As one of the pillars of the nouvelle thologie movement, a main influence upon the Second Vatican Council, and one of the few figures to complete a full-scale multi-volume systematics, Hans Urs von Balthasar is undoubtedly one of the towering figures of twentieth-century theology. Until now, the structural undergirding of von Balthasars main contribution, a weighty 15-volume, three-part triptych dogmatics, has not been assessed. In this volume, the author presents an analy...

The notion of atonement, a process by which humans are made right before God, is central to the logic of Christian theology. In spite of this, major thinkers in the Christian traditions have held vastly different understandings of both the way atonement works and what it means. These differing accounts have become intellectual traditions which continue to influence both academic theology and spiritual practice today. In spite of the strong dependence of much contemporary thought on early i...

"Every good giving and every perfect gift is from on high, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning" (James 1:17). This verse conveys a powerful image of God as the source and referent of all beauty. This book demonstrates how the experience of beauty is related to our inherent longing for the God who is reflected in such moments. Richly informed by Junius Johnson's expertise on Bonaventure and von Balthasar, the book offers a robust, full...

"The day I saw you seeing me that was the first time I could see the truth that I was loved completely."In Only the Lover Sings, book and album one of The Well Trilogy, the face to face encounter between Jesus and the woman at the well sets the stage for this series of songs and essays from an array of contributors. Only the Lover Sings explores the ways God is inviting every one of us to bravely turn towards Jesus and be surprised by the...