Two gems by Thomas Torrance:
This slim book is a graceful integration of two addresses with different scopes, yet are the two facades of Torrance ministery: biblical scholarship, and scientific theology, honestly practiced in his preaching, and defence of real orthodoxy of the great sixth century miaphysite Alexandrian arbiter, and genius scientist philosopher John Philoponus, the interface and real representative of Torrance school of thought.

Scientific Rejection of Dualism:
Science epistomology was the subject of Torrance address to Priceton theolocal Forum ten years ago. He takes an example of Bohr quantum theory dualist pattern of thought undergoing radical change as an impact of the general theory of relativity. Here he preaches thewedding of ontology and epistomology as a consequence of einstien breakthrough that impacted modern thought influecing theological logic and expression.Eventually, he demonstrates that without reading through christian dogma, by a real understanding of the underlying Gospel message grounded in the redeeming incarnation, no one could arrive at the spiritual and intellectual needs for the postmodern Christian doctrine and life.
- The nature of scintific inquiry
- Theological inquiry in the Early Church
- The Incarnation and atonement and our scientific understanding

Preaching Christ Today:
This first chapter of the brief but creative plea of genuinely fresh paleo orthodoxy address the way of preaching Jesus Christ and his message by returning to Christ centered teaching. Torrance is an advocate of biblical wholeness, through a renewed appreciation of a New Testament approached as an inseparably tuned evangelism and a theology based on the good news of the incarnate, crucified, and risen redeemer (Jesus Victor)
- Inter related Kerygma and Didache
- Historical and scientific methods
- The loss of Biblical wholeness
- the divorce of Kerygma and Didache
- Preaching Christ: Jesus humanity, The Nicene Creed, The One Mediator, The Divine Gift and Divine Giver, Church Continuing Struggle, the Power of the Cross, the gospel at the Lord's Supper, Unconditional Grace, The Wisdom and power of God.

Concluding Prayer:
Send forth, O God, a mighty call to your servants topreach your Word, and multiply the number of those who labor in the Gospel; granting them a heart of love, sincerity of speech, and the power of the Holy Spirit.Amen

Supportive Readings:
1. Science& the modern World,Alfred N. Whitehead, FPress,NY,1967
2. The essential tension, scientific tradition and Change, Thomas s. Kuhn, Chicago, 1977
3. The mystery of the Incarnation, Norman Anderson, IVP, 1978
4. The Eucharist, M. Basil Pennington, Liguori/Triumph, 2000

I highly recommend Reclaiming the Gospel and Reforming Churches. If you are interested in learning what historic Baptists believe about doctrine, evangelism, missions, and church practice, this is the place to start. This book contains the "best of" sermons preached over the last 20 years at the annual Southern Baptist Founders Conference. Some of the highlights include sermons by John MacArthur, John Piper, Ligon Duncan and Ernie Reisinger's classic -- Doctrine and Devotion. The sermons are plain-spoken but powerful, simple but sound.

Many people have the mistaken belief that doctrine will not preach. This book puts the lie to that position. Others believe Baptist Calvinists are not hot on evangelism. This book puts the lie to that charge. For anyone interested in putting sound doctrine and faithful devotion together, this is the book for you.

New Testament Greek grammars refer to the Granville Sharpe rule, with a short definition of the first of his six rules. For the Greek exegete's library, this volume is as important as BAGD, Kittle, Thayer's, or the TDNT. Every seminary library, and each serious student of the Greek language, should have a well-worn copy of this volume on their shelf. The minimal price of the volume does not reflect it's true value.

This is an eye-opening, basic primer on the various views of resurrection among the early Christians: was there a spiritual or fleshly resurrection and why? The views of Jesus, Paul, and the Gospel of Thomas (spiritual resurrection) are contrasted with the position of the Gospels of John and Luke and Ignatius of Antioch (fleshly resurrection). Chapter One is a must!

Secret Gospels: Essays On Thomas And The Secret Gospel Of Mark by Marvin Meyer (Griset Professor of Bible and Christian Studies, Chapman University, Orange, California) is a close and scholarly study of apocryphal texts - those ancient Christian writings which are not included in the canonical New Testament Gospels. These texts present accounts of Jesus' childhood, teenage years, and relationships with women left out in the canonical gospels, and this in-depth study of their meaning and symbolism offers a fascinating new dimension to Biblical reference shelves. Also very highly recommended for Christian Studies reading lists are Professor Meyer's earlier books: The Secret Teachings of Jesus: Four Gnostic Gospels and The Gospel of Thomas: The Hidden Sayings of Jesus.

This study, by a student and collaborator of Jarl Fossum, is the most significant contribution to the study of the Gospel of Thomas in the last decade because it locates its distinctive vocabulary and themes in an identifiable historical and communal context: the practice of heavenly ascent in the early Jewish Christian ascetic communities of Syria (in this instance, encratite communities). Building on the work of Gilles Quispel and others, the author identitfies the Thomas sayings material which refer to the preparation for, the ascent journey as a passage through angelic gates, and the vision of the Divine Glory or Anthropos. The parallels in vocabulary, ritual structure, and forms of visionary experience to Hermetic and Hekhaloth literature are carefully described. The distinctive theme of ascent to the Divine Glory as a salvific event is explored. This study is a valuable contribution to recent studies of the practice of heavenly ascent in early Christianity, e.g., J. Knight on the Ascension of Isaiah pseudegraph, and J. Baumgarten's study of the Book of Elkasai, to earlier studies of ascent and visonary experiences among Gnostic groups, e.g., Nag Hammadi Apocalypses of James, and recent work on the heavenly ascent in Hekhaloth literature, e.g., N. Deutsch and C. Morray-Jones.

