4 DVDs & 1 Audio CD. The CD contains everything necessary to present 'The Way' (the name first given to the Christian faith) to a twenty-first century audience. Prepared by the Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies, Cambridge under episcopal guidance, this is the most ancient version of Christian belief in its most challenging modern guise. All of the twelve talks that introduce central aspects of Christian faith are included together with their accompanying visual aids and an attractive student handout that summarises each address. For those who would prefer not to deliver the talks themselves, the four accompanying DVDs present the original speakers. Supporting material offers a wealth of instruction on the basic principles behind the course and how best to run it: advice on publicity, preparation and finance, on how to set up a venue and ensure a weekly support-structure: on group discussions and how to lead them, on how to run the question-and-answer sessions, on how to cater for the initial meal that opens each session and how to organise a final celebration. 'The Way' has been presented with success to audiences in the United Kingdom, North America, Australia and the Far East, and is in process of being translated for use in Romania, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. It sets out the ancient faith for a new generation, in a mode that is as suitable for parish or cathedral use as for the individual enquirer.

Los domingos por la manana en la Iglesia Grace Community, pequenos grupos de personas se reunen para las clases de "Fundamentos de la Fe "y usan este manual de trece lecciones que combina verdades y bases biblicas con el servicio y obediencia personal. Muchos nuevos creyentes han tomado estas clases para crecer en su entendimiento de las verdades biblicas. Por primera vez, "Fundamentos de la Fe" esta disponible a la venta. Incluyendo temas como ""Dios: Su Caracter y Atributos" y "La Iglesia: Comunion y Adoracion" este estudio es ideal para discipular a nuevos creyentes o recordar una vez mas lo que significa creer en Jesus.

Cada leccion esta saturada de herramientas de aprendizaje para ayudarle a participar de las Escrituras como: un enlace a 13 mensajes de John MacArthur que puede descargar, preguntas de estudio, versiculos para memorizar y sugerencias practicas para la aplicacion.

Gender and Material Culture is the first complete study in the archaeology of gender, exploring the differences between the religious life of men and women. Gender in medieval monasticism influenced landscape contexts and strategies of economic management, the form and development of buildings and their symbolic and iconographic content. Women's religious experience was often poorly documented, but their archaeology indicates a shared tradition which was closely linked with, and valued by local communities. The distinctive patterns observed suggest that gender is essential to archaeological analysis.

This book contributes to the re-emerging field of 'theology through the arts' by proposing a way of approaching one of the most challenging theological concepts - divine timelessness - through the principle of construction of space in the icon. One of the main objectives of this book is to discuss critically the implications of 'reverse perspective', which is especially characteristic of Byzantine and Byzantining art. Drawing on the work of Pavel Florensky, one of the foremost Russian religious philosophers at the beginning of the 20th century, Antonova shows that Florensky's concept of 'supplementary planes' can be used productively within a new approach to the question. Antonova works up new criteria for the understanding of how space and time can be handled in a way that does not reverse standard linear perspective (as conventionally claimed) but acts in its own way to create eternalised images which are not involved with perspective at all. Arguing that the structure of the icon is determined by a conception of God who exits in past, present, and future, simultaneously, Antonova develops an iconography of images done in the Byzantine style both in the East and in the West which is truer to their own cultural context than is generally provided for by western interpretations. This book draws upon philosophy, theology and liturgy to see how relatively abstract notions of a deity beyond time and space enter images made by painters.

Please note this book is suitable for any student studying: Exam board: OCR Level: A Level Subject: Religious Education First teaching: September 2016 First exams: June 2018 Oxford A Level Religious Studies for OCR is a brand new course developed by renowned authors Libby Ahluwalia and Robert Bowie for the 2016 OCR specification. This textbook supports a deep engagement with philosophy, ethics and the study of Christianity using language and an approach accessible to all students. Key terms are clearly defined, and case studies and scenarios are used to give students a practical understanding of key theories and how they might be applied to the big ethical and philosophical questions of the day. The book includes a section on 'Developments in Christian Thought' to support the new requirement for a systematic study of a religious tradition. There is also dedicated support for developing students' essay-writing skills, as well as revision summaries and practice questions to ensure students feel ready for their exam.

