Trust is at the heart of healthy relationships. When trust is broken, the victim is made to feel as nothing. The Bible calls this experience of betrayal "to be shamed." When the victim names God as the betrayer, those who exercise pastoral care in the church are faced with a spiritual crisis.Pastors and those who exercise pastoral care are led through biblical study and theological reflection to insights that strengthen their role in the recovery of both the victims and the perpetrators of betrayal. Central to this recovery is the solidarity of the self-shaming God with both victim and perpetrator. At the cross, shame reaches its most intense expression as Jesus voices his abandonment by God. Centering this pivotal experience in a doctrine of the Trinity makes clear how shame defines the very core of the redemptive work of God as Father, Son, and Spirit. Through the resurrection of Jesus, God triumphs over shame, and this vindication of God's integrity is the basis for the evangelistic preaching of the early church. The Self-Shaming God Who Reconciles underscores how Scripture functions as a theological document when interpreted canonically.

When a Minneapolis police officer murdered George Floyd, that cop seared on to the American consciousness a lasting symbol of the injustices that communities of color have submitted to since slavery. Many people used the word “groaning” to describe their response to this murder. This book seeks a better understanding of this visceral reaction, and its pastoral importance. In Lamentations 1, groaning plays a pivotal role, and a witness to groaning is indispensable to relief. Groans are sounds in search of such a witness. This points up the silence of God as witness, crystalized in the symbol of the anti-shepherd. The book ends with the stark, impending reality of baleful, divine rejection. Yet, God does not intend for silence to be the final result. This book probes several openings to a cruciform model in which groaning is contextualized and transformed. Lamentations functions creatively in canonical relationship with Second Isaiah, the Gospel narrative of Jesus, and Paul’s description of the Spirit’s intercessory work. A range of Black religious thinkers—Cone, Evans, Glaude, Copeland—are analyzed for insights into addressing groaning. Finally, the indispensability of a witness challenges communities of faith to serve as witnesses to persons who struggle to flourish even as they carry their scars.

Twenty-first century Christians live in diaspora, merely one voice among many, without enjoying their once-privileged place in society. This is particularly the case for those who struggle to be a church that mirrors the capaciousness of God's grace. We are assaulted by the venting of pent-up furies, which are stoked by profound anxieties over the loss of a cherished worldview and fear about an unacceptable but unstoppable future. Frequently, we struggle to speak an authentic word of God amidst the cross-talk of many voices. This book--a canonical study of Hosea through Malachi, called collectively The Book of the Twelve--describes a biblical model of faithful speaking under similar circumstances. It guides reaction to this loss toward intense engagement with Scripture and theology in order to sense again the meaning of speaking what is at the heart of faith, God's unalterable commitment to continuing faithfulness with us.

Shame is a much misunderstood and often misdiagnosed problem that can cause significant issues in the church as in wider society. Indeed, there have been times when the church has even been the cause of shame. How, then, do we create a less shaming church? Shame and the Church presents a six fold typology of shame: personal, communal, relational, structural, theological and historical. Seeking to establish the causes and consequences of shame, chapters explore how theology and the Bible engage with shame, and consider personal firsthand accounts of shame in a church context. Wise, challenging, practical and underpinned by a rigorous theological foundation, this book is an important contribution to the conversation around shame and effacement in church contexts and at the same time a vital aid to practice.

The Theologically Formed Heart invites the reader to consider the role of theology in the formation of virtues and passions, and, conversely, the role of virtues and passions in understanding Scripture, theology, and living a Christian life. The essays in this volume are offered in appreciation of the teaching, scholarship, and service to the church and world of Professor of Theology David J. Gouwens. They are organized in three sections: theological reflections, Reformed theology in service to the church, and studies in the thought of Soren Kierkegaard. Four important issues are explored from multiple perspectives: the Church's coming to terms with religious pluralism in mission, inter-religious dialogue, theological education, and ecclesial life; the gospel's invitation to welcome communities of difference; Reformed aesthetics in Calvin's rhetoric and in contemporary hymnody; and Kierkegaard's contribution to theology and ecclesial practice. The aims of the book go beyond academic confines. Through reading the different essays, a personality will emerge who illustrates a life of scholarship that yields itself gladly to the God made known in Jesus Christ. Thus, beyond imparting new information, the book may inspire its readers to their own practice of theologically forming their hearts.

Religion is not only about understanding the world - it is just as much about how to develop and shape the self’s experience of itself. Because the religious self is shaped by our symbols of God - and symbols of God are also shaped by the self, theology and philosophy of religion cannot ignore this interplay, or the psychological dimension, when they discuss what symbols of God are adequate and not. By discussing critically different ways the symbol of God functions in the formation of the self, the book develops a nuanced and original approach to the interplay between God and the self. It suggests that play is actually an important metaphor in order to develop a dynamic understanding of religion’s way of relating God and the Self. This approach challenges understandings of religion focussing only its cognitive claims, as well as those who emphasize doctrinal orthodoxy as the most important element in religion.

A groundbreaking argument for recovering Jesus for Christian ethics.

Gospel Identity focuses on the transformation of Christians by the power of the gospel. Through ten sessions participants (and leaders!) will discover just how deep their need is for Jesus, examine the blessings given through our new identity and new life in Jesus, and explain how those gifts change us and move us outward. With user-friendly ...

What if we’re just skimming the surface? Christianity holds out the promise of a better way and a better day. So we’ve studied, joined more small groups, and checked all the boxes—yet, we’re still hungry for more. What if the gospel we’ve come to know is even deeper than we ever imagined? What if the same gospel that works in us to change us continues to work through us to change everything else? Speaking from more than twenty years of experience working in the local church, Brandon Hatmaker leads us past the hurdles between our current lives and the lives we crave. He shows us how Jesus changes everything and how a greater understanding of the gospel leads to deeper faith, richer community, and more fulfilling purpose.