Noting that academic biblical scholars and Christian ethicists have been methodologically estranged for some decades now, Brian Brock seeks to reframe the whole Bible-and-ethics discussion in terms of this question: What role does the Bible play in God's generation of a holy people -- and how do we participate in that regeneration? Brock first examines various major contemporary thinkers on the Bible and Christian ethics, including John Howard Yoder, Brevard Childs, John Webster, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He then undertakes major discussions of Augustine and Martin Luther, unpacking their interpretation of the Psalms. Finally, Brock articulates the processes of renewal in God's people. His close study of a few individual psalms shows how we enter the world of praise in which all human life is comprehended within God's work -- and is thus renewed. Immersion in the exegetical tradition of the Christian faith, Brock argues, must be the heart and soul of theology and ethics.

Is the world better off without Christianity? Combining narrative with keen critique of contemporary debates, author and historian John Dickson gives an honest account of 2,000 years of Christian history that helps us understand what Christianity is and what it's meant to be. To say that the Christian Church has an "image problem" doesn't quite capture it. From the Crusades and the Inquisition to the racism and abuse present in today's Church--both in Catholic and Protestant traditions--the institution that Christ established on earth has a lot to answer for. But the Church has also had moments throughout history when it has been in tune with Jesus' teachings--from the rise of charity to the invention of hospitals. For defenders of the faith, it's important to be able to recognize the good and bad in the church's history and be inspired to live aligned with Christ. For skeptics, this book is a thought-provoking introduction to the idea that Christianity is, despite all, an essential foundation of our civilization. Bullies and Saints will take you on a big-picture journey from the Sermon on the Mount to the modern church: Giving contextual accounts of infamous chapters of Christian history, such as the Crusades, and acknowledging their darkness. Outlining the great movements of the faith and defending its heroes and saints, some of whom are not commonly recognized. Examining the Church beside the teachings and life of Jesus and how it has succeeded in its mission to imitate Christ.

In the midst of a culture where sex and gender issues are rampant, two common viewpoints exist. Unfortunately, they are both extreme. While there is an effort in the church to minister to the sexually broken, many places of worship have adopted a strict ethic that leads to a fear-based attitude towards those struggling with sexuality and gender identity. This has caused strugglers to feel alienated and wounded from the church. On the other hand, secular culture has adopted the sexual liberation message: "If it feels good, do it." Sadly, this idea has permeated the hearts and minds of too many Christians. As a result, issues such as homosexuality, gender identity confusion, and sex outside of marriage have become battlegrounds of division among the Body of Christ. With all of this discord, how do we find the true meaning of sex? In The Meaning of Sex: A New Christian Ethos, Christopher Doyle offers a compassionate and bold philosophy on how to love thy neighbor within the confines set forth by our Savior, who holds us when we struggle, loves us when we fall, and celebrates with us when we experience victory. When we collectively pursue the wholeness Jesus calls us to, the sexual ethics that bind us becomes a higher ethos that unites us. Only then, as we bare our souls to each other and become vulnerable with our own unique wounds, can we meet our struggling brothers and sisters where they are and journey towards emotional wholeness and spiritual maturity. "The Meaning of Sex: A New Christian Ethos is a masterful synthesis of Christian theology and the social sciences that has the potential to radically transform our culture in positive ways." ~ Michelle A. Cretella, M.D. (President, American College of Pediatricians) "Christopher Doyle effectively challenges cultural constructs that have led Christians away from the questions that we need to be asking, connecting the dots between a biblical narrative of sexuality and what is revealed in nature and through scientific inquiry." ~ Professor Carolyn Pela, Ph.D., LMFT (Chair, Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Arizona Christian University)

Crucialism is an ethos theology that specifically explicates and exhorts the lived out dynamics of faith, truths, morals, and values as they apply to a person or people's in relationship with the contemporary milieu. The intersect of faith, truths, morals, and values and the contemporary milieu is what determines the emphases in an ethos theology. Crucialism is based on the premise that third millennium Catholics, along with their contemporaries, are enmeshed in a confusing maze of relativism and escapism, all enabled and enhanced by material abundance and technological advances. As such, crucialism aims at an essential and relevant presentation of not only divinely revealed truths, but those of natural law as well."Grace builds upon nature," and thus grace is most efficaciously placed upon a firm foundation of nature. However, today there is a disconnect and rejection of both nature and natural law. The truths of faith and reason designated as crucial and highlighted herein, aim at challenging third millennium Christians to their courageous, countercultural, and militant implementation.Serendipitously enough, crucial means both "cross-conformed" and "of vital importance." For the Christian, the Cross is indeed of singular vital importance: "Jesus said to his disciples: If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." MT 16:24. In practice, it is being conformed to the Holy Cross and to Christ Crucified that is of the most vital importance to the Christian. As such, crucialism aims to highlight those essentials of the Gospel that will most saliently mandate the Christian's embrace of the Holy Cross in the dawning third millennium, and thus most adequately ensure the perseverance in, and the promulgation of, the Holy Catholic Faith.

Donated by Sydney Harris.

Earth is changing in ways it hasn't for hundreds of thousands of years. At the same time, Christianity is breaking away from its millennium-long geographical and cultural center in the Euro-West. Its growth is in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, primarily in Pentecostal, evangelical, and independent churches. These dramatically changed planetary and ecclesial landscapes have led many to conclude that we need a new way of thinking about our collective existence: who are we and what is the nature of our responsibility in this deeply altered world? To address that question, biblical scholars Bruce C. Birch and Jacqueline E. Lapsley and Christian ethicists Larry L. Rasmussen and Cynthia Moe-Lobeda carry on "a new conversation" that engages how Christians are to understand the authority and use of Scripture, the basic elements of any full-bodied Christian ethic attuned to our circumstances, and the nature of our responsibility to our planetary neighbors and creation itself.

In a world plagued by religious conflict, how can the various religious and secular traditions coexist peacefully on the planet? And, what role does sociology play in helping us understand the state of religious life in a globalizing world? In the Fourth Edition ofGods in the Global Village, author Lester Kurtz continues to address these questions. This text is an engaging, thought-provoking examination of the relationships among the major faith traditions that inform the thinking and ethical standards of most people in the emerging global social order. Thoroughly updated to reflect recent events, the book discusses the role of religion in our daily lives and global politics, and the ways in which religion is both an agent of, and barrier to, social change.