New Books in Religion and Theology

BR560.J3 R39 2010.
REMEMBERING JAMESTOWN : HARD QUESTIONS ABOUT CHRISTIAN MISSION
EDITED BY AMOS YONG AND BARBARA BROWN ZIKMUND.
Pickwick Publications,  c2010.

BR563.A82 L44 2010.
Lee, Sang Hyun, 1938-
FROM A LIMINAL PLACE : AN ASIAN AMERICAN THEOLOGY
Fortress Press,  c2010.
Theology and Los Angeles Center collections.
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BR563.H57 R63 2011.
Rodriguez, Daniel A., 1955-
A FUTURE FOR THE LATINO CHURCH : MODELS FOR MULTILINGUAL, MULTIGENERATIONAL  HISPANIC CONGREGATIONS
FOREWORD BY MANUEL ORTIZ.
IVP Academic,   c2011.

BR563.N4 O84 2011.
Osaigbovo, Rebecca.
SPIRITUAL SISTERHOOD: MENTORING FOR WOMEN OF COLOR
IVP Books,  c2011.
Theology and Los Angeles Center collections

Celebrating Easter

He is Risen! He is Risen indeed!

This is the traditional Easter greeting heard throughout the world this day by Christians from many different traditions. If you would like to see the variety of Paschal greetings, the Orthodox Church in America has a list in many languages.

One more quote, from the German pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, to commemorate this day:

“We pay more attention to dying than to death. We’re more concerned to get over the act of dying than to overcome death. Socrates mastered the art of dying; Christ overcame death as the last enemy. There is a real difference between the two things; the one is within the scope of human possibilities, the other means resurrection. It’s not from ars moriendi, the art of dying, but from the resurrection of Christ, that a new and purifying wind can blow through our present world. Here is the answer to Archimedes’ challenge: “Give me somewhere to stand, and I will move the earth.” If only a few people believed that and acted on it in their daily lives, a great deal would be changed. To live in the light of resurrection — that is what Easter means.”                                                                              Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Have a blessed Easter celebration!

Good Friday meditations

Two meditations for Good Friday remembrance:

“The essence of sin is man substituting himself for God, while the essence of salvation is God substituting himself for man. Man asserts himself against God and puts himself where only God deserves to be; God sacrifices himself for man and puts himself where only man deserves to be. Man claims prerogatives that belong to God alone;  God accepts penalties which belong to man alone.                                                                                                                                                  As we stand before the cross, we begin to gain a clear view both of God and of ourselves, especially in relation to each other. Instead of inflicting upon us the judgment we deserved, God in Christ endured it in our place. Hell is the only alternative. This is the “scandal,” the stumbling-block, of the cross. For our proud hearts rebel against it. We cannot bear to acknowledge either the seriousness of our sin and guilt or our utter indebtedness to the cross. Surely, we say, there must be something we can do, or at least contribute, in order to make amends? If not, we often give the impression that we would rather suffer our own punishment than the humiliation of seeing God through Christ bear it in our place….The proud human heart is there revealed. We insist on paying for what we have done. We cannot stand the humiliation of acknowledging our bankruptcy and allowing somebody else to pay for us. The notion that this somebody else should be God himself is just too much to take. We would rather perish than repent, rather lose ourselves than humble ourselves.”      John Stott The Cross of Christ

