Month: February 2024 (Page 2 of 3)

Here is a selection of titles recenlty added to the collection and ready for use

 A lay preacher’s guide: how to craft a faithful sermon /Karoline M. Lewis In this go-to resource for lay preachers, Lewis lays out in a concise and clear format the steps to preaching a faithful sermon, a process that can be immediately applied to weekly sermon preparation.

 A new heaven: death, human destiny, and the kingdom of God /Harvey Cox. A survey of theological, cultural, and historical perspectives on heaven, the afterlife, and the kingdom of God

 Above the fold: a personal history of the Toronto Star /John Honderich. A remarkable memoir and journalistic history of the Toronto Star, the newspaper that has shaped and continues to shape the issues most important to Canadians. Above the Fold gives an on-the-ground account of how the Star, once known primarily for its tabloid sensationalism and screaming headlines, transformed into a bastion of journalistic quality that routinely wins the industry’s highest honours and accolades. Honderich writes about the paper he loved and the challenges it faced over the years, including crippling strikes, boardroom battles, soaring egos, the vicious newspaper wars with various competitors, and, most recently, the shift away from print. Above the Fold is a personal history of one of the most storied and successful newspapers of our time, told through the lives of the father and son who ran it for close to half-a-century.

 Across the spectrum: understanding issues in evangelical theology /Gregory A. Boyd and Paul R. Eddy. This accessible yet comprehensive primer helps readers understand the breadth of viewpoints on major issues in evangelical theology. Now updated and revised throughout.

 Anselm: the complete treatises : with selected letters and prayers and the Meditation on human redemption /edited and translated by Thomas Williams. An annotated translation, by a distinguished translator and scholar of medieval philosophy, of the complete treatises of Anselm of Canterbury, with selected letters and prayers. A bibliography and index included.

 Black lives matter to Jesus: the salvation of Black life and all life in Luke and Acts /Marcus Jerkins This work attempts to undermine Christian racism that has deemed Black skin inherently problematic, showing that the destruction of racism is at the heart of the gospel of Jesus.

 Church doctrine & the Bible: theology in ancient context /David Instone-Brewer. Instone-Brewer applies his expertise in first-century backgrounds and culture to popular Christian doctrines. Peeling away thousands of years of theological development reveals how the Bible’s original hearers would have understood these doctrines and helps us resolve some of our doctrinal disputes and misunderstandings. Through this process, Instone-Brewer answers the question, is this doctrine biblical?

 Eden /Jim Crace A gorgeous, unforgettable retelling of the myth of Eden. The inhabitants of Eden are untouched by death; they care for their orchards and the land, and give thanks for their good fortune, because they know that beyond the garden walls is a world where disease and hunger rampage. But, as this story begins, something is wrong in Eden. Weaving together elements of the dystopian, but never letting go of the sense of the sacred that saturates western myths of a perfect world before the fall, Eden manages to be both a critique of those stories and a sad reprise of their now-lost themes. In Crace’s wry, tender recreation, though, love does not bring the world crashing down. It is love that redeems it.

 From Christ to Christianity: how the Jesus movement became the Church in less than a century /James R. Edwards. Shows how the relatively informal, rural, unaffiliated movement formed by Jesus transformed in the first seventy-five years into the Christian church as we generally know it today.

 How the Church Fathers read the Bible: a short introduction /Gerald Bray. How the Church Fathers Read the Bible is an accessible introduction to help you read Scripture with the early church. With a clear and simple style, Bray explains the distinctives of early Christian interpretation and shows how the fathers interpreted key Bible passages from Genesis to Revelation. Their unique perspective is summed up in seven principles that can inspire our Bible reading today.

 Interpreting the gospel of John in Antioch and Alexandria /Miriam DeCock. DeCock analyses four important early Christian treatments of the Gospel of John, including two commentaries by Origen and Cyril from the Alexandrian tradition as well as the homilies of John Chrysostom and the commentary of Theodore of Mopsuestia, which represent Antiochian traditions. DeCock’s thorough analysis demonstrates that the Antiochenes find primarily moral examples and doctrinal teachings in John’s Gospel, whereas the Alexandrians find both these and teachings concerning the immediate situation within their own communities.

