Category: Uncategorized (Page 2 of 79)

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

 A history of Protestantism in Korea /Dae Young Ryu. This book provides a comprehensive overview of Protestant Christianity in Korea. It outlines the development of Christianity in Korea before Protestantism, considers the introduction of Protestantism in the late nineteenth century and its widening and profound impact, and goes on to discuss the situation up to the present. The book emphasizes the importance of Protestantism for Korean national life, highlights the key role Protestantism has played in Korea’s social, political, and cultural development, including in North Korea whose first leader Kim Il Sung was the son of devout Protestant parents, and demonstrates how Protestantism continues to be a vital force for Korean society overall–

 Amazing grace: a cultural history of the beloved hymn /James Walvin. A fascinating journey through the history of Amazing Grace. Walvin follows the song across the Atlantic to track how it became part of the cause for abolition and galvanized decades of movements, tragedies, and trends in global history and popular culture. No other song has acquired such global resonance as Amazing Grace, and its fascinating history is well worth knowing–

 At the table of holy wisdom: global hungers and feminist biblical interpretation /Barbara Reid, OP. Feminist liberationist biblical interpretation as a tool for opening the scriptures to women and the disenfranchised–

 Caring for our shepherds: understanding and coping with burnout as a pastor /Thomas V. Frederick, Yvonne Thai, and Scott E. Dunbar ; foreword by Joseph Slunaker. Caring for our Shepherds is written to pastors and for pastors. The reader will not only develop a deeper understanding for the demands of ministry, but also be provided with specific practical and spiritual frameworks to cope with those demands in ways that promote a positive and healthy mindset. Caring for our Shepherds is an excellent resource not only for those in ministry, but to those who desire to pour back into those who serve in the church.

 Chaplaincy: a comprehensive introduction /Mark A. Jumper, Steven E. Keith, Michael W. Langston. This comprehensive introduction covers the foundations of chaplaincy and surveys ten specific types of chaplaincy work, such as education, healthcare, the military, corporations, prisons, public safety, and sports–

 Critical faith: what it is, what it isn’t, & why it matters /Joni Schwartz-Chaney. Critical Faith insists that Critical Race Theory is a tool to grapple with the thorny issue of race in both society and the church. Schwartz-Chaney argues that CRT can help Christians can move past mischaracterizations and caricatures toward a more nuanced view of race, racism, and the tools available to make progress in the church and in society.

 Decolonizing design: a cultural justice guidebook /Elizabeth (Dori) Tunstall ; with illustrations by Ene Agi. Responds to the urgent call to decolonize design through powerful, incisive guidelines drawn from 15 years of lived experience. A transformative blueprint for repairing the harm caused by structural inequity through decolonizing not only our institutions, but also our thinking, and how to begin today–

 Does the Bible support same-sex marriage?: 21 conversations from a historically Christian view /Preston Sprinkle. This highly relevant exploration of the top 21 arguments in favor of same-sex marriage equips us with biblical guidance, historical background, and an effective posture for having meaningful conversations about contentious issues. Sprinkle explores what the Bible really says about one of today’s most controversial subjects, equipping parents, church leaders, and friends to communicate truth with love.

 Doping in sport: a defence /Thomas Søbirk Petersen. Petersen explains why the World Anti-Doping Agency’s doping rules are poorly justified and makes a case for a new third way in anti-doping policy that would allow athletes to use substances and methods currently on WADA’s prohibited list. The book identifies, clarifies and challenges the central arguments that are used in the often highly emotional debates around doping, and argues strongly that open dialogue about doping is essential as it defines the territory in which athletes, physicians, managers, coaches and pharmaceutical companies can operate safely. It is rooted in the theory of ethics and illustrated with real cases, examples and experiences from sport at all levels, from the auto-biographical to some of the most high-profile doping cases in history.

 Ecoflourishing and virtue: Christian perspectives across the disciplines /edited by Steven Bouma-Prediger and Nathan P. Carson ; foreword by Bill McKibben. This book brings together the interdisciplinary reflections of Christian scholars and poets, to explore how ecological virtues can foster the flourishing of our home planet in the face of unprecedented environmental change and devastation. The chapters feature the legacy and lessons of senior scholars reflecting on a lifetime of earthkeeping work, highlight global concerns and perspectives, and include compelling poetic reflections. Focusing on the way in which human vices and virtues drive so many of our ecological problems and solutions, the volume engages timely issues of environmental importance-such as environmental racism, interfaith dialogue, ecological philosophies of work and economics, marine pollution, ecological despair, hope and humility-encouraging fresh reflection and action

 European Mennonites and the Holocaust /edited by Mark Jantzen and John D. Thiesen. Mennonites in the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, and Ukraine lived in communities with Jews and close to various Nazi camps and Holocaust killing sites. As a result of this proximity, Mennonites were neighbours to and witnessed the destruction of European Jews. In some cases they were beneficiaries or even enablers of the Holocaust. European Mennonites and the Holocaust identifies a significant number of Mennonite perpetrators, along with a smaller number of Mennonites who helped Jews survive, examining the context in which they acted.

