A primer or refresher on the sacrament of Baptism for new parents, new members, and godparents. This book is about preparing for Christian baptism in the Episcopal Church. While we may hear people say, "I was baptized a Methodist," or "I was baptized Catholic, or "I was baptized Episcopalian," people are not baptized into a denomination; they are baptized into the Christian faith. While various Christian denominations differ both their theology of baptism as it is understood and practiced in the Episcopal Church following the rite found in the Book of Common Prayer 1979. "This short book is full of helpful information, solid history, sound theology, and thoughtful reflection. It is the perfect book to give to adults or to parents of young children seeking baptism through the Episcopal Church. I am happy that I will be able to offer this book to my students for their future use when guiding baptismal candidates. A truly welcome resource."-The Reverend Dr. Nathan Jennings, associate professor of liturgics and Anglican studies, Seminary of the Southwest

Contains all the advice, guidance and resources a church needs to discuss admitting children to Holy Communion before confirmation Includes a ready-to-use preparation course for the whole family Also includes answers to the most common objections from parishes and an outline admission service Authors have many years' experience of advising and resourcing parishes on this issue

This is a new edition of the 1963 classic which gave Christological thought a new direction. As far back as his first major book Schillebeeckx propounded an anthropological approach to the sacraments. In " Christ the Sacrament of the Encounter with God," he draws on theologically fruitful work by phenomenological anthropologists like Merleau-Ponty, Buytendijk and Binswanger. That makes Schillebeeckx's distinctive idiom and modern approach appealing even today. He rediscovers, as it were from within, the notions forged by scholastic theology, and thus restores to us a theology of the sacraments rooted in the biblical and patristic soil from which they first sprang. Schillebeeckx's speculative synthesis of this quest still has a fresh ring to it. He describes Christ as the primordial sacrament in a reflection on his public ministry, death and resurrection inspired by the universal human search for such a 'sacrament'. He concludes that the church's sacraments have to be an earthly extension of the liberation brought by Christ's story. Schillebeeckx ends by describing sacraments as grace made visible that gives crowning moments in Christian life a mystical quality. "Edward Schillebeeckx Collected Works" bring together the most important and influential works of the Dutch Dominican and theologian Edward Schillebeeckx (1914-2009) in a reliable edition. All translations have been carefully checked or revised, some texts are presented in English for the first time. The page numbers of earlier editions are included. Each volume carries a foreword by an internationally renowned Schillebeeckx expert. This edition makes Schillebeeckx available for a new generation of scholars and students.

El bautismo de tu bebe representa un momento de inmensa felicidad. No por nada hacemos fiesta e invitamos a nuestros seres queridos para que se unan a la celebracion. Pero, que es lo que celebramos?, pues celebramos -y experimentamos- el gran amor que Dios tiene por el y por todas las demas personas que participan de este sacramento. Este dia contiene un profundo significado de vida, mas aun, de vida nueva capaz de hacer que todos podamos volver a nacer. Baptism is the beginning of your child's life of faith. As parents and primary educators, you have the privilege and duty of carrying this new son or daughter of God into Christ's family and bride, the Church. This faith-formation manual will prepare you for your baby's special day, as well as remind you of your own baptismal promises and calling. 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.

The call to care for creation is a central part of our discipleship as followers of Jesus Christ. However, language and imagery of the earth is often absent in our worship services. This book helps reconnect our commitment to creation care with our life of discipleship. The process includes helping congregational members name ways that they are involved in caring for creation and encourage them to see ways that these practices are related to Christian faith. Nurturing the life of our communities is a vital way to fostering our identity as those who care for the earth. At the heart of this process is the importance of discovering and developing biblical imagery and language that will support and foster our care of creation and shape our prayers. As our actions are more closely connected to the language of our prayers, praying and acting will inform each other. In addition, the book includes liturgies that highlight earth care prepared for the major festivals of the church year.

The call to care for creation is a central part of our discipleship as followers of Jesus Christ. However, language and imagery of the earth is often absent in our worship services. This book helps reconnect our commitment to creation care with our life of discipleship. The process includes helping congregational members name ways that they are involved in caring for creation and encourage them to see ways that these practices are related to Christian faith. Nurturing the life of our communities is a vital way to fostering our identity as those who care for the earth. At the heart of this process is the importance of discovering and developing biblical imagery and language that will support and foster our care of creation and shape our prayers. As our actions are more closely connected to the language of our prayers, praying and acting will inform each other. In addition, the book includes liturgies that highlight earth care prepared for the major festivals of the church year.

