Cascade Companions
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Conflict, Community, and Honor
1 Peter in Social-Scientific Perspective
by John H. Elliott
Part of the Cascade Companions series
Synopsis currently unavailable.
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Charles Wesley, a Prisoner of Hope
by S. T. Kimbrough
Part of the Cascade Companions series
Although Charles Wesley is known primarily as a distinguished English-language hymn writer and joint leader with his brother John of the Methodist reform movement within the Church of England, this book examines how the struggles and difficulties he faced as a child and as an adult shaped the person he was ever becoming. It explores how he was shaped by the love and conflicts of his family, conversion, the struggles of the Wesleyan movement within itself and within the Church of England, of marriage, parenthood, outreach to the poor, Scripture, the Book of Common Prayer, and the vows taken at his ordination. How did these struggles and the gospel itself mold the language of his hymns, theology, preaching, and daily life? How he dealt with them as a brother, pastor, husband, father, and friend is vitally important for pastors today and very valuable for an understanding of his hymns and poems. Charles called himself a prisoner of hope whom "God is able to save to the uttermost, to break my bonds in sunder and bring deliverance to the captive." A study of his struggles and how he dealt with them no longer lets us refer to him merely as "the hymn writer."
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Reading Luke
by Frank Dicken
Part of the Cascade Companions series
The Gospel of Luke is a book about Jesus, claiming to provide assurance concerning what its reader has been taught about Jesus. But how does it do that? This book provides an answer to that question by helping readers understand Luke as a gospel story in its historical context and with appreciation for the author's literary artistry and theological perspectives.
Part one explores background information and literary features of Luke such as its author and first readers, genre, plot and character development, the role of programmatic passages, and interpreting the large number of parables included by Luke. Part two focuses on themes that run throughout the Gospel: Jesus's mission, salvation, discipleship, the kingdom of God, resurrection, and ascension. The discussion of these features and themes will provide readers of Luke's Gospel with a grasp of its overarching framework so that they are able to comprehend Luke's unique presentation of Jesus's life and read the Gospel with increased confidence for themselves.
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Understanding the Free-Will Controversy
Thinking through a Philosophical Quagmire
by Thomas Talbott
Part of the Cascade Companions series
What is free will and do humans possess it? While these questions appear simple they have tied some of our greatest minds in knots over the millennia. This little book seeks to clarify for an audience of educated non-specialists some of the issues that often arise in philosophical disputes over the existence and the nature of human free will. Beyond that, it proposes a particular solution to the puzzles.
Many philosophers have argued that free will is incompatible with determinism, and many have also argued that it is incompatible with indeterminism. So, is free will simply an incoherent concept? Talbott argues that the best way out of this quagmire requires that we come to appreciate why certain conditions essential to our emergence as free moral agents--conditions such as indeterminism, ignorance, and a context of ambiguity and misperception--are themselves obstacles to a fully realized freedom. For a fully realized freedom requires that, as minimally rational individuals, we have learned some important lessons for ourselves; and once these lessons have been learned, some of our freest choices may be such that we could not have chosen otherwise because so choosing would then seem to us utterly unthinkable and irrational.
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Theologia Crucis
A Companion to the Theology of the Cross
by Robert Cady Saler
Part of the Cascade Companions series
Recovery of Paul and Luther's theology of the cross has been an enduring legacy of twentieth-century theology, and in our own day the topic has continued to expand as more and more global voices join the conversation. The array of literature produced on the cross and its theological significance can be overwhelming. In this readable and concise introduction, Robert Saler provides an overview of the key motifs present in theologians seeking to understand how the cross of Jesus Christ informs the work of theology, ministry, and activism on behalf of victims of injustice today. He also demonstrates how theology of the cross can be a lens through which to understand crucial questions of our time related to the nature of beauty, God's redemption, and the forces which seek to overwhelm both. Ranging from Luther and Bonhoeffer to James Cone and feminist theologians, Saler makes this literature accessible to all who wish to understand how the cross shapes Christian claims about God and God's work on behalf of the world.
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Jeremiah
Prophet Like Moses
by Jack R. Lundbom
Part of the Cascade Companions series
This book on Jeremiah seeks to place before a broad audience of students and lay readers one of the truly great Hebrew prophets and extraordinary individuals of the ancient world. It lifts up major themes preserved in the book bearing Jeremiah's name, one of the most prominent being Jeremiah's understanding of himself as "the prophet like Moses." Jeremiah remained faithful to his calling during the final days of Israelite nationhood, when the remnant of a once great nation fell to Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians in 586 BC. He suffered along with everyone else, but was nevertheless numbered among the survivors. From his confinement in the court of the guard he gave a dispirited remnant, many of whom would subsequently make the long journey into faraway exile, unambiguous hope for the future, announcing just before the nation's fall a new covenant that God would make with his people in future days.