 Is it too late?: a theology of ecologyv /John B. Cobb, Jr. Comprehensive in scope, non-technical in expression, and concise in length, Is It Too Late? provides the scholar and the student alike with a readable and compelling orientation to the philosophical and theological stakes of ecology.  Cobb reflects on the current situation, the specific promises and perils we now face, and how his own thinking on matters theological and ecological has evolved in the last half century.

 Literatures, communities, and learning: conversations with Indigenous writers /Aubrey Jean Hanson. It’s a book of conversations — interviews with nine Indigenous writers who work in Canada. The conversations centre on writers’ concerns, critiques, and craft, and how they navigate the challenge of storying their communities in politically charged terrain. Moreover, the book considers the pedagogical dimensions of stories, serving as an Indigenous literary and education project.

 Matthew Fox: essential writings on creation spirituality /selected with an introduction by Charles Burack. This work, which contains selections–gems of insight–from most of Fox’s 40+ books, offers fresh perspectives and approaches to the vital issues of our time.  In many of these writings, Fox brilliantly shows how premodern wisdom can help illuminate and resolve postmodern problems.  The book closes with a letter from Fox to young seekers.

 Mindset mathematics. Grade 2: visualizing and investigating big ideas /Jo Boaler, Jen Munson, Cathy Williams. This series targets the mathematical practices directly and will help teachers engage students in things like problem solving, reasoning and persisting through long problems, all important goals of the Common Core Standards as they help prepare students for using math in real life. This series will focus upon the core conceptual ideas at each grade level, such as those of multiplication, place value or fractions, which will enhance students’ achievement across the curriculum–Provided by publisher

 Muslim perceptions and receptions of the Bible: texts and studies /Camilla Adang and Sabine Schmidtke. The articles brought together in this volume deal with Muslim perceptions and uses of the Bible in its wider sense, including the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament as well as the New Testament, albeit with an emphasis on the former scripture.

 Numinous seditions: interiority and climate change /Tim Lilburn. With Numinous Seditions, celebrated poet and essayist Tim Lilburn investigates aspects of an interiority appropriate to a time and world irrevocably altered by climate change. The book draws from retrieved elements of the West’s almost forgotten contemplative tradition in its Platonic, Islamic, Christian, and Zoharic forms. It also explores ideas from modern philosophers and from contemporary poetry. Numinous Seditions is for scholars and readers interested in poetry, environmental philosophy, and in the possibility of a contemplative politics.

 Our story: Aboriginal voices on Canada’s past /Tantoo Cardinal [and others] ; preface by Rudyard Griffiths ; foreword by Adrienne Clarkson. A collection of original stories written by some of the country’s most celebrated Aboriginal [Native peoples, Indian, First Nations] writers, and inspired by pivotal events in the country’s history. Inspired by history, Our Story is a beautifully illustrated collection of original stories from some of Canada’s most celebrated Aboriginal writers. From a tale of Viking raiders to a story set during the Oka crisis, the authors tackle a wide range of issues and events, taking us into the unknown, while also bringing the familiar into sharper focus.

 Paul and the stories of Israel: grand thematic narratives in Galatians /A. Andrew Das. Das reviews six proposals for grand thematic narratives behind the logic of Galatians. He weighs each of these proposals exegetically and finds them wanting, examples of what Samuel Sandmel famously labeled parallelomania. Das reflects on the risks of seeking comprehensive stories behind Paul’s letters and offers a path forward.

 Preaching the headlines: possibilities and pitfalls /Lisa L. Thompson. Preaching the Headlines reframes preaching as an ongoing conversation between the modern world and the world of the biblical text. The goal of the book is to provide a process to aid preachers in doing theological reflection on the everyday world as an integral part of sermon development.

