Stanley J. Grenz

The problem of professionals sexually abusing clients has reached epidemic proportions. Such misconduct is now so widespread that insurance companies are limiting or eliminating their coverage of it. And sadly, some observers fear women are more likely to be abused at church than in the workplace. Betrayal of Trust is one of the first comprehensive evangelical treatments of this crisis. It outlines how sexual misconduct by clergy is a breach both of power and of sexual trust. It helps churches know how to aid those who have been abused and, importantly, gives guidance on the prevention of abuse by clergy.

From the academy to pop culture, our society is in the throes of change rivaling the birth of modernity out of the decay of the Middle Ages. We are now moving from the modern to the postmodern era. But what is postmodernism? How did it arise? What characterizes the postmodern ethos? Who are its leading advocates? Most important of all, what challenges does this cultural shift present to the church, which must proclaim the gospel to the emerging postmodern generation? Stanley J. Grenz here charts the postmodern landscape. He shows the threads that link art and architecture, philosophy and fiction, literary theory and television. He shows how the postmodern phenomenon has actually been in the making for a century, also introducing readers to the contemporary gurus of the postmodern mind-set. Scholarly yet accessible to all, this volume is an indispensable guide for understanding contemporary Western culture.

In this thought-provoking book, women who have been coerced into sexual liaisons by lawyers, doctors, clergymen, educators, and other professionals reveal their experiences and the toll they took on their lives. Their recollections provide fresh insight into why some women are vulnerable to exploitation and what leads these men to risk their entire livelihoods to seduce their patient, client, or confidante. What ensues is an in-depth examination of a type of relationship that begins with trust, feeds on real or imagined attraction, and often ends in emotional ruin. In Betrayal of Trust, study of the actual relationship is only the beginning. Friedman and Boumil dig deeper to educate about exploitative situations. Readers will learn about early warning signs for recognizing when a professional relationship is crossing the dangerous boundary line between professionalism and sexual abuse. On the legal front, new laws and statutes concerning sexual exploitation and malpractice are considered along with the time, financial, and emotional ramifications of lawsuits and other legal recourse. Victims are taken step-by-step through the long psychological healing process that leads from anger, shame, and guilt to vindication, resolution, and recovery. Related issues such as mutual consent and the ethics of a sexual relationship between a man and a woman after termination of their professional relationship are also discussed. The book not only sheds light on the misuse of power in professional relationships, it also performs a valuable public service by pinpointing potential targets of abuse and offering hope for the thousands of victims who need to know why it happened to them and how they can pick up the pieces.

The Theological Garden of the Twentieth century is a variegated spectacle of blooms - more so perhaps than any previous Christian century. As the century approaches its close, the time is right for surveying, describing, evaluating, and even projecting what seeds might germinate, grow and blossom in the soil of a new millennium. Stanley Grenz and Roger Olson have written a sympathetic guide and critical assessment of the significant theologians and theologies of the twentieth century. Beginning with the Enlightenment and the foundations of twentieth-century theology in Kant, Schleiermacher, Hegel and Ritschl, the giants in twentieth-century theology are then brought up for review: Barth, Bultmann, Brunner, Tillich, Niebuhr, Rahner, Kung, Moltmann and Pannenberg. In addition, the influential movements of radical, process, liberation, Black, feminist, narrative and evangelical theology come under scrutiny and critical evaluation.

"In this, the second volume in Stanley Grenz's Matrix of Christian Theology, the theologian examines the long-standing trajectory of thought that has equated the concept of Being with the God of the Bible - and thus claimed that the ontological category of Being is the guiding concept by which God should be understood. Grenz extends the engagement between Christian theology and the Western philosophical tradition and focuses the discussion on the importance of naming, particularly given that the Christian God is both named and triune"--Jacket.

"What role does scripture play in the task of the church? What value do past theological constructs offer today? How does culture affect theological reflection? For that matter, of all the diverse ways Christian belief is expressed, what makes any of them "Christian"?" "In Beyond Foundationalism, Stanley Grenz and John Franke move past the foundationalism of the Enlightenment period to offer a revolutionary method for doing theology in a postmodern age. Writing to both mainline and evangelical traditions, they propose a new method that views theology as arising out of the interplay of the Spirit, which speaks authoritatively through the biblical text; tradition, which provides a historical interpretative framework; and culture, which gives context for constructive theological reflection. This method, they argue, fosters a Christian theology that embodies a Trinitarian structure, utilizes the faith community as the organizing principle or integrative motif, and features an eschatological orientation."--Jacket.

Dr. Jane Goodall's revolutionary study of chimpanzees in Tanzania's Gombe preserve forever altered the very, definition of humanity.Now, in a poignant and insightful memoir, Jane Goodall explores her extraordinary life and personal spiritual odyssey, with observations as profound as the knowledge she has brought back from the forest.

"Grenz begins with a historical survey, considering the influence of two major strands within evangelicalism. He goes on to sketch a creative vision for a renewed evangelical theology that faces the intellectual challenges of its time. He further envisions an "evangelical center" through the establishment of a "generous orthodoxy" that enables the church to fulfill its mission in the world."--Jacket.

"In Women and the Future of the Family, Elizabeth Fox-Genovese explores how the powerful drives for liberation and equality not only granted freedom to women but also under-mined the essential character of the family as a social unit." "Fox-Genovese analyzes the legal, social, and religious impact of this individualism. To counter it, she calls for a return to an ethic of self-sacrifice and a recovery of a Christian understanding of sexual difference and human equality."--Jacket.

People today are searching for something to believe in. How can they choose between conflicting belief systems and find answers to their questions? In this book, Stanley Grenz presents the central tenets of Christian faith clearly and concisely, answering the most commonly asked questions: Why believe at all? Which God? Who is Jesus and what did he do? What am I searching for and how do I find it?

In this carefully reasoned and thoroughly researched analysis, Stanley Grenz asks: Are same-sex relationships a viable, God-given way of giving expression to our sexuality? He reviews scientific research, the history of Christian teaching on homosexuality, the issue of biblical authority today, and the practical issues the church now faces, such as blessing of same-sex unions, the ordination of homosexuals, and the church's public stance on gay rights issues. Ultimately he proposes that it is possible for Christian communities to welcome homosexuals without affirming same-sex unions.