Peter C. Phan

A Catholic Reading Guide to Universalism

Theology

“The question of universal salvation is a theological minefield . . . Various theologians have been condemned for taking too large or narrow a view, either providing 'cheap grace' or unduly restricting God's universal offer of salvation. With pastoral wisdom and theological subtlety, Wild offers a wide-ranging and comprehensive panoply of pro and con views and carefully helps readers negotiate this treacherous terrain. His book . . . will be useful to both reasoned scholars and theological novices.”

A Cultural Handbook to the Bible

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“In a highly accessible style yet with deep and wide scholarship, John Pilch, an international authority on the biblical social world, leads us, like a trustworthy tour guide, through the highways and byways of the ancient world. Thanks to his work, the Bible becomes alive to us again as God's Word in human words. I most strongly recommend this handbook to both scholars and general readers.”

Alterity and the Evasion of Justice

Ethics, Culture & Social Issues

“After an initial burst of interest in World Christianity as a field of study, with a steady flow of publications, it is time for what might be called the second generation of scholars in World Christianity to examine the lacunae in the writings of its pioneers. Alterity and the Evasion of Justice is an important and challenging collection of essays that bring to the fore issues left hitherto unexplored, especially those concerning injustice in its multiple forms. Coming from different parts of the globe with their distinctive contexts, the authors of these essays draw our attention to decolonialism, liberation, feminism, queer studies, and race and cultural theories--so many inconvenient truths that vastly expand the horizon of World Christianity. I enthusiastically recommend this volume for courses in the history of Christianity.”

Bordered Bodies, Bothered Voices

Theology

“We owe Jione Havea a huge debt for bringing together the voices of Polynesian theologians, too long silenced and marginalized, to help us interrogate, cross, negotiate, or erase all kinds of borders that separate humans. . . . I strongly recommend this book to those who wish to hear theological voices spoken from distant places and unfamiliar cultures.”

Christ and Reconciliation

Theology

“Veli-Matti Karkkainen develops a vigorous understanding of Christ as reconciler that is solidly rooted in the Bible and the Christian tradition and at the same time sympathetic to contemporary insights. With awe and admiration readers of this comprehensive and lucid book will no doubt link its author's name with Thomas, Calvin, Barth, Moltmann, and other theological luminaries. After the completion of Karkkainen's five-volume project, theology will not be the same.”

Dialogue Derailed

Theology

“With painstaking research, impeccable scholarship, penetrating analysis, and exemplary fair-mindedness, Mong digs deep into Ratzinger's . . . background to reveal his Eurocentric bias. . . . His work is the first analysis and assessment of the Bavarian theologian's work from the perspective of Asian realities.”

Divine Love

Prayer & Spiritual Formation

“What a splendid gift Dr. James has given us all with this translation of Madame Jeanne de la Motte Guyon's mystical poems with illustrations by Otto van Veen. To us, social media saturated people with irritable impatience for anything not reducible to a tweet, this emblem book looks like a throwback to long-past days. But Dr. James teaches us to pause and linger over the words and pictures, and to let them sink into our hearts with their profound spiritual message.”

Divine Sensibility

Theology

“With this volume, Divine Sensibility, Edmond Zi-Kang Chua concludes his trilogy on Asian systematic theology that saw the light of day in less than three years, giving a new meaning to ‘prolificity.’ Building on his second volume, Experience, Culture and Religion in Systematic Theology, Chua attempts a reinterpretation of evangelical systematic theology that remains faithful to its creedal affirmations on divine revelation, divine transcendence, divine identity, divine immanence, divine creation, and on humanity as the image of God and at the same time is open to contemporary insights on psychological wellbeing, cultural diversity, and religious plurality. Such a theological reconciliation of apparently opposite viewpoints is a herculean task that Chua discharges with scholarly depth and pastoral sensitivity. Evangelical conservatives and liberal theologians will have to judge whether Chua’s efforts are successful, but there is no doubt that his reinterpretations of Christian loci theologici respond to an urgent need in the academy and the church. I strongly encourage a careful reading of Chua’s trilogy.”

Earthing the Cosmic Christ of Ephesians—The Universe, Trinity, and Zhiyi’s Threefold Truth, Volume 2

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“In this second volume of his commentary on the Letter to the Ephesians, John P. Keenan explores how the letter’s rich teaching on the Cosmic Christ and the Trinitarian God can be better understood by using the Chinese Buddhist master Zhiyi’s concept of ‘threefold truth.’ I most enthusiastically recommend Earthing the Cosmic Christ of Ephesians to all who search for interreligious understanding.”