 God doesn’t live here anymore: decline and resilience in the Canadian Church /Michael Wood Daly ; foreword by Joel Thiessen. God Doesn’t Live Here Anymore traces the story of the church in Canada from its far off historical roots in biblical times, rise to dominance in medieval Europe, role in the colonization of Canada, strained relations with Canada’s First Nations, twentieth-century prominence, and the church’s dramatic decline and loss of influence entering the twenty-first century. Wood Daly pulls no punches in calling the church to accept responsibility for its own decline, while maintaining hope that resurrection is still possible.

 Handbook of disability: critical thought and social change in a globalizing world /Marcia H. Rioux, Alexis Buettgen, Ezra Zubrow, José Viera, editors. This work maps the terrain of disability across the world by providing an overview of issues, concerns and developments in the domains of society, culture, medicine, law, policy, justice, education, economics, and science and technology. It brings together perspectives from researchers, activists, professionals, service providers, international development experts and policymakers based in the global North and South, and it particularly focuses on the voices of the principal stakeholders—disabled persons themselves. Working from an interdisciplinary matrix, this book reviews historical developments, contemporary practices and policies . It addresses hitherto unchartered areas in the disability discourse that will be significant in the years to come.

 Lectures on the Psalms /Didymus the Blind ; translated and edited by Jonathan Douglas Hicks. This volume presents Didymus’s lectures on portions of the Psalms as they were originally presented to his students, allowing us to learn at Didymus’s feet.

 Natural theology: five views /edited by James K. Dew Jr. and Ronnie P. Campbell Jr. Top scholars in the fields of theology and Christian philosophy introduce readers to five prevailing views on the topic of natural theology.

 Reforming criminal justice: a Christian proposal /Matthew T. Martens. This book argues that, for the Christian, the driving principle underlying any reformation of our criminal justice system is found in Jesus Christ’s command to love our neighbors as ourselves. The conundrum is that when it comes to criminal justice, we have two neighbours: the victim and the perpetrator. This book explains how various aspects of the criminal justice system function in practice and asks whether the system we have chosen is the one you would choose if you had to live with it. This book seeks to show how the Scriptures speak to the issue of criminal justice and how the modern American justice system measures up to that biblical ideal.

 Shakespeare on salvation: crossing the Reformation divide /David Anonby; TWU AUTHOR. foreword by Gary Kuchar. This book explores Shakespeare’s negotiation of Reformation controversy about theories of salvation.  The author explores how the language and concepts of faith, grace, charity, the sacraments, election, free will, justification, sanctification, and atonement find expression in Shakespeare’s plays. In doing so, this book contributes to the recovery of a greater understanding of the relationship between early modern religion and Shakespearean drama. Throughout this study, the author’s hermeneutic is to read Shakespeare through the lens of early modern theological controversy and to read early modern theology through the lens of Shakespeare.

 The betrayal of witness: reflections on the downfall of Jean Vanier /edited by Stanley Hauerwas and Hans S. Reinders. The downfall of Jean Vanier due to the history of sexual abuse that came to light in 2020 has shocked everyone familiar with his life and work as the founder and leader of L’Arche. The authors in this book raise significant questions regarding his influential legacy and its relevance for theology and disability and for L’Arche in particular, without any attempt to whitewash or downplay the seriousness of his transgressions.

 The Epistle to Diognetus: the Greek text with introduction, translation, and notes /Henry G. Meecham; edited and lightly revised by Jacob N. Cerone ; foreword by Michael F. Bird. In this volume Meecham provides a critical edition of the Greek text of the Epistle to Diognetus, accompanied by a translation, notes, and introductory material. The original publication has been lightly revised for a contemporary audience.

