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Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Christian institutions & organizations > Christian social thought & activity
One of the world's most celebrated theologians argues for a
Protestant anti-work ethic In his classic The Protestant Ethic and
the Spirit of Capitalism, Max Weber famously showed how Christian
beliefs and practices could shape persons in line with capitalism.
In this significant reimagining of Weber's work, Kathryn Tanner
provocatively reverses this thesis, arguing that Christianity can
offer a direct challenge to the largely uncontested growth of
capitalism. Exploring the cultural forms typical of the current
finance-dominated system of capitalism, Tanner shows how they can
be countered by Christian beliefs and practices with a comparable
person-shaping capacity. Addressing head-on the issues of economic
inequality, structural under- and unemployment, and capitalism's
unstable boom/bust cycles, she draws deeply on the theological
resources within Christianity to imagine anew a world of human
flourishing. This book promises to be one of the most important
theological books in recent years.
"His Hiding Place is Darkness" explores the uncertainties of faith
and love in a pluralistic age. In keeping with his conviction that
studying multiple religious traditions intensifies rather than
attenuates religious devotion, Francis Clooney's latest work of
comparative theology seeks a way beyond today's religious and
interreligious uncertainty by pairing a fresh reading of the
absence of the beloved in the Biblical Song of Songs with a
pioneering study of the same theme in the Holy Word of Mouth (9th
century CE), a classic of Hindu mystical poetry rarely studied in
the West.
Remarkably, the pairing of these texts is grounded not in a general
theory of religion, but in an engagement with two unexpected
sources: the theopoetics, theodramatics, and theology of the
20th-century Catholic theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar, and the
intensely perceived and written poetry of Pulitzer Prize winner
Jorie Graham. How we read and write on religious matters is
transformed by this rare combination of voices in what is surely a
unique and important contribution to comparative studies and
religious hermeneutics.
Although this book is, in one sense, about Dorothy L. Sayers, it
significance is theological rather than biographical. Since the
mid-Twentieth Century, and the period when Anglican theology
appeared to be shaping Britain's post-War reconstruction in many
respects, it has generally been true that the church's commitment
to social action remained whilst its grasp of the theological
foundations for that action withered. The theological seriousness,
and the deep philosophical, theological and social arguments that
Sayers and her associates adduced for the church's social
engagement, were largely forgotten as the Church of England tended
to seek relevance in preference to theological authenticity. This
lack of theological depth made it easy for the church to revert to
an inward-looking pietism from the 1980s onwards which had little
if anything to say about the Christian vision of a good society. By
turning the spotlight on Sayers's contribution here, Fletcher shows
how the theological seriousness of her period was not the preserve
of bishops and clergy but could be, and was, integral to the
reflections of a highly intelligent lay woman who saw very clearly
how Christian faith could permeate the story of the world, humanity
and the created order.
What if you just trusted the whisper of calling placed on your
heart? Kathy Izard was volunteering at Charlotte's Urban Ministry
Center when an unlikely meeting with a homeless man changed the
course of her life. She realized that serving at the soup kitchen
was feeding her soul, but not actually solving the needs of the
homeless population. Rather than brush it off and avoid what she
now felt called to take on, she quit her job and took on what
seemed like an insurmountable task-building housing for Charlotte's
homeless. Woven together with this uplifting story of social action
is Kathy's personal struggle with faith, forgiveness and
fulfillment. In telling her story, Kathy invites you to consider
rewriting your own. What's calling you? As crazy at it seems, it
may be crazier not to try. This book will push you to do so much
more than you ever thought possible.
Logos Bookstores' Best Book in Christianity and Culture How do we
live with our deepest differences? In a world torn by religious
conflict, the threats to human dignity are terrifyingly real. Some
societies face harsh government repression and brutal sectarian
violence, while others are divided by bitter conflicts over
religion's place in public life. Is there any hope for living
together peacefully? Os Guinness argues that the way forward for
the world lies in promoting freedom of religion and belief for
people of all faiths and none. He sets out a vision of a civil and
cosmopolitan global public square, and how it can be established by
championing the freedom of the soul-the inviolable freedom of
thought, conscience and religion. In particular he calls for
leadership that has the courage to act on behalf of the common
good. Far from utopian, this constructive vision charts a course
for the future of the world. Soul freedom is not only a shining
ideal but a dire necessity and an eminently practical solution to
the predicaments of our time. We can indeed maximize freedom and
justice and learn to negotiate deep differences in public life. For
a world desperate for hope at a critical juncture of human history,
here is a way forward, for the good of all.
Americans have long acknowledged a deep connection between
evangelical religion and democracy in the early days of the
republic. This is a widely accepted narrative that is maintained as
a matter of fact and tradition - and in spite of evangelicalism's
more authoritarian and reactionary aspects. In Conceived in Doubt,
Amanda Porterfield challenges this standard interpretation of
evangelicalism's relation to democracy and describes the
intertwined relationship between religion and partisan politics
that emerged in the formative era of the early republic. In the
1790s, religious doubt became common in the young republic as the
culture shifted from mere skepticism toward darker expressions of
suspicion and fear. But by the end of that decade, Porterfield
shows, economic instability, disruption of traditional forms of
community, rampant ambition, and greed for land worked to undermine
heady optimism about American political and religious independence.
Evangelicals managed and manipulated doubt, reaching out to
disenfranchised citizens as well as to those seeking political
influence, blaming religious skeptics for immorality and social
distress, and demanding affirmation of biblical authority as the
foundation of the new American national identity. Porterfield
demolishes the idea that evangelical growth in the early republic
was the cheerful product of enthusiasm for democracy, and she
creates for us a very different narrative of influence and ideals
in the young republic.