As religion and politics become ever more intertwined, relationships between religion and political parties are of increasing global political significance. This handbook responds to that development, providing important results of current research involving religion and politics, focusing on: democratisation, democracy, party platform formation, party moderation and secularisation, social constituency representation and interest articulation. Covering core issues, new debates, and country case studies, the handbook provides a comprehensive overview of fundamentals and new directions in the subject. Adopting a comparative approach, it examines the relationships between religion and political parties in a variety of contexts, regions and countries with a focus on Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism and Hinduism. Contributions cover such topics as: religion, secularisation and modernisation; religious fundamentalism and terrorism; the role of religion in conflict resolution and peacebuilding; religion and its connection to state, democratisation and democracy; and regional case studies covering Asia, the Americas, Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa. This comprehensive handbook provides crucial information for students, researchers and professionals researching the topics of politics, religion, comparative politics, secularism, religious movements, political parties and interest groups, and religion and sociology.

'It's 1970,' author David Wilbourne writes, ''Edward Heath becomes PM, Apollo 13 limps back to earth, and Jesus Christ Superstar takes the West End by storm, asking daring questions that gave colour to my former monochrome faith and fired my vocation. Half a century on, its message remains just as relevant, and we explore themes from its iconic lyrics in the 5 sessions of this course.' Session 1. Who is Jesus? 'Jesus Christ, Superstar, do you think you're what they say you are?' Session 2. Miracles: 'Prove to me that you're divine, change my water into wine!' Session 3. The Psalms: 'I only want to say, if there is a way, take this cup away from me , I don't want to taste its poison . . . ' Session 4. The Church: 'I don't know how to love him.' Session 5: Cross purposes: 'Did you mean to die like that, was that a mistake or did you know your messy death would be a record-breaker?' The course booklet is accompanied by a lively CD, where Canon Simon Stanley grills broadcaster Steve Chalke, author and bishop of Sheffield's wife Catherine Fox and RC theologian Carmody Grey about the themes, with concluding reflections by Stephen Wigley, Chair of the Methodist Church in Wales. This York Course is available in the following formats Course Book (Paperback 9781909107274) Course Book (eBook 978XXXXXXXXXX both ePub and Mobi files provided) Audio Book of Interview to support Superstar York Course (CD 978XXXXXXXXXX) Audio Book of Interview (Digital Download 978XXXXXXXXXX) Transcript of interview to support Superstar York Course (Paperback 9781909107281) Transcript of interview (eBook 978XXXXXXXXXX both ePub and Mobi files provided) Book Pack (9781739182038 Featuring Paperback Course Book, Audio Book on CD and Paperback Transcript of Interview) Large print (9781739182038)

The Reformation transformed England forever. From peasants in the lanes and fields to the court of Henry VIII, no life was left untouched as the Roman Catholic Church was replaced as the centre of the nation's religious life. Emerging from a dense mesh of European ecclesiastical and political controversy and Tudor dynastic ambition, the English Reformation ended with the Pope supplanted as the head of the national church, the great monasteries - owners of much of the country's land - disbanded and destroyed, the Latin Mass replaced by vernacular services and the colourful wall paintings of parish churches whitewashed. This is a fully illustrated introduction that looks at the main players - Thomas Cranmer, Henry VIII, Thomas Cromwell and others - as well as the broad sweep of this era of bitter controversy, brutal persecution and seismic upheaval.

The great religious poetry of R. S. Thomas and the poetry of the former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams is rooted in a remarkable late-twentieth-century tradition of spiritual poetry in Wales that includes figures as different as Saunders Lewis and Vernon Watkins, Waldo Williams and Bobi Jones. This study examines this body of work in detail, demonstrating how the different theological outlooks of the poets was reflected in their choice of form, style and vocabulary. It thereby highlights a literary culture that was highly unusual in its rejection of the secularisation that prevailed during that period in the UK, Western Europe and the USA.