 The Nicene Creed: a scriptural, historical, and theological commentary /Jared Ortiz and Daniel A. Keating. This introduction to the Nicene Creed explains how the Creed is anchored in the Bible and shows how it came to be written and confessed in the early history of the Church–

 The people of the parables: Galilee in the time of Jesus /R. Alan Culpepper. Describes life in first-century Galilee as it was experienced by the characters in Jesus’ parables, providing deeper, fresher, and more meaningful understandings of the parables and their historical context–

 The rise of Protestantism in modern Korea: a sociological perspective /by Andrew Eungi Kim. Combining sociological, historical and comparative approaches, this book examines one of the most striking aspects of South Korea, specifically the emergence of Protestant Christianity as the largest contemporary religion in the country.

 The voice of worship: a guide for the contemporary worship singer /Kelly F. McDowell. If you lead any group in singing contemporary worship music, love to work toward self-improvement, or just want to learn more about your internal instrument, the voice, you’ve come to the right place. With an easy-to-understand format and scientific breakdown, this book can help improve your contemporary worship singing technique, health, and stylistic understanding, all while acknowledging the God who is the reason for it all.

 Wisdom christology in the Gospel of John /Dustin R. Smith. This volume contends that the Gospel of John presents the most thorough and robust Wisdom Christology of all the New Testament books. In response to the prevailing tendency among interpreters to project postbiblical understandings of Jesus from the fourth- and fifth-century church councils back into the Gospel of John, this volume shows that a more fitting context emerges from Jewish Wisdom literature. By situating the Johannine Jesus in his first-century Jewish context, readers can appreciate John’s commitment to monotheism and Jesus’ role as the Father’s highly empowered human agent, fully embodying Lady Wisdom.

Here is a selection of print books recently added to the collection,  including a sample of Chinese language books that make up part of our 1500 volume Chinese Collection.

 A history of Christianity in Asia, volume 1: Beginnings to 1500. [Chinese Collection]

 Christian missions and treaty rights in late Qing China, 1842-1903. [Chinese Collection]

 Christianity and Chinese religious order in the new era. [Chinese Collection]

 Christianity and Chinese society: a historical review and regional research / [Chinese Collection]

 Decolonizing research: indigenous storywork as methodology / edited by Jo-ann Archibald Q’um Q’um Xiiem, Jenny Bol Jun Lee-Morgan and Jason De Santolo; with a foreword by Linda Tuhiwai Smith. Decolonizing Research brings together indigenous researchers and activists from Canada, Australia and New Zealand to assert the unique value of indigenous storywork as a focus of research, and to develop methodologies that rectify the colonial attitudes inherent in much past and current scholarship. By bringing together their own indigenous perspectives, and by treating indigenous storywork on its own terms, the contributors illuminate valuable new avenues for research, and show how such reworked scholarship can contribute to the movement for indigenous rights and self-determination.

 Dictionary of the history of Christianity in China. [Chinese Collection]

 Elements of biblical exegesis: a basic guide for students and ministers / Michael J. Gorman. Gorman presents a straightforward approach to the complex task of biblical exegesis. This hands-on guide breaks the task down into seven distinct elements. Gorman supplies a clear explanation, practical hints, and suggested exercises to help the reader develop exegetical proficiency. The book  addresses the meaning of theological interpretation and provides updated print and internet resources for those who want to pursue further study in any aspect of exegesis. Appendixes offer three sample exegesis papers and practical guidelines for writing a research exegesis paper.

 Lettres edifiantes et curieuses, ecrites des missions etrangeres memoires de la Chine. [Chinese Collection]

 Light from old times. [Chinese Collection]

 Logos & pneuma. Chinese journal of theology. [Chinese Collection] 

Mission to China. [Chinese Collection]

 Religious studies in contemporary China: the socio-political context. [Chinese Collection]

 Setting the roots right: Christian education in China and Taiwan  [Chinese Collection]

The awaking of Zarathustra. [Chinese Collection]

 The call of China’s great northwest or Kansu and beyond. [Chinese Collection]

The Emperor system and Christianity in the transformation of Japanese modern society. [Chinese Collection]

 The miracle of theism: arguments for and against the existence of God / J.L. Mackie. Mackie examines the arguments for and against the existence of God from an atheistic perspective. “The Miracle of Theism” remains a classic in the field of religious philosophy and is widely considered to be one of the best-stated arguments for atheism in print. While many popular works supporting the atheistic perspective come across as unduly angry and self-righteous, Mackie’s work is a much-needed breath of fresh air. One may disagree with Mackie while at the same time respecting his views.

