinian debates while at all times pushing forward fresh interpretative strategies concerning his thought.

Font of Pardon and New Life is a study of the historical development and impact of John Calvin's doctrine of baptism, both adult (or believer) baptism and infant baptism. Did Calvin intend to teach a kind of baptismal forgiveness and regeneration, that is, did he believe that the external sign of baptism actually conveys the spiritual realities it signifies? If baptism does serve in some way as an instrument of divine grace for Calvin, what then are the roles of the Word, the Holy Spirit, divine election, and individual faith? Are spiritual blessings conferred only in adult (believer) baptism or also in the baptism of infants? Did Calvin's teaching on baptismal efficacy remain constant throughout his lifetime, or did it undergo significant change? What impact did it have on the Reformed confessional tradition that followed him? Lyle D. Bierma approaches these questions by examining Calvin's writings on baptism in their entirety, proceeding chronologically through Calvin's life and writings including his Institutes, commentaries on the Bible, catechisms, polemical treatises, and consensus documents. Bierma concludes that Calvin understood baptism as a means or instrument of both assurance and grace. His view underwent some change and development over the course of his life but not to the extent that some in the past have suggested. The overall trajectory of his baptismal theology was one of increasing clarity and refinement of basic themes already present in incipient form in the Institutes of 1536.

This book is a historical-theological study of the Reformed doctrine of Justification. After providing a brief history of the doctrine, the work focuses on analyzing the writings of John Calvin, Jonathan Edwards, and N. T. Wright to discern points of development, continuity, and discontinuity within the Reformed tradition itself. Drawing upon their works, this book argues for a "living" theological practice and identity for those who work to formulate Reformed Doctrine.

"Celebrating the Lord’s Supper,” says award-winning author and theologian J. Todd Billings, “can change lives.” In this book Billings shows how a renewed theology and practice of the Lord’s Supper can lead Christians to rediscover the full richness and depth of the gospel. With an eye for helping congregations move beyond common reductions of the gospel, he develops a vibrant, biblical, and distinctly Reformed sacramental theol­ogy and explores how it might apply within a variety of church contexts, from Baptist to Presbyterian, nondenominational to Anglican. At once strikingly new and deeply traditional, Remembrance, Communion, and Hope will surprise and challenge readers, inspiring them to a new understanding of—and appreciation for—the embodied, Christ-disclosing drama of the Lord’s Supper.