Though it is intensely personal, he decided to publish it in the hope that some of those who sit on the mourning bench for children would find his words giving voice to their own honoring and grieving. What he learned, to his surprise, is that in its particularity there is universality. Many who have lost children have written him. But many who have lost other relatives have done so as well, along with many who have experienced loss in forms other than the death of relatives or friends. The sharply particular words of Lament, so he has learned, give voice to the pain of many forms of loss. This book, Lament For A Son, has become a love-song. Every lament, after all, is a love-song. Will love-songs one day no longer be laments?

    Prepared by some of the world's leading scholars, the series provides an exposition of the New Testament books that is thorough and fully abreast of modern scholarship yet faithful to the Scriptures as the infallible Word of God.

    Christians of all stages will feel as if they have entered the gallery of a great portrait painter.

    They are not leaving their churches and getting other jobs. Instead, they have become "a company of shopkeepers, and the shops they keep are churches." Pastors and the communities they serve have become preoccupied with image and standing, with administration, measurable success, sociological impact, and economic viability. In Working the Angles, Peterson calls the attention of his fellow pastors to three basic acts--which he sees as the three angles of a triangle--that are so critical to the pastoral ministry that they determine the shape of everything else. The acts--prayer, reading Scripture, and giving spiritual direction--are acts of attention to God in three different contexts: oneself, the community of faith, and another person. Only by being attentive to these three critical acts, says Peterson, can pastors fulfill their prime responsibility of keeping the religious community attentive to God. Written out of the author's own experience as pastor of a "single pastor church," this well-written, provocative book will be stimulating reading for lay Christians and pastors alike.

    Taking this viewpoint, he combines trenchant analysis--and practical insight and counsel--for how we should live knowing what we do about God.

    Keeping these sobering aspects of human destiny ever before our eyes, we will be that much less likely to fall into mortal sin and be lost eternally. Gives many facts we should meditate on as we contemplate death. This book has converted numerous Protestants in our day because of its cogent reasons for rectifying our lives. Impr. 223 pgs, PB

    Although the idea of virginity is unpopular and even despised in modern society, Dubay emphasizes that the importance of evangelical virginity is rooted in its Biblical foundation, both in the Old and New Testaments.Examining in detail what the call to virginity is and how it is integrated into the whole of consecrated life, Dubay presents his study in such a way as to be of importance to men as well. Noting that a woman, because of her feminine nature and traits, can image and live the Church's wedded relationship to Christ more realistically, Dubay points out that men with the celibate charism are also members of the virgin Church that is wedded to Christ, just as in the Old Testament the People of God was a virgin bride wedded to Yahweh. The common and distinct elements of male and female consecrated love are fully captured in these pages.

    The Sermon on the Mount answers some of the most pressing questions that every Christian encounters: What is a Christian? Does the law of God still have a place in the Christian life? How can I learn to pray? How can I learn self-discipline?

    The Church's supreme magisterium and representative of the Church's most penetrating theological reflection combine to provide for all the faithful a rich and concise compendium of the Mother of the Redeemer. The development of traditional Marian dogma in the light of the present day bears the Pope's unmistakable personal stamp. The three parts of the encyclical ("Mary in the Mystery of Christ", "The Mother of God in the Midst of the Pilgrim Church" and "Motherly Mediation") draw predominantly from two sources: Sacred Scripture and the central documents of the Second Vatican Council. There is a particular emphasis on ecumenism. What binds all Christians to Mary becomes ever clearer: she is the model of their faith. "Preparing for the advent of the year 2000, the great memorial of Christ's birth, is a fundamental concern of the encyclical. In the liturgy, Advent is a Marian time: the time when Mary made room in her womb for the Savior of the world and bore within her humanity's hope and expectation. Celebrating Advent means becoming Marian, imitating Mary's unconditional Yes which is ever anew the place of God's birth, the `fullness of time'" - Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger

    This volume brings together, for the first time, the addresses given by Dr Lloyd-Jones at the Puritan Studies and Westminster Conferences between 1959 and 1978.

