About the Contributor(s): Ronald F. Marshall (MA, Claremont Graduate School) has been the pastor at First Lutheran Church of West Seattle since he was ordained there in 1979. He is the author of more than fifty articles, specializing in the thought of Martin Luther and Soren Kierkegaard. For more details on Pastor Marshall, go to flcws.org."

How deep has Pannenbergs influence been on American theology? Which particular ideas or themes from his work have been most pervasive to Ameri­can thinkers, and which have encountered the greatest resistance? What implications does his work have beyond explicitly theo­logical contexts--e.g., for philosophy, ethics, environmental concerns, political ac­tion, and the natural sciences? What new forms have his ideas taken as they have been adapted to fit the very different context of American theology?
The authors of the twelve critiques in this vol­ume represent a broad cross section of...

The apocalyptic Jesus speaks directly to the crises of our time, Carl E. Braaten contends. Yet few modern theologians have come to terms with this aspect of Jesus' message. In these brief and provocative essays, Braaten reappraises theology and society from the point of view of apocalypticism. The author points out the relevance for contemporary Christians of the dualities found in apocalyptic thought: Christ and Counter-Christ, freedom and slavery, the present realm and future kingdom. People in today's counterculture are even seen to possess a vision of freedom similar to that in the...

It's time that the body reassumed its rightful place of importance in Christian life, according to Carl and LaVonne Braaten in The Living Temple. In this sourcebook for a healthier way to live, the authors discuss the body, the foods we put into it, and how Christians are to regard it. Although often slighted in Christian tradition, the body was not regarded by Paul and the early Church as ""vile flesh"" to be transcended, but as a living metaphor of Christ and his people and as the dwelling-place of the Holy Spirit. The body is thus to be cared for and revered. Later thinkers, including...

A recent movement in modern religious thought believes that the place to start in theology is at the end--eschatology. At a critical time in history, when many are unsure of the future of faith in a secular age, here is a call for believers to participate in God's activity in the future tense. The basic theme in these pages is the idea of the future--in the language of Christian hope and in the interpretation of history. The rediscovery of the role of eschatology in the preaching of Jesus and of early Christians, says Dr. Braaten, has been one of the most important events of recent...

With perceptive insight and vigor, Dr. Braaten addresses today's crisis in ministry in Protestant and Catholic communities. Numerous studies reveal widespread confusion about the nature and scope of the church's mission. There is a split consciousness in the church at all levels between evangelism and social action, and between lay and ordained forms of ministry. The Apostolic Imperative summons the church to embody the apostolic norms of primitive Christianity in its theology and practice. ""A misinterpretation or neglect of the apostolic norms in the life of the church makes the church...

This volume interprets the lost decade of theological research and reflection on the relation of Christian faith to history. The theological development of this period is depicted as a struggle to go beyond Barth and Bultmann in stressing the centrality of history for revelation and faith. Dr. Braaten deals with new hermeneutical approaches to achieve a theological synthesis of revelation and history. He describes the theology of Wolfhart Pannenberg, which calls for a more radical interpretation of revelation along historical lines, as a pivotal point in the present situation. He goes on to...

""Carl Braaten has written an interesting book applying the eschatological perspective to different dimensions of the Christian faith, of the life of the church, and of Christian ethics. His extremely readable style leads to profound insight. I particularly like the chapter on the ministry and the wisdom of his reflections on ethical questions.""
Wolfhart Pannenberg, University of Munich

""More than any other theologian today, Braaten successfully relates biblical faith and ethics to the whole spectrum of urgent current concerns.""
Richard H. Hiers, Dept. of Religion, University of...

Front-ranking theologians speak out on the crisis of biblical authority and interpretation in the church, focusing in particular on the adequacy of the historical-critical method of hermeneutics. The essays in this volume address from various perspectives the notorious gap between the historical­ critical approach to the study of the Bible and the churchs liturgical and dogmatic transmission of biblical faith. The authors, following the central theme suggested by Brevard S. Childss ""canonical method"" of biblical interpretation, argue that the historical-critical method does not suffice of...