Böcker i Cascade Companions-serien

From their theological and devotional writings to their social and ecclesial practices, the fathers and mothers of Pietism boldly declared the ethical spirit of the Christian faith. This seventeenth-century renewal movement inspired a simple Christian ethic by connecting Christian character with the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love. They sought to cultivate these virtues by reading Scripture together, empowering the common priesthood of believers, and engaging in social and ecclesial reform toward the end of spreading the gospel. Pietism brought together faith and life, Word and deed, and piety and social reform in effort to get back to the basic belief in the power of God's Word to engender faith and to transform human life. This book celebrates Pietism's contribution by telling the stories of three early figures--Philipp Jakob Spener, Johanna Eleonora Petersen, and August Hermann Francke--as they attended to issues of class, gender, poverty, and education through the lens of scripture. In addition to clarifying what historians call "one of the least understood movements in the history of Christianity," this book challenges a religious culture that juxtaposes faith and social action, and it rehabilitates the Pietist heritage and its central role in the birth of Evangelicalism.

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.

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.""A superb primer on the life and thought of John Calvin by one of our finest Reformation scholars. Highly recommended!""--Timothy George Founding Dean of Beeson Divinity School of Samford University, General Editor of the Reformation Commentary on Scripture""McKim''s accessible and lucid presentation of Calvin''s life as well as his thought through a summary of the Institutes of the Christian Religion prioritizes the voice of Calvin in a fresh way that provides a solid and useful introduction for any reader.""--Jennifer Powell McNutt, Associate Professor of Theology and History of Christianity, Degree Coordinator of M.A. History of Christianity Program, Chair of Graduate Council, Wheaton College Graduate School""John Calvin''s ideals for theological writing were clarity and brevity. Don McKim''s work would have made him proud. In fewer than two hundred pages, McKim gives a rich but accessible biography of Calvin, and an equally inviting summary journey through Calvin''s mature theology as found in the 1559 Institutes. It makes a good first exploration of the influential Reformed theologian as well as a ready reference guide.""--Gary Neal Hansen, Associate Professor of Church History, University of Dubuque Theological SeminaryDonald K. McKim is a former seminary Dean, Professor of Theology, and Executive Editor for Theology for Westminster John Knox Press. He is the author and editor of a number of books, many focusing on John Calvin and the Reformed theological tradition. He is an Honorably Retired minister in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

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.""With great clarity and insight, focusing on themes which lie at the very heart of Bultmann''s theological project and placing him in conversation with recent and contemporary trends, David W. Congdon has written the best short introduction to Bultmann''s thought. The point is not to ''return'' to the great New Testament scholar and theologian--but neither should we bypass him.""--Christophe Chalamet, University of Geneva""Who better than David Congdon to take us into the work of Christianity''s greatest interpreter of Scripture in the modern period? With an expert''s grasp of the entire architecture of Rudolf Bultmann''s thought, Congdon leads the reader through its conceptual entry points. Here is a reliable primer, likely a classic, to guide both beginning students and well-schooled theologians away from the misconceptions, even myths, so often bedeviling treatments of Bultmann.""--James F. Kay, Princeton Theological Seminary""In these pages, Bultmann stands before us as a difficult but compelling figure, a Christian thinker who took the eschatological vision of the New Testament as his charter and pursued its course with extraordinary tenacity and fearlessness. Congdon sets Bultmann''s thought into critical discussion with contemporary theology, posing sharp challenges to our current preferences for ressourcement and the rule of faith. And he saves the best till last. The book ends with a superb meditation on Bultmann''s Christmas sermons--a glimpse of Bultmann at his most attractive, or most seductive, depending on where you stand."" --Benjamin Myers, Charles Sturt University""David Congdon''s lucid and innovative treatment of Rudolf Bultmann is an excellent contribution to scholarship. Those eager to understand, appreciate, and, most importantly, learn from one of the most important (and, alas, most misunderstood) ''greats'' of twentieth-century European theology have, in this book, an indispensable resource.""--Paul Dafydd Jones, Associate Professor, Department of Religious Studies, University of Virginia""Being master of a subject matter as demanding as Rudolf Bultmann''s theology and a master communicator, capable of introducing that subject-matter to beginning students in a manner both interesting and arresting (!) is rare. David Congdon has that rare combination of skills. This is a wonderful ''guide'' to Bultmann''s thought. Indeed, it is hard to imagine one more perfectly executed. It is a companion worthy of the thought of one of the real giants of twentieth century theology.""--Bruce McCormack, Charles Hodge Professor of Systematic Theology, Princeton Theological Seminary; author of Karl Barth''s Critically Realistic Dialectical Theology (Clarendon Press) and Orthodox and Modern: Studies in the Theology of Karl Barth (Baker Academic)David W. Congdon is asso

