Miroslav Volf

Matthew Croasmun

Ryan McAnnally-Linz

A Guide to What Matters Most

Life Worth Living

The question of what makes life worth living is more vital now than ever. In today's pluralistic, postsecular world, universal values are dismissed as mere matters of private opinion, and the question of what constitutes flourishing life--for ourselves, our neighbors, and the planet as a whole--is neglected in our universities, our churches, and our culture at large. Although we increasingly have technology to do almost anything, we have little sense of what is truly worth accomplishing. In this provocative new contribution to public theology, world-renowned theologian Miroslav Volf (named "America's New Public Intellectual" by Scot McKnight on his Jesus Creed blog) and Matthew Croasmun explain that the intellectual tools needed to rescue us from our present malaise and meet our new cultural challenge are the tools of theology. A renewal of theology is crucial to help us articulate compelling visions of the good life, find our way through the maze of contested questions of value, and answer the fundamental question of what makes life worth living.

Theology That Makes a Difference

For the Life of the World

We can have a sense that when we try to do right by one another, we aren't merely striving against ourselves. The feeling is that we are struggling against something--someone-else. As if there's a force-a person- that wishes us ill. In his letter to the Romans, the apostle Paul describes just such a person: Sin, a cosmic tyrant who constrains our moral freedom, confuses our moral judgment, and condemns us to slavery and to death. Commentators have long argued about whether Paul literally means to say Sin is a person or is simply indulging in literary personification, but regardless of Paul's intentions, for modern readers it would seem clear enough: there is no such thing as a cosmic tyrant. Surely it is more reasonable to suppose "Sin" is merely a colorful way of describing individual misdeeds or, at most, a way of evoking the intractability of our social ills. In The Emergence of Sin, Matthew Croasmun suggests we take another look. The vision of Sin he offers is at once scientific and theological, social and individual, corporeal and mythological. He argues both that the cosmic power Sin is nothing more than an emergent feature of a vast human network of transgression and that this power is nevertheless real, personal, and one whom we had better be ready to resist. Ultimately, what is on offer here is an account of the world re-mythologized at the hands of chemists, evolutionary biologists, sociologists, and entomologists. In this world, Paul's text is not a relic of a forgotten mythical past, but a field manual for modern living.

The Cosmic Tyrant in Romans

The Emergence of Sin

"We often think of Jesus as someone with all the answers. But over and over in scripture, he asks questions, seeking to engage with people and genuinely interested in their responses. Matthew Croasmun challenges readers to consider this book as an experiment--an opportunity to see whether God is real. He invites us to enter into conversation with Jesus by answering the questions Jesus asks in scripture. The goal is not to come up with what we think are the right answers but to respond honestly to Jesus'' questions. Each chapter of this six-week study contains five readings. Each reading follows this format: * A Bible passage with a question Jesus asks in bold type * A short reflection designed to help you engage with Jesus'' question as he asked it in the Gospels and as he asks it of you now * Space for you to continue the conversation with Jesus. Written in a warm, encouraging style, this thought-provoking and imaginative book will certainly give readers entry points into conversation with God, and they may find themselves experiencing a deeper relationship with the divine than they ever thought possible. WhatPeople Are Saying About Let Me Ask You aQuestion "This beautiful book is an invitation intodialogue, disclosure, and true discipleship by Jesus himself throughdisarmingly honest questions. We hear Jesus ask surprising, death-defying,life-giving questions that offer transformation through a call to transparency.If, like me, you read this book for the first time in a coffee shop, don''tbe surprised if you find yourself seated by the Spirit in Jesus'' very presence,riveted as the deep places of your heart meet the depths of God''s love.Such an authentic, truth-telling encounter may cause you toanswer him aloud. It did me." --Cherith Fee Nordling, AssociateProfessor of Theology at Northern Seminary "Croasmun draws us into dialogue with the living Jesus,whose questions challenge us, encourage us, and ultimately lead us into livesof deeper faith." --Miroslav Volf, Henry B. Wright Professorof Systematic Theology at Yale Divinity School; Founding Director, Yale Centerfor Faith & Culture; and author of Free of Charge: Giving andForgiving in a Culture Stripped of Grace "Sadly, in our driven pursuit of answers today, we seem to havelost sight of the fact that perhaps what we really need to find arebetter questions. Matt skillfully leads us to those questions andsensitively encourages us to linger there. A timely book masterfullycrafted!" --Gary Best, Author of NaturallySupernatural: God May Be Closer Than You Think "This book makes a case for a Jesus who is alive and at work inthe world, one who desires relationship and the sort of two-way conversationthat flows from it. Let Me Ask You a Question paints awinsome picture of a totally real and unreligious Jesus, open to questionsand ready for dialogue. What a breath of fresh air!" --Eleanor Mumford, Pastor, churchplanter, and co-coordinator of the Vineyard InternationalExecutive "Rather than a Jesus who is interested in our knowing the rightanswers, this book introduces us to Jesus who is more interested in adialogue with us. So many have been afraid to move toward Jesus, and thisbook helps show how truly approachable he is." --Jay Pathak, Pastor of the Mile HighVineyard and coauthor of The Art ofNeighboring "Can you really talk to God? Is God really speaking back? MattCroasmun invites us to the adventure of finding out if God talks.What a challenge to seekers and responders alike! A must read book forboth Christians and agnostics." --Martin Bühlmann, Leader of the Vineyardmovement of churches in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland "Abook of questions. How refreshing! And not just any questions:Jesus'' questions. In a world quick to offer unsatisfying answers, you''llcherish the chance, day by day, to see how Jesus'' questions can shapethe questions you ask--and the answers you find. So grab

Conversations with Jesus

Let Me Ask You a Question

This work aims to solve an age-old problem in New Testament scholarship: namely, how to understand the relationship between 'sins' as human misdeeds, and "Sin/Hamartia, " the cosmic tyrant, in Romans

Matthew Croasmun

About

Books

Join the club