Ethics and Theology
These titles explore theological perspectives, and provide expert analysis and evaluation, on many different ethical issues including cloning, abortion, euthanasia, medical experimentation and the problems associated with new technologies.
· Essential reading for any leader wishing to refresh their ministry
Many in church leadership roles know the truth of Bonhoeffer’s words, but there seem to be obstacles and barriers that get in the way of that sort of
quality of listening. We seem to live with the illusion that speaking and doing are more important than listening. In the face of all the many challenges for
the church the temptation is for more strategies for success, more pressure to turn things around. Listening – in whatever form – easily gets marginalized.
Here, Chris Edmonson outlines why listening is so essential to good leadership. He looks at the barriers to good communication, at the importance of silence and stillness, and the challenges of listening to those
from whom we differ. He emphasizes the essential elements of discernment and prophecy, looking closely at what those terms really mean, and offers some practical ways forward for leaders wishing to create a more listening culture in their church communities.
Price: £12.99 Pages: 144 ISBN: 9780232527360
How should Christians read the Bible in
an age of ecological disaster?
In this well-argued and timely book, Bauckham considers the relationship of humans to the rest of creation. He argues that there is much more to the
Bible’s understanding of this relationship than the mandate of human dominion given in Genesis 1, which has too often been used as a justification for domination and exploitation of the earth’s resources. He also critiques the notion of stewardship as being on the one hand presumptuous, and on the other too general a term to explain our key responsibilities in caring for the earth.
In countering this, he considers other biblical perspectives, including the book of Job, the Psalms and the Gospels, and re-evaluates the biblical
tradition of ‘dominion’, in favour of a ‘community of creation’. With its clear analysis and thought-provoking conclusions, The Bible and Ecology, is an essential read for anyone interested in a biblically grounded approach to ecology.
How should Christians read the Bible in
an age of ecological disaster?
In this well-argued and timely book, Bauckham considers the relationship of humans to the rest of creation. He argues that there is much more to the
Bible’s understanding of this relationship than the mandate of human dominion given in Genesis 1, which has too often been used as a justification for domination and exploitation of the earth’s resources. He also critiques the notion of stewardship as being on the one hand presumptuous, and on the other too general a term to explain our key responsibilities in caring for the earth.
In countering this, he considers other biblical perspectives, including the book of Job, the Psalms and the Gospels, and re-evaluates the biblical
tradition of ‘dominion’, in favour of a ‘community of creation’. With its clear analysis and thought-provoking conclusions, The Bible and Ecology, is an essential read for anyone interested in a biblically grounded approach to ecology.
• First book for four years from the UK’s leading gay Catholic writer
• Hugely popular with all lovers of lively, intelligent, critical theology
This new book from James Alison has all the brilliance, wit and panache that
have made him one of the most influential contemporary Catholic writers.
Celebrated for his firm but gentle insistence on facing down current
ecclesiastical teaching on homosexuality with the question, ‘Yes, but is it
true?’, and his wry observations as the church flails around on gay issues,
Alison is also admired and enjoyed for the freshness and verve of his
interpretations of scripture, for his dazzling word play and teasing
connections, surprises and reversals.
Alison develops the implications for theology and religion of the insights of
the French literary critic and philosopher René Girard, which expose the
violence hidden at the heart of our culture. He shows how Girard’s concepts
of mimetic desire and the scapegoat mechanism both confirm and transform our understanding of Christianity.
In Covenant and Communion, international best-selling author, Scott Hahn,provides a key that unlocks the theology of Pope Benedict XVI, demonstrating its rootedness in scripture.
The first half of the twentieth century saw the emergence of three renewal movements in Catholic thought – the biblical, the patristic, and the liturgical.
These movements converge and flourish in Benedict’s theology as never before. He brings together the best of modern scientific methods of studying biblical texts with an unrivalled grasp of the history and tradition of the Church.
Scott Hahn’s introduction to what he describes as ‘a theology of great power and beauty’ is vivid and enthralling.
"In this clearly written and cogently argued essay, Hahn makes a convincing and highly pertinent case for what Pope Benedict holds to be the crucial challenge for the Church and theology today – the reunification, and thereby the renewal, of exegesis theologically conceived and theology exegetically grounded. Theologically insightful and surefooted, this book is one of the best and certainly the most timely and urgent among the recent introductions to the theology of Pope Benedict XVI.”
Reinhard Hütter, Duke Divinity School
A hard-hitting critique of the debt-based economy
Before hurrying to join the frantic search for ways to ‘get the economy moving again’ it might be worth reflecting on the deeper meaning of the current chaos.
No book exposed the delusions and fantasies that underpin the world’s economic system better than Peter Selby’s Grace and Mortgage. It opened many people’s eyes to the corrosive effect of debt, which impoverishes the poorest and leads inevitably to the despoiling of the earth. It gave us a new language for understanding the Gospel.
Peter Selby found echoes of the New Testament’s witness to the release offered by Christ, and to a ‘commonwealth of God’ in which there are no ‘debtors’ or ‘creditors’ but where the God to whom we owe everything has cancelled our debts. It is a message in stark contradiction to the moneymorality which has led to the greed and fear that now threaten to engulf us.
Now re-issued with a new preface, Grace and Mortgage remains the essential book for anyone seeking a more creative, sustainable and just future for us all.
This is a fine book, worth re-reading. It reminds us that the economic life of human beings is not a side-issue, but central to the good news.Nicholas Hensall
Give a Boy a Gun is the powerful story of Alistair Little, a member of the Ulster Volunteer Force who, aged seventeen, murdered a man. He is now involved with the reconciliation movement, and has shared a platform with the Dalai Lama.
In retelling his story, he explores the factors that turn a boy brought up in a stable, loving family into a terrorist, and then transforms his violence into a deep desire for reconciliation.
Too young to receive a life sentence, Alistair served a 12-year prison sentence in Long Kesh and H-blocks. Once released, he began the slow and painful process that turned him away from terrorism to work internationally with victims and perpetrators in the field of conflict transformation and restorative justice.
Alistair’s life, and that of the brother of the murdered man, form the basis of a major,
award-winning BBC drama, Five Minutes of Heaven, starring Liam Neeson and James Nesbitt.
A comprehensive resource book that highlights and seeks to evaluate the merits or otherwise of contemporary ecotheologies.
Concern for the environment has developed and intensified over the last few decades to the point where it now dominates much of our contemporary political landscape and culture. The rise of religious environmentalism in particular adds its own distinctive voice to the debate, for it seeks to trace both the malaise and a potential solution to environmental understanding.
In Eco-Theology, Celia Deane-Drummond offers a comprehensive resource book for this burgeoning field of enquiry that highlights and seeks to evaluate the merits or otherwise of contemporary eco-theologies. She introduces the reader to critical debates in eco-theology, tracing trends from around the globe and key theological responses, and encourages reflection and analysis through further reading sections at the end of each chapter and questions for discussion.
It will prove an essential guide for students and general readers with a serious interest in the topic.
