Have you ever picked up a volume of theology, read the first page, and decided you would rather scrub the bathroom floor than read another page? Theology does not need to be abstract, dull, boring, tedious, dense, inconsequential, trivial, remote, immaterial, or unimportant. Theology should not leave readers feeling bewildered and lost. Expressing Theology challenges writers of theology to craft engaging, compelling, and beautiful prose that grabs readers' attention and makes reading a pleasure. Expressing Theology provides writers of theology--academics, aspiring, and published--with perspectives and writing techniques to write theology that readers want to read.
Theology is for everyone. Everyone is a theologian of sorts. Theology simply means thinking about God and expressing those thoughts in some way. But sloppy theology is a problem. As Christians, our thoughts about God need to coincide with what He has said about Himself in the Bible. With his clear understanding of the Scriptures and unpretentious writing style, Charles Ryrie has written Basic Theology for every student of God's Word, from the devotional student to the seminary student. Ryrie's name has become synonymous with dispensational theology and his texts on the subject invaluable to the Bible scholar. Now Ryrie's Basic Theology is available to you from Moody Press, the company that brings you the Ryrie Study Bible. Featuring charts, definitions, and Scripture and subject indices, Basic Theology will give you a clear and comprehensive picture of Ryrie's approach to systematic theology. Its 94 chapters are arranged in outline style for easy reference. Considerable emphasis is given to explaining the dispensational view of the end times.
This introduction to the field of practical theology reclaims a theological vision for the life and work of the church. Pete Ward dispels the myth that practical theology is a distraction from the "real" tasks of ministry or from serious academic theological work. He argues that practical theology is part of the everyday life of the church and that there are a variety of possible approaches, helping readers evaluate the approach that is most appropriate to their ministerial context and theological tradition. This reliable, accessible resource will work well for those in training or in ministry.
Christianity receives a lot of attention in the media, but the most frequently discussed version represents a type of Christianity that sometimes turns people away from the Church. Kissing Fish presents a postmodern systematic theology of progressive Christianity, a growing movement that reclaims the radical message of the Gospel. This informative, contemplative, and entertaining book will guide you through the beliefs that inspire us to love one another in the transformative way that Jesus proclaimed, including practices that will take your faith to a new level. Kissing Fish is a scholarly yet thoroughly accessible introduction to progressive Christianity. While the intended target audience for this work would seem to be those who have either left the Christian faith or never adopted it at all; the work is filled with pearls of wisdom for all of us, whether associated with Christianity or not. Kissing Fish is a truly remarkable work, serving both as a reminder of the beauty and grace that form the central tenets of the faith, while offering a graceful yet prophetic rebuttal to its more exclusionary tendencies. Kissing Fish is part theological text and part tell-all personal spiritual journey. Imagine a down-to-earth combination of the works of Marcus Borg, Anne Lamott, Jim Wallis, Rob Bell, Shane Claiborne, Diana Butler-Bass, Brian McLaren, Walter Wink, Wes Howard-Brook, and Donald Miller. A profound romp that informs and inspires.
Meeting House Essays in a series of papers reflecting on the mystery, beauty and practicalities of the place of worship. This popular series was begun in 1991, and each resource focuses on a particular aspect of space, design or materials and how they relate to the liturgy.