“How you loved us, O good Father, who spared not even your only Son, but gave him up for us evildoers! How you loved us, for whose sake he who deemed it no robbery to be your equal was made subservient, even to the point of dying on the cross! Alone of all he was free among the dead, for he had power to lay down his life and power to retrieve it. For our sake he stood to you as both victor and victim, and victor because victim; for us he stood to you as priest and sacrifice, making us sons and daughters to you instead of servants by being born of you to serve us. With good reason is there solid hope for me in him, because you will heal all my infirmities through him who sits at your right hand and intercedes for us. Were it not so, I would despair. Many and grave are those infirmities, many and grave; but wider-reaching is your healing power. We might have despaired, thinking your Word remote from any conjunction with humankind, had he not become flesh and made his dwelling among us.                                                                                                                           Filled with terror by my sins and my load of misery I had been turning over in my mind a plan to flee into solitude, but you forbade me, and strengthened me by your words. To this end Christ died for all, you reminded me, that they who are alive may not live for themselves, but for him who died for them. See, then, Lord: I cast my care upon you that I may live, and I will contemplate the wonders you have revealed. You know how stupid and weak I am: teach me and heal me. Your only Son, in whom are hidden all treasures of wisdom and knowledge, has redeemed me with his blood. Let not the proud disparage me, for I am mindful of my ransom. I eat it, I drink it, I dispense it to others, and as a poor man I long to be filled with it among those who are fed and feasted. And then do those who seek him praise the Lord.”  Augustine The Confessions

New Books in Theology and Church History

Here are recent additions in the areas of church history and theology…enjoy!

BR50 .W398 2009.
WENDELL BERRY AND RELIGION : HEAVEN’S EARTHLY LIFE
EDITED BY JOEL JAMES SHUMAN  AND L. ROGER OWENS.
Culture of the land.
University Press of Kentucky, c2009.
.

BR65.A52 E6 2010.
Augustine, Saint, Bishop of Hippo
AUGUSTINE IN HIS OWN WORDS
EDITED BY WILLIAM HARMLESS.
Catholic University of America Press, c2010.
.

BR100 .M49 2010.
Milbank, John
PAUL’S NEW MOMENT : CONTINENTAL PHILOSOPHY
AND THE FUTURE OF CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY
JOHN MILBANK, SLAVOJ IEK, CRESTON DAVIS ;
WITH CATHERINE PICKSTOCK.
Brazos, c2010.

BR100 .P28 2010.
Pate, C. Marvin, 1952-
FROM PLATO TO JESUS:
WHAT DOES PHILOSOPHY HAVE TO DO WITH THEOLOGY?      
Kregel Publications, 2011.

Remembering Dr. Ralph P. Martin

A great friend of the Stamps Theological Library, Dr. Ralph P. Martin, died on February 25th after a two-year battle with lymphoma. For those readers who are biblical scholars, you will know that Dr. Martin is world-renowned for his research and writing on New Testament topics and particularly in the book of Philippians. For those of you who might not have as much familiarity, I can begin to speak about the scope of his writing by saying that our library has 69 books written or edited by him and that many of his books are translated into other languages as well.

Dr. Martin spent approximately 8 years working with me and assisting the Stamps Library with a tremendous generosity of spirit. First, he gave his personal library of more than 3,000 volumes in biblical studies to help grow our collection. He could have given his collection to any seminary library but in his quiet way, he just smiled and told me that he knew we needed it the most (and he was right!). In humility, he asked that we place the books wherever they were most needed – and so his collection is scattered throughout our main Stamps library and at both our San Diego and Los Angeles Regional Center collections. I spoke with Dr. Martin’s son-in-law, Dr. Lynn Losie (on the Graduate School of Theology faculty), about a week ago and he mentioned that he will find an unusual book on our shelves and open it up and in faint pencil markings will be an RPM in one corner (Dr. Martin’s initials). In gratitude for his generous gift of his collection our downstairs level was named in his honor (a plaque is located in the study room).

Second, Dr. Martin took the time to make suggestions to help with collection development in various New Testament books and then often on one of his trips he would return with a few books he found at a local bookshop that he knew would be a good fit for us. Over the years these few books added up – so the gift of his collection was one that was ongoing.

And finally, he found a cozy seat on our upstairs level and would come in once a week with hot tea in hand – and await student questions. He was pastoral and humble and he  made an important contribution to our library program – for which I am most grateful.

Dr. Martin is survived by his wife Doreen, his daughters Patricia Losie (in Undergraduate Religion and Philosophy) and Elizabeth Knode, seven grandchildren, and seven great grandchildren.

