Michael Welker Book order

Pluralism has become the defining characteristic of many modern societies. Not only a plurality of individual and social claims and activities gain impacts on societal life. A creative pluralism of institutions and their norms profoundly shape our moral commitments and character - notably the family, the market, the media, and systems of law, religion, politics, research, education, health care, and defense. In the theoretical, empirical, and historical contributions to this volume, specialists on medicine, medical ethics, psychology, theology and health care discuss the many challenges that major transformations in their areas of expertise pose to the communication and orientation in late modern pluralistic societies. Contributors come from Germany, the USA and Australia.

From the 2019/2020 Gifford Lectures at the University of Edinburgh In God's Image describes how centering our culture on the human and divine spirit can revitalize four universally acknowledged characteristics of a thriving human existence: justice, freedom, truth, and peace. Inspired not only by religious sources, but also by scientists, philosophers, economists, and legal and political theorists, Michael Welker develops the idea of a "multimodal" spirit that generates the possibility of living and acting in the image of God. Welker's new approach to natural theology explains why the human and the divine spirit cannot adequately be grasped in simple bipolar relations and why the human spirit should not be reduced to the rational mind. Addressing the question What is the calling of human beings? in the context of late modern pluralistic societies, he aims at explaining to believers and non-believers alike what it means to be persons created in the image of God, moved by a spirit of justice, freedom, truth, and peace.

Exploring the intricate themes of freedom and slavery, this book features contributions from a diverse group of international scholars. It delves into concepts of self-determination, the nature of God-given freedom, and the ethos of belonging and solidarity. Additionally, it examines the interplay between freedom, human rights, and theological perspectives, offering a comprehensive analysis from multiple viewpoints.

Exploring the intersection of faith and reason, two authors with distinct backgrounds offer a dual perspective on theological questions. They emphasize truth and reliability over polemics and certainty, seeking to ground their discussions in concrete examples rather than abstract concepts. By addressing challenging questions and providing thoughtful reassurances, they engage with the complexities of belief. This second edition includes a new Preface and updated bibliographies, enhancing the original insights into their shared faith.

ÿ Germany and South Africa experienced drastic social transitions with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1986 and the end of Apartheid in 1994. This book consists of a collection of essays from German and South African theologians who analyse the role that religious communities had, andÿ are still playing within the respective civil societies. The concept and texture of civil society are analysed; case studies are presented; theological perspectives are given on the relation between church, state and civil society; and guidelines are provided for the healing role that Christian religious communities can play in Germany and South Africa. This book is mainly directed at theologians and scholars in religious studies, however, sociologists and political philosophers may also find the essays informative. Besides the wide variety of theological approaches; sociological and empirical data; and practical theological perspective, the book also yields interesting comparative analysis on two societies in transition.

This beautifully illustrated, compact volume traces the profile of 48 European cities in early Reformation times. It transports readers across Europe from Spain to Estonia, from Scotland to Romania, passing through many fascinating cities in the Reformation heartland of this continent. With finely drawn historical portraits and abundant pictorial material, the articles by different scholars also feature the most prominent Reformers who lived and worked in each city (including six dynamic women). Supplemented by an illustrated map of Europe, local websites and reading lists, Europa Reformata will serve as a guide for visitors and armchair travelers alike. By highlighting so many cities and pioneers of the Reformation, it makes a timely and unique contribution to the 500th anniversary of this groundbreaking movement. Der prächtige und doch handliche Band zeichnet die reformatorischen Profile von etwa vierzig europäischen Städten nach. Die Leser werden von Spanien über Zentraleuropa bis Estland und Finnland geführt, von Schottland und England bis nach Rumänien. Profilierte Texte und reiches Bildmaterial veranschaulichen das Wirken der berühmtesten Reformatoren – sowie der fünf Reformatorinnen – und stellen die Städte mit ihren Bauten und Zeugnissen aus der Reformationszeit vor Augen. Ergänzt durch eine bebilderte Europakarte und die Angabe von kirchlichen Adressen und Tourismusbüros, eignet sich der Band auch als Reiseführer auf den Spuren der Reformation in Europa. An diesem perfekten Geschenk zum 500. Reformationsjubiläum sollte niemand achtlos vorübergehen.