 Religion and film: the basics /Jeanette Reedy Solano. Religion and Film: The Basics is an accessible and engaging introduction to the history, diverse approaches, and ideas associated within the study of religion and film. A fascinating range of films are discussed, from early silent films to recent releases. With helpful features including recommendations for further study and key films to view, this book is an ideal starting point for students approaching religion and film for the first time as well as those interested in learning more about the field while broadening their methods, knowledge of film, and their film canon.

 Religion and schooling in Canada: the long road to separation of Church and state /Robert Crocker. Christian organizations have always played a large role in Canadian education. This book contends that change will certainly come and several paths to reform are explored.

 Religious parenting: transmitting faith and values in contemporary America /Christian Smith, Bridget Ritz & Michael Rotolo Smith and his team interviewed over two hundred parents from across the U.S. affiliated with religious congregations of various types. The book presents the voices of parents from diverse socioeconomic and religious backgrounds interested in passing on their religious convictions and practices to their children, with the focus on why they think this matters, and how they do it. Almost all the parents interviewed- whether Catholic, Evangelical, Jewish, Muslim, Mormon, or Hindu, and whether politically or theologically conservative or liberal-view the transmission of religion in much the same way. Most religious parents do not expect professional clergy and youth ministries to play a large role in imparting to young people a taste for continued religious affiliation and participation. Rather, they expect to do this work themselves, viewing their children as ongoing projects. Drawing on cognitive anthropology and inspired by work in cognitive science, the authors present and describe the background cultural models that American religious parents hold and use to inform their parenting.

 Sweet dreamers /Isabelle Simler ; [English-languge translation Sarah Ardizzone]. Several different animals settle in for the night, each with their own unique way of sleeping.

 That I may dwell among them: incarnation & atonement in the tabernacle narrative /Gary A. Anderson. A theological reading of the Tabernacle Narrative in Exodus and Leviticus, exploring the themes of incarnation and atonement. Anderson shows how these passages shed light on incarnation and atonement both in ancient Israel’s theology and in Christian theology. Anderson explains how the chronology of the narrative reflects sacred time, how the Israelites saw divine features in the physical aspects of the tabernacle, and how Isaac’s sacrifice foreshadowed the sacrificial rite revealed to Moses at Mt. Sinai. Ultimately, Anderson shows how the Old Testament can deepen our understanding of the gospel

 The middle Maccabees: archaeology, history, and the rise of the Hasmonean Kingdom /edited by Andrea M. Berlin and Paul J. Kosmin. This collection of essays lays out the charged, complicated beginning of an independent Jewish state founded by the Maccabees in the second century BCE. Contributors offer focused, interdisciplinary analyses of the archaeological, epigraphic, numismatic, and textual evidence to create a holistic view of Hasmonean history that acknowledges political developments and evolving social responses to continuous militarized conflict involving the Ptolemaic Dynasty in Egypt and the Seleucids of Syria.

 The next step forward in word study and phonics /Jan Richardson & Michèle Dufresne. Richardson and Dufresne  provide guidance in planning short, developmentally appropriate word study and phonics lessons as part of guided reading. You’ll find all the support you need to teach letters, sounds, and words effectively, including 260 lessons for readers at every stage, from pre-A to fluent; assessment tools; and printable books at levels A-C.

 The power of place, the problem of time: Aboriginal identity and historical consciousness in the cauldron of colonialism /Keith Thor Carlson Carlson re-thinks the history of Native-newcomer relations from the unique perspective of a classically trained historian who has spent nearly two decades living, working, and talking with the Stó:lõ peoples.

 The sour cherry tree /written by Naseem Hrab ; illustrated by Nahid Kazemi. A young girl recalls everyday details about her beloved grandfather the day after his death.

 Those who run in the sky /Aviaq Johnston ; illustrations by Toma Feizo Gas. After a strange and violent blizzard leaves young shaman-in-training Pitu stranded on the sea ice–without his dog team or any weapons to defend himself–he soon realizes that he is no longer in the word that he once knew. After stumbling upon a fellow shaman who has been trapped in the spirit world for many years, Pitu must master all of his shamanic powers to make his way back to the world of the living, to his family and to the girl that he loves.

