The incarnation is a central Christian doctrine. Many books have been dedicated to attempting to understand its mystery and how it fits with the rest of Christian theology. But what about the way this doctrine can and should impact the way we live?Process theologian and pastor Bruce Epperly addresses this topic in this easy-to-read but challenging book. Starting with a look forward in Advent and moving through the seasons of the Christian year and indeed of life, h...

Calling for a faith that lives by what it affirms, not just by what it denies, this book outlines a positive, engaging message supported by active spiritual practices, and carried out in action for a better community and planet.In doing so, Bruce Epperly calls for rethinking and reviving many Christian themes, often neglected or discarded in progressive Christianity, to help carry out this mission.Among these themes are:Mystical experience and...

Philippians: A Participatory Study Guide is the sixth volume in the Participatory Study Series. From beginning to end, the student is invited to absorb the text and allow God’s message to change her or his life. At the same time, it maintains the series standard of providing a guide that takes account of current biblical scholarship and helps the student examine the text critically while also listening to and being guided by the Holy Spirit.This guide contains eight lessons suitab...

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin and Alfred North Whitehead came from very different religious backgrounds yet a study of their ideas shows a number of important and helpful synergies.This book by Dr. Bruce Epperly, skilled in the clear presentation of the ideas of process theology, examines those ideas and the experiences of these two important thinkers. Epperly shows the ways in which their themes converge and examines how this synergy can help us plan strategies to jo...

How can you talk positively with your children or grandchildren about living in a time of crisis such as a pandemic?Our lives have been disrupted in so many ways, whether through economic hardship, such as lost jobs or closed businesses, or emotional hardship resulting from the lockdown. For many, it has been much worse. Your loved one may be dying in a hospital and you can’t even visit.Adults have a difficult enough time sorting through this situation. Wha...

Does theology have to be dry and boring in order to be serious? Not at all!The prophet Isaiah once said, “a little child will lead them.” But, what about a character from Winnie the Pooh? Can anxious, yet adventurous, Piglet help us understand our relationship with God and one another?Theology is serious business. So serious that it can’t be left solely to adults! Bruce Epperly’s imaginative conversations with Piglet explore the contours of theological refl...

The prophet Amos is known for fiery messages directed at the elites of the northern kingdom of Israel in ancient times. Can this prophet also speak to us in America today?This book looks at the message that Amos proclaimed and applies it to parallel situations in modern America. Issues such as the worship of wealth (greed), privilege, and elites living off the labor of others are more similar in these two times and places than one might initially assume.How...

How do you feel when you see a yellow caution sign that reads “Church Ahead?” Is it a place of potential answers and guidance, or a stumbling block, holding you back?In Church Ahead, Bruce Epperly, pastor, professor, and adventurous pilgrim looks about what this sign could mean. He looks at the kinds of spiritual practice that a congregation can embrace in order to be renewed themselves, and restore their mission to those around them who are hurting and in...

There is a tendency among modern Christians to avoid comment on the idea of miracles or mysterious events that might indicate the direct intervention of God. There is an even more pronounced belief that modern liberal or progressive Christians will avoid these ideas. A God who is distant, the source of everything, is acceptable, but the idea of supernatural activity is embarrassing at best. There is virtually no room for theological discussions of angels, demons, and paranormal experiences...

"In choosing simplicity, says Dr. Bruce Epperly, "we make room for God's light to flow in and through us.""Decluttering" is a concept that is all over social media and the news these days. We have books with detailed instructions in how to declutter our houses and live more simply. Epperly takes this beyond the merely material, and teaches how to declutter our minds and spirits as well.Spiritual decluttering is more than a passing fad! In clearing the clutt...

Death. Illness. Divorce. Unexpected. Undeserved. In this world there is going to be suffering and pain.As a person of faith, we are not exempt from that undeniable fact. What do we do? Where is God when the pain is unbearable and the night so long? How do we reach out to others with something more than platitudes?"It has been said that theology begins in the experience of suffering. At the very least, debilitating suffering challenges our images of success ...

How can a 1st century later speak to the needs of a 21st century audience? Galatians has been a central book of the Bible for many Christian theologians. This book brings it powerfully into the present.With this volume on Paul's Letter to the Galatians, Dr Bruce Epperly, author of Philippians: A Participatory Study Guide, Finding God in Suffering: A Journey with Job, and Transforming Acts: Acts of the Apostles as a 21st Century Gospel, ag...