    – Proverbs 15:8Prayer is the key that unlocks all the storehouses of God’s infinite grace and power. All that God is, and all that God has, is at the disposal of prayer; but we must use the key. Prayer can do anything that God can do, and since God can do anything, prayer is omnipotent. No one can stand against the person who knows how to pray, who meets all the conditions of prevailing prayer, and who really prays, and if they are willing to pay the price. The price is prayer, much prayer, much real prayer, prayer in the Holy Spirit.List of ChaptersCh. 1: The Power of PrayerCh. 2: What Definite and Desirable Results Will Definite and Determined Prayer Produce?Ch. 3: What Prayer Can Do for Churches, for the Nation, and for All NationsCh. 4: How to Pray So as to Get What You AskCh. 5: Who Can Pray so as to Get What They Ask?Ch. 6: Praying in the Name of Jesus ChristCh. 7: The Prayer of FaithCh. 8: Praying Through, and Praying in the Holy SpiritCh. 9: Hindrances to PrayerCh. 10: Prevailing Prayer and Real Revival

    Partisans on both sides of charismatic issues are challenged by the even-handed consideration of nuances in the Greek text in these three crucial chapters.

    A major study reevaluating the primary sources of the post-Reformation period to determine how consistent they are with the thinking of the Reformers on theological prolegomena.

    

    Spurgeon answers our questions about faith, such as "What is faith?" "How do I obtain it?" and "Can faith really change my life?" The promise of faith can be yours. Step into a new life and experience the truth and power of real life.

    Martyn Lloyd-Jones turns readers to Psalm 51, which is perhaps the classic statement on repentance in all of Scripture. It not only models the process involved in receiving salvation and forgiveness for sins--from the Holy Spirit's conviction and the sinner's confession to God's cleansing and renewal--but draws a profile of the truly repentant heart."There are certain things that we must realize, we must grasp, we must believe [before salvation can be ours], and the first of these is repentance.... Without repentance there is no knowledge of salvation, there is no experience of salvation. It is an essential step. It is the first step."This moving study gives readers a fuller understanding of the importance of repentance both for the unsaved and for Christians. Enlightening and practical, Out of the Depths is necessary reading for the earnest seeker who wants to take that first step on the road to salvation, and for the troubled Christian desiring to find again the path to a restore relationship with God.

    A study of the structure of Paul's theology of Jesus' resurrection as that doctrine forms the center of Paul's total theology.

    Newman's sermons are as powerful, fresh and challenging today as when he first gave them. The topics he covers are ones central to Christianity and salvation. Newman once again demonstrates his tremendous understanding of human psychology and the temptations and trials that we encounter as Christians in the world. 191 sermons in total. A magnificent work of timeless inspiration and illumination for every generation of Christian readers.

     The central doctrine of Christianity was being undermined and confusion was growing as false teachers attempt to salvage the truth and integrity of the gospel, Paul penned Galatians-a book that would encourage hundreds of generations of Christians to remain steadfast in their faith. While contrasting grace and law, faith and works, Paul defends the theological and practical implications of Christianity and encourages believers- then and now- to live a holy life that bears much fruit. The Mac Arthur Study Guide Series provides a twelve week, verse-by-verse examination of the books of the New Testament.  This revised and updated series continues to be one of the best-selling study guides currently available for individuals or small groups. Features Include:Twelve week studyThought-provoking questionsVerse-by-verse commentarySpace provided for note-taking

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    Canonization was a long and gradual process of sifting through scores of gospels, epistles, and other books that enjoyed local and temporary authority--some of which have only recently come to light. Metzger discusses the external pressures that led to the fixing of the limits of the canon as well as Patristic evidence that bears on the development of the canon, not only in theWest, but also among the Eastern churches. He also considers differences as to the sequence of the books in the New Testament.