 The soul of science: Christian faith and natural philosophy [Chinese Collection]

 Zondervan NIV Bible commentary / Kenneth L. Barker & John R. Kohlenberger III, consulting editors. The Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary is an abridgment of the  Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Its retains all the essential information and insights of the original twelve-volume set, without technical details. The contributors represent the best in evangelical scholarship from a wide range of denominations. Charts, maps, tables, and pictures have been added to make this two-volume set a reference work that is truly useful for all readers of the Bible.

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

 50 ethical questions: Biblical wisdom for confusing times /J. Alan Branch. Branch addresses questions about ethics, sexuality, marriage and divorce, bioethics, and Christian living. Readers will find biblical and reasonable guidance on their questions.

 An introduction to child theology /edited by James M. Houston. The essays in this book are pastoral and scholarly, to encourage parents to nurture and foster Christian family life by learning from scripture and history. The book  explores the way that Christian maturity is one of childlikeness.–

 Beyond shame: creating a healthy sex life on your own terms /Matthias Roberts. Roberts helps readers overcome their shame and determine their own definition of healthy sex.

 Canadian Baptist fundamentalism, 1878-1978 /edited by Taylor Murray and Paul R. Wilson Canadian Baptist Fundamentalism fills an important gap in the historiography. It explores the contributions of well-known fundamentalists, such as T.T. Shields, William Bible Bill Aberhart, and J.J. Sidey, while also introducing the reader to several lesser-known figures, including Joshua Denovan, E.J. Stobo, and T.A. Meister. Together, these studies demonstrate the diversity of the fundamentalist movement as it emerged and developed across Canada. By drawing on material from across the country, Canadian Baptist Fundamentalism addresses old themes in new ways–and, in the process, raises a variety of questions and possibilities for new avenues of study.–

 Centering prayer: a contemplative path to virtuous living /P. Gregg Blanton. Examines how the practice of Centering Prayer can shape our character and effect our daily interactions with others.

 Chasing Methuselah: theology, the body, and slowing human aging /Todd T.W. Daly ; foreword by Brent Waters. Daly examines the modern biomedical anti-aging project from a Christian perspective, drawing on the ancient wisdom of the Desert Fathers, who believed that the incarnation opened a way for human life to regain the longevity of Adam and the biblical patriarchs through prayer and fasting. Daly balances these insights with the Christological anthropology of Karl Barth, discussing the implications for human finitude, fear of death, and the use of anti-aging technology, weaving a path between outright condemnation and uncritical enthusiasm.

 Chasing paper: critical reflections on Christian books and publishing /edited by Stephanie L. Derrick ; forewords by Mark Noll and Philip Yancey. Chasing Paper is a collection of essays written by senior publishers from around the world who have spent their careers in Christian publishing. Here they discuss the dramatic changes witnessed by the Christian publishing industry over the last fifty years, how they and their companies responded to those changes, and what the future may hold for the Christian publishing industry, authors, and readers everywhere.

 Christian popular culture from the Chronicles of Narnia to Duck Dynasty /Eleanor Hersey Nickel. This book examines popular Christian narratives with rigorous scholarly methods and assumes that they are just as complex, fascinating, and worthy of investigation as the latest secular Netflix series or dystopian novel. While most scholars focus on the religious aspects of Christian texts, this study takes a new approach by analyzing their social responsibility in portraying the complex dynamics of race, class, and gender in a profoundly unequal America. Close readings of six case studies–The Chronicles of Narnia, Francine Rivers’s Redeeming Love, Jan Karon’s Mitford novels, Left Behind, the films of the Sherwood Baptist Church, and Duck Dynasty–uncover both harmful stereotypes and Christians serving as leaders in social justice..

 Desmond Tutu: a spiritual biography of South Africa’s confessor /Michael Battle. The first biography of its kind about Desmond Tutu, this book introduces readers to Tutu’s spiritual life and examines how it shaped his commitment to restorative justice and reconciliation. This book explores Tutu’s contemplative practices-particularly Tutu’s understanding of Ubuntu theology.

 Digital liturgies: rediscovering Christian wisdom in an online age /Samuel D. James. Challenges the dominant habits and worldview that are present in our Internet consumption and shows how God’s wisdom for our lives makes us more fully human in the face of dehumanizing technology.

 Do you believe it?: a guide to a reasonable Christian faith /Peter Harris. Harris presents the compelling case that Christianity is the truth. Writing in an accessible way about some challenging topics, Harris begins by deploying historical arguments for Jesus’s resurrection. He then turns to science to contend that there is a creator. Using biblical data and the famous Trilemma, he demonstrates that the creator is also Jesus. He ends by providing Christian responses to some thorny contemporary issues such as gender equality. The book is also designed to be used as the basis for discussion groups in the church where doubts can be safely discussed.

