The first centuries of Christianity are like a far country. But despite their foreignness, they hold a treasury of wisdom for living. Early Christians struggled and flourished in a culture that was in love with empire and military power, infatuated with sex and entertainment, tolerant of all gods but hostile to the One. And from this crucible of discipleship they extracted lessons of virtue, faithfulness, ...

Pacifism. Jihad. Militarism. Are these our only alternatives for dealing with global injustice today? J. Daryl Charles leads us to reconsider a Christian view of the use of force to maintain or reestablish justice. He shows how love for a neighbor can warrant the just use of force. Reviewing and updating the widely recognized but not necessarily well-understood just-war teaching of the church ...

What should Christians do with all the laws in the Old Testament? The Old Testament tells the story of the beginnings of God's salvation history, and it is part of the authoritative canon of Scripture affirmed by the church. But what role should the laws of the old covenant play in the lives of those living under the new covenant? Can Christians embrace the commandment to "love the Lord your ...

The field of Christian ethics is the subject of frequent conversation as Christians seek to understand how to live faithfully within a pluralistic society. The range of ethical systems and moral philosophies available can be confusing to people seeking clarity about what the different theories mean for everyday life.

This Spectrum Multiview volume presents a dialogue between ...

"Let all creation rejoice before the LORD, for he comes." Psalm 96:13 The Bible is bathed with images of God caring for his creation in all its complexity. Yet in the face of climate change and other environmental trends, philosophers, filmmakers, environmentalists, politicians and senior scientists increasingly resort to apocalyptic rhetoric to warn us that a so-called perfect storm of factors ...

Violence against women and girls is a human rights epidemic that affects millions of lives around the world. While many Christians are addressing this crisis through education, advocacy and philanthropic support, there has been a reluctance to name gendercide as a theological and confessional issue, a matter that strikes at the very essence of the Christian faith. In The Cross and Gendercide, ...

How prevalent is homosexuality? What causes it? Is it a psychopathology? Can it be changed?

Questions like these often accompany discussions of homosexual behavior. For answers we naturally look to scientific studies. But what does the scientific research actually show? More important, what place should this research have in shaping the church's response?

Stanton Jones and Mark Yarhouse ...

• Voted one of Christianity Today's 1996 Books of the Year