Kirjahaku

Too often, Christians who find themselves feeling skeptical or melancholy are perplexed, troubled, or even ashamed. In Knowing Darkness Addison Hodges Hart provocatively argues that both skepticism and melancholy are not necessarily detrimental but can actually strengthen and deepen Christian faith. / Citing diverse examples ranging from Ecclesiastes and Job to Mother Teresa and Jack Kerouac, Hart shows how skepticism and sadness can inform faith -- and how genuine spiritual friendships can sustain those experiencing dark times. / Hart's forthright, engaging reflections will inspire readers to broaden their ideas about belief and thus find a more authentic faith.

The Yoke of Jesus is an introduction to spiritual discipline, emphasizing the individual's devotion to Jesus. The thirteen chapters of The Yoke of Jesus explore the meaning of faith, our need for stillness and solitude, how we should read, how we must engage nature, how we ought to pray the Psalms, and much more. / Addison Hodges Hart works to deepen our understanding of essential spiritual disciplines, explaining them in terms both ancient and contemporary. The book is at once informative and pragmatic in its approach, grounding the disciplines in Scripture and patristic sources and making them relevant for Christians of the twenty-first century. Hart's vivid and intelligent language highlights the wisdom found here.

Blessed are the poor in spirit. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. You cannot serve God and mammon. Judge not, that you be not judged. Though such sayings from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount are very familiar, many people -- including Christians! -- struggle to fully understand and follow them. For those who are brave enough to reconsider what Jesus really said, Addison Hodges Hart offers Taking Jesus at His Word.

In the twelfth century, the Chinese Zen master Kakuan Shien produced the pictures, poems, and commentaries we know as the Ten Ox-Herding Pictures. They trace a universally recognizable path of contemplative spirituality, using the metaphor of a young ox-herder looking for his lost ox. According to Addison Hodges Hart, the Ten Ox-Herding Pictures and the teachings of Christ, the Good Shepherd who guides us to God, share a common vision. Both show us that authentic spiritual life must begin with an inner transformation of one's self, leading to an outward life that is natural and loving. In The Ox-Herder and the Good Shepherd Hart shares the story that these pictures tell, exploring how this ancient Buddhist parable can enrich and illumine the Christian way. Includes 10 color illustrations

In this book Addison Hodges Hart asks some pointed questions: What sort of church must we become in a post-Christendom world, one in which we can no longer count on society to support Christian ideals? What can we salvage from our Christendom past that is of real value, and what can we leave behind as not practical - and perhaps antithetical - for our discipleship? How do we become "strangers and pilgrims" once more, after seventeen centuries of being "at home" in Christendom? Hart's book takes up these various topics, suggesting both how Christ's disciples can say "yes" to much that was preserved during the age of Christendom, and why they should say "no" to some of the cherished accretions of that passing epoch.

Was Jesus ever married? Yes, indeed, says Addison Hodges Hart, who boldly asserts that the church's tradition has always regarded Jesus as "married" - but not in the way that recent sensationalist writers have claimed. Rather, Christ is "the Bridegroom" of "the Woman" in John's Gospel.In this book Hart explores John's rich, poetic imagery, particularly the metaphorical significance of "the Woman," embodied and imaged by Mary the mother of Jesus, the Samaritan woman, and Mary Magdalene. Hart shows what this image reveals about salvation, personal holiness, and the church as a whole. Inspired himself by the writings of early church fathers and medieval theologians, Hart presents John's Gospel as an incarnational, sacramental text and shows that it is primarily a revelation of salvation, deeply mystical and intended to lead its readers into a living relationship with the One who is the Bridegroom of his people.ADVANCED PRAISE:"The best books are short and deep, and The Woman, the Hour, and the Garden is just such a book. . . With the help of Christian art and piety Hart shows that `woman' is an icon of the gathered community, which leads to the bold conclusion that Christ is indeed married and has taken a bride, the church. This is a book for meditation, to be read slowly with the text of the Gospel in hand." - Robert Louis Wilken, University of Virginia

