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A Dangerous Mind is a celebration of the ideas and influence of Delbert L. Wiens. It contains tributes to him, essays inspired by him, and some of his unpublished works. This effort has been brought together by his students, colleagues, and friends at the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of his "New Wineskins for Old Wine," which hoped to guide the Mennonite Brethren as they faced the challenges of modernity--it has proven useful for other denominations facing similar transitions. This year also marks the sixtieth anniversary of Delbert's foundation of the Mennonite mission in Vietnam. In addition to celebrating his ideas and influence through our writing, we have also endeavored to capture the spirit of his work through art illustrating each section of this volume.

This volume of correspondence contains exchanges written between Lloyd Cline Sears (1895-1986) and Pattie Hathaway Armstrong (1899-1977), two influential leaders in early educational efforts of the Churches of Christ. Spanning the years 1915 to 1921, the letters document their writers' romance, but they are more than simply love letters. They also express an educational philosophy and an understanding of Christian purpose as inspired by the Stone-Campbell Movement and held in tension with the intellectual and social ferment of the times. Posts from family members J. N. and Ida Woodson (Harding) Armstrong as well as from Pattie Cobb Harding, wife of James A. Harding, augment those of the principle authors. Their correspondence allows rare access to privately expressed thoughts of men and women attempting to live as Christian educators at the outset of an uncertain and rapidly changing twentieth century. The letters also offer lessons for contemporary American Christians in these even more volatile times.

Beginning with the Psalms and adding the distilled wisdom of years of study and writing, Martin Marty offers a meditation marked by insight, strength, and a sure, sober faith. Throughout A Cry of Absence, he pursues the metaphor of the "winter of the heart." Marty bases his concept of the wintry way to God on a passage from the theologian Karl Rahner, describing a "wintry sort of spirituality." It refers to movement toward faith that grapples with pain, uncertainty, evil, loss, and the mystery of death to discover "hope on the winter-fallow landscape."

What is the place of corporate worship in theological education? Certainly it is not unexpected to have ministry students attending seminary chapel, but what are the expectations for the students who attend chapel? Is it to form their liturgical sensibilities into conformity with a particular worship tradition or style? Or is it to provide a safe place to try things that one would be reluctant to experiment with in congregational worship? Although common worship for ministry students is almost a given in all theological schools, there are few common understandings about it goals and purposes.Common Worship in Theological Education is the first book to address the theological, pedagogical, and political issues involved in the planning and execution of seminary chapel. It offers voices from across the theological and ecumenical spectrum about chapel, as well as involving multiple disciplines in the conversation. This volume provides the first comprehensive survey of the worship issues at stake in seminary education today. The essays in this collection provide the foundation for a productive conversation within a seminary faculty or among colleagues within a theological discipline. This volume makes the case that the chapel ought to have a seat at the table when the education mission of a theological school is being discussed. So pull up a chair and prepare for a fascinating conversation.

The church monster--according to Bixby--is the personification of ""a wide variety of problems which have arisen in local churches as a result of the heightened levels of conflict and anxiety with which they are dealing."" His goal is to help pastors--as well as laity--to challenge the church monster by dealing with conflict and working through issues that are causing stagnation, early dismissal of pastors, and other discord that detracts from the mission and vision of the church.Bixby invites churches as well as shows them how to be open to the genuine and exciting possibilities that emerge from two core principles: downsizing and centralizing church government and developing a radical commitment to congregational decision making. This means fewer meetings, more ministry and less conflict, more community. He also offers fresh new ways for churches to function so that mission and ministry can once again become priorities, and people can begin to feel their time and energy are being used for something other than adding fuel to the fire of conflict within the congregation.""If Bixby is right, when people complain about 'organized religion,' they're really complaining about 'over organized' or 'poorly organized' religion. If that diagnosis rings true, savor the wise and practical insights offered in this helpful, needed, concise, and well-written book.""--Brian McLaren, pastor, speaker, and author of The Secret Message of JesusDouglas J. Bixby earned an MDiv degree from North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago. He is the pastor of Salem Covenant Church in Washington Depot, Connecticut.