    A disciple is someone who has learned to be like the master in essential, spiritual, and moral qualities. It is someone who lives accordingly to the lifestyle taught by Yeshua and his disciples.

    Blomberg makes a comprehensive case for the historical reliability of these texts.

    This book, approved by Synod 1988 of the Christian Reformed Church, contains the Apostles', Nicene, and Athanasian creeds, as well as translations of the Belgic Confession (1985), Heidelberg Catechism (1975, updated 1988), and Canons of Dort (1986).

    A Heart for God book 1.

    In his writings, St Alphonsus never tires of presenting the God who loves beyond anything that we can imagine. His aim is 'to back us into a corner' with such proof of God's love that we will learn to respond spontaneously to the God who calls us friend.St Alphonsus believes that people learn to pray by praying. Instead of long explanations, you will find brief instructions and examples of intimate prayer with God. This booklet treats:* Prayer as friendship with God* Praise for the Gifts of Creation* Praying in the Presence of God* Prayer's for God's Forgiveness* Seeking the Consolation of God* Praying with Confidence in God

    Louis de MontfortFor approximately three hundred years, Le Bon Père de Montfort (The Good Father from Montfort), as St. Louis de Montfort was commonly known, has been identified with a profound and important aspect of Catholic spirituality and doctrine. Thousands of the faithful have found in his example and his teaching a vision of Christian life that is sure, reliable, captivating and challenging in its beauty, its depth, its wisdom and its boldness.Fr. de Montfort was a tireless preacher of the reign of Jesus through Mary who put at the service of his mission all of the richness of his wide-ranging talents as an artist, a writer, a poet, a theologian and a sculptor. He identified himself so closely with the plight of the poor, the forgotten and the cast aside that he was received by them as one of their own. Finding in the Cross of the Savior a treasure of inestimable value, he did not flee from suffering, nor from sorrow or sacrifice, as he understood that nothing so fully unites one with the Lord than the Cross of the rigors of faithful discipleship borne faithfully, lovingly and even joyfully. The key to this ardent and fruitful apostolic life was his surrender of himself into the maternal care of Mary, the great Mother of God. This great secret, the secret of Mary, the secret that leads one to intimate communion with Jesus Christ, the eternal and incarnate Wisdom of God, is the treasure he longs to impart through his writings and there is not a word that he has written which does not hold some aspect of that great treasure within it.This book, then, is a treasury - a treasury of life, of wisdom and of grace. It is such a treasury because its author, St. Louis de Montfort, is one who has been privileged to receive from Our Lady a sharing in the great Treasury that is stored up in her holy and immaculate heart, and it is from this great Treasury that we are given a sharing in and through the writings of the Good Father from Montfort.

    The book now has more than 200 photographs, including many portraits of Bonhoeffer's ancestors and family gatherings, some never before published. Also included are press photos of contemporary events, maps, postcards, newspaper accounts, and posters that set events in his family life against the tumultuous events in church, state, and the international scene. For those who know Dietrich Bonhoeffer (February 6, 1906-April 9, 1945) through his writings or even films about him, this centenary edition will introduce Bonhoeffer the man and circle of family and friends who together with him faced fateful choices.

    Ratzinger outlines the fundamental principles of theology and the proper relationship of theology to Church teaching and authority.

    His Epilogue, a single volume, is the closing of his masterwork, giving final details and overview to the prior volumes in the trilogy.

    Does God elect people because they believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, or does God elect people in order that they will believe in Christ? Much of the disagreement and controversy concerning this doctrine proceeds from a fundamental misunderstanding of what it means.This is why Storms begins his analysis of divine election with an attempt to clarify precisely what is at stake and, at the same time, correct misrepresentations of it. He takes a thorough look at the doctrine as it is presented in Romans 9 as well as the rest of the New Testament. He also explores freedom of will and the order of salvation. Appendixes address Three Problem Passages and Who Can and Cannot Pray for God to Save the Lost?

