The forms and shapes of the Christian churches in the last millennia have indeed been varied. La Due applies the scheme he applied to Jesus, the Trinity, and eschatology to the Church in this new historical overview of ecclesiology. He opens with a short description of the various models of the church found in the New Testament and follows that up with a review of what early Christian theologians such as Augustine had to say about the Church. La Due proceeds to examine the medieval papcy and the impetus it had for the Protestant Reformation, and he analyzes the ideas about the church held by Martin Luther, John Calvin, and the English Reformation. He then moves into the nineteenth century and twentieth centuries, offering overviews of theologians including Schleiermacher, Tillich, Hans Kung, Karl Rahner, Jurgen Moltmann, and Rosemary Ruether.

The convocation records of the Churches of England and Ireland are the principal source of our information about the administration of those churches from middle ages until modern times. They contain the minutes of clergy synods, the legislation passed by them, tax assessments imposed by the king on the clergy, and accounts of the great debates about religious reformation; they also include records of heresy trials in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, many of them connected with the spread of Lollardy. However, they have never before been edited or published in full, and their publication as a complete set of documents provides a valuable resource for scholarship.This volume contains all the evidence for the northern convocation in the later middle ages, as well as that for provincial councils and diocesan synods held during the time. Much of the material from the archbishops' registers as well as from other sources in Durham, Carlisle and London has never been printed before, and will thus add considerably to knowledge of the period.

The convocation records of the Churches of England and Ireland are the principal source of our information about the administration of those churches from middle ages until modern times. They contain the minutes of clergy synods, the legislation passed by them, tax assessments imposed by the king on the clergy, and accounts of the great debates about religious reformation; they also include records of heresy trials in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, many of them connected with the spread of Lollardy. However, they have never before been edited or published in full, and their publication as a complete set of documents provides a valuable resource for scholarship.This volume covers the York records between 1625 and 1861. It includes a detailed account of the seventeenth century and a calendar of the later period, including lists of those who were summoned to attend the convocation. Of particular interest is the material relating to the revival of the convocation in the nineteenth century, which did not proceed as smoothly as it did in Canterbury. The volume also gives a complete list of the prolocutors in so far as they are known from the middle ages to the present day.

From the Catholic martyrs at Auschwitz to Oscar Romero; from Ita Ford and her companions to the recent murders of Christians in India, it is estimated that more than one million Christians died for their faith in the "century of progress" we have just experienced. In The Catholic Martyrs of the Twentieth Century, Robert Royal presents a wide-ranging history of these martyrs. The book traces the specific situation of each incident and studies the political system and the reason for confrontation. Regions and topics include the Calvary of Romania, the death of Edith Stein, Miguel Pro and the Mexican tragedy, Soviet Russia, and China.

Undoubtedly, the Church's greatest single need, in our day and time, apart from spiritual renewal, is spiritually trained and guided leadership. In this most helpful book, a proven Christian leader, Kevin Mannoia, carefully charts the paths to a healthy and effective ministry. Kev in W. Mannoia, PhD., lives in Southern California with his wife and three children. He is an innovative leader in the Church having served as a church planter, pastor, district superintendent, and denominational bishop. Nationally and internationally he has shaped the broader Church community as president of the National Association of Evangelicals, professor, dean of theology, and university chaplain. A clear priority on the mission of the Church continues to characterize his leadership and broadening influence.

Saint Gregory of Nazianzus, also known as Gregory the Theologian, lived an illustrious life as an orator, poet, priest, and bishop. Until his death, he wrote scores of letters to friends and colleagues, clergy members and philosophers, teachers of rhetoric and literature, and high-ranking officials at the provincial and imperial levels, many of which are preserved in his self-designed letter collection. Here, for the first time in English, Bradley K. Storin has translated the complete collection, offering readers a fresh view on Gregory's life, social and cultural engagement, leadership in the church, and literary talents. Accompanying the translation are an introduction, a prosopography, and annotations that situate Gregory's letters in their biographical, literary, and historical contexts. This translation is an essential resource for scholars and students of late antiquity and early Christianity.