Independent Catholics are not formally connected to the pope in
Rome. They practice apostolic succession, seven sacraments, and
devotion to the saints. But without a pope, they can change quickly
and experiment freely, with some affirming communion for the
divorced, women's ordination, clerical marriage, and same-sex
marriage. From their early modern origins in the Netherlands to
their contemporary proliferation in the United States, these "other
Catholics" represent an unusually liberal, mobile, and creative
version of America's largest religion. In The Other Catholics,
Julie Byrne shares the remarkable history and current activity of
independent Catholics, who number at least two hundred communities
and a million members across the United States. She focuses in
particular on the Church of Antioch, one of the first Catholic
groups to ordain women in modern times. Through archival documents
and interviews, Byrne tells the story of the unforgettable leaders
and surprising influence of these understudied churches, which,
when included in Catholic history, change the narrative arc and
total shape of modern Catholicism. As Pope Francis fights to soften
Roman doctrines with a pastoral touch and his fellow Roman bishops
push back with equal passion, independent Catholics continue to
leap ahead of Roman reform, keeping key Catholic traditions but
adding a progressive difference.
Our neighborhoods are literally making us sick. Buildings with mold
trigger asthma and other respiratory conditions. Geographic lack of
access to food and health care increases childhood mortality.
Community violence traumatizes residents. Poverty, unemployment,
inadequate housing, food insecurity, racial injustice, and
oppression cause physical changes in the body, resulting in disease
and death. But there is hope. Loving our neighbor includes creating
social environments in which people can be healthy. While working
in community redevelopment and treating uninsured families,
Veronica Squires and Breanna Lathrop discovered that creating
healthier neighborhoods requires a commitment to health equity.
Jesus' ministry brought healing through dismantling systems of
oppression and overturning social norms that prevented people from
living healthy lives. We can do the same in our communities through
addressing social determinants that facilitate healing in
under-resourced neighborhoods. Everyone deserves the opportunity
for good health. The decisions we make and actions we take can
promote the health of our neighbors.
Believe it or not, your kids WANT to talk to you about the social
and health challenges they're facing. But are you ready? Jessica
Peck, a pediatric nurse practitioner and mom of four, helps parents
escape the secrecy and shame surrounding tough conversations and
approach them from a Christian foundation. Today's teens are
feeling more isolated, anxious, and depressed than previous
generations, and are struggling with more complex challenges.
Jessica Peck (DNP, APRN) has spent countless hours advising and
encouraging parents after talking to their teens behind closed
doors. In the privacy of her exam room, she has treated teens with
mental illnesses, responded to suicide attempts, treated self-harm
wounds as well as the emotional trauma of cyberbullying, sexting,
pornography addictions, and numerous other issues. Through it all,
Jessica found that teens really want to talk to their parents but
don't know how. Jessica seeks to move the private conversations
that happen in the clinic to relationship-building conversations at
home. Behind Closed Doors is a guided lifeline to help you
strengthen your connection with your kids. You will be able to: Get
professional advice on tough teenage issues from a medical
perspective, as well as the true stories of patients Discover
suggested settings, activities, and question prompts to give you
conversation keys to unlock doors for open dialogue on tough issues
with your teens Share a time of reflection with devotional
readings, relevant Bible verses, Scripture-based prayers, themed
music playlists, and more Prompts to write 12 Legacy Letters: a
generational keepsake for teens Covering topics including mental
health, social media, suicide, sexting, gender identity, substance
abuse (with a chapter focusing on vaping), and more, Jessica Peck's
book will encourage and strengthen all parents-married, single, or
divorced; grandparents, stepparents, godparents, bonus parents,
adopted parents-anyone who is serving a parental role in a teen's
life.
Writer Tony Reinke identifies twelve potent ways our smartphones
have changed our lives-for good and ill-and calls us to develop
healthy habits for life in the digital age.
"Wait, Dad. Are we for them or against them?" Kent Annan was
talking with his eight-year-old son about the immigrant and refugee
crises around the world. His son's question, innocent enough in the
moment, is writ large across our society today. How we answer it,
Annan says, will reveal a lot about what kind of family, community,
or country we want to be. In You Welcomed Me, Annan explores how
fear and misunderstanding often motivate our responses to people in
need, and invites us instead into stories of welcome-stories that
lead us to see the current refugee and immigrant crisis in a new
light. He lays out simple practices for a way forward: confessing
what separates us, listening well, and partnering with, not
patronizing, those in need. His stories draw us in, and his
practices send us out prepared to cross social and cultural
divides. In this wise, practical book, Annan invites us to answer
his son's question with confident conviction: "We're for them"-and
to explore with him the life-giving implications of that answer.
2019 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award - Political and Social
Sciences The religious Right taught America to misread the Bible.
Christians have misused Scripture to consolidate power, stoke
fears, and defend against enemies. But people who have been hurt by
the attacks of Christian nationalism can help us rediscover God's
vision for faith in public life. Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove explores
how religious culture wars have misrepresented Christianity at the
expense of the poor, and how listening to marginalized communities
can help us hear God's call to love and justice in the world. He
highlights people on the frontlines of issues ranging from
immigration policy and voting rights to women's rights and
environmental stewardship. Through these narratives, we encounter a
recovery of values that upholds the dignity of all people.
Rediscover hope for faithful public witness that serves the common
good. Join the revolution.
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