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Reading Kierkegaard I
Fear and Trembling
by Paul Martens
Part of the Cascade Companions series
In his posthumously published Journals and Papers, Kierkegaard boldly claimed, "Oh, once I am dead, Fear and Trembling alone will be enough for an imperishable name as an author. Then it will be read, translated into foreign languages as well. The reader will almost shrink from the frightful pathos in the book." Certainly, Fear and Trembling has been translated into foreign languages, and its fame has ensured Kierkegaard's place in the pantheon of Western philosophy. Today, however, most shrink from the book not because of its frightful pathos but because of its fearsome impenetrability. In this first volume of a Reading Kierkegaard miniseries, Martens carefully unfolds the form and content of Kierkegaard's celebrated pseudonymous text, guiding and inviting the reader to embrace the challenge of wrestling with it to the end. Throughout, Martens demonstrates that Fear and Trembling is not merely a book that contains frightful pathos; it is also an entree into Kierkegaard's vibrant and polyphonic corpus that is nearly as restless as the faith it commends.
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The Becoming of God
Process Theology, Philosophy, and Multireligious Engagement
by Roland Faber
Part of the Cascade Companions series
How should we believe in God today? If we look beyond our little lives to the vast cosmos, we may even ask: Why all that? And even if we spiritually feel the universe: Why believe any religion? After all, there are many; and haven't they contributed to the predicament of humanity? Process theology gives provocative answers to these questions: how we are bound by the organic cycles of this world, but how in this web of life God shines even in the last, least, and forgotten event as the Eros of its becoming and as its mirror of greatness; why anything exists: because it is from beauty, for harmony and intensity, and through a consciousness of peace rising from our deepest intuitions of existence. We can change: not only in our thoughts and lives, but even in the way we experience this world. This book introduces such a new way of experiencing, thinking, and living. Based on the fascinating work on cosmology, religion, and civilization of Alfred North Whitehead, this book develops the main theses of process theology and elucidates it as a theopoetics of mutual care for the unexpected, the excluded, the forgotten, and a future society of peace.
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Inhabiting the Land
Thinking Theologically about the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict
by Alain Epp Weaver
Part of the Cascade Companions series
What does it mean to inhabit the land of Palestine and Israel justly? How should Christians understand the Palestinian-Israeli conflict? Alain Epp Weaver examines answers to these questions, paying particular attention to the theologies of sumud, or steadfastness, advanced by Palestinian Christian theologians, while also presenting other Christian, Jewish, and Muslim responses. Contextualizing these theologies within Palestinian and Israeli Jewish histories, Epp Weaver introduces readers to the intertwined histories of Zionism (as a movement to establish a Jewish state and renew Jewish life in the biblical land of Israel) and Palestinian nationalism. He also situates Palestinian Christian theologies within broader Christian conversations about election, God's enduring covenant with the Jewish people, and Zionism. In the face of a politics of separation and dispossession, Epp Weaver contends, Palestinian Christian theologies testify to the possibility of a shared polity and geography for Palestinians and Israeli Jews not defined by walls, militarized fences, checkpoints, and roadblocks, but rather by mutuality and reconciliation.
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Basil of Caesarea
A Guide to His Life and Doctrine
by Andrew Radde-Gallwitz
Part of the Cascade Companions series
Studying the early church can feel like entering a maze of bishops, emperors, councils, and arcane controversies. This book introduces early Christian theology by focusing on one particularly influential figure, Basil of Caesarea (ca. AD 330-378). It views Basil against the backdrop of a Roman Empire that was adopting Christianity. In Basil's day, Christians were looking for unity in the teaching and practice of their faith. This study acquaints the student with Basil's brilliant–and often neglected–theological writings. In particular, Saint Basil's reflections on the Trinity emerge from these pages as fascinating and illuminating testimonies to the faith of early Christians.
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Approaching Job
by Andrew Zack Lewis
Part of the Cascade Companions series
The book of Job has captivated readers for centuries, yet its sprawling dialogues set beside its seemingly simple narrative have also puzzled those who have attempted to understand the ancient book. In this accessible companion, Approaching Job guides pastors, seminarians, and other students of Job through the characters, themes, critical issues, and key passages of one of the greatest pieces of ancient literature. Approaching Job concludes with theological and ethical implications of the biblical book of Job that should generate plenty of discussion in college courses, Bible studies, and even among laypersons attracted to a story of an innocent man who lost everything and struggled to understand why.
