Title search results
Showing 12341 - 12360 of 18370 items
Beyond Betrayal: The Priest Sex Abuse Crisis, the Voice of the Faithful, and the Process of Collective Identity
By Patricia Ewick, Marc W. Steinberg. 2019
In 2002, the national spotlight fell on Boston’s archdiocese, where decades of rampant sexual misconduct from priests—and the church’s systematic…
cover-ups—were exposed by reporters from the Boston Globe. The sordid and tragic stories of abuse and secrecy led many to leave the church outright and others to rekindle their faith and deny any suggestions of institutional wrongdoing. But a number of Catholics vowed to find a middle ground between these two extremes: keeping their faith while simultaneously working to change the church for the better. Beyond Betrayal charts a nationwide identity shift through the story of one chapter of Voice of the Faithful (VOTF), an organization founded in the scandal’s aftermath. VOTF had three goals: helping survivors of abuse; supporting priests who were either innocent or took risky public stands against the wrongdoers; and pursuing a broad set of structural changes in the church. Patricia Ewick and Marc W. Steinberg follow two years in the life of one of the longest-lived and most active chapters of VOTF, whose thwarted early efforts at ecclesiastical reform led them to realize that before they could change the Catholic Church, they had to change themselves. The shaping of their collective identity is at the heart of Beyond Betrayal, an ethnographic portrait of how one group reimagined their place within an institutional order and forged new ideas of faith in the wake of widespread distrust.Life in the twenty-first century presents a disturbing reality. Otherness, the simple fact of being different in some way, has…
come to be defined as in and of itself evil. Miroslav Volf contends that if the healing word of the gospel is to be heard today, Christian theology must find ways of speaking that address the hatred of the other. Is there any hope of embracing our enemies? Of opening the door to reconciliation? Reaching back to the New Testament metaphor of salvation as reconciliation, Volf proposes the idea of embrace as a theological response to the problem of exclusion. Increasingly we see that exclusion has become the primary sin, skewing our perceptions of reality and causing us to react out of fear and anger to all those who are not within our (ever-narrowing) circle. In light of this, Christians must learn that salvation comes, not only as we are reconciled to God, and not only as we "learn to live with one another," but as we take the dangerous and costly step of opening ourselves to the other, of enfolding him or her in the same embrace with which we have been enfolded by God. Volf won the 2002 Louisville Grawemeyer Award in Religion for the first edition of his book, Exclusion & Embrace: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness, and Reconciliation (Abingdon, 1996). In that first edition, professor Volf, a Croatian by birth, analyzed the civil war and “ethnic cleansing” in the former Yugoslavia, and he readily found other examples of cultural, ethnic, and racial conflict to illustrate his points. Since September 11, 2001, and the subsequent epidemic of terror and massive refugee suffering throughout the world, Volf revised Exclusion and Embrace to account for the evolving dynamics of inter-ethnic and international strife.Holy Living Series: Spiritual Practices for Building a Life of Faith (Holy Living)
By Jorge Acevedo. 2019
"While physical training has some value, training in holy living is useful for everything. It has promise for this life…
now and the life to come." (1 Timothy 4:8 CEB) Christians crave a deeper, more intimate relationship with God. The spiritual disciplines are historical practices that can guide us in our daily walk, bringing us closer to Christ. The Holy Living series brings a fresh perspective on the spiritual disciplines, enabling us to apply their practices to our current lives. Practicing these spiritual disciplines opens us to God's transforming love. Both the Old and New Testaments call the people of God to love God completely as well as to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Jesus told his followers these were the greatest commandments. What if by "neighbor," Jesus literally meant the precious people who live in your neighborhoods? What if by "neighbor," Jesus meant all of your neighbors, regardless of age, socioeconomic status, or any other potentially divisive designation? This book first defines what is meant by the spiritual practice of "neighboring" and then looks at ways we can live into neighboring as a spiritual practice in our own lives and in the lives of our churches and communities. This is one of series of eight books. Each book in this series introduces a spiritual practice, suggests way of living the practice daily, and provides opportunities to grow personally and in a faith community with others who engage with the practice. Each book consists of an introduction and four chapters and includes questions for personal reflection and group discussion. Other disciplines studied: Celebration, Confession, Discernment, Prayer, Simplicity, Study, and Worship.Holy Living Series: Spiritual Practices for Building a Life of Faith (Holy Living)
