In the wake of 9/11 much has been written on terrorism. Some have examined the potential relation between religion and terrorism, few, if any, have studied the relation between theology and terrorism. In the latter case, the crucial issue is whether theology provides indirect or direct motivation and justification for terrorist acts. Drawing on his childhood and youth in Northern Ireland, William J. Abraham tackles the latter question head on. He argues that religious themes and practices ...

The publication of William J. Abraham's The Logic of Evangelism in 1989 marked a turning point in the field and practice of evangelism. Almost thirty years later the book still provokes discussion as it stimulates both theorists and practitioners to comprehend evangelism as initiation into God's reign. Combining theological insight and historical analysis, Abraham's groundbreaking work remains the primary text to set the stage for how evangelism may be conceived. In these timely essays wri...

How can we hold fast to the hope of life eternal when we lose someone we love? In this book William Abraham reflects on the nature of certainty and the logic of hope in the context of an experience of devastating grief.Abraham opens with a stark account of the effects of grief in his own life after the unexpected death of his oldest son. Drawing on the book of Job, Abraham then looks at the significance of grief in debates about the problem of evil. He probes what Christianity teach...

What do Christians believe-and why does it matter?In Key Christian Beliefs: Grace and Truth in the Wesleyan Tradition, theologians David F. Watson and William J. Abraham invite readers to rediscover the core teachings of the faith through the lens of grace. Rooted in Scripture and the historic witness of the church, this clear and accessible guide explores who God is, what it means to be human, how salvation works, and why doctrine still shapes our lives today.More...

In the final of four volumes, William J. Abraham seeks an account of God as an agent. Systematic theology raises deep metaphysical questions about the central concepts we use in our thinking about God. If God is an agent, the question of how to articulate this conviction arises. Abraham illumines the concept of God as agent by attending to various traditional problems in Christian doctrine like the relation of freedom and grace, divine action in liberation theology, the presence of God in ...

Divine Agency and Divine Action, Volume II builds on Volume I, which established that no generic concept of action will suffice for understanding the character of divine actions explicit in the Christian faith. Volume II argues that in order to understand divine action, one must begin with the array of specific actions predicated of God in the Christian tradition. William J. Abraham argues that one must practice theology in order to analyze properly the concept of divine action. A...

Theosis shapes contemporary Orthodox theology in two ways: positively and negatively. In the positive sense, contemporary Orthodox theologians made theosis the thread that bound together the various aspects of theology in a coherent whole and also interpreted patristic texts, which experienced a renaissance in the twentieth century, even in Orthodox theology. In the negative sense, contemporary theologians used theosis as a triumphalistic club to beat down Cathol...

This book traces and clarifies steps towards the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham through the twists and turns of Israelite history to culminate in the unexpected manner of its fulfillment. The manner of the fulfillment is to be understood not through prophecy but through Levitical Law, which Jesus declared he had come to observe and not set aside. To do otherwise would ignore that declaration and inevitably distort the nature of Jesus’ mission and salvific work. This book accordingly...

Volume III of a tetralogy devoted to Divine Agency and Divine Action articulates a comprehensive vision of systematic theology focused on divine action from creation to eschatology. Volume I developed the foundational conceptual work by showing that the concept of action is a radically open concept that readily makes possible the appropriation of divine action for today. Volume II explained that in exploring divine action one needs to specify the actual divine actions under review and thus...

Divine Agency and Divine Action, Volume I lays the groundwork for a constructive contribution to the contemporary debate regarding divine action. Noted scholar, William J. Abraham argues that the concept of divine action is not a closed concept-like knowledge-but an open concept with a variety of context-dependent meanings. The volume charts the history of debate about divine action among key Anglophone philosophers of religion, and observes that they were largely committed to thi...

Beginning as a renewal movement within Anglicanism in the eighteenth century, Methodism had become the largest Protestant denomination in the USA in the nineteenth century, and is today one of the most vibrant forms of Christianity. Representing a complex spiritual and evangelistic experiment that involves a passionate commitment to worldwide mission, it covers a global network of Christian denominations. In this Very Short Introduction William J. Abraham trace Methodism from its ...

Wesley for Armchair Theologians engagingly presents the life and theology of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism. Written by prominent Wesley scholar William Abraham, who aimed to "make Wesley come alive for those who would truly love to become armchair theologians," the book is an excellent, entertaining, and expert guide to the work of this important Christian figure.Written by experts but designed for the novice, the Armchair series provides accurate, concise, and wit...