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A Guide to St. Symeon the New Theologian
by Hannah Hunt
Part of the Cascade Companions series
A Companion to St. Symeon the New Theologian is an accessible guide to one of the great mystical writers of the Eastern Christian tradition. His impassioned writings bring to life the monasticism of the Byzantine Empire at the end of the tenth century. Dr. Hunt's succinct analysis of his life, times, and work draws from his homilies, hymns, and other writings to show his unique contribution to the spiritual life. The book details his development as a monk (shaped by the guidance and example of the Studite monk Symeon Eulables), his conflicts with the church authorities, and his inspiration of pupils such as Nicetas Stethatos, who later wrote a biography of his master. Hunt places St. Symeon's conviction that only direct experience of God's divine light confers authority in the context of his work as an abbot and spiritual father. Other aspects of his theology--such as the importance of tears, visions of light, and obedience to one's spiritual father--are also assessed. An indication of further reading, indices, and a comprehensive glossary of unfamiliar terms make this an invaluable addition to the field, both for those studying church history or religious studies and for general Christian readers.
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John Calvin
A Companion to His Life and Theology
by Donald K. McKim
Part of the Cascade Companions series
This unique book is an introductory guide to the life and theology of John Calvin (1509-64). Calvin's theology has been highly significant as a major expression of Protestant theology. Reformed churches throughout the world appropriate Calvin's theological understandings and find his work provides important insights into Scripture and communicates a vibrant Christian faith. The first part of this book describes events in Calvin's life that helped shape his major work, the Institutes of the Christian Religion. The second part follows the flow of the Institutes and provides a narrative exposition of this major work, with numerous quotations of Calvin's own words. This enables readers to hear Calvin's voice as his views are explained. This close reading of Calvin opens the door to further, more thorough Calvin studies.
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Scripture's Knowing
A Companion to Biblical Epistemology
by Dru Johnson
Part of the Cascade Companions series
Scripture's Knowing is a guide to the emerging field of philosophical study of Scripture, specifically about knowing. Assuming that the Scriptures speak verbosely and persistently about knowing, what do the biblical authors have to say? How do they conceptualize ideas like truth and knowledge? Most importantly, how do we come to confidently know anything at all? Scripture's Knowing follows the discourse on knowledge through key biblical texts and shows the similarity of biblical knowing with the scientific enterprise. The findings are linked to the role of ritual in knowing and implications for theologians and churches today.
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Rudolf Bultmann
A Companion to His Theology
by David W. Congdon
Part of the Cascade Companions series
Rudolf Bultmann is one of the most widely known but least read theologians of the twentieth century. He is famous as the one who "demythologized" the New Testament, but very few understand what he meant by this or how his hermeneutical program connects to the other areas of his theological project. Bultmann presents a unique challenge to readers, not only because of his radical theological inquiry but also because of the way his ideas are worked out over time, primarily through short, occasional writings that present complex issues in a disarmingly straightforward manner. In this introduction to his theology--the first of its kind in more than twenty years--David W. Congdon guides readers through ten central themes in Bultmann's theology, ranging from eschatology and dialectic to freedom and advent. By gaining an understanding of these themes, students of Bultmann will have the necessary tools to understand and profit from his writings. The result is not only an accessible guide for those encountering Bultmann for the first time but also a cohesive, systematic presentation of his thought for those wondering how his work might speak to our current context.
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Justpeace Ethics
A Guide to Restorative Justice and Peacebuilding
by Jarem Sawatsky
Part of the Cascade Companions series
People too often enter into conflict with an eye on how to resolve, manage, or transform it, thereby losing sight of the people involved and the end desired. Justice and peace too often serve as abstract ideals or distant shores. We have not yet learned enough about how these ends can also be the means of conflict resolution. Drawing on the imaginations of some leading peace and restorative justice practitioners, Justpeace Ethics identifies components of a justpeace imagination--the basis of an alternative ethics, where the end is touched with each step. In this simple companion to justpeace ethics, Jarem Sawatsky helps those struggling with how to respond to conflict and violence in both just and peaceful ways. He offers practical examples of how analysis, intervention, and evaluation can be rooted in a justpeace imagination.
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Theological Interpretation of Scripture
by Stephen E. Fowl
Part of the Cascade Companions series
Christians have been interpreting Scripture with an aim of deepening their life with God and each other from the very beginning of the church. The past twenty years or so have witnessed an explosion of scholarly writing devoted to the theological interpretation of Scripture. Stephen Fowl, as an active participant in and contributor to the burgeoning literature, has written an ideal companion for guests at the large and somewhat chaotic party, introducing them to important people, texts, and issues. The companion explores some of the connections between the long-running and essential Christian practice of theological interpretation and the more recent body of scholarly literature. Ultimately, the companion hopes to encourage readers to join the party in their own right.
