Take and read

Begbie’s overall project is exploring the place of music in God’s ecology of creation. Along the way, there is much to delight the mind and the ear, including theological reflections on musicians such as Bach, Messiaen and James MacMillan, and musical reflections on theologians such as Luther, Zwingli, Schleiermacher and Barth. Familiarity with Western classical music is helpful for readers of this book, but not essential.

Coming out of the authors’ jointly taught course called Eucharist as Holy Eating, at the Pacific School of Religion, this lively book plumbs the eucharistic traditions of the early church to address contemporary issues from global food politics to torture. Filled with the poetry and testimonies of Christians from around the world, this book reconnects sacraments to eschatology and the quest for justice.

Each of the brief essays in this volume blends autobiography with a model or metaphor of biblical authority and an exploration of its hermeneutical implications. Written by theologians and biblical scholars, including two Jewish authors, these essays are an intriguing source for reflection for preachers and Bible study leaders.

With her characteristic generosity, Johnson surveys a range of new theological currents in the doctrine of God, showing the context in which each idea arose, the theological reasoning behind it, and its implications for spiritual and practical life. Included are chapters on transcendental, political, liberation, feminist, black, Hispanic, interreligious and ecological theologies, followed by a chapter of trinitarian reflections. Suggestions for further reading conclude each chapter.

This wide-ranging volume embraces poetry, interfaith liturgies, ecological readings of biblical and theological texts, and philosophical analyses of our place in the natural world, all in the service of transforming our ecological attitudes and practices.

In this revision and enlargement of an earlier book on divine power, Migliore takes up crucial issues for North American Christians in the 21st century, including images of God’s power in American culture, the exercise of power in the church and Christianity’s relation to Islam. Rich in biblical and theological reflection and written in an accessible style with discussion questions at the end of each chapter, this book is ideal for adult study groups.

Payton provides a sympathetic introduction to Orthodox theology for Western Christians, especially Protestants. His aim is not merely to inform, but also to enrich and deepen Western theological traditions and faith practices.

The contributors address issues of genetic technology from a theological perspective informed by the experience of disability, whether their own or that of persons close to them. They refuse to understand disability primarily in terms of suffering or tragedy, taking as their starting point the conviction that the lives of even those with profound disabilities are worth living and possess “godly possibility.” Through testimony, theological reflection and ethical analysis, the contributors explore the difference that this perspective might make to persons with disabilities and to their larger communities.

Young brings her experience of raising a disabled son and her deep familiarity with the devotional traditions of the early church to an exploration of five movements in biblical spirituality: the desert experience, Jacob wrestling with an angel, the way of Jesus, the experience of being strangers and exiles, the frustration and fulfillment of desires. A short glossary of terms and the identification of early church figures makes Young’s rich reflections widely accessible.