By Ray Buckley. 2019
"While physical training has some value, training in holy living is useful for everything. It has promise for this life…
now and the life to come." (1 Timothy 4:8 CEB) Christians crave a deeper, more intimate relationship with God. The spiritual disciplines are historical practices that can guide us in our daily walk, bringing us closer to Christ. The Holy Living series brings a fresh perspective on the spiritual disciplines, enabling us to apply their practices to our current lives. Practicing these spiritual disciplines opens us to God's transforming love. Prayer has always been a central component in the life of a Christian. For many people, prayer is as natural as breathing; for others, it's a challenging task. No matter your comfort level or experience with prayer, this book will help you explore the purpose of prayer, the nature of prayer, and the results of a life of prayer. It leads you to be open to the transformation prayer can bring to your life and helps you better engage in prayer both individually and with others. This is one of series of eight books. Each book in this series introduces a spiritual practice, suggests way of living the practice daily, and provides opportunities to grow personally and in a faith community with others who engage with the practice. Each book consists of an introduction and four chapters and includes questions for personal reflection and group discussion. Other disciplines studied: Celebration, Confession, Discernment, Neighboring, Prayer, Simplicity, Study, and Worship.Holy Living Series: Spiritual Practices for Building a Life of Faith (Holy Living)
By Matthew E. Johnson. 2019
"While physical training has some value, training in holy living is useful for everything. It has promise for this life…
now and the life to come." (1 Timothy 4:8 CEB) Christians crave a deeper, more intimate relationship with God. The spiritual disciplines are historical practices that can guide us in our daily walk, bringing us closer to Christ. The Holy Living series brings a fresh perspective on the spiritual disciplines, enabling us to apply their practices to our current lives. Practicing these spiritual disciplines opens us to God's transforming love. So often we equate the spiritual practice of worship with the hour-long worship service we attend each week (or each month). But what happens when we no longer consider worship something we do, but a way we live? When we break the concept of worship outside the walls of a sanctuary, we find new energy for living a "Godward" life, a life of turning toward God for guidance moment by moment, day by day. Such a life is fuel for genuine worship. Living a Godward life opens us up to God's transforming love and enables us to engage in practices of worship in locations and situations we never dreamed of before. This is one of series of eight books. Each book in this series introduces a spiritual practice, suggests way of living the practice daily, and provides opportunities to grow personally and in a faith community with others who engage with the practice. Each book consists of an introduction and four chapters and includes questions for personal reflection and group discussion. Other disciplines studied: Celebration, Confession, Discernment, Neighboring, Prayer, Simplicity, and Study.When Bishops Meet: An Essay Comparing Trent, Vatican I, and Vatican II
By John W. O'Malley. 2019
This unprecedented comparison of the three most recent Catholic councils traverses more than 450 years and examines the church’s most…
pressing and consistent concerns—issues of purpose, power, and relevance. John O’Malley addresses key questions councils raised. Who was in charge of the church? And what difference did the councils make?The Restless Heart: Finding Our Spiritual Home in Times of Loneliness
By Ronald Rolheiser. 2004
Written over twenty years ago, The Restless Heart was the product of a lonely young man searching for meaning to…
his feelings of emptiness and isolation. Powerful and autobiographical this new edition loses none of the passion and idealism of the younger writer. Indeed, Rolheiser comments in his Preface how timid we can become with maturity and how re-reading his early work he felt pride for his younger, braver self. Identifying different types of loneliness, the author reassures and challenges and frees the reader to live more meaningfully with solitude.Poetry, Philosophy and Theology in Conversation: Thresholds of Wonder: The Power of the Word IV
By Jennifer Reek, Francesca Bugliani Knox. 2020
This volume is a collection of essays that explains how literature, philosophy and theology have explored the role of wonder…
