New
Mary Boys
David Carr
Euan Cameron
James H. Cone
Gary Dorrien
Esther Hamori
Paul Knitter
Barbara Lundblad
Tyler Mayfield
Christopher Morse
John McGuckin
Poverty Initiative
Hal Taussig, Maia Kotrosits,
Celine Lillie, Justin Lasser & Jared Calaway
Tell Somebody!
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Gary Dorrien
Kantian Reason and Hegelian Spirit
Wiley-Blackwell
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In this thought-provoking new work, the world renowned theologian Gary Dorrien reveals how Kantian and post-Kantian idealism were instrumental in the foundation and development of modern Christian theology.
- Presents a radical rethinking of the roots of modern theology
- Reveals how Kantian and post-Kantian idealism were instrumental in the foundation and development of modern Christian theology
- Shows how it took Kant's writings on ethics and religion to launch a fully modern departure in religious thought
- Dissects Kant's three critiques of reason and his moral conception of religion
- Analyzes alternative arguments offered by Schleiermacher, Schelling, Hegel, and others - moving historically and chronologically through key figures in European philosophy and theology
- Presents notoriously difficult and intellectual arguments in a lucid and accessible manner
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"I have always told students that one cannot understand modern theology, including Barthian theology, without a firm grasp of Kant. Dorrien's work substantiates this claim with an attention to detail that is nothing short of breathtaking. This book is a brilliant and much needed account of the influence of Immanuel Kant and the tradition of post-Kantian idealism on modern theology." —William Stacy Johnson, Princeton Theological Seminary
"This is a brilliant and much needed book. Dorrien's magisterial achievements to date lend his voice a special authority, but in this book, the reader is simply compelled by the deft interplay of nuance and overview to trust his mentorship. Dorrien has masterfully approached this most intimidating and yet indispensable corpus of texts with depth and breadth of analysis, and with an extraordinarily fresh perspective." —Catherine Keller, Drew University
"Gary Dorrien is a superstar as an interpreter of modern religious thought. This unique, fascinating, aggressively revisionary book will have no competition until books appear to argue against it." —Frederick Ferré, University of Georgia
"This is an extraordinarily fine book, a delight to read, a real page-turner, and a brilliant interpretation, all of which one expects of such an accomplished scholar and author as Dorrien. As a theologian and historian, Dorrien is in top form. As a theologian and philosopher, he writes with precise, analytical control over the ideas involved, offering, among other things, the best treatment I know of the evolving relations among Fichte, Schelling, and Hegel. No one else I know could have written this book, which will be the dominant treatment of its subject. Kantian Reason and Hegelian Spirit is a magisterial interpretive history of one of the most important theological deltas of our time." —Robert C. Neville, Boston University
 Aliou C. Niang
Text, Image and Christians in a Graeco-Roman World: A Festschrift in Honor of David Lee Balch
Niang, Aliou C. and Carolyn Osiek, editors.
Text, Image and Christians in a Graeco-Roman World: A Festschrift in Honor of David Lee Balch.
Princeton Monograph Series. Eugene, OR: Pickwick Books, 2012.
Poverty Initiative
Pedagogy of the Poor: Building the Movement to End Poverty
Willie Baptist and Jan Rehmann
In this book, the authors present a new kind of interdisciplinary pedagogy that brings together antipoverty grassroots activism and relevant social theories about poverty.
Closely linked to the Poverty Initiative at Union Theological Seminary, this unique book combines the oral history of a renowned antipoverty organizer with accessible introductions to relevant social theories, case studies, in class student debates, and pedagogical reflections. This multilayered approach makes the book useful to both social activists committed to eradicating poverty and educators looking for ways to teach about the struggles for economic and social justice. This book is an essential tool of self-education and leadership development for a broad social movement led by the poor to end poverty.
Featuring a six-part series of interviews with Willie Baptist, this important book examines:
- Firsthand examples of the poor organizing the poor over the past three decades.
- The effect of neoliberalism, high-tech capitalism, and the economic crisis on poverty.
- Theoretical lessons drawn from the Watts Uprising, Martin Luther King Jr.’s Poor People’s Campaign, and the National Union of the Homeless.
- The role of religion and morality in the antipoverty movement.
- The relevance of hegemony theory and ideology theory for social movements.
- Resources, methods, and practices for teaching social justice in the secondary classroom.
Willie Baptist is scholar-in-residence at Union Theological Seminary in New York City and the coordinator of the Poverty Scholars Program of the Poverty Initiative.
Jan Rehmann teaches philosophy and social theories at Union Theological Seminary and at the Free University in Berlin.
Download a .pdf of the book's press release here.
Teaching for Social Justice Series
Audience: High school teachers, activists, social workers, and policymakers; courses in education, political science, theology, ethics, sociology, economics, American studies, civil rights, poverty, ethnic studies, labor studies, psychology, and anthropology.
