In this pioneering work, J. Denny Weaver analyzes late 19th century Mennonite and Amish thought on atonement, an issue of concern for all Christians. He maintains that these Anabaptists did have a theology, displayed in the lived faith and in their writings, but it was threatened by the satisfaction theory of atonement. "Thoroughly documented. . . . An excellent historical background for continuing analysis."--C. Norman Kraus, in the Foreword.

Offers abundant examples of Mennonite humor, origin tales and urban legend, along with analysis of them in the context of Mennonite and Amish history, culture and beliefs. It also studies Mennonite and Amish art and folk festivals.

Why did Jesus die? What does it mean that Jesus died for our sins? Christian theology has been wrestling with these questions for centuries, and theologians have proposed lots of different answers and explanations in the form of theories of atonement. But most of these theories fall short when confronted by a contemporary, postmodern worldview. Many of these models come out of orthodox (rather than Free Church) traditions, so they also lack the distinctive elements that characterize Brethren ways of understanding God and the world. The Church of the Brethren is well known for its acts of service and discipleship in the nonviolent model of Jesus, but it has not produced much constructive theology. Cooperative Salvation attempts to remedy this situation by proposing a constructive Brethren model of atonement. It analyzes the diverse atonement models proposed throughout the Christian tradition, noting where they prove inadequate. To address the shortcomings of other models, this work draws on important claims of historical Anabaptist and Brethren theology while also incorporating ideas from feminist, liberation, and process theology in order to construct an understanding of atonement that contributes a contemporary Brethren voice to the centuries-long discussion of atonement.

This major contribution to Pauline scholarship by a widely-respected New Testament scholar is the culmination of over forty years of teaching on Paul. Brendan Byrne demonstrates that topics often discussed in Pauline studies and Christian theology go astray when the significance of the last judgment falls from view. Offering a fresh Catholic perspective that engages with centuries of Protestant interpretation, this book recaptures the significance of the motif of the last judgment for the interpretation of Paul.

This invaluable tool seriously discusses profound truths that apply to every facet of life. Biblical truth should be made applicable to the total personality. The "inescapable questions of life" are answered from the standard of God's authoritative Word.

How would you respond to the suggestion that failure to live like Jesus in the daily ethical situations of life may well indicate that one's profession of Christ is unproven, and whatever service may have been rendered in His Name may actually be in vain? How then must we react to the ethical and moral crises around us? As the Instructor and a Disciple tackle this question, we come to understand that following God's law in the daily practice of our lives is essential to our walk of faith in Jesus Christ.

Anabaptists have often felt suspicious of American evangelicalism, and in turn evangelicals have found various reasons to dismiss the Anabaptist witness. Yet at various points in the past as well as the present, evangelicals and Anabaptists have found ample reason for conversation and much to appreciate about each other. The Activist Impulse represents the first book-length examination of the complex relationship between evangelicalism and Anabaptism in the past thirty years. It brings established experts and new voices together in an effort to explore the historical and theological intersection of these two rich traditions. Each of the essays provides fresh insight on at least one characteristic that both evangelicals and Anabaptists share--an impulse to engage society through the pursuit of active Christian witness.

C. S. Lewis compared the task of ethical inquiry to sailing a fleet of ships; the primary task is avoiding collisions. When introducing cultural change, such collisions are inevitable. Bruce Bradshaw provides expert instruction for navigating these cultural clashes. Bradshaw contends that lasting change comes only through altering the stories by which people live. The Bible is the metanarrative whose altering theme of redemption forms a transcultural ethical basis. Aspects of God's redemption story can change how local cultures think and behave toward the environment, religions, government, gender identities, economics, science, and technology. However, effective change takes place only in a context of reconciliation, Christian community, and mutual learning. A must read for anyone engaged in or preparing for cross-cultural ministry, relief, or development work. The book is also relevant to students of ethics, philosophy, and theology. Numerous real-life examples illustrate the inevitable tensions that occur when cultures and narratives collide.

Cultural psychology and experimental existential psychology are two of the fastest-growing movements in social psychology. In this book, Daniel Sullivan combines both perspectives to present a groundbreaking analysis of culture's role in shaping the psychology of threat experience. The first part of the book presents a new theoretical framework guided by three central principles: that humans are in a unique existential situation because we possess symbolic consciousness and culture; that culture provides psychological protection against threatening experiences, but also helps to create them; and that interdisciplinary methods are vital to understanding the link between culture and threat. In the second part of the book, Sullivan presents a novel program of research guided by these principles. Focusing on a case study of a traditionalist group of Mennonites in the midwestern United States, Sullivan examines the relationship between religion, community, guilt, anxiety, and the experience of natural disaster.

What happens when a five-century tradition of Christian pacifism no longer needs Jesus to support nonviolence? Why does secularity cause this dilemma for Mennonites in their theology of peace? Layton Boyd Friesen offers an ancient theology and spirituality of incarnation as the church's response to the non-resistance of Christ. He explores three key aspects of von Balthasar's Christology to help Mennonite peace theology regain its momentum in the secular age with a contemplative union with Christ. This volume argues that the way to regain a Christ-formed pacifism within secularity is to contemplate and enter the mystery unveiled in the Chalcedonian Definition of Christ, as interpreted by Hans Urs von Balthasar. In this mystery, the believer is drawn into real-time participation in Christ's encounter with the secular world.