Description:This new edition of Daniel Berrigan's classic autobiography To Dwell in Peace, with a new afterword by the author, takes us through his childhood in Syracuse; his early years as a Jesuit, teacher, priest, and poet; his bold 1968 Catonsville Nine action, when he poured homemade napalm on draft files in opposition to the U.S. war on Vietnam; and his ongoing civil disobedience, which led to his going underground and subsequent two-year imprisonment. We read of friends like Thomas Merton, Dorothy Day, William Stringfellow, and his brother Philip Berrigan, with whom he participated again in the 1980 Plowshares Eight disarmament action. Daniel Berrigan's breathtaking story and the poetic way he tells it inspire and challenge us to resist war, pursue nuclear disarmament, and undertake a similar journey to peace, hope, and justice. Endorsements:""A powerful and poetic account of Berrigan's life and work, as well as a prophetic call to go forth in faith striving towards the long promised blessing reserved for peacemakers.""--Martin Sheen, actor and activist ""Daniel Berrigan is a poet and prophet for these times. This autobiography offers a compelling look at his own life, the fertile ground from which Daniel Berrigan's timely word has come. The courage, the clarity, and the persistence of that word bear compelling witness to his vocation as a messenger of the Word of God.""--Jim Wallis, editor of Sojourners magazine""A masterpiece, a literary work of art and a document of historic value.""--John Dear, Jesuit activist and author, in the foreword to this new edition About the Contributor(s):Daniel Berrigan is an internationally known voice for peace and disarmament. A Jesuit priest, award-winning poet, and the author of over fifty books, he has spoken for peace, justice, and nuclear disarmament for nearly fifty years. He spent several years in prison for his part in the 1968 Catonsville Nine antiwar action and later acted with the Plowshares Eight. Nominated many times for the Nobel Peace Prize, he lives and works in New York City.

Exploring and Engaging Spirituality for Today's Children: A Holistic Approach answers questions about the most effective ways to help children, pre-teens, and teens develop spiritually. This collection of research gleaned from presentations during the Fourth Triennial Children's Spirituality Conference at Concordia University in 2012 is divided into four major sections: (1) theological and historical foundations, (2) engaging parents and congregations, (3) engaging methodologies, and (4) exploring children at risk, child pornography, social justice, intercultural diversity, and abstinence education. Researchers acknowledge that the home is the foundation for Christian nurture. In Exploring and Engaging Spirituality for Today's Children, both scholars and ministry leaders come together with parents to promote a holistic environment where children are encouraged to love, respect, and obey God. From birth to high school, children's voices resonate throughout these studies as they are invited to share their reflections and experiences. Exploring and Engaging Spirituality for Today's Children is a lively, easy-to-read collection that reflects a broad range of faith traditions and is ideal for all those who are committed to the spiritual development of children.

This book offers a way to engage with the Bible as a set of sacred texts that can serve as a song sheet for believers in exile-those people Bishop John Shelby Spong calls the ""church alumni association."" This includes those internally displaced persons of faith who have not yet become spiritual refugees but who feel the pressure to conform to traditional expressions of faith that no longer serve as springs of living water for the journey of life.These ancient texts come from another world and another time, but they can serve as maps for the journey of life. They can best do this when the sacred wisdom of the Bible is accepted as permission to voice the new questions we face today in the confidence that authentic faith has always required such boldness. Religious progressives are people who live the questions, not dodge them. Our task is not to guard a set of traditional answers, but to live life boldly, taking risks for God's sake and our own. One of the hallmarks of this book is that the problems posed by the Bible are acknowledged. In particular, the contributions of recent critical scholarship are embraced, rather than being ignored or neutralized by pious ambivalence.The intended reader of this book is not a traditional believer, secure in her assumptions about God and salvation, but someone struggling to live with integrity in a time when traditional religion seems increasingly irrelevant. The goal is not to persuade the reader that the Bible is credible but-more modestly-to offer an account of the Bible that may encourage religious progressives to reclaim the Bible as a valued part of our spiritual baggage.

