Barrett's book consists of a complete revision of the four chapters, of the Didsbury Lectures, given at the British Isles Nazarene College, Manchester. The chapter titles indicate the content: From Jesus to the Church; Ministry; Sacraments; and The Developing Community. Barrett properly points out that "the church is at the same time central and peripheral." Likewise, the church is provisional, temporary, penultimate-an interim solution for the time between the resurrection/ ascension of Jesus and the heaven of the church. He also correctly notes the possibility and danger of an ecclesiological as well as christological Apollinarianism. Consequently, he emphasizes the human nature of Christ and human dimensions of the church.

Baptism is the beginning of your child's life of faith. As the primary educators of their children, parents have the privilege and duty of carrying this new son or daughter of God into Christ's family, the Church. With the priest or deacon, godparents, parish, friends, and family, your baby's baptism will be a celebration and sign of lifelong love and grace. Part of the Liguori Sacramental-Preparation Series, this book will prepare you for your baby's special day and remind you of your own baptismal promises and calling. It includes: An overview of sin and salvationA short history of baptismal practices and traditionsThe meaning of the sacrament and its symbolsA step-by-step guide to the riteFrequent references to Scripture, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and other Church documents

Theology after Heidegger must take into account history and language as elements in the pursuit of meaning. Quite often, this prompts a hurried flight from metaphysics to an embrace of an absence at the centre of Christian narrativity. Conor Sweeney here explores the 'postmodern' critique of presence in the context of sacramental theology, engaging the thought of Louis-Marie Chauvet and Lieven Boeve. Chauvet is an influential postmodern theologian whose critique of the perceived onto-theological constitution of presence in traditional sacramental theology has made big waves, while Boeve is part of a more recent generation of theologians who even more wholeheartedly embrace postmodern consequences for theology. Sweeney considers the extent to which postmodernism a la Heidegger upsets the hermeneutics of sacramentality, asking whether this requires us to renounce the search for a presence that by definition transcends us. Against both the fetishisation of presence and absence, Sweeney argues that metaphysics has a properly sacramental basis, and that it is only through this reality that the dialectic of presence and absence can be transcended. The case is made for the full but restless signification of the mother's smile as the paradigm for genuine sacramental presence.

Someone has decided to become a Catholic and you have been invited to be the person's sponsor during the journey of conversion.

What does a sponsor do during the process of Christian initiation?

In When You Are an RCIA Sponsor Rita Burns Senseman reflects on the responsibility and significance of being chosen to share your faith and personal experience with someone less familiar with the path than you. She explains clearly and briefly the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. Her explanation includes a description of the rituals involved in the initiation process as well as a description of the theology of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. She offers suggestions for being a companion and witness on the RCIA journey, for introducing and welcoming the new Catholic into the parish faith community, and for praying and worshiping together. Each chapter provides questions for reflection or discussion, and passages from the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church for prayerful meditation. The author also includes guidance for sponsoring families.

A short, full-colour gift book which explains the baptism service for parents. Aimed at those not familiar with church, this book explains what baptism is and is structured around the service itself. It includes questions to think about and follow-up activities for parents and children.

A penetrating and lively study of the continuous debate on Christian baptism. The author traces the position of different churches on baptism and confirmation, and relates them to the New Testament treatment, and demonstrates how the different views on the relation between grace and faith in baptism can provide a basis for an ecumenical pattern of Christian initiation.

In contemporary Western society the church has been pushed to the margins, leading experts to describe the current era as a time 'after Christendom'. Many traditional churches and congregations are struggling, a condition worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic regulations. As the practice of churchgoing wanes, the performance of the sacrament is called into question. How can we bring the traditional, communal experience of sacrament into the modern world? In Sacraments after Christendom, Andrew Francis and Janet Sutton tackle this question head-on, exploring and discussing the enactment of the sacrament in the context of church decline and an increasingly isolated world. In doing so, they deconstruct traditional perceptions and broaden our understanding of ritual and community in order to rediscover the truth of the sacrament.

The Bible and the sacraments go together as the cornerstone of Christian identity. Wherever Christianity is practised in traditional ways, converts are baptised and bread is broken together. Countless books have been written about the theological significance these events, but their strictly human meaning and value as ways of helping people to make sense of themselves and enjoy their lives together has sometimes been overlooked. The sacraments are first and foremost signs of belonging, to God and with one another. They are sacramental not only because of the circumstances surrounding their origin, but also because of their function in incorporating the personal belonging to which they point. Roger Grainger explores the human side of sacrament -- the emotional hunger which it addresses, and what this means from a theological point of view; and what it still means for us today, despite all the changes which have taken place over the ages in the world in which we live. By looking at the way human beings relate to one another we can begin to see the amazing relevance of these traditional ceremonies -- their God given ability to heal our personal woundedness and bring to the forefront the reality of belonging together in community. The significance of sacramental worship for human growth and development is examined in some depth, using the insights to be gained from the anthropological study of religion, while its contribution to psychological health and the establishment of individual identity through personal relationship is identified as the basis of our sense of belonging. This book proceeds from its author's conviction that a better understanding of the dynamics of our belonging would contribute to the Church's mission within a fragmented society.