 End of all things is at hand: a Christian eschatology in conversation with science and Islam /Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen. This book proposes a bold vision of the end of human life and the cosmos based on the hopeful vision of Christian faith. In a dialogue with the best of Christian tradition, the natural sciences’ conjectures of the end, as well as Islam’s rich teaching on the doctrine of the Last Things, a fresh constructive eschatology is recommended.

 Exegetical epistles. Volume 1 /St. Jerome ; translated by Thomas P. Scheck. This is an English translation, with introduction and notes, of the Latin texts of selected letters written by or to St. Jerome. These are letters that deal with biblical interpretation, which will be of interest to scholars of patristic exegesis.

 Good tools are half the job: the importance of theology in chaplaincy and pastoral care /Margriet & Cornelis van der Kooi ; with a foreword by Nicholas P. & Claire Wolterstorff. This book argues that sound theological foundations are essential for sound pastoral care–and that pastoral care provides a rich resource for fresh, even profound theological reflection. The chapters present a series of case studies. The book concludes with a theoretical consideration of the benefits of an interdisciplinary conversation between practical and systematic theology, fields that too often remain separate. Accessible and inspiring, this book itself embodies the combination of sensitivity, wisdom, and mature theology that goes into effective pastoral care.–

 Hell and divine goodness: a philosophical -theological inquiry /James S. Spiegel. Within the Christian theological tradition there has always been a variety of perspectives on hell. Traditionalists maintain that the suffering of the damned is everlasting. Universalists claim that eventually every person is redeemed and arrives in heaven. And conditionalists or annihilationists, reject both the concept of eternal torment as well as universal salvation, instead claiming that after a finite period of suffering the damned are annihilated. Spiegel assesses the three major alternative theories of hell, arriving at the conclusion that the conditionalist view is, all things considered, the most defensible position on the issue..

   How to think: your essential guide to clear, critical thought /Tom Chatfield. This is a book about thinking. Engaging and down-to-earth, it captures the habits and practices that are fundamental to clear thinking and effective study. Chatfield views critical thinking as a skill to be continually practiced and developed. Celebrating both self-reflection and collaboration, this book empowers you to pause, think twice and, above all, think well. —

 Modern Chinese theologies. Volume 1, Heritage and prospect /Chloë Starr, editor. This volume covers ‘Mainland and Mainstream’–church theologians of mainland China who were predominantly associated with mainline or missionary-established denominations. The volume is broadly chronological. The sixteen essays of the volume represent a new generation of critical voices from the mainland, Hong Kong, and North America. The volume opens up the critical questions that have galvanized the modern Chinese church and offers new perspectives for a contemporary audience.

 Modern Chinese theologies. Volume 2, Independent and indigenous /Chloë Starr, editor. From the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements in the mission-church landscape of the early twentieth century, to the Calvinist Reformed movement in the contemporary Protestant church, this volume presents a selection of new studies on the theology of the church in China, concentrating on independent and indigenous Chinese churches.

 Nobody’s mother: Artemis of the Ephesians in antiquity and the New Testament /Sandra L. Glahn. Glahn thinks that we have misunderstood Paul by misunderstanding the context to which he wrote. A key to reading and applying 1 Timothy, Glahn argues, lies in getting to know a mysterious figure who haunts the letter: the goddess Artemis. Based on groundbreaking research and new data about Artemis of the Ephesians, Nobody’s Mother demonstrates how better background information supports faithful interpretation. Combining spiritual autobiography with scholarly exploration, Glahn takes readers on a journey to ancient Ephesus and across early church history. Unveiling the cult of Artemis and how early Christians related to it can give us a clearer sense of the type of radical, countercultural fellowship the New Testament writers intended Christ’s church to be. Through the unexpected channel of Paul’s advice to Timothy–and the surprising help of an ancient Greek myth–Nobody’s Mother lays a biblical foundation for men and women serving side by side in the church. .

 On getting out of bed: the burden & gift of living /Alan Noble. Noble considers how carrying on amid great suffering is a powerful witness to the goodness of life, and of God.

