Clark Books

I have absolutely zero natural sense of direction so this guide is perfect in its level of detail. It seems to cover every inch of Portland, including a full street index in the back that makes it easy to locate an address.

I have purchased the Thomas Guides for Portland for the last several years and have found them to be an absolutely indespensible navigational aid. Every street in the metro area and surrounding suburbs is detailed within this guide. Its comprehensive detail and ease of use make it a real help. If you have to drive in Portland even occassionally I cannot recommend strongly enough that you buy this guide.

In this book Dr. Clark gives what I think he means to be a tool for developing an evangelical systematic theology. He describes how theology should interact with culture, literary criticism, science, theology, spirituality, etc. The underlying message in all of this is twofold. First, there is the idea that theology has to do with the real world. It is not something that operates within a separate sphere of knowledge from science or literary criticism. It makes claims both about the way the world is, and it makes claims about the way we are, our spirituality and our rationality. This not because theology transcends the barrier between faith and reason, but because there is no barrier between faith and reason. In other words, Clark repudiates claims by those like Karl Barth who say that we have the real world, and then we have the faith world. In Clark's theology, there is but one world, a fully integrated world.

The second underlying idea, perhaps the more noticeable of the two (as this one is explicitly stated, while the first lies latent in his work) is that goal of theology is not simply to gain knowledge, but to gain wisdom. Dr. Clark says that "evangelical theology us not merely scientia. More fundamentally, it is scientia directed towards the purposes of sapientia." But what exactly is wisdom? Dr. Clark informs us that wisdom is "knowledge directed towards knowing and loving God personally. It is information applied for the purpose of transformation."

So then, we have come to the main point of the book. Theology exists and should be pursued so that we may know and love God, hence the title of the book. Dr. Clark is not especially kind towards those theologians who live in their ivory towers and who approach theology as if it were another science. He wants to see results, not because he is a pragmatist, but because theology without application is useless, just as faith without deeds is useless. If we are not going to apply to our own lives the theological knowledge we gain, then all we have done is in vain, for it does us no good. Simply having knowledge about God and His ways is not going to sanctify us if we are not loving God more as a result of our knowledge.

Again, Dr. Clark's view of a unified realm of knowledge can be seen in his idea of the application of theology. Theology, usually looked upon as belonging to the faith realm, is expected to be applied to what many (most?) people would call the fact realm, the realm in which we actually live. This idea of an unified real of knowledge can be seen by looking at any one of Dr. Clark's chapters on theology and some other area of life.

Take for example his chapter on theology and the sciences. In this chapter he discussed the rationality of doing Christian theology as opposed to the rationality of doing scientific investigations. He notes that people usually suppose that the sciences come to definite, undeniable conclusions as a result of logical reasoning, while the Christian faith is not only a-logical, but often is viewed as illogical because people assume that it goes against reason. In fact, Christians are usually looked upon as being opposed to science, and even going so far as attempting to suppress scientific discovery. This is, unfortunately, often true in today's churches, but it was not true at the time of Galileo, nor is it a position supported either by the Bible or by sound theology.

Dr. Clark goes on to refute the claim that science and theology are at war, as well as the claim that science and theology have nothing to do with each other. He concludes that theology is neither irrational nor a-rational, but rather it is a rational discipline, though not rationalistic. Science, far from simply giving us undeniable theories, is often hijacked by opposing worldviews, who manipulate its theories through a desire for science to conform to their presuppositions. True science, then, gives us knowledge of the same realm of knowledge as theology does. They are not at war, nor separated from each other, but rather they are complimentary. They aid each other in the quest for knowledge, with science seeking knowledge of the physical world, and theology seeking to know the implications of the physical world upon its ideas of God and His ways. Science should be contributing to our theology, not take away from it. Studying the wonders of God's creation only heightens both our knowledge and love of Him.

In conclusion, Dr. Clark's book is incredibly helpful in understanding the foundations of theology (how scripture informs our theology), how theology interacts with other areas of life (both mental and spiritual), and, most importantly, it emphasizes the true goal of theology as being to know and love God. Without this as one's goal in doing theology, it is likely that one's theology will end up dead and lifeless, like the theology of the classical liberalists.

