Otherness, the simple fact of being different in some way, has come to be defined as in and of itself evil. Miroslav Volf contends that if the healing word of the gospel is to be heard today, Christian theology must find ways of speaking that address the hatred of the other. Reaching back to the New Testament metaphor of salvation as reconciliation, Volf proposes the idea of embrace as a theological response to the problem of exclusion.Increasingly we see that exclusion has become the primary sin, skewing our perceptions of reality and causing us to react out of fear and anger to all those who are not within our (ever-narrowing) circle. In light of this, Christians must learn that salvation comes, not only as we are reconciled to God, and not only as we "learn to live with one another," but as we take the dangerous and costly step of opening ourselves to the other, of enfolding him or her in the same embrace with which we have been enfolded by God.Is there any hope of embracing our enemies? Of opening the door to reconciliation? Miroslav Volf, a Yale University theologian, has won the 2002 Louisville Grawemeyer Award in Religion for his book, Exclusion & Embrace: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness, and Reconciliation (Abingdon, 1996). Volf argues that exclusion of people who are alien or different is among the most intractable problems in the world today. He writes, It may not be too much to claim that the future of our world will depend on how we deal with identity and difference. The issue is urgent. The ghettos and battlefields throughout the world in the living rooms, in inner cities, or on the mountain ranges testify indisputably to its importance. A Croatian by birth, Volf takes as a starting point for his analysis the recent civil war and ethnic cleansing in the former Yugoslavia, but he readily finds other examples of cultural, ethnic, and racial conflict to illustrate his points. And, since September 11, one can scarcely help but plug the new world players into his incisive descriptions of the dynamics of interethnic and international strife.Exclusion happens, Volf argues, wherever impenetrable barriers are set up that prevent a creative encounter with the other. It is easy to assume that exclusion is the problem or practice of barbarians who live over there, but Volf persuades us that exclusion is all too often our practice here as well. Modern western societies, including American society, typically recite their histories as narratives of inclusion, and Volf celebrates the truth in these narratives. But he points out that these narratives conveniently omit certain groups who disturb the integrity of their happy ending plots. Therefore such narratives of inclusion invite long and gruesome counter-narratives of exclusion the brutal histories of slavery and of the decimation of Native American populations come readily to mind, but more current examples could also be found.Most proposed solutions to the problem of exclusion have focused on social arrangements what kind of society ought we to create in order to accommodate individual or communal difference? Volf focuses, rather, on what kind of selves we need to be in order to live in harmony with others. In addressing the topic, Volf stresses the social implications of divine self-giving. The Christian scriptures attest that God does not abandon the godless to their evil, but gives of Godself to bring them into communion. We are called to do likewise whoever our enemies and whoever we may be. The divine mandate to embrace as God has embraced is summarized in Paul’s injunction to the Romans: Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you (Romans 15:7).Susan R. Garrett, Coordinator of the Religion Award, said that the Grawemeyer selection committee praised Volf s book on many counts. These included its profound interpretation of certain pivotal passages of Scripture and its brilliant engagement with contemporary theology, philosophy, critical theory, and feminist theory. Volf s focus is not on social strategies or programs but, rather, on showing us new ways to understand ourselves and our relation to our enemies. He helps us to imagine new possibilities for living against violence, injustice, and deception. Garrett added that, although addressed primarily to Christians, Volf's theological statement opens itself to religious pluralism by upholding the importance of different religious and cultural traditions for the formation of personal and group identity. The call to embrace the other is never a call to remake the other into one s own image. Volf who had just delivered a lecture on the topic of Exclusion and Embrace at a prayer breakfast for the United Nations when the first hijacked plane hit the World Trade Center will present a lecture and receive his award in Louisville during the first week of April, 2002.The annual Religion Award, which includes a cash prize of $200,000, is given jointly by Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and the University of Louisville to the authors or originators of creative works that contribute significantly to an understanding of the relationship between human beings and the divine, and ways in which this relationship may inspire or empower human beings to attain wholeness, integrity, or meaning, either individually or in community. The Grawemeyer awards given also by the University of Louisville in the fields of musical composition, education, psychology, and world order honor the virtue of accessibility: works chosen for the awards must be comprehensible to thinking persons who are not specialists in the various fields."

