This collection of essays on the theme of repentance/penitence emerged from an assembly of biblical scholars, systematic theologians, and church historians at the 2003-2004 meetings of the American Academy of Religion/Society of Biblical Literature. Walter Brueggemann, one of the respondents to the project, calls this collection a wondrous and rich collage of historical and contemporary probes into the specific teachings and practices of penitence.

This volume is a major resource for the interpretation, theology, and practice of communal and individual penitence. Each chapter begins with the examination of a particular aspect of the theme 'repentance in the Synoptic Gospels and Acts, private confession in the German Reformation, a Pentecostal understanding of penitence, the Catholic call to conversion. Implications of that aspect to the overall theme are given, along with a list of further readings and interpretative reflections by the assembly on the results of the project.

This volume gives teachers, preachers, and serious students of theology an exhaustive source of information and inspiration for renewing the initial call of Jesus to Repent and believe in the Gospel (Mark 1:15).

Mark J. Boda, Ph.D., is a professor of Old Testament at McMaster Divinity College, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario. One of his areas of expertise is the penitential prayer tradition in the Old Testament.

Gordon T. Smith, Ph.D., is president of reSource Leadership International and an adjunct lecturer in spiritual theology at Regent College, Vancouver, British Columbia. His interests include the nature of conversion and spiritual discernment.

About the Author
Mark J. Boda, Ph.D., is a professor of Old Testament at McMaster Divinity College, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario. One of his areas of expertise is the penitential prayer tradition in the Old Testament. Gordon T. Smith, Ph.D., is president of reSource Leadership International and an adjunct lecturer in spiritual theology at Regent College, Vancouver, British Columbia. His interests include the nature of conversion and spiritual discernment.

Reviews
. . . will provide insight for ministry for many years!Trinity Seminary Review
This book is a great resource that surveys the biblical, theological, historical, and liturgical understanding of repentance and penitential practices in the extended Christian community.Catholic Library World
Readers will want to get Repentance In Christian Theology and read it before the next Lent and then reread it again during Lent. In every reading, the 18 chapters will offer a plethora of ideas for homilies on repentance during Lent and for other seasons of the liturgical year.The Priest
. . . a wonderful resource for further reflection on the Christian faith life, both in the academy and in the churches.Catholic Studies
. . . created to be a major resource for the interpretation, theology and practice of communal and individual penance. Each chapter begins with the examination of a particular aspect of the theme. Implications of that aspect to the overall theme are given along with a list of further readings and interpretive reflections by the assembly on the results of the project.Crux
With wayward politicians and movie starts continually giving lip service to repentance when their embarrassments and sometimes crimes are discovered, the theologians and professors of religion of the 18 collected articles bring readers back to the fundamentals of genuine repentance. Repentance has always had a central place especially in Christianity.Midwest Book Review
This is a welcome collaboration! It pulls together an impressive assemblage of scholars, representing an unusually rich array of traditions and commitments. It focuses on what is surely one of the most central concerns of Christian faith: the character of human response to the gracious initiative of God. If these were its only major features, this would already make for an exceptional volume. There is more. The origins and format of this collaboration are such that we also have before us and important contribution to our efforts at uniting what has for so long been divided: biblical studies, theological studies, and the practices of the church.Joel B. Green, Ph.D. Professor of New Testament Interpretation Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost Asbury Theological Seminary
Repentance is a theme that is both essential to Christian faith and practice and of renewed interest in academic studies. This book represents a hopeful conjunction of serious disciplinary analysis and broad theological reflection. The contributors create an interdisciplinary, ecumenical, and multicultural forum, offering a model for generous scholarly exchange that engages the realities and concerns of the contemporary church.Katherine M. Hayes, Seminary of the Immaculate Conception, Huntington, New York



Book Information
ISBN 9780814651759
Author Mark J. Boda
Format Paperback
Page Count 448
Imprint Liturgical Press
Publisher Liturgical Press
Weight(grams) 595g