The Love Of Learning And The Desire For God

The postmodern turn in theology reminds us that religion is imaginative before it becomes prosaic or propositional. Theologians are now joining literary critics, novelists and poets in asking the question, "How Do Stories Save Us?" Claiming that the truth of religion, like the truth of its nearest analogue, art, is primordially a truth of manifestation, this book explores the question in constructive conversation with the hermeneutics of David Tracy. With Tracy's analogical imagination as a guide, Scott Holland takes the reader on an intellectual adventure through narrative theology, literary criticism, poetics, ritual studies and aesthetics in the composition of a theology of culture.

In a time when academic theology often neglects the lived practices of the Christian community, this volume seeks to bring balance to the situation by showing the dynamic link between the task of theology and the practices of the Christian life. The work of thirteen first-rate theologians from several cultural and Christian perspectives, these informed and informative essays explore the relationship between Christian theology and practice in the daily lives of believers, in the ministry of Christian communities, and as a needed focus within Christian education. Contributors: Dorothy C. Bass Nancy Bedford Gilbert Bond Sarah Coakley Craig Dykstra Reinhard Hütter L. Gregory Jones Serene Jones Amy Plantinga Pauw Christine Pohl Kathryn Tanner Miroslav Volf Tammy Williams

It’s time to say a good word for the ten o’clock scholar. The recovery of a flourishing academic culture—which is not the same as being a major research center—lies in the recovery of leisure. The heart of this practice is contemplation and Divine worship. It names, furthermore, our lives as being in communion with others, the cosmos, and, ultimately with God. True leisure reconfigures our compartmentalized space and distorted time, allowing us to experience Divine abundance that opens a path to the true restoration of the life of the mind.

Enrich your spiritual practice with a deeper understanding of Hebrew blessing. A Hebrew blessing is a powerful thing—a short, deeply meditative exercise exploring the nature of God and the dynamic relationship between God, human consciousness and the unfolding universe. Written in clear, illuminating prose, this book will guide you through the opening words of a Hebrew blessing—six words which embody the depth of Jewish spirituality—revealing how the letters and words combine to promote joy and appreciation, wonder and thankfulness, amazement and praise. Each word becomes an invitation to discover the Presence of God flowing through even the smallest actions of our lives. Examine the deeper meaning behind: Barukh Ata Adonay Eloheynu Melekh Ha’Olam In the ancient language of the Jewish mystical tradition and the modern language of hasidism, creation theology and psychology, The Path of Blessing brings the words of the Hebrew invocation dramatically alive.