This book as provided inspiration through the years - it's magic is enduring. It distills the essense of ancient words by providing you with the raw communication so that in your search for their meaning you might discern the value of them. Read from time to time, dip into it and reflect, savour the flavour of the text as it trickles through your spirit, soul, mind and body. The handwritten script dispenses with the formality of type and unclothes the words.

Although not the forum for this, I just had to comment on the reviewer "...not condemming, just voicing God's word.". Ever hear of the Apocryphal Councils? They have been the ones deciding through the ages what is "acceptable" for you to ingest as far as Christianity is concerned. Who knows how many truthful considerations, teachings, and writings they have discarded as heresy in order to appease their agenda of the time. So with respect to your quote, do your homework first before condeming history to the closed-minded viewpoint of the institution that has become the Catholic Church. We should uncover all that is possible as it will only increase our potential for learning the whole truth, and....isn't that what this is about?

This book is an excellent book for teachers and scholars as well as for a more general audience. It is a thoughtful and accessible study of this ancient text and can be helpful both inside and outside the classroom. It is also available in a reasonably priced paperback edition.

I thought that I would write a true review of this book for readers interested The Gospel of Thomas from a more academic or scholarly perspective. Never does Dr. Valantasis suggest adding the book to the current canon. Rather, he conducts a very thorough and thought provoking exegesis of the text. In addition, he provides an excellent historical basis. Now, the book is subject to criticism from other schools of thought, but I don't think Dr. Valantasis would deny this. He provides an excellent historical de-mythologization of the text. For the curious reader, or the serious scholar, this is an excellent addition to the literature on the Gospel of Thomas.

This review is for those who seek that "light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (II Cor. 4:6) and wonder whether the practices of today's neo-contemplatives like Fr. Keating will help them see that light.

Keating's centering prayer is founded on his efforts to "restate the Christian spiritual journey in contemporary terms." These include: All people have a "basic core of goodness [which] is our true Self" and "God and our true Self are the same thing." In opposition to the true self is the false self which is a psychological construct created as a defense mechanism for "all the harm that other people have done to us." By forsaking the false self and manifesting the true self, one can be "transformed into Christ and deified." Contemplative prayer "brings the transformation to completion."

Centering prayer is Keating's specific method of disposing oneself to contemplative prayer. The method is designed to "turn off" ones thoughts and emotions so as to open up to a new reality. Very generally, the method entails a comfortable sitting position, closed eyes, a "sacred word" to occupy the mind, and 20-minutes of such quietude twice a day.

I agree with the proponents of this book who have described the method as non-dogmatic. Anyone of any religion (or no religion) could practice the method and attain the experience Keating describes as "resting in God." Keating envisions widespread centering prayer in the Christian church so that "dialogue with the other world religions would have a firm basis in spiritual experience."

The shared spiritual experience that Keating sees as forming the common ground with other religions was encountered by St. John of Ruysbroeck over 700 years ago. He wrote of those who "turned in upon the bareness of their own being" and "the onefold simplicity which they there possess they take to be God, because they find a natural rest therein." He said this rest "exists in all men by nature, whenever they make themselves empty." But Ruysbroeck, a Christian true to the name, went on to describe another, heavenly rest in Christ: "For through his own power no man has ascended into heaven, save the Son of Man, Jesus Christ. And therefore we must unite ourselves with Him, through grace and virtue and Christian faith: so we shall ascend with Him whither He has gone before us."

Today's contemplatives claim their spiritual pedigrees from the likes of Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross. For those on the Christian spiritual journey who believe that Jesus is the way, these saints of old are surer and safer guides. They steadfastly believed that no one comes to the Father but through the Son, and they were not ashamed to say so. Of their writings I most highly recommend the translation of Teresa's Interior Castle by Kieran Kavanaugh published by the Institute of Carmelite Studies.

Like the great Asian religions, Christianity has a long tradition of meditation and mysticism, but that history has been widely forgotten in recent centuries. Thomas Keating, a Cistercian priest, monk and abbot, is among those who have revitalized this meditative practice, called Centering Prayer, for contemporary times.

Centering Prayer is much like the Buddhist Vipassana, or Insight Meditation, except that instead of keeping your attention on the breath, you focus on your acceptance of God's presence within you.

This difference is vitally important. One major result is what Keating calls the "purification of the false self." It is well known among Buddhists that Vipassana does not resolve psychological problems. You can become enlightened, and still be obnoxious. However Centering Prayer's focus on God's presence within enables God to bring our psychological problems to the surface and release them over time.

Although Keating is a Catholic, Centering Prayer has spread rapidly among other Christians and non-Christians because it doesn't depend on any theological dogmas.

This is one of the best books I've ever read by any Roman Catholic clergyman. It's engrossing and extremely hard to put down. I love it! It has made a positive impact on my life, learning how to properly engage in contemplative prayer i.e. centering prayer. Before I read this book, I felt there was something missing in my spiritual life. But thanks to Thomas Keating's brilliant ability to write clearly and concisely on a step by step basis, my spiritual life is virtually complete. No other book has influenced me in a way to actively engage in centering prayer on a daily basis as Thomas Keating's book.