Professional ministers and their work as church leaders have dominated church and pastoral ministry studies. Lay ministry studies have been neglected. In the local church, lay ministries are often defined solely by their voluntary service in the local church, and even then are regarded as secondary to the work of the professional minister(s) leading the local church. This study proposes that the word "minister" should be applied to all believers and that professional ministers and their ministries should serve the larger group doing ministry: the laity. Lay ministry should not be understood only as that service done in the local church, but should be understood as a call received and obeyed by the laity to "do the work of ministry" in their work places and their neighborhoods, as well as their local churches. Following Amos Yong's theology of disability and the formation of the L'Arche communities found throughout the world, this God's Empowered People will show how the local church can welcome all in Christ's name into a community of the Spirit in which people are loved and respected for who they are. From such a welcoming, loving, and respectful community can come people of varying abilities who discover their special gifts of ministry, then take their gifts into the work world, market place, and neighborhoods to "do the work of ministry" in Christ's name. They will be able to go places and do things no professional minister could go or do, yet still need the professional minister to help prepare them to "do the work of ministry." Thus, professional and lay ministries are not competitive but complementary. In such a community of professional and lay ministries operating cooperatively, all have the opportunity to express wisely their gifts in their arenas of calling and influence.

The Lord's Prayer has nurtured Christians throughout the ages. Yet today it is oftenwell known--but little understoodfrequently repeated--but seldom contemplatedmuch loved as Jesus's model prayer--but attacked by some for naming God ""Father.""Martin Luther said, ""To this day I am still nursing myself on the Lord's Prayer like a child and am still eating and drinking of it like an old man without getting bored with it."" The Lord's Prayer can still offer such nourishment.

After the Gulf War and amidst the ongoing peace process, this timely book speaks to the need to address the deeper issues of Israel and Palestine--issues that concerned Jews, Arabs, and Christians must face if the legitimate rights of the Palestinians and the moral integrity of the State of Israel are to survive the rush to a new world order in the Middle East.

How does one determine the readiness of any candidate for leadership in ministry? Whether considering vocational ministry leadership or a position on a local board of elders or deacons, without question, knowledge and skills are essential. But an individual's readiness for leadership and ministry cannot be assessed solely on the basis of academic transcripts or impressive statistics found in a pastor or lay leader's annual report. While embracing knowledge and skill as essential to effective leadership and ministry, the author demonstrates how these dimensions are inadequate unless rooted in that which is less quantifiable, namely, heart-readiness. But what does heart-readiness entail or look like in the life of a leader in ministry? In a word that is grossly overused and profoundly misunderstood, love--and more specifically, love for the right things, in the right way, for the right reasons. This book is intended for those being trained in the bible college or seminary classroom but also for lay leaders already engaged in virtually any ministry context as well. Readers are encouraged to consider and cultivate four essential loves: love for God's Word, for Christ's church, for one's neighbor, and for oneself.

Not Weary of Well Doing is a collection of essays penned by people interested in educating primarily European church leaders, theological educators, and missionaries as well as other Christian leaders from around the world. All of the authors are related to the ministries of Tyndale Theological Seminary, the Netherlands. This book is in honor of missionary scholar and colleague, Dr. Cecil W. Stalnaker, for his lifetime of Christian service in Europe. Each of the articles is related to the work of missions or local church ministry. Most of the authors have many decades of experience primarily as missionary professors throughout Europe as well as pastoral ministry experience in Europe and North America. Local church leaders and cross-cultural workers especially will find this a worthwhile addition to their personal and school libraries.

Not a reference tool, this unique work is a teaching-learning guide to studying the earliest Gospel. The focus is on showing how rather than on telling what. "Maps" followed by leading questions and statements help both faculty and students to see how the Evangelist adopted and adapted his sacred texts (as well as Jewish and Greco-Roman resources) in light of his convictions about and experience of Jesus. Noticing the dominance of words and themes leads one to discover the primary concerns of the Author and his readers. Observing how St. Mark internally arranged his materials provides a clue as to the kind of work it is and how it was meant to function.

