Postmodernity is a name that has been attached to our cultural milieu. Among its features are a sense of historical consciousness, a recognition of the social construction of knowledge, an appreciation for pluralism, and a suspicion of grand narratives. It is a cultural worldview that is naturally suspicious of Christian "mission." Meanwhile, conservative Catholics are equally suspicious of postmodernism, associating it with relativism, secularism, and syncretism). Drawing on his own mission training and experience, John Sivalon believes the gospel can and must be inculturated in any culture, and he believes that postmodernism, rather than rendering Christian mission meaningless, breathes fresh insight, vision, and life into Vatican II's notion that mission is centered in the very heart of God. Above all, postmodernism offers "the gift of uncertainty"--the ground of questioning, Why are we doing this? What should we do? How is it best done? With actual case studies that reflect the new face of mission, Fr. Sivalon offers a hopeful vision of how the Gospel retains its challenge and relevance in an age of uncertainty and change.

This book puts dementia into a Christian context, insisting that loss of memory or reason does not mean a person is worthless. Dementia is in the headlines on a daily basis. Much information is available but it is all factual with no spiritual content. Yet for Christians, dementia can raise questions unlike any other condition. Why does a godly old man begin to use language that has always been anathema to him? Why does a loving mother become stubborn, and suspicious? Where is God in all of this? This book offers information and reassurance gleaned from the extensive experience of Pilgrim Homes, a network of nine Christian care homes and a foundation going back to 1807.