Edward Schillebeeckx and Interreligious Dialogue

World Religions

“Edmund Chia puts us all, especially Asian theologians, in his debt with this scholarly analysis of the thought of one of the most influential Catholic theologians of the twentieth century. Chia brilliantly succeeds in extending Schillebeeckx's insights into the challenging field of cultural and interreligious dialogue. In this way he builds a bridge between Western and Asian theologies, long kept apart, or worse, with the former dominating the latter. Chia's work is proof that Asian theology has come of age.”

Faith in the Marketplace

Evangelism & Missions

“How should faith, work, and economics conspire together to promote Christian missions? Dr. Samuel Lee’s Faith in the Marketplace seeks to answer this question by studying three sites of the Entrepreneurial Church Planting (ECP). What emerges from this investigation is three foundational principles: relationality, emphasis on growth and development, and a focus on holistic transformation. While most other Christian missiologists do not use the language and concepts of the ECP, they would do well to read this book carefully as it has a lot to teach them about what is central in Christian missions and how to bring God to the public square.”

Forgiven but Not Forgotten

Ethics, Culture & Social Issues

“Examining the conflicts that have divided and even killed millions of people—in Nazi Germany, South Africa, Northern Ireland, Guatemala, El Salvador, and China—Mong shows that ‘there can be no peace without justice and no justice without forgiveness.’ . . . The past is not past; it must be remembered, not as it was, but as a promise of and power for a transformed future.”

God’s People on the Move

Evangelism & Missions

“This book is a magnificent addition to the burgeoning literature on the theology of migration. It provides extremely rich biblical perspectives on migration and discusses the urgent issues of mission among and by migrants, be they refugees, undocumented workers, returning 'failed' migrants, urban or rural migratory dwellers. I most enthusiastically recommend God's People on the Move not only to pastoral workers but also to academic theologians.”

Healing and Developing Our Multiculturalism

“With the American Catholic Church more multicultural than ever, there is an urgent need for deep insights into multiculturalism and practical advice on how to minister effectively in this multicultural Church. Rademacher's book fills this double need splendidly. Its twin approach to multiculturalism--healing and developing--turns it into an effective instrument for mutual enrichment and reconciliation. With each chapter accompanied by illustrative stories and ending with questions for discussion, the work is a perfect textbook for college-level courses, continuing education, and parish diocesan formation. Buy it and use it. Currently, there is no other work like this on the market.”

Hope and Community

Theology

“With awe and admiration readers of this comprehensive and lucid book will no doubt link its author's name with Thomas, Calvin, Barth, Moltmann, and other theological luminaries. After the completion of Kärkkäinen's five-volume project, theology will not be the same.”

Immigrant Neighbors among Us

Ethics, Culture & Social Issues

“This book is a splendid rejoinder to the critique that Latino/a theology has not developed a full-fledged theology of migration. Digging deep into Latino/a experiences of migration and the theological resources of six different Christian communities, the contributors offer rich and challenging reflections on migration . . . I most strongly recommend this book to church leaders, those ministering with and for Latino/a migrants, and activists working for the reform of law and public policies regarding migration.”

Invisible

Women

“Kim's Invisible is an eloquent clarion call to steep American theology in the sufferings and pains and joys and hopes of Asian women. I most strongly recommend this book to all Americans, especially in the current anti-immigration climate.”

Jacques Dupuis Faces the Inquisition

Theology

“This book is not simply a thrilling account of the 'inquisition' of a great theologian and proverbial odium theologicum, but also a lucid primer to current Roman Catholic theologies of religions. Not out of prurient interest in ecclesiastical politics, but out of deep love for truth and the church, Burrows makes Dupuis . . . come alive in these pages. It is a must-read for those interested in the future of Catholic theology.”

Jeanne Guyon’s Apocalyptic Universe

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“I heartily welcome the latest fruit of Nancy James' painstaking scholarship on the seventeenth-century French mystic Madame Jeanne Guyon. The book of Revelation has maintained a powerful hold on Christian imagination throughout the centuries, even today, especially in Evangelical and Pentecostal circles. We owe Dr. James a great debt of gratitude for making Guyon's commentary on Revelation available to English-speaking readers, not only for historical and scholarly reasons, but also for the contribution the book makes to fostering spirituality, especially devotion to Jesus, in times of trial and trouble.”

Jeanne Guyon’s Christian Worldview

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“We owe Nancy James an enormous debt of gratitude for this marvelous translation of the seventeenth-century spiritual writer commonly known as Madame Guyon. Guyon’s spirituality of passionate quietude and simplicity, highly controverted and repeatedly condemned during her life, needs a retrieval for our time of feverish multitasking and incessant distraction, and no one is more qualified to perform this task than Nancy James. May Guyon’s commentaries on Pauline writings continue to nourish our souls!”