Finding God Among our Neighbors, Volume 2


Book Description

For too many students, Christian theology is learned in isolation from other religions traditions. With this, the second volume of her important work, Kristin Johnston Largen returns to expand the systematic theology she began in the original volume. Largen places the work of Christian theology soundly within the interreligious dialogue that is the defining feature of our time. In doing so, she prepares students of theology for the task of understanding and articulating their Christian beliefs in the context of a religiously and culturally diverse world. In the original volume, Largen focused her work on three loci—God, Creation, and Humanity. In this second volume she expands the project to include salvation, the Church, and the Holy Spirit. As before, each locus is set within the broader context of interreligious dialogue by considering how the varied beliefs of the world’s religious traditions inform our understanding of our own tradition. This volume explores indigenous religions, Sikhism, Confucianism, and Daoism, in particular.




Finding God among Our Neighbors


Book Description

Students of theology live in a world defined by interreligious dialogue. This supplemental theology text prepares students for the real task of understanding and articulating their Christian beliefs in a religiously and culturally diverse world. Concentrating on the anchoring subjects of God, creation, and humanity, she explores these loci in the broader context of interreligious dialogue with Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, and Islam to better understand the Christian tradition.




Connections: Year A, Three-Volume Set


Book Description

Designed to empower preachers as they lead congregations to connect their lives to Scripture, Connections features a broad set of interpretive tools that provide commentary and worship aids on the Revised Common Lectionary. This nine-volume series offers creative commentary on each reading in the three-year lectionary cycle by viewing that reading through the lens of its connections to the rest of Scripture and then seeing the reading through the lenses of culture, film, fiction, ethics, and other aspects of contemporary life. Commentaries on the Psalms make connections to the other readings and to the congregation's experience of worship. This set contains all three volumes for Year A. Connections is published in partnership with Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. This eBook set contains Year A, volumes 1, 2, and 3.




What is God's Revelation?


Book Description

History is full of people who have claimed they came from God or bore messages from God, such as Confucius, Buddha, Bahaullah, Muhammed, Jesus, and many others. Buddhists believe in the wheel of reincarnation to reach nirvana or nothingness. Hindus believe God reveals Himself through various avatars. Muslims believe Muhammed is the final prophet and Jesus is not the Son of God. Orthodox Jews deny Jesus as the Messiah. Christians believe Jesus fulfilled the Messianic prophecies and is the Son of God. Atheists deny God’s existence altogether! These belief systems cannot all be true, so how can we know who is telling the truth? Promoting religious literacy is crucial to addressing the devastating impact of false religions. Religious literacy enables individuals to critically evaluate different belief systems, recognize the signs of manipulation, and differentiate between genuine spiritual teachings and false ideologies. Find out how to determine whether there is a God and which faith is telling the truth in this book, which applies a litmus test to seek God’s revelation to humanity through His prophets and prophecies.




Connections: A Lectionary Commentary for Preaching and Worship


Book Description

Designed to empower preachers as they lead congregations to connect their lives to Scripture, Connections features a broad set of interpretive tools that provide commentary and worship aids on the Revised Common Lectionary. This nine-volume series offers creative commentary on each reading in the three-year lectionary cycle by viewing that reading through the lens of its connections to the rest of Scripture and then seeing the reading through the lenses of culture, film, fiction, ethics, and other aspects of contemporary life. Commentaries on the Psalms make connections to the other readings and to the congregations experience of worship. Connections is published in partnership with Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.




Holy Envy


Book Description

The renowned Christian preacher and New York Times bestselling author of An Altar in the World recounts her moving discoveries of finding the sacred in unexpected places while teaching world religions to undergraduates in Baptist-saturated rural Georgia, revealing how God delights in confounding our expectations. Christians are taught that God is everywhere--a tenet that is central to Barbara Brown Taylor's life and faith. In Holy Envy, she continues her spiritual journey, contemplating the myriad ways she encountered God while exploring other faiths with her students in the classroom, and on field trips to diverse places of worship. Both she and her students ponder how the knowledge and insights they have gained raise important questions about belief, and explore how different practices relate to their own faith. Inspired by this intellectual and spiritual quest, Barbara turns once again to the Bible for guidance, to see what secrets lay buried there. Throughout Holy Envy, Barbara weaves together stories from her classroom with reflections on how her own spiritual journey has been challenged and renewed by connecting with people of other traditions--and by meeting God in them. At the heart of her odyssey is her trust that it is God who pushes her beyond her comfortable boundaries and calls us to "disown" our privatised versions of the divine--a change that ultimately deepens her relationship with both the world and with God, and ours.




A Companion to Comparative Theology


Book Description

This Companion to Comparative Theology offers a survey of historical developments, contemporary approaches and future directions in a field of theology that has experienced rapid growth and expansion in the past decades.




Church After the Corona Pandemic


Book Description

This book explores the church's engagement with worship and theology as a result of the pandemic, especially as it relates to digital worship and the means of grace. Organized around the four-fold pattern of Sunday worship—Gathering, Word, Meal, Sending—this collection of essays provides source material for both theological discernment and practical implementation. Topics include preparing and theologizing worship no matter the modality, engaging the questions of embodiment as related to the incarnation of Christ, and looking at the theology of church in a digital age. Renowned scholars in the field explore how online worship provides for the visibility of the gospel, how to lament and pray in the midst of pandemic and future crises, and how the mission of the church through its worship can continue regardless of physical restrictions. This timely collection appeals to researchers, professionals, and practitioners in the field.




Finding God in the Seasons of Divorce


Book Description

This daily devotional addresses the emotions and difficulties of divorce. While autumn and winter dealt with divorces difficult early days, the promise of spring and summer addresses emerging hope and the reordering of life in a new context. This volume deals with the tough questions of priorities and life directions, as well as haunting issues of the past and inevitable future complications. Author Richard Crooks brings Scripture to bear on the issues and helps the reader explore the possibilities of reconciliation, singleness, or remarriage. The seasonal approach of the book allows readers to identify progress in healing from the trauma of divorce or other loss. Readings may either be done daily or at ones own pace, using the topical index to seek out devotions addressing specific topics and concerns. Writing in warm conversational style, Richard shares his insights and experiences; through them, you can discover that life can move on in healthy and godly ways, while love and joy can be renewed even after a divorce. This book is a powerful resource for those struggling with divorce, and a great tool not only for pastors and counselors, but for any who desire to help a divorcing friend or family member.




Significant Others


Book Description

A generation ago, most Americans had little or no contact with Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, or any other adherents of non- Christian religions. Now our culture is much more pluralistic. In addition to these “others,” many Westerners, disenchanted with Christianity, are more inclined than they were a generation ago to dabble in new spiritual alternatives that were not as readily available here before. Many Christians feel intimidated by these changes. Many Christians don’t know how to engage their newest non- Christian neighbors in conversation, partly because they feel ignorant about the religions practiced by others. Significant Others seeks to fill this knowledge gap so readers will become more acquainted with the religious backgrounds of devout non- Christians they are meeting, as well as with the growing number of American people who claim no religious affiliation at all. Each chapter outlines the major world religions according to their significant founders or leading figures, significant beliefs and practices, significant sects and developments, and significant points of contact and points of contrast with Christian faith.