In ZeroTheology, John Tucker argues that not only can one be a Christian without holding any traditional beliefs but that one can only be a Christian by getting out of religious belief altogether. Utilizing the philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein, John offers a way of escaping the belief/disbelief trap that explains why believers and unbelievers cannot understand each other and why neither understands the alternative religious path that the author promotes. Tucker addresses many of today's most pressing religious questions and introduces his own: Why do evangelicals believe that homosexual fidelity is more harmful to marriage than heterosexual infidelity? Why are believers so bothered by science and so impressed by miracles? What if Sin and Grace are synonyms? What if Jesus is sinless in an ironic way? What is the difference between making judgments and passing judgment? Why does the literal versus metaphorical debate completely miss the point of religious language? Using Catch-22s, ZeroTheology offers a new way of looking at Christian religious life that emphasizes the non-reasonable transcendent choice over the perfectly reasonable choice of belief or unbelief.
In some states by law, in others by tradition, judges imposing a sentence of death complete the grim ritual with the words "May God have mercy on your soul." In 1982, in Grundy, Virginia, a young miner named Roger Coleman was sentenced to death for the murder of his sister-in-law. Ten years later, the sentence was carried out, despite the extraordinary efforts of Kitty Behan, a brilliant and dedicated young lawyer who devoted two years of her life to gathering evidence of Coleman's innocence, evidence so compelling that media around the world came to question the verdict. The courts, ruling on technicalities, refused to hear the new evidence and witnesses. Finally, the governor of Virginia ordered a lie-detector test to be administered on the morning of Coleman's scheduled execution, and in a chair that to Coleman surely looked like nothing so much as an electric chair. In John Tucker's telling, this story is an emotional and unforgettable roller-coaster ride from the awful night of the crime to the equally awful night of the execution. Perhaps it was not Roger Coleman whose soul was in need of God's mercy, but the judges, prosecutors, and politicians who procured his death.
Integrity touches all of life, including every thought, act, and word we speak. It comes to us from our Creator, for it reflects his character in us. Due to our fallen nature, we do not comprehend its full capacity to transform us into Christ’s likeness, but this is God’s will ultimately. Integrity and God’s Man is an in-depth Bible study on integrity for men, and author John Tucker invites men to cultivate their integrity in creative, challenging ways. Christian men can answer a number of questions: What is integrity in our personal walk with Christ? How is it formed? What circumstances ensure its presence in us? And what attitudes and lifestyles must we show for others to see Christ portrayed through us? Guided study through the Bible will help you answer these questions as you learn to build your Christian integrity. Everyone claims to have integrity, but it’s more than just honesty and commitment. Biblical integrity links a man to the heart of God and to the souls of others. This truth is revealed in the passages of the Bible, so we must learn how to read, study, and live them as we open our hearts wider to God’s plan for our understanding and growth in integrity.
The Forty-Seven Rōnin vendetta is one of the most famous incidents in Japanese history, but it is also one of the most misunderstood. John A. Tucker seeks to provide a credible account of the vendetta and its afterlife in history. He suggests that, when considered historically and holistically, the vendetta appears as a site of contested cultural ground, with conflicts, disagreements, and debates characterizing its three-century history far more than cultural unanimity about its values, virtues, and icons. Tucker narrates the incident as the historical event that it was, within the context of Tokugawa social, political, cultural, and spiritual history, before exploring the vendetta as conflicted cultural ground, generating a steady flow of essays, novels, plays, and ideologically driven expressions intrinsic to the course of Japanese history. This engaging, accessible study provides insights into ways in which events and debates from early modern history have continued to inform developments in modern Japan.
Leadership is a quality that often goes underappreciated or unrecognised in New Zealand church life. But this is not how it should be. Leadership is a godly and biblical quality and those with such gifts are to be celebrated and cherished. This volume is a tribute to one such gifted leader, Charles Hewlett, eighth Principal of Carey Baptist College (2010-2017). Structured around the theme of "What We Love," a saying Charles would repeat often throughout his principalship, faculty and students reflect on biblical, theological, and applied themes central to Christian thought and practice today. More than an in-house tribute, this volume will be of interest and use to pastors and practitioners looking for considered reflections on ministry, leadership, and mission today.
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