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Theological Theodicy
by Daniel Castelo
Part of the Cascade Companions series
The question of God's relationship to evil is a long-running one in the history of Christianity, and the term often deployed for this task has been theodicy. The way theodicy has historically been pursued, however, has been problematic on a number of counts. Most significantly, these efforts have generally been insufficiently theological. This work hopes to subvert and reconfigure the theodical task in a way that can be accessible to non-specialists. Overall, the book hopes to cast the god of theodicy as the triune God of Christian confession, a move that shapes and alters distinctly all that follows in what has traditionally been considered a philosophical matter.
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Reading 1 Corinthians
by J. Brian Tucker
Part of the Cascade Companions series
First Corinthians offers readers a window into the social life and setting of an early Christ-movement congregation. The Apostle Paul's practical guidance to the Corinthians living in a Roman colony overlaps with many contemporary concerns: identity, leadership, sexuality, gender, diversity, worship, theology, and economics. All too often, however, the letter is read in an individualistic and supersessionistic way. Furthermore, parts of the letter are lifted out of their original context and applied in ways foreign to that setting.
This book reads the letter through the lens of social identity theory, a leading social scientific method for understanding the New Testament. This reading strategy is supported by a post-supersessionist perspective in which the church is not thought to replace Israel as God's people. The aim of this book is to introduce non-specialists to this fascinating letter in a way that highlights the current research into the social context of Corinth. It offers relevant discussion questions and an identity-critical reading of 1 Corinthians that shows Paul's interest in three key themes: identity, ethics, and ethos.
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The End Is Music
A Companion to Robert W. Jenson's Theology
by Chris E. W. Green
Part of the Cascade Companions series
Robert Jenson has been praised by Stanley Hauerwas, David Bentley Hart, Wolfhart Pannenberg, and others as one of the most creative and important contemporary theologians. But his work is daunting for many, both because of its conceptual demands and because of Jenson's unusual prose style. This book is an attempt to give Jenson the kind of hearing that puts his creativity and significance on display, and allows newcomers to and old friends of his theology the opportunity to hear it afresh.
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Phenomenology
A Basic Introduction in the Light of Jesus Christ
by Donald Wallenfang
Part of the Cascade Companions series
What is phenomenology? That is precisely the question this book seeks to answer. In an age of information overload, complex topics must be simplified to make them accessible to a wider audience. Phenomenology: A Basic Introduction in the Light of Jesus Christ not only presents the basic building blocks of phenomenology, it also gives body to voice by putting abstract ideas in contact with the Word made flesh, Jesus of Nazareth. In five manageable chapters, Donald Wallenfang introduces major themes such as the natural attitude, givenness, interpretation, paradox, and ethics. Each subject is considered in how it applies to daily life and relates to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Several biblical scenes are tapped to harvest their sweet nectars of meaning through phenomenology. At its limit, philosophy gives way to the revelatory rationality of theology as expressed by Jesus the phenomenologist.
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David
A Man after God's Own Heart
by Benjamin J. M. Johnson
Part of the Cascade Companions series
David is one of the most complex and fascinating characters in all of literature. His story exists at a crucial point in the biblical narrative where God turns toward committing to monarchy in Israel. He is the slayer of Goliath, the hero of Israel, and God's chosen king. Yet, he is also a manipulator, adulterer, and murderer. This book provides a broad audience of students, lay readers, and scholars with a close reading of David's story, presenting scholarly study of this fascinating and crucial character in an accessible and engaging manner. By carefully presenting David's story, this book addresses how it is possible to consider a flawed and imperfect character like David as a man after God's own heart.
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Lutheran Theology
A Critical Introduction
by Paul R. Hinlicky
Part of the Cascade Companions series
In this book Lutheran theologian Paul Hinlicky makes the deeply conflicted origins of Lutheran theology fruitful for the future. Exploring this intellectual and spiritual tradition of thought through its major historical chapters, Hinlicky rejects essentialist projects, exposing the debilitating binaries such programs engender and perpetuate, to establish an authentic Luther-theology or Lutheran theology. Hinlicky excavates the ways that throughout a five-hundred-year tradition the legacy of Luther texts has been appropriated, retooled, subverted, or developed. Readers of this introduction will thus be critically equipped to make intellectually honest appropriations of the Luther legacy in the plurality of contemporary contexts in which this iteration of Christian theology will continue.
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The Second-Century Apologists
by Alvyn Pettersen
Part of the Cascade Companions series
"They bring three charges against us: atheism, Thyestean banquets, and Oedipean unions." So a late second-century Christian Apologist wrote with reference to his critics. Against these and other charges the Apologists rallied. Not so, they maintained. It was not the Christians but their critics who were the atheists and the Christians were the true theists. They were atheists only insofar as they denied the fabricated gods of the cults and the immoral deities of theaters. That, they explained, was why Christians absented themselves, whatever the cost, from the imperial cult, theaters, and amphitheaters. They were not cannibals, as Thyestes was when he ate the flesh of his children. To suggest otherwise was to misunderstand Christians consuming Christ's flesh and blood at the Eucharist. Nor were they imitators of Oedipus, who entered into sexual relations with Jocasta, his Queen and, though he knew it not, also his mother. Christians did exchange the kiss of peace. They did love one another. They were not, however, incestuous. Any promiscuous love on their part extended only to a very practical love of every needy soul.