Overall grade: A

P.S. I would like to mention that Dr. Clark seems to be a bit of a Calvinist, and this shows up in a few areas when he discusses the rational foundations for faith. I disagree with him sometimes when he gets into this, but it is an excellent book nonetheless.

David Clark provides a comprehensive framework for integrating orthodox theology with other sources of knowledge. A roadmap for developing an integrated Christian worldview, with theology at the heart.

Non-theologians will find Clark's respect for other disciplines refreshing. General and special revelation cannot conflict. Thus, Clark's philosophy of theology responds to the questions raised by the natural sciences. Yet the book maintains the quiet confidence that Scripture provides superior knowledge of God, and that Biblical theology will always be the Queen of the Sciences.

My daughter MUST have this book read to her EVERY single night before bed. She is only 21 months old and she recognizes all the animals with sign language that we are teaching her. She gets so excited to see the monkey and the elephant. We picked this book out for her because she DOES sleep with too many animals!!

I think it is a really silly book and I love all the funny animals in it. I think she should have a bigger bed for all the animals and herself. I like the silly names the animals have and how the story all rhymes together. It makes me and my family laugh when we read it. The pictures are really good too! I would like to get another copy, since ours is very well read and one of the pages is toren, plus I want to find a new one to give to my friend.

This book is VERY enlightening..I couldn't put it down after taking it home from the book store. I agree with the statement that this would make a GREAT movie. The corruption revealed in this book is CRAZY and almost scary.

A great read without a doubt!!

This is a great book and would make a great movie. In fact, it makes the corruption in "Training Day" look like child's play - and it's all true! This book details the experiences of one police officer in a corrupt city police department and how honest cops who try to buck the system end up getting penalized. The book tells how $30,000 in police funds were stolen right under the noses of police officials, how police are pressured to make a minimum number of arrests regardless of whether a crime has been committed, how a drunken officer can terrorize innocent citizens with virtual immunity, and how police officers engage in all sorts of criminal behavior and get away with it. Highly recommended!!!!!

This book brings to vivid life the underground railroad and the politics of a nation poised on the brink of civil war. Slave catchers lurk around the edges of communities, hunting for escaped slaves or free blacks that they can kidnap. Radical abolitionists were militant about blocking any such kidnappers from reaching the south (regardless of the legality of the act). This book tells the true story of an escaped slave who is captured and then freed by a large group of Oberlin and Wellington abolitionists. This leads to a trial which made sensational national headlines and crystallized the growing crisis between north and south. It is absolutely gripping.

The Ohio River, pursuing a serpentine course between Ohio and Kentucky, was useful to the underground railroad. After 1849 Kentucky became a major market for the purchase and sale of slaves. The river froze over in 1855-56. John and Dina escaped from John Parks Glenn Bacon. They left on two horses with Frank from a neighboring area. Four miles into Ohio they encountered a Quaker. They stayed with him for two weeks and when fit to travel were sent on their way. Eventually John and Frank were taken to a college community, Oberlin.

The fugitive slave law was a paradox. It drove many of the Northerners into the antislavery camp. It was signed into law by Millard Fillmore in 1850. Jerry was saved by a mob in Syracuse, N.Y. and transported to Canada and freedom. States passed personal liberty laws. The real life travails of Anthony Burns, Margaret Garner, (Toni Morrison evidently used this episode in BELOVED, the killing of a child to spare her from being enslaved), and Joshua Glover did not excite as much attention as the woes of the characters in UNCLE TOM'S CABIN. Mrs. Stowe had lived in Cincinnati for eighteen years. Three hundred thousand copies of the novel were sold in the first year.

In Oberlin the college's atmosphere pervaded the town. Even the hotel was a temperance hotel. Black families resided in the town and were members of the First Church. School and town had both been founded in 1833. Oberlin became a haven for renegade teachers at Lane Theological Seminary in Cincinnati who favored immediate emancipation. Charles Grandison Finney was one of the presidents of Oberlin College. He was pastor of First Church.

