Religious institutions and organizations Books

Book SynopsisExplores the power of faith to drive resistance to anti-immigration policies in the United StatesGod's Resistance chronicles the work of faith-based activists who have mobilized to counter the effectsof mass detention and deportation. Focusing on Southern California, home to a large undocumentedpopulation, the authors examine which strategies have been most effective, as well as the obstacles that faith presents to organizing effectively. In-depth interviews with over forty activists, leaders ofcongregations, lay participants, and immigrants allow us to hear at first hand the challenges andoccasional triumphs of this work.The authors show how faith-based organizations have a distinctive set of advantages to leverage insocial movements that are often overlooked and underappreciated by secular activist organizations, but they also face particular challenges that can hinder their effectiveness. The volume offers insights into how these advantagTrade Review"The combination of deep-insider knowledge and involvement with several groups across many years allows for the telling of a different story about religion and immigration than those that focus on religious opposition to immigrant support.… Goes a long way toward developing a deeper understanding of the potential that faith-based social movements possess to create positive social change, and exactly what that change could entail." -- Richard Flory, Executive Director, Center for Religion and Civic Culture, University of Southern California"Illustrates the critical roles faith-leaders and laity play in educating and mobilizing a formidable corps of spiritual and moral advocates. This tome will go a long way in unearthing hidden stories of prophetic advocacy and public solidarity. This story and many others need to be heard. A must read!" -- Rev. Dr. Gabriel Salguero, President and Founder, National Latino Evangelical Coalition"A visionary guide for how to fight for an immigration system that sees no stranger. Brilliant, heart-led, indispensable." -- Valarie Kaur, Founder of the Revolutionary Love Project

Read more less

Book SynopsisExplores the power of faith to drive resistance to anti-immigration policies in the United StatesGod's Resistance chronicles the work of faith-based activists who have mobilized to counter the effectsof mass detention and deportation. Focusing on Southern California, home to a large undocumentedpopulation, the authors examine which strategies have been most effective, as well as the obstacles that faith presents to organizing effectively. In-depth interviews with over forty activists, leaders ofcongregations, lay participants, and immigrants allow us to hear at first hand the challenges andoccasional triumphs of this work. The authors show how faith-based organizations have a distinctive set of advantages to leverage insocial movements that are often overlooked and underappreciated by secular activist organizations, but they also face particular challenges that can hinder their effectiveness. The volume offers insights into how these advantages can be maximized, and how the obstaclesTrade ReviewThe combination of deep-insider knowledge and involvement with several groups across many years allows for the telling of a different story about religion and immigration than those that focus on religious opposition to immigrant support.… Goes a long way toward developing a deeper understanding of the potential that faith-based social movements possess to create positive social change, and exactly what that change could entail. -- Richard Flory, Executive Director, Center for Religion and Civic Culture, University of Southern CaliforniaIllustrates the critical roles faith-leaders and laity play in educating and mobilizing a formidable corps of spiritual and moral advocates. This tome will go a long way in unearthing hidden stories of prophetic advocacy and public solidarity. This story and many others need to be heard. A must read! -- Rev. Dr. Gabriel Salguero, President and Founder, National Latino Evangelical CoalitionA visionary guide for how to fight for an immigration system that sees no stranger. Brilliant, heart-led, indispensable. -- Valarie Kaur, Founder of the Revolutionary Love Project

Read more less

Book SynopsisExplores how Muslim Americans test the boundaries of American pluralismIn 2004, the al-Islah Islamic Center in Hamtramck, Michigan, set off a contentious controversy when it requested permission to use loudspeakers to broadcast the adhan, or Islamic call to prayer. The issue gained international notoriety when media outlets from around the world flocked to the city to report on what had become a civil battle between religious tolerance and Islamophobic sentiment. The Hamtramck council voted unanimously to allow mosques to broadcast the adhan, making it one of the few US cities to officially permit it through specific legislation. Muslim American City explores how debates over Muslim Americans' use of both public and political space have challenged and ultimately reshaped the boundaries of urban belonging. Drawing on more than ten years of ethnographic research in Hamtramck, which boasts one of the largest concentrations of Muslim residents of any American city, Alisa Perkins shows hoTrade ReviewPerkins lays out the demographic history of the city and delves into gender among American Muslims generally before exploring aspects of Bangladeshi and Yemeni women in Hamtramck. Finally, she wades into municipal issues affecting Muslims, specifically controversies over the broadcast of the call to prayer and LGBTQ rights. The topical coverage of this work is unique. * CHOICE *Muslim American City tells a complicated but important story of the expression of minority religious and civic identity in a US city. The book makes significant interventions in ongoing conversations about gender, sexuality, and Islam and the politics of religious freedom in the United States. * Studies in Religion/Sciences Religieuses *Meticulously researched and written ... Written for a broad audience, Muslim American City is particularly suitable for those interested in questions of liberalism and religious pluralism in the United States. * Islam and Christian–Muslim Relations *A timely book that answers questions in many important arenas ranging from pluralism and boundary work, to racialization and gender identity... Perkins shows those interested in the sociology of religion a new frontier, one in which we may consider the broader implications of our work in the context of the urban environment. * Sociology of Religion *This theoretically strong volume offers a multifaceted look at how Muslims have made an ideological and political place for themselves in Hamtramck, a small town in the Detroit metro area ... Combining sophisticated theory with solid ethnography, the result is a monograph that reveals the limitations of the standard frameworks that Americans use to understand and navigate racial, religious, and ethnic difference. * Religion *Being mindful of the fluid nature of ethnic identity, Muslim American City portrays different aspects of Muslims’ social lives in the Detroit metropolitan area, providing examples of how multicultural communities can provide opportunities for inclusion in a secular society. The reality that people from different cultures and with distinct values can and do expand their boundaries and fruitfully engage in everyday social exchanges across ethnic boundaries. -- Mehri ‘Mehrsa’ Mohebbi, University of Florida * Journal of Urban Affairs *