In John 17: 20-21 Jesus prayed, "My prayer for all of them is that they will be one, just as you and I are one, Father--that just as you are in me and I am in you, so they will be in us, and the world will believe you sent me." (NLT) The Christian church continues to find points of contingency by which they justify their divisions. Many do not realize that it is not the Spirit of God under which they operate, but a subtle counterfeit named Religion. The Spirit of Religion has been the greatest opposition of the Christian Church since its inception. It was the "religious" leaders of Jesus' day who were influenced by this spirit and continually sought to discredit Christ and his teachings. Those who were bound by this spirit sought to silence Christ, and eventually found cause to kill Him. This same spirit at work today continues to cause division, among Christians as well as between Christians and non-Christians. This book has been written to expose the evil influence that Satan has had upon the Christian church under the guise of religion and to release those who have been bound by religions chains by establishing a true relationship with God. Issues addressed in this book include: What is the Spirit of Religion? What is the difference between church doctrine and sin? Why do Christians judge? What does it mean to "be ye separate?" What does the Bible say about those who are Tattooed or Pierced? What is the difference between having a religion and experiencing a relationship with God? ..and much more.

Research into the field of religious leadership in relation to Christian identity is highly complex. What is meant by religious leadership? What do we really mean if we talk about Christian identity? And most of all, what is the implied relationship between religious leadership and Christian identity? Is there a necessary substantial relation between both? If so, how has leadership contributed in the past to Christian identity and how will it in the contemporary context stimulate a Christian identity? This book explores and addresses such questions.
"Doris Nauer" teaches theology at the University of Tbingen, Germany. "Rein Nauta" is professor of psychology of religion at the Tilburg University, The Netherlands. "Henk Witte" teaches theology at the Tilburg University, The Netherlands.

1868. Published for the Early English Text Society Original Series. From the Preface: After these and several more general instructions of a similar character, almost all of them showing good religious feeling and clear common sense, the author gives a very good commentary on the Creed, the Sacraments, the Commandments and the deadly sins. The little tract ends with a few words of instruction to priests as to the manner of saying mass, and of giving holy communion to the sick. As an illustration of Myrc's work the editor has printed from Lansdowne MS., 762, seven questions to be asked of persons near death.

What does it mean to provide leadership for the church in an increasingly secular context? When religion is privatized and secularism reigns in the public square, Christians are often drawn toward either individualist escapism or constant cultural warfare. But might this context instead offer a fresh invitation for the church to adapt and thrive? Gordon Smith is passionate about the need for capable, mature leaders to navigate and respond to a changing society. In this book, he draws on his extensive experience as a university president, pastor, and international speaker to open a multidisciplinary conversation about the competencies and capacities essential for today's leaders. After analyzing the phenomenon of secularization in the West and charting common Christian responses, Smith introduces four sources of wisdom to help guide us through this new terrain: the people and prophets of Judah during the Babylonian exile, the early church in its pagan environment, contemporary churches across the Global South, and Christian thinkers in post-Christian Europe. From these resources he identifies practices and strategies-from liturgy and catechesis to mission and hospitality-that can give shape to faithful, alternative communities in such a time as this. In cultures fraught with fear and division, Smith calls for leaders who can effect change from the margins, promote unity and maturity among Christians, and provide a non-anxious presence grounded in the presence of Christ. Educators, church leaders, and those seeking to understand the times will find this book to be an indispensable resource for cultivating distinctively Christian leadership.

A core resource for anyone involved in spiritual mentoring, Mentoring Conversations provides a basis for spiritual conversation in a mentoring context through 30 short chapters structured around six key topic areas: Foundations; Steps to growth; Living out your faith; Going deeper; Staying strong; and Living with mystery. Each chapter begins with a Bible passage or text, followed by the author's comment on the topic, questions to use as a starting point for conversation and suggestions for further reading.

From the author of the acclaimed biography Martin Luther: Renegade and Prophet, new perspectives on how Luther and others crafted his larger-than-life image Martin Luther was a controversial figure during his lifetime, eliciting strong emotions in friends and enemies alike, and his outsized persona has left an indelible mark on the world today. Living I Was Your Plague explores how Luther carefully crafted his own image and how he has been portrayed in his own times and ours, painting a unique portrait of the man who set in motion a revolution that sundered Western Christendom. Renowned Luther biographer Lyndal Roper examines how the painter Lucas Cranach produced images that made the reformer an instantly recognizable character whose biography became part of Lutheran devotional culture. She reveals what Luther's dreams have to say about his relationships and discusses how his masculinity was on the line in his devastatingly crude and often funny polemical attacks. Roper shows how Luther's hostility to the papacy was unshaken to the day he died, how his deep-rooted anti-Semitism infused his theology, and how his memorialization has given rise to a remarkable flood of kitsch, from "Here I Stand" socks to Playmobil Luther. Lavishly illustrated, Living I Was Your Plague is a splendid work of cultural history that sheds new light on the complex and enduring legacy of Luther and his image.