in our lives, particularly through poetry. Wonder has been an object of fascination for these disciplines from the Greek antiquity onwards, yet the connections between their views on the subject are often ignored in subject specific studies. The book is divided into three parts: Part I opens the conversation on wonder in philosophy, Part II is given to theology and Part III to literary perspectives. An international set of contributors, including poets as well as scholars, have produced a study that looks beyond traditional chronological, geographical and disciplinary boundaries, both within the individual essays themselves and in respect to one another. The volume’s wide historical framework is punctuated by four poems by contemporary poets on the theme of wonder. An unconventional foray into one of the best-known themes of the European tradition, this book will be of great interest to scholars of literature, theology and philosophy.The Reception of the Virgin in Byzantium: Marian Narratives in Texts and Images
By Mary B. Cunningham, Thomas Arentzen. 2019
This book explores how the Virgin Mary's life is told in hymns, sermons, icons, art, and other media in the…
Byzantine Empire before AD 1204. A group of international specialists examines material and textual evidence from both Byzantine and Muslim-ruled territories that was intended for a variety of settings and audiences and seeks to explain why Byzantine artisans and writers chose to tell stories about Mary, the Mother of God, in such different ways. Sometimes the variation reflected the theological or narrative purposes of story-tellers; sometimes it expressed their personal spiritual preoccupations. Above all, the variety of aspects that this holy figure assumed in Byzantium reveals her paradoxical theological position as meeting-place and mediator between the divine and created realms. Narrative, whether 'historical', theological, or purely literary, thus played a fundamental role in the development of the Marian cult from Late Antiquity onward.Multiply: Disciples Making Disciples
By Francis Chan, Mark Beuving. 2012
Jesus gave his followers a command: "Follow me." And a promise: "And I will equip you to find others to…
follow me." We were made to make disciples.Designed for use in discipleship relationships and other focused settings, Multiply will equip you to carry out Jesus's ministry. Each of the twenty-four sessions in the book corresponds with an online video at www.multiplymovement.com, where New York Times bestselling author David Platt joins Francis in guiding you through each part of Multiply. One plus one plus one. Every copy of Multiply is designed to do what Jesus did: make disciples who make disciples who make disciples.... Until the world knows the truth of Jesus Christ.Help! I'm a Woman in Youth Ministry!: Practical Empowerment for Your Calling and Your Life
By Kara E. Powell, Megan Hutchinson, Heather Flies. 2004
Looking for answers about your life and ministry from a woman’s perspective? Geared for professionals and volunteers alike, Help! I’m…
a Woman in Youth Ministry! focuses on the unique ministry issues that you wrestle with every day, including: The challenges of singleness, marriage, and parenthood Mentoring and counseling Making your voice heard Fair treatment and fair pay Working with men …and much more! Regardless of age, marital status, church size, or denomination, Help! I’m a Woman in Youth Ministry! will transform how you approach your unique, vital place in the youth ministry world.The Unbelievable Gospel: Say Something Worth Believing
By Jonathan K. Dodson. 2014
In The Unbelievable Gospel pastor Jonathan Dodson diagnoses the evangelistic paralysis of the modern church, pinpointing the reasons people don’t…
share their faith today and offering a desperately needed solution. Showing readers how to utilize the rich gospel metaphors found in Scripture and how to communicate a gospel worth believing—one that speaks to the heart-felt needs of diverse individuals—Dodson connects the gospel to the real issues people face each day by speaking to both the head and the heart. Filled with stories that reveal the long road of relational evangelism and guidance on how to listen to others well, The Unbelievable Gospel is a much-needed resource that will benefit both individuals and churches. Included are study questions for training and group discussion.Beauty, Order, and Mystery: A Christian Vision of Human Sexuality (Center for Pastor Theologians Series)
By Gerald L. Hiestand. 2017
Explorer's Guide to Julian of Norwich (An Explorer's Guide)
By Veronica Mary Rolf. 2018
Julian of Norwich's Revelations of Divine Love is truly an astounding work: an inspiring example of Christian mysticism, a unique…
contribution to Christian theology, the first book in English known to have been written by a woman. Veronica Mary Rolf guides us as we read, examining its fourteenth-century context and illuminating our understanding of this enduring work.The Song of Songs: A Biography (Lives of Great Religious Books #46)
By Ilana Pardes. 2019
An essential history of the greatest love poem ever writtenThe Song of Songs has been embraced for centuries as the…