Read more less

Book SynopsisA remarkable history of the powerful and influential social gospel movement. The global crises of child labor, alcoholism and poverty were all brought to our attention through the social gospel movement. Its impact on American society makes it one of the most influential developments in American religious history. Christopher H. Evans traces the development of the social gospel in American Protestantism, and illustrates how the religious idealism of the movement also rose up within Judaism and Catholicism. Contrary to the works of previous historians, Evans demonstrates how the presence of the social gospel continued in American culture long after its alleged demise following World War I. Evans reveals the many aspects of the social gospel and their influence on a range of social movements during the twentieth century, culminating with the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s. It also explores the relationship between the liberal social gospel of the early twentieth century andTrade Review"Evans has made an important contribution both in his excellent explanation of the origins and nature of the social gospel and his strong case for seeing its influence extending well into the twentieth century. In doing so, Evans writes primarily about individual social gospel figures, many of them well-known, others not as prominent, including women and African American ministers or reformers. His brief discussions of these figures are the heart and the strength of the book." -- Church History and Religious Culture"Christopher Evans has broken the Social Gospel out of the theological and ecclesial boxes that have been used to contain and domesticate its message. In The Social Gospel in American Religion readers will appreciate the true scope of the Social Gospel witness for over the last century and recognize its prophetic relevance and urgent resonance for today's broken world in need of Good News." -- Rev. Paul Raushenbush,Senior Vice-President for Public Engagement, Auburn Seminary"Christopher Evans has done it again. In this finely-crafted study one of the foremost scholars of the American Social Gospel weaves a story that is at once breathtaking in scope and full of subtle analysis. Anyone interested in the vital intersection of religion and reform in modern United States history will want to read this book." -- Heath W. Carter,author of Union Made: Working People and the Rise of Social Christianity in Chicago"Evans provides a new and much needed history of one of Americas most important religious movements. With seeds planted during the Second Great Awakening, the fruits of the Social Gospel extend to the end of the 20th century, and, in ironic ways, even into our own time. Evans tells the story of a long Social Gospelfrom before the Civil War to after Civil Rights to Barack Obama. This book should become, in short order, the standard history of the Social Gospel." -- Barry Hankins,Professor of History, Baylor University"Few subjects in American religious history invite interdisciplinary inquiries and readerships as much as does the Social Gospel. In the formal sense, it could be confined to a narrative of liberal American Protestantism c. 19001920. But, in the telling of Evans, its story begins a century earlier and, associated with new names, continues its reach into the present. Readers who have interests in the ethics of social reform, liberal theology and its opposition, African-American and feminist studies, rhetorical analyses of popular preaching, straight-out sociology, and the larger American historical contexts of movements and emphases like the Social Gospel will find reason to read this book with care." -- Martin E. Marty * Journal of Interdisciplinary History *"In recounting the social gospels full story, Evans fights off caricatures of the movement from the neo-orthodox left and defends the social gospel against appropriations by the religious right. The end result is a well-written and insightful addition to the intellectual history of social Christianity in America." -- Mark T. Edwards,Fides et Historia