    From the semitic-aramaic spirituality of the early Church to the Hellenized theological Vision of later centuries, the Syrian tradition offers modern Christians an intensity, insights, and an immediacy rare in the West.

    In the finest tradition of Christian story telling, which dates back all the way to the Lord's parables, this masterfully told tale contains the very heart--the highest truth of the gospel as it pertains to living the Christian life.

    

    Tells in rhyme of God's control of the elements and His loving care of Earth's animals.

    This volume contains 18 sermons that were published in the Arminian Magazine from 1789 to 1792. It also contains 19 sermons that were taken from Wesley's manuscripts.Of all the genres in Wesley's prodigious output, his sermons most clearly focus and expound his understanding of Christian existence. Outler's introduction in the first volume concentrates two decades of painstaking research and thought on Wesley. From this he ably sets the stage for a fuller understanding and appreciation of a major Christian heritage, a heritage which can at last be seen as a whole against the background of its sources.The four volumes contain 151 sermons, including a number recovered from Wesley's manuscripts. These constitute the core of Wesley's doctrinal teachings upon which his own evangelical movement was founded. Following Wesley's own ordering, Dr. Outler begins with the familiar Sermons on Several Occasions, which present Wesley's basic teachings on salvation and form the bulk of the first two volumes in the series. Outler masterfully demonstrates the significance of all the subsequent sermons since they exhibit Wesley's entire approach to the Christian life. Each volume is rich with footnotes that include the identification of quotations, elucidation of references, the tracing of key themes, and vital background information on each sermon. Representing the culmination of twenty years of exhaustive research, it is the purpose of these conclusive volumes to keep alive the growing interest in Wesleyan studies for the entire Christian church.

    

    By applying Rene Girard's scapegoat theory to biblical texts, Schwager offers a revolutionary paradigm of biblical theory.

    for more than forty years. She is the founder of Sarah's Circle, a ministry with the elderly of an inner-city neighborhood. The author shares more intimately than usual in this newest work, offering personal reflections, journal style, on her own development over the last few years as she struggled to hear and respond to a call to build an inner-city residence for elderly women. O'Connor's concern with integrating the inward and outward journeys is certainly not new for her, but her willingness to reveal herself so fully represents a real departure from her earlier writing on this church's corporate story.

    The Vatican translation- excellent.

    

    

    Book annotation not available for this title.

    The bible is, above all other things, a record of God's love for the human race. In its words and through its stories God reveals himself and calls those who hear the word into communion with him. When we first approach the bible, however, we encounter a variety of literary styles -- histories, poetry, sagas, moral advice and visionary productions. There is often a problem of discerning the simple theme of call-and-response in all these styles, or of finding a connection in the bible to our 20th century existence. This book opens the door to the deep message the bible conveys to individual Christians today. Putting aside for a moment questions of doctrine or historical interpretation, it concentrates on the spiritual teaching of the Old and New Testaments. It begins with God's call to humanity and to each of us individually. Then it considers the human adventure of our journey through life. Finally it looks at our ultimate homecoming to the Father. The many references to biblical passages and daily life make this an invaluable book for those who want to know about the bible -- but even more, who want to live it.

    It also stands on its own as a study in pastoral theology.

    A.M. Hodgkin points out where to find Him in every part of Scripture, and shows how these prophecies and parallels will help you to realize Christ's impact on the whole world and in your life.

    

    Joe understood that we are limited in our understanding, constrained by what our eyes have seen and our language can express. 'How can you describe ice to a desert tribe?' he asks. 'Or pineapple to an Eskimo on the Arctic tundra?' Heaven is Joe's profound conversation with his Lord. Joe asks his questions, perhaps the same questions asked by little children and thoughtful parents, by growing teens and adults growing much older. Questions you yourself have probably asked. Joe's answers, based on Scripture, will give you insight for living and, some day, hope for dying. These answers could put life into perspective and give perspective to the end of life. Here is a book for all ages, for all people."

