Religious social and pastoral thought and activity Books

Book SynopsisDr. Montgomery examines some of the most tragic and divisive issues facing Christians today—abortion, divorce, and birth control. Drawing from a wealth of knowledge and reflection on the moral, ethical, theological, medical, and legal aspects of his topics, Dr. Montgomery sheds new and invaluable light on the issues.

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Book SynopsisA practical guide to equip churches to love their most vulnerable neighbours. The name, Let My People Go, recalls the words of Moses as he spoke to those who had enslaved his people. Moses called for holistic freedom, freedom from physical and spiritual bondage. It's the authors' prayer that this guide would help you and your church take up this mantle of liberty in your community.Human trafficking is the exploitation of vulnerability for commercial gain. LMPG wants to empower your church to fight human trafficking by loving those most vulnerable around. In this curriculum, you will be given the tools to address the vulnerabilities in - and outside - your church in a way that is congregational and collaborative with the gospel as its motive.

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Book SynopsisAlthough scholarship has noted the thematic importance of peace in Ephesians, few have examined its political character in a sustained manner throughout the entire letter. This book addresses this lacuna, comparing Ephesians with Colossians, Greek political texts, Dio Chrysostom’s Orations, and the Confucian Four Books in order to ascertain the rhetorical and political nature of its topos of peace. Through comparison with analogous documents both within and without its cultural milieu, this study shows that Ephesians can be read as a politico-religious letter “concerning peace” within the church. Its vision of peace contains common political elements (such as moral education, household management, communal stability, a universal humanity, and war) that are subsumed under the controlling rubric of the unity and cosmic summing up of all things in Christ.Trade Review'Lau must be applauded for juggling a huge range of primary and secondary literature in an interesting manner and for offering extensive, helpful footnotes to comparative ancient and other texts, as well as scholarly discussions and additional resources throughout his book. [...] will [be] useful to New Testament scholars or anyone interested in comparative studies of Greek, Jewish, early Christian, and Confucian thought. It complements the discussion of Ephesians’ use of Greco-Roman values by Daniel Darko (2008) and the discussion of ethnic reconciliation by Tet-Lim Yee (2005).' Minna Shkul, RBL 12/2012

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Book SynopsisNajm al-Dīn al-Ṭūfī’s (d. 716/1316) extraordinary commentary on the Christian scriptures has not received the scholarly attention it deserves. Illustrating the way in which the Bible was read, interpreted and used as a proof-text in the construction of early 14th century Muslim views of Christianity, his al-Ta‘līq ‘alā al-Anājīl al-arba‘a wa-al-ta‘līq ‘alā al-Tawrāh wa-‘alā ghayrihā min kutub al-anbiyā’ (Critical Commentary on the Four Gospels, the Torah and other Books of the Prophets) is an invaluable treasure for the study of Muslim-Christian dialogue and its history. In Muslim Exegesis of the Bible in Medieval Cairo, Lejla Demiri makes this important and unusual work available for the first time in a scholarly edition and English translation, with a full introduction that places Ṭūfī in his intellectual context.Trade Review''......Lejla Demiri’s work is an admirable contribution that makes available an unusual and important work. To the field of Muslim–Christian polemics (for which it was primarily intended) al-Tūfī’s Commentary contributes an innovative commentarial format and several unusual ideas about Christ, but the reader who continues to the end will also find much that is of great interest for the study of qur’anic exegesis, the Tales of the Prophets, and the Bible itself''. David Vishanoff, University of Oklahoma, in Islam and Christian–Muslim Relations, 25.1 (2013), pp. 138-139. ''.....The volume has many merits and deserves to be commended: not only does the lucid study of al-Ṭūfī succeed in providing a genuine sense of the scale of his legacy, but it also serves as a valuable introduction to the commentary. Its publication with the translated text will allow a wider readership to engage with and appreciate the fascinating debates which were a predominant feature of medieval Muslim-Christian discourses, thereby helping to shed light on how the Bible was read and expounded upon as a proof text by Muslim scholarship''. Mustafa Shah, School of Oriental and African Studies, in Journal of Near Eastern Studies, 73.2 (October 2014), pp. 378-381. “…this is a valuable edition of a fascinating text that significantly broadens our appreciation of Muslim approaches to the Bible and the Qurʾān”. Andrew Rippin in Ilahiyat Studies 5.1 (2014), pp. 122-125.