In 1858 the tone of Oberlin was tense. Slave hunters had made three attempts to seize black families. The man, John Price, was taken to Wellington, Ohio by hunters. Abolitionists in Oberlin endevored to act. The campus was astir. Many young men and others rushed to Wellington. John was removed and returned to Oberlin to a hideaway at the home of Professor James Fairchild. John's captors were pleased to escape the wrath of the crowd gathered at Wellington.

Thirty-seven of the Oberlin rescuers were indicted. The Rescue Case had an impact on public opinion. Defense attorneys were aware they were playing to the press. Oberlin was called by one person the Babylon of Abolitionism. The defense tried to raise as an issue the constitutionality of the fugitive slave law. The defendants were found guilty. The rescuers were jailed. The rescue of John Price had been accomplished primarily by the black residents and white students.

I purchased this book to include in my library and to serve as a reference for lectures. I have found this book to be a superior guide for gaining the basic knowledge of the important topics in toxicology, without too much information. I very much enjoy all of the Secrets Series books that I have purchased (about 10 of them so far), but have found this one to be one of the best of the bunch. The concise nature of the various topics is put together very well and has many interesting "extra tidbits" that are great as "Did you know" facts for lectures. All major and many less common medications and environmental toxicities are covered. Definitely a great choice for the home or office library.

I purchased this book to include in my library and to serve as a reference for lectures. I have found this book to be a superior guide for gaining the basic knowledge of the important topics in toxicology, without too much information. I very much enjoy all of the Secrets Series books that I have purchased (about 10 of them so far), but have found this one to be one of the best of the bunch. The concise nature of the various topics is put together very well and has many interesting "extra tidbits" that are great as "Did you know" facts for lectures. All major and many less common medications and environmental toxicities are covered. Definitely a great choice for the home or office library.

Organized by course, the sumptuously illustrated "Trattoria" focuses on casual dishes as served in neighborhood restaurants throughout Italy.

Appetizers include crostini, bruschetta and grilled shrimp wrapped in prosciutto and zucchini. First courses include classics like lasagna Bolognese and Tuscan vegetable soup as well as an elegant, time-consuming eggplant and walnut ravioli in tomato-pesto sauce.

Main courses offer a similar range, from Neapolitan-style braised beef Braciole or duck with Vin Santo to swordfish rolls stuffed with shrimp. And for dessert - Tiramisu, plum cake or sweet gorgonzola with baked figs and honey. This balanced presentation is capped with accompanying photographs of the finished dishes which are absolutely irresistible. Also included is a chapter of basics - pasta making and stocks.

An excellent choice for a gift book for those who love authentic Italian Cooking, or even better for yourself. You would have to do months and months of research to gain the knowledge contained in this book. The pictures will make your mouth water, and the instructions will easliy guide you as you learn the secrets of the Tratorria. I highly recommend it. Purchase and enjoy this book, and maybe, if you're lucky, Mary Beth will send you her secret recipe for Lasagna.

As Shakespeare wrote, `Come what come may/ Time and the hour runs through the roughest day' (Macbeth, 1.3.156-7), time has a way of exposing mystery, and the greatest of all mysteries today is that of the Trinity. The typical mind set of the Trinity being the greatest mystery of the Christian faith tends to create an atmosphere of distance within the sphere of theology. This distance however, is made to be but a small step through giant leap of excellence in Trinitarian scholarship found within the pages of Trinitarian Soundings. Dedicated to the memory of a pioneer in the resurgence of Trinitarian theology, the late Professor Colin E. Gunton, the essays in this volume are as Bruce McCormack states in his forward to the book, `proof that his legacy lives on.'

Gunton's legacy draws out the crucial element of theology as it approaches all aspects of the faith from a Trinitarian perspective. Because a Trinitarian perspective is central to the theologian's overarching enterprise, this book is a must for all who desire to step further into the reality of our One and Triune God. As Paul Metzger, the editor of Trinitarian Soundings notes, `Ultimately, much of the renaissance in Trinitarian theology involves reflecting on the revelation of the Triune God, and seeking to think outward from it.'

