From one of the most authoritative and respected scholars of early Judaism comes this unique history of the central actors in Israel's religious and civil history from after the exile in 538 BCE to the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE.
Writing from a Native American perspective, theologian Tinker probes American Indian culture, its vast religious and cultural legacy, and its ambiguous relationship to the tradition--historic Christianity--that colonized and converted it. He offers novel proposals about cultural survival and identity, sustainability, and the endangered health of ......
The essence of spirituality is loving God, says Powell. The Bible, the Talmud, and the Qu'ran all direct their followers not merely to believe in God, to trust God, to obey God, and to serve God but to love God. Can we learn to love God? In this biblical spirituality for today, Powell's earnest plea is for Christians to revisit their faith not ......
Renowned biblical scholar John J. Collins asks tough questions about the relationship between the portrayals of violence in the Bible and how they have been used throughout history. The Crusaders, Puritans, and abolitionists all used the Bible to justify their use of violence - and this process continues. In light of today's religious and ......
A major challenge for religious communities today lies in harnessing the commitment and energy of religious people to address larger societal issues. Key to such efforts are people who are willing to live and learn ''at the boundaries'' where secular meets religious, public meets private, and subcultures meet each other. ''A way of life on the ......
In recent decades economic dislocation, immigration, new architecture, and other forces have transformed the physical, social, and even religious landscape of large cities. There gleaming skyscrapers tower over struggling ghettos, abandoned businesses mar upscale shopping areas, and tall-steeple churches sometimes languish where storefront mosques ......
An experienced teacher of the prophetic materials provides students with an accessible entre into this fascinating aspect of Hebrew Bible studies. The author begins by asking five basic questions about Israelite prophecy and the prophetic books. Do the prophetic books witness to a real phenomenon of prophecy in Israel? What is the ......
Preaching mediates the word of God into a cultural matrix. And no American preaching has done so more effectively and powerfully than African American preaching, claims noted homiletician James Harris. Known for its rhetorical strength, social-justice orientation, and dead-on connection to the community's lived experience, black preaching is here ......
Gordon Kaufman's bold and highly regarded works over the last thirty years have pushed theologians to examine honestly, if painfully, their most cherished assumptions about God. Now, in this major contribution to the theology-and-science debate, he argues that our traditional thinking about and worship of God have prepared us badly for perhaps the ......