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Book SynopsisDespite the worldwide dramatic spread of religious-based discriminations, persecutions, and conflicts, both official data and academic literature have underestimated their role as a root cause of contemporary migrations. This multidisciplinary study aims to overcome this gap. Through an unprecedented collection of theoretical analysis and original empirical evidence, the book provides unique data and insights on the role of religion in the trajectories of asylum seekers and migrants – from the analysis of the religious geography of sending countries to the role of spirituality as a factor of resilience and adaptation. By enhancing both academic and political debate on these issues, the book offers the possibility of regaining awareness of the close link between religious freedom and the quality of democracy. Contributors include: Paolo Gomarasca, Monica Martinelli, Monica Spatti, Andrea Santini, Andrea Plebani, Paolo Maggiolini, Riccardo Redaelli, Alessia Melcangi, Giancarlo Rovati, Annavittoria Sarli, Giulia Mezzetti, Lucia Boccacin, Linda Lombi, Donatella Bramanti, Stefania Meda, Giovanna Rossi, Beatrice Nicolini, Cristina Giuliani, Camillo Regalia, Giovanni Giulio Valtolina, Paola Barachetti, Maddalena Colombo, Rosangela Lodigiani, Mariagrazia Santagati, Fabio Baggio, Vera Lomazzi, Paolo Bonetti, Laura Zanfrini, Mario Antonelli, Luca Bressan, Alessandro Bergamaschi, Catherine Blaya, Núria Llevot-Calvet, Olga Bernad-Cavero, and Jordi Garreta-Bochaca.Table of Contents List of Figures and Tables  Notes on Contributors Part 1: Migrations and Religious Belonging: from Periphery to Core, for a New  1 Introduction. General Description of the Study, Key Issues, and Provisional Conclusions  Laura Zanfrini  2 The Uncanny “Religious” Refugee: a Post-secular Perspective on Ethics of Hospitality  Paolo Gomarasca  3 Religion in Secularized and Post-secularized Europe  Monica Martinelli  4 Migration and Religious Freedom: the Legislative and Judicial Framework at International and European Level  Andrea Santini and Monica Spatti  References to Part 1 Part 2: Where (Forced) Migrations are Generated  5 No Size Fits All: Diversity, State and Politics in the Contemporary Middle East  Paolo Maggiolini, Andrea Plebani and Riccardo Redaelli  6 Christians Navigating through Middle East Turbulences: the Case of the Copts in Egypt  Alessia Melcangi and Paolo Maggiolini  7 Religious Affiliations and Social Coexistence in the Islamic Middle East Countries  Giancarlo Rovati  8 Women’s Rights and Shari‘a Law in the MENA Region  Vera Lomazzi  References to Part 2 Part 3: The Religion’s Dimension in the Trajectories of (Forced) Migrants Directed to Italy  9 The “Place” of Religion in the Italian Asylum Seekers’ Reception System: Constitutional, Legislative and Procedural Framework  Paolo Bonetti  10 On the Role of Religion in the Decision to Migrate  Laura Zanfrini  11 The “Space” of Religion in the Assessment of Asylum Applications  Laura Zanfrini  12 On the Role of Religion in the Process of Adaptation of (Forced) Migrants  Laura Zanfrini and Mario Antonelli  References to Part 3 Part 4: Religion, Faith-Based Organizations, Integration and Social Cohesion  13 Religion and Integration: Issues from International Literature  Annavittoria Sarli and Giulia Mezzetti  14 Religious Persecution, Migrations and Practices in Faith-based Organizations: Some Recommendations from a Qualitative Study  Lucia Boccacin and Linda Lombi  15 Interreligious Dialogue in the Governance of Migration and Inter-ethnic Cohabitation  Fabio Baggio  16 The Multi-ethnic and Multi-Religious Transformation of the Largest Diocese in the World: the Church of Milan and the “Synod from the Peoples”  Laura Zanfrini and Luca Bressan  References to Part 4 Part 5: Migrations, Intergenerational Relations and Families  17 Migrations and Intergenerational Religious Transmission: Issues from International Literature  Donatella Bramanti, Stefania Meda and Giovanna Rossi  18 The Copts in Italy: Migration and Generosity  Beatrice Nicolini  19 Religious Belonging and (Forced) Migration: a Study on Migrant Coptic Families in Italy  Cristina Giuliani and Camillo Regalia  20 Religious Belonging and (Forced) Migration: a Study on Migrant Coptic Minors in Italy  Giovanni Giulio Valtolina and Paola Barachetti  References to Part 5 Part 6: Religious Diversity in Italian Schools  21 The Religious Dimension in Plural Schools: Institutional, Relational and Strategic Issues  Maddalena Colombo  22 Religious Belonging in Multicultural Schools: Freedom of Expression and Citizenship Values  Rosangela Lodigiani  23 Religious Conflicts in Multicultural Schools: a Generational Divide between Students and Adults  Mariagrazia Santagati  24 Religions and Laïcité in the French Republican School  Alessandro Bergamaschi and Catherine Blaya  25 Religious Education in Schools as a Necessity in a Secular State: the Perspective in Catalonia  Núria Llevot-Calvet, Olga Bernad-Cavero and Jordi Garreta-Bochaca  References to Part 6 Index