O "Livro das Confissoes" foi terminado em 1316 por Martin Perez, um clerigo castelhano de grande cultura canonica e teologica. E uma extensa obra de cariz pastoral dedicada aos clerigos minguados de ciencia e aos que se acham brutos e minguados e buscam das migalhas que caem das mesas dos que sao ricos de letras, como o proprio autor indica no Prologo. Foi uma das obras que, dentro do genero, mais circulou entre o clero e os intelectuais ibericos durante o seculo XIV e a primeira metade do seculo XV. Foi traduzida para portugues em 1399 por monges do Mosteiro de Alcobaca. O "Livro das Confissoes" e um testemunho autentico e raro da sociedade medieval peninsular e e um documento indispensavel para a compreensao historica, cultural e social desse periodo historico.

O "Sacramental" de Clemente Sanchez de Vercial, obra pastoral redigida entre 1420 e 1423 em lingua castelhana, depois dos livros destinados ao oficio religioso, foi o livro mais impresso na Peninsula Iberica, desde a introducao da imprensa ate meados do seculo XVI. Conhecem-se treze edicoes em castelhano, uma em catalao e quatro em portugues. Das edicoes em portugues, duas foram impressas no seculo XV (Chaves, 1488; e Braga (?), ca. 1494-1500) e duas no seculo XVI (Lisboa, 1502; e Braga, 1539). Considerado o primeiro livro impresso em lingua portuguesa, o "Sacramental" e um verdadeiro depositario da forma de viver do homem medieval em todos os periodos da sua vida e em todos os momentos do ano, abarcando temas como a alimentacao, as relacoes familiares, as relacoes sociais, a relacao com Deus e o sagrado, o trabalho, o descanso, a saude, a doenca e a sexualidade, o que faz dele um documento indispensavel para o estudo da sociedade medieval.

First published in 1901, this book traces the development of the Sacrament of Confession from the earliest days of Christianity to 1215, when public penance and confession was replaced by the more intimate Auricular format. The text is rigorously annotated with citations from the original sources and in the original languages. Although written primarily for Anglican clergymen, this book will be of value to anyone interested in the implementation and evolution of Sacraments and in Church history more generally.

As an element in the Churchs mission to proclaim the unchanging gospel, and on the eve of the new millennium, the House of Bishops considers it right to reaffirm the Church of Englands teaching on marriage by restating that lifelong marriage should be one of the bedrocks of a rapidly changing society. This document seeks to relate this teaching to the pastoral needs of people in our communities today, so that they might approach marriage with confidence. It is intended that this document be used as a stimulus to commend marriage to all people in society, and as a basis for teaching in churches. It carries the full authority of the House of Bishops, one of the most senior bodies of the Church of England. Please note this is the 1999 edition.

As the global climate crisis worsens, many churches have sought to respond by instituting a movement to observe a liturgical season of creation. Scholars who have pioneered the connections between biblical scholarship, ecological theology, liturgy, and homiletics provide here a comprehensive resource for preaching and leading worship in this new season. Included are theological and practical introductions to observance of the season, biblical texts for its twelve Sundays in the three-year lectionary cycle, and astute commentary to help preachers and worship leaders guide their congregations into deeper connection with our imperiled planet

Baptism has been a contested practice from the very beginning of the church. In this volume, Ben Witherington rethinks the theology of baptism and does so in constant conversation with the classic theological positions and central New Testament texts. By placing baptism in the context of the covenant, Witherington shows how advocates of both believer's baptism and infant baptism have added some water to both their theology and practice of baptism.

The sacrament of baptism welcomes a child into the family of God in a special way. In the course of its celebration those present will experience a rich tapestry of symbols, actions, gestures, prayers and the Word of God. This booklet is intended to explain such symbolism and the meanings behind the various parts of the baptism ceremony so that all may fully experience the deep meaning of baptism for the child, the family and the wider Christian community. Full of helpful reminders and practical tips, this book will be an invaluable aid to parents, godparents and the whole family as they prepare for this important day in the life of the new baby.

This book is a comprehensive historiographical survey on Christian penance and confession from the early sixteenth century to the end of the twentieth century. The author charts the change from medieval practices of penance to the modern rites of penance. The book's title refers to the latin phrase medici et medicamenta, or, "spiritual doctors and medicines," to indicate a unifying theme of this study.

