C. S. Lewis – A Life
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Alister McGrath paints a definitive portrait of the life of C. S. Lewis. After thoroughly examining recently published Lewis correspondence, Alister challenges some of the previously held beliefs about the exact timing of Lewis’s shift from atheism to theism and then to Christianity. McGrath gives insight into this eccentric thinker who became an inspiring, though reluctant, prophet for our times.

Darwinism & the Divine
LTL Price: $32.00
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Darwinism and the Divine examines the implications of evolutionary thought for natural theology, from the time of publication of Darwin’s On the Origin of Species to current debates on creationism and intelligent design. This book questions whether Darwin’s theory of natural selection really shook our fundamental beliefs, or whether it served to transform and illuminate our views on the origins and meaning of life.

The Dawkins Delusion?
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World-renowned scientist Richard Dawkins writes in The God Delusion, “If this book works as I intend, religious readers who open it will be atheists when they put it down.” The volume has received wide coverage, fueled much passionate debate and caused not a little confusion. Alister McGrath, along with his wife, Joanna, are ideal to evaluate Dawkins’s ideas. Once an atheist himself, he gained a doctorate in molecular biophysics before going on to become a leading Christian theologian. He wonders how two people, who have reflected at length on substantially the same world, could possibly have come to such different conclusions about God. McGrath subjects Dawkins’s critique of faith to rigorous scrutiny.

Mere Apologetics
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In the spirit of C. S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity, Alister McGrath’s Mere Apologetics seeks to equip readers to engage gracefully and intelligently with the challenges facing the faith today while drawing appropriately on the wisdom of the past. Rather than supplying the fine detail of every apologetic issue in order to win arguments, Mere Apologetics teaches a method that appeals not only to the mind, but also to the heart and the imagination. This highly accessible, easy-to-read book is perfect for pastors, teachers, students, and lay people who want to speak clearly and lovingly to the issues that confront people of faith today.

The Passionate Intellect
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Alister McGrath explains how Christian thinking can and must have a positive role in shaping, nourishing and safeguarding the Christian vision of reality. With this in our grasp, we have the capacity for robust intellectual and cultural engagement, confidently entering the public sphere of ideas where atheism, postmodernism and science come into play. This book explores how the great tradition of Christian theological reflection enriches faith. It deepens our appreciation of the gospel’s ability to engage with the complexities of the natural world on the one hand and human experience on the other.

Resurrection
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Dramatically illuminated by a series of fine art paintings, this volume by Alister McGrath seeks to engage both the mind and the imagination as he explores the great and extraordinary affirmation: ‘Christ is risen!’ Poetry, prayer, and theological reflection are interwoven with commentary on the ideas conveyed through works such as Maurice Denis’s Holy Women at the Tomb, He Qi’s On the Road to Emmaus, Guercino’s Incredulity of St. Thomas, and William Blake’s River of Life. The result not only increases our understanding of the vital connection between the resurrection of the Son of God and the transformation of human existence, but also helps us to trust in the security of Christ’s grasp on our lives, as he daily sustains us by his love and power.

Theology: The Basics
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Completely updated and expanded, this third edition from one of the world’s leading theologians introduces students to key theological issues, contextualizing them within the Bible and the works of seminal theologians. Written in an engaging and clear style, this third edition is the perfect introduction to the foundations of the Christian faith and the central concepts of theology, both traditional and contemporary.

Why God Won’t Go Away
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In a decade embroiled in fanaticism and fear, a renewed interest in the age-old debate over the question of God has reignited, giving rise to a new group of media-savvy contenders dubbed the “New Atheists.” As expressed in the works of best-selling authors like Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens, the New Atheists have found a foothold in today’s cynical society, and have ramped up their efforts to debunk the existence of God. In this thoughtful and accessible volume, McGrath gives a spirited rebuttal to the claims of New Atheists, critiquing the New Atheism on its own merits and exploring some of their fundamental questions.

