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Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Christian institutions & organizations > Christian social thought & activity
Key selling points: Issues surrounding euthanasia and assisted dying continue to hit the headlines with strong feelings on both sides Makes a significant and controversial contribution to an important and current debate Endorsements from Mary Warnock, Hans Kung and John Polkinghorne Paul Badham is a Patron of Dignity in Dying and Vice-President of the Modern Churchpeople's Union and often speaks to the media on this topic.
"There are no words foul and filthy enough to describe war." So declared Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy (1883-1929), the cigarette-smoking padre "Woodbine Willie" whose battlfield experiences in World War I made him his generation's most eloquent defender of Christian pacicism. A tireless champion of the social gospel, he wrote a dozen books, scores of articles, hundreds of poems, and promoted economic justice in Britain and America by preaching. Studdert Kennedy's writing and preaching influenced an entire generation. Archbishop William Temple described him as a "true prophet." Although he has fallen into obscurity over the years, Studdert Kennedy's message has helped inspire the likes of Desmond Tutu and Jurgen Moltmann. This collection of his work, the first in sixty years, introduces this most relevant of thinkers to new readers. The book pulls together Studdert Kennedy's most important writings on war and peace, poverty, the problem of evil, the church's role in the world, sin and atonement, the suering God, love versus force as world powers, and the beloved community. Kerry Walters, the editor, introduces the texts with a biographical and thematic essay. "Kerry Walters deserves thanks for his accessible presentation of Studdert Kennedy's religious thought on war and its aftermath. Earning the nickname 'Woodbine Willie' from the British soldiers he served as chaplain in the 'Great War to end all wars', the knew first-hand the unspeakable horrors of war. He also knew that faith was not only possible after the hostilities ceased; it was necessary. His was not a disembodied or privatized faith. He is especially helpful in linking the Eucharist with social justice. Readers will appreciate his passionate love for the poor, wounded, and dying Christ and his commitment to the church, where he and others can insist that, indeed, after war faith is possible." -John Perry, SJ Associate Professor, Arthur V. Mauro Center for Peace and Justice, St. Paul's College, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg KERRY WALTERS is William Bittinger Professor of Philosophy and Professor of Peace and Justice Studies at Gettysburg College. He is the author of 19 previous books on philosophy, theology, and peace, and has been a peace activist since the Vietnam War era.
The 2014 Christianity Today Book Award Winner (Christian Living) Food is the source of endless angst and anxiety. We struggle with obesity and eating disorders. Reports of agricultural horror stories give us worries about whether our food is healthy, nutritious or justly produced. It's hard to know if our food is really good for us or for society. Our relationship with food is complicated to say the least. But God intended for us to delight in our food. Rachel Stone calls us to rediscover joyful eating by receiving food as God's good gift of provision and care for us. She shows us how God intends for us to relate to him and each other through food, and how our meals can become expressions of generosity, community and love of neighbor. Eating together can bring healing to those with eating disorders, and we can make wise choices for sustainable agriculture. Ultimately, redemptive eating is a sacramental act of culture making through which we gratefully herald the feast of the kingdom of God. Filled with practical insights and some tasty recipes, this book provides a Christian journey into the delight of eating. Come to the table, partake of the Bread of Life--and eat with joy.
Merit Award, 2007 Christianity Today Christianity and Culture Book What is the state of racial reconciliation in evangelical churches today? Are we truly united? In Reconciliation Blues journalist Edward Gilbreath gives an insightful, honest picture of both the history and the present state of racial reconciliation in evangelical churches. In his thoughtful overview he looks at a wide range of figures, such as Howard O. Jones, Tom Skinner, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Jesse Jackson and John Perkins. Charting progress as well as setbacks, his words offer encouragement for black evangelicals feeling alone, clarity for white evangelicals who want to understand more deeply, and fresh vision for all who want to move forward toward Christ's prayer "that all of them may be one." Now in paper
The world is changing fast, and digital technology fastest of all. The growth of social media and increasingly innovative digital advancements raises questions for every Christian. How should we understand the new digital age? And how can we live well within it? These technologies hold awesome potential for good. But when we engage unthinkingly with the online world, there is a danger that we begin to become increasingly like the technologies we use, relating and thinking without human connection. We fall short of what we were made to be. We are virtually human. Whether you are an early adopter, a sceptic, or just content to go with the flow, this book will help you navigate the digital world in a way that honours Christ and leads to your growth and the growth of those around you.