This book explores these arguments, especially noting the Apologists' commitment to God's oneness, to Christians not worshipping anything made, and to humans properly caring for fellow creatures.
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Called to Attraction
An Introduction to the Theology of Beauty
by Brendan Thomas Sammon
Part of the Cascade Companions series
What if there is more to beauty than meets the eye? What if beauty named more than the human response to a thing's appearance, but instead named the very presence of God in the world? And what if beauty provided a power enabling human beings to think in novel and creative ways, to see with new eyes? This book explores the various ways in which the Christian theological tradition has provided responses to these questions. Taking its starting point from the view that beauty is above all a divine name, this book explores the consequences that such a starting point has not only for the human experience of beauty but also for the way in which beauty penetrates to the very heart of human nature, uplifting and inspiring human thought and action to ever new frontiers of existence. In its experience of beauty, so this book argues, the human spirit encounters the divine presence in unexpected and transformative ways, such that one may come to see that not only is God beautiful, but God is beauty itself!
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Virtue
An Introduction to Theory and Practice
by Olli-Pekka Vainio
Part of the Cascade Companions series
Since the 1960s, the virtues have been making a comeback in various fields of study. This book offers an overview of the history of virtues from Plato to Nietzsche, discusses the philosophy and psychology of virtues, and analyzes different applications of virtue in epistemology, positive psychology, ethics, and politics.
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Christianity and Politics
A Brief Guide to the History
by C. C. Pecknold
Part of the Cascade Companions series
It is not simply for rhetorical flourish that politicians so regularly invoke God's blessings on the country. It is because the relatively new form of power we call the nation-state arose out of a Western political imagination steeped in Christianity. In this brief guide to the history of Christianity and politics, Pecknold shows how early Christianity reshaped the Western political imagination with its new theological claims about eschatological time, participation, and communion with God and neighbor. The ancient view of the Church as the mystical body of Christ is singled out in particular as the author traces shifts in its use and meaning throughout the early, medieval, and modern periods-shifts in how we understand the nature of the person, community and the moral conscience that would give birth to a new relationship between Christianity and politics. While we have many accounts of this narrative from either political or ecclesiastical history, we have few that avoid the artificial separation of the two. This book fills that gap and presents a readable, concise, and thought-provoking introduction to what is at stake in the contentious relationship between Christianity and politics.
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The Rule of Faith
A Guide
by Everett Ferguson
Part of the Cascade Companions series
The rule of faith was a summary of apostolic preaching and teaching made by writers of the early Christian centuries. As such it carries great importance for what the early church considered basic to its being and identity. It was not a fixed text, like a creed, but varied in wording and content according to circumstances. Yet, despite this flexibility and diversity, there is a clear Christ-centered, Trinitarian core at the heart of the rule shared by the early apostolic churches.
In this short guide, Everett Ferguson introduces readers to the primary sources of our knowledge of the rule, the variety of ways in which ancient Christian authors spoke of the rule, and different scholarly attempts to interpret this ancient evidence. Ferguson argues that statements of the rule of faith were used to instruct new or potential converts, to combat false teachings, and to provide a framework for interpreting the Scriptures. He maintains that the rule retains considerable importance for churches of the twenty-first century.
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Jacob Arminius
The Man from Oudewater
by Rustin E. Brian
Part of the Cascade Companions series
Jacob Arminius was a Dutch theologian whose views have become the basis of Arminianism and the Dutch Remonstrant movement, and are quite influential on Wesleyan, and therefore Methodist, theology as well. Arminius attempted to reform Reformed theology and ended up lending his name to a movement that resisted some of the primary tenets of Calvinism. Rustin E. Brian outlines the life and theology of Arminius, shedding fresh light on his life, theology, and writings. In hopes of better understanding Arminian theology and Arminianism, Brian concludes with a constructive comparison and contrast of Arminius and several prominent theological figures: Pelagius, John Wesley, and Karl Barth.