    Way more.This booklet is author Godawa’s biblical proof for the narrative he follows in his two best-selling series Chronicles of the Nephilim and Chronicles of the Apocalypse. The Divine Council of the Gods First, Godawa examines the amazing Biblical truth that God has a myriad of divine beings that surround his throne, counsel with God, and carry out his decisions. The Judgment of the Watchers But then God gives the Gentile nations over to be ruled by some of these divine beings, who are also called Watchers.The Watchers rule unjustly and become false gods. As a result God promises to punish them by taking away their immortality. The Inheritance of the Nations And all of this will be accomplished through Messiah, who would take back the nations from the Watchers.But when did all this happen? And where?Get this booklet and you’ll find the answers that will open up a storyline in the Bible that will change your life.

    It offers an in-depth inquiry into the non-rational factor in the idea of the divine and its relation to the rational.

    on non-violence, social policy, integration, black nationalism, the ethics of love and hope, and more.

    A preeminent scholar, writer, and teacher, he has had a profound influence on millions of people. To him, mythology was the "song of the universe, the music of the spheres." With Bill Moyers, one of America's most prominent journalists, as his thoughtful and engaging interviewer, The Power Of Myth touches on subjects from modern marriage to virgin births, from Jesus to John Lennon, offering a brilliant combination of intelligence and wit.

    In the coming years, Hanna would learn the painful truth: after being stripped of their business, forced from their Zuhause (home), and deported to endure six months of inhumane conditions in the Lodz Ghetto, her parents were gassed in a brutally efficient killing operation in a remote forested area near Chelmno, Poland, on May 3, 1942. Written over a four-year period beginning when Hanna was about seventy-five years old, A Garland for Ashes is both a gripping detective story recounting the heartbreaking process of discovering her family’s fate and a poignant account of her journey from vengeful hatred to forgiveness and release from bitterness.

    In many ways, Kasey Van Norman has suffered more heartbreak than one woman can bear.   Growing up, she endured her parents' divorce, date rape, and years of addiction to sex and cutting.   As an adult, she suffered the pain of an emotional affair, rejection by her friends and community, and her mother's death from cancer.   But at the end of this twisting path of heartbreak, Kasey walked out of the wilderness and into a place of God's merciful and miraculous healing.  In Named By God, Kasey shares her story of God's infinite grace and compassion so that other women might learn from her experience and grow in their own relationship with God.

     When was the last time you felt true Christmas wonder? Does reading the traditional story invoke bored sighs instead of astonished gasps? What if we could hold a candle to history’s frosted window and peer into the past? In Remarkable Advent, Shauna Letellier drapes the fabric of imagination over the framework of Scripture, and the Christmas story comes to life. Through the window, you’ll see Mary readjust the knot on her belted waist. You’ll long to comfort Joseph as he wrestles with what seems to be a terrible nightmare. Twenty-five daily readings include Scripture, an imaginative retelling of the moments leading to Christ’s birth, a devotional reflection, and a prayer. You will discover it has always been God’s intention to use ordinary people—like you and me—to fulfill his extraordinary plan. The story of Christmas is proof.