• Accidental Pharisees: Avoiding Pride, Exclusivity, and the Other Dangers of Overzealous Faith by Larry Osborne.  Read a review here.
• The Ancient Middle Classes: Urban Life and Aesthetics in the Roman Empire 100 BCE – 250 CE by Emanuel Mayer.  Read a review here.
• Becoming Allies: Child-Sacrifice, War and Misrule in the Illiad and Beyond by Richard Holway.  Read a review here.
• Bishop: The Art of Questioning Authority by an Authority in Question by William H. Willimon.  Read a review here.
• Dark Mirrors: Azazel and Stanael in Early Jewish Demonology by Andrei A. Orlov.  Read a review here.
• God’s Timetable: The Book of Revelation and the Feast of Seven Weeks by Daniel F. Stramara Jr.  Read a review here.
• Inheriting Abraham: The Legacy of the Patriach in Judaism, Christianity & Islam by Jon D. Levenson.  Read a review here.
• Josephus and the Theologies of Ancient Judaism by Jonathan Klawans.  Read a review here.
• A Little Book for New Theologians: Why and How to Study Theology by Kelly M. Kapic.  Read a review here.
• Pursuits of Wisdom: Six Ways of Life in Ancient Philosophy from Socrates to Plotinus by John M. Cooper.  Read a review here.
• The Storyteller and the Garden of Eden by Ellen A. Robbins.  Read a review here.
• Through the Eye of a Needle: Wealth, the Fall of Rome, and the Making of Christianity in the West, 350 – 550 AD by Peter Brown.  Read a review here.

Books:

• The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Theological Seminary Faculty, New Testament edition Edited by John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck Read a review here.
• The Early Reception of Paul Edited by Kenneth Liljestrom Read a review here.
• Gods Behaving Badly: Media, Religion, and Celebrity Culture by Pete Ward Read a review here.
• Images of Woman and Child From the Bronze Age: Reconsidering Fertility, Maternity, and Gender in the Ancient World by Stephanie Lynn Budin Read a review here.
• The King James Bible and the World it Made Edited by David Lyle Jeffrey Read a review here.
• The Oxford Classical Dictionary Edited by Simon Hornblower Read a review here. 
• Reconstructing the Slave: The Image of the Slave in Ancient Greece by Kelly L. Wrenhaven Read a review here.
• The Return of the Chaos Monsters – And Other Backstories of the Bible by Gregory Mobley Read a review here.
• The Rocks Don’t Lie: A Geologist Investigates Noah’s Flood by David R. Montgomery Read a review here.
• A Theological Introduction to the Pentateuch: Interpreting the Torah as Christian Scripture Edited by Richard S. Briggs and Joel N. Lohr Read a review here.

Journals:

• Christian Studies, Number 1, 9, 13, 14, 18-24
• Journal of the American Academy of Religion Vol. 80, no. 3 September 2012
• Journal of Early Christian Studies Fall 2012 Vol. 20, No. 3
• Journal of Psychology & Theology Fall 2012, Vol. 40, No. 3

‘The Lord said to Moses, “Write this in a book”‘ (Exodus 17: 14). Moses is the first person the Bible reports could write. Writing was 2,000 years old by his time, so what script would he have used – Babylonian cuneiform, or Egyptian hieroglyphs, or another one? Many examples of ancient Hebrew writing have been discovered in Judah from the days of Isaiah and Jeremiah but only a smaller number from earlier years. They raise such questions about the use of writing as ‘Did Israelites only write short messages and their names, or did they write books?’ and ‘Who could read and write in ancient Israel?’ Then there is the question of how early in their history the Israelites could write their records, rather than relying on oral tradition. This lecture will explain how discoveries in the Holy Land are helping to answer these questions and consider if it matters whether Moses could write, or not.

Alan Millard is a professor at the University of Liverpool and an archaeologist. For more information about Dr. Millard, click here.

November 3, 2012
7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
14130 Hargrave, Houston TX 77070
(Please use MapQuest for directions)