 Our Bible too: a new soteriology of Messianic Judaism /Jeffrey W. Dandoy. Untying the knot of contradictions in Messianic Judaism sheds light on the eminence of Judaism and the chauvinism of Christianity. It turns familiar assumptions upside down with a monotheistic hermeneutic for reading the New Testament and an inclusive soteriology unfolding the revelation of God’s new idea. Explore the alternative truths of radical monotheism through the eyes of a gentile convert from the church who learned to read the Bible with new eyes and met Yeshua (Jesus) again for the first time.

 Postmortem opportunity: a biblical and theological assessment of salvation after death /James Beilby. What happens to those who did not hear the gospel before death, or who heard an incorrect version? Examining the biblical evidence and assessing the theological implications, Beilby offers a careful consideration of the possibility for salvation after death–

 Reimagining apocalypticism: apocalyptic literature in the Dead Sea Scrolls and related writings /edited by Lorenzo DiTommaso and Matthew Goff. The Dead Sea Scrolls have expanded the corpus of early Jewish apocalyptic literature and tested scholars’ ideas of what apocalyptic means. Contributors to this volume engage those texts and many more to reexplore not only definitions of the genre but also the influence of the Dead Sea Scrolls on the study of apocalyptic literature in the Second Temple period and beyond. Part 1 focuses on debates about categories and genre. Part 2 explores ancient Jewish texts from the Second Temple period to the early rabbinic era. Part 3 brings the results of scroll research into dialogue with the New Testament and early Christian writings. —

 Resurrection in retrospect: a critical examination of the theology of N.T. Wright /Peter Carnley N.T. Wright published The Resurrection of the Son of God, arguing vigorously that the Resurrection of Christ should be handled purely as a historical event–subjected to historical reason and critical-historical research. This book critically examines Wright’s arguments. Carnley argues that the Resurrection of Christ is a mystery of God, which must necessarily be appropriated, not by reason alone, but by faith. Evidence relating to a past occurrence can be known only retrospectively

 Social media: a critical introduction /Christian Fuchs. This book equips you with a critical understanding of the complexities and contradictions at the heart of social media’s relationship with society. This book is an essential guide for anyone who wants to critically understand how we got to digital capitalism, and what we can do about it.

 Someone has to care: the roots and hip-hop’s prophetic calling /Christian Scharen. “Welcome to this exploration of the Roots of hip-hop. I tell the story about what God has to do with the Roots of hip-hop–a theological story, if you will. I describe how, in the process of becoming one of the most creative faith-rooted voices in music today, the Roots’ developed a calling as artists. And I do this, in part, to say that you, too, can discover and live your prophetic calling. You can’t help but be inspired by the Roots. Yet the best result of that is that you become inspired to be your most playful, passionate, purposeful, prophetic self in the world around you.”

 Surviving God: a new vision of God through the eyes of sexual abuse survivors /Grace Ji-Sun Kim and Susan M. Shaw. The first book to center the voices of sexual abuse survivors while rethinking key Christian beliefs. Readers will discover new ways of thinking about God that are surprising, challenging, inspiring, and empowering, leading to deep healing for individuals and a transformed church that no longer contributes to the devastation of sexual abuse.

 The common rule: habits of purpose for an age of distraction /Justin Whitmel Earley. Earley provides doable, life-giving practices to find freedom and rest for your soul.

 The doctrine of good works: reclaiming a neglected Protestant teaching /Thomas H. McCall, Caleb T. Friedeman, and Matt T. Friedeman. Protestants often view the doctrine of good works with suspicion. This book shows how biblical exegesis, systematic and historical theology, and practical theology can together contribute to the recovery of a robust account of good works.

 The emperor and the elephant: Christians and Muslims in the age of Charlemagne /Sam Ottewill-Soulsby. A new history of Christian-Muslim relations in the Carolingian period that provides a fresh account of events by drawing on Arabic as well as western sources. In the year 802, an elephant arrived at the court of the Emperor Charlemagne in Aachen, sent as a gift by the ʻAbbasid Caliph, Harun al-Rashid. This extraordinary moment was part of a much wider set of diplomatic relations between the Carolingian dynasty and the Islamic world, including the Caliphate in the east and also Umayyad al-Andalus, North Africa, the Muslim lords of Italy and a varied cast of warlords, pirates and renegades. The Emperor and the Elephant offers a new account of these relations. Ottewill-Soulsby provides a fresh perspective on a subject that has until now been dominated by and seen through western sources. The Emperor and the Elephant demonstrates the fundamental importance of these diplomatic relations to everyone involved. This book examines the ways in which Christians and Muslims could make common cause in an age of faith.