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Paul Knitter
Without Buddha I Could Not Be a Christian
Dr. Paul Knitter's book on Buddhist-Christian dialogue has appeared in
Korean translation, thanks to Union doctoral candidate Kyeongil Jung.
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James H. Cone
The Cross and the Lynching Tree
(Orbis Press, September 2011)
A landmark in the conversation about race and religion in America.
“They put him to death by hanging him on a tree.”—Acts 10:39
The cross and the lynching tree are the two most emotionally charged symbols in the history of the African American community. In this powerful new work, theologian James H. Cone explores these symbols and their interconnection in the history and souls of black folk. Both the cross and the lynching tree represent the worst in human beings and at the same time a thirst for life that refuses to let the worst determine our final meaning. For African Americans, the image of Jesus, hung on a tree to die, powerfully grounded their faith that God was with them, even in the suffering of the lynching era.
In a work that spans social history, theology, and cultural studies, Cone explores the message of the spirituals and the power of the blues; the passion and of Emmet Till and the engaged vision of Martin Luther King, Jr.; he invokes the spirits of Billie Holliday and Langston Hughes, Fannie Lou Hamer and Ida B. Well, and the witness of black artists, writers, preachers, and fighters for justice. And he remembers the victims, especially the 5,000 who perished during the lynching period. Through their witness he contemplates the greatest challenge of any Christian theology—to explain how life can be made meaningful in the face of death and injustice. Find the book online.
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Barbara K. Lundblad
Esther J. Hamori
Preaching God's Transforming Justice
(Westminster John Knox Press, 2011)
Professors Barbara K. Lundblad and Esther J. Hamori contribute to Preaching God’s Transforming Justice: A Lectionary Commentary, Year B, Featuring 22 New Holy Days for Justice, a bold new commentary which has just been published by Westminster John Knox Press. Ronald Allen, one of the editors, received the M.Div. from Union. Find the book online.
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Paul Knitter
Only One Way?
with Gavin d'Costa and Daniel Strange. (SCM Press, October 2011)
This book presents three different, influential and representative theological approaches towards the world religions. Students are not only introduced to the field, but get three passionate and intelligent 'takes' on what is at stake. By means of a response to each of the primary essays, the authors are put into interaction with each other, and are also engaged with the most contemporary scholarship in the field of theology of religions.
This sustained and high level critical interaction between the authors provides a feature that is not to be found in any other current work in theology of religions. The three views represent: conservative Roman Catholic Christianity (D'Costa), Reformed evangelical Christianity (Strange) and liberationist liberal Christianity (Knitter). This book will therefore appeal to a very wide theological market from all sections of the theological spectrum. Find the book online.
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Mary Boys et al, eds.
Christ Jesus and the Jewish People Today (Eerdmans, March 11, 2011)
Christ Jesus and the Jewish People Today explores the historical, biblical, christological, trinitarian, and ecclesiological dimensions of this crucial question: "How might we Christians in our time reaffirm our faith claim that Jesus Christ is the Savior of all humanity, even as we affirm the Jewish people’s covenantal life with God?" This volume is the result of a transatlantic collaboration among Boston College, Catholic Theological Union, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Lund University, Pontifical Gregorian University, and Saint Joseph’s University. Find the book online.
Learn more about Dr. Mary Boys.
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John McGuckin
The Encyclopedia of Eastern Orthodox Christianity John Anthony McGuckin, Editor
(February, 2011)
With a combination of essay-length and short entries written by a team of leading religious experts, the two-volume Encyclopedia of Eastern Orthodoxy offers the most comprehensive guide to the cultural and intellectual world of Eastern Orthodox Christianity available in English today. Find the book online.
Learn more about Dr. John McGuckin.
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John McGuckin
Two Akathists
John Anthony McGuckin, Translator and Editor
(January, 2011)
Two modern elegant English versions of major Byzantine religious poetic masterpieces: the 6th century Akathist to the Blessed Virgin Mary; and the later medieval Akathist to the Most Sweet Lord Jesus.
The award-winning Translator is Professor of Byzantine Christian studies at Columbia University, New York, and the Nielsen Professor of Church History at Union Theological Seminary. The texts of these two gracious prayer settings are prefaced with a short historical introduction, and set for possible use as liturgical resources for Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, or Episcopalian prayer services.
Find the book online.
Learn more about Dr. John McGuckin.
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Hal Taussig, Maia Kotrosits, Celine Lillie, Justin Lasser & Jared Calaway
The Thunder: Perfect Mind: A New Translation and Introduction
(Palgrave MacMillan, November, 2011)
This is the first book-length treatment in English of the Nag Hammadi text, The Thunder: Perfect Mind – a poem of "I am" statements that has garnered a strong following in mainstream culture. This book offers a fresh, current translation (with detailed Coptic annotations) and ten chapters of introductory analysis of the text. Approaching the text from socio-historical, literary, and postmodern gender-theoretical frameworks, the editors situate Thunder as an early Christian text - away from the now suspect category of "Gnosticism" - and offer conclusions on its possible ancient meanings, as well as its interpretive possibilities for the present moment.
