This volume engages the work of Walter Brueggemann, most of which has been published by Fortress Press. The volume centers on the character of God in the text of the Old Testament as a site of theological tension and even ambivalence. Biblical faith never experiences God as entirely above the fray but rather as entangled in history, astonishingly transformative, and impinged upon by the voices of the suffering. Brueggemann's monumental Theology of the Old Testament addresses this fact with great theological insight and rigor, and the internationally renowned biblical scholars writing here engage and extend his insights into the "unsettled Character . . . at the center of the text."

In this second volume, Dr. Zikmund continues the untold stories in the formation of the United Church of Christ (UCC). Volume 1 focused on those ethnic groups, or ecclesiastical movements, often overlooked by UCC historical orthodoxy. This second book of essays does two things: it provides additional information about groups not covered in the original collection, and it explores the sources of some principles and practices important to the UCC identity. Volume 2 invites readers to enhance their knowledge of history as an important source of spiritual strength for these times. It also examines more deeply what it means for the UCC to celebrate its "unity in diversity." It explores such areas as Lutheran and Reformed Cooperation; German Evangelical Protestants; Origins of the Christian Denomination in New England; Evangelical Pietism and Biblical Criticism; Women's Mission Structures and the American Board; Religious Journalism; Philip William Otterbein and the United Brethren; from German Reformed Roots to the Churches of God; The Congregational Training School for Women; and Chinese Congregationalism. Contributors include: J. Martin Bailey, Dorothy C. Bass, Curtis Beach, Thomas E. Dipko, Matthew Fong, J. Harvey Gossard, Rose Lee, Elizabeth C. Nordbeck, Horace S. Sills, Priscilla Stuckey-Kauffman, Dorothy Wong, Barbara Brown Zikmund, and Lowell H. Zuck.

"United and Uniting" studies the commitments, covenants, and challenges of the United Church of Christ in the twentieth century, with reflections from significant theologians and historians of United Church of Christ thought. Edited by Frederick R. Trost and Barbara Brown Zikmund. Series editor Barbara Brown Zikmund.

The author wrote a compelling story of how the United Church of Christ took shape in the mid-twentieth century. During this time, church unions were a prominent feature of the movement toward Christian unity and secular models of organization dominated denominational development. Charles Shelby Rooks has expanded this classic text by bringing the United Church of Christ story to the forty-year mark. Today the United Church of Christ has grown into a denomination that strives to become a multicultural and multiracial church. Rooks's additional chapter provides reflections on five themes woven throughout the church between 1977 and 1998. The documentation cited will provide helpful guidance to anyone seeking to pursue additional study of the United Church of Christ. An interpretive essay in the history of American Christianity, this book is also a narrative account of the church union process itself. In that respect it is of significance for Protestant Christianity in general.

Genealogists and other historical researchers have valued the first two editions of this work, often referred to as the genealogist's bible."" The new edition continues that tradition. Intended as a handbook and a guide to selecting, locating, and using appropriate primary and secondary resources, The Source also functions as an instructional tool for novice genealogists and a refresher course for experienced researchers. More than 30 experts in this field--genealogists, historians, librarians, and archivists--prepared the 20 signed chapters, which are well written, easy to read, and include many helpful hints for getting the most out of whatever information is acquired. Each chapter ends with an extensive bibliography and is further enriched by tables, black-and-white illustrations, and examples of documents. Eight appendixes include the expected contact information for groups and institutions that persons studying genealogy and history need to find. ""

Congregationalists, the oldest group of American Protestants, are the heirs of New England's first founders. While they were key characters in the story of early American history, from Plymouth Rock and the founding of Harvard and Yale to the Revolutionary War, their luster and numbers have faded. But Margaret Bendroth's critical history of Congregationalism over the past two centuries reveals how the denomination is essential for understanding mainline Protestantism in the making. Bendroth chronicles how the New England Puritans, known for their moral and doctrinal rigor, came to be the antecedents of the United Church of Christ, one of the most liberal of all Protestant denominations today. The demands of competition in the American religious marketplace spurred Congregationalists, Bendroth argues, to face their distinctive history. By engaging deeply with their denomination's storied past, they recast their modern identity. The soul-searching took diverse forms--from letter writing and eloquent sermonizing to Pilgrim-celebrating Thanksgiving pageants--as Congregationalists renegotiated old obligations to their seventeenth-century spiritual ancestors. The result was a modern piety that stood a respectful but ironic distance from the past and made a crucial contribution to the American ethos of religious tolerance.

During a forty-year period ending in 2002, leaders of major American churches tried to unite their members, ministries, and public service in a new church they named A Church of Christ Uniting. Participating in this movement were four Methodist Churches, the Episcopal Church, the nation's largest Presbyterian Church, the United Church of Christ, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and the International Council of Community Churches. With a membership of close to twenty million, this church would have been spread throughout the nation more fully than any other church except the Roman Catholic. Leaders of the movement believed that this union would enable church members to experience their Christian life more fully. It would heal divisions that had existed since the Protestant Reformation 450 years earlier and displace the denominational system that was increasingly dysfunctional. By coming together in a new way, these churches could work more effectively at overcoming problems in American life--especially the challenges related to racism. Although the Consultation on Church Union (COCU) closed before converting its vision into a new form of the church, it had a significant effect on these churches and the nation. This is a story that needs to be remembered.