The Book of Martyrs by John Foxe written in the 16th century has long been the go-to source for studying the lives and martyrdom of the apostles. Whilst other scholars have written individual treatments on the more prominent apostles such as Peter, Paul, John, and James, there is little published information on the other apostles. In The Fate of the Apostles, Sean McDowell offers a comprehensive, reasoned, historical analysis of the fate of the twelve disciples of Jesus along with the apostles Paul, and James. McDowell assesses the evidence for each apostle's martyrdom as well as determining its significance to the reliability of their testimony. The question of the fate of the apostles also gets to the heart of the reliability of the kerygma: did the apostles really believe Jesus appeared to them after his death, or did they fabricate the entire story? How reliable are the resurrection accounts? The willingness of the apostles to die for their faith is a popular argument in resurrection studies and McDowell offers insightful scholarly analysis of this argument to break new ground within the spheres of New Testament studies, Church History, and apologetics.

"Religion and politics are necessarily related", declared Ronald Reagan, while addressing an ecumenical prayer breakfast of 17,000 people in Dallas. But how are they connected? Many popular images of God - King, Lord, and Judge - are essentially political, while concepts of might, majesty, dominion, and power are used of both God and the state. This work explores the relations between these images and their political context through the analogy between divine and civil government, and considers what images of God may legitimately be employed by Christians in the 20th century. David Nicholls suggests that religious conceptions have often affected political thinking - theological rhetoric, child of political experience, may also be mother of political change. Drawing upon politics, theology, history, sociology, anthropology, and literary criticism, this text should be of interest to all concerned with the relation between Christianity and politics.

Rooted in rigorous empirical research, evaluating religious conversion in Iran through compelling personal narratives, interviews, and a telephone survey. Offers a unique perspective on the interrelationship between media, religion, conversion, and persecution in contemporary Iran. An outstanding reference source for a wide-spanning readership, including scholars of Religious Studies, Media Studies, and Middle Eastern Studies, as well as religious media practitioners.

In the 20th Century three social revolutions--the industrial, sexual and technological revolutions--challenged the religious convictions of many. John Paul II's teaching on the theology of the body was his response to the resulting societal shifts.

In this volume, Fr. Bransfield has done what no other author has: he explores John Paul's response to the challenges raised by these revolutions. In this context Bransfield then explores how TOB leads us to live the fullness of the Christian life.

-Ideal for readers interested in Theology of the Body

-Accessible and readable exploration of John Paul II's writings

-Points out how an understanding of the theology of the body leads to life in the Spirit

-Reflections on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the virtues and the beatitudes

We live in a time of high Church membership, but low Church attendance. Franco Ferrarotti, arguably the most important sociologist of religion alive, captures the source of this paradox In the title of his new book, Faith without Dogma. For it is belief that propels membership, while the absence of dogma results in a reticence to accept hierarchical direction from above or beyond.

Basing much of his analysis on the postwar struggles within Roman Catholicism, Ferrarotti views the demand for religious renewal and revival as part and parcel of the emergence of broad social agendas--agendas to which not even the Roman curia could remain impervious. The former easy relationships between Church and State, especially authoritarian states in Europe and Latin America, gave way to a critical defense of individual rights within a context of a broadened vision of Christian doctrine.

In addition to issues Involved in internal affairs of religion, Ferrarotti explores a series of developments that have changed for all time the nature of Church survival. The critical element, one that goes beyond specific doctrinal accommodations, is the new primary connection of Church to people rather than Church to State. This came about through the widespread acceptance of science and technology as frames of intellectual reference, the emergence of secularization as mediating religious claims and the creation from the Enlightenment to the Postmodern eras of "civil religions."

The volume concludes with a set of chapters on the nature of sacred events and objects, the emergence of new varieties of prayer, and concludes with a chapter on the relationship of ideology to theology prepared especially for the English language edition of Faith without Dogma. This is a book likely to attract a broad audience among religionists and culturologists, as well as social scientists.

