Camden Theological Library
| What’s NewApril 2021 New books for April 2021 Camden Theological Library has added a number of new books to our collection during the month of April. These books are now available for loan and are currently on display in the Library, near the circulation desk. Several of these books are highlighted below. A full listing of all new items can be viewed here. |
| What Can Love Hope For? : Questions for Faith Seeking Understanding by William Loader This book raises thorny questions about the themes of faith, hope, and love. Is God really like Jesus or was Jesus a temporary exception to the way God usually is? Was there forgiveness before the cross? Will God one day stop loving? What do we do with the fact that the hopes they had for change were not fulfilled? What happened to good news for the poor? Why did some replace it with something else? Does Christian freedom mean we no longer need the Law? Were early responses to rejection always healthy? Does the Bible say all we need to know about sexuality? Broken but beautiful : why church is still worth it by Joseph P. Conway American church participation has plummeted in recent decades. Abuse scandals and hypocrisy hang in the air. Weekly, I talk to friends and neighnors who have left church, even as many still identify as Christians. I get what they’re saying. When I consider the pain that so many have experienced in church life, the body of Christ sure seems broken. It’s no wonder many don’t find church to be worth it. But maybe there’s more to the story. As a child, my family experienced deep crisis. I felt alone and vulnerable. Into that void, the church stepped in. I discovered a family, a people that have my back and forever changed my life. Even now, I see tangible ways the church works for the common good. The church possesses a resilient beauty that continually pushes through the brokenness. If we love Jesus, we have to eventually ask what Jesus loves. Surprising to me at times, Jesus loves the church, despite her brokenness. If we learn to see what Jesus sees, we’ll discover a powerful, often untapped means towards human flourishing. No other social group offers what the church offers. Yes, the church is broken, but there’s more. She’s beautiful. The Fools’ Manual : A Study and Practice Guide for Foolish Church: Messy, Raw, Real, and Making Room by Lee Roorda Schott An early reader of Foolish Church, a layperson, stood up in front of her church and said, “Every church person needs to read this, because we will learn a lot to help us as a church!” She grasped the point of the book: it’s about helping us do church differently. If you’re foolish enough to want to try what Lee shares in Foolish Church, this fools’ manual will help you do so. It offers book and Bible reflections for each chapter, along with practice suggestions that will help you and your church practice being more authentic, more relevant, and more open. You’ll be invited to connect with others, using the hashtag #foolishchurch on social media, so that we all might learn together. After whiteness : an education in belonging by Willie James Jennings A multimodal reflection on the way theological education can foster pluralistic community and resist Western ideals of individualism, masculinity, and whiteness. Cascade companion to evil by Charles Taliaferro A guide to evil from a Christian point of view. In this wide-ranging and concise study, philosopher Charles Taliaferro explores: -the idea that evil is the destruction or privation of what is good -sin -divine commands -redemption from evil -hell and heaven -the problem of evil -and the multiple ways Christians seek to overcome evil with good. Encounters in thought : beyond instrumental reason by Aaron K. Kerr Thinking is a dynamic process resulting from practices of integration. Thought encounters in openness, wonder, receptivity, and contemplation confer upon us intellectual work that is uniquely our own. Digital patterns, however, distract us from these creative encounters. Our intellectual searching is weakened and fragmented by frenetic consumption of information. We miss out on reason’s innate pull toward integration and concrete reality. This book is an invitation to enter into openness, wonder, receptivity, and contemplation with deeper understanding and intentionality. We can do this by considering exemplars, persons who lived out the integrity of their hard-won beliefs. Each process of integration is applied also, so that practical knowledge and practice become a way into this intellectual restoration. We need deeper knowledge won in the slow orbit of encounters. Encounters in thought are precisely what each generation needs to apprehend the cosmos, nature, authority, truth, and moral action. Responsibility to this ecologic age requires a reform of reason; this book is just one attempt to convey a way toward this restoration. Compassion and Respect by John J. Mawhinney This book is primarily for a general audience of persons of good will, regardless of faith or non-faith, as well as for professionals who counsel others on the issues discussed. Written in a simple, straightforward language, it is meant to help people dialogue on acrimoniously divisive issues that divide and undermine our nation—such as abortion, family planning, contraception, in-vitro fertilization (IVF), and LGBTQ issues—through respectful dialogue in public forums (small or large) by searching for mediating middle ground compromises, just as trade and peace negotiators do. No one in the dialogue may be satisfied with the concessions they have to make but they can at least live with them until better solutions are found. Those engaging in such dialogue must be open to understanding where others are coming from, and be respectful of the good-faith consciences of others, and avoiding passing laws that would the consciences of others. Romans : an introduction and study guide : empire and resistance by Sze-kar Wan Sze-ker Wan examines the political ramifications and importance of Paul’s last and longest letter. Wan emphasises Paul’s Jewish identity and argues that he aimed for internal reform in his own tradition and faith rather than inciting revolution and creating a sectarian group, while also selecting symbols and titles from his own ancestral tradition to