You Don't Have to Learn This the Hard Way...

Anyone involved in leadership knows that it's tough and mistakes are bound to happen. But some mistakes are more costly than others and can result in the end of effectiveness, the loss of important relationships, and disqualification from ministry.

Using the story of a fictitious church team to demonstrate the problems, principles, and practice of finding solutions, leadership expert Dave Kraft uncovers the top 10 critical mistakes leaders make and shows you how to avoid them so you can have ministry and relationships that last.

One of the church's primary responsibilities is to foster genuine spiritual growth in people's lives. Today's pastors bring tremendous effort and passion to this task, but they are often disappointed by people who sit in the pews for years, knowing about Jesus but never really knowing him. In 2004, Willow Creek Community Church in suburban Chicago undertook a three-year study to measure spiritual growth called the REVEAL Spiritual Life Survey. Over the next six years, additional data was collected from over a quarter million people in well over a thousand churches of every size, denomination, and geographic area. Move presents verifiable, fact-based, and somewhat startling findings from the latest REVEAL research, drawing on compelling stories from actual people-congregation members of varying spiritual maturity, as well as pastors who are equally candid as they share their disappointments and their successes. It provides a new lens through which church leaders can see and measure the evidence of spiritual growth. The local church is uniquely equipped to foster spiritual growth and challenge people to pursue a life of full devotion to Christ. Move helps pastors and church leaders inspire and direct that challenge with confidence as they lead their congregations to move closer to Christ.

This hugely controversial, bestselling history tells the story of Eugenio Pacelli, the man who was Pope Pius XII, and arguably the most dangerous churchman of modern times. As Vatican Secretary of State, Pacelli signed an agreement with Hitler in 1933 that protected the power of the Catholic Church in exchange for their complete withdrawal from politics. This act proved fatal. When he became Pope Pius XII, he continually refused to publicly condemn the Nazis - even though he was one of the first European leaders to be made aware of the Final Solution. And even when Italian Jews were rounded up under the walls of the Vatican and transported to the death camps. His failure to criticize Nazism, especially when seen in the light of his patent anti-Semitism, is one of the great scandals of wartime. Using a wealth of new material, including Vatican documents, John Cornwell makes a firm and final indictment of Hitler's Pope's silence.

Saint Gregory of Nazianzus, also known as Gregory the Theologian, lived an illustrious life as an orator, poet, priest, and bishop. Until his death, he wrote scores of letters to friends and colleagues, clergy members and philosophers, teachers of rhetoric and literature, and high-ranking officials at the provincial and imperial levels, many of which are preserved in his self-designed letter collection. Here, for the first time in English, Bradley K. Storin has translated the complete collection, offering readers a fresh view on Gregory's life, social and cultural engagement, leadership in the church, and literary talents. Accompanying the translation are an introduction, a prosopography, and annotations that situate Gregory's letters in their biographical, literary, and historical contexts. This translation is an essential resource for scholars and students of late antiquity and early Christianity.

The Church by its very nature is called to be hope filled and future orientated - it exists as a sign, instrument and foretaste of the coming Kingdom of God. Christian leadership, therefore, is at heart all about eschatological influence. Engaging with the work of influential theological voices such as Lesslie Newbigin, Tom Wright and Martyn Percy, "Hopeful Influence" argues that it is in the process of helping others to see, participate in or experience the world to come that Christian leadership becomes manifest. With contributions from influential leaders in different spheres of life, including Dr Eve Poole, Stephen Timms, MP, along with theologian and activist Selina Stone, Jude Padfield explores how this eschatatologically-fuelled vision might lead us towards a new manifesto for future leadership in the church, in politics, in business and the third sector, and in the home. With foreword from Paul Bayes, Bishop of Liverpool.