Right across denominational boundaries lay theology is dominated by negatives: the laity simply defined as the non-ordained, the alleged exclusion of the laity from full participation, the sole focus on what they cannot or should not do, and, above all, the total absence of an ecumenical lay theology. In a unique approach, this volume sets out to find ways of overcoming these negatives so predominant in current lay theology. The author explores positions and perspectives put forward in Roman Catholic theology from Vatican II up to the present. These are compared and contrasted with concepts and suggestions of present-day Anglican Theology as well as with those of liberative theologies in Latin America and Asia. Rethinking the content, language, and metaphors of lay theology, in the final part of this volume the author proposes a new image for discussing the Church, a model focusing on the interdependence and collaboration of all the people in the Church. This is then used to sketch out the framework for a new type of lay theology. Imbedded in ecclesiology, in the concept of all believers together being the Church, the author endeavours to suggest a lay theology that is indeed positive, ecumenical and universal.

This volume, which fills a gap in the current literature, will be essential reading for third-year undergraduates and above in Biblical studies.

Narrated against a backdrop of diminishing fossil fuels, environmental degradation, avaricious corporations, and worldwide competition for natural resources, Who Owns the Sun? shows how existing solar technologies combined with local management present logical remedies for our energy gluttony.

The last thirty years have witnessed increasing diversity in methodology and perspectives within biblical studies. One of the most dynamic and continually expanding contributions to this development is that of postcolonial studies, known for its fresh approaches as well as for its complex theoretical foundations. The present book aims at introducing both student and scholar to this emerging field. Part One discusses in a structured and pedagogical way the theoretical location of postcolonial biblical studies as well as its critique of and contributions to New Testament exegesis more specifically. Part Two presents five articles by scholars from Africa, Asia, and North America, illustrating the diversity of current postcolonial studies as applied to individual New Testament texts.

An innovative Asian feminist perspective on God's Spirit We live in a time of great racial strife and global conflict. How do we work toward healing, reconciliation, and justice among all people, regardless of race or gender? In Embracing the Other Grace Ji-Sun Kim demonstrates that it is possible only through God's Spirit. Working from a feminist Asian perspective, Kim develops a new constructive global pneumatology that works toward gender and racial-ethnic justice. She draws on concepts from Asian and indigenous cultures to reimagine the divine as "Spirit God" who is restoring shalom in the world. Through the power of Spirit God, Kim says, our brokenness is healed and we can truly love and embrace the Other.

Shedding light on a wide range of cross-cultural concerns and encounters, going far beyond narrow theological specialisation, the author argues that any successful process of missiological inculturation demands a serious antholopological consideration of indigenous faith.