Read more less

Book SynopsisExplores how Muslim Americans test the boundaries of American pluralismIn 2004, the al-Islah Islamic Center in Hamtramck, Michigan, set off a contentious controversy when it requested permission to use loudspeakers to broadcast the adhan, or Islamic call to prayer. The issue gained international notoriety when media outlets from around the world flocked to the city to report on what had become a civil battle between religious tolerance and Islamophobic sentiment. The Hamtramck council voted unanimously to allow mosques to broadcast the adhan, making it one of the few US cities to officially permit it through specific legislation. Muslim American City explores how debates over Muslim Americans' use of both public and political space have challenged and ultimately reshaped the boundaries of urban belonging. Drawing on more than ten years of ethnographic research in Hamtramck, which boasts one of the largest concentrations of Muslim residents of any American city, Alisa Perkins shows hoTrade Review"Perkins lays out the demographic history of the city and delves into gender among American Muslims generally before exploring aspects of Bangladeshi and Yemeni women in Hamtramck. Finally, she wades into municipal issues affecting Muslims, specifically controversies over the broadcast of the call to prayer and LGBTQ rights. The topical coverage of this work is unique." * CHOICE *"Muslim American City tells a complicated but important story of the expression of minority religious and civic identity in a US city. The book makes significant interventions in ongoing conversations about gender, sexuality, and Islam and the politics of religious freedom in the United States." * Studies in Religion/Sciences Religieuses *"Meticulously researched and written ... Written for a broad audience, Muslim American City is particularly suitable for those interested in questions of liberalism and religious pluralism in the United States." * Islam and Christian–Muslim Relations *"A timely book that answers questions in many important arenas ranging from pluralism and boundary work, to racialization and gender identity... Perkins shows those interested in the sociology of religion a new frontier, one in which we may consider the broader implications of our work in the context of the urban environment." * Sociology of Religion *"This theoretically strong volume offers a multifaceted look at how Muslims have made an ideological and political place for themselves in Hamtramck, a small town in the Detroit metro area ... Combining sophisticated theory with solid ethnography, the result is a monograph that reveals the limitations of the standard frameworks that Americans use to understand and navigate racial, religious, and ethnic difference." * Religion *"Being mindful of the fluid nature of ethnic identity, Muslim American City portrays different aspects of Muslims’ social lives in the Detroit metropolitan area, providing examples of how multicultural communities can provide opportunities for inclusion in a secular society. The reality that people from different cultures and with distinct values can and do expand their boundaries and fruitfully engage in everyday social exchanges across ethnic boundaries." -- Mehri ‘Mehrsa’ Mohebbi, University of Florida * Journal of Urban Affairs *

Read more less

Book SynopsisHonorable Mention, Theology and Religious Studies PROSE Award A powerful insight into the historical and cultural roles of the Black churchIf we are in a post-racial era, then what is the future of the Black Church? If the US will at some time in the future be free from discrimination and prejudices that are based on race how will that affect the church's very identity?In The Ground Has Shifted, Walter Earl Fluker passionately and thoroughly discusses the historical and current role of the Black church and argues that the older race-based language and metaphors of religious discourse have outlived their utility. He offers instead a larger, global vision for the Black church that focuses on young Black men and other disenfranchised groups who have been left behind in a world of globalized capital. Lyrically written with an emphasis on the dynamic and fluid movement of life itself, Fluker argues that the church must find new ways to use race as an emancipatory instrument if it is to reTrade ReviewFluker has a fresh approach to deal with the subject and provides new insights on the subject. It is meticulously researched and well-referenced. Walter Earl Fluker's scholarship is unmatchable. * The Washington Book Review *An exuberant, thought-provoking assessment of the dilemmas facing black churches. [A] passionate analysis and call for change. * STARRED Publishers Weekly *An important and perceptive contribution to the literature on religion and race. * Choice *Flukers book is thoroughly interesting as he studies the history and present of the black church Fluker brings us a work for todays church and a charge to connect that church to the world house. * Journal of the American Academy of Religion *[T]imely and fascinating...The Ground Has Shifteddoes a masterful job of blending black religious thought, literature, critical theory, memoir, and personal experience. * Religion Dispatches *An excellent conversation starter to inspire holistic freedom for all people. -- The Journal of African American HistoryThe Ground Has Shifted analyses the ramifications of post-racialism in the black church and emphasizes the various ways that religious leaders and scholars can engage and re-evaluate critical questions; thus, coming up with clear and concise solutions towards historical problems of race, and sexualized and gendered politics of the church … The author paves a way for a new generation of church leaders, scholars, and activists for them to reclaim the black church’s historical identity of being the pivotal force within the community, while also instilling character, civility, and a sense of community among its congregants once again. -- Black TheologyThe Ground Has Shifted addresses questions being posed by a historical Black Church caught between its piety, the politics of respectability, and a cataclysmic shifting of the taken-for-granted realities of a besieged/blessed people. I will buy and teach this book as often as I can. What an amazing contribution to the literature. -- Barbara A. Holmes,President Emerita of United Theological Seminary of the Twin CitiesThis is the most decisive statement on post-racialism, the American dilemma, and black church positive agency. On each page, Fluker's writing moans and wails us out of southern African American religiosity, up north into the fragmentation of black urban life, and into an ethical world of hope for an America becoming. A defining direction and persuasive proposal on how to get us to healthy community. -- Dwight N. Hopkins,author of Being Human: Race, Culture, and ReligionWalter Fluker is the towering theorist of the Black Church and the unapologetic lover of the black prophetic tradition. This powerful and timely book is sophisticated, subtle, and rich. And it soars with a deep, long memory alive in the present a present that reeks of a 'cultural asylum' that he notes the Black Lives Movement is shattering! -- Dr. Cornel WestFlukers judicious use of personal reflection provides an exciting affirmation that our black lives and our black churches really do matter as important standpoints for engaging spirituality, renewing the national imaginary, and enhancing the human condition. -- Cheryl Townsend Gilkes,Colby CollegeThe Ground Has Shifted puts forward a passionate challenge to the Black Church and all those who profess to stand in the prophetic Black Church tradition. It is a powerful and provocative treatment of the role and place of this venerable institution and the Gospel that gives it life. But more than that, the book offers a blueprint for a way forwarda pathway that involves "reclaiming [our] humanity through the integrity of the act"; to find beauty and grace in the dark places of what it means to live in this world without the burdens of ghosts. Beautiful written; passionately argued. A must read! -- Eddie S. Glaude, Jr.,author of Democracy in Black: How Race Still Enslaves the American SoulThis is a very important work that challenges all who read it to continue to search for answers to the growing crisis of faith in the black community, answers that will provide a viable way forward for black Christians and their churches in the challenging years ahead. * The Journal of Religion *