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The Simplicity of God
A Theological Invitation
by Jonathan M. Platter
Part of the Cascade Companions series
For most of Christian history, God was understood to be "simple." It was a staple of articles of faith to confess a God "without parts or passions." But today, divine simplicity is seen as either irrelevant or a vestige of "classical theism." Neither is quite right. The Simplicity of God argues that the doctrine is often misunderstood, but in the right light it can play a vitalizing role in Christian thought and spiritual practice. In this companion, Jonathan Platter presents an integrated account of divine simplicity, and he goes further to explore the difference it makes for the doctrines of Trinity, creation, incarnation, and eschatology. Grounded in Scripture, the history of doctrine, and contemporary systematic theology, The Simplicity of God offers a thorough introduction to the doctrine in an accessible format.
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The Book of the Twelve
by Beth M. Stovell
Part of the Cascade Companions series
This book provides a concise guide to the group of biblical books commonly called "The Book of the Twelve Prophets" or simply "The Twelve" (also known as "the Minor Prophets"). In the past twenty years, scholars have explored how reading this set of books as a unified "Book of the Twelve" creates new avenues for understanding and depth. This Cascade Companion introduces the key questions, themes, and topics related to the Twelve in an accessible way. Starting with a discussion of why scholars call these books "The Twelve," the book explores the major themes that orient the Twelve. The book addresses recent topics impacting the Twelve, including the relationship between wisdom literature and the Twelve, the rise of linguistic and literary approaches, and the impact of editorial theories in the study of the Twelve. As such, this book allows readers to learn what gives the Twelve its unique shape and flavor.
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George Lindbeck
A Biographical and Theological Introduction
by Shaun C. Brown
Part of the Cascade Companions series
George Lindbeck wrote one of the most often read and debated theological works of the twentieth century, The Nature of Doctrine. Despite the work's wide readership, few read the book considering his work as an ecumenist. In addition, few have read Lindbeck's other writings. This work seeks to remedy this situation by providing (1) a context for understanding The Nature of Doctrine, (2) a corrective to misreadings of Lindbeck's work, (3) an introduction to his broader corpus, and (4) some possible ways in which Lindbeck's work can contribute to future ecumenical discussion and to Christian theological practice more broadly. It will do so by focusing upon several key roles or aspects of Lindbeck's life and thought, from his understanding of his own Lutheran background and his participation in Lutheran-Catholic dialogue, to his training in medieval philosophy and theology and later work on the church as Israel.
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John Chrysostom
An Introduction to His Life and Thought
by Samantha L. Miller
Part of the Cascade Companions series
The "Golden-Mouthed" preacher, John Chrysostom, was one of the most significant voices of his time. This introduction to Chrysostom's life and thought invites readers to come to know the fourth-century bishop as a friend in the communion of saints. Covering both his biography as well as major themes in his preaching-pastoral theology, asceticism, virtue (Christian living), wealth and poverty, salvation, and some problematic beliefs-this book asks readers what they might learn from Chrysostom today. Anyone who has heard of the famous preacher and wants to know more, or anyone who is simply looking for a wise guide to lead them closer to Christ, will find wisdom in these pages.
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The People and the Book
Negotiating Religious Change in Reformation England and Beyond
by Caroline Litzenberger
Part of the Cascade Companions series
This book tells the story of the people's experience in dealing with profound changes in religion during the English Reformation. Continental Protestantism influenced the changing nature of English religion, but Catholicism was still the familiar old religion. Official religious policy swung back and forth between different forms of Protestantism and Catholicism, probably causing some to experience some form of spiritual whiplash. But, most clung to their old, familiar faith. Official religious policies provide the backdrop for this story with the people taking the lead. Over time, especially during Elizabeth I's reign, Protestantism became more familiar, leading most people to accept some form of that new religion by the end of her reign. However, religion continued to change, or at least to shift in subtle ways. And so, the book's story doesn't end with Elizabeth's death. It continues through key religious developments in England and beyond, answering the question of how the church of Elizabeth's day became the global Anglican church of today.
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Postmodern Theology
A Biopic
by Carl A. Raschke
Part of the Cascade Companions series
Postmodern Theology consists in a sharp-edged retrospective and reflection on the forty-year history of the most important movement in contemporary religious thought that is only now passing from the scene. The author, Dr. Carl Raschke, is generally credited with having sparked the movement, even if he did not always happen to be its leading spokesperson. Not only has a comprehensive survey of postmodern theology in all its different phases and complexity not been published prior to the appearance of this book, but it is even more remarkable for someone who both "launched" it and had a central role in shepherding it along to offer what may be termed a "movement memoir."
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A Primer in Ecotheology
Theology for a Fragile Earth
by Celia Deane-Drummond
Part of the Cascade Companions series
This book serves as an introduction to the burgeoning field of ecothology, illustrating both its variety and its commonality across different Christian theological divides. Some of the questions addressed in this short book include the following: How can the Bible still make sense in the context of climate change and biodiversity loss? Who on earth is Jesus Christ, and what does he mean for us in today's world? How can Christians be faithful to their traditions while responding to pressing calls to be engaged in environmental activism? What is the relationship between theory and practice, and local as well as global demands, and how is this relationship expressed in different ecclesial settings? How can we encourage each other to develop a sense of the earth as divine gift? Written in clear, accessible style, this book walks readers through difficult concepts and shows the way different sources in Christian theology have responded to one of the most significant cultural issues of our time.
