With the approach of the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s inauguration of the Protestant Reformation and the burgeoning dialogue between Catholics and Lutherans opened under Pope Francis, this new edition of Walter Altmann’s Luther and Liberation is timely and relevant. Luther and Liberation recovers the liberating and revolutionary impact of Luther’s theology, read afresh from the perspective of the Latin American context. Altmann provides a much-needed reassessment of Luther’s signif...

For four decades, Marc H. Ellis has sought to rethink the Jewish tradition in light of the prophetic imperative, especially with regard to the need for geopolitical justice in the context of Israel/Palestine. Here, twenty-two contributors offer intellectual, theological, political, and journalistic insight intoEllis’s work, connecting his theological scholarship to the particularities of their own contexts. Some contributors reflect specifically on Israel/Palestine while others transfer El...

Religion and development have been intertwined since development's beginnings, yet faith-based aid and development agencies consistently fail to consider how their theology and practice intersect. This book offers a Christian theology of development, with practical solutions to bridge the gap and return to truly faith-based policies and practices.Development aims to raise the living standard of the world’s poor, mainly through small-scale projects that increase economic growth. A t...

Taking It to the Streets: Public Theologies of Activism and Resistance is an edited volume that explores the critical intersection of public theology, political theology, and communal practices of activism and political resistance. This volume functions as a sister/companion to the text Religion and Science as Political Theology: Navigating Post-Truth and Alternative Facts and focuses on public, civic, performative action as a response to experiences of injustice and diminishments of human...

What is good sex from the perspective of liberation theology? Thia Cooper argues that sex can be a way to know God. God created humans with a desire to be in relation with each other. From this understanding, sexual desire, sex, and partnerships are re-imagined positively. Good sex is enjoyable and mutual, an aspect of communion. Good sexual relationships share power, empower the participants, and the wider community. From the perspective of liberation theologies and an analysis of biblica...

Twenty years ago, not one nation on earth had legal same-sex marriage. Now, access to same-sex marriage is increasingly seen as a basic human right. In a matter of less than a generation, western cultures have experienced a moral revolution.Dr. R. Albert Mohler examines how this transformation occurred, revealing the underlying cultural shifts behind this revolution: the acceptance of divorce culture, liberation of sex from reproduction, the prevalence of heterosexual cohabitation,...

From the Bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire in the Episcopal Church, the first openly gay person elected (in 2003) to the historic episcopate and the world's leading religious spokesperson for gay rights and gay marriage—a groundbreaking book that lovingly and persuasively makes the case for same-sex marriage using a commonsense, reasoned, religious argument, made by someone who holds the religious text of the Bible to be holy and sacred and the ensuing two millennia of church...

Discover how you can bring light--not heat--to cultural conversations.We live in a reactionary culture where divisive issues arise, people on either side throw stones, and everyone ends up more entrenched in their opinions than in reaching common ground--or even exhibiting common courtesy! If there ever was a time for Christians to understand and communicate God's truth about controversial and polarizing issues, it is now.In Culture Shock, bestsell...

HEADLINE: Is it really that big of a deal?A May 2009 Gallup poll revealed that fifty-seven percent of Americans oppose same-sex marriage, while only forty percent are in favor of it (down from forty-six percent in 2007). This short, easy-to-read book helps shed light on what so many people believe, and why they ought not be at a loss about what to do now.The headlines only tell part of the story. In this revised and updated version of his bestselling book, ...

Too often, especially in the church, the subject of homosexuality causes deep misunderstanding and painful rifts. Is it really possible to believe that homosexuals did not choose that lifestyle, and yet maintain biblically that the behavior is sinful? Yes, says author Francis MacNutt, and the prayerful result leads to a new possibility: Jesus Christ can transform the homosexual's orient-ation so that he or she can actually become heterosexual.The striking clarity and practicality o...

Sexual identity has become an idol in both the culture at large and in the Christian subculture. And yet concepts like "gay" or "straight" are relatively recent developments in human history. We let ourselves be defined by socially constructed notions of sexual identity and sexual orientation--even though these may not be the only or best ways to think about sexuality.Anthropologist Jenell Williams Paris offers a Christian framework for sexual holiness that accounts for complex postmodern ...

A passionate argument for LGBTQ equality within religious communities—“a book for our times and a book for the ages” (EDGE)The myth that the Bible forbids homosexuality—the myth of “God versus Gay”—is behind some of the most divisive and painful conflicts of our day. In this provocative and game-changing book, scholar and activist Jay Michaelson shows that the Bible does not prohibit same-sex intimacy but does quite the opposite. In fact, the vast majority...