Read more less

Book SynopsisFollowing Sherwood Lingenfelter's successful books on ministering, teaching, and leading cross-culturally (with combined sales of over 200,000 copies), Teamwork Cross-Culturally casts a vision for how teams made up of diverse peoples can serve in unity as the body of Christ despite the complicated problems that arise. The book equips leaders to respond to divisive issues so that multinational mission teams can do the work of ministry in ways that honor God. Real-life examples of teamwork challenges from around the world demonstrate that "in Christ" responses are achievable.Table of ContentsContents1. What Are Wicked Problems and In-Christ Solutions? Sherwood G. Lingenfelter and Julie A. GreenPart 1: Biblical Foundations for In-Christ Responses2. Paul's Wicked Problem and In-Christ Defense Sherwood G. Lingenfelter3. Biblical Essentials for Teamwork in Christ Sherwood G. LingenfelterPart 2: "In the World" Deceptions and Disagreements4. Uncertainty about Power and Authority Julie A. Green5. The Deception of Elegant Solutions Julie A. Green6. The Deception of Investment Returns Sherwood G. Lingenfelter7. Can You Disagree? Can You Work Together? Sherwood G. Lingenfelter8. Tensions between Personal Identity and Role Sherwood G. Lingenfelter9. Balancing Convictions, Rights, and Loving Others in Christ Sherwood G. LingenfelterPart 3: Five Leaders, Four Journeys, Four Metaphors of Leadership for "Mission with" in Christ10. Enabling In-Christ Participation Penny Bakewell11. Equipping Multinational Ministry Teams Robert and Elizabeth McLean12. Unequal Partners, Clumsy Compromise Matthew E. Crosland13. Koinonia Teamwork in Central Africa Martins AtandaPart 4: Leadership Challenge, Steadfast Hope14. The Leadership Challenge of Wicked Problems Sherwood G. Lingenfelter15. "Mission With"--Steadfast Hope Sherwood G. LingenfelterIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe first document enacted by the Second Vatican Council was its Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, and the liturgical reform mandated by that document has probably had a greater impact on the average Catholic than any other action of the Council. That this liturgical reform has not in every respect been the unalloyed success hoped for by the Council Fathers, however, has only been grudgingly recognized. The liturgists and other Church officials responsible for implementing the reforms have had a vested interest in claiming success, even where there was evidence to the contrary. Nevertheless, the many and sometimes abrupt liturgical changes made were bound to affect long-established modes of worship and devotion – not to speak of the drastic move from Latin to the vernacular which came shortly after the Council, and which necessarily entailed radical change in the Church’s worship. In July 2007, Pope Benedict XVI signaled that the liturgical question needed to be revisited when he issued a motu proprio that allowed, some forty-plus years after the end of the Council, a wider celebration of the unreformed pre-Vatican-II Mass in Latin as an “extraordinary” form of the Roman rite. While the pope’s motu proprio was not a repudiation or cancellation of the Vatican II liturgical reforms — as some liturgists feared (and some traditionalists hoped) – it did indicate a sane and sensible papal recognition that liturgy must be developed organically, not “manufactured” by a “committee.” Above all, the pope recognized that the question of the liturgy must be approached realistically in the light of how the reforms have actually worked out, not of how some have imagined that they might or should have worked out. This book by Kenneth D. Whitehead, who has written extensively both on Vatican II and on the liturgy, explains Pope Benedict’s action in its proper context and describes the reactions to it, while making special reference to some of the pontiff’s own extensive previous writings on the liturgy. The author then doubles back to evaluate the Vatican II liturgical reforms generally – how and why they were enacted, what has actually come about as a result of them, and how and why a “reform of the reform” is now called for.