In this new introduction to the Apostle Paul and his gospel, written especially for lay readers, for beginning students, and for those unsure about what to make of Paul, Michael J. Gorman takes the apostle seriously, as someone who speaks for God and to us. After an overview not only of Paul's radical transformation from persecutor to proclaimer but also of his letter-writing in the context of Paul's new mission, Reading Paul explores the central themes of the apostle's gospel: Gorman places special emphasis on the theopolitical character of Paul's gospel and on the themes of cross and resurrection, multiculturalism in the church, and peacemaking and nonviolence as the way of Christ according to Paul. Gorman also offers a distinctive interpretation of justification by faith as participation in Christ--an interpretation that challenges standard approaches to these Pauline themes. Reading Paul demonstrates that the apostle of faith, hope, and love speaks not only to our deepest spiritual needs but also to the challenging times in which we live.

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.

Description:The desert fathers wanted to get away from a church co-opted by empire and a Christian faith grown cold and listless. They retreated to the desert to do battle against demons and against their own worst desires. They had no intention of being famous; yet ironically their Sayings have inspired millions of imitators over the centuries. This guide is meant to accompany a reading of the Sayings of the Desert Fathers, in hopes that readers with lives quite different than those third- and fourth-century dwellers of the Egyptian desert might nevertheless come to imitate their lives of poverty, chastity, and obedience; and more importantly, that readers might grow more imaginative and passionate in their following of the same Lord.Endorsements:""Contrary to the Protestant caricature, the Egyptian monks of the fourth century went to the desert not to escape reality, but to confront it. They fled the disorienting distractions of city life so that in the quiet of their cells and their chapels they might overcome the self-will of sin and reorient their thoughts, affections, and actions wholly toward God. Jason Byassee''s An Introduction to the Desert Fathers is an excellent companion to all who seek to glean wisdom from the monks'' encounters with the realities of God and of their sin. By drawing together the world of fourth-century monasticism with our consumerist culture of the twenty-first century, Byassee helps us discern the call of the desert today.""--J. Warren Smith, Assistant Professor of Historical Theology, Duke Divinity School""In this beautiful, informative, probing, and wise introduction to the spirituality of the desert, Byassee both immerses us in, and invites us to embrace, an older, sometimes alien, way of inhabiting our relationship with the triune God.""--Lauren F. Winner, author of Girl Meets God and Real Sex: The Naked Truth about ChastityJason Byassee has established himself as the master of explaining complex subjects and helping us understand why they matter.  He has done it again with the Desert Fathers.--James C. Howell, pastor of Myers Park United Methodist Church, Charlotte, North Carolina""Making the desert accessible might seem a paradoxical goal. Nevertheless, just as the sick and not the healthy need doctors, so do we affluent and self-indulgent moderns need the desert fathers. Jason Byassee is the perfect guide--an intrepid all-terrain interpreter in the heart of the desert. He always knows what we are thinking and never forgets that the severity of the fathers is disconcerting to us. Yet he thinks with these ancient monks as well--with their profundity and difficulty--and never lets us get away with dismissing a single saying cavalierly. If you have ever struggled with self-control, lust, materialism, prayer, humility, obedience, patience, or any of the other vices and virtues addressed in these chapters, An Introduction to the Desert Fathers is for you.""--Timothy Larsen, McManis Professor of Christian Thought, Wheaton College""Jason Byassee''s Introduction to the Desert Fathers is presented in a spirit of humility that befits the subject. He offers simple yet rich engagements with the Sayings that use humor, insight, and life experience to prompt readers to reflect with the same tools. Readers who are looking for a place to begin their interaction with the often paradoxical teachings of the desert fathers would do well to begin here.""--Amy Frykholm, Special Correspondent, Christian CenturyAbout the Contributor(s):Jason Byassee received his Ph.D. in theology from Duke University and is currently Assistant Editor at The Christian Century, where he has won numerous awards for excellence in journalism. He is author of two forthcoming volumes: Praise Seeking Understanding (Eerdmans) and An Introduction to the Desert Fathers (Cascade Books). He has been invited to teach courses on Augustine to undergraduates, seminarians, and graduate students at Garrett-Evangelical Theological