Here is the first book which highlights the unique resource of religion in the field of prevention. Until now, religious systems have been a largely undertapped resource of talent, energy, care, and physical and financial assets. Religion and Prevention in Mental Health is a significant new volume that lays a general foundation for preventive work in the religious area. It presents a number of reasons for examining religion as a source for aiding prevention and well-being. The authors dispute the popular notion of religion as damaging to mental health, as well as the idea that religious affiliation is entirely predictive of better mental health. Instead they focus on the framework for living that religions provide which assists believers in anticipating, avoiding, or modifying problems before they develop. For the human service professional willing to build a collaborative relationship with religious systems, this vital book depicts the richness and diversity of religion and shows the interface of religion, well-being, and prevention. Important issues such as the impact of religion on American society and the ethos of mental health and prevention, the historical and contemporary role of the African-American church as an empowering agent and mediating structure for black citizens, the critical roles of theology in determining the attitude of religious systems toward prevention and well-being, the importance of community and personal narratives, and the limitations of religious settings due to their survival concerns and methods to increase their potential to heal are all discussed thoroughly. Through a better understanding of religious settings, programs, and processes, human service professionals can more effectively utilize religion and reach a neglected portion of the population in need of help. In addition, religious leaders, mental health professionals including counselors, social workers, program developers, evaluators, and administrators, and psychologists, sociologists, and anthropologists will benefit from the comprehensive material provided in this timely book.

In 2010, David Mark Hall gave a lecture at the Heritage Foundation entitled "Did America Have a Christian Founding?" His balanced and thoughtful approach to this controversial question caused a sensation. C-SPAN televised his talk, and an essay based on it has been downloaded more than 300,000 times.

In this new book, Hall expands upon this essay, making the airtight case that America's Founders were not deists; that they did not create a "godless" Constitution; that even Jefferson and Madison did not want a high wall separating church and state; that most Founders believed the government should encourage Christianity; and that they embraced a robust understanding of religious liberty for biblical and theological reasons. In addition, Hall explains why and how the Founders' views are absolutely relevant today.

This compelling and utterly persuasive book will convince skeptics and equip believers and conservatives to defend the idea that Christian thought was crucial to the nation's founding--and that this benefits all of us, whatever our faith (or lack of faith).

This volume offers a broad introduction to one of the most exciting chapters of Late Antiquity, through direct testimony from one of the last representatives of Roman Antiquity, Ausonius of Bordeaux, and his radical Christian protege, the populist bishop and experimental poet, Paulinus of Nola. The first comprehensive volume in English dedicated to these works in over a century, this book also offers representative selections from Paulinus' vast poetic output, from the publicly performed poems that mark his contribution to the emerging cult of the saints to his experimental Christianization of a wide range of Classical genres. Preceded by a substantial introduction discussing the modern significance of these works and their original contexts, the translation is accompanied by running notes for ease of reference and an interpretive commentary rich with illustrative parallels. Taken together, the correspondence with Ausonius and the selections from Paulinus epitomize the personal, political, and spiritual conflicts of their age, offering a lively and concentrated introduction to the life and thought of these two underappreciated contemporaries of Jerome and Augustine. Accompanied by new and provocative interpretations with detailed but concise historical and biographical guidance, this accessible and stylish translation will appeal to scholars and students of Classics, Late Antiquity, religious studies, social history, and world literature.