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrue productivity is more than just getting things done. True productivity is less about getting things done; it is more concerned with stewarding priorities, time, and resources wisely and faithfully in a way that honors God. In Every Day Matters Brandon Crowe provides an accessible and biblical understanding of productivity filled with practical guidance and examples. Crowe draws insights from wisdom literature and the life and teaching of the Apostle Paul to reclaim a biblical perspective on productivity. He shows the implications for matters such as setting priorities and goals, achieving rhythms of work and rest, caring for family, maintaining spiritual disciplines, sustaining energy, and engaging wisely with social media and entertainment.

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhat can the Church learn from the business world? You're a leader of a ministry, nonprofit, or church. You trained to be a faithful counselor, preacher, interpreter of God's Word—so why do you find yourself spending so much energy on administration tasks that threaten to drain your time, energy, and joy? Look to this book for the coaching you needed, yesterday. Written from years of ministry and business experience, Business for Ministry is built on a solid foundation of business principles but—unlike many business books—in a straightforward style that anyone can grasp. You'll learn how to: Communicate vision and strategize with a team Steward resources well (yes, including budgeting) Prioritize goals, wisely make decisions, and evaluate outcomes based on vision and data Leverage the existing talents of men and women at your church, many of whom don't fit in "traditional" ministry roles This field guide to building a holistic, sustainable system for your church will both help you address the business needs of your church and free your leaders to serve, fully and joyfully.

Read more less

Book SynopsisMy Basilian Priesthood is a memoir of Michael Quealey's six years in the order in the 1960s. During his priesthood, Quealey was director of the Newman Centre at the University of Toronto and engaged in reforming the mass and in other theological matters. The 1960s was a time of questioning traditions, including the role of Biblical criticism, the nature of liturgy, the place of women in the Church and in society, and the power of community living and decision-making. Quealey was deeply involved in all these matters, and sought to fulfill his commitment to service and balance that with his faith and vows of obedience to the institution of the Church. Written decades after the events he describes, the book is his reflection on the excitement of the times and the tensions created when tradition encountered new ideas and new forms of communal living. Here's a story that blends Toronto history with Catholic Church history and an inside look at 1960s counterculture.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThere is an urgent need for more debate and discussion in our churches because the integrity and credibility of our faith is at risk. Our integrity is at risk because it is not clear that we understand what it is that we profess. Our credibility is at risk because we seem unable to communicate it. We need to engage more actively at the intellectual level and to be willing to examine the fundamentals of our faith more critically. And such discussion must start with a human rather than a divine perspective. It is as human beings that we are embodied as persons, it is as human beings that we engage with the world around us, and it is as human beings that we form relationships with the rest of the created order. And it is as a human being that that which we understand as God was embodied in the form of Jesus of Nazareth, thereby placing humanity at the pinnacle of creation and giving humanity the responsibility for the stewardship of the created order.

Read more less

Book SynopsisA comprehensive account of the abbey of Evesham and its surroundings, demonstrating its full significance in the wider history of the time. Provides a fine contribution to the rich history of the region, showing Evesham's place in the life of the medieval kingdom of England. Professor Ann Williams. In c.701, a minster was founded in the lower Avon Valleyon a deserted promontory called Evesham. Over the next five hundred years it became a Benedictine abbey and turned the Vale of Evesham into a federation of Christian communities. A landscape of scattered farms grew into one of open fields and villages, manor houses and chapels. Evesham itself developed into a town, and the abbots played a role in the affairs of the kingdom. But individual contemplation and prayer within the abbey were compromised by its corporate aspirations. As Evesham abbey waxed ever grander, exerting a national influence, it became a ready patron of the arts but had less time for private spirituality. The story ends badly in the prolonged scandal of Abbot Norreis, a libertine whose appetites caused religion to collapse at Evesham before his own sudden downfall. This book integrates the evidence of archaeology, maps, and documents in a continuous narrative that pays as much attention to religious and cultural life as to institutional and economic matters. It provides a complete survey over one of the most important and wealthy Benedictine abbeys and its landscape, a stage on which was enacted the tense interplay of lordship and prayer. Dr David Cox, FSA, was until his retirement county editor of the Victoria History of Shropshire and lecturer at Keele University.Trade ReviewThis enjoyable study gives us not only an authoritative and most informative history of Evesham Abbey to 1215 but also a valuable overview of the medieval origins of the landscape of the borough of Evesham and the surrounding Vale. * EARLY MEDIEVAL EUROPE *Provides students, academics and general readers with an accessible, interesting and scholarly account of Evesham Abbey. * HISTORY *A valuable addition to Studies in the History of Medieval Religion published by Boydell Press, Cox skillfully blends chronology with a thematic approach in his book . interesting and scholarly . People interested in medieval or monastic history will appreciate this book. * AMERICAN BENEDICTINE REVIEW *An interesting and scholarly book which chronicles the humble beginnings of a monastery which interacted with and influenced the social and economic life of the local area . People interested in medieval or monastic history will appreciate this book. * SIXTEENTH CENTURY JOURNAL *This is a thorough historical study of one of the most important medieval abbeys in the West Midlands, usefully set against the region's political history. * LANDSCAPE HISTORY *Essential reading for all interested in the history of Evesham and of religion in the diocese of Worcester. * WORCESTERSHIRE RECORDER *Table of ContentsPreface Æthelred and Ecgwine A land of promise A waiting people Ecgwine and the first abbots Decay and revival On the defensive Abbot Ælfweard and King Cnut Abbot Manni, the town, and the Vale Abbot Æthelwig A new regime God's work The estates under threat Protecting the future Interested parties Order and governance Economic realities Investment Worship Learning and writing Religious buildings Collapse and renewal Afterword Appendix Select bibliography