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The U.S. Immigration Crisis
Toward an Ethics of Place
by Miguel A. De La Torre
Part of the Cascade Companions series
The current immigration crisis on our southern borders is usually debated from a safe distance. Politicians create a fear of the migrant to garner votes, while academicians pontificate on the topic from the comfort of cushy armchairs. What would happen if instead the issue were explored with one's feet on the ground--what the author calls an "ethics of place"? As an organic intellectual, De La Torre writes while physically standing in solidarity with migrants who are crossing borders and the humanitarian organizations that accompany them in their journey. He painstakingly captures their stories, testimonies, and actions, which become the foundation for theological and ethical analysis. From this vantage point, the book constructs a liberative ethics based on what those disenfranchised by our current immigration policies are saying and doing in the hopes of not just raising consciousness, but also crafting possibilities for participatory praxis.
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Church
by Ephraim Radner
Part of the Cascade Companions series
This is an introduction to thinking theologically about the Christian church--what is known as ecclesiology. The book covers background questions of conception, history, differences among separated Christian churches, and several modern approaches to the study of the church. It also introduces readers to a specific scriptural way of thinking about the church centered on mission that takes into account problems associated with past approaches, and sensitive to contemporary concerns with the reality of Judaism and other national identities in a global context.
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Richard Hooker
A Companion to His Life and Work
by W. Bradford Littlejohn
Part of the Cascade Companions series
Although by common consent the greatest theologian of the Anglican tradition, Richard Hooker is little known in Protestant circles more generally, and increasingly neglected within the Anglican Communion. Although scholarship on Hooker has witnessed a dramatic renaissance within the last generation, thus far this has tended to make Hooker less, not more accessible to general audiences, and interpreters have been sharply divided on the meaning of his theology. This book aims to draw upon recent research in order to offer a fresh portrait of Hooker in his original historical context, one in which it had not yet occurred to any Englishman to assume the label "Anglican," and to bring him to life for all branches of the contemporary church.
Part One examines his life, writings, and reputation, puncturing several old myths along the way. Part Two seeks to establish Hooker's theological and pastoral vision, exploring why he wrote, how he wrote, whom he was seeking to persuade, and whom he was seeking to refute. Part Three analyzes key themes of Hooker's theology--Scripture, Law, Church, and Sacraments--and how they related to his late Reformation context. Finally, the concluding chapter proposes Hooker's method as a model for our confused contemporary age, combining fidelity to Scripture, historical awareness, and a pastorally sensitive pragmatism.
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Jacques Ellul
A Companion to His Major Works
by Jacob E. Van Vleet
Part of the Cascade Companions series
Jacques Ellul (1912-1994) was Professor of the History and Sociology of Institutions at the University of Bordeaux. A sociologist, historian, and Protestant lay theologian, Ellul is primarily known for his writings on technology, propaganda, and Christian anarchism. He influenced a wide array of thinkers including Ivan Illich, William Stringfellow, Thomas Merton, Paul Virilio, and Neil Postman. In this book, Jacob Van Vleet and Jacob Marques Rollison guide readers through Ellul's most influential theological and sociological writings. By understanding Ellul's primary works, readers will be able to clearly grasp his social theory and theological ethics, profiting from his deep insight and prophetic wisdom.
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Reading Mark
by Kelly R. Iverson
Part of the Cascade Companions series
The Gospel of Mark is a relatively short book whose brevity and style create an engaging narrative experience. But Mark's Gospel is by no means a simple text, and scholars have long puzzled over various features of the narrative. Reading Mark offers an accessible introduction to Mark's story of Jesus, as well as to important scholarly discussions. Equipping students to become better interpreters of Mark, the discussion focuses on key elements of the narrative, including the presentation of Jesus and the disciples, the so-called messianic secret, and the enigma of Mark's ending. Designed for beginning students, Reading Mark offers a broad and inclusive orientation to the fascinating world of Mark's Gospel.
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Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi
Hebrew Prophets Of The Sixth And Fifth Centuries
by Jack R. Lundbom
Part of the Cascade Companions series
This book introduces readers to Hebrew prophets of the sixth and fifth centuries BC, providing detailed discussion of Haggai's prophecy, of selected prophecies from I and II Zechariah, and of Malachi's prophecy. After a survey of the historical background of the period and brief introductions to each prophet, prophecies are translated; their rhetorical and compositional nature is noted, then discussed in detail. Questions for reflection are provided, making the book suitable for Bible study and small group discussions.