A Celebration of St. Joseph

Growing up in a large church that was comprised mostly of Irish and Italian families, we had two big feast days we celebrated each year in Lent which are adjacent to each other. I have already written about St. Patrick, and in terms of celebrations in North America, his is certainly the better known. But a second celebration generally falls on the same weekend and that is the commemorative feast of St. Joseph, the husband of Mary.

St. Joseph’s Day is March 19th and is a feast day celebrated by Italians to commemorate St. Joseph’s intercessions for them during a severe drought in Sicily during the Middle Ages. On this day, many Italians wear red – just as the Irish wear green on the 17th.

One of the customs I remember the best is the St. Joseph’s Day table (also known as la tavola di San Giuse). In our church hall it was set up in the shape of a large cross and was groaning with wonderful food. Typically the tables include meatless dishes (although seafood might be included), minestrone, pasta, wonderful baked goods, and as I was looking for resources on the tradition, I discovered that fava beans are part of many celebrations as this was one of the only things that the Sicilians were able to grow during the famine and the beans kept them from starvation. The commemoration is one centered in thankfulness and is a reminder of answered prayer.

The table usually has a statue of St. Joseph featured prominently and the table is set to remind us of the Trinity. Pastries might be shaped like baskets, fish, chalices, or doves. The table often also has visual reminders of the life of Joseph – such as carpentry tools. There is a wonderfully informative website that includes background on St. Joseph, on the celebration, a few recipes, and devotional writings. You can find it here. Many churches use the celebration to raise funds for food pantries and other community needs.

In addition to the web link, the library has a variety of resources to learn more about St. Joseph. The St. Joseph’s Day table pictured is from Holy Rosary Catholic Church, Kansas City, Missouri.

Celebrating the First American Saint Patrick’s Day

According to an article at the Christianity.com website, the first American celebration of St. Patrick’s Day was held in 1737 and was sponsored by the Charitable Irish Society of Boston. As you know, there have been a great many celebrations ever since – from the famous parades in New York City and Boston, to the ‘wearin o’ the green’ most every where else.

I am finding that readers are locating this older post this weekend via Google so thought I would make a more general re-post for those who might like a reminder of what the day is about, and am revisiting my post on Saint Patrick from 2011 … hoping there are potentially enough new readers that you might not mind. Have a marvelous – and perhaps more mindful celebration!
………………………………………………………..

I love sharing the story of St. Patrick and his role in the history of Ireland. We celebrate on March 17th as this is the anniversary of his death (and a reminder of his life).

Patrick was born near Dumbarton in Scotland in 387 to a wealthy Roman family but was kidnapped by Irish marauders when he was 16 and taken to Ireland as a slave. He became a shepherd and tended his master’s flocks for six years.

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, “He relates in his “Confessio” that during his captivity while tending the flocks he prayed many times in the day: “the love of God”, he added,

“and His fear increased in me more and more, and the faith grew in me, and the spirit was roused, so that, in a single day, I have said as many as a hundred prayers, and in the night nearly the same, so that whilst in the woods and on the mountain, even before the dawn, I was roused to prayer and felt no hurt from it, whether there was snow or ice or rain; nor was there any slothfulness in me, such as I see now, because the spirit was then fervent within me.”

After the six years, Patrick felt prompted by an angel to escape and traveled 200 miles on foot to join a ship that was returning to his homeland. He quickly rejoined his friends but found that his heart had drawn close to God and his desire was to return to Ireland to preach Christianity and free people from the hold that the Druids had on the culture.

As you might imagine, there are many stories about Patrick’s life. You may have even heard one or two. Some scholars believe that there are actually two Patrick’s (Patrick and Palladius, who was sent to Ireland by Pope Celestine I in 431 to be the first bishop in Ireland) whose stories overlap. I don’t know. What I do know of Patrick is that he was faithful, even in adversity as a slave. He prayed for the people of Ireland and his heart was changed so that he returned to share the good news of Christ.