 The end times, again?: 2000 years of the use & misuse of biblical prophecy /Martyn Whittock. Whittock argues that while the New Testament does teach the second coming of Christ, complications occur when Christians seek to confidently identify contemporary events as fulfilments of prophecy. Such believers are usually unaware that they stand in a long line of such well-intended but failed predictions. Whittock explores the history of end-times speculations over two thousand years, revealing how these often reflect the ideologies and outlooks of contemporary society in their application of Scripture.

 The popes against the Protestants: the Vatican and evangelical Christianity in fascist Italy /Kevin Madigan. An account of the alliance between the Catholic Church and the Italian Fascist regime in their campaign against Protestants. Based on previously undisclosed archival materials, this book tells the fascinating, untold, and troubling story of an anti-Protestant campaign in Italy that lasted longer, consumed more clerical energy and cultural space, and generated far more literature than the war against Italy’s Jewish population. This important book is the first full account of this dangerous alliance.

 The Syriac world: in search of a forgotten Christianity /Françoise Briquel Chatonnet and Muriel Debié ; translated by Jeffrey Haines A comprehensive survey of Syriac Christianity from its origins in Hellenistic and ancient Near Eastern cultures to the present. This comprehensive work tells the underexplored story of the Syriac world over three thousand years, from its pre-Christian roots in the Aramaic tribes and the ancient Near East to its vibrant expressions in modern diaspora churches. Enhanced with beautiful images, songs, poems, and important primary source texts, this book shows the importance of Syriac history, theology, and literature in the twenty-first century.–

 Thomas à Kempis: his life and spiritual theology /Greg Peters. This book offers an explication of Thomas’ spiritual theology in the Imitation, while situating him in his late medieval monastic context and as someone familiar with and influenced by the Modern Devotion and the Sisters and Brothers of the Common Life.

 Worship by faith alone: Thomas Cranmer, the Book of common prayer, and the reformation of liturgy /Zac Hicks ; foreword by Ashley Null. Hicks contends that gospel-centered worship can be found in Thomas Cranmer’s theology of worship, which was shaped by the Protestant principle of justification by faith alone and reflected in his 1552 edition of the Book of Common Prayer.

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

 Dungeon hacks: how NetHack, Angband, and other roguelikes changed the course of video games /David L. Craddock Dungeon Hacks introduces you to the visionaries behind some of the most popular roguelikes of all time and shows how their creations paved the way for the blockbuster videogames of today–and beyond.

 John and anti-Judaism: reading the Gospel in light of Greco-Roman culture /Jonathan Numada. TWU AUTHOR This study argues that the Gospel of John’s anti-Judaism can be well understood from the perspective of trends apparent within the context of broader Greco-Roman culture. It uses the paradigm of collective memory and aspects of social identity theory and self-categorization theory to explore the theological and narrative functions of the Johannine Jews. Relying upon a diverse range of historical testimony drawn from Greco-Roman literature, inscriptions, and papyri, this work attempts to understand the social identities and social locations of Diaspora Jews as a first step in reading John’s Gospel in the context of the political and social instability of the first century CE. It then attempts to understand John’s theology, its portrayal of Jewish social identity, and the narrative and theological functions of’the Jews’as a group character in light of this historical context. This work attempts to demonstrate that while John’s treatment of Jews and Judaism is multivalent at both social and theological levels, it is primarily focused upon strengthening a Christologically centered Christian identity while attempting to mitigate the attractiveness of Judaism as a religious competitor.

 Justice, indigenous peoples, and Canada: a history of courage and resilience /edited by Kathryn M. Campbell and Stephanie Wellman. Justice, Indigenous Peoples, and Canada: brings together the work of a number of leading researchers to provide a broad overview of criminal justice issues that Indigenous people in Canada have faced historically and continue to face today. Both Indigenous and Canadian scholars situate current issues of justice for Indigenous peoples, broadly defined, within the context of historical realities and ongoing developments. By examining how justice is defined, both from within Indigenous communities and outside of them, this volume examines the force of Constitutional reform and subsequent case law on Indigenous rights historically and in contemporary contexts. It then expands the discussion to include theoretical considerations, particularly settler-colonialism, that help explain how ongoing oppressive and assimilationist agendas continue to affect how so-called justice is administered.