Read more less

Book SynopsisExpanding Scriptures: Lost and Found is the second book in the Wisdom Series. Don MacGregor considers what could be added to the Bible from rediscoveries of recent years, supports a new role for Mary Magdalene and looks at how it can all be reframed within the Perennial Wisdom teachings.

Read more less

Book SynopsisGlobalization, pluralism, urbanization and increased mobility are just some of the challenges of twenty-first-century cross-cultural mission, and Martin Goldsmith helpfully equips us to respond wisely to them. With humour, confidence and enthusiasm, he enables us to see potential barriers to mission as opportunities waiting to be grasped. The unchanging nature of Jesus' Great Commission contrasts strongly not only with our changing world but with our dynamic God. While his commands are set in stone, his methods are not. This book will give you fresh ideas about mission. It will help you pray, plan and advise those who want to get involved.

Read more less

Book SynopsisFrom the footpaths of our cities to the chat rooms of the Internet, people are connecting today as never before. As the planet shrinks through the multiple forces of immigration, travel, electronic communication and more fluid employment patterns, we will find ourselves increasingly forced into contact with those who are significantly different from ourselves. Sadly however, the stranger is often a threat to be resisted rather than a friend to be embraced. In this context of in-your-face diversity, it is time to revisit the heart of the New Testament, with its claim that in Jesus Christ a new quality of human relationship is possible. In his letter to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul claims that Christians are a new kind of people, part of a new community: a 'new humanity' in Christ (Ephesians 2:15). We exist not in isolation, but in relationship. 'Dynamic Diversity' contends that all Christian congregations everywhere are called to be bridging places, centres of reconciliation, where the major diversities separating human beings are overcome through the presence of God's Holy Spirit. Bruce Milne presents a biblical model for today and tomorrow where the diversities of gender, generation, ethnicity, colour and socio-economic status present exciting and challenging opportunities to demonstrate practical oneness. When this happens, churches become wonderfully alive. In Christ we can be one people, one new humanity, one life.

Read more less

Book SynopsisMany people believe in Jesus Christ but want nothing to do with the church. Some others who call themselves committed Christians will not commit to a local church. We have to be honest. There is a dearth in the church in many countries. At times the church has been very sick and the illness seemed to be terminal; yet it survives and in many places grows phenomenally. "Dry Bones can Live", addresses this problem and proposes a dynamic remedy; setting out a strategy for local churches to consider. It is full of stories from the pastor's casebook, which illustrate the reality and effectiveness of the Gospel in transforming livesTrade ReviewThis is a welcome and rich resource for anyone serious about seeing their church grow. (Rev Elfed Godding). It's emphasis in making, growing and keeping disciples is a must for the church in the 21st century. (Rev Dr John Weaver). This book is packed with the words of a pastor with a heart for mission. It is full of stories from the pastor's casebook, which illustrate the reality and effectiveness of the Gospel in transforming lives. (Rev Dr John Weaver, Principal, South Wales Baptist College, & President Baptist Union of Great Britain).

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn Britain and the West Christians have watched helplessly while teachers, politicians and the media have prised apart sacred and secular, consigning the sacred to the realm of the private and unimportant. After a careful analysis of the state of Western churches, Robinson and Smith challenge conventional leadership styles. They reject fix-it programmes, which rarely transplant well, and urge ministers to focus on what really matters: to help people to experience intimacy with God, to encounter the grace of God and speak about it to others. From a Christian viewpoint there can never be two worlds, only God's world, but Christians have retreated into sacred space, rather than reaching out. This book cuts across contemporary leadership thinking.

