The title of this book plays upon the central place a theology of the cross holds in Lutheran theologies, especially lucid in Luther's Heidelberg Disputation (1518). The 500th anniversary of this document coincided with the 70th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations wherein the preamble points to a global aspiration of a common good shaped by freedom, justice and peace. This book is located at the intersection of these two themes, asserting that the cross has material content in being the means by which Christ in suffering solidarity with individuals, communities, and the cosmos advances freedom, justice, and peace. Employing a variety of methods, and exploring a broad range of geographic locales, the contributors illumine the misuse of Reformation themes and offer a corrective in service of a common good that is publicly accountable and theologically sound. The book thereby explores how contemporary Lutheran theology has utility both for analyzing injustice and for advancing justice in local as well as global contexts.

What is God's attitude towards those who hear the Gospel? Does God desire the salvation of all? In this careful and scholarly work, John Murray (1898 - 1975), formerly Professor of Systematic Theology at Westminster Seminary, surveys the biblical evidence. He shows how the offer of Christ in the gospel demonstrates an ardent desire in the heart of God that all who hear should possess Christ and enjoy the salvation that is in him.

Where was Christ's soul between his death and resurrection? Was it in heaven? Did it descend to the dead? This book answers that question, in two parts. The first half of the book is dedicated to exegesis, looking at what the Scriptures tell us about this important issue. The second half of the book is dedicated to historical sources relating to the doctrine of the descent in Protestant Churches in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

The Clear Word lets the power of ancient texts come through today. As the meaning of Scripture becomes more transparent, you see more of Gods grace. His love shines through even in difficult Old Testament passages. The Clear Word has renewed the devotional lives of thousands of people. Let it renew yours. Now available in the popular two-column format with the text in paragraphs.

What is my calling? How do I best live it out? Will my vocation change? In this third edition of his popular book, Gordon Smith addresses these questions and more, providing rich insight for all who long to courageously follow God's call. This is your invitation to discover your calling by listening to God and becoming a coworker with him.

Theology of Money is a philosophical inquiry into the nature and role of money in the contemporary world. Philip Goodchild reveals the significance of money as a dynamic social force by arguing that under its influence, moral evaluation is subordinated to economic valuation, which is essentially abstract and anarchic. His rigorous inquiry opens into a complex analysis of political economy, encompassing markets and capital, banks and the state, class divisions, accounting practices, and the ecological crisis awaiting capitalism. Engaging with Christian theology and the thought of Carl Schmitt, Georg Simmel, Karl Marx, Adam Smith, and many others, Goodchild develops a theology of money based on four contentions, which he elaborates in depth. First, money has no intrinsic value; it is a promise of value, a crystallization of future hopes. Second, money is the supreme value in contemporary society. Third, the value of assets measured by money is always future-oriented, dependent on expectations about how much might be obtained for those assets at a later date. Since this value, when realized, will again depend on future expectations, the future is forever deferred. Financial value is essentially a degree of hope, expectation, trust, or credit. Fourth, money is created as debt, which involves a social obligation to work or make profits to repay the loan. As a system of debts, money imposes an immense and irresistible system of social control on individuals, corporations, and governments, each of whom are threatened by economic failure if they refuse their obligations to the money system. This system of debt has progressively tightened its hold on all sectors and regions of global society. With Theology of Money, Goodchild aims to make conscious our collective faith and its dire implications.