For when man lives apart from the revelation of God in Christ and through the Spirit, chaos is the norm. But life lived in and through the Trinity as revealed by the incarnation, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit, humanity becomes fully human. Trinitarian Soundings in Systematic Theology explores interfaces between Trinitarian thought and major themes of systematic theology such as Prolegomena (Rae, Chapter 1), Revelation (Metzger, Chapter 2), the Imago Dei (Grenz, Chapter 7), Atonement (Pfleiderer, Chapter 10), the Church (Volf, Chapter 12), the Eucharist (Molnar, Chapter 13), and Eschatology (Kapic, Chapter 14).

Trinitarian Soundings is a must read for all who wish to be consumed further by the overflowing love of the Father Son and Spirit that has been poured out into our hearts while also developing a deeper understanding of our One and Triune God. As noted in the introduction of the book, the Trinity is not a `separate puzzle to be solved, but the framework within which all theology's puzzles are to be solved.' Trinitarian Soundings is an excellent resource for the scholar and the layman as it is a theological gem that builds upon the resurgence of Trinitarian theology initiated by Gunton while sustained through the work of the fine scholarship of each of the contributors.

The importance of this present work is crucial in today's ever-present desire for a better understanding of both theology and humanity. It is only through a Trinitarian perspective that the union--the relationship between the divine and human being in interpersonal and communal terms can be understood. Thus, as Metzger notes in his introduction, Trinitarian Soundings offers the essential `theological enterprise that recovers and extends the Trinitarian tradition in order to reshape classic systematic loci in particular ways.'

There will be no disappointments in reading this book--except maybe that it had to end. Trinitarian Soundings is sure to become a classic reference for all who seek to enter into the reality of the Trinity.

Eberhard Jungel wrote a book aptly entitled "God as the Mystery of the World." If this is true, and indeed God is the mystery of the world, then to understand the world, and Christian doctrine as it interpretes the world, one must understand God. This has been the thematic task of many theologians, most recently and notably, Robert Jenson, Jurgan Moltmann, Wolfhart Pannenberg, the aforementioned Eberhard Jungel, and, of course, the late, great, Colin Gunton, to whom the essays of this volume are dedicated. Gunton was one of the few to understand that Christians for too long have viewed the doctrine of the Trinity as a mystery, a puzzle to be solved. But more than that, it was viewed as merely a doctrine among doctrines. Karl Rahner once complained that Christian theology (in particular Catholicism following the Scholasticism of Thomas Aquinas) seperated the theology of "De Deo Uno" (The One God) from "De Deo Trino" (The Triune God) seemingly relegating the Trinity to an uneeded appendage, mentioned only after the attributes of the One God were expounded. If the idea of God could be explained without initial reference to the Trinity, then the idea could arise that perhaps Trinitarianism was an unessesary addition to an otherwise "proper" monotheism. Rahner recommended that we treat the two doctrines together, so that we cannot understand the "what" of God's essence apart from the "who" of the persons of the trinity. Gunton took Rahner's idea a step further, understanding that all of Theology, even when it references other things like man or the world, was essentially an unpacking of its relationship to God, and hence systematic theology is itself produced within a trinitarian framework. "The Trinity," writes Robert Jenson, "is not a puzzle to be solved, but a framework in which all puzzles are solved"; so too goes Colin Gunton, who saw in the Trinity the richest depths of reality itself encountering us in the Three-Personed God.

The essays in Trinitarian Soundings in Systematic Theology, edited by Dr. Paul Metzger of Multnomah Seminary in Oregon, a former student of Colin Gunton at Kings College London, are not only dedicated as such to Colin Gunton, but the scope and the framework itself is preformed always as an outworking of the idea of Trinity. The essays progress in a fairly standard order for systematic theology, e.g. prolegomena, scripture and revelation, etc... yet all attempt to move beyond tradition by heavily emphasizing the necessity of understanding and working the implications that our God is Triune and not a simplistic monad. All the contributors to the book are, obviously, related in some way to Gunton, some being Gunton's former students, former teachers of Gunton (in the case of Robert Jenson, who actually was Gunton's thesis advisor), and contemporaries, and all are equally motivated by Gunton's vision of a truly Trinitarian theology.