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhile concentrated on the famous Passio Perpetuae et Felicitatis, this book focuses on an area that has so far been somewhat marginalized or even overlooked by modern interpreters: the recontextualizing of the Passio Perpetuae in the subsequent reception of this text in the literature of the early Church. Since its composition in the early decades of the 3rd century, the Passio Perpetuae was enjoying an extraordinary authority and popularity. However, it contained a number of revolutionary and innovative features that were in conflict with existing social and theological conventions. This book analyses all relevant texts from the 3rd to 5th centuries in which Perpetua and her comrades are mentioned, and demonstrates the ways in which these texts strive to normalize the innovative aspects of the Passio Perpetuae. These efforts, visible as they are already on careful examination of the passages of the editor of the passio, continue from Tertullian to Augustine and his followers. The normalization of the narrative reaches its peak in the so-called Acta Perpetuae which represent a radical rewriting of the original and an attempt to replace it by a purified text, more compliant with the changed socio-theological hierarchies.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book pays homage to the work of a scholar who has substantially advanced knowledge and understanding of the medieval military-religious orders. Alan J. Forey has published over seventy meticulously researched articles on every aspect of the military-religious orders, two books on the Templars in the Corona de AragÃn, and a wide-ranging survey of the military-religious orders from the twelfth to the early fourteenth centuries. His archival research has been especially significant in opening up the history of the military orders in the Iberian Peninsula. This volume comprises an appreciation of Foreyâs work and a range of research that has been inspired by his scholarship or develops themes that run through his work. Articles reflect Foreyâs detailed research into and analysis of primary sources, as well as his work on the military orders, the crusades, the eastern Mediterranean, and the trial of the Templars. Further papers move beyond the geographical and chronological bounds of Foreyâs research, while still exploring his themes of the military-religious ordersâ relations with the Church and State.Table of ContentsIntroduction PART I The Iberian Peninsula, archives, and documents 1 The Iberian military-religious orders in the earliest papal registers of supplications, 1342–1362 2 Pelayo Pérez Correa and the international ambitions of the Order of Santiago 3 The identity of Hospitallers in the Crown of Aragon and economics (XII–XIII centuries) 4 Hospitallers, Templars, and the papacy in the twelfth century: the issue of historical agency PART II The Eastern Mediterranean 5 Descriptions of fighting, captivity, and ransom in the writings of Robert of Nantes, Patriarch of Jerusalem, in the mid-thirteenth century 6 Continuing the Continuation: Eracles 1248–1277 7 Some observations on Hospitaller agricultural activities in the Latin East prior to the fall of Acre in 1291 8 Sergeants in the Rule of the Templars 9 Shared worship at Filerimos on Hospitaller Rhodes: 1306–1421 PART III The trial of the Templars and its after-history 10 The beard and the habit in the Templars’ trial: membership, rupture, resistance 11 The Templar Order in public and cultural debate in France during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuriesPART IV Beyond Forey’s foundations: the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth centuries12 Cooking the books: the report of Philip de Thame and financial crisis in fourteenth-century Britain13 Military order castles in the Holy Land and Prussia: a case for cultural history 14 A crusade against the Poles? Johannes Falkenberg’s ‘Satira’ (1412) 15 Die welt ist kranck. The Teutonic Order and the Prussian Union at the court of Frederick III (1452/53)16 What the Hospitaller said to the bishop

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

Book SynopsisA major problem which occupied thinkers in the later Middle Ages was the question of the internal structure of the Church and the proper interrelationship of its members. Dr Tierney's book is an account of those canonistic theories of Church government which contributed to the growth of the conciliar theory, and which were formulated between Gratian's Decretum (c. 1140) and the Great Schism (1378). It is concerned particularly with the juristic development of the fundamental conciliar doctrine, the assertion that the universal Church was superior to the Church of Rome, with a consequent denial of the Pope's supreme authority.Table of ContentsPreface; List of abbreviations; Introductory: the conciliar theory and the Canonists; Part I. Decretists Theories of Church Goverment: 1. Pope and Church; 2. Pope and general council; 3. Pope and Cardinals; Part II. Aspects of Thirteenth-Century Ecclesiology: 4. Changing views of Church government; 5. The structure of a medieval ecclesiastical corporation; 6. The whole church as corporation; Part III. Conciliar Ideas in the Fourteenth Century: 7. John of Paris; 8. Conflicting criticisms of Papal monarchy; 9. The attitude of the academic Canonists; 10. Franciscus Zabarella; Conclusion; Appendices; List of works cited; Index.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Order of the Temple, founded in 1119 to protect pilgrims around Jerusalem, developed into one of the most influential corporations in the medieval world. It has retained its hold on the modern imagination thanks to the dramatic events of the Templars' trial and abolition two hundred years later, and has been involved in historical mysteries from masonic conspiracy to the survival of the Turin shroud. Malcolm Barber's lucid narrative separates myth from history in this full and detailed account of the Order, from its origins, flourishing and suppression to the Templars' historical afterlife.

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe third-century Syriac treatise Didascalia Apostolorum was edited and translated into English in 1903 by the pioneering scholar Margaret Gibson. Covering topics including the organisation of the early church and the conduct of the clergy, this is an important source for historians interested in Christian doctrine and law.Table of ContentsIntroduction; Quotations from the Old Testament; Quotations from the New Testament; Translation of the Didascalia; Appendix.

Read more less

Book SynopsisPastor, preacher, and New York Times bestselling author of The Prodigal Prophet Timothy Keller shares his wisdom on communicating the Christian faith from the pulpit as well as from the coffee shop.Most Christians—including pastors—struggle to talk about their faith in a way that applies the power of the Christian gospel to change people’s lives. Timothy Keller is known for his insightful, down-to-earth sermons and talks that help people understand themselves, encounter Jesus, and apply the Bible to their lives. In this accessible guide for pastors and laypeople alike, Keller helps readers learn to present the Christian message of grace in a more engaging, passionate, and compassionate way.