personify Jesus as a king that stood in direction opposition to the position of the Roman Emperor. Moving from an analysis of Romans, its congregation and its purpose, Wan explores readings of the letter that include the perception of the ideal Israel, the peaceable Israel, the possibility of God’s abandonment and the character of the new community currently being built. He additionally discusses theological themes found within the letter, such as good news, faith and belief and eschatology, while also analysing Romans 13 via the theme of resistance, and in context of societies such as Nazi Germany and the contemporary United States. Wan gives readers new perspective on the defiance woven into Paul’s message, and greater understanding of how the text can fuel defiance of an oppressive regime. Peoples on the Move : Community Research for Ministry and Missions by Anthony F. Casey Peoples on the Move provides pastors, church planters, and missionaries with the tools they need to walk out their door and learn the unique dynamics of their neighborhoods in order to formulate effective strategies for ministry. The book takes a practical approach and contains many examples of how the research is done as well as how community research translates to ministry strategy. It reads like one is walking the streets with the author as he apprentices a new generation of church planters and missionaries. The practice of spiritual direction by William A. Barry Fathers Barry and Connolly see the work of spiritual direction as helping people to develop their relationship with God. In thinking and practice they have absorbed the insights of modern psychotherapy, but have not been absorbed “by” them. This highly practical book reflects the authors’ experience at the Center for Religious Development in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where spiritual direction is available and where directors are trained. Christian egalitarian leadership : empowering the whole church according to the scriptures by Aída Basançon Spencer; William David Spencer Much has been written on servant leadership, but it is not always tied to egalitarian leadership. Sometimes authority and power instead of God’s love are presented as the core of the Christian faith. The church at times derails, imitating worldly culture, emphasizing entitlement that relies on an innate or permanent human hierarchy of rank. Responding to today’s conflict over leadership, Christian Egalitarian Leadership calls us back to its biblical roots: what is Christian egalitarian leadership? Why is it biblical? How does it work? Thoughtful and devout Christian leaders carefully explain how sharing leadership follows God’s intentions and is crucial to implement today. The theoretical and practical ramifications of these concepts are extended to many areas of the Christian life by numerous qualified individuals, women and men of different races and economic and social classes. Chapters overview New Testament teachings, biblical authority, Old Testament and contemporary examples, God’s intention at creation, pagan philosophy’s influence on Christian hierarchal leadership, multicultural and multi-ethnic leadership in the United States and Africa, marriage, rearing children, equipping youth and laity, church planting, retirement, and missions, from the cradle to the mission field. Re-forming the Liturgy : Past, Present, and Future by Paul Galbreath Christian worship is always undergoing change as it adapts to particular contexts and concerns. This collection of essays explores ways: 1) that liturgical change happened to address particular historical and theological concerns; 2) that worship and preaching are currently undergoing transition; and 3) that aspects of worship are in need of transformation in order to address primary issues of our time with a focus on environmental and ecological concerns. Spacial attention is paid to the role of the Sacraments and to preaching with an emphasis on the need to connect worship with daily life. Might from the margins : the gospel’s power to turn the tables on injustice by Dennis R. Edwards The power of the gospel is often most visible among those who have been the least respected, including racial or ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, women, and people who have been displaced from their homeland. Yet in many faith communities, these are the same people whose leadership gifts are least likely to be recognized. But the power of the gospel comes from God, not from other humans. This book is a passionate affirmation of the power already present among marginalized Christians and a call to recognize and embrace this power for the sake of helping the church become more like Christ. Revelation : Book of Torment, Book of Bliss: An Introduction and Study Guide by Stephen D. Moore This study guide explores the origins and reception history of the Book of Revelation and its continuing fascination for readers from both religious and secular backgrounds. Stephen D. Moore examines the transcultural impact Revelation has had, both within and beyond Christianity, not only on imaginings of when and how the world will end, but also on imaginings of the risen Jesus, heaven and hell, Satan, the Antichrist, and even Mary the mother of Jesus. Moore traces Revelation’s remarkable reception through the ages, with special emphasis on its twentieth and twenty-first century appropriations, before resituating the book in its original context of production: Who wrote it, where, when, why, and modelled on what? The study guide culminates with a miniature commentary on the entire text of Revelation, weaving together liberationist, postcolonial, feminist, womanist, queer, and ecological approaches to the book in order to discern what it might mean for contemporary readers and communities concerned with issues of social justice. The Spirit of Grace by Alister McGrath The Christian Belief for Everyone series comprises five reliable, accessible and readable guides to the basic ideas of the Christian faith. Full of stories and helpful illustrations, these guides have been written primarily for ordinary churchgoers, but will also appeal to interested readers outside the Church. In this fourth volume of the series we explore three interconnected themes: the activity of God in the