Ben Pugh

Paul's most common phrase was ""in Christ."" It is a tiny phrase, used almost as frequently as punctuation, yet within it is abbreviated a whole universe of delight which many of us have barely tasted. For Paul being in Christ is so normal he never even explains what he means by it, or what he means by Christ dwelling in us for that matter. He is not exactly forthcoming about what exactly is involved in us having been crucified with, or having died with, been buried with, raised with, or seated with Christ either. He just expects us to keep up. What he does give us are a few little hints at what this union with Christ does. We get glimpses into the amazing things it does for us. In forty days we visit just about every time Paul uses a phrase like ""in Christ,"" ""in him,"" ""with Christ,"" and so on, meditating on each of the little hints that Paul provides. We do this in the hope of discovering just how deep this union goes.

Paul's most common phrase was ""in Christ."" It is a tiny phrase, used almost as frequently as punctuation, yet within it is abbreviated a whole universe of delight which many of us have barely tasted. For Paul being in Christ is so normal he never even explains what he means by it, or what he means by Christ dwelling in us for that matter. He is not exactly forthcoming about what exactly is involved in us having been crucified with, or having died with, been buried with, raised with, or seated with Christ either. He just expects us to keep up. What he does give us are a few little hints at what this union with Christ does. We get glimpses into the amazing things it does for us. In forty days we visit just about every time Paul uses a phrase like ""in Christ,"" ""in him,"" ""with Christ,"" and so on, meditating on each of the little hints that Paul provides. We do this in the hope of discovering just how deep this union goes.

Ever get the feeling that so much of what we give our time to is an exercise in missing the point? The path towards recovering meaning, purpose, and right order in our lives is the path towards a fresh vision of our Creator. Here, in this short book, you get to contemplate God. From sixteen different angles you will have the chance to dwell upon who God is: what we call the divine attributes. It will remind you of why God is worthy of worship and, in the process, it may just realign your priorities.

Ever get the feeling that so much of what we give our time to is an exercise in missing the point? The path towards recovering meaning, purpose, and right order in our lives is the path towards a fresh vision of our Creator. Here, in this short book, you get to contemplate God. From sixteen different angles you will have the chance to dwell upon who God is: what we call the divine attributes. It will remind you of why God is worthy of worship and, in the process, it may just realign your priorities.

Slave markets, temple courts, prophetic lawsuits, diplomatic treaties, imperial victory processions, dying and rising deities. These and more are the pictures painted by the New Testament writers as they search for language to describe their life-changing experiences of God through Jesus. Some of these pictures might still resonate with us; many do not. Pictures of Atonement surveys the six most important metaphors of atonement used in the New Testament with a view to, not explaining away the pictures, but being able to see them with fresh eyes. This is now the final volume in a trilogy of books that have looked at the atonement, first from the angle of reason and tradition (Atonement Theories), then from experience (Old Rugged Cross), and now from the viewpoint of New Testament theology.

Slave markets, temple courts, prophetic lawsuits, diplomatic treaties, imperial victory processions, dying and rising deities. These and more are the pictures painted by the New Testament writers as they search for language to describe their life-changing experiences of God through Jesus. Some of these pictures might still resonate with us; many do not. Pictures of Atonement surveys the six most important metaphors of atonement used in the New Testament with a view to, not explaining away the pictures, but being able to see them with fresh eyes. This is now the final volume in a trilogy of books that have looked at the atonement, first from the angle of reason and tradition (Atonement Theories), then from experience (Old Rugged Cross), and now from the viewpoint of New Testament theology.

For most of us, learning abstract philosophical concepts involves literally learning a new language, a language that the initiated converse in with ease but which leaves the rest of us baffled. The SCM Studyguide to Philosophy and Christian Faith aims to meet a need for an accessible treatment of the intersection between philosophy and theology. It deals with some of the loftiest concepts ever conceived by the human race, and yet makes these easy to grasp and applicable. A must-have primer, the book offers students an overview of the history of Western philosophy, and equips them to understand more deeply the culture-shaping beliefs that are driving the kinds of questions, both past and present, which our culture brings to the Christian faith.

Based on decades of teaching both in church settings and in higher education settings to people of many nationalities both at home and abroad, Ben Pugh makes shows that he has a passion for communicating high theological ideas in ways that are completely accessible. He provides the material for any leader to be able to walk a small group through the doctrines of God, humanity, Christ, salvation, the Church and the last things, with two weeks on each. The main teaching for each session is all within a piece of well-crafted text that is designed to be simply read out loud within the space of ten minutes. All the leader would need to do from then on is facilitate a series of discussions and reflections. Why not give it a try?

No sooner have they mastered the basics than students of theology can quickly find themselves in over their heads. They are bombarded with claim and counter-claim as soon as they want to tackle anything topical. The contentious subjects tend to be the historical Jesus, gender and sexuality, or the atonement. Other subjects might be less contentious but attract an astonishing excess of literature. Take the vast literature tackling the subject of the Church, for instance, or the bloated body of tomes on various aspects of Pneumatology. This book tries to provide the bewildered and intimidated student with a primer that is at once introductory and incisive; approachable and informative. It will help those training for ministry to recover their fascination for the subject of theology and how it could apply to their future ministry. Subjects covered include - The Quests for the Historical Jesus - Third Article Theology - The Missional Church - Liberation Theology - Feminist, LGBT and Queer Approaches - Postmodern Faith and the Emerging Church - Nonviolent Atonement

With the subject of the atonement of Christ attracting such a lot of polemical work at this time, it is easy to conclude that the current debate is generating more heat than light. 'Atonement Theories' presents the beginning student, pastor, or researcher with an accessible and fair treatment of every school of thought on this subject. 'Atonement Theories' signifcantly updates previous histories of the doctrine, providing analysis of some fascinating and highly signifcant recent developments. It also intriguingly highlights at various points where aspects of this central message of Christianity might find a connection within contemporary culture. It aims to empower the reader to quickly gain a working knowledge of current debates and the history behind them.