This study investigates the procedural techniques, significance, and the tangible effects of the laying on of hands in the New Testament. The author investigates the background of the New Testament practice by conducting investigation in the Old Testament and contemporary Judaism and the Graeco-Roman and Near-Eastern literature. The main chapters are exegetical, each discussing a particular use of the laying on of hands in the New Testament: for blessing, healing, reception of the Spirit and ordination. A special attention is given to the inner process of transfer of power through physical contact. It is the author's conclusion that in the New Testament the gesture always signifies transfer of some positive materia: blessing, 'life-force', the Spirit and charismata. In the final section, an attempt is made to gauge the possibility of any uniformity in the significance of the various New Testament uses of the laying on of hands.

Existing books on Christian ritual and the sacraments tend to presuppose a good acquaintance with Roman Catholic thought and practice. Today, however, even at Catholic institutions students tend to lack even a basic knowledge of Christian ritual. Moreover, for many modern people the word "ritual" carries negative connotations of rigidity and boredom. In this accessibly-written book two noted authors offer an engaging introduction to this important topic. Their goal is first to demonstrate that celebration, ritual and symbol are already central to the readers' lives, even though most do not see their actions as symbolic or ritualistic. Once this point has been made, the book connects central Christian symbols to the symbols and rituals already present in the readers' lives. The Christian theology of symbol, ritual, and sacrament is thus placed in the context of everyday life. The authors go on to discuss such questions as how rituals establish and maintain power relationships, how "official" rituals are different from other "popular" Christian rituals and devotions, and how Christian rituals function in the process of human "salvation." Their lively yet solidly grounded work will appeal to intelligent lay readers and discussion groups, as well as being useful for courses in ritual and the sacraments at the undergraduate and seminary level.

An all-encompassing account of Christian attitudes and sources of attitudes to marriage, traced through Near Eastern, Classical and Biblical histories, suitable for the student or lay trainer wishing to know more than an Alpha course. It covers all aspects of marriage- including the on going debate surrounding same sex unions. Peter Coleman, was the author of 'Christian attitudes to Homosexuality', 'A christian attitude towards televsion', and 'experiments with prayer'. Following his tragic death in 2001, when this work was left incomplete, 'Christian attitudes to marriage', is brought to us by the hard work of his family and close friends, particularly Dr Michael Langfor

This guide to the Christian faith is ideal for those preparing for confirmation. Arranged in three parts: "Becoming a Christian", "Belonging to God" and "Belonging to the Church", it is appropriate for personal reading and as a basis for a confirmation course. In uncomplicated language it takes the reader from the first step of making a choice for God and lays a solid foundation of teaching that will hold good for the whole of life.

For Sundays and Holy Days, here is a collection of patristic prayers to be used in preparation for Holy Communion. This collection is suitable for use in conjunction with "Common Worship", "The Sunday Missal" and other liturgies. A H Baverstock was one of the first Guardians of the Shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham. He died in 1950. Julian Litten is an historian and ecclesiologist. A member of General Synod, he also sits on the Court of Fellows of the Society of the Faith.

Before the advent of printing, the preaching of the friars was the mass medium of the middle ages. This edition of marriage sermons reveals what a number of famous preachers actually taught about marriage. David D'Avray teases out the close connection between marriage symbolism and social, cultural, and legal realities in the thirteenth century; and assesses the impact of this preaching.

For most Christians, marriage is considered a sacrament, created and uniquely blessed by God. Yet, the theology of marriage rarely matches the actual experience. Marriage is too often a violent, loveless institution-and it is increasingly delayed, avoided, or terminated.

Marriage After Modernity offers new hope for Christian marriage at a time of unprecedented social and theological change. It provides an unreserved commendation of Christian marriage, reaffirming its status as a sacrament and institution of mutual self-giving. At the same time, it breaks new ground. It draws on earlier traditions of betrothal and informal marriage to accept some forms of pre-marital cohabitation and provides a new defense of the link between marriage and procreation by sketching a theology of liberation for children. Chapters shed new light on divorce and legitimate theological grounds for 'the parting of the ways, ' contraception, and the question of whether marriage is a heterosexual institution. Particular attention is paid throughout the book to overcoming the androcentric bias of much Christian thought and the distorting effect it has had on marriage.

Marriage After Modernity argues for a vision of marriage which does not abandon its history, and which draws upon its premodern roots to grapple with our current social, cultural, and intellectual upheavals.

Deeply rooted in the traditions of the church, Charles Taylor brings both the resources of faith and the skills of contemporary psychology to bear in the crucial arena of premarital guidance. Taylor also provides helpful guidelines for churches in establishing congregational policies for both premarital counseling and the design of the wedding service itself. An ideal resource for clergy, premarital counselors, and congregational wedding committees, Premarital Guidance provides the theological and practical knowledge and skills necessary for guiding those seeking marriage in the church.