The Letter of James is perhaps needed more than ever today. In this commentary, Hart argues that the epistle is indeed the work of James of Jerusalem, ""the brother of the Lord,"" that it was an encyclical letter, and that its chief concern was to combat a distorted version of Paul's gospel. It is a work with a singular purpose: to bring the churches back to the most basic teachings of Jesus. In its defense of orthopraxy as the primary Christian standard, its denunciation of those with wealth who exploit or neglect the poor, its hard words for those who have taken on the mantel of ""teacher"" without first learning to restrain their tongues, and above all its exhortation to relearn the truth that ""faith without works of love] is dead,"" James could be talking to churches in our own time. This commentary presents James afresh, as a living guide with a perennial message for those who seek to follow Jesus. It is pastoral in intent, written for those who teach and preach, those who desire a more authentic discipleship, and those who practice lectio divina--the meditative reading of Scripture. (Includes the entire Greek text and the new English translation of the epistle by David Bentley Hart.) ""Addison Hart's commentary on James accomplishes the difficult task of placing the epistle in its historical and cultural context, including its dialogue with strands of Pauline thought and Jesus's teachings, while at the same time making the epistle come to life for the modern reader. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it."" --Roman A. Montero, Author of All Things in Common: The Economic Practices of the Early Christians ""The apostle James comes alive in Addison Hodges Hart's fascinating commentary on this New Testament epistle . . . In his own way, James was clearly as powerful a figure as Paul in the early church, advocating a subtly different take on Jesus's teaching, and is someone whom Christians still need to hear and understand if they are to know God in their hearts and lives."" --Mark Vernon, Author of The Idler Guide to Ancient Philosophy (2016) ""The greatest surprise of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation was the sheer number of prominent Protestant theologians announcing its end. If the Reformation project of a 'faith vs. works' Paulinism has run out of steam, then the 'What is to be done' question arises. Addison Hodges Hart's The Letter of James has a plausible answer in precisely a believing-through-doing approach to faith, orthopraxy, based upon James. This return of the repressed Jamesian 'faith through works, ' simultaneously ancient and post-modern, is presented not merely as a rival to early-modern (and ancient) Paulinisms, but also unearths resources for a reading of the Pauline corpus against Paulinism through orthopraxy."" --Artur Rosman, Managing Editor, Church Life Journal Addison Hodges Hart is the author of six previous books on the topics of Scripture, spirituality, interfaith dialogue, and doctrine. His two most recent books are Strangers and Pilgrims Once More: Being Disciples of Jesus in a Post-Christendom World (2014) and The Woman, the Hour, and the Garden: A Study of Imagery in the Gospel of John (2016). He is a former university chaplain and priest, now residing in Norway with his wife.

The Letter of James is perhaps needed more than ever today. In this commentary, Hart argues that the epistle is indeed the work of James of Jerusalem, ""the brother of the Lord,"" that it was an encyclical letter, and that its chief concern was to combat a distorted version of Paul's gospel. It is a work with a singular purpose: to bring the churches back to the most basic teachings of Jesus. In its defense of orthopraxy as the primary Christian standard, its denunciation of those with wealth who exploit or neglect the poor, its hard words for those who have taken on the mantel of ""teacher"" without first learning to restrain their tongues, and above all its exhortation to relearn the truth that ""faith without works of love] is dead,"" James could be talking to churches in our own time. This commentary presents James afresh, as a living guide with a perennial message for those who seek to follow Jesus. It is pastoral in intent, written for those who teach and preach, those who desire a more authentic discipleship, and those who practice lectio divina--the meditative reading of Scripture. (Includes the entire Greek text and the new English translation of the epistle by David Bentley Hart.) ""Addison Hart's commentary on James accomplishes the difficult task of placing the epistle in its historical and cultural context, including its dialogue with strands of Pauline thought and Jesus's teachings, while at the same time making the epistle come to life for the modern reader. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it."" --Roman A. Montero, Author of All Things in Common: The Economic Practices of the Early Christians ""The apostle James comes alive in Addison Hodges Hart's fascinating commentary on this New Testament epistle . . . In his own way, James was clearly as powerful a figure as Paul in the early church, advocating a subtly different take on Jesus's teaching, and is someone whom Christians still need to hear and understand if they are to know God in their hearts and lives."" --Mark Vernon, Author of The Idler Guide to Ancient Philosophy (2016) ""The greatest surprise of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation was the sheer number of prominent Protestant theologians announcing its end. If the Reformation project of a 'faith vs. works' Paulinism has run out of steam, then the 'What is to be done' question arises. Addison Hodges Hart's The Letter of James has a plausible answer in precisely a believing-through-doing approach to faith, orthopraxy, based upon James. This return of the repressed Jamesian 'faith through works, ' simultaneously ancient and post-modern, is presented not merely as a rival to early-modern (and ancient) Paulinisms, but also unearths resources for a reading of the Pauline corpus against Paulinism through orthopraxy."" --Artur Rosman, Managing Editor, Church Life Journal Addison Hodges Hart is the author of six previous books on the topics of Scripture, spirituality, interfaith dialogue, and doctrine. His two most recent books are Strangers and Pilgrims Once More: Being Disciples of Jesus in a Post-Christendom World (2014) and The Woman, the Hour, and the Garden: A Study of Imagery in the Gospel of John (2016). He is a former university chaplain and priest, now residing in Norway with his wife.