 What grace is: meditations on the mercy of our God /Craig A. Evans Evans invites us to look at grace throughout the Bible, going deep in examples from the book of Genesis and the Gospel of Luke. Bringing together biblical insight and personal wisdom, this short book will give readers a new appreciation for grace in action–acts of kindness and mercy exemplifying the kind of grace that can only be described as divine.   What Grace Is encourages us to meditate on the divine grace we have received and extend that same grace to others.

When did Eve sin?: the fall and biblical historiography /Jeffery J. Niehaus. Using Scripture to interpret Scripture and analyzing biblical stories where characters retell the narrative, Niehaus recognizes a common scriptural pattern that resolves the mystery of Eve’s words. Everyone engaging with these questions will be guided by Niehaus’s thorough study of this thorny issue.

 Wonderfully made: a Protestant theology of the body /John W. Kleinig. Kleinig forms a properly biblical theology of our bodies. Through his keen sensitivity to Scripture’s witness, Kleinig explains why bodies matter. Kleinig addresses issues like shame, chastity, desire, and gender dysphoria by integrating them into the biblical vision of creation

  Worship for the whole people of God /Ruth C. Duck ; with contributed appendix from David Gambrell. Duck provides theological foundations for worship and explores the ways Christians have adapted worship to various cultures to help them live faithfully and to communicate the gospel to others. It celebrates the many languages and cultural settings in which the gospel has been, and is, preached, sung, and prayed.

Here is a selection of books recently added to the collection and ready for use.

A Christian folk religion in India: a study of the small church movement in Andhra Pradesh, with special reference to the Bible Mission of Devadas /P. Solomon Raj.The book under review deals with the problem of how far inculturation in the local culture is permissible to a Christian Church, in this case the Lutheran Church in Andhra Pradesh. The author tries to show that Devadas was orthodox in matters of faith, but might have gone too far in his endeavor to make the Christian Faith palatable to the people among whom he lived, understood so well. This book  is important, because it shows that Devadas’ Bible Mission is a folk-religion which in its earthy, practical, and simple framework, well attuned to a peasant mentality, could easily establish contact with the local people and
open their hearts to the message of Christ. The author does not say it expressl,y but seems to imply that Mother Churches alone could do so, with a higher developed theology and a more sublime and elevating liturgy.

 A hobbit, a wardrobe, and a great war: how J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis rediscovered faith, friendship, and heroism in the cataclysm of 1914-1918 /Joseph Loconte. This  true story explores how Tolkien and Lewis used the cataclysm of the Great War to illuminate the human condition: to insist that grace can overcome the human frailty and even the darkest powers set against us.

 A well of wonder: essays on C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and the Inklings /Clyde S. Kilby ; edited by Loren Wilkinson and Keith Call. This  book makes available Kilby’s wide-ranging and inspiring take on Lewis, Tolkien and the affinities they shared with their circle, the Inklings, in their enchantment with profound thought vibrant with imaginative wonder which took them beyond “the walls of the world.”

 America’s philosopher: John Locke in American intellectual life /Claire Rydell Arcenas. America’s Philosopher examines how John Locke has been interpreted, reinterpreted, and misinterpreted over three centuries of American history. Arcenas’s book tells the story of Americans’ longstanding yet ever-mutable obsession with this English thinker’s ideas, a saga whose most recent manifestations have found the so-called Father of Liberalism held up as a right-wing icon. The first book to detail Locke’s trans-Atlantic influence from the eighteenth century until today, America’s Philosopher shows how and why interpretations of his ideas have captivated Americans in ways few other philosophers–from any nation–ever have. Drawing from a host of vernacular sources to illuminate Locke’s often contradictory impact on American daily and intellectual life from before the Revolutionary War to the present, Arcenas delivers a pathbreaking work in the history of ideas.

 Bandersnatch: C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and the creative collaboration of the Inklings /Diana Pavlac Glyer ; iIllustrated by James A. Owen. Bandersnatch offers an inside look at the Inklings of Oxford – and a seat at their table at The Eagle and Child pub. It shows how encouragement and criticism made all the difference in The Lord of the Rings, the Chronicles of Narnia, and dozens of other books written by members of this literary circle. You’ll learn what made these writers tick and more.

