One of the most important theologians of the twentieth century illuminates the relationship between ourselves and the teachings of Jesus

What can the call to discipleship, the adherence to the word of Jesus, mean today to the businessman, the soldier, the laborer, or the aristocrat? What did Jesus mean to say to us? What is his will for us today? Drawing on the Sermon on the Mount, Dietrich Bonhoeffer answers these timeless questions by providing a seminal reading of the dichotomy between "cheap grace" and "costly grace." "Cheap grace," Bonhoeffer wrote, "is the grace we bestow on ourselves...grace without discipleship....Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the girl which must be asked for, the door at which a man must know....It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life."

The Cost of Discipleship is a compelling statement of the demands of sacrifice and ethical consistency from a man whose life and thought were exemplary articulations of a new type of leadership inspired by the Gospel, and imbued with the spirit of Christian humanism and a creative sense of civic duty.

Letters and Papers from Prisonis a collection of notes and correspondence covering the period from Dietrich Bonhoeffer's arrest in 1943 to his execution by the Gestapo in 1945. The book is probably most famous, and most important, for its idea of "religionless Christianity"—an idea Bonhoeffer did not live long enough fully to develop, but whose timeliness only increases as the lines between secular and ecclesial life blur. Bonhoeffer's first mention of "religionless Christianity" came in a letter in 1944:

What is bothering me incessantly is the question what Christianity really is, or indeed who Christ really is, for us today. The time when people could be told everything by means of words, whether theological or pious, is over, and so is the time of inwardness and conscience—and that means the time of religion in general. We are moving towards a completely religionless time; people as they are now simply cannot be religious any more. Even those who honestly describe themselves as "religious" do not in the least act up to it, and so they presumably mean something quite different by "religious."

The pleasures of Letters and Papers from Prison,however are not all so profound. Occasionally, Bonhoeffer's letters burst into song—sometimes with actual musical notations, other times with unforgettable phrases. Looking forward to seeing his best friend, Bonhoeffer writes, "To meet again is a God."—Michael Joseph Gross

Dietrich Bonhoeffer - theologian, pastor, martyr - is one of the most significant Christian witnesses of the twentieth century. His writings challenge us to address the presence of God in the world and history. His courageous resistance against Hitler, his imprisonment and execution dramatize "the cost of discipleship." These selections, with a poignant introduction by Robert Coles, provide a penetrating entry to the heart of Bonhoeffer's message.

The Christian does not live in a vacuum, says the author, but in a world of government, politics, labor, and marriage. Hence, Christian ethics cannot exist in a vacuum; what the Christian needs, claims Dietrich Bonhoeffer, is concrete instruction in a concrete situation. Although the author died before completing his work, this book is recognized as a major contribution to Christian ethics.

The root and ground of Christian ethics, the author says, is the reality of God as revealed in Jesus Christ. This reality is not manifest in the Church as distinct from the secular world; such a juxtaposition of two separate spheres, Bonhoeffer insists, is a denial of God's having reconciled the whole world to himself in Christ. On the contrary, God's commandment is to be found and known in the Church, the family, labor, and government. His commandment permits man to live as man before God, in a world God made, with responsibility for the institutions of that world.

Sanctorum Communio was Dietrich Bonhoeffer's dissertation, completed in 1927 and first published in 1930. In it he attempts to work out a theology of the person in society, and then, particularly, in the church. Along with enlightening us about his early positions on sin, evil, solidarity, collective spirit, and collective guilt, the volume unfolds a systematic theology of the Spirit at work in the church and what this implies for questions of authority, freedom, ritual, and eschatology.

Here is offered the complete text in translation, annotated by the German and American editors. The historical context is explained and textual commentary is provided in a Foreword and Afterword.

"The most comprehensive and thorough study of the Christian mission done in this generation, if not this century".........Alan Neely.

Beverly Harrison has long fought for women and others at the margins, challenging the subjugating ways in which women's intellectual contributions, their gifts of ministerial leadership, and their reproductive capacity and sexual identity have been defined. This collection of essays and lectures presented over the course of her career demonstrates the progression of Harrison's contribution to the field of Christian ethics and the evolution of her thought in response to changing social realities. Throughout the volume, conversations between Harrison and the editors update and amplify her views.

The writings of prominent New Testament scholar François Bovon exhibit historical-critical expertise and substantial theological insight. When this collection was published by Mohr Siebeck, three of the chapters were in German. For this affordable North American paperback edition, these have been translated into English. This set of studies deals with three areas: Luke-Acts, New Testament theology, and apocryphal and patristic literature. Students and scholars who work in New Testament studies will benefit greatly from this work.

These days "getting religion" is generally considered a rather narrow-minded‹if not downright dangerous‹thing of the past. "Getting spirituality," on the other hand, is the hottest thing on the market. Everybody¹s getting it‹including hospitals, public schools, and the United States military. In fact, corporate-sponsored spiritual salve is becoming the most popular prescription for the overworked, soul-weary employee. But for many Christians, this antidote has become its own epidemic. How is this epidemic infecting the church? How should the church respond to the profit-driven appropriation of "spirituality"? According to authors Michael Budde and Robert Brimlow, the church must resist becoming the "chaplain to capitalism." In their new book, Christianity Incorporated, they remind us that Christ-centered discipleship is fundamentally at odds with consumer capitalist priorities. The church must have a mission and a voice in society that is distinct from, rather than in chorus with, civil religion, tribalistic family values, or watered-down corporate spirituality.

The authors encourage a critical response to cultural money-makers, such as the profitable "death industry" (offering corporatized funeral services) and the best-selling business management tool, Jesus CEO. They also examine the papal encyclical Centesimus Annus, criticizing its implicit endorsement of a capitalist definition of human rights. Finally, they turn to the Sermon on the Mount as a reminder of the subversive political economics of Jesus. Christianity Incorporated is a wake-up call for all Christians, Catholic and Protestant alike. Courageous, current, and readable, this book will attract the attention of business people, political scientists, ethicists, and clergy. Anyone concerned with Christian formation in a consumer culture will find guidance and insight here.

America's premier biblical theologian offers an outstanding introductory textbook on the broad theological scope and chronological sweep of the Old Testament. Covering every book of the Old Testament—in the order in which it appears in the Hebrew Bible—the Introduction explains, without unnecessary jargon, the most important issues and methods in contemporary interpretation of the Old Testament—literary, historical, and theological.