The Celtic Spirit: Daily Meditations for the Turning Year

Paula Fredriksen

From Jesus to Christ: The Origins of the New Testament Images of Christ

How did Jesus of Nazareth become the Christ of the Christian tradition? "Magisterial. . . . A learned, brilliant and enjoyable study."--Géza Vermès, Times Literary Supplement "Brilliant and lucidly written, full of original and fascinating insights."--Reginald H. Fuller, Journal of the American Academy of Religion "This is a first-rate work of a first-rate historian."--James D. Tabor, Journal of Religion In this exciting book, Paula Fredriksen explains the variety of New Testament images of Jesus by exploring the ways that the new Christian communities interpreted his mission and message in light of the delay of the Kingdom he had preached. Carefully examining the New Testament texts, she provides fascinating insights into such issues as the social and religious problems facing early Christian communities, the content of Jesus' ministry, and the circumstances of his crucifixion. This edition includes an introduction that reviews more recent scholarship on Jesus and its implications for both history and theology.

Slavoj Zizek, Slavoj A1/2ia3/4ek

The Puppet and the Dwarf: The Perverse Core of Christianity

One of our most daring intellectuals offers a Lacanian interpretation of religion, finding that early Christianity was the first revolutionary collective. Slavoj Zizek has been called "an academic rock star" and "the wild man of theory"; his writing mixes astonishing erudition and references to pop culture in order to dissect current intellectual pieties. In The Puppet and the Dwarf he offers a close reading of today's religious constellation from the viewpoint of Lacanian psychoanalysis. He critically confronts both predominant versions of today's spirituality--New Age gnosticism and deconstructionist-Levinasian Judaism--and then tries to redeem the "materialist" kernel of Christianity. His reading of Christianity is explicitly political, discerning in the Pauline community of believers the first version of a revolutionary collective. Since today even advocates of Enlightenment like Jurgen Habermas acknowledge that a religious vision is needed to ground our ethical and political stance in a "postsecular" age, this book--with a stance that is clearly materialist and at the same time indebted to the core of the Christian legacy--is certain to stir controversy.

Lee Strobel

Case for Faith Evangelism Pak: A Journalist Investigates the Toughest Objections to Christianity

@lt;DIV@gt;In his #1 best-seller The Case for Christ, legally trained investigative reporter Lee Strobel examined the claims of Christ, reaching the hard-won verdict that Jesus is God's unique son. But despite the compelling historical evidence that Strobel presented, many people grapple with serious concerns about faith in God. As in a court of law, they want to shout, 'Objection!' They say, 'If God is love, then what about all the suffering in our world?' Or, 'If Jesus is the door to heaven, then what about the millions who have never heard of him?' Or, 'If God cares for everyone, then why does he eternally torture some in hell?' In The Case for Faith, Strobel turns his tenacious investigative skills to the most persistent emotional objections to belief---the eight 'heart' barriers to faith. The Case for Faith is for those who may be feeling attracted to Jesus but who are faced with formidable intellectual barriers standing squarely in their path. For Christians, it will deepen their convictions and give them fresh confidence in discussing Christianity with even their most skeptical friends.@lt;/div@gt;