Read more less

Book SynopsisExperience the fullness of life that Jesus promises by learning how to engage with the present--even in the increasing busyness of work and family life.Do you ever wonder how long can you keep: grinding out eighty-hour work weeks? putting your marriage on the backburner? treating your employees like cogs in a machine? pushing your life aside before you realize your time is all up? At the heart of this collaborative project is the belief that the pain we experience is the result of absence--living disconnected from our authentic selves and lacking deep, meaningful relationships with others and with God.Daniel Montgomery, the founding pastor of Sojourn Community Church; Kenny Silva, a PhD candidate at Trinity International University; and Eboni Webb, who holds a doctorate of Clinical Psychology, pooled their efforts and expertise to focus on the problem of modern absence and the pain it causes us an

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhat if we modeled our churches after what Jesus intended His church to look like? What if our hope for our ministries rested not on human wisdom but on God''s power? Over the past few years, we''ve all seen how quickly circumstances can change, and many of us have experienced firsthand how church growth trends and popular models fail us. Churches across the country are struggling, and many pastors are deeply discouraged. We work hard and with great sincerity, but our efforts don''t seem to be helping our churches flourish.Jim Cymbala—New York Times best-selling author and long-time pastor of The Brooklyn Tabernacle—has been watching the pressing need for back-to-the-basics spiritual leadership among Christians, and he''s seen so many churches come to defeat because so many leaders forget this one truth: Your church is not your church. It''s Christ''s church. In order for his church to flourish, we have to minister

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe establishment of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission was a pioneering international event. Never had any country sought to move forward from despotism to democracy both by exposing the atrocities committed in the past and achieving reconciliation with its former oppressors. At the center of this unprecedented attempt at healing a nation has been Archbishop Desmond Tutu, whom President Nelson Mandela named as Chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. With the final report of the Commission just published, Archbishop Tutu offers his reflections on the profound wisdom he has gained by helping usher South Africa through this painful experience.In No Future Without Forgiveness, Tutu argues that true reconciliation cannot be achieved by denying the past.  But nor is it easy to reconcile when a nation 'looks the beast in the eye.' Rather than repeat platitudes about forgiveness, he presents a bold spirituality that recognizes the horrors Trade Review"The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa has put the spotlight on all of us... In its hearings Desmond Tutu has conveyed our common pain and sorrow, our hope and confidence in the future."--Nelson Mandela

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn this provocative book, author, consultant, and church leadership developer Reggie McNeal debunks these and other old assumptions and provides an overall strategy to help church leaders move forward in an entirely different and much more effective way. In The Present Future, McNeal identifies the six most important realities that church leaders must address including: recapturing the spirit of Christianity and replacing church growth with a wider vision of kingdom growth; developing disciples instead of church members; fostering the rise of a new apostolic leadership; focusing on spiritual formation rather than church programs; and shifting from prediction and planning to preparation for the challenges of an uncertain world. McNeal contends that by changing the questions church leaders ask themselves about their congregations and their plans, they can frame the core issues and approach the future with new eyes, new purpose, and new ideas.Table of ContentsAbout Leadership Network ix Acknowledgments xi Preface xiii Introduction xv New Reality Number One: The Collapse of the 1 Church Culture New Reality Number Two: The Shift from Church 20 Growth to Kingdom Growth New Reality Number Three: A New Reformation: 43 Releasing God’s People New Reality Number Four: The Return to Spiritual Formation 69 New Reality Number Five: The Shift from Planning 92 to Preparation New Reality Number Six: The Rise of Apostolic Leadership 120 Things I Didn’t Say 140 Conclusion 146 References 149 The Author 151

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn 2017, the remains of 796 babies were found in a septic tank on the site of the Tuam Mother and Baby Home, a home run by nuns which took in orphans and unmarried mothers until it closed in 1961. Bridget Dolan gave birth to two boys there. Her daughter Anna puts on the record the life of Bridget and all the forgotten women and children of the home

Read more less

Book SynopsisFaith-based organizations are sometimes known for what we''re against--and all too often that includes being against each other. But amid growing distrust of religious institutions, Christ-centered nonprofits have a unique opportunity to link arms and collectively pursue a calling higher than any one organization''s agenda.Rooting for Rivals reveals how your ministry can multiply its impact by cooperating, rather than competing. Peter Greer and Chris Horst explore case studies illustrating the power of collaborative ministry. They also vulnerably share their own failures and successes in pursuing a kingdom mind-set. Discover the power of openhanded leadership to make a greater impact on the world.'I love the African quote, ''If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.'' I''m grateful to Peter Greer and Chris Horst for celebrating Christ-centered teamwork and collaboration in Rooting for Rivals.'--RICHARD S

Read more less