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Wittgenstein for Theologians
Beyond Certainty
by Brad J. Kallenberg
Part of the Cascade Companions series
It would be an unusual fish indeed that contemplated the nature of the very water in which it lives. Ironically, human beings do not fare much better than fish: we tend not to notice the way language permeates all our life and thought. Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) was one of a handful of recent thinkers who has shown just how important the nature of language is for the doing of theology. Not only do the workings of language outrank the authority of math and science, the very regularities by which we are able to communicate are inextricably tied to the bodily nature of our existence. (Of course, the bodily dimension of human language is why God's plan for reestablishing open communication with us required the incarnation of Jesus-the-Word rather than simply emailing to us a philosophical treatise.) Moreover, this bodily nature is irreducibly social by nature, and it is in the social "dance" with others that the world is brought into focus for a given individual. This present volume unpacks four of Wittgenstein's central concepts--language-games, grammar, form of life, and aspect-seeing--in order to explore their importance for doing the work of theology.
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Zephaniah, Nahum, and Habakkuk
Hebrew Prophets of the Seventh Century
by Jack R. Lundbom
Part of the Cascade Companions series
This book introduces readers to three Hebrew prophets of the seventh century BCE, Zephaniah, Nahum, and Habakkuk. After a survey of the historical background of the period, and a brief introduction to each prophet, all prophecies are translated, their rhetorical and compositional nature noted, and each is then discussed in detail. At the conclusion of each passage questions are provided for reflection, making the book suitable for Bible study and small-group discussions.
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Reading Galatians
by John Anthony Dunne
Part of the Cascade Companions series
Galatians is simultaneously one of Paul's most well-known and least understood letters. At times Galatians is reduced down to a single concept, like freedom, or to a single passage about either justification by faith or the fruit of the Spirit, and yet the personal and scriptural argument that Paul was making to his original readers is usually ignored in the process. Instead of treating Galatians like a first draft of Romans, as is also typically done, Reading Galatians highlights the unique features of Galatians, which make it peculiar among the writings of Paul. It also overviews Paul's engagement with the Galatians from his initial ministry among them to what transpired after he left and all the way through to his multifaceted response, what we can glean about their reaction to it, and why it still matters to us today.
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A Companion to the Book of Revelation
by David L. Mathewson
Part of the Cascade Companions series
This book is meant to be a companion and guide through what many deem to be the most perplexing book of the New Testament. As such, it introduces the reader to the kind of literature Revelation is, how to interpret its pervasive symbolism, and sees it as a response to the unique circumstances of seven historical churches in first-century Asia Minor living under the shadow of the Roman Empire. This companion pays special attention to the literary context and flow of argument of John's unique book, while also giving attention to the effect the visions would have had on the first churches. It also pays attention to the more perplexing details of the text. Revelation was primarily a book that called the churches to maintain their faithful witness in the face of a hostile environment. It also continues to speak to the church today, though perhaps not in the way we often think.
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Thomas à Kempis
His Life and Spiritual Theology
by Greg Peters
Part of the Cascade Companions series
Given that Thomas a Kempis' Imitation of Christ is one of the most frequently translated and read late medieval books of devotion, it is surprising that there are few studies of the work in English. This book fills the void by offering an explication of Thomas' spiritual theology in the Imitation, while situating him in his late medieval monastic context and as someone familiar with and influenced by the Modern Devotion and the Sisters and Brothers of the Common Life. Thomas' emphasis on grace and his dependence on Augustine of Hippo show, to some extent, that he anticipated theological developments of the Protestant Reformation. At the same time, Thomas' Eucharistic spirituality, so central to his overall spiritual theology, is quintessentially medieval. Thomas' vision of the spiritual life was expansive and all-inclusive, rich and accessible for both the monk and the devout follower and imitator of Jesus Christ who lived in the world. Thomas' spirituality is for everyone, a synthesis of Christian thought that steers away from the late medieval Scholastic theologies of the university towards a monastic theology and spirituality for anyone who desires to follow Jesus Christ devoutly. His vision remains relevant for all twenty-first-century Christian believers.
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A Companion to the Mercersburg Theology
Evangelical Catholicism in the Mid-Nineteenth Century
by William B. Evans
Part of the Cascade Companions series
This volume tells the story of a mid-nineteenth-century theological movement emanating from the small German Reformed Seminary in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, where John Williamson Nevin and Philip Schaff taught. There they explored themes-such as the centrality of the incarnation for theology, the importance of the church as the body of Christ and the sphere of salvation, liturgical and sacramental worship, and the organic historical development of the church and its doctrines-that continue to resonate today with many who seek a deeper and more historically informed expression of the Christian faith that is both evangelical and catholic.