In this brief guide, the internationally acclaimed theologian and Dominican priest, Fr. Aidan Nichols seeks to explain the approach to Catholic theology which he has worked out in the course of nearly forty years of publishing books and articles in the service of the Church. He looks at the nature of theology, at its status as a science that is also a wisdom, at its intrinsic principles and methods, its sources, its sub-divisions, and, not least, the qualities which the budding theologian must make his own if theol- ogy is to be authentically Christian and Catholic and assist rather than hinder the Church's mission. In a time of considerable confusion in the intellectual life of the Catholic Church, arising not only from professors but hierarchs, The Theologian's Enterprise offers comprehensive counsel to those setting out in the study of their faith, per- haps for the first time, with solid advice on the habits of mind theology requires. The text seeks to combine profun- dity with brevity. It would be difficult to find a more concise guide in any language.

In "Theologians and Contract Law," Wim Decock offers an account of the moral roots of modern contract law. He explains why theologians in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries built a systematic contract law around the principles of freedom and fairness.

In this significant book Mark C. Mattes critically evaluates the role of justification in the theologies of five leading Protestant thinkers -- Eberhard Jungel, Wolfhart Pannenberg, Jurgen Moltmann, Robert W. Jenson, and Oswald Bayer -- pointing out their respective strengths and weaknesses and showing how each matches up with Luther's own views. Offering both an excellent review of recent trends in Christian theology and a powerful analysis of these trends, Mattes points readers to the various ways in which the doctrine of justification has been applied today. Despite the greatness of their thought, Jungel, Pannenberg, and Moltmann each accommodate the doctrine of justification to goals aligned with secular modernity. Both Jenson and Bayer, on the other hand, construe the doctrine of justification in a nonaccommodating way, thus challenging the secularity of the modern academy. In the end, Mattes argues that Bayer's position is to be preferred as closest to Luther's own, and he shows why it offers the greatest potential for confronting current attempts at self-justification before God.

How does Christian faith integrate with capitalism? This question has been at the heart of Christian ethics for more than three hundred years, but rarely as complex and important as now. The polarizing influence of consumer capitalism has extended into virtually every domain of human life. On the one hand, capitalism has contributed to increases in standards of living and life expectancy, especially among those in extreme poverty. On the other, it has exacerbated income inequality, environmental damages, and social displacement. For contemporary American evangelical theology, this is problematic. It has long been on a quest to show that Christian faith harmonizes with capitalistic enterprise. But can faith harness the transformational power of consumer capitalism without being affected by its excesses? For many, the election of Donald Trump as president has revealed a great divide within American evangelicalism about the links between Christianity, economic power, and moral character. Working from the field of academic practical theology in interdisciplinary dialogue with business management ethics, Transforming Enterprise? shows why and how a reframing of the relationship between Christian faith and capitalistic enterprise is needed in the contemporary postsecular milieu.

This is one of a two-volume collection of texts and documents issued by the International Theological Commission (ITC), a body of theologians that advises the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The texts and documents of the ITC address pressing theological issues, drawing upon theological experts from around the world who represent differing branches of theology yet who share a common commitment to authentically-Catholic theological reflection.

Thoroughly God-centric and Bible-saturated, this book is a plea for the church and her missionaries to return to the biblical mandate and prescription for missionary activity. In God's infinite wisdom, he has determined to ransom men from among every tribe, tongue, people, and nation through the proclamation of the gospel. This is the greatest enterprise ever undertaken in human history, and it will culminate in success. God will see to it. The church has a principal role to play in the enterprise, but that role is not one of global philanthropy. The modern view of missionary activity has robbed missionaries of the authority to preach the gospel and has left the nations wanting of the joy of salvation . . . but there is yet time. The modern church may still find great success in the spread of the gospel to the remotest part of the earth. All that is necessary is that we would seek the revealed will of God in the Scriptures and put into practice that which it requires.

The movement that is known as 'theological interpretation of Scripture' reminds us that the reading and exegesis of Scripture is an indispensable part of the theologian's work, not to be reserved to biblical scholars alone. This insight that the reading of Scripture is a theological responsibility is always at risk of being eclipsed by the modern disciplinary divisions between biblical studies, historical theology, and systematic theology. Intended as a contribution to the theological re-engagement with Scripture, this book invites a range of high-profile systematic and constructive theologians to reflect on the role that the reading and interpretation of Scripture plays in their theological work, both professionally and more personally. Spanning a cross-section of theological perspectives contributors reflect on the role of tradition in their reading of Scripture, the company they view as indispensable in their engagement with the text, the place of historical critical study and biblical studies, and the significance of their context. The book will be valued by all those who care for the place of Scripture in theology and the life of the church, as well as those who want an insight into the state of contemporary theology.