Find the book online.
Learn more about Dr. Hal Taussig and Maia Kotrosits.
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Gary Dorrien
Economy, Difference, Empire (Columbia University Press, November 2010)
Sourcing the major traditions of progressive Christian social ethics—social gospel liberalism, Niebuhrian realism, and liberation theology—Gary Dorrien argues for the social-ethical necessity of social justice politics. In carefully reasoned essays, he focuses on three subjects: the ethics and politics of economic justice, racial and gender justice, and antimilitarism, making a constructive case for economic democracy, along with a liberationist understanding of racial and gender justice and an anti-imperial form of liberal internationalism. Find the book online.
Learn more about Dr. Gary Dorrien.
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Gary Dorrien
Social Ethics in the Making: Interpreting an American Tradition, Paperback Edition (Wiley-Blackwell, December 2010)
In the early 1880s, proponents of what came to be called “the social gospel” founded what is now known as social ethics. This ambitious and magisterial book describes the tradition of social ethics: one that began with the distinctly modern idea that Christianity has a social-ethical mission to transform the structures of society in the direction of social justice. Find the book and reviews online.
Learn more about Dr. Gary Dorrien.
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Tyler Mayfield
Literary Structure and Setting in Ezekiel (FAT II/43; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2010)
Historically, form critical studies of prophetic literature have answered mainly historical questions. However, scholars recently have begun to address literary topics as well. This study of the book of Ezekiel addresses two such topics—literary structure and literary setting—in order to read Ezekiel as a deliberate work of literature, a prophetic composition with a highly-structured form and an intentional placement of units. Mayfield provides a discussion of the role of literary markers in structure and proposes a literary structure of the book based on two formulas: the chronological formula, which divides the book into 13 macrounits, and the prophetic word formula. Then, the author argues for contextual readings of selected Ezekiel passages using literary structure to highlight literary settings. One of these contextual readings presents the unlikely macrounits, Ezek 24-25 and Ezek 32:17–33:20, as transitional units within the book. Find the book online.
Learn more about Dr. Tyler Mayfield.
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Euan Cameron
Enchanted Europe: Superstition, Reason and Religion c. 1250-c. 1750
(May 2010)
Since the dawn of history people have used charms and spells to try to control their environment, and forms of divination to try to foresee the otherwise unpredictable chances of life. Many of these techniques were called 'superstitious' by educated elites. For centuries religious believers used 'superstition' as a term of abuse to denounce another religion that they thought inferior, or to criticize their fellow-believers for practising their faith 'wrongly'. From the Middle Ages to the Enlightenment, scholars argued over what 'superstition' was, how to identify it, and how to persuade people to avoid it. Enchanted Europe offers the first comprehensive, integrated account of western Europe's long, complex dialogue with its own folklore and popular beliefs. Drawing on many little-known and rarely used texts, Euan Cameron constructs a compelling narrative of the rise, diversification, and decline of popular 'superstition' in the European mind. Find the book online.
Learn more about Dr. Cameron.
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Christopher Morse,
The Difference Heaven Makes
(April 2010)
Without attempting to retrace the history of images and interpretations of heaven, Morse seeks rather to draw upon this background to get to the heart of the issue of modern eschatological and apocalyptic discussion by proposing in the foreground a “thought experiment.” If we hear of heaven as that which is now at hand and coming to pass, in contrast to what Paul calls “the form of this world that is passing away,” how significant would the consequences be? Morse proceeds to conduct such a retrial of the news of heaven and its present day credibility by considering the influential legacy of a twentieth century trajectory of theology that responded to the provocative claims of Johannes Weiss. Find the book online.
Learn more about Dr. Morse.
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David M. Carr
An Introduction to the Old Testament: Sacred Texts and Imperial Contexts of the Hebrew Bible (March 2010, David M. Carr)
An Introduction to the Bible: Sacred Texts and Imperial Contexts (March 2010, David M. Carr and Colleen M. Conway)
These comprehensive, introductory textbooks are unique in exploring the emergence of the Hebrew Bible and New Testament in the broader context of world history. They focus in particular on the influence of pre-Roman and Roman empires, empowering students with a richer understanding of Old and New Testament historiography. Biblical texts are introduced in historical sequence, coordinated with the ideological-theological dynamics of each imperial period, demonstrating how the Bible was shaped through interaction with a succession of empires, including the Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, Hellenistic and Roman empires.
In addition to a number of learning helps in the textbook itself (which include side notes on various methodologies for biblical study, extra attention to history of Jewish and Christian interpretation, glossary, and more), there will be a website with links to primary texts, images from the textbook available for download into PowerPoint presentations for the classroom, annotated links to sites useful for biblical study, and a password protected site for instructors to access interactive exercises, quizzes and test materials developed for each chapter.
Learn more about An Introduction to the Old Testament
Learn more about An Introduction to the Bible
Learn more about Dr. Carr |
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