    Today when most people talk about pluralism and really mean dissent and rebellion, von Balthasar shows how genuine variety is both possible and desirable within Catholic unity.

    About the Contributor(s): William Desmond is Professor of Philosophy at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven as well as David Cook Visiting Chair in Philosophy at Villanova University.

    Basic Bible doctrines pertaining to the Gospel are discussed including grace, reconciliation, justification, and sanctification.

    God's names reveal not only different dimensions of His character but also point to their fulfillment in the Person and work of Jesus Christ. This classic study examines the Old Testament names of God and the particular aspect of His character and dealings with man that each reveals. Names of God is a book that will help contemporary Christians better understand the glory, majesty, and power of God. (More than 115,000 in print)

    C. Sproul began his personal search for ultimate truth with these piercing questions: Who are you, God? And why do you do the things you do? In Enjoying God, readers journey with R. C. Sproul to discover the attributes of God through the questions many of us have asked: Where are you, God? Can I trust you, God? and more. In this warm, personal account, Dr. Sproul communicates deep truths in a fresh and easy-to-understand style as he shares his passion to know God and urges the reader to dig deep and seek the God who is alive, who is real, and who loves each one of us.

    

    It was the greatest and last struggle between traditional Catholicism and liberal secularism. To many, religion became the most divisive issue of the war, the single problem that distinguished one fraction from another.The Spanish Civil War as a Religious Tragedy is the first full-length comprehensive study of the religious dimension of the Spanish conflict. Drawing on memoirs, eye-witness accounts, the religious press of the period, and a thorough reading of secondary literature, Jos� M. S�nchez objectively examines the events, issues, attitudes, and effects of the war and corrects the mythology that has grown up around the topic.Especially vivid is S�nchez's account of the anticlerical fury in which nearly 7,000 clerics were killed, thousands of churches burned and destroyed, countless lay-persons assassinated, and the entire cultural ethic of Spanish Catholicism set upon an iconoclastic bloodletting worse than any other in the history of Christianity. The clergy's offering of pastoral and idealogical support to Franco's Nationalists as a response to the fury is also examined. S�nchez then focuses on the complexities of the Basques - an intensely Catholic people who made common cause with the anticlerical Republicans. He explores the Vatican's policy toward both sides, and analyzes the theological and moral controversy over the justice of the war as fought in the journals and the press, both in Spain and abroad. Finally, he investigates the controversies as they affected Catholics in France, England, and the United States, and concludes with an evaluation of the war's impact upon the religious consciousness of Spain, the Church, and the western world.

    Describes Pope John Paul II's theater background, presents translations of his plays, and includes his essays about the nature of drama.

    It is a penetrating examination of man's relationship - both as an individual and in society - with God. For Solovyev, personal religion can only be satisfied in social religion. Private prayer finds its fulfilment in the Church's liturgy, and the Church is the highest expression of man's religious aspirations. Solovyev's mystical understanding of the Church provides the basis for a fundamental analysis of the idea of the state from a Christian viewpoint. Published in 1937, Donald Attwater's translation of God, Man and the Church, which made the work available in the English language for the first time, has become a classic in its own right.

    An invaluable reference work, sturdily bound to last.

    “This study of Ibn-Sina, Maimonides, and Thomas Aquinas on the structure and significance of language about God reminds us that such ecumenical dialogue was immensely productive in the Middle Ages, and the author’s perspective suggests how richly rewarding the renewal of such conversations might be for current philosophy among Jews, Christians, and Muslims.” —Bernard McGinn, Naomi Shenstone Donnelley Professor of Historical Theology and the History of Christianity, University of Chicago Divinity School “Historians, philosophers, theologians, and those concerned with interreligious dialogue will all find this book important.” —George Lindbeck, Pitkin Professor Emeritus of Historical Theology and Religious Studies, Yale University