A Future that's Bigger than the Past sets out a vision for renewing the local church that is energising, realistic and practical for small and large congregations alike. In response to prevailing narratives of decline, it reimagines how the church can live its vocation of receiving God's abundance and sharing it far and wide. It recognises the surprising, exuberant and plentiful things that the Holy Spirit is doing in the world and calls the church to celebrate creation, enjoy culture and share in its flourishing. With a rich theological foundation and borne out of the practical experience of growing local church communities, this ground-breaking book will help churches discover fresh ways to bless the communities they serve.
For years, the evangelical church and its members have debated whether the Bible should be interpreted literally or symbolically in regards to the age of the earth. In their groundbreaking new book, "In the Beginning . . . We Misunderstood," authors Johnny V. Miller and John M. Soden say that all these arguments have missed the point. Rather, what Christians really need to know is how to interpret the Bible in its original context. Exposing the fallacies of trying to make the biblical text fit a specific scientific presupposition, Miller and Soden offer a new approach to interpreting Genesis 1 that explores the creation account based on how the original audience would have understood its teaching. First, the authors present a clear explanation of the past and present issues in interpreting the first chapter of the Bible. Second, Miller and Soden break down the creation account according to its historical and cultural context by comparing and distinguishing both the Egyptian and Mesopotamian settings. Finally, they explore common objections to help readers understand the significance that the creation account has for theology today. Christians need not look any further than Genesis 1 to find clues to its meaning. Both irenic and bathed in Scripture, "In the Beginning . . . We Misunderstood" will equip every believer to navigate the creation wars, armed with biblically sound explanations.
This timely book, by one of the world's leading theologians in this
field, makes a positive theological contribution to present
intellectual and practical discussions about families and children.
This timely book, by one of the world's leading theologians in this
field, makes a positive theological contribution to present
intellectual and practical discussions about families and children.
Be inspired and empowered to make care of God's earth central to your life. From Earth Day in the 1970s to the present day, the Church has been a moral and ethical voice in encouraging a deep relationship between love of God and love of the earth. As climate change becomes an even more pressing issue and localized environmental injustices increase, the Church stands at the forefront of this conversation. Stephanie Johnson provides readers with tools to be inspired and empowered to make care of God's earth central to their lives.
Immigration is an issue of major concern within the Christian community. As Christians, how should we respond to the current crisis? Interweaving biblical narratives of border crossing and recent stories of immigrants at the US-Mexico border, this accessibly written book invites Christians to reconsider the plight of their neighbors and respond with compassion to the present immigration crisis. Julia Lambert Fogg, a pastor and New Testament scholar who is actively serving immigrant families in Southern California, interprets well-known biblical stories in a fresh way and puts a human face on the immigration debate. Fogg argues that Christians must step out of their comfort zones and learn to cross social, ethnic, and religious borders--just as Jesus did--to become the body of Christ in the world. She encourages readers to welcome Christ by embracing DREAMers, the undocumented, asylum seekers, and immigrants, and she inspires Christians to advocate for immigrant justice in their communities.
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.
Authors Marvin Olasky and Leah Savas detail the long history of abortion and its impact on American culture through vivid personal stories that humanize people on both sides of the debate.
There has long been a tradition in the Christian church which has
discerned in the scriptures an imperative towards radical political
action. Beginning with the Fathers and their writings on the
community of goods, it can be traced through the mystics of the
middle ages and radical reformers and Puritans of the sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries, to Christian socialists, liberation
theologians and social activists of more recent times. Though remarkable for their incisiveness, originality and
distinctive theological perspective, these writings have often
failed to reach a wide readership. Bradstock and Rowland have now
brought more than sixty extracts together in this one volume,
including some which have been newly translated and many which have
long been unavailable. This has resulted in a unique and immensely
valuable resource, which includes letters, sermons, poems,
liturgies and other writings from the third- to the twenty-first
century. This volume, which fills a gap in the current literature, will be an essential resource for third-year undergraduates and above in Biblical studies, political theology, Church history and political theory.
First published in 1905, "The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of
Capitalism" is one of the most renowned and controversial works of
modern social science. It is a brilliant book that studies the
psychological conditions which made possible the development of
capitalist civilisation. The book analyses the connection between
the spread of Calvinism and a new attitude towards the pursuit of
wealth in post-Reformation Europe and England, and attitude which
permitted, encouraged - even sanctified - the human quest for
prosperity. This new edition has been translated and introduced by internationally acclaimed Weberian scholar Stephen Kalberg. With a precise and nuanced rendering of Weber's style and arguments, Kalberg clarifies the various twists and turns of Weber's complex lines of reasoning. Kalberg's introduction examines the controversy surrounding the book and summarizes major aspects of Weber's analysis. A glossary of major terms is included to make this the clearest, most readable edition of this classic text yet available.