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Book SynopsisThis volume explores the concept of magnificence as a social construction in seventeenth-century Europe. Although this period is often described as the ‘Age of Magnificence’, thus far no attempts have been made to investigate how the term and the concept of magnificence functioned. The authors focus on the way crucial ethical, religious, political, aesthetic, and cultural developments interacted with thought on magnificence in Catholic and Protestant contexts, analysing spectacular civic and courtly festivities and theatre, impressive displays of painting and sculpture in rich architectural settings, splendid gardens, exclusive etiquette, grand households, and learned treatises of moral philosophy. Contributors: Lindsay Alberts, Stijn Bussels, Jorge Fernández-Santos, Anne-Madeleine Goulet, Elizabeth den Hartog, Michèle-Caroline Heck, Miguel Hermoso Cuesta, José Eloy Hortal Muñoz, Félix Labrador Arroyo, Victoire Malenfer, Alessandro Metlica, Alessandra Mignatti, Anne-Françoise Morel, Matthias Roick, Kathrin Stocker, Klaas Tindemans, and Gijs Versteegen.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements List of Illustrations Notes on the Editors Notes on the Contributors Introduction  Gijs Versteegen and Stijn Bussels Part 1: Traditions of Thought on Magnificence 1 Early Modern Readings of Aristotle’s Theory of Magnificence in the Ethics  Matthias Roick 2 Medieval Background to Magnificence in Habsburg Spain: King Solomon as Enduring Exemplar of Divine Worship  Jorge Fernández-Santos 3 Magnificence between Effect of Power and Power of Effect  Michèle-Caroline Heck Part 2: The Court and Aristocracy 4 The Hall of Realms, a Space for Royal Magnificence  Miguel Hermoso Cuesta 5 Magnificence, Power, and Private Finance in the Seventeenth Century: Flavio Orsini and Marie-Anne de La Trémoille, between Rome and Paris (1675–1686)  Anne-Madeleine Goulet 6 The Magnificence of the Royal Household and Royal Sites: The Case of the Spanish Monarchy  Félix Labrador Arroyo and José Eloy Hortal Muñoz 7 Educating Magnificence: Juan Eusebio Nieremberg on Ascesis and Splendour in his Manual for the Reales Estudios of the Colegio Imperial at Madrid  Gijs Versteegen Part 3: Architecture 8 Building Magnificence in the Dutch Golden Age: the Amsterdam Town Hall  Stijn Bussels and Bram Van Oostveldt 9 Maiestate Tantum: Spiritual Magnificence at the Cappella dei Principi  Lindsay Alberts 10 Magnificence Exemplified: the Restoration of the Old St. Paul’s London  Anne-Françoise Morel 11 Magnificent! Gaspar Fagel’s Plant Collection at Leeuwenhorst  Elizabeth den Hartog Part 4: Performance 12 Magnificence and Atticism in Seventeenth-Century Venice  Alessandro Metlica 13 Magnificence and Regality in Milanese Celebratory Sets: The Birth of Balthasar Charles and Exequies in the Epoch of Philip IV  Alessandra Mignatti 14 The Ducal Stage: Festive Culture and the Display of Magnificence in Seventeenth-Century Württemberg  Kathrin Stocker 15 The Libertine Subversion of the Masque: The Case of John Wilmot’s Lucina’s Rape  Klaas Tindemans 16 Magnificence as Aesthetic Category in Court Plays: Molière’s Les Amants Magnifiques (The Magnificent Lovers)  Victoire Malenfer Index Nominum

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Book SynopsisEstonia is often described as one of the most secularised countries in the world in terms of de-institutionalisation and de-Christianisation. Old Religion, New Spirituality: Implications of Secularisation and Individualisation in Estonia, edited by Riho Altnurme, starts with the question: what are the historical reasons for Estonia to be so secularised? The decisive factor in the diminishment in the importance of Christianity was the overlap between social classes and ethnicities. The national identity of Estonians became disconnected to any religion. Second, what are the consequences? How are the secularity of Estonia and the picture of individualised religiosity in this country linked? This book provides fresh results from surveys, archival work and analysis by a group of Estonian researchers. Contributors include: Riho Altnurme, Lea Altnurme, Priit Rohtmets, Indrek Pekko, Toomas Schvak, Ringo Ringvee, Alar Kilp, and Marko Uibu.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements List of Tables and Maps Notes on Contributors 1 Introduction   Riho Altnurme 2 The History of the Marginalisation of Christianity in Estonia (1857–2017)   Lea Altnurme 3 The Lutheran Church in Estonian Society: The Impact of Secularisation and Religious Change   Priit Rohtmets, Indrek Pekko, and Riho Altnurme 4 The Orthodox Church in Estonia: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives in the Context of the 2011 Population and Housing Census   Toomas Schvak 5 Secular Society, Secular State: Egalitarian Legislation on Religion?   Ringo Ringvee 6 The Influence of the European Union’s Liberal Secularist Policy on Religion upon Religious Authority in Estonia Since 2004   Alar Kilp 7 The Religious Turn in Estonia: Modern Self-understanding in a Flood of Esotericism   Lea Altnurme 8 The Spiritual Milieu in Estonia: Challenges and Opportunities for Studying Contemporary Forms of Religion   Marko Uibu 9 Similarities and Differences between Estonia and the Other ‘Most Secular’ Countries   Riho Altnurme  Conclusion   Riho Altnurme References Index