“Thomas N. Finger has chosen an approach to the systematic presentation of Christian Theology which I also have taken since the publication of my Theology of Hope in 1964. He begins with the goal: with eschatology. With that goal in mind, a new light is cast on every single doctrine of Christian theology—the light of redemption—and the work of the theologian becomes a labor of hope. This is a ‘theology of the way.’ With the kingdom of God kept steadily in view, it becomes an invitation to walk the way of Jesus. “Tom Finger’s theological prospectus makes a brilliant contribution to ecumenical theological dialogue from the Anabaptist tradition. He offers an eschatologically oriented theology for which I can only congratulate him.” —Jürgen Moltmann, Professor of Theology, University of Tübingen While many systematic theological texts are shaped by academic discussion of ancient thought and/or modern philosophies, Finger centers on the kerygma of the biblical text: that the “last things,” or “eschatological” events expected at history’s climax had already occurred through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, though they were not yet fully realized. To present eschatology as a living hope that always has motivated, and still motivates, Christians and Christian communities in all things, Finger does not follow the discipline’s traditional order where eschatology appears last, but places it first. Volume II will culminate with the doctrine of God, which usually comes first. This is hardly to minimize God’s importance, but to maximize it as the Christian faith’s most profound mystery. Volume I begins with eschatology to present it as a dynamic, boundless atmosphere in which theological reflection unfolds. While this dynamism envelops Christian life and mission, it is not merely “subjective.” It is hope for the transformation of all creation. It is not only celebrative, for it also struggles against the gruesome evils that seek to dominate all things. From this vantage point, eschatology in Volume I seeks to articulate the significance of the resurrection, the last judgment, heaven and hell, the return of Christ, and the millenium’s coming. These reflections lead to revelation, beginning from the final revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:3–13). Revelation’s dimensions are treated as personal; as historical, extending forwards from Genesis; and as propositional, or its way of converying its contents. These point theological reflection to revelation’s center, Jesus Christ, chiefly to his saving “work” in his life, death, and resurrection. Here the strengths and weaknesses of the traditional substitutionary and moral influence theories are examined. But when placed within their revelational or historical sequence, Jesus’ conflict with the powers of evil stands out. These prove to be gigantic systemic forces which have always ordered, but also imprisoned, humankind, such as the Roman Empire. Yet their horror and power stretch beyond any social or psychological explanation. In Jesus’ life and death, these powers appear to conquer him. But through his resurrection, Jesus conquers them. This drama is best articulated by the Christus Victor approach in which Jesus, with his Father and Spirit, defeats these powers, but does not totally destroy them. This is why their eschatological reign is “already” present, but evil is “not yet” destroyed until the end.
John Stott’s masterly distillation of sixty years’ reflection on Christian discipleship ranges over the history of the church and its formative teachings, as well as the world-wide church today. He expounds the trinitarian character of the evangelical faith: the gracious initiative of God the Father in revealing himself to us, of Jesus Christ in redeeming us through the cross, and of the indwelling Holy Spirit in transforming us. This is why the three-fold emphasis of evangelical faith is upon the Word of God, the once-for-all nature of the work of Christ and the active, continuing work of the Spirit. This edition of Evangelical Truth contains The Cape Town Commitment, a document produced by The Lausanne Movement faithfully reflecting the proceedings of The Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization.
Vatican II issued an urgent call for the laity to take a more active role in the life of the Church. What should the life of the Christian believer be like? How are average lay Christians called to help save the world? How does theology fit into the picture? One of Frank Sheed's most popular books, this ideal volume for the layman shows the practical aspects of theology in the life of a Christian believer. Logic, clarity, and simplicity permeate this eminently readable book. Drawing from his fifty years of street-corner preaching, as well as his long career as an author, lecturer and publisher, Sheed understands and communicates better than anyone the importance of theology and its relationship to living sanely in today's world. A brilliant synthesis of the Catholic view of life.
Practical theology has outgrown its traditional pastoral paradigm. The articles in this handbook recognize that religion, spirituality, lived religion on this side and beyond institutional communities refer to realms of cultures, ritual practices, and symbolic orders whose boundaries are not clearly defined and whose contents are shifting. The Handbook of Practical Theology offers insightful transcultural conceptions of religion and religious affairs collected from various cultures and religions. The first section presents ‘concepts of religion’. Chapters include considerations of the conceptualizing of religion in the fields of 'anthropology', 'community', 'family', 'institution', 'law', 'media', and 'politics' among others. The second section is dedicated to case studies of ‘religious practices’ from the perspective of their actors. The third section presents the main theoretical discourses that map the globally significant diversity and multiplicity of religion. Altogether, fifty-eight authors from different parts of the world encourage a rethinking of religious practice in an expanded, transcultural, globalized, and postcolonial world.