Dieses Buch ist das Ergebnis einer intensiven mehrjährigen internationalen und interdisziplinären Zusammenarbeit. Das Buch erschließt vielperspektivisch die Themen: Freiheit und Sklaverei (Ron Soodalter, Manfred Oeming, Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, Katharina von Kellenbach); Selbstbestimmung und Begriffe von Freiheit (Rüdiger Bittner, Peter Lampe, Cyril Hovorun, Risto Saarinen, Friederike Nüssel); Von Gott gegebene und geprägte Freiheit (Patrick Miller, Beverly Gaventa, Larry Hurtado, Hans-Joachim Eckstein); Freiheit als Ethos der Zugehörigkeit und Solidarität (Jan Gertz, Jürgen van Oorschot, Dirk Smit, Jindrich Halama); Freiheit, Menschenrechte und theologische Orientierungm (Carver Yu, Susan Abraham, Francis Schüssler Fiorenza, Michael Welker).

This innovative volume explores the “iconic problem” in the Abrahamic religions and how it can provide cultural orientation for religious and non-religious people. This “problem” is the presence of two opposed injunctions present in these religions: the prohibition of the making of images and yet the proliferation of images of God within these traditions. In an age shaped by a whirlwind of images – some peaceful; some violent – of peoples through the global media systems, the works collected in this book show how the religions can address the “iconic problem” in our age of global image making. Readers interested in the monotheistic religions, the reality of global media, and the formation of human consciousness by religion and media will find here rich and provocative resources for reflection. With contributions by Alfred Bodenheimer (Basel), Sarah Coakley (Cambridge), Susanne Enderwitz (Heidelberg), Michael Fishbane (Chicago), Paul Mendes-Flohr (Chicago), Johannes Heil (Heidelberg), Susannah Heschel (Dartmouth), Dwight Hopkins (Chicago), Baber Johansen (Harvard), Angelika Neuwirth (Berlin), Friederike Nüssel (Heidelberg), William Schweiker (Chicago), Kathryn Tanner (Yale) and Michael Welker (Heidelberg).

This volume brings together leading theologians, biblical scholars, scientists, philosophers, ethicists, and others to explore the multidimensionality and depth of the human person. Moving away from dualistic (mind-body, spirit-flesh, naturalmental) anthropologies, the book's contributors examine human personhood in terms of a complex flesh-body-mind-heart-soul-conscience-reason-spirit spectrum. The Depth of the Human Person begins with a provocative essay on the question "Why is personhood conceptually difficult?" It then rises to the challenge of relating theological contributions on the subject to various scientific explorations. Finally, the book turns to contemporary theological-ethical challenges, discussing such subjects as human dignity, embodiment, gender stereotypes, and human personhood at the edges of life. Contributors: Maria Antonaccio Warren S. Brown Philip Clayton Volker Henning Drecoll Markus Hfner Origen V. Jathanna Malcolm Jeeves Isolde Karle Eiichi Katayanagi Andreas Kemmerling Stephan Kirste Bernd Oberdorfer John C. Polkinghorne Jeffrey P. Schloss Andreas Schle William Schweiker Gerd Theissen Gnter Thomas Frank Vogelsang Michael Welker

This book documents the conference on The Science and Religion Dialogue: Past and Future, held at the University of Heidelberg, Germany, October 25-29, 2012. The conference commemorated the 100th anniversary of the birth of Sir John Templeton and the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the John Templeton Foundation. It brought together about 60 active participants, all of them prominent scholars from many countries and many academic fields. Most of them have been engaged in the Science and Religion Dialogue for the last two or three decades. This book reports on multi-year international and interdisciplinary research projects at leading institutions. The contributions start with presentations by Hans Joas, Martin Nowak and John Polkinghorne and range from Astronomy, Mathematics, Physics and Biology to Philosophical Theology and Religious Ethics. Special topics of the dialogue between Science and Religion are also dealt with, such as Eschatology and Anthropology; Cosmology, Creation, and Redemption; Evolutionary Biology and the Spirit; and The Role of Thought Experiments in Science and Theology.