Description:Why should feminists care about Christianity? Why should Christians care about feminism? In Feminism and Christianity Riswold presents a collection of concise answers to basic questions like these in order to generate discussion about how the two can challenge each other and can even work together in the twenty-first century. Situated firmly in the third wave of feminist activism and scholarship as well as in contemporary Christian theology, Riswold addresses issues such as race, class, gender, and sexuality with an affirmation of tradition alongside a push for change. This book is an opportunity for Christians to gain a fuller understanding of feminism, moving beyond stereotypes and assumptions and into history and contemporary society. Simultaneously this book is an opportunity for feminists to understand the ongoing relevance of a religion whose social power and core commitments can contribute to a vision of a just human community.Endorsements:""Riswold''s talent as a teacher comes shining through as she confronts the suspicions Christians and feminists hold of one another, calling for appreciation of the complexity and diversity in both traditions. Rather than simply reviewing past interactions between Christianity and feminism, she boldly takes the conversation into the twenty-first century by engaging the pressing issues of race, ecology, sexuality, and interreligious understanding. A must-read for students, book groups, and scholars alike.""--Deanna A. Thompson,Professor of ReligionHamline University""Even though the conversation between feminism and Christianity has developed for decades, no other book so clearly names and answers the leading questions they ask of each other . . . Riswold''s book is a delightful introductory resource for individuals, classes, and groups as it touches on and aptly answers all the main questions and fears I have heard expressed from students in women''s studies and religion courses concerning feminism and Christianity. All in all, Feminism and Christianity exemplifies Riswold''s gift for thorough, broad scholarship presented in a very clear, engaging, and accessible style.""--Marit A.Trelstadeditor of Cross Examinations: Readings on the Meaning of the Cross TodayAbout the Contributor(s):Caryn D. Riswold is Associate Professor of Religion and chair of Gender and Women''s Studies at Illinois College in Jacksonville, Illinois. She is the author of Two Reformers: Martin Luther and Mary Daly as Political Theologians (2007) and Coram Deo: Human Life in the Vision of God (2006).

Description: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.Endorsements:With wisdom and sensitivity, Justpeace Ethics explores how justice and peace become one. There is genius in the way it holds together diverging values: interconnectedness and individual uniqueness, immediate care and long-term thinking, change and humility, needs-focused action and nonviolence, empowerment and responsibility. In such an ethic, life is sacred, relationships are central, and justice is beautiful. A must read for those who long for a better world.- John DerksenConflict Resolution StudiesMenno Simons CollegeWinnipeg, CanadaThis book is an enormously valuable contribution to thinking about doing justice and building peace. . . . Justpeace Ethics provides an immensely practical guide to those seeking to build peace and justice. At the same time, it is anything but a simple ''how to'' book. Rather, the patient reader is rewarded with an account of the values of restorative justice and peacebuilding that is deeply sophisticated, philosophically profound, and rooted in awareness of the complexity of thinking and acting ethically.-Professor Gerry Johnstone, author of Restorative Justice: Ideas, Values, DebatesThis book provides a fresh and provocative perspective on the intersection of restorative justice and conflict transformation. . . . This is a must-read for conflict resolution academics and practitioners.-Neil Funk-Unrau, Conflict Resolution Studies, Menno Simons College, Canadian Mennonite UniversityAbout the Contributor(s):Jarem Sawatsky is Assistant Professor of Peace and Conflict Transformation Studies, Canadian Mennonite University.