    

    This edition is planned to consist of thirty-four volumes including all of Wesley's original or mainly original prose works--his letters, sermons, journals and diaries as well as his specifically doctrinal writings. The final volumes will contain a bibliography of the works of John and Charles Wesley and a General Index. The text for this edition represents Wesley's thought in its fullest and most deliberate expression. All substantive variant readings are noted in appendixes, and introductions and footnotes elucidate the text. This volume, containing The Appeals to Men of Reason and Religion, is the first to be published. The aim of Wesley's Appeals was to correct current misconceptions of his movement. In the course of refuting attacks upon himself, Wesley also presented a positive statement of his theological and ecclesiastical position. Yet the attacks continued. This volume contains also his open letters replying to Edmund Gibson, Bishop of Exeter, and to William Warburton, Bishop of Gloucester.

    450 AD - newly translated from the original Greek, Latin, and Syriac. As there are no musical sources of the period, music historians must rely upon remarks about music in literary sources to gain some knowledge of early Christian liturgical music. This volume makes a large and representative collection of the material conveniently available. The passages are arranged chronologically and regionally in eleven chapters with brief commentary. An introduction sets out the major subjects and themes of the original source material.

    

    Book I, concerned chiefly with Gnostic and Jewish Christian groups, deals with material which is also found in Nag Hammadi and other Gnostic writings and in such patristic authors as Irenaeus, Hippolytus et al, and reproduces documents not available elsewhere. Its translation has been found useful by students of Nag Hammadi and Gnosticism, patrologists, historians of religion, church historians, students of Judaism, and the theologically minded public.

    Written over 40 years, this text seeks to: clarify the relation of certain aspects of Jewish thinking and Jewish living to contemporary intellectual movements; and to analyze those trends within Jewish life, which, surrendering to many ideologies, tend to weaken the teachings of Israel.

    For this first time in 80 years, this must-have classic is available in hardcover, bound in sturdy Smyth-sewn binding (not casebound junk) with gold-gilt front-board and spine lettering/decoration on black fields. The 2nd edition includes a complete Scripture index not available in earlier hardcover editions, as well as a new introduction by Prof. R. J. Dykstra of the Protestant Reformed Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

    

    On the one hand, the purpose is to instruct on the methods of argumentation theory. This represents a set of principles, methods, and strategies of argument that have evolved from the time of Ancient Greece. On the other hand, the intent is to teach human relations in argumentative situations, specifically, how to manage interpersonal relations during arguments. Books on argumentation and debate have tended to say little about how arguing can affect the relationship one has with an adversary. How do you prevent harm to a valued friendship, for instance? Moreover, books on interpersonal communication have had little to say about arguing. Instead, the emphasis is on achieving satisfying relations with others. The author shows that recent research makes it clear that argumentation and interpersonal communication are complementary areas of communication. Arguing constructively in informal interpersonal and small group contexts is a skill that can bring about good outcomes. Interpersonal communication instruction on building and maintaining satisfying relations with other people is lacking if it does not deal with how to do this while arguing, especially since argumentative communication probably will occur throughout a relationship. This book has been written to correct what has been perhaps too narrow a focus in the areas of argumentation and interpersonal communication.

    In doing so he analyzes as well as synthesizes, treating both the biblical text and scholarly interpretations of it.

    The first volume (revised edition, 1984) offered an introductory overview of the basic Christian doctrine.Now turning his attention to the individual doctrines, Gabriel Fackre here surveys a spectrum of views on authority -- from inerrantist to experientialist -- and sets forth an alternative perspective along ecumenical and narrative lines. The author's search for a full-orbed position affirms Scripture as the source, the church and its traditions as resource, the world of human experience as setting, the Gospel as substance, and Christ as the center of authority.A detailed analysis of hermeneutical issues is included in the book. The quest for evangelical catholicity leads to a restatement of the fourfold method of scriptural interpretation: common sense, critical scholarship, canonical perspective, and the contextualization process -- personal and social. An extensive exegesis of a key Christological text, John 14:6, illustrates how this method works.