    In concise, easily understood prose, James W. Sire explained the basics of theism, deism, naturalism, nihilism, existentialism, Eastern monism and the new consciousness.The second edition was updated and expanded to include sections on Marxism and secular humanism, as well as a completely reworked chapter on what is now widely known as New Age philosophy rather than new consciousness. And the third edition offered further updating and revisions, including a thoroughly revised chapter on New Age philosophy and, perhaps most importantly, a new chapter on postmodernism.Now the fourth edition refines the definition of worldview itself, incorporating Sire's thinking and teaching during the past decade. (His recent work is showcased in a new book, Naming the Elephant, also published by IVP.) The Universe Next Door has been translated into several languages and has been used as a text at over one hundred colleges and universities in courses ranging from apologetics and world religions to history and English literature. With the publication of the fourth edition, this book will continue to aid students, teachers and anyone who wants to understand the variety of worldviews that compete with Christianity for the allegiance of our minds and hearts.

    Here he traces the broad sweep from Exodus to Kings to Jeremiah to Jesus. He highlights that the prophetic vision and not only embraces the pain of the people but creates an energy and amazement based on the new thing that God is doing.

    Paul’s influence upon the early church’s most cherished convictions is so clear and powerful that some scholars have dared to describe him as the founder of Christianity. Paul had a greater impact on the formation of the Christian church than any other apostle. He wrote thirteen of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament so that nearly half of the New Testament documents bear his name. Although some of Paul’s letters are brief compared to other New Testament books, his epistles compromise approximately one-fourth of the total volume of the New Testament. Approximately sixteen chapters of the Book of Acts focus on Paul’s persecution of the church, conversion, missionary labors, arrest and imprisonment. When these chapters are combined with Paul’s letters, Paul may be recognized as the author or subject of nearly one-third of the New Testament. Paul was not only the most effective Christian missionary and church planter in history, but also the most significant and influential interpreter of Jesus’ teachings and of the significance of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and return. This book introduces readers to this amazing man and his incredible story. It explains the background of each of Paul’s letters and offers a summary of the beliefs of one of the keenest theological minds in the history of the church. All along, it enables the reader an opportunity to step into the world of Paul with over 150 photos, maps, illustrations, and charts.

    - Buddha, Confucius, and the prophet Daniel all lived at the same time?- While the Sheng Dynasty was flourishing in China, Moses was leading the people out of Egypt during the Exodus?- The first recorded Olympic games in Greece were held at the time of Jonah?- Greek historian Homer lived during the time of Isaiah, Amos, and Micah?- Mt. Vesuvius erupted and buried Pompeii during the apostle John's lifetime?- The earliest forms of writing are dated 1000 years before Abraham?Colorful photos and illustrations. 10 pt. type makes it easy to read.

    Full-color photographs and illustrations help recreate the world, the mood, the people and the events of the early years of faith.

    Struggling to keep up with the large numbers of names, dates, and places presented to them, it is easy for students to lose sight of the big picture, the broad sweep of movement and change that instructors most wish to communicate. Justo Gonzalez has written this book to help students gain just such a quick and basic grasp of the main periods and issues in the history of Christianity. Drawing upon his own extensive experience and that of others, he contends that having been introduced to the essentials of church history in a brief and accessible form, students are far better able to understand and appreciate what they encounter in more detailed lectures and reading. Gonzalez provides a comprehensive opening chapter that summarizes major issues and concerns of each of the principal eras of church history. Subsequent chapters focus on the ancient church, the Christian empire, the Middle Ages, the Reformation, the seventeenth through nineteenth centuries, and the twentieth century and the end of modernity.

    This essential Daily Scripture Reading and Meditation tool will help you to experience God's healing in your body if you are sick and enable you to continually walk in divine health - starting with 31 Key portions of Scripture featured in full text in 4 popular translations (The King James Version, The Message, The Amplified Bible and The New American Standard Bible).It includes my personal testimony in the introduction, a note of encouragement,what is scripture meditation and the benefits of scripture meditation.From Day 1 to Day 31 you have your Daily Scripture Readings in 4 translations, Thought for Today and Prayer for today! There is one set of Biblical Meditation Tips that has been included on each day's page for ease of reference.This kindle book has been written to provide the motivation,framework and confidence you need to begin and continue the journey of healing and health using scripture.It works for every kind of disease and sickness including cancer!