To see baptism as merely a ceremony greatly limits the meanings of Christian baptism, says Martin Marty, in this practical and inspirational new look at baptism. Martin Luther recommended that believers should begin and end their day reminding themselves of their baptism and then go to work joyfully or to sleep cheerfully. Baptism, says Marty, is at the heart of the everyday, life-long spiritual journey as he explores such questions as: How did early Christians understand and practice baptism? What difference does baptism make in our daily life? How does baptism manifest itself in our...

In this newly revised and expanded edition About the Bible: Short Answers to Big Questions, Terence E. Fretheim offers straightforward answers to reoccurring questions about how the Bible was written, organized, and interpreted - and why people have such different opinions about what the Bible has to say. Built on a bestselling volume first introduced to readers in 1999, this edition welcomes added questions to a unique question-and-answer format. Among the questions are: Who wrote the Bible? How did it come to be? Do Lutherans believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible, for instance...

The thesis helps the reader understand that the Yahweh of Israel and the God who raised Jesus, often appearing throughout history to be down for the count, has an amazing come-back-ability. In the current postmodern context, where many despair of faith and seem to circle back to the 1960s conclusion that God is dead, the book will hold forth a reason to believe and a pathway to probe more deeply in contemporary images and language the age-old truth and traditions of faith