God give me a beautiful home. That is what a child wrote, having just learned about the work of St George's Crypt, which looks after the people of Leeds who don't have any home, let alone a beautiful one. They come to the Crypt when there is nowhere left to go, no one else to turn to. Like more than a third of his colleagues, Roger Quick first came to the Crypt in need of help himself. Decades later he came back as its chaplain, and every day since then he has been moved by the courage and insight, borne of great suffering, shown by those who still pass through its doors. In Sheltering Saints he tells their stories, full of tears and laughter, pain and compassion.
Popular calls to transform our current welfare system and supplant it with effective and inexpensive faith-based providers are gaining political support and engendering heated debate about the separation of church and state. Yet we lack concrete information from which to anticipate how such initiatives might actually work if adopted. Despite the assumption that congregations can help many needy people in our society, it remains to be seen how extensive they wish their involvement to be, or if they have the necessary tools to become significant providers in the social service arena. Moreover, how will such practices, which will move faith-based organizations towards professionalization, ultimately affect the spirit of volunteerism now prevalent in America's religious institutions? We lack sufficient knowledge about congregational life and its ability to play a key role in social service provision. The Invisible Caring Hand attempts to fill that void. Based on in-depth interviews with clergy and lay leaders in 251 congregations nationwide, it reveals the many ways in which congregations are already working, beneath the radar, to care for people in need. This ground-breaking volume will provide much-sought empirical data to social scientists, religious studies scholars, and those involved in the debates over the role of faith-based organizations in faith-based services, as well as to clergy and congregation members themselves.
Oberman's magisterial work transfers discussion of late medieval Christian thought from the private studies of the specialist to more general use and understanding, and explains the significance of the ideas of the time. Although this 'Late Medieval Reader' does not exhaust the riches of the period between the High Middle Ages and the Reformation era, it introduces the reader to aspects of such major themes as conciliarism, curialism, mysticism, scholasticism, the spirituality of the Devotio Moderna, and the impact of Renaissance humanism.The theme of the Forerunners has grown out of the consideration that the justified rejection of a confessional reading of the past has been succeeded by an equally unhistorical disjunction of the Medieval and Reformation periods. Without a grasp of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the medieval basis of modern thought is incomplete, since Reformation and Counter Reformation seem to arise 'out of the blue'.
We have seen progress in recent decades toward Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream of beloved community. But this is not only because of the activism and sacrifice of a generation of civil rights leaders. It happened because God was on the move. Historian and theologian Charles Marsh partners with veteran activist John Perkins to chronicle God's vision for a more equitable and just world. Perkins reflects on his long ministry and identifies key themes and lessons he has learned, and Marsh highlights the legacy of Perkins's work in American society. Together they show how abandoned places are being restored, divisions are being reconciled, and what individuals and communities are doing now to welcome peace and justice. Now updated to reflect on current social realities, this book reveals ongoing lessons for the continuing struggle for a just society. Come, discover your part in the beloved community. There is unfinished work still to do.
Go to the right school. Become a doctor or a lawyer. Marry a nice Asian. These are some of the hopes of our Asian parents. Knowing that our parents have sacrificed for us, we want to honor their wishes. But we also want to serve Jesus, and sometimes that can seem to conflict with family expectations. Discovering our Asian identity in the midst of Western culture means learning to bridge these and other conflicting values. We need wise counsel on our parents' ways of loving us vocations that show respect for our parents and allow us to serve God the "model minority" myth and performance pressures marriage, singleness, and being male and female racial reconciliation spirituality and church experiences unique gifts Asians bring to Western culture This book, written by a team of Asian American student ministry workers who have been there, can serve as our guide on a difficult journey. The authors represent a variety of perspectives, including the immigrant experience of a Korean man, a third-generation Japanese-American's understanding of his parents' experience in the internment camps during World War II, and a Chinese American woman's struggle to communicate with her parents. Their accounts of humorous, frusrating and heartbreaking personal experiences (as well as stories from other Asian American students and adults) offer support and encouragement. And their ideas for living out the Christian faith between two cultures show us the way to wholeness. |
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