In Embracing Travail, Cynthia Crysdale explores the mystery of redemption through the central Christian symbol of the cross. Traditionally, the cross has been understood by male theologians as redeeming humankind from sin as arrogant ambition. Yet the difficulties of understanding sin primarily in this way, especially for women and those on the "underside" of history, has been recognized for several decades. Rather, argues Crysdale, by virtue of life experience, people - women as well as men - enter the drama of the cross and resurrection at different points: some through repentance, seeking forgiveness, and others through a courageous claiming of self-identity, seeking healing. In an approach that is both anecdotal and analytical, personal and theological, Crysdale provides a renewed understanding of Christian redemption for preachers and Christian educators as well as the general public.

How does Christian formation happen and what are its moral implications? This book brings into conversation three disciplines that are crucial for Christian formation--social science, biblical studies/hermeneutics, and ethics--to present a cohesive, dynamic vision of human wholeness and spiritual holiness. The authors weave together insights from their respective fields to address the relationship between personal and communal formation, moral development, and the interpretation of Scripture. Revealing the process as well as the fruits of interdisciplinary dialogue, this book offers a fresh approach to understanding human formation. The final chapter, a case study on immigration, demonstrates the authors' integrative method.

With the subject of the atonement of Christ attracting such a lot of polemical work at this time, it is easy to conclude that the current debate is generating more heat than light. Atonement Theories presents the beginning student, pastor, or researcher with an accessible and fair treatment of every school of thought on this subject. Atonement Theories significantly updates previous histories of the doctrine, providing analysis of some fascinating and highly significant recent developments. It also intriguingly highlights at various points where aspects of this central message of Christianity might find a connection within contemporary culture. This book will empower the reader to quickly gain a working knowledge of current debates and the history behind them.

Beloved Dust takes a realistic and contemporary view of human being as entirely physical (dust) and then shows it immersed in three great tides of the Holy Spirit, the traditional threefold rhythm of conversion, transfiguration, and glory.

Kenosis, or self-emptying, poses a fundamental question to any theological discussion about Jesus Christ: “In becoming human, did God empty himself of any divine qualities?” Many variations on kenotic Christology have emerged over the past 200 years, most of them claiming to both preserve and highlight the true humanity and ecclesial significance of Jesus Christ. While there is much to commend in these efforts, Samuel Youngs contends that nearly all such kenotic attempts have, against their best intentions, fallen into an echo chamber of abstraction and metaphor, rendering their talk about Jesus Christ and analysis of the Gospels fundamentally “unreal” and lacking in material significance for today’s living church. Most fundamentally, many kenotic accounts pay inadequate attention to Christ’s lived accomplishment, his current presence, and the modes of praxis that he makes real in the world. In dialogue with the important movement known as Transformation Theology, Youngs unfolds a detailed critique of method and discourse in kenotic christologies. Turning then to the vibrant christological thought of Jürgen Moltmann, a different outlook on kenosis is articulated and defended, one that is relational, concrete, and praxiological.

This volume is both a celebration and an evaluation of the work on sex, marriage, and family life by Don S. Browning, the dean of modern family studies in theological ethics and practical theology. Scholars probe a number of Browning?'s contributions, particularly his call for an ethic of ?equal regard? within the household and wider society. This book is a true interdisciplinary effort, with insights from psychology, history, law, theology, biology, ethics, feminist theology, childhood studies, and education theory. The Equal-Regard Family and Its Friendly Critics includes seven honorary forewords, ten original essays, and a concluding essay by Don Browning himself. Contributors: Herbert Anderson Carol Browning Don S. Browning Lisa Sowle Cahill M. Christian Green Timothy P. Jackson Martin E. Marty Rebekah Miles Bonnie J. Miller-McLemore Richard Robert Osmer Garrett E. Paul Stephen J. Pope David Popenoe Stephen M. Tipton Mary Stewart Van Leeuwen Linda J. Waite John Wall Amy Wheeler Barbara Dafoe Whitehead John Witte Jr.

For the past two thousand years, the cross has been a powerful symbol of the Christian faith and an anchor of its symbol system. In this volume, a group of distinguished scholars delves into the theologies and spiritualities of the cross at select moments in the tradition. They examine biblical texts and commentaries, lectionaries, liturgical poetry, sermons, and theological spiritual treatises in: Paul, the early liturgy, Origen, Augustine and Bonaventure. Each chapter provides a window into how particular contexts influenced the interpretation of the cross and how the cross functioned in each unique historical moment. Originally presented at Saint Mary's College, these papers offer a fresh and distinctive approach to the literature on the cross. The authors' historical perspective points to the tradition as a transforming agent for theology and spirituality today. Contributors: - Elizabeth A. Dreyer - Jerome Murphy-O'Connor - Nathan D. Mitchell - Peter J. Gorday - John Cavadini Here is a book that will interest liturgists and Christian educators, university and seminary students and members of religious orders. Although scholarly in tone, can be read with profit by adult educated Christians as well. +