Tribute aside, all the essays are quite well written, if not brief. Details of most of the essays have been mentioned in the other reviews, so I wont repeat them here. Most of the essays, excluding the essay by Miroslav Volf, which is actually extracted from one of his books and so is longer, are a mere 10-12 pages (and that sometimes includes the chapter-notes). This is both a curse and a blessing. These are pages densly packed with information, yet sometimes the unexpected insight leaves you wanting more (not a failing of a good book, to be sure) because it is rare that such a number of brilliant scholars come together with a unified purpose such as this. Also, despite enjoying the closing remarks, and brief theological discussion, of Robert Jenson, I was hungry for an essay and didn't get one. Yet all of this is small complaint, especially when weighed against the greater contribution of the book as a whole. Some of my personal favorite essays include the interesting discussion of the atonement by Pfleiderer, the essay on Scripture and Revelation by Metzger, the essay by Frost on Sin, Miroslav Volf's essay, and the essay on the Trinity in the Old Testament (I would, in particular, have enjoyed an expanded version of it) If you are at all interested in theology, this is an absolute must read, no questions asked. I also heartily recommend any works by Colin Gunton himself (e.g. Act and Being; The Promise of Trinitarian Theology; The Triune Creator; The Actuality of the Atonement; The One, The Three, and the Many; Yesterday and Today; etc....)

There are many authors who discuss their theories on what makes a strong, healthy marriage. What I especially like about "The Triumphant Marriage" is that Neil Clark Warren went directly to the "real" experts -- 100 very successful couples -- and asked them what made their marriage triumphant. The top 10 secrets each have their own chapter with practical suggestions of how to improve your marriage in that particular area. As a Christian Counselor, I am always searching for books to refer to my couples -- I have made "The Triumphant Marriage" required reading!

I bought this book 2 years before my marriage broke up. Had my wife been a willing partner, I am sure we could have enjoyed a triumphant marriage. It is one of the best practical books I have read on relationships. I gave this book to one of this areas recognized divoce counselors and she was so impressed with its content, she hopes to use the information in it as a resource for counseling groups on saving their marriages.

This book is all you need to understand the process of performance improvement in organizations, and the "active ingredients" that impact performance. The book separates the snake oil and fads from solutions that are supported by research. It gives clear and research-based guidelines for diagnosing the causes of performance gaps and selecting solutions for knowledge, motivation, and organizational problems. Case studies illustrate the application of the model and rules. In addition, the book describes how to reliably and validly evaluate the effects of performance solutions and identifies flaws in some common approaches to evaluation. The book answers the kinds of "why" and "what if" questions that rarely get addressed. It includes a powerful model of motivated performance that can be used to address any motivational problems. This book gives one the arguments and references to support organizational development and training practices and also the arguments and evidence to abandon practices that have been shown to either be ineffective or to do more harm than good. If you want to understand why what you are doing works (or doesn't work), you need to read this book. It is unlike any other to date in the field of performance improvement and training. It takes the profession to a higher level and is a must for anyone working in the area of organizational development, performance improvement, or training.

This book is all you need to understand the process of performance improvement in organizations, and the "active ingredients" that impact performance. The book separates the snake oil and fads from solutions that are supported by research. It gives clear and research-based guidelines for diagnosing the causes of performance gaps and selecting solutions for knowledge, motivation, and organizational problems. Case studies illustrate the appliation of the model and rules. In addition, the book describes how to reliably and validly evaluate the effects of performance solutions and identifies flaws in some common approaches to evaluation. The book answers the kinds of "why" and "what if" questions that rarely get addressed. It includes a powerful model of motivated performance that can be used to address any motivational problems. This book gives one the arguments and references to support organizational development and training practices and also the arguments and evidence to abandon practices that have been shown to either be ineffective or to do more harm than good. If you want to understand why what you are doing works (or doesn't work), you need to read this book. It is unlike any other to date in the field of performance improvement and training. It takes the profession to a higher level and is a must for anyone working in the area of organizational development, performance improvement, or training.