A unique study of Schillebeekx's theological anthropology and his reflection on the nature of God as both creator and redeemer.

Humans have long searched for an adequate answer to an age-old question: If God is good, why do we suffer? An entire book of the Bible, Job, is dedicated to the problem of God and human suffering. Theologians across continents and centuries have debated the intricacies, inconsistencies, and assumptions the question elicits. And of course, many have turned to Jesus's own suffering, and his horrible death at the cross, in search of understanding. All too often, the resulting approaches to the mystery of suffering, though linked to the Jewish and Christian Scriptures and traditions, fail to satisfy contemporary hearts and minds. The Mystery of God and Suffering draws guidance from the Gospel of John and the letters to the Colossians and the Ephesians, and focuses on God's overflowing love in creation as a foundation for understanding Jesus's death and its implications for those who follow him. This work offers an alternative vision, one emphasizing incarnation over atonement, for all those who find themselves uneasy or even oppressed by the notion of a vindictive God who demands the suffering and death of his son. The Mystery of God and Suffering also speaks to a larger audience, comprised of all those who suffer and search for meaning in their suffering. With a focus on the eternal concepts of life and love that are not simply integral to but inseparable from a God who is good, as well as on insights of believers through the ages, The Mystery of God and Suffering offers wise guidance for our journey into the abyss of suffering.

How can I know God if he is incomprehensible? Is it possible to know God in a way that takes seriously the fact that he is beyond knowledge? Steven Boyer and Christopher Hall argue that the "mystery of God" has a rightful place in theological discourse. They contend that considering divine incomprehensibility invites reverence and humility in our thinking and living as Christians and clarifies a variety of theological topics. The authors begin by investigating the biblical, historical, and practical foundations for understanding the mystery of God. They then spell out its implications for theological issues and practices such as the incarnation, salvation, and prayer, rooting knowledge of God in a concrete life of faith. Evangelical yet ecumenical, this book will appeal to theology students, pastors, church leaders, and all who want intellectual and practical guidance for knowing the unknowable God.

Schillebeeckx's theology is a reflection on the nature of God who is both creator and redeemer: his theology is a 'treatise' on the God who is God for humanity. This means of course that his theology is always both a reflection on the nature of God and on the meaning of humanity; and hence there is a theological anthropology at the centre of his whole theological enterprise. The 'definition' of humanity is given in the relationship between the mystery of God - the God who is both transcendent and immanent - and the mystery of humanity. For Schillebeeckx, the meaning of humanity is revealed and established in the mystery of God as a vocation to intimacy with God. This intimacy is described both as a dependence upon God and as a situated freedom, and hence the description of humanity which emerges from Schillebeeckx's treatise on God holds together humanity's metaphysical and moral significance. At the heart of this theocentric anthropology is its christological structure. Schillebeeckx develops a sacramental christology in light of his interpretation of Christ's incarnation. The relation of incarnation to the death, resurrection and glorification of Christ establishes a sacramental theological anthropology. The meaning of humanity is given in its creative, salvific, sanctifying, participative and personal relation to the God who is God both of creation and of covenant. This book develops an interpretation of Schillebeeckx's theological anthropology by analysing his theology of revelation and grace, and by examining the christological structure of his theology. This christology centres on an interpretation of the incarnation in which the fully personal nature of Christ's humanity is key. This christology establishes the sacramental nature of humanity and hence Schillebeeckx's description of the meaning of human nature is also a theological description of the meaning of human action.

It's the defining reality of all existence, the central fact of human history, and the heart of the Christian faith: God became a man and lived among us. More than just part of the Christmas story, the doctrine of the incarnation radically affects our understanding of God, humanity, life, death, and salvation. In The Incarnation of God, theology professors John Clark and Marcus Johnson explore this foundational Christian confession, examining its implications for the church's knowledge and worship of God. Grounded in Scripture and informed by church history, this book will help Christians rediscover the inestimable significance of the truth that the Son of God became what we are without ceasing to be the eternal God—the greatest mystery of the universe.

There is currently huge interest in the question of human nature and identity, and what the human future might look like. Who are we? Why are we here? What is our future? Are we alone? And what can religion bring, alongside biology and anthropology, to these important and exciting questions? The Great Mystery focuses on this fascinating field of study. Alister McGrath, bestselling author and Andreas Idreos Professor of Science and Religion at Oxford University, explores the question of human nature from both scientific and religious perspectives, and weaves together the results to open up and explore some of the deepest and most important questions about who we are, why we matter, and what our future might be. A follow-up to his critically acclaimed Inventing the Universe, in The Great Mystery Alister McGrath once again brings together science with religion to yield an enriched vision of reality, along with rigorous and thoroughly up-to-date scholarship and intellectual accessibility.

Prayer and Anticipation are Now in Season: 25 Devotions for Advent Beginning on December 1, this Once-A-Day Christmastime devotional booklet takes you through the entire Advent season with thoughts on the person of Jesus: his involvement at the creation of the world, his life in the Gospel accounts, and who he is today. Along the way you will meet and examine the lives of various individuals involved in the incarnation, and during the week of Christmas examine the response to this miraculous and gracious event, both in heaven and on earth. Written by Dr. Kenneth Boa, president of Reflections Ministries, these 25 devotions offer select Scripture passages that allow readers to gain a fuller perspective on Jesus' presence throughout the Bible. In addition, each devotion provides thoughts and questions for meditation, along with a prayer for each day, making them perfect for your own personal, family, or small-group use. The 25 days of reading are broken out as follows: • The Old Testament presence of Jesus: who He was at creation, where He shows up in other parts of the Old Testament, and more • The people associated with the Nativity: Zechariah and Elisabeth, Mary and Joseph, John the Baptist, Herod, and the Magi • The specifics and the people directly involved in the nativity: the shepherds, the angels, and the baby Jesus himself • A Christmas reading that points ahead to his ministry, his passion and his rule as King

"James F. Keating and Thomas Joseph White have gathered here a selection of essays that consider how God's suffering or lack thereof can relate to our redemption from and through human suffering. The contributors - Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox - tread carefully but surely over this thorny ground, defending diverse and often opposing perspectives. Divine Impassibility and the Mystery of Human Suffering is an excellent contribution to the latest stage in this difficult and important theological controversy."--BOOK JACKET.