Mark Toulouse

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  Altars Where We Worship

  $35.00

  While a large percentage of Americans claim religious identity, the number of Americans attending traditional worship services has significantly declined in recent decades. Where, then, are Americans finding meaning in their lives, if not in the context of traditional religion? In this provocative study, the authors argue that the objects of our attention have become our god and fulfilling our desires has become our religion. They examine the religious dimensions of six specific aspects of American culture-body and sex, big business, entertainment, politics, sports, and science and technology-that function as “altars” where Americans gather to worship and produce meaning for their lives. The Altars Where We Worship shows how these secular altars provide resources for understanding the self, others, and the world itself. “For better or worse,” the authors write, “we are faced with the reality that human experiences before these altars contain religious characteristics in common with experiences before more traditional altars.” Readers will come away with a clearer understanding of what religion is after exploring the thoroughly religious aspects of popular culture in the United States.

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  Renewing Christian Unity

  $22.84

  In RENEWING CHRISTIAN UNITY, scholars Mark G. Toulouse, Gary Holloway, and Douglas A. Foster collaborate to provide an overview of the history of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) that will serve all readers by giving a brief, authoritative introduction to this important American denomination.

  Throughout its history, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has been known for its commitment to Christian unity. The context for unity in the twenty-first century, however, is considerably different than it was in the nineteenth century. RENEWING CHRISTIAN UNITY provides a brief history of the Disciples and their unwavering but ever-adapting commitment to the unity of the church. Their story is one of both continuity and change. Disciples remain as those who are uncomfortable with denominationalism.

  They still prefer simply to be known as Christians. But over the course of two centuries, the Disciples’ understanding of Christian witness and of the ”one church” has taken note of the changing times, and changed right along with them. This is partly because Disciples have always believed that human history is meaningful. God has entered human time to make a difference. Disciples celebrate this fact at the communion table and in the baptismal waters, through their active engagement with the world as they seek to embody both God’s love and justice, and in their insistence that the church is one.

  Alexander Campbell once declared, ”We . . . should hang our Sectarian trumpets in the hall and study ecclesiastic wars no more.” Disciples have not always succeeded in meeting that expectation, but they do possess a history marked by an earnest desire to seek a renewal of Christian unity in the life of the church. In this book, readers will learn more about this significant group of churches, which has shaped the landscape of American Christianity.

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  God In Public

  $50.00

  In this important study, Mark Toulouse maps the ambiguous landscape between American Christianity and American public life. Built on an extensive study of religious periodical literature since the mid-1950s and on an analysis of landmark events in American history, Toulouse develops an insightful typology for understanding how Americans have related their Christian faith to public life.

  For Toulouse, the relationship between American Christianity and American public life exists in four styles of interaction: iconic faith, priestly faith, the public Christian, and the public church-with each model appearing in various forms across the terrain of American history. Carefully examined and accessibly written, this study is sure to generate discussion and bring clarity to the many ambiguities and diversities that continue to mark American Christianity.

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  Makers Of Christian Theology In America

  $49.99

  This important reference work presents critical, analytical, and interpretive essays on more than ninety figures who have been particularly important in shaping and influencing the development of Christian theology in America. The work is organized into four major sections: The Colonial Period (1607-1789); The National Period (1789-1865); The Post Civil War Period (1865-1918); and The Modern Period (1918-1970). Each section has a separate introduction by the editors tracing major theological developments in that historical period. A substantial concluding article by Martin Marty traces theological developments, trends and movements in American theology since 1965.

  Each essay includes: (1) basic biographical data regarding the life, career, and major writings of the figure; (2) an analysis of the key theological issues and/or concepts to which the figure responded; (3) a critical discussion of the major theological themes developed in the course of the figure’s career; and (4) an assessment of the immediate influence of the figure’s thought and its significance for subsequent theological developments. Brief bibliographies at the end of each essay point readers to the most important and useful primary and secondary literature for each figure.

  “Makers of Christian Theology is a welcome and long-needed addition to reference and textbook possibilities for courses on Religion in North America. . . . It is dramatically more inclusive and even-handed in its selection of figures for an historical orientation to theological developments in North American Christianity than any previous attempt. . . . Both the design of the book and the content of the individual essays reflect the fruit of the best current work on Christian theology in America. I recommend it highly!” –Randy L. Maddox, Professor of Religion and Philosophy

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