How might women in the Bible tell their stories if they were prompted to do so by Eve Ensler's controversial play, The Vagina Monologues? This collection imagines some answers to that question. The monologues herein are written by a variety of authors, including scholars, undergraduates, clergy, and laywomen; the content of the narratives reflects this variety, being at times faithful or irreverent, tragic or even funny. All seek to give twenty-first-century voices to women in canonical texts--including the Hebrew Bible, Deuterocanonical books, and New Testament--who are often speechless, nameless, or otherwise marginalized. Not for the faint of heart, these monologues not only end the silences but also add flesh and bone to characters whose experiences have too easily been justified, metaphorized, or altogether ignored. By naming the torn places in these women's stories, this volume invites readers to encounter both the biblical characters and their contemporary interpreters with an attitude of compassionate listening. Our hope is that such compassionate listening may contribute not only to more just readings of sacred texts, but also to the mission of Eve Ensler and V-Day to end global violence against women and girls.

The Reformed tradition of worship in England has given the English-speaking world the Westminster Directory for the Public Worship of God, and the hymns of Isaac Watts. In this collection of essays, scholars and ministers who are inheritors of this tradition re¿ect on the continuities, innovations, and tensions in Reformed worship and their lived expression in contemporary church life. Among the tensions explored is that between order and freedom in worship, and the bold contention is made that "ordered freedom" is the scriptural mark of the church's worship and the character of all good liturgy, for "order is love in regulative operation" (Anglican- Reformed International Commission). This collection of essays on the theology, history, and practice of Reformed worship also includes examples of psalmody, liturgy, and a sermon.

R. S. Thomas (1913-2000) was a major poet of the twentieth century. He was respected by luminaries of the literary establishment, recognized with numerous awards, and nominated for the Nobel Prize in 1996. Thomas was also a priest of the Anglican Communion who wrestled ceaselessly with problems of faith and doubt in his poetry. John G. McEllhenney makes R. S. Thomas' poems, ministry, and irascible character come brilliantly alive in his new book, A Masterwork of Doubting-Belief: R. S. Thomas and His Poetry. McEllhenney, who developed a personal relationship with Thomas during the last decade of the poet's life, draws on his conversations and correspondence with Thomas, as well as his experiences as a clergyman and lover of poetry, and offers readers a unique experience that is part biography, part appreciation, and part religious meditation.A Masterwork of Doubting-Belief is an important new contribution to our understanding of R. S. Thomas and an inspiring source of insights for all who struggle with their faith!

The concept and institution of priesthood in the Catholic Church has been the subject of serious challenge not only since the time of the Protestant Reformation but also, more recently, from within the Catholic Church, as the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) and theologians afterward have reconsidered the place and function of priests in relation to both bishops and laity. In dialogue with those challenges, and by means of research into Scripture and the theological tradition--patristic, medieval, and modern--the author of this book considers classic images of priests and priestly ministry as a way of recovering an understanding of the priesthood that is at once both biblically and theological sound.

From Story Interpretation to Sermon Crafting was written by a preacher for preachers who have to deal with the competing demands of pastoral ministry. It takes some of the gains of the last seven decades of the literary approach to Scripture and applies them to a vital aspect of pastoral ministry--preaching. The book presents a text-centered and theological approach to analyzing Old Testament narratives. This approach lays a solid basis for interpreting the narratives, and demonstrates that the movement from examining the text to crafting the sermon is a continuous process. Making use of many examples based on narrative passages from the Old Testament that facilitate grasping the methodology, this approach to sermon crafting is rooted in the text, shaped by the text, and is characterized by sound and controlled exegesis. It provides the pastor with an approach that enables Old Testament historical narrative to speak to Christian believers in contemporary society in a way that addresses the issues, concerns, and struggles faced by the church and Christians. The writer to the Hebrews says of righteous Abel, "though he is dead, he still speaks" (11:4). Similarly, these ancient stories do speak and can still speak today. To make them heard effectively and relevantly is the purpose of the book.

