Sometimes described as “a theologian’s theologian,” David Tracy’s scholarship has impacted countless thinkers around the globe. The complexity of his thought, however, has often made engaging his work into a daunting challenge. Combining analysis of the most influential features of Tracy’s theology (theological method, the religious classic, public theology) with a retrieval of his more overlooked interests (Christology, God), Stephen Okey presents the essential themes of Tracy’s career in accessible and insightful prose.

Foreword / Kimlyn J. Bender and Bruce L. McCormack -- Engagements with the theology of Karl Barth, Christ and canon, theology and history : the Barth-Harnack dialogue revisited / Kimlyn J. Bender -- Argue theologically with one another : Karl Barth's argument with Emil Brunner / Gerhard Sauter -- God's being is his own decision : the Jüngel-Gollwitzer "debate" revisited / Bruce L. McCormack -- The time that remains : Hans-Georg Geyer in the intellectual debate about a central question in the twentieth century / Gerrit Neven -- Echoes of Barth in Jon Sobrino's critique of natural theology : a dialogue in the context of post-colonial theology / Matthew D. Lundberg -- "Beautiful playing" : Moltmann, Barth, and the work of the Christian / Cynthia L. Rigby -- Conversations with traditional theological topics "inspired heterodoxy" : the freedom of theological inquiry and the well-being of the church / Dawn DeVries -- What is the meaning of revelation? : H. Richard Niebuhr, modernism, and nicene Christianity / George Hunsinger -- Interpretatio in bonem partem : Jürgen Moltmann on the immanent Trinity / Thomas R. Thompson -- God's body or beloved other? : Sallie McFague and Jürgen Moltmann on God and creation / David J. Bryant -- In search of a non-violent atonement theory : are Abelard and Girard a help or a problem? / Gregory Anderson Love -- The people of God in Christian theology / Katherine Sonderegger -- Will all be saved or only a few? : a dialogue between faith and grace / Jürgen Moltmann -- Wholly called, holy callings : questioning the secular/sacred distinctions in vocation / Stephen L. Stell -- Theological identity : a dance of loyalty / Kathleen D. Billman -- Luther's ghost : ein gluehender backofen voller liebe / George Newlands -- Theology in dialog with society and culture : which forms and themes should Christian theology uphold in dialog with secular culture? / Michael Welker -- Faith in the public square / David Fergusson -- Reading for preaching : the preacher in conversation with story-tellers, biographers, poets, and journalists / Cornelius Plantinga, Jr. -- Charles Hodge as a public theologian / John Stewart.

From a world-renowned painter, an exploration of creativity’s quintessential—and often overlooked—role in the spiritual life “Makoto Fujimura’s art and writings have been a true inspiration to me. In this luminous book, he addresses the question of art and faith and their reconciliation with a quiet and moving eloquence.”—Martin Scorsese “[An] elegant treatise . . . Fujimura’s sensitive, evocative theology will appeal to believers interested in the role religion can play in the creation of art.”—Publishers Weekly Conceived over thirty years of painting and creating in his studio, this book is Makoto Fujimura’s broad and deep exploration of creativity and the spiritual aspects of “making.” What he does in the studio is theological work as much as it is aesthetic work. In between pouring precious, pulverized minerals onto handmade paper to create the prismatic, refractive surfaces of his art, he comes into the quiet space in the studio, in a discipline of awareness, waiting, prayer, and praise. Ranging from the Bible to T. S. Eliot, and from Mark Rothko to Japanese Kintsugi technique, he shows how unless we are making something, we cannot know the depth of God’s being and God’s grace permeating our lives. This poignant and beautiful book offers the perspective of, in Christian Wiman’s words, “an accidental theologian,” one who comes to spiritual questions always through the prism of art.

From London to New York to Ann Arbor, people are gathering in pubs and bars to communicate, connect, and learn from one another over the topic of religion, of all things. In Pub Theology, pastor, writer, and pub theologian Bryan Berghoef draws from his own experience in one such setting in northern Michigan. Berghoef contends that for too long the church has insisted on setting the terms for how one can find and encounter God. Yet what if God is to be found in places we haven't been looking at all: in a coworker who doesn't believe in God, in a Buddhist neighbor, in a friend who prefers a yoga studio to a sanctuary? This book will move readers to shift toward a more chastened, humble, and inviting faith. A faith that seeks not to teach, but to learn; not to speak, but to listen. A faith that will have a seat at the table in the important religious conversations our world is having. Real-life stories gleaned from conversations and encounters during pub theology gatherings, combined with the author's own experience in grappling with these issues, make for an intriguing and enlightening read. So what are you waiting for? Pull up a chair and join the conversation!

"I picked it up out of curiosity and I couldn’t put it down."--Eugene Peterson Christians are comfortable saying that Christianity is about a relationship with God. Yet many might also say that they sense little meaningful relationship with God in their own lives. After all, the foundation of good relationship is communication—-but conversation with God often seems to go only one way. We may sing of walking and talking with God in the garden, His voice falling on our ears, but few have heard that beloved voice themselves. Sam Williamson acknowledges the fundamental human longing to hear God’s voice and offers a hopeful supposition: God is always speaking—-we’ve just never been taught how to recognize His voice. Williamson handles this potentially heady topic with his characteristic straightforwardness and leavening humor. This book deftly bridges the gap between solid biblical theology and practical application, addressing topics such as how to truly pray without ceasing, how to brainstorm with God, how to navigate our emotions, how to answer God’s questions, and how to hear God’s voice for others. Hearing God in Conversation offers simple, step-by-step lessons on how to hear God. Williamson begins with Scripture meditation. He then expands the practice of listening for that voice everywhere—in the checkout line, on the job, in a movie theater, and even in silence. From there, he demonstrates how to hear God’s guidance when making any decision. By the end, readers’ eyes and ears will be opened to the limitless methods through which God speaks.

Samuel Adams engages the classic problem of the relation between faith and history from the perspective of apocalyptic theology in critical dialogue with the work of N. T. Wright. He argues that historical and theological scholars must take into consideration, at a methodological level, the reality of God that has invaded history in Jesus Christ.

This collection of articles presents the main contributions to the third LEST (Louvain Encounters in Systematic Theology) conference, held at the K.U.Leuven's Faculty of Theology, November 2001. Its theme, Theology and Conversation: Towards a Relational Theology, continues the explorations in contemporary theology as set out in the 1997 LEST I conference on The Myriad Christ (BETL 152) and in the 1999 LEST II conference on Sacramental Presence in Postmodern Context (BETL 160). In LEST III also, the plurality and diversity of theological approaches play a major role and the question is raised whether the contemporary theological endeavour in a global world contains in itself the tools to respectfully and constructively approach this diversity. The ideas of relation and conversation, as found in the theologies of the Trinity and of creation, as presupposed in ecclesial praxis, and as articulated in reflections that take their bearings from spiritual experience, provide a powerful means for renewed theological reflection capable of confronting plurality and diversity.