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Book SynopsisIn many societies all over the world, an increasing polarization between contrasting groups can be observed. Polarization arises when a fear born of difference turns into ‘us-versus-them’ thinking and rules out any form of compromise. This volume addresses polarizations within societies as well as within churches, and asks the question: given these dynamics, what may be the calling of the church? The authors offer new approaches to polarizing debates on topics such as racism, social justice, sexuality and gender, euthanasia, and ecology and agriculture in various contexts. They engage in profound theological and ecclesiological reflection, in particular from the Reformed tradition. Contributors to this volume are: Najib George Awad, Henk van den Belt, Nadine Bowers Du Toit, Jaeseung Cha, David Daniels, David Fergusson, Jan Jorrit Hasselaar, Jozef Hehanussa, Allan Janssen, Klaas-Willem de Jong, Viktória Kóczián, Philipp Pattberg, Louise Prideaux, Emanuel Gerrit Singgih, Peter-Ben Smit, Thandi Soko-de Jong, Wim van Vlastuin, Jan Dirk Wassenaar, Elizabeth Welch, Annemarieke van der Woude, and Heleen Zorgdrager.Table of ContentsNotes on Contributors Introduction  Pieter Vos PART 1: Polarization in Church and Society 1 Can Conviviality Trump Polarization? Exploring the Notion of Conviviality as Calling of the Church in Times of Polarization  Nadine Bowers Du Toit 2 Re-forming the Conversation as a Response to Polarization: A Case Study Exploration of the Dallas Statement  Thandi Soko-de Jong 3 Retrieving the Concept of Unio Mystica cum Christo and Applying It to Concepts of Sexuality in a Pluralistic Postmodern Culture  Willem van Vlastuin 4 Theological Assessment of the Gender and Sexuality Debate in the Netherlands: The Case of the ‘Nashville Statement’  Heleen Zorgdrager 5 Passivity, Abuse, and Self-Sacrifice: Daoism and Feminist Christology  Jaeseung Cha 6 “Remove the Sandals from Your Feet”: Holiness in the Dutch Euthanasia Debate  Annemarieke van der Woude 7 Sowing Hope in a Polarized Agricultural Debate  Jan Jorrit Hasselaar, Phillipp Pattberg and Peter-Ben Smit PART 2: Polarization and the Reformed Tradition 8 Reformed Social Theology: Contexts and Constants  David Fergusson 9 Preclude to a “Post-xenophobic” Future: Interrogating the 1618 Baptism Debate at the Synod of Dort  David Douglas Daniels III 10 Protestant Schools and Hospitals in the Context of Religious Polarization in Yogyakarta  Jozef Mepibozef Nelsun Hehanussa 11 Election and Hope: Van Ruler and Dort  Allan J. Janssen 12 Polarization and the Pursuit of Unanimity in the Church: Ecclesiastical Decision-Making in the Dutch Reformed Tradition  Klaas-Willem de Jong and Jan Dirk Wassenaar PART 3: The Calling of the Church 13 Fighting against Polarization: The Indonesian Communion of Churches, Religious Plurality and Sexual Orientations in Indonesia  Emanuel Gerrit Singgih 14 Developing Koinonia in an Age of PolarizationThe Significance of Ecumenical Dialogue, with Particular Reference to The International Reformed Anglican Dialogue (2015–2020)  Elizabeth Welch 15 No Calling without Being Called: The Vocatio Interna at the Heart of Sanctification  Henk van den Belt 16 ‘They Are in the World, But Not of the World’: Biblical and Contextual Reflections on Church, Alterity and Self-Otherizing  Najib George Awad 17 Theology of Migration in the Discourse of the World Council of Churches and the Ecumenical Council of Churches in Hungary (2015–2019)  Viktória Kóczián 18 Against Polarization: Forming a Sense of ‘Otherness’ from a Conversation between Anthropology and Neo-calvinism  Louise Charlotte Prideaux Epilogue  Heleen Zorgdrager Index

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Table of ContentsContents Abstract Keywords  1 Introduction  2 Ecotheology and the Science of Light  3 Light in the Christian Tradition  4 Quakers and the Inward Light  5 Building an Ecotheology of Interdependence  6 Constructing a Quaker Ecotheology of Light Bibliography Index

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