 CAPM/PMP project management certification: exam guide /Joseph Phillips.Thoroughly revised for the current PMI Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide), this up-to-date resource offers complete coverage of all the material included on the Certified Associate in Project Management and Project Management Professional exams.

Christian contribution to Indian philosophy /edited by Anand Amaladass. Papers presented at a three-day National Symposium on Christian Contribution to Indian Philosophy from 1st to 3rd March 19

  Coffee shop conversations: evangelical perspectives on current issues /edited by Russell L. Meek and N. Blake Hearson. This book is a compilation of essays written by evangelical scholars who are seeking to provide Christians with a biblical perspective on various issues relevant to the twenty-first-century church.

 Dorothy L. Sayers: her life and soul /Barbara Reynolds. This biography attests that Sayers was  one of the first women to be awarded a degree from Oxford, a playwright, and an essayist–but also a woman with personal joys and tragedies. Here, Reynolds, a close friend of Sayers, presents a convincing and balanced portrait of one of the 20th century’s most brilliant, creative women.

 G.K. Chesterton: a half century of views /edited by D.J. Conlon. In this collection of essays, Conlon presents the views of more than fifty writers on the private and public Chesterton. Writers such as George Orwell, Evelyn Waugh, Kingsley Amis, Anthony Burgess, Graham Greene, V. S. Pritchett, A. N. Wilson and many others show the range and the nature of Chesterton’s impact over the last half century.

 Good news about injustice: a witness of courage in a hurting world /Gary A. Haugen ; foreword by John Stott.  In Haugen’s challenging and encouraging book, he offers stories of courageous Christians who have stood up for justice in the face of human trafficking, forced prostitution, racial and religious persecution, and torture.

 J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis: the story of their friendship /Colin Duriez. This dual biography explores the complexity of their literary association through a forty year friendship, including disagreements, arguing that without Tolkien there would have been no Lewis, and without Lewis, no Tolkien.

 Once upon an Eid: stories of hope and joy by 15 Muslim voices /edited by S.K. Ali and Aisha Saeed illustrated by Sara Alfageeh. A collection of short stories that showcases the most brilliant Muslim voices writing today, all about the most joyful holiday of the year.The anthology includes a poem, graphic-novel chapter, and spot illustrations.

 Pastoral ethics: moral formation as life in the Trinity /W. Ross Hastings. Hastings provides pastors an evangelical and trinitarian framework for moral formation and ethical discernment. For Hastings, ethics must be reclaimed as theological. An approach to ethics that prompts faith, hope, and love, Pastoral Ethics is an essential guide for Christians in all ministry contexts.

 Renaissance of wonder: the fantasy worlds of C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, George MacDonald, E. Nesbit, and others /Marion Lochhead. The author writes] about the development of the world of fantasy and faery from its nineteenth-century renaissance to the great masters of the genre, C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien

 The art of living for a technological age: towards a humanizing performance /Ashley John Moyse. The Art of Living for A Technological Age sketches the crisis of our late modern age, where persons are enamored by the promises of progress and disciplined to form by the power of technology–the ontology of our age. Yet, it also offers a response, attending to those performative activities, educative and transformative social practices that might allow us to live humanly and bear witness to human being (becoming) for a technological age.

 The arts and the Christian imagination: essays on art, literature, and aesthetics /Clyde S. Kilby ; edited by William Dyrness and Keith Call. In The Arts and the Christian Imagination, we are privileged to receive Kilby’s wise insights into areas such as Christianity and Aesthetics, the vocation of the artist, and the role of the theological imagination.  The Arts and the Christian Imagination is a landmark book. Its scope is breathtaking, bringing together in one place well-known “signature” essays by Clyde Kilby and unknown but equally excellent ones. The essays in this book, masterfully edited, sum up what a whole era wanted to say about literature and art in themselves and in relation to the Christian faith.