    In the tradition of George Caird's influential biblical studies, each contributor raises new questions whose answers will both advance current discussion and provoke future debate.

    

    Paul Helm shows that instead of dividing life into 'spiritual' and 'secular' compartments every moment of it can be lived fully to the glory of God.

    Dufresne traces the work of the Holy Spirit in this century to major revivals every 40 years, punctuated by fresh moves every 20 years with a ringing warning to catch the new waves of God's Spirit or be left behind.

    G. Dunn. Even fewer are as capable of communicating profound respect for the biblical witness with genuine insight into its complexity and pluriformity. Avoiding easy - and possibly misleading - answers, Dunn offers precise responses to questions about the history behind the Gospels and their consequent trustworthiness; the original scandal presented by Jesus' teaching, and by Paul's; the problem of pseudonymity in the Pauline letters and elsewhere; and what weight should be given to what the Bible itself says about scriptural authority, and to the final shape of the biblical canon. This Second Edition includes new essays on "bridging the gap between the academy and the church," the hallmarks of "good exposition" of scripture, and a concluding chapter on the Bible as living tradition.

    Wonderful paperback, very good reading.

    In this classic work, long unobtainable but now revised with a new introduction, Owen Chadwick traces the development of the notion that change in Christian doctrine was both possible and legitimate. Bossuet in the seventeenth century represented the opinion that Christian doctrine never or hardly changed: Newman in the second half of the nineteenth century saw that its expression necessarily changed in a changing society. This book shows how one opinion changed into the other, and explains the difficulties and tensions behind Newman's attempt to persuade an inherently conservative institution to face reality. In so doing it thus illuminates one vital aspect of the arrival into European thought of a distinct historical sensibility.

    Helmut Thielicke faces the people of today with his own basic questions and offers the Christian faith as a vital answer. Delivered during World War II when one after another Dr Thielicke's meeting places were bombed, the lectures were not aimed at those who were conventional churchgoers and were not accustomed to the language and premises of the church. They were for people who had to be met on their own ground, and then introduced to the Christian faith. Dr Thielicke had a unique gift for finding that 'point of contact' and addressing the Gospel to that point. Every chapter is a model of how to latch on to modern ways of thinking and to make contact with the modern temper. With illustrations which have immediate meaning to men and women of the 21st century, the author brings the Christian affirmation to grips with questions in many areas, among them ethics, politics, the state, wart, atomic power, economics, sex and art. In a valuable epilogue, he sets forth his position with regard to this way of presenting the Christian message. His statement has implications for theological writing, pastoral care, preaching, and any form of proclaiming the Christian faith.

    The Shivastotravali reflects Utpaladeva's philosophy, known as the Pratyabhijna school. And yet it is unique among the author's works in its not being a straightforward philosophical treatise but instead, as Dr. Bailly points out in her introduction, more of a spiritual diary of one who is actually treading the path of Shiva. The path that Utpaladeva has chosen does not require leaving one's home and heading for a mountain cave; instead it calls for changing one's view of the world, for leading a life of divine recognition while carrying on with ordinary life.In clearly written, lucid prose Dr. Bailly illuminates the many facets of Utpaladeva's quest. At the core of his spiritual journey is the enigmatic relationship between devotion and grace: how much does spiritual attainment depend upon the individual's efforts, and how much is a divine gift? And how are these to be realized while living in the midst of society, maintaining worldly obligations and lifestyle?For over a thousand years the Shaiva community of Kashmir has used in its worship the hymns of Utpaladeva's Shivastotravali. Here for the first time these hymns are presented in translation as English verse along with the Sanskrit, a clear and lively introduction, two appendices on special aspects of Kashmir Shaivism, and additional notes.