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Books > Christianity > Christian life & practice > Christian sacraments
Based on a constructive reading of Scripture, the apostolic and
patristic traditions and deeply rooted in the sacramental
experience and spiritual ethos of the Orthodox Church, John
Zizioulas offers a timely anthropological and cosmological
perspective of human beings as "priests of creation" in addressing
the current ecological crisis. Given the critical and urgent
character of the global crisis and by adopting a clear line of
argumentation, Zizioulas describes a vision based on a
compassionate and incarnational conception of the human beings as
liturgical beings, offering creation to God for the life of the
world. He encourages the need for deeper interaction with modern
science, from which theology stands to gain an appreciation of the
interconnection of every aspect of materiality and life with
humankind. The result is an articulate and promising vision that
inspires a new ethos, or way of life, to overcome our alienation
from the rest of creation.
Considered by many to be one of the most influential German
Pietists, August Hermann Francke lived during a moment when an
emphasis on conversion was beginning to produce small shifts in how
the sacraments were defined-a harbinger of later, more dramatic
changes to come in evangelical theology. In this book, Peter James
Yoder uses Francke and his theology as a case study for the
ecclesiological stirrings that led to the rise of evangelicalism
and global Protestantism. Engaging extensively with Francke's
manuscript sermons and writings, Yoder approaches Francke's life
and religious thought through his theology of the sacraments. In
doing so, Yoder delivers key insights into the structure of
Francke's Pietist thought, providing a rich depiction of his
conversion-driven theology and how it shaped his views of the
sacraments and the church. The first in-depth study of Francke's
theology written for an English-speaking audience, this book
supports recent scholarship in English that not only challenges
long-held assumptions about Pietism but also argues for the role of
Pietism's influence on the changing religious landscape of the
eighteenth century. Through his examination of Francke's theology
of the sacraments, Yoder presents a fresh view into the
eighteenth-century ecclesiological developments that caused a
rupture with the dogmas of the Reformation. Original and vital,
this study recognizes Francke's importance to the history of
Pietism in Germany and beyond. It will become the standard
reference on Francke for American audiences and will influence
scholarship on Lutheranism, Pietism, early modern German studies,
and eighteenth-century history and religion.
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