  The bishop’s man: a novel /Linden MacIntyre. Father Duncan MacAskill has spent most of his priesthood as a the bishop’s clean-up man, sent in to discipline wayward priests and defuse potential scandal while moderating the emotions of victims. When sent by his bishop to a country parish to avoid a big media scandal, Duncan must confront his consequences of past cover-ups and the suppression of his own human needs.

The Christian presence in India: editorials in the N.C.C. review /by Mathai Zachariah ; with a foreword by M.M. Thomas. Essays selected from editorials written for the National Council Review between the years 1968 and 1980. The editorials are Christian comments on current events in church, sociey and politics in India.

The conversion story of a great Tamil poet and his family /by V. Gnanasikhamani. Krishna Pillai began to study Christian scriptures and at the age of thirty,  in 1858,  was baptized  and became a Christian by the name of Henry Alfred Krishna Pillai. Few years after his wife and three children along with his mother also converted in to Christianity.  Pillai is considered one of the most important Tamil poets of 19th centuaryl. His Ratchanya yathrigam is based on John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, although not a translation. The work itself took 16 years to complete and is one of finest works of Tamil literature of the nineteenth century.  Krishnapillai used analogies from Hindu texts in his Christian writings. and his hymns are still popular among Tamil Protestants.

 The fellowship: the literary lives of the Inklings: J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Owen Barfield, Charles Williams /Philip Zaleski and Carol Zaleski. The authors offer the first complete rendering of the Inklings’ lives and works

 The forgotten Desert Mothers: sayings, lives, and stories of early Christian women /Laura Swan. An introduction to the sayings, lives, stories, and spirituality of women in the postbiblical, early Christian movement.

 The languages of Tolkien’s Middle-earth /Ruth S. Noel. This is the book on all of Tolkien’s invented languages, spoken by hobbits, elves, and men of Middle-earth — a dicitonary of fourteen languages, an English-Elvish glossary, all the runes and alphabets, and material on Tolkien the linguist.

 The lord of the rings: the making of the movie trilogy /Brian Sibley ; [foreword by Ian McKellen]. The Lord of the rings : the making of the movie trilogy reveals in words and pictures exactly how the magic was made: from the direction, scripting and acting, to creating the sets, landscapes, makeup, wardrobe, miniatures, music and special effects.

 The ring of words: Tolkien and the Oxford English dictionary /Peter Gilliver, Jeremy Marshall, Edmund Weiner.  Three senior editors of the OED offer an intriguing exploration of Tolkien’s career as a lexicographer and illuminate his creativity as a word user and word creator. The centerpiece of the book is a wonderful collection of “word studies” which will delight the heart of Ring fans and word lovers everywhere. The editors look at the origin of such Tolkienesque words as “hobbit,” “mithril, “Smeagol,” “Ent,” “halfling,” and “worm” (meaning “dragon”). Readers discover that a word such as “mathom” (anything a hobbit had no immediate use for, but was unwilling to throw away) was actually common in Old English, but that “mithril,” on the other hand, is a complete invention (and the first “Elven” word to have an entry in the OED). Fans of Harry Potter will be surprised to find that “Dumbledore” (the name of Hogwart’s headmaster) was a word used by Tolkien and many others (it is a dialect word meaning “bumblebee”). The Ring of Words offers a fresh and unexplored angle on the literary achievements of one of the world’s most famous and best-loved writers.

 War of the fantasy worlds: C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien on art and imagination /Martha C. Sammons. This book is the first to focus solely on their contrasting concepts of fantasy.It is not a critical analysis of The lord of the rings or The chronicles of Narnia. Rather, it examines only elements of Tolkien’s and Lewis’s books that relate to their views about art, fantasy, and creativity, or the implementation of their theories. The result is a unique and altogether fascinating perspective on two of the most revered fantasy authors of all time.

 Why read the Bible in the original languages? /Takamitsu Muraoka. A range of linguistic issues touching on the three original languages are discussed in the light of actual examples. Matters of culture and rhetoric are also taken up. A special chapter is devoted to the Septuagint as a bridge between the two Testaments. The book is written in a non-technical style, hence easily readable by non-specialists, but specialists may also find things of interest.