The Vita Christi, written by the abbess Isabel de Villena, is the only literary work in Catalan to bear the signature of a woman during the Middle Ages. It represents a fascinating re-evaluation of the role women played inthe life of Jesus Christ. The Life of Christ (Vita Christi), written by the abbess Isabel de Villena, is the only literary work to have been preserved in Catalan and to bear the signature of a woman during the Middle Ages. It was composed to provide spiritual direction for the nuns within the community of Poor Clares which Sor (i.e. Sister) Isabel oversaw at the Convent of the Holy Trinity in Valencia. The work was only able to emerge from obscurity by accident. In 1497 Queen Isabel of Castile, the wife of Ferdinand of Catalonia-Aragon, who had heard news of the book's existence, asked Sor Isabel's successor for a copy. The new Abbess, Sor Aldonca, responded by bringing the work to press. Queen Isabel's interest in Sor Isabel's book was understandable. The former abbess had been the daughter of the refined and restless Marquess of Villena, and was herself educated at Court, a milieu with which she maintained very positive relations throughout her life. As an abbess, what's more, she carried out important reforms at the convent and became a valued and respected figure within the dynamic cultural world of the Valencia of her day. Isabelde Villena's Vita Christi has often been interpreted as a response, delivered from the serenity of the cloister, to the misogyny and satire against the female gender emanating from certain books written at that time. Sor Isabel's work is a re-evaluation of the role women played in the life of Jesus Christ, a role at variance with the subsidiary one ascribed to them by the majority of commentators. Published in association with Editorial Barcino, Barcelona.

Charts the development of progressive Christianity's engagement with modern science, historical criticism, and liberal humanism Christians who have doubts about the existence of God? Who do not believe in the divinity of Jesus? Who reject the accuracy of the Bible? The New Heretics explores the development of progressive Christianity, a movement of Christians who do not reject their identity as Christians, but who believe Christianity must be updated for today's times and take into consideration modern science, historical criticism, and liberal humanism. Drawing on three years of ethnographic fieldwork in North America, Rebekka King focuses on testimonies of deconversion, collective reading practices, and the ways in which religious beliefs and practices are adapted to fit secular lives. King introduces the concept of "lived secularity" as a category with which to examine the ways in which religiosity often is entangled with and subsumed by secular identities over and against religious ones. This theoretical framework provides insight into the study of religious and cultural hybridity, new emerging groups such as "the nones," atheism, religious apostasy, and multi-religious identities. The New Heretics pays close attention to the ways that progressive Christians understand themselves vis-a-vis a conservative or fundamentalist Christian "other," providing context concerning the presumed divide between the religious right and the religious left. King shows that while it might be tempting to think of progressive Christians as atheists, there are religious and moral dimensions to their disbelief. For progressive Christians the act of questioning and rejecting God-alongside other theological tenets-is framed as a moral activity. Ultimately, the book showcases the importance of engaging with the ethics of belief in understanding contemporary Christianity.

This book explores the philosophical and theological significance of evolutionary anthropology and includes diverse approaches to the relationship between evolution, culture and religion. Particular emphasis is placed on the work of Michael Tomasello, who contributes an opening chapter that tackles the role of religion in his natural history of human thinking and human morality. The first section of the book considers the philosophical foundations of evolutionary anthropology and shows that evolutionary anthropology is open to a multitude of philosophical analyses. The second part offers theological perspectives on the relationship between evolutionary and theological anthropology and between evolution and religion. The volume also reflects more broadly on the complex relationship between religion and science in the contexts of late-modern societies. It makes a significant contribution to the religion and science debate and offers performative evidence that an interdisciplinary discussion between theologians, philosophers and natural scientists is feasible.

Though we say God is loving, trustworthy and all-powerful, our actions and thoughts reveal the subtle and not-so-subtle lies we're believing: that God is impossible to please, manipulative, and likely to abandon us. Written with compassion and conviction, this eight-session LifeGuide (R) Bible Study brings to light our distorted thinking and points us to the truth of who God is-the great healer who knows us intimately and pursues us with love. For over three decades LifeGuide Bible Studies have provided solid biblical content and raised thought-provoking questions-making for a one-of-a-kind Bible study experience for individuals and groups. This series has more than 130 titles on Old and New Testament books, character studies, and topical studies.

In this popular and ambitious series, John Goldingay covers Scripture from Genesis to Malachi and addresses the texts in such a way that even the most challenging passages are explained simply. Perfect for daily devotions, Sunday school preparation, or brief visits with the Bible, the Old Testament for Everyone series is an excellent resource for the modern reader.