For The Healing Of The Nations

The doctrine of creation is obviously one of the first things, but it is also one of the last things since the world to come is also, by definition, creation. The simple truth that it is so is incontestable since neither the world to come nor those whose dwelling it is built to be are God. But the way in which this is so is the subject of a long, long debate in Christendom, with the question of whether and in what degree the life to come is continuous with this one. How common is the “thing” in “first thing” and “last thing”? Our answer to this question conditions our answer to many others: the relationship of philosophy to theology, of the church to the saeculum, of the kingdom of Christ to the visible church. This volume brings together the careful investigations of established and emerging historians and theologians, exploring how these questions have been addressed at different points in Christian history, and what they mean for us today. Includes contributions from James Bratt, E.J. Hutchinson, Matthew Tuininga, Andrew Fulford, Laurence O'Donnell, Benjamin Miller, Brian Auten, and Joseph Minich.

How does one forgive an international political transgression as deep as genocide or apartheid? Forgiveness is often conceived of as an element of personal morality, and even at that it is difficult. This book argues that it is also an essential part of political ethics, especially when dealing with collective wrongdoing by political regimes. In the past, a retributive justice demanding prosecution and punishment of all past offenses has kept the international community away from moving on to the next step in regime change. Here, Mark R. Amstutz takes a restorative justice approach, calling for nations to account for crimes through truth commissions, public apology and repentance, reparations, and ultimately forgiveness and the lifting of deserved penalties. The distinctive feature of forgiveness is the balance it strikes between backward-looking accountability and forward-looking reconciliation. The Healing of Nations combines a theory of the role of forgiveness in public life with four key case studies that test this ethic: Argentina, Chile, Northern Ireland, and South Africa. Amstutz uses the hard cases to illustrate the promise and limits of forgiving without forgetting.

"Justo Gonzalez discusses how the Book of Revelation deals with the cultural conflicts of the first century - which were also political and economic in nature. He demonstrates how these conflicts are not so different from those we face today, from the inequities of the global economy to the incivilities of the "culture wars."" "For preachers and pastors, students and Bible study groups, and all those concerned with the message of Revelation today, For the Healing of the Nations is a book of challenge, hope, and reconciliation."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

For the Healing of the Nation offers a serious look at the social and political climate in the United States from a biblical perspective, emphasizing race and "otherness," economics and the environment, and institutional violence (war and capital punishment). An autobiographical thread traces the journey of a white male coming of age in the mid-twentieth-century Deep South as his evolving faith leads him to painful breaks with inherited values and standard views on controversial issues. Critical not only of both major political parties but also of centrist compromises between Right and Left, Russell Pregeant seeks a "forward" position, which he terms "ecocommunitarian," based on biblical values. His musings touch on both southern and American identities and on the nature of the biblical writings and the ways they should and should not be used in contemporary debates. Central to the entire work are discussions of how idolatrous commitments to a culture's prevalent ideologies obscure the essential demands of biblical faith. "Written with conviction, compassion, and clarity, this book is packed with readable information and insights for people concerned about our nation--and who want to understand its politics in terms of biblical perceptions of justice and love. Pregeant not only analyzes but also responds with realistic and practical proposals. Personal stories drawn from his experience of growing up in Louisiana during the civil rights struggle, and sharing his own inner struggles on revenge and the death penalty, enrich the argument and keep its feet on the ground." --M. Eugene Boring, I. Wylie and Elizabeth M. Briscoe Professor of New Testament, Emeritus, Brite Divinity School; author, An Introduction to the New Testament: History, Literature, Theology "Russell Pregeant deftly weaves together personal experience, as a white man raised in the South, with well-researched historical material, intertwined with biblical and theological reflection as they inform a prophetic diagnosis of racial injustice, economic and environmental disparities, and life-destroying systems of violence. In this readable, thought-provoking book, Pregeant demonstrates his love for his nation alongside humility about his own shifting understandings, and offers his insights on how to move forward." --Susan Wolfe Hassinger, Bishop-in-Residence and Lecturer, Boston University School of Theology "Russell Pregeant challenges his readers to read the Bible with new perspectives, addressing key issues in today's society: racism, economic injustices, policies that break the fabric of humanity. His clear and thought-provoking writing calls for a study in the faith formation groups of our churches." --Sudarshana Devadhar, Resident Bishop, New England Conference - United Methodist Church Russell Pregeant is Professor of Religion and Philosophy and Chaplain Emeritus at Curry College in Milton, Massachusetts, and was frequently Visiting Professor in New Testament at Andover Newton Theological School. He is the author of several books, including Reading the Bible for All the Wrong Reasons (2011) and Encounter with the New Testament (2009).

Body, Mind & Spirit / Self-Help This book’s perspective on healing will expand the reader’s vision, beyond the scope of healing as a purely individual and personal matter, to one that spans generations in its scope, crosses racial and cultural barriers and sheds new light on the relationships between victims and perpetrators, be they from governments and regimes, wars, sexual abuse or crime. Payne’s “Orders of Love” describe a natural pattern that has been observed in the practice of Family Constellations--namely, that there is a distinct order stating who belongs and who does not belong, not only in a family system, but also in larger groups such as nations. With its many examples and stories, Payne’s book brings back into belonging those who have been excluded and bridges the gap between the healing of an individual and the healing of family, ethnic and national souls. John L. Payne, also known as Shavasti, has travelled the length and breadth of this globe, firstly in childhood and then in his adult life in search of deeper meaning and experience. His multi-cultural background created a childhood that was spread over three continents and an adult life spent living in Europe, Africa, Central and South America and Asia, with much time being spent in the USA. With the experience of having given more than 400 workshops on 6 continents, you are receiving a wealth of cultural, ethnic and historical experience that makes his work finely tuned for ancestral healing having worked with hundreds of individuals across the globe.

For the Healing of the Nation offers a serious look at the social and political climate in the United States from a biblical perspective, emphasizing race and "otherness," economics and the environment, and institutional violence (war and capital punishment). An autobiographical thread traces the journey of a white male coming of age in the mid-twentieth-century Deep South as his evolving faith leads him to painful breaks with inherited values and standard views on controversial issues. Critical not only of both major political parties but also of centrist compromises between Right and Left, Russell Pregeant seeks a "forward" position, which he terms "ecocommunitarian," based on biblical values. His musings touch on both southern and American identities and on the nature of the biblical writings and the ways they should and should not be used in contemporary debates. Central to the entire work are discussions of how idolatrous commitments to a culture's prevalent ideologies obscure the essential demands of biblical faith.