Jeffrey C. Pugh

This cross-disciplinary anthology explores many contemporary global issues; looks at the different methodologies used to analyze and interpret those topics; and shows how all of us can make progress, through the acquisition of information, knowledge and understanding, toward the goal of responsible world citizenship.

The year is 1533. Elsbeth Joris is about to be executed for witchcraft when Andreas Wagner cuts her loose from the ducking stool. Exiled from family and village, Elsbeth accepts Andreas's offer to accompany him back to his home in Munster, Germany--a decision that plunges her into a world of unhinged prophets, sassy nuns, and a deranged charlatan king. A disillusioned former monk, Andreas is returning home to confront his past, but the city is on the brink of collapse. Crowds rave hysterically in the streets, churches are ransacked, convents and monasteries empty, sacred texts are burned, and polygamy is instituted as God's law. To his surprise, Andreas finds that Ulrich Schlatter, a former nemesis, has also returned, seeking revenge on those who exiled him years ago. Stakes are raised for everyone when the Prince-Bishop of Westphalia calls mercenaries to besiege the city. The rebels, however, offer unexpected resistance, thwarting hopes for a quick victory. Finding refuge with one another and new friends in the ensuing struggle, Elsbeth and Andreas discover that love in the reign of a mad king is not impossible, but it does come with scars.

The year is 1533. Elsbeth Joris is about to be executed for witchcraft when Andreas Wagner cuts her loose from the ducking stool. Exiled from family and village, Elsbeth accepts Andreas's offer to accompany him back to his home in Munster, Germany--a decision that plunges her into a world of unhinged prophets, sassy nuns, and a deranged charlatan king. A disillusioned former monk, Andreas is returning home to confront his past, but the city is on the brink of collapse. Crowds rave hysterically in the streets, churches are ransacked, convents and monasteries empty, sacred texts are burned, and polygamy is instituted as God's law. To his surprise, Andreas finds that Ulrich Schlatter, a former nemesis, has also returned, seeking revenge on those who exiled him years ago. Stakes are raised for everyone when the Prince-Bishop of Westphalia calls mercenaries to besiege the city. The rebels, however, offer unexpected resistance, thwarting hopes for a quick victory. Finding refuge with one another and new friends in the ensuing struggle, Elsbeth and Andreas discover that love in the reign of a mad king is not impossible, but it does come with scars.

People still believe that Jesus is returning to earth ...and soon! Like Jesus' the first followers, millions of Christians hold fast to the idea that we are living in the last days, yet here we are, two thousand years later, still waiting. In The Homebrewed Christianity Guide to the End Times Jeffrey C. Pugh recounts his own brief sojourn in an apocalyptic cult. Looking back now, as a respected professor of theology, he tackles how Christianity in general, and the evangelical world in particular, have been captivated by the theological innovation known as Dispensationalism that emerged in the nineteenth century. The embrace of this idea has influenced millions, leading to such cultural phenomena as the Left Behind books and movies, and Christian Zionism. But Pugh argues that the belief in the imminent return of Christ has in fact been harmful to Christian engagement with the world, and he builds this argument on a thorough and occasionally sassy reading of biblical texts and church history.

This book is an interpretation of Bonhoeffer in the contemporary context. Jeffrey Pugh puts Bonhoeffer's theology in perspective by revisiting some of the themes of his life that have found abiding significance in Christian theology. Starting with a chapter on why Bonhoeffer is still important for us today, this book moves to chapters that bring Bonhoeffer into conversation with our present situation. In each of these chapters Pugh takes one of the central ideas of Bonhoeffer and gives them a fresh perspective. Many of Bonhoeffer books today are written from an exegetical perspective, they try and get at exactly what Bonhoeffer meant. Others are written from a hermeneutical perspective, they try and interpret Bonhoeffer's abiding significance. This book seeks to combine both these approaches to offer interpretations of Bonhoeffer that are germane to our situation today.

This book is an interpretation of Bonhoeffer in the contemporary context. Jeffrey Pugh puts Bonhoeffer's theology in perspective by revisiting some of the themes of his life that have found abiding significance in Christian theology. Starting with a chapter on why Bonhoeffer is still important for us today, this book moves to chapters that bring Bonhoeffer into conversation with our present situation. In each of these chapters Pugh takes one of the central ideas of Bonhoeffer and gives them a fresh perspective. Many of Bonhoeffer books today are written from an exegetical perspective, they try and get at exactly what Bonhoeffer meant. Others are written from a hermeneutical perspective, they try and interpret Bonhoeffer's abiding significance. This book seeks to combine both these approaches to offer interpretations of Bonhoeffer that are germane to our situation today.

Weaving together culture, history and theology, The Matrix of Faith aims to bring Christian teachings from past generations into conversations with the present. Using figures from Augustine to Barth as conversation partners, Pugh explores contemporary theology and argues that the way ahead for faith does not rest in unthinking belief of doctrine or dogma, but in traditions of creativity, cultural engagement, and a living spirit of faith in Christ