We live in a world of widespread awareness of diversity. The variety of ethnicities, cultures, world views, and politics is common to anyone who takes advantage of media, communications, and travel technologies. Some diversities are quite trivial and merely provoke a smile or a shake of the head. But differences in those beliefs that guide our lives, that make us what we are - these are another matter. They are indeed the stuff of arguments, manifestos, estrangements, revolutions, and wars. Why is this so? In a way, this book is an answer to that question.
James Wm. McClendon, Jr. (1924-2000) was the most important "baptist" theologian of the twentieth century. McClendon crafted a systematic theology that grew out of the immediacy of preaching the text, refused to succumb to the pressures of individualism, and lamented the stunted public witness of a fractured Protestant ecclesiology. This third and final volume of his Collected Works provides a compendium of McClendon's sermons--examples of what he called "first-order" theology in action. While McClendon was predominantly known as a philosophical theologian, he persisted in the belief that the theology that mattered most occurred in ordinary congregations seeking to bear faithful witness in the world. The sermons in this collection--many rarely seen and never before published--provide an important window into McClendon's own theology and witness to his convictions about theology's purpose and end. This third volume serves as an invaluable resource for ministers, students, and theologians who seek a fuller understanding of McClendon's "baptist" theology.
When it first appeared in 1986, James McClendon's Ethics laid claim to two compelling theological ideas: first, that a highly distinctive theological perspective characterizes the inheritors of the sixteenth century's radical reformation. At the heart of this perspective is what McClendon calls the baptist vision, a way of understanding the gospel that emphasizes the church's distinction from the world, and its continuity with the church of the New Testament. Second, that because of its emphasis on the centrality of discipleship, this radical reformation outlook insists that theology's first task is to discover and explore the shape of the church's common life as the body of Christ; hence McClendon's novel decision to begin the task of writing a systematic theology with a volume on ethics. Since its first publication, Ethics has been followed by Doctrine (1994), and Witness (2000). The completion of the overall work has brought into sharper focus many of the theological and ethical issues and concerns central to the baptist tradition. In this revised edition of Ethics, McClendon infuses his claim for the priority of ethics within the theological task with a new urgency, born of the fuller, more complete definition of the baptist vision that Doctrine and Witness have made possible. Ethics is central, he reminds us, because biblical faith rests on a set of distinctive practices that arise from our placement within a larger Christian story. In his revisions McClendon offers a more complete explanation of how the interaction of faithful practices and gospel story give rise to a way of life that is distinctively Christian.
This minor classic" of the narrative theology movement proposes to use biography as a way of doing theology, rather than using biography to set forth models of exemplary living to inspire the faithful. By looking at the lives of four significant persons (Dag Hammarskjold, Martin Luther King, Jr., Clarence Jordan, and Charles Ives), the author discovers a theology that is adequate to account for the kind of lives these persons lived. This unique approach to theology is applicable to any religion, but the author has chosen to work within his own Christian tradition in this book. The book concludes with suggested methods by which the work of doing theology biographically can be carried further.
Making Gospel Sense is theologian James Wm. McClendon, Jr.'s riveting story of his experiences as an interim pastor in a floundering congregation. Through twenty-six prophetic sermons, each introduced by interpretive commentary, McClendon describes his call to the church, the struggle between disparate personalities, the difficulties and rewards of moving from classroom to sanctuary, and the evolution of his congregation from seemingly hopeless decline to spirited recovery. Here is a microcosm of today's church - a tale of anxiety, dissension, self-discovery, and renewal. Essential reading for pastors, seminarians, and all those who care about the church, 'Making Gospel Sense' is at once a challenging and inspiring pilgrimage to the true meaning of ministry.
Ethics, the first volume of McClendon’s Systematic Theology, explored the shape of life in the Christian community. Doctrine, the second volume, investigated the teaching necessary to sustain that life. Witness, the third and final volume of the work, considers the wider context in which that life takes place. It asserts that the church’s identity is established not only by how it lives and what it teaches but also by how it enters into conversation and connects with systems of thought and social structures outside itself. McClendon continues here his exploration of “the baptist vision,” a tradition of the church’s understanding of itself, its relation to Scripture, and its place in the larger society, which flows from the Radical Reformation of the 16th century. He employs that vision to engage in conversation with three principal partners: other theologies; current philosophy; and culture, including science and letters, the fine and performing arts, and politics—in short, what Scripture calls “the world.”
The third edition of Psychiatric Rehabilitation, discusses interventions to help individuals with mental illness improve the quality of their life, achieve goals, and increase opportunities for community integration so they can lead full and productive lives. This person centered approach emphasizes strengths, skill development, and the attainment of valued social roles. The third edition has been fully updated with new coverage indicating how to address medical problems while treating for mental illness, wellness and recovery, evidence based practices, and directions for future research. Retaining the easy to read, engaging style, each chapter includes key terms with definitions, case studies, profiles of leaders in the field, special issues relating to treatment and ethics, and class exercises. Providing a comprehensive overview of this growing field, the book is suitable as an undergraduate or graduate textbook, as well as a reference for practitioners and academic researchers. Special Features: Provides new coverage on comorbid medical disorders, evidence based practices, wellness and recovery, and direction for future research Identifies controversial issues relating to treatment and ethics Supplies case study examples to illustrate chapter points Highlights key terms with definitions and key topics Offers focus questions and class exercises as a teaching tool New coverage of DSM-V diagnosis, evidence-based treatment, and daily living skills training Retains case studies, boxed controversial issues, glossary
The author argues that Baptist theologian James William McClendon Jr's articulation of the 'baptist' vision entails an account of the real presence of Christ's body and blood that is internally faithful to that vision. Furthermore, such an account of real presence suggests that the 'baptist' vision is itself a contribution of Baptists to ecumenical Christianity. The argument is set in the context of some contemporary Baptist engagement with ecumenical Christianity, particularly historic Catholic Christianity. COMMENDATION "Aaron James shows how an ecumenically minded Baptist theologian can take up this theme with creativity, grace, and an inspiring desire to lift up our hearts toward the wondrous "sacrament of unity" and "sacrament of charity". He powerfully reminds us why this may well be the most important conversation that Christians can have today." - Matthew Levering, University of Dayton, Ohio, USA
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