In his famous series of four paintings, the great American "father" of the Hudson River School of art, Thomas Cole (1801-1848), depicted the life of a single representative human Soul as a voyage from birth to death-each painting illustrating a further bend in the river of life: Childhood, Youth, Manhood, and finally, Old Age. Cole supplemented his series with a long poem (reproduced at the end of this volume) along the lines of Dante's Divine Comedy or Newman's Dream of Gerontius, elucidating the meaning of his art. Drawing upon these resources together with the religious and philosophical influences of his time, Addison Hodges Hart succeeds in making The Voyage of Life poignantly applicable to us in the here and now. In Hart's masterful hands, Cole's masterpiece comes alive as timeless wisdom, insight, even contemplative counsel. Like all genuine art, Cole's series communicates one human soul's truth to another, regardless of the distance in space, time, or worldview that may separate them.

In his famous series of four paintings, the great American "father" of the Hudson River School of art, Thomas Cole (1801-1848), depicted the life of a single representative human Soul as a voyage from birth to death-each painting illustrating a further bend in the river of life: Childhood, Youth, Manhood, and finally, Old Age. Cole supplemented his series with a long poem (reproduced at the end of this volume) along the lines of Dante's Divine Comedy or Newman's Dream of Gerontius, elucidating the meaning of his art. Drawing upon these resources together with the religious and philosophical influences of his time, Addison Hodges Hart succeeds in making The Voyage of Life poignantly applicable to us in the here and now. In Hart's masterful hands, Cole's masterpiece comes alive as timeless wisdom, insight, even contemplative counsel. Like all genuine art, Cole's series communicates one human soul's truth to another, regardless of the distance in space, time, or worldview that may separate them.

A bohemian artist obsessed with a lonely woodland pond haunted by preternatural entities... an old man and his grandson who maintain their strong connection after the former's death... a revenant summoned for vengeance through a carefully guarded secret "conjuring song"... a priest mysteriously called upon to rescue the soul of a woman guilty of a decades-old brutal murder... These are just some of the stories told in this chilling collection. All the tales are set in the early 1960s, in the region surrounding Maryland's long and twisting Patapsco River-a setting known for its dark lore and eerie locations. Despite being set in the United States in recent times and along a well-known waterway, the spiritual entities teeming in these pages are the demons, faeries, ghosts, shape-shifters, goblins, fetches, tricksters, sprites, elementals, and angels that have occupied our phantasmal folklore for millennia. Here, then, are eleven stories to unsettle, disturb, and-we hope-entertain the reader.

A bohemian artist obsessed with a lonely woodland pond haunted by preternatural entities... an old man and his grandson who maintain their strong connection after the former's death... a revenant summoned for vengeance through a carefully guarded secret "conjuring song"... a priest mysteriously called upon to rescue the soul of a woman guilty of a decades-old brutal murder... These are just some of the stories told in this chilling collection. All the tales are set in the early 1960s, in the region surrounding Maryland's long and twisting Patapsco River-a setting known for its dark lore and eerie locations. Despite being set in the United States in recent times and along a well-known waterway, the spiritual entities teeming in these pages are the demons, faeries, ghosts, shape-shifters, goblins, fetches, tricksters, sprites, elementals, and angels that have occupied our phantasmal folklore for millennia. Here, then, are eleven stories to unsettle, disturb, and-we hope-entertain the reader.

The twenty mysteries of the rosary are a circular ""gallery,"" a matrix of theology and spirituality. They can inspire us profoundly. For those seeking a deeper encounter in faith, these mysteries have the power to move us toward contemplation. A lengthy Introduction explains in detail the meaning of the term ""mystery"" in Christian thought, provides a brief history of the rosary, explains the significance of Mary in the mysteries, explores the importance of ""beholding"" in the Scriptures and in our spirituality, and explores Christian iconography. The centerpiece of the book is the ""gallery"" of the mysteries as illuminated by the iconography of Solrunn Nes, each image supplemented with explanatory commentaries by Addison Hodges Hart. The latter incorporate biblical exegesis, pertinent historical details, and insights from classical spiritual writers. The aim is to provide insight into the symbolism and typology of each mystery and to lead the reader into contemplative prayer and action. Throughout, the book unites an outward ""beholding"" of the mysteries of the rosary with the inner practice of the work of silence.

The twenty mysteries of the rosary are a circular "gallery," a matrix of theology and spirituality. They can inspire us profoundly. For those seeking a deeper encounter in faith, these mysteries have the power to move us toward contemplation. A lengthy Introduction explains in detail the meaning of the term "mystery" in Christian thought, provides a brief history of the rosary, explains the significance of Mary in the mysteries, explores the importance of "beholding" in the Scriptures and in our spirituality, and explores Christian iconography. The centerpiece of the book is the "gallery" of the mysteries as illuminated by the iconography of Solrunn Nes, each image supplemented with explanatory commentaries by Addison Hodges Hart. The latter incorporate biblical exegesis, pertinent historical details, and insights from classical spiritual writers. The aim is to provide insight into the symbolism and typology of each mystery and to lead the reader into contemplative prayer and action. Throughout, the book unites an outward "beholding" of the mysteries of the rosary with the inner practice of the work of silence.