New Books in Theology

February is always a busy month in the University Libraries – this is the time that we complete all of our book orders for the year. We have some great new additions to the collections that will be on the way over the next few months – many new Korean language books, resources in faith integration, and many e-books as well. Meanwhile, I’m catching up with some recent selections to our theology collections. Happy reading!

BT20 .G55 2007
Gilman, James Earl.
FAITH, REASON, AND COMPASSION :
A PHILOSOPHY OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH  
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers,  c2007.
.

BT21.3 .M33 2010.
McDermott, Gerald R. (Gerald Robert).
THE GREAT THEOLOGIANS : A BRIEF GUIDE
IVP Academic,  2010.
Theology, Los Angeles Center and San Diego Center collections.
.

BT25 .C29 2011.
Calhoun, Robert Lowry, 1896-1983.
SCRIPTURE, CREED, THEOLOGY : LECTURES ON THE HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE IN  THE FIRST CENTURIES
EDITED AND WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY GEORGE A. LINDBECK.
Cascade Books,  2011.

BT25 .E27 2011.
EARLY CHRISTIAN THINKERS :
THE LIVES AND LEGACIES OF TWELVE KEY FIGURES
EDITED  BY PAUL FOSTER.
IVP Academic, c2011.

BT50 .R87 2011.
Rupert, Jane, 1943-
JOHN HENRY NEWMAN ON THE NATURE OF THE MIND :
REASON IN RELIGION, SCIENCE, AND  THE HUMANITIES
Lexington Books,  c2011.

BT77 .M29 2011.
Mason, David R.
SOMETHING THAT MATTERS :
A THEOLOGY FOR CRITICAL BELIEVERS
Praeger,  c2011.

Why the Ashes?

As Christian traditions vary, you may be curious as to the meaning behind the marked foreheads you’ll likely see today.

Today is Ash Wednesday and it is given this name to reflect upon the importance of public penitance. Christians usually mark this as the beginning of the pre-Easter penitential season we call Lent.

According to an essay by Karl-Heinrich Bieritz in Religion Past and Present, the Roman Catholic Church applies  ashes in the shape of a cross on the forehead, and follows this with a blessing. This is done in the mass after the Gospel and Homily. Protestant churches may vary in the service order, but this is generally done as part of a congregational confession.

The New Catholic Encyclopedia writes that it is thought that Christian liturgical usage of ashes may be taken from Jewish tradition. The Hebrew Bible depicts the use of ashes to signify mortality, sorrow and repentance. The Roman Catholic tradition uses ashes ceremonially only on Ash Wednesday and in the rite of dedication for a church (when ashes are mixed with water, wine, and salt according to an 8th-century tradition).

We have a number of Lenten devotionals to help guide you in this season. Here are a few:

Burridge, Richard A.
Faith Odyssey: A Journey Through Lent
Grand Rapids, Mich: Eerdmans, 2001.
.
.

Gross, Bobby.
Living the Christian Year: Time to Inhabit the Story of God:
An Introduction and Devotional Guide.
Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books, 2009.
.

Wangerin, Walter.
Reliving the Passion: Meditations on the Suffering, Death and Resurrection
of Jesus as Recorded in Mark.
Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992.
.

Wright, N.T.
Reflecting the Glory: Meditations for Living Christ’s Life in the World.
Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg, 1998.
.

Malcolm R. Robertson Lectureship on Holy Living: Dr. Ben Witherington III

Dr. Ben Witherington is Amos Professor of New Testament for Doctoral Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary and on the doctoral faculty at St. Andrews University in Scotland. He is visiting the APU campus as a part of the annual Malcolm R. Robertson lectureship – named in honor of long-time administrator Dr. Malcolm Robertson and which emphasizes an historic Wesleyan message for Christians today.

Dr. Witherington spoke to a packed audience at the 2:30 lecture today (February 4, 2013) – he is speaking again this evening at 6:30pm if you can join us.

If you are reading the post after the lectureship is over, our library has a great many of his books – I have counted 48 titles along with several other volumes of essays which include his work. You can find the books in our catalog.