American Theological Inquiry (ATI) reaches thousands of Christian scholars, clergy, and other interested parties, primarily in the U.S. and U.K. The journal was formed in 2007 by Gannon Murphy (PhD Theology, Univ. Wales, Lampeter; Presbyterian/Reformed) and Stephen Patrick (PhD Philosophy, Univ. Illinois; Eastern Orthodox) to open up space for Christian scholars who affirm the Ecumenical Creeds to contribute research throughout the broader Christian scholarly community in America and the West.The purpose of ATI is to provide an inter-tradition forum for scholars who affirm the historic Ecumenical Creeds of Christendom to constructively communicate contemporary theologies, developments, ideas, commentaries, and insights pertaining to theology, culture, and history toward reforming and elevating Western Christianity. ATI seeks a critical function as much or more so as a quasi-ecumenical one. The purpose is not to erase or weaken the distinctives of the various ecclesial traditions, but to widen the dialogue and increase inter-tradition understanding while mutually affirming Christ's power to transform culture and the importance of strengthening Western Christianity with special reference to Her historic, creedal roots.""Theologians, would-be theologians, and the theologically attentive will want to check out American Theological Inquiry.""~ Richard John Neuhaus (1936-2009), First ThingsGannon Murphy holds a PhD in Theology from the University of Wales, Lampeter, and an MA in Theological Studies from Bethel Theological Seminary. He is the author of Voices of Reason in Christian History: The Great Apologists, Their Lives and Legacies.

This book brings together twelve essays on a wide and rich range of topics, discussions and methodologies in African theology today. Even the book's limitations provide an insight into the situation: its variety also indicates the absence of comprehensive and sustained discussion flowing from the economic and institutional limitation of Africa where research in theology is often beyond the means of many theologians. Then there is the difficulty of staying abreast of continually changing contexts and events in Africa itself. For all of these reasons then, a compelling introduction to a dynamic analysis and conversation.

Originally published: New York: Paulist Press, 1992.

Modern critical scholarship has concluded that the books of the Hebrew Bible have not reached us in their original form but are the products of lengthy evolution. Many of these books are thought to combine the works of more than one author or age and to have undergone considerable revision.Tigay and the other contributors use comparisons of various texts from ancient Mesopotamia and post-exilic Israel. Such comparisons show that the sort of development of biblical literature that nineteenth-century critics were led to postulate from close study of the texts alone is characteristic of many ancient Near Eastern texts.Empirical Models for Biblical Criticism is of value to scholars interested in the Old Testament, as well as religion, theology, Jewish studies, Near Eastern studies, and comparative literature.""It is sometimes said that little new is offered in source criticism and many studies seem exercises in reductions toward absurdity. This collection is a clear exception. It examines ancient Mesopotamian, biblical, and postbiblical texts that have come down in several versions of different dates, as analogues for what source criticism proposes were the processes of development leading to formation of segments of the Hebrew Bible as well as the criteria employed to reconstruct this process and its stages. . . . This is a substantial contribution to a discussion much in need of one.""--Religious Studies Review""[This book] is undoubtedly a useful contribution to biblical criticism. It provides new insights into the growth of the tradition and a stimulus to further studies along these lines.""--The Expository TimesJeffrey H. Tigay, the editor, is Ellis Professor of Hebrew and Semitic Languages and Literature at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also the author of Deuteronomy (The Jewish Publication Society Torah Commentary, 1996).

"The following essays were among those presented in June 1983 at a consultation on hermeneutics and systematic theology convened by The Institute of Mennonite Studies in Elkhart, Indiana. Participants came from Canada and the United States. They represented the three largest Mennonite groups in North America." -- From the Introduction

Close our eyes and most of us can recite the Lord's Prayer by heart. It is as familiar as childhood memories. In some church traditions, we say the prayer together nearly every week, as a community standing before God. We call on those so familiar words and the comfort and direction they offer. The comfort that God is holy, that his kingdom is coming, that he provides just enough, and that he can protect us from ourselves and from evil. The direction that we are to worship him, that we are part of this kingdom-coming work, that we have the discipline of forgiveness as almost a daily task, and that we are vulnerable to temptation, so being on guard is a fine idea.The Wycliffe College faculty featured in this book take the Lord's Prayer line by line and excavate it for its forgotten meaning and its neglected treasure. Each brief essay, pondering each line of this foundational prayer, guides us more deeply into the very things the Lord's Prayer requests: a sense of God's holiness, a sense of our own truest selves--broken and redeemed--and a glimpse of his kingdom, coming.