world, as we experience the Holy Spirit infusing our lives with purpose and joy; the graciousness of God, who despite our constantly messing things up, loves us because God is loving; and the importance of the church as the community of faith, in which we catch a glimpse – no matter how inadequate! – of the glory of heaven. Pleading, cursing, praising : conversing with God through the Psalms by Irene Nowell Irene Nowell’s work would be both impressive and important if she were “only” a masterful Scripture scholar or a gifted spiritual guide or a compelling teacher. The fact that she is all three makes her an extraordinary resource for Christians today. In Pleading, Cursing, Praising, Nowell puts all of these gifts to use to offer a guide to praying with the psalms. Nowell maintains that the psalms teach us to tell our story, to cry out our pain, and to give praise to God. They also teach us to listen – to the voice of God, the voice of Christ, the voices of the people around us, and the voice of all creation. This book includes questions and exercises for personal reflection, brief prayers for praying along the way, and suggestions for composing one’s own psalm-prayers. It promises to enrich the spiritual life of everyone who reads it. Spirituality : A Very Short Introduction by Philip Sheldrake It has been suggested that ‘spirituality’ has become a word that ‘can define an era’. Why? Because paradoxically, alongside a decline in traditional religious affiliations, the growing interest in spirituality and the use of the word in a variety of contexts is a striking aspect of contemporary western cultures. Indeed, spirituality is sometimes contrasted attractively with religion, although this is problematic and implies that religion is essentially dogma, moralism, institutions, buildings, and hierarchies. The notion of spirituality expresses the fact that many people are driven by goals that concern more than material satisfaction. Broadly, it refers to the deepest values and sense of meaning by which people seek to live. Sometimes these values are conventionally religious. Sometimes they are associated with what is understood as ‘the sacred’ in a broader sense – that is, of ultimate rather than merely instrumental importance. Intercessions for Years A, B, and C by Ian Black A collection of intercessions to accompany the Church of England Common Worship Lectionary, years A, B and C. Jesus the great philosopher : rediscovering the wisdom needed for the good life by Jonathan T. Pennington A highly regarded New Testament scholar and popular teacher helps us rediscover what the Bible says about living whole, meaningful, and flourishing lives. God : A Very Short Introduction by John Bowker Who or what is God? How do different religions interpret God’s existence? How can we know God? Many people believe in God; not just throughout history but also in the present day. But who or what is it they believe in? Many different and sometimes conflicting answers have been suggested to this question. This Very Short Introduction explores some of the answers provided by philosophers, poets, and theologians, and considers why some people believe in God and others do not. John Bowker explores how the major religions established their own distinctive beliefs about God and how they interpret God’s existence, and concludes by looking at how our understanding of God continues to evolve. Living parables : today’s versions by Mark G. Boyer; Corbin S. Cole Living Parables: Today’s Versions presents parables in updated language and images. Biblical parables are culture-bound; they are embedded in images that were well-known to a Jewish culture. Jesus was a first-century, Jewish, Galilean peasant, and his concerns, speech, and idioms belong to that culture. His milieu is far removed from ours today. The images found in parables carried meaning that is lost on modern audiences. A simple example will suffice. In the Jewish world of the first century, leaven was considered to be corrupt because people did not understand how bacteria worked. On the most important day of the year–Passover–bread had to be unleavened, uncorrupted. Today, no one thinks of yeast in that way. If we want bread dough to rise, we need to leaven it. Therefore, what image might Jesus use today that carries some of the same cultural connotations that yeast or leaven carried in his world? Might he speak about Ebola virus or radioactivity? Those images carry the same negativity that yeast or leaven bore in his world. This book contains parables found in the New Testament in a form that Jesus might tell today. Waiting for Good News : Living With Chronic and Serious Illness by Sally L. Wilke Sally Wilke gets it. She has lived with and through the serious chronic illness of someone she cared deeply about. And she has provided pastoral care to individuals and families in similar situations. Waiting for Good News captures her hard-won, helpful, and hope-filled wisdom. Wilke organizes this book around seven questions that those who face serious illness often ask. From “What Is the Diagnosis” to “Where Do I Find More Help?” she accompanies readers on their own journey. The heart of the book is the stories–Wilke’s own, those of others who have struggled with severe illness, and accounts from the Bible. Here, readers will find strength, support, and a way forward in a difficult situation. As practical as she is wise, Wilke offers tools, tips, ideas, and resources for reflection and for obtaining additional support. Chapters conclude with questions that may be used for personal reflection and discussion with family members, patients, and support groups. Clergy, other pastoral-care providers, and family and friends of those who struggle with serious illness will find examples and helpful practices to guide their efforts as they partner with those seeking to find their way. Anyone who is a part of the Uniting Church in Australia or a student at United Theological College is eligible to join the library and access our resources for free. If you are not yet a member and would like to join, please contact us on 02 8838 8940 or library@nswact.uca.org.au. |
| Camden Theological Library Centre for Ministry 16 Masons Drive North Parramata NSW 2151 61 2 8838 8940 |
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