ultimate song of love. But the kind of love readers have found in this ancient poem is strikingly varied. Ilana Pardes invites us to explore the dramatic shift from readings of the Song as a poem on divine love to celebrations of its exuberant account of human love. With a refreshingly nuanced approach, she reveals how allegorical and literal interpretations are inextricably intertwined in the Song's tumultuous life. The body in all its aspects—pleasure and pain, even erotic fervor—is key to many allegorical commentaries. And although the literal, sensual Song thrives in modernity, allegory has not disappeared. New modes of allegory have emerged in modern settings, from the literary and the scholarly to the communal.Offering rare insights into the story of this remarkable poem, Pardes traces a diverse line of passionate readers. She looks at Jewish and Christian interpreters of late antiquity who were engaged in disputes over the Song's allegorical meaning, at medieval Hebrew poets who introduced it into the opulent world of courtly banquets, and at kabbalists who used it as a springboard to the celestial spheres. She shows how feminist critics have marveled at the Song's egalitarian representation of courtship, and how it became a song of America for Walt Whitman, Herman Melville, and Toni Morrison. Throughout these explorations of the Song's reception, Pardes highlights the unparalleled beauty of its audacious language of love.Saints Behaving Badly: The Cutthroats, Crooks, Trollops, Con Men, and Devil-Worshippers Who Became Saints
By Thomas J. Craughwell. 2006
Saints are not born, they are made. And many, asSaints Behaving Badlyreveals, were made of very rough materials indeed. The…
first book to lay bare the less than saintly behavior of thirty-two venerated holy men and women, it presents the scandalous, spicy, and sleazy detours they took on the road to sainthood. In nineteenth- and twentieth-century writings about the lives of the saints, authors tended to go out of their way to sanitize their stories, often glossing over the more embarrassing cases wit...Persisting Patriarchy: Intersectionalities, Negotiations, Subversions (New Approaches to Religion and Power)
By Kochurani Abraham. 2019
This book examines the operational dynamics of patriarchy that is deeply woven into the Indian cultural fabric and its persistence…
in spite of women advancing in Human Development Indices. In studying the situation of women of the Catholic Syrian Christian community of Kerala, South India, as a case of analysis, Kochurani Abraham identifies caste consciousness and religious prescriptions of this community as the main factors that intersect with gendered identity construction and succeed in keeping women within its patriarchal confines. While women do engage in negotiating patriarchy through what can be termed simulative, tactical, and ‘agensic’ bargains, this remains a ‘politics of survival’ as it does not challenge the established gender order. In this context, making a shift from ‘politics of survival’ to a ‘politics of subversion’ is imperative for challenging persisting patriarchies.40 Questions About Heaven and Hell (40 Questions Series)
By Alan W. Gomes. 2018
In 40 Questions About Heaven and Hell, Alan Gomes surveys the Old and New Testaments to present a comprehensive picture…
of the afterlife. The question-and-answer format makes it easy to find answers to specific questions on heaven, hell, the intermediate state, the final judgment, and life in eternity. Readers will find solid answers to many vital questions:What should we conclude about those who claim to have seen heaven or hell?Is it possible for us to communicate with the dead?Is there such a place as purgatory?What will our resurrected bodies be like?What will we do in the eternal state?Will there be animals in the eternal state?What is hell like?How can a God of love send people to an eternal hell?Did Jesus "descend into hell" like the Apostles' Creed says?Study notes point to additional resources for learning, and reflection questions at the end of each chapter make the book ideal for small group studies.What does it mean to provide justice for undocumented workers who have been living among us without proper legal documentation?…
How can we do justice to the undocumented migrants who have been doing the low-skilled, low-paid jobs unwanted by citizens? Why should we even try to do justice for people who violate the laws of the society? Religious Ethics and Migration: Doing Justice to Undocumented Workers addresses these questions from a distinctive religious ethical perspective: the Christian theology of forgiveness and radical hospitality. In answering these questions, the author employs in-depth interdisciplinary dialogues with other relevant disciplines such as immigration history, global economics, political science, legal philosophy, and social theory. He argues that the political appropriation of a Christian theology of forgiveness and the radical hospitality modeled after it are the most practical and justifiable solutions to the current immigration crisis in North America. Critical and interdisciplinary in its approach, this book offers a unique, comprehensive, and balanced perspective regarding the urgent immigration crisis.Frames Season 1: The Complete Collection, eBook (Frames)
By Zondervan. 2015
FRAMES is a series of mini-books that address the critical issues of our day and equips you to live a…
more meaningful life in the midst of complicated times. This compilation includes all nine of the FRAMES in Season 1 in one softcover book. Each FRAME includes compelling research from Barna Group, full-color infographics, thoughtful commentary and insights from experts, and provocative questions that help you and your book club, small group, or social media group to have meaningful discussion.