What does it mean to be saved, and how can we make sense of theChristian claim that Christ died for our sins? That is the work of soteriology, the classic discipline of theology thatinquires into the "saving work" of Christ and asks the what, why, andhow of redemption as understood by Christians. In this careful surveyand insightful analysis of two thousand years of Christian refl ectionon salvation, theologian David Brondos lays bare the rich, diverse, andeven competing understandings of salvation, their social context anddevelopment, and their strengths and weaknesses. Concentrating onthirteen of the most important fi gures in that long arc – from its biblical roots to its most controverted contemporary expressions – Brondosunfolds the thought of each theologian as articulating a distinctive storyof salvation or atonement. An excellent learning tool, Brondos's succinct and helpful text is augmentedwith a helpful time line, illustrations, glossary, suggestions forfurther reading, and questions for discussion and refl ection. His workillumines how Christians through the ages have understood Jesus,salvation, and human reconciliation with God. The thirteen figures include Isaiah, Luke, Paul, Irenaeus, Gregory of Nyssa, Anselm, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Albrecht Ritschl, Karl Barth, Rudolf Bultmann, Jon Sobrino, and Rosemary Radford Ruether.

Dieser Sonderband beinhaltet die Vorträge von 26 Theologinnen und Theologen aus 12 verschiedenen Ländern, die sich zu einer einwöchigen Internationalen Sommerschule an der Universität Regensburg versammelten, um darüber nachzudenken, wie sich Mission und friedliche Koexistenz miteinander vereinbaren lassen. Eine zu beobachtende Zunahme nationalistischer und fundamentalistischer Strömungen in vielen asiatischen Ländern, in denen Christen weitgehend Minderheiten darstellen, aber auch einige Entwicklungen in Deutschland, wie Säkularisierung und Migrantenbewegung, zeigen die Dringlichkeit der Auseinandersetzung mit dieser Thematik. Die Beiträge dieses Bandes reflektieren Themengebiete wie Bildung, Ökumene und Historie. Teilnehmer und Autoren sind überwiegend Schüler und Schülerinnen des Regensburger Systematikers Hans Schwarz, dessen Arbeitsgebiete sich in den einzelnen Themengebieten widerspiegeln. The special volume in the series Glaube und Denken contains papers presented by 26 theologians from 12 different countries. The authors convened at the university of Regensburg for a week-long International Summer School. They pondered how mission and peaceful co-existence can be achieved under newly emerging conditions. They observed a rise of nationalistic and fundamentalist currents in many Asian countries in which Christians are often a minority. Furthermore, developments in Germany, such as secularization and the increasing number of believers of other religions through the influx of immigrants, show the urgency to reflect on this new situation. The collected papers touch topics such as education, ecumenism, and history. Most of the participants are students of the Regensburg systematic theologian Hans Schwarz whose special fields of interest are mirrored in these topics.

With clarity and verve, Mark Allen Powell introduces the beginning student to the contents and structure of the Gospels, their distinctive characteristics, and their major themes. An introductory chapter surveys the political, religious, and social world of the Gospels, methods of approaching early Christian texts, the genre of the Gospels, and the religious character of these writings. This second edition has been updated to take fuller account of different theories regarding the Gospels, with new chapters on the historical Jesus and on gospel literature not included in our New Testament, and with a pleasing new format. Special features include illustrations and more than two dozen special topics.

Free in Deed serves as a primer in Lutheran ethics for faith and the church as the body of Christ. It captures the fruit of Craig L. Nessan's teaching of ethics and his research and reflection on Christian ethical existence over his entire career. The heart of Lutheran ethics, Nessan claims, involves serving neighbors. When Christ sets us "free indeed" (John 8:36), we are set free to serve others "in deed." Ethics involves intentional and disciplined reflection, together in community, on the choices we must make in living out our lives in the world. While the focus on loving the neighbor is not unique to Lutheran ethics, the author contends in this book that it is the most distinctive feature of ethics in the Lutheran perspective. To that end, Nessan explores biblical authority and Lutheran hermeneutics alongside the authority of the traditional elements of tradition, reason, and experience. He moves on to explore what gospel freedom looks like in the current American context. Nessan acknowledges the misinterpretation of Luther's two-kingdoms teaching, opting to describe Luther's two kingdoms as God's two strategies to bring forth the kingdom (shalom) of God. Also addressed are the themes of justification and sanctification, the vocation of the universal priesthood, the ethics of the cross, Lutheran ethics and political advocacy, and the ethics of forgiveness. The book is accessibly written with theology students, pastors, and interested lay readers in mind.

What is the connection between Christian doctrine and concrete social action? This question marks the often unarticulated divide between systematic theology and liberation theology, each often emphasizing one primarily or formally over the other. Examining the work of Karl Barth, T. F. Torrance, and Jon Sobrino, here Nathan Hieb contests this bifurcation, specifically around the nodal points of the crucifixion, or the doctrine of atonement, and the context of suffering. This book is an innovative study that bridges the boundaries of method, doctrine, and praxis, creating a strong theological and action-oriented relationship between systematic and liberation theology.

This volume investigates how mothers can understand parenting as spiritual practice, and what this practice means for theological scholarship. An intergenerational and intercultural group of mother-scholars explores these questions that arise at the intersection of motherhood studies, religious practice, pastoral care, and theology through engaging and accessible essays. Essays include both narrative and theological elements, as authors draw on personal reflection, interviews, and/or sociological studies to write about the theological implications of parenting practice, rethink key concepts in theology, and contribute to a more robust account of parenting as spiritual practice from various theological perspectives. The volume both challenges oppressive, religious images of self-sacrificing motherhood and considers the spiritual dimensions of mothering that contribute to women’s empowerment and well-being. It also deepens practical and systematic theologies to include concern for the embodied and everyday challenges and joys of motherhood as it is experienced and practiced in diverse contexts of privilege and marginalization.