Rising calls in both the United States and abroad for theologizing national agendas have renewed examinations about whether liberal states can accommodate such programs without either endangering citizens' rights or trivializing religious concerns. Conventional wisdom suggests that theology is necessarily unfriendly to the liberal state, but neither philosophical analysis nor empirical argument has convincingly established that conclusion. Examining the problem from a variety of perspectiv...

"Can you Count the Clouds?" asks the voice of God from the whirlwind in the stunningly beautiful catalogue of nature-questions from the Old Testament Book of Job. Tom McLeish takes a scientist's reading of this ancient text as a centrepiece to make the case for science as a deeply human and ancient activity, embedded in some of the oldest stories told about human desire to understand the natural world. Drawing on stories from the modern science of chaos and uncertainty alongside medieval, ...

In Catholic theology, purgatory has been understood as applying to persons who are already in a state of grace or salvation. In popular thought, however, it is sometimes understood as a "second chance" for the unconverted. In this book, a follow-up to his earlier Heaven: The Logic of Eternal Joy and Hell: The Logic of Eternal Damnation, Walls completes his examination of the Christian theology of the afterlife with a inclusive and multi-denominational analysis of the doct...

This study examines the collects assigned to the Sundays and major feasts of the proper seasons in the ordinary and extraordinary forms of the Roman rite. The Latin collects assigned to each day in the typical editions of the respective missals are compared and contrasted both with their respective sources and with one another. Pertinent discussions and decisions of the Consilium study groups responsible for the post-Vatican II revisions of the liturgical calendar and Mass collects are als...

Once rarely discussed in medical circles, the relationship between spirituality and health has become an important topic in health care. This change is evidenced in courses on religion and medicine taught in most medical schools, articles in journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, and conferences being held all over the country. Yet, much of the discussion of the role of religion and spirituality in health care keeps the critical distance of only being about...

Pope John Paul II was the second longest serving pope in history and the longest serving pope of the last century. His presence was influential not only to Catholics, but also throughout the world. The Encyclicals of John Paul II is the first book to focus in depth on the pope’s fourteen encyclicals, through which he communicated many of the key themes of his papacy.The first part of the book includes helpful background information—a brief biographical sketch of John Paul II’s life...

The T&T Clark Companion to the Doctrine of Sin provides a comprehensive treatment of the doctrine of sin. The Companion includes an examination of the biblical and rabbinic accounts of sin, and it provides accounts of sin and its effects offered by key theologians throughout Christian history. It also explores debates surrounding the implications of sin for various doctrines, including God, creation, anthropology, and salvation. The book is comprised of 30 major essays that provid...

William Paden's classic exploration in religious studies, with a new introductionIn the current climate, Interpreting the Sacred provides a fresh, thorough way to consider and compare various religious belief systems. Paden puts forth the idea that our understanding of religion influences our understanding of ourselves and our world. Updated with a new introduction, this book is for anyone who wants to consider and discuss religious beliefs.

From its origins in nineteenth century Adventism until the present day, the Watch Tower Society has become one of the best known but least understood new religious movements. Resisting the tendency to define the movement in terms of the negative, this volume offers an empathetic account of the Jehovah's Witnesses, without defending or seeking to refute their beliefs. George Chryssides critically examines the historical and theological bases of the organization's teachings and practices, an...

The Religion Student Writer’s Manual and Reader’s Guide, is a set of instructions and exercises that sequentially develop citizenship, academic, and professional skills while providing students with knowledge about a wide range of religious concepts, phenomena, and information sources. Part 1 begins by teaching students about reading and writing in introductory religion.It focuses on the crafts of writing and scholarship by providing the basics of grammar, style, formats and source citatio...

This volume introduces the main theological topics of Reformation theology in a language that is clear and concise. Theology in the Reformation era can be complicated and contentious. This volume aims to cut through the theological jargon and explain what people believed and why.The book begins with an essay that explains to students how one can approach the study of sixteenth century theology. It includes a guide to major events, persons, doctrines, and movements.

The Will to Imagine completes J. L. Schellenberg's trilogy in the philosophy of religion, following his acclaimed Prolegomena to a Philosophy of Religion and The Wisdom to Doubt**.** This book marks a striking reversal in our understanding of the possibility of religious faith. Where other works treat religious skepticism as a dead end, The Will to Imagine argues that skepticism ...