God's Shining Forth offers a theological presentation of divine light in which the leading motif is the doctrine of the Trinity. More precisely, this study is organized around a double trinitarian theme: God is light in himself, and from himself God is radiant in relation to human creatures. This double affirmation is expounded by considering its extensions in the work of God's grace, in ecclesiology, and in the nature of theological intelligence. The chosen conversation partners in this study are some of the leading pro-Nicene trinitarian theologians of the fourth century, plus John Calvin, Karl Barth, and a selection of contemporary authors. Andrew Hay argues that the scriptural statement "God is light" is best understood as a confession of the eternal, fully realized life of the triune God in its wholly gratuitous electing, reconciling, and illuminating human creatures in the darkness of sin and death.

Why Missions and Evangelism Are an Overflow of Delighting in God Evangelism and missions are parts of the Christian life often accompanied by fears, insecurities, and cultural pressures. In this addition to the Union series, Daniel Hames and Michael Reeves argue that an individual's relationship with God influences their evangelism and missions more than anything else. Scripture clearly shows that a believer's responsibility is to make God known in the world, but this cannot be done without first knowing and enjoying God. To illustrate how knowledge of God influences evangelism and missions, Hames and Reeves address biblical themes such as the glory of God, Christ's sacrifice, the fallenness of man, and the church's future hope. There is hope for those who find these topics intimidating—when believers focus on the glory of the lamb of God, the gospel will shine through them. Ideal for Laypeople, Pastors, and Students: Specifically for those interested in theology and missions Union Series: The final ebook in the Union series which invites readers to experience deeper enjoyment of God Concise Version Also Available: What Fuels the Mission of the Church? by Daniel Hames and Michael Reeves Biblically Grounded: Teaches how biblical themes such as the glory of God, Christ's sacrifice, the fallenness of man, and the church's future hope inform evangelism and missions

Though he was a familiar Church leader for many years before becoming pope, there has been little awareness of the spiritual side of Benedict XVI. Now for the first time readers are given a brilliant overview of the Pope’s most inspirational teachings in Let God’s Light Shine Forth. Editor Robert Moynihan offers a brief introduction to the life and work of Pope Benedict XVI and then presents an absorbing collection of his most persuasive words. Within these pages, Pope Benedict XVI introduces a God who is good, beautiful, and true, the fountain of all life. The most important thing for each person, in Benedict’s view, is to discover and develop a loving relationship with God, because this is the way to the deepest and most lasting happiness that human beings can experience. Even in our darkest moments, he teaches, we can have hope that all things will ultimately work out in a wonderful way to show God’s glory and bring blessedness to individual men and women. Many of these selections deal specifically with questions such as: Who is God? How we can know him? What does he wants us to do and to be? Having spent his entire life thinking, studying, and praying about such questions, Benedict has become perhaps the leading contemporary theologian (the word literally means “knower of God”) in the Roman Catholic Church. From his earliest work as a teacher to his first words as leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Benedict’s vision of hope is powerfully summarized in Let God’s Light Shine Forth.

The ultimate end in a decree, [is] the shining forth of God's glory and the communication of his goodness must indeed be considered as prior, in the consideration of the Supreme Disposer, to everything. Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) is widely held as perhaps the greatest American preacher and writer. In his sermons he had the amazing ability to combine the best of both worlds rich, deep theology and intense, practical implications. In his writings he shines as one who leads people to climb summits of thought and worship where few have gone. His God-centered direction in teaching is much needed today. His God-centered view of the Glory of God and Jesus Christ is more relevant than most understand.

The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1953, volume 2, contains messages given by Brother Witness Lee in September through December 1953. Historical information concerning Brother Lee's travels and the content of his ministry in 1953 can be found in the general preface that appears at the beginning of volume 1 in this set. The contents of this volume are divided into three sections, as follows: 1. Thirty-six messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, on September 1 through October 30, 1953. These messages are included in this volume under the title Revelations in Ephesians: Seeing the Blessings and Position of the Church in Christ. 2. Twenty-two messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, on November 3 through December 8, 1953. These messages are included in this volume under the title Revelations in Ephesians: Seeing the Living and Responsibility of the Church in the Holy Spirit. 3. A summary report, which appears in the preface of this section, followed by fourteen messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, from September through December 1953. The report and messages are included in this volume under the title Messages and Fellowship Given during the Service Training in Taipei.

Numerous contemporary theologians depict divine glory as overwhelming to or competitive with human agency. In effect, this makes humanity a threat to God's glory, and causes God's glory to remain opaque to human enquiry and foreign to human life. Karl Barth and Hans Urs von Balthasar have avoided this tendency, instead depicting God's glory as enabling people to participate in glorifying God. Nevertheless both accounts fall short of their initial promise by giving one-dimensional accounts of human obedience to God within largely conventional divine command accounts of ethics. The form of human obedience they present as compatible with divine glory does not actively overwhelm the human, but rather brackets out her agency as inappropriate in the face of divine revelation or command. And so, ironically, on these accounts God's glory remains opaque to human enquiry and foreign to human life. This study builds a case for seeing divine glory as intrinsically relational, creating a sociality which allows for a human agency transfigured by God's glory. Moving beyond Barth and von Balthasar, this work turns to theological exegesis of Scripture to construct an alternative account of divine glory. This glory is worked out in the act of glorifying: first in God, then in divine glorifying of humans, creating a responsive human glorifying of God; and finally in processes of honouring or glorifying among humans. Divine glory is shown to be consistent with a responsive and creative human obedience to God, and shown to constitute human agency which is creaturely and dependent yet not overwhelmed.