These three essays show how Karl Barth's later work moved beyond his revolt against the theology dominant in the first decades of this century.

Liberal attacks on the doctrine of the divinity of Christ have led evangelicals to rightly affirm the centrality of Jesus's divine nature for his person and work. At times, however, this defense of orthodoxy has led some to neglect Christ's full humanity. To counteract this oversight, theologian Bruce Ware takes readers back to the biblical text, where we meet a profoundly human Jesus who struggled with many of the same difficulties and limitations we face today. Like us, he grew in faith and wisdom, tested by every temptation common to man. And like us, he too received power for godliness through the Holy Spirit, and thus serves not only as the divine Lord to be worshiped, but also the supreme Human to be followed.

Misunderstandings about what it means for humans to be created in God's image have wreaked devastation throughout history -- for example, slavery in the U. S., genocide in Nazi Germany, and the demeaning of women everywhere. In Dignity and Destiny John Kilner explores what the Bible itself teaches about humanity being in God's image. He discusses in detail all of the biblical references to the image of God, interacts extensively with other work on the topic, and documents how misunderstandings of it have been so problematic. People made according to God's image, Kilner says, have a special connection with God and are intended to be a meaningful reflection of him. Because of sin, they don't actually reflect him very well, but Kilner shows why the popular idea that sin has damaged the image of God is mistaken. He also clarifies the biblical difference between being God's image (which Christ is) and being in God's image (which humans are). He explains how humanity's creation and renewal in God's image are central, respectively, to human dignity and destiny. Locating Christ at the center of what God's image means, Kilner charts a constructive way forward and reflects on the tremendously liberating impact that a sound understanding of the image of God can have in the world today.

This volume is a first-ever companion to the intellectually and pastorally stimulating work of Louis-Marie Chauvet, one of the most important systematic theologians of liturgy and sacraments in recent times. In this trans-Atlantic venture, pairs of leading thinkers continue the development of sacramental-liturgical theology along six lines of Chauvet's thought: fundamental theology, Scripture and sacrament, ecclesiology, liturgy and ethics, theology and the social sciences, and the theological anthropology of symbolism. Embracing his constant attention to faith is actual practice in history, these francophone and anglophone authors test numerous of Chauvet's insights in the face of new challenges for the church and world, the ongoing mediation of the humanity of God" revealed in the crucified and risen Christ. Louis-Marie Chauvet retired in 2008 from the faculty of theology at the Institute Catholique de Paris, while continuing his work as pastor of Saint-Leu-la-Foret in the Diocese of Pontoise, just outside Paris. He is author of Symbol and Sacrament: A Sacramental Reinterpretation of Christian Existence and The Sacraments: The Word of God at the Mercy of the Body, both published by Liturgical Press. Philippe Bordeyne is professor of theological ethics and dean of the faculty of theology at the Institut Catholique de Paris. Bruce T. Morrill, SJ, holds the Edward A. Maloy Chair of Catholic Studies in the divinity school at Vanderbilt University where he is also Professor of Theological Studies. In addition to numerous journal articles, book chapters, and reviews, he has published several books, most recently Encountering Christ in the Eucharist: The Paschal Mystery in People, Word, and Sacrament (Paulist Press, 2012). His most recent book with liturgical Press is Divine Worship and Human Healing: Liturgical Theology at the Margins of Life and Death Pueblo/Liturgical Press, 2009). "

What makes an American Catholic of Irish and Italian descent one of the leading global voices in admiration of Prophet Muhammad? In this overview of Muhammad's life and legacy, prominent scholar Craig Considine provides a sociological analysis of Muhammad's teachings and example. Considine shows how the Prophet embraced religious pluralism, envisioned a civic nation, stood for anti-racism, advocated for seeking knowledge, initiated women's rights, and followed the Golden Rule. Considine sheds light on the side of Prophet Muhammad that is often forgotten in mainstream depictions and media narratives. The Humanity of Muhammad is Considine's contribution to the growing body of literature on one of history's most important human beings.

Human existence is a bodily existence. A first principle of historic Christianity has been that Jesus assumed our humanity and everything essential to it in order that God may redeem all of our existence. Christ is the revelation of God and the revelation of true humanity. As we seek to understand our embodied experiences of the world and one another we do so in light of the embodied life of Jesus Christ. Jesus's humanity shows us what it means to live an embodied human life rightly and how we, as embodied human beings, can relate to the world around us. In this book we invite readers to explore with us why the humanity of Jesus is central to the Christian understanding of community, society, salvation, and life with God. Over the span of these ten chapters this book draws from biblical, historic, and cultural discussions as it enters into the breadth of the significance of the humanity of Jesus and explores how the reality of the Incarnation challenges and redeems our broken social structures, racial and ethnic divisions, economic systems, and sexuality.

The eternal Son of God became man for our salvation; but what kind of human nature did he assume? The answer of this book is that he took human nature as it was because of the fall. Despite this, he lived a perfect, sinless life, and finally redeemed this "fallen nature" through his cross; this victory is the basis of atonement. The New Testament supports this christological position, and there are several indications that suggest it gives a deeper interpretation to some sections of the gospel narrative. It is clearly taught by Paul, and is the obvious implication of certain aspects of the Christology of Hebrews. During the centuries, but mainly in the post-Reformation period, a number of theologians have expounded this theory, and in the present century there have been distinct signs that it is becoming more acceptable to theological thought. The various advocates of the theory are not unrelated, for certain principles of unity hold them together. The number of advocates through the years, however, has been few. One reason for this is that the term "fallen human nature" has often been misunderstood. Additionally, throughout the history of Christology, there has been a serious tendency to neglect the humanity of Christ, and this has gone decisively against the general acceptance of the doctrine that Christ assumed "fallen human nature." If the theory is accepted, it helps to give a more adequate view of the work of Christ. There are five main theories of the atonement; all these are strengthened, and many of their weaknesses are eliminated, if this christological theory is accepted. Here is a book that contains new thinking on a great theme. It is clear, logical, and rewarding to both mind and heart.

Who was Jesus and what was His mission? The Gospels present us with an obvious but profound and compelling thought, that the eternal Word of God became a real man of particular weight and height, with a specific temperament and particular traits of character. He was a Jew, part of a small village community. He became hungry and tired. He felt anger and was moved to compassion. He had a mother and friends. His name was Jesus. How are we to understand this mystery of Jesus being fully God and also fully man? How do we correctly speak of the real Jesus without falling prey to the skepticism that marks the so-called “quest for a historical Jesus”? In The Jesus We Missed, pastor and scholar Patrick Henry Reardon travels through the Gospel narratives to discover the real Jesus, to see him through the eyes of those who knew him best—the apostles, his community, believers who vividly portrayed him in stories filtered through their own faith. Through these living, breathing accounts, we contemplate who God’s Son really was and is—and we understand how he came to redeem and sanctify every aspect of every human life. “In an age that has too often turned Jesus into a symbol or an abstract doctrine, we are long overdue for a reminder that the Lord of history came to us as a humble carpenter from Nazareth.” — BRYAN LITFIN, Professor of Theology, Moody Bible Institute “In his inimitable style, Patrick Henry Reardon surprises us with insights into the humanity of Jesus drawn from the Gospels and made lively by careful attention to historical and literary detail. Here is a piece that joins together critical awareness, theological fidelity, refreshing wit, and manifest devotion.” — EDITH M. HUMPHREY, William F. Orr Professor of New Testament, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary