Presenting case studies from sixteen countries on five continents, "The Catholic Church and the Nation-State" paints a rich portrait of a complex and paradoxical institution whose political role has varied historically and geographically. In this integrated and synthetic collection of essays, outstanding scholars from the United States and abroad examine religious, diplomatic, and political actions - both admirable and regrettable - that shape our world. Kenneth R. Himes sets the context of the book by brilliantly describing the political influence of the church in the post-Vatican II era. There are many recent instances, the contributors assert, where the Church has acted as both a moral authority and a self-interested institution: in the United States it maintained unpopular moral positions on issues such as contraception and sexuality, yet at the same time it sought to cover up its own abuses; it was complicit in genocide in Rwanda but played an important role in ending the horrific civil war in Angola; and, it has alternately embraced and suppressed nationalism by acting as the voice of resistance against communism in Poland, whereas in Chile it once supported opposition to Pinochet but now aligns with rightist parties. With an in-depth exploration of the five primary challenges facing the Church - theology and politics, secularization, the transition from serving as a nationalist voice of opposition, questions of justice, and accommodation to sometimes hostile civil authorities - this book will be of interest to scholars and students in religion and politics as well as Catholic Church clergy and laity. By demonstrating how national churches vary considerably in the emphasis of their teachings and in the scope and nature of their political involvement, the analyses presented in this volume engender a deeper understanding of the role of the Roman Catholic Church in the world.

Humanity's relationship to nature is central to the work of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, an influential priest and scientist of the twentieth century. Teilhard believed that spiritual development must be viewed alongside material development and that evolutionary theory lies at the heart of humanity's understanding of its place in the world. 'Pierre Teilhard de Chardin on People and Planet' argues that Teilhard's cosmic mysticism and intense interest in both cosmological and evolutionary sciences are highly relevant to current debates about how best to construct a meaningful spirituality. The book offers a critical revision of Teilhard's thought in the light of current debates in evolutionary science, eco-theology and environmental ethics. The essays present fresh interpretations of Teilhard's work and point to the significance of his thought in the contemporary study of science and religion.

Christianity Today Book Award Winner Outreach Resource of the Year (Multicultural) ASM (American Society of Missiology) Book of the Year Award Globalization is speeding up our world, extending our relationships globally and bringing us closer together in positive and not-so-positive ways. The church and many Christians, however, remain largely unaware of its seductive power, resulting in a failure of vision for mission in today's world. This up-to-date resource by a veteran leader in global development work with World Vision orients readers to the history of globalization and to a Christian theological perspective on it, explores concrete realities by focusing on global poverty, and helps readers reimagine Christian mission in ways that announce the truly good news of Christ and God's kingdom. Diagrams and sidebars that incorporate the voices of global partners are included. This is the second book in a new series that reframes missiological themes and studies for students using/featuring the common theme of mission as partnership with Christians.

In this informed and enlightening book, Colin Chapman assesses the centrality of Jerusalem in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, tracing its history through the ages and showing how the issues of the past are relevant today. Since 1967, the Israelis have controlled the city and the areas around it, creating new settlements and roads to transform its geography and demography, and provoking intense opposition from the Palestinians. The situation today appears hopeless as the conflict continues violently with Jerusalem at its centre. How, Colin Chapman asks, can the two sides reach agreement over this most holy of cities?

The contemporary Church of England is wrestling with issues around the relationship between its worship and mission and relating both to wider society. Much of this hinges on an understanding of the nature of the Church. Gabriel Hebert's seminal book Liturgy and Society (1935) took as its subtitle, "The Function of the Church in the Modern World". For many this book inspired engagement with Eucharistic worship, with new patterns emerging, paving the way for further liturgical reform in the second half of the twentieth century. Eucharist Shaping and Hebert's Liturgy and Society re-examines Hebert's work, doing so uniquely in the light of the current dialogue about Church, liturgy and mission. Andrew Bishop argues that Hebert's contribution has been overlooked latterly and that a re-appreciation opens up fruitful ways of thinking and acting, making this book a distinctive contribution to a lively debate. If the options are reaction or novelty, Eucharist Shaping and Hebert's Liturgy and Society shows how Hebert's thinking subtly undermines both.

How may people of faith respond wisely, constructively, and courageously to the challenges of a time of terror? How might religious reasons in public debate be a force for reconciliation rather than violence and hatred? In a world in which religious arguments and religious motivations play such a huge public role, there is an urgent responsibility for interpreting what is happening, and engaging with religious views which are commonly regarded as alien, threatening or dangerous. In Apocalypse Now?, Duncan Forrester argues that disorders and atrocities which include the Gulag, the Holocaust, 9/11, the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, and the Tsunami disaster have shown us that we stand not at the end of history but in the midst of an apocalyptic age of terror which has striking similarities to the time in which Christianity was born. Moving between two times of terror - the early Centuries of Christianity, and today - Forrester asks how religious motivations can play a positive role in the midst of conflicts and disasters. Reading the 'signs of the times' to try to understand what is happening in today's age of terror, Forrester argues that there are huge resources in the Christian tradition that can be productively deployed for a more constructive and faithful response. We are at a turning point - this is a book which should be read.

The world is not as God intends it to be. God's heart is to make things right, and for the world to be just. But complex problems warrant more sustained attention than quick posts on social media. How can we actually make a difference? Activist Mae Elise Cannon takes us beyond the hashtags to serious engagement with real issues. God calls the church to respond substantively to the needs of the poor, the realities of racial inequity, and the mistreatment of women and the marginalized. We can accomplish change through a range of strategic avenues-spiritually, socially, legally, politically, and economically. And addressing the domestic and international injustices of our day takes us on a journey of spiritual transformation that brings us closer to God and those around us. Channel your passion to care effectively for your neighbor and the world. This book will help you understand and put into action what it means for the church to be a place of peace, justice, and hope.

A personal story of the struggle for authentic inclusion in the church. From a strong voice in the dialogue about what Black lives matter means in relation to faith, a powerful lament and a hopeful message about the future. Historically, to be Episcopal/Anglican, as it was to be American, was to be white. Assimilation to whiteness has been a measure of success and acceptance, yet, assimilation requires that people of color give up something of themselves and deny parts of their heritage including religious practices that sustained their ancestors. Despite the fact that Blackness is on display on Black History Month for example, and Black/African heritage is given primacy in the liturgy, music, and preaching during that time, at other times this doesn't seem to be the case. The author argues that whiteness is embedded in every aspect of religious life, from seminary to Christian education to last rites. Is it possible to be Black and Episcopalian and not feel alien, she asks. In her words we learn that inclusivity, above all, must be authentic.

The damage done by hatred and prejudice -- based on race, sexual orientation, religion, or gender -- runs very deep. The damage is often invisible, but it simmers beneath the surface anyway. In Race and Prayer, Malcolm Boyd and Chester Talton have collected poems, prayers, and prose that bring the anger and frustration to light, and ultimately, they hope, to a place of reconciliation and healing.

Race and Prayer is divided into five sections: Suffering and Anger; Prejudice and Hatred; Diversity; Reconciliation and Healing; and Growth in Understanding and Sharing. Contributors to this collection range in age from teenagers to the elderly, and include men and women from a wide variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds, all of whom speak honestly of their own experiences, heartbreaks, and hopes. Twelve cartoons from three-time Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Conrad, editorial cartoonist at the Los Angeles Times, add to the power of this collection.

Working with clay, paint, crayons, or pencils, artists have long known that the act of creating art can help people explore the deepest recesses of their hearts - and bring about real change in their lives. Michael Sullivan discovered the power of art for himself in the midst of grieving the loss of a young parishioner. Ever since, he has been using simple art projects as a form of prayer and a way of helping others explore what God may be saying to them. "Windows into the Soul" is a practical, hands-on resource for those who want to explore this means of prayer and contemplation for themselves, approaching the process not as an artist but as a spiritual seeker. Readers will find projects in various media, including clay, charcoal, and acrylic, including not only technical directions, but a gentle guide to the spiritual gold to be mined from the experience.

From the creator of the bestseller Simpler Living, Compassionate Life: A Christian Perspective comes Food & Faith. Food is itself a joyful gift recall how the gift of food so often mediates the sanctity and preciousness of life. This new collection of reflections by Wendell Berry, Bill McKibben, Elizabeth Johnson, Alan Durning and others helps you start thinking about the moral, spiritual and economic implications of eating. Readings focus on the enjoyment and spirituality of good food, ways in which eating connects us to the land and to each other, and on the economic, environmental and cultural impacts of daily food choices. Food & Faith includes an eight-week study guide for groups or individuals, which leads to action: setting a table that is healthy, joyful and just. "

With an equal emphasis on every word in the title - and with a distinctly American perspective - Himes and his distinguished associate editors and contributors, have assembled the most thorough and authoritative assessment of modern Roman Catholic social teaching to date, likely to remain the touchstone volume for decades. This culmination of many years of effort by twenty stellar scholars has produced a reference work for anyone interested in understanding or studying the key documents that comprise the central corpus of Catholic social teaching. In addition to interrogations of the major documents, this volume provides an understanding of the biblical and philosophical foundations of Catholic social teaching, addresses the doctrinal issues that arise in such a context, and explores the social thought leading up to the "modern" era, generally accepted as beginning in 1891 with the publication of Pope Leo XIII's Rerum Novarum. Finally, there is a review of how Catholic social teaching has been received in the United States, and an informed look at the shortcomings and questions that future generations must address. By any standard, "Modern Catholic Social Teaching" is a remarkable work - intellectually rigorous and deeply faithful, it provides accessible and thought-provoking insights into the heart of a belief tradition that every Catholic will find invaluable.

This volume addresses the current scholarly controversies that have crupted in the last 20 or so years over the implications of the judaism of Jesus. Since the early 1970s, a number of historical Jesus scholars have claimed that Jesus was a Jew, and that this fact has significant implications for how one reconstructs the figure of Jesus from the portraits in ancient Christian literature. This book explores the anti-Jewish legacy of past scholarship, shows that the Judaism of Jesus is a more complex issue than sometimes acknowledged, and explores the subterranean cultural implications of the recent insistence on the Judaism of Jesus.

Growing up in a neighborhood where crack cocaine and prostitution coexisted alongside a gospel-preaching old woman named Sister Lou, Shawnta Pulliam saw the futility of life around her in the "hood," yet knew deep inside she was born for something more-something great even. Still, with a drug-addicted mother and a father behind bars, the pull of the streets and deep emotional wounding took their toll, and she easily fell in with a crowd hurtling headlong in the wrong direction. A nervous breakdown that led to her breakthrough revived Shawnta's faith and stirred up the gifts God had planted in her long ago. Propelled by that faith, she watched as God opened door after door for her to walk through. Following her heart-cry, she eventually founded an organization called Nurturing Hearts for at-risk girls ages ten to eighteen. In Hell Bent, Heaven Bound, she reminds us all that God uses the things we like least about ourselves-and breathes purpose into them.

Mitigating Circumstances is a compilation of real-life detective stories that highlight the grace of God in the lives of criminal offenders. Told in the first-person, Mitigating Circumstances describes how the professional life of an experienced private detective changed dramatically when Jesus became the Lord of his life. A gritty, often discouraging occupation morphed into a ministry, and these stories are the fruit of this ministry. These stories are meant to encourage readers that God can heal even the most hardened, hopeless offender.

Esta es una historia verdadera sobre las experiencias de un investigador encubierto, infiltrado en la multimillonaria industria mundial del sexo.

Es una historia de exito sobre los ninos y adolescentes liberados de una vida de esclavitud y el rescatista que puso en libertad a cientos de victimas, llevando a juicio a docenas de criminales. Tambien es la historia de constante desesperacion de quienes han sido olvidados en sistemas corruptos en el cumplimiento de la ley.

Es la historia personal de Daniel Walker, un hombre que siguio un dificil camino de discipulado, terribles frustraciones e improbable redencion.

Es un desafio al pueblo de Dios, a involucrarse en la batalla que podria liberarlos a todos.

Introduction by Stephen Cottrell, Bishop of Chelmsford

Examine the reactions of leading clergy to the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal! Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church is an eye-opening collection of Catholic and non-Catholic perspectives, statements, and responses regarding Catholic clergy sexual abuse from a public symposium entitled Trusting the Clergy? This book includes the viewpoints of some of today's most influential members of the Catholic Church, such as Archbishop Harry J. Flynn, Bishop Howard Hubbard, and Father Donald B. Cozzens. It will bring you up to date on the ways in which the American Catholic bishops have dealt, or are attempting to deal, with the sexual abuse scandal. In Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church, Archbishop Harry J. Flynn offers a bishop's perspective on the sexual abuse crisis and describes how the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB) has responded to issues of clergy sexual abuse since the 1980s. Fr. Donald B. Cozzens summarizes what has been learned from the clergy abuse crisis, and then moves to the systemic issues that need to be addressednot just personal relationships but issues of structure and meaning. This book also includes viewpoints about the Catholic Church from renowned scholars and non-Catholic church leaders, including Michael J. Bland and Rev. Dr. Marie M. Fortune. This book offers presentations on: the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People created by the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB) the need for the Catholic hierarchy to convert from an institutional protection agenda to a justice-making agenda understanding the abusers' modes of operation and motivations identifying future potential sexual abusers attempting to enter the priesthood including the sexual abuse of adults as well as children as future agenda issues the data the Church compiles on the numbers of perpetrators, victims, and costs associated with the scandal determining whom to believe when there are conflicting stories the impact of the clergy sexual abuse crisis on Latino and African-American communities Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church provides a historical marker for the state of the church's discussion one year after the Boston Archdiocese was faced with intense media scrutiny resulting in the resignation of Cardinal Bernard Law. This book is a unique collection of credible, diverse voices engaged in public discussion of a difficult social problem facing the church. Use it to formulate your own opinion on how the Catholic community is responding to the sexual abuse scandal.

How are the churches to say anything useful about the market economy which is so dominant in everybody's life today? Too often, Christian responses have failed to take the moral arguments for markets seriously enough. The market's assertions of liberal individualism and the impossibility of agreement about distributional justice undermine much Christian comment and church practice. Old divisions within Christian ethics offer little help. Liberal theologies share so many foundations with the market that their critique has been muted or incoherent. Yet communitarian theologies, currently in the ascendancy, show little interest in economics and are not alert to the central dilemmas which markets seek to address. The book critiques much of the churches' recent work on economic issues and proposes a renewed theological seriousness for mission in the economy, where the Christian faith might contribute authentically to moral agreement in a plural age.

The renowned poet, priest, and activist brings to life his namesake and role model, the biblical prophet Daniel. Daniel Berrigan's powerful, poetic commentary on the biblical book of Daniel brings to life a prophet who has as much to say to our hedonistic, warring world as he did to the people of Old Testament times. Continuing the series he began with Isaiah and Ezekiel, Berrigan fuses social critique, Jewish midrash, and political commentary to bring us a book of stylistic distinction and spiritual depth. A bold and unorthodox application of the Old Testament to current political and social discourse, Daniel is not simply a book about a bygone prophet, but a powerful charge to all people of conscience. As Berrigan writes, "There are principalities of today to be confronted, their idols and thrice-stoked furnaces and caves of lions, their absurd self-serving images and rhetoric. Someone must pink their pride, decode the handwriting on the wall. Who is to stand up, to withstand?"

Andre Trocme of Le Chambon is famous for his role in saving thousands of Jews from the Nazis during World War II. But his bold deeds did not spring from a void. They were rooted in his understanding of Jesus' way of nonviolence - an understanding that gave him the remarkable insights contained in this long out-of-print classic. In this book, you'll encounter a Jesus you may have never met before - a Jesus who not only calls for spiritual transformation, but for practical changes that answer the most perplexing political, economic, and social problems of our time.

In this gripping biography, journalist Markus Baum presents Eberhard Arnold's life (1883-1935) as a challenge to all of us to reconsider our response to Jesus' command to "leave everything and follow me".

Baum's account recreates a colorful slice of history, a time when thousands of young men and women across Weimar Germany rejected bourgeois mores and struck out on a different path. Arnold, an aspiring young writer and speaker, was a driving force behind this "Youth Movement". But he went further, leaving the limelight, a comfortable lifestyle, and a promising career, to live the answers he had found. He started a community based on Christ's teachings and example. Arnold was able to unite a motley assortment of workers, aristocrats, and students from diverse political and religious persuasions under a shared vision of Christ's kingdom as a living reality.

Against the Wind explores the forces that shaped Arnold's life -- the early Church, the Anabaptists, the Salvation Army, Charles Finney's Evangelical revival in America -- and his influence on other spiritual leaders of his day -- Karl Barth, Paul Tillich, and Martin Buber among them. It recounts his lonely stand against the rise of Nazism, and presents his continuing legacy, the Bruderhof community movement, which carries on his commitment to integrate faith and social action so needed today.

Most of all, Against the Wind gives flesh, blood, and personality to a man whose role in history has been obscured. Arnold abhorred private property and institutional religion, hated hypocrisy and embraced absolutes. Even during his lifetime he was dubbed a "modern St. Francis". But he also struggled to find his convictions and put theminto action. He chose to walk resolutely against the prevailing winds, but not without difficulty and disappointment.

Life as a Latino in America is complicated. Living between the two worlds of being Latino and American can generate great uncertainty. And the strange mixture of ethnic pride and racial prejudice creates another sort of confusion. Who are you as a Latino? Who are you as an American? What has Christ to say about your dilemma? How can you accept who you are in Christ with joy and confidence? Orlando Crespo has taken his own journey from Puerto Rico to an immigrant neighborhood in Springfield, Massachusetts, and back again to his Latino roots. In this books he helps you to reflect on your own voyage of self-understanding and on what it means to have a mixed heritage from the days of the original Spanish Conquest to the present. His straightforward approach also takes him to what the Bible says about ethnic identity--about a people who were often oppressed by more powerful cultures. He helps you to see how Jesus' own humanity unfolded in the context of a people who were considered to be inferior. Thus Crespo finds both realism and hope in the good news of Jesus. There is more, however, than merely coming to terms with who you are. Crespo also shows how Latinos are called to step out positively in ministry to the world. You can make a positive impact in on the world in racial reconciliation, in bicultural ministry and more because of who God has uniquely made you to be. Here is a book for all Latinos who want to live confidently in Christ.