 Participation and covenant: contours of a theodramatic theology /Dick Moes. TWU AUTHOR Moes develops a theological framework that has participation in the life of God in Christ through the Spirit as its integrative center. In doing so, he enters into conversation with covenant or federal theology, particularly as it has been presented by Michael Horton, in which the integrative center is the concept of the covenant. He argues that God’s fundamental relationship with humanity does not entail a covenant ontology–a fundamentally legal and ethical relationship to God, as we find in Horton’s presentation–but rather an ontology of participating in God’s loving presence in Christ through the Holy Spirit. For this relationship we were created, and this participation is therefore natural to us. Accordingly, a theodramatic framework that incorporates a reframed understanding of divine-human covenants and that has participation in the life of God in Christ by the Spirit as its integrative center is better able to give direction for clearly communicating the gospel in our secular culture and for properly shaping our Christian identity and practice–in the face of the secularism that affects the church, too–than Horton’s framework of covenant theology.

 Reading George Grant in the 21st Century /Tyler Chamberlain, editor. TWU AUTHOR Grant (1918-1988) was one of Canada’s foremost public philosophers. This book reassesses his ideas in light of philosophical and political developments of recent decades, including the resurgence of nationalism, criticisms of globalization and technocracy, and the ideological realignments having a particularly noticeable effect on right-wing politics. The contemporary reader of Grant is thus able to reflect on his broader criticisms of modernity from within a slightly different historical articulation of modernity.

 Religion, narrative, and the environmental humanities: bridging the rhetoric gap /Matthew Newcomb. Religion, Narrative, and the Environmental Humanities provides a fresh look at rhetoric, religion, and environmental humanities through narratives of evangelical culture, analyses of evangelical writing, and their connection to environmental topics. This volume aims to present a cultural understanding between evangelical and non-evangelical communities, exploring how environmental priorities and differences fit within the thinking and felt experiences of American evangelicalism.

 Risen indeed?: resurrection and doubt in the Gospel of Mark /Austin Busch. Risen Indeed? traces the literary dynamics and explores the theological dimensions of the Gospel of Mark’s thematization of skepticism regarding resurrection. Busch argues that, despite Mark’s truncated conclusion, this gospel does not downplay resurrection but rather foregrounds it, imagining Jesus’s death and restoration to life as a divine plot to overcome Satan through cunning deception

 The contextualized Psalms (Punjabi Zabur): a precious heritage of the global Punjabi Christian community /Yousaf Sadiq ; foreword by Peter G. Riddell. The metrical translation of the Psalms into the Punjabi language, set to indigenous music in the late nineteenth century in India, plays a vital role in the personal and communal worship of the global Punjabi Christian community. This book is a pioneer work that comprehensively encompasses the cultural, socio-historical, missional, and sociolinguistic aspects of the Punjabi Psalter. It investigates the unique and fascinating story of the contextualizing of Psalms in an exclusive South Asian Punjabi context and engages in an in-depth study on the life and work of Rev. Dr. Imam-ud-Din Shahbaz.

 The Devil, demons, Judas, and the Jews: opponents of Christ in the Gospels /Torsten Löfstedt. This study takes a literary-historical approach to the Gospels, examining them as narratives. It shows how the authors were in the process of developing the devil as a character and determining which roles he filled. New interpretations of individual passages in the Gospels are given as well as new understandings of the theological emphases of each author. This study is also a contribution to redaction criticism and the relative chronology of the Gospels. It employs the theory of Matthean posteriority which revolutionizes our understanding of the literary relations between the Gospels and allows for a new understanding of theological development in early Christianity.

 The everlasting people: G. K. Chesterton and the First Nations /Matthew J. Milliner ; foreword by Casey Church. In these discerning reflections, Milliner appeals to Chesterton’s life and work in order to understand and appreciate both Indigenous art and the complex, often tragic history of First Nations peoples.

 The Second Testament: a new translation /Scot McKnight. Clever in its expression and stunning in its boldness, this daring approach to Scripture will challenge readers to experience God’s Word anew without masking the distance between the text and modern readers–

 What Barfield thought: an introduction to the work of Owen Barfield /Landon Loftin, Max Leyf. “Our primary purpose is to present an overview, analysis, and synthesis of Barfield’s most salient ideas in a manner that will be of interest to neophytes and initiates alike. Barfield’s work can, at time, be difficult to understand; C. S. Lewis put it well when he described Barfield’s style of argument as ‘dark, labyrinthine,’ and ‘pertinacious.’ But Lewis ardently promoted Barfield’s work because he knew that people who willingly walk in those dim and winding corridors are, in time, richly rewarded by the bright light at their end. We offer the present work in service to those who wish to undertake this adventure.”