New Challenges For Christians

Theologians are involved in a wide variety of public committees concerned with ethical issues arising from modern science, and are still holding their own against critics such as Richard Dawkins. It is important that a wide range of people are aware of how to be responsibly involved in these discussions, and to avoid the knee-jerk reactions of fundamentalists.

2008 Catholic Press Association Award Winner! Couples who marry today enter into a relationship that is in many ways more challenging than it was a generation or two ago. The social institution of marriage has experienced almost cataclysmic change. The very foundations of marriage are often questioned. Yet Christian marriage, David Thomas insists, retains a power to transform and sanctify lives. Thomas presents in this second edition of Christian Marriage the same view as he did in his first book: a positive view of Christian marriage grounded in sacramental living. Yet this edition is entirely new as Thomas reflects on how current theological, cultural, and economic perspectives influence and inform Christian marriage. Thus A Journey Together (the subtitle of the earlier edition) becomes The New Challenge. And readers enter with Thomas into a discussion of contemporary concerns such as intimacy and sexuality, gender equality and relational spirituality, and parenting with hope in a world of unknowns. Facing these challenges of marriage, Christian couples will discover ways to meet the one great challenge: to love each other as Christ Jesus has and continues to love us. David Thomas, PhD, is the current co-director of The Bethany Family Institute. For over thirty years he was a Professor of Systematic Theology, Religion, and Family Life at St. Louis University, St. Meinrad School of Theology in Indiana, and Regis University in Denver. Thomas served as a theological consultant to the United States Catholic Bishops ' Committee on Marriage and Family Life. He and Karen, his wife of forty years, are the parents of seven children and seventy-five foster children. He now lives in Whitefish, Montana.

In this volume, on the basis of three consultations which took place in Seoul and Geneva (2016, 2017, 2018), theologians from Yonsei University's College of Theology in Seoul, South Korea, and from the Theological Faculty at the University of Geneva reflect together on three of the main challenges facing Christian theology today. First, questions related to religious pluralism and multiple religious belonging are addressed. Second, the `promise' of an enhanced human being through technology and other means is discussed. Third, the reality of the threat humanity represents to our ecosystem is considered. Each of these themes is examined from a Korean as well as from a Western European perspective, for Christian theology, in our day, can no longer afford to remain limited to its own geographical context.

Questions about the reliability of the New Testament are commonly raised today both by biblical scholars and popular media. Drawing on decades of research, Craig Blomberg addresses all of the major objections to the historicity of the New Testament in one comprehensive volume. Topics addressed include the formation of the Gospels, the transmission of the text, the formation of the canon, alleged contradictions, the relationship between Jesus and Paul, supposed Pauline forgeries, other gospels, miracles, and many more. Historical corroborations of details from all parts of the New Testament are also presented throughout. The Historical Reliability of the New Testament marshals the latest scholarship in responding to New Testament objections, while remaining accessible to non-specialists.

This title tells the story of Katharine Bushnell (1855-1946), a remarkable figure in the history of Anglo-American social reform, women's rights, and feminist theology. A book of history, biography, and historical theology, 'A New Gospel for Women' demonstrates both the promises and perils of Christian feminism - particularly the challenges confronting those today who wish to construct a sexual ethic that is both Christian and feminist, and one suited to the realities of the modern world.

This handbook to the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), written by a renowned religious educator and theologian, invites converts, the clergy, and all those engaged in the catechumenal process to appreciate anew the richness of the Catholic faith. Regis Duffy articulates the requirements for becoming and remaining a full Christian committed to gospel values on every level of life to the building of the Kingdom of God. On Becoming a Catholic is a complete introduction to the essentials of the catechumenal process and clearly relates what the church teaches to its members. Duffy's exposition stresses: - The theology of the Cross as the root of all Christian conversion and formation, and its meaning for individual Christians and parish life - The Word of God as prophetic Word in parish, familial, and personal lives: learning to recognize the Lord in unexpected places of our lives and world, and nurture openness and responsiveness to the Word - How to live and act as one marked by the Cross and the Word of God: participating in a conversion process that profoundly changes our priorities, values, lifestyle, and -- most importantly -- our involvement in worship and sacraments - What it means to be a Christian community: discovering the meaning of the Liturgical Year and the Church's role as teacher - The value of Lenten observance, the meaning of Good Friday, and the centrality of the Easter event as basis for a practical theology of our redemptive need and God's enduring response - How honest Eucharistic participation embodies a renewed sense of personal commitment to Christ and sense of mission and ministry in the community.

Inspired by the person and writings of C.S. Lewis, this book examines pertinent and pressing issues in living the Christian faith today. Experts in their fields share their insights and conclusions.

This volume looks at the history of encounter between the two religions, the types of dialogue that are taking place both locally and nationally, and the hope that conversation brings for better interfaith understanding.