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Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Christianity > Roman Catholicism, Roman Catholic Church > General
Pope Francis is determined to transform the Catholic Church. The
first Pope born in South America, Francis was elected at a time
when the world was weary of the Vatican. He has been able to inject
new enthusiasm for the Church and win many admirers. Beneath his
smile and warm nature, there is a man who wants the Church to go
back to its core values of social justice and caring for the poor
and vulnerable around the world. Pope Francis - Two Years of Change
is a chronicle of just what he has been able to do so far. Follow
Pope Francis' story as he becomes one of the most respected figures
in the world today.
Jerry L. Walls, the author of books on hell and heaven, completes
his tour of the afterlife with a philosophical and theological
exploration and defense of purgatory, the traditional teaching that
most Christians require a period of postmortem cleansing and
purging of their sinful dispositions and imperfections before they
will be fully made ready for heaven. He examines Protestant
objections to the doctrine and shows that the doctrine of purgatory
has been construed in different ways, some of which are fully
compatible with Protestant theology. In particular, while purgatory
has often been understood as matter of punishment in order to make
satisfaction for sins that have not been fully remitted, it can
also be seen as the completion of the sanctification process, an
account of the doctrine that is fully consistent with the
Protestant doctrine of justification by faith. Purgatory assumes
not only continuity of personal identity but also gradual moral and
spiritual growth between death and resurrection. Different theories
of personal identity are examined and assessed in light of these
assumptions. Walls also shows that the traditional doctrine of
purgatory is not understood as a second chance for salvation, but
goes on to argue that it should be modified to allow for postmortem
repentance. He concludes with an examination of C.S. Lewis's
writings on purgatory, and suggests that Lewis can be a model for
evangelicals and other Protestants to engage the doctrine of
purgatory in a way that is true to their theology.
Christian dialogic writings flourished in the Catholic missions in
late Ming China. This study focuses on the mission work of the
Italian Jesuit Giulio Aleni (Ai Rulue , 1582-1649) in Fujian and
the unique text Kouduo richao (Diary of Oral Admonitions,
1630-1640) that records the religious and intellectual
conversations among the Jesuits and local converts. By examining
the mechanisms of dialogue in Kouduo richao and other Christian
works distinguished by a certain dialogue form, the author of the
present work aims to reveal the formation of a hybrid
Christian-Confucian identity in late Ming Chinese religious
experience. By offering the new approach of dialogic hybridization,
the book not only treats dialogue as an important yet
underestimated genre in late Ming Christian literature, but it also
uncovers a self-other identity complex in the dialogic exchanges of
the Jesuits and Chinese scholars. Giulio Aleni, Kouduo richao, and
Christian-Confucian Dialogism in Late Ming Fujian is a
multi-faceted investigation of the religious, philosophical,
ethical, scientific, and artistic topics discussed among the
Jesuits and late Ming scholars. This comprehensive research echoes
what the distinguished Sinologist Erik Zurcher (1928-2008) said
about the richness and diversity of Chinese Christian texts
produced in the 17th and 18th centuries. Following Zurcher's
careful study and annotated full translation of Kouduo richao
(Monumenta Serica Monograph Series, LVI/1-2), the present work
features a set of new findings beyond the endeavours of Zurcher and
other scholars. With the key concept of Christian-Confucian
dialogism, it tells the intriguing story of Aleni's mission work
and the thriving Christian communities in late Ming Fujian.
The unifying centre of Nicholas J. Healy's book is an analysis, in
dialogue with the metaphysics of Thomas Aquinas, of Balthasar's
understanding of the analogy of being. This discussion of analogy
is framed by an interpretation of Balthasar's trinitarian
eschatology. Healy shows that the ultimate form of the end, and
thus the measure of all that is meant by eschatology, is given in
Christ's eucharistic and pneumatic gift of himself - a gift that
simultaneously lays bare the mystery of God's trinitarian life and
enables Christ to 'return' to the Father in communion with the
whole of creation.
During the three decades from 1945 to 1975, the Catholic Church in
West Germany employed a broad range of methods from empirical
social research. Statistics, opinion polling, and organizational
sociology, as well as psychoanalysis and other approaches from the
"psy sciences," were debated and introduced in pastoral care. In
adopting these methods for their own work, bishops, parish clergy,
and pastoral sociologists tried to open the church up to modernity
in a rapidly changing society. In the process, they contributed to
the reform agenda of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965).
Through its analysis of the intersections between organized
religion and applied social sciences, this award-winning book
offers fascinating insights into the trajectory of the Catholic
Church in postwar Germany.
This book features an exploration of the interaction between
Darwinian ideas and Catholic doctrine. This coherent collection of
original papers marks the 150 year anniversary since the
publication of Charles Darwin's "Origin of Species" (1859).
Although the area of evolution-related publications is vast, the
area of interaction between Darwinian ideas and specifically
Catholic doctrine has received limited attention. This interaction
is quite distinct from the one between Darwinism and the Christian
tradition in general. Interest in Darwin from the Catholic
viewpoint has recently been rekindled. The major causes of this
include: John Paul II's "Message to the Pontifical Academy of
Sciences on Evolution" in 1996; (2) the document "Communion and
Stewardship: Human Persons Created in the Image of God" issued in
2002; by the International Theological Commission under the
supervision of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the present Pope Benedict
XVI; Cardinal Christoph Schonborn apparent endorsement of
Intelligent Design in his "New York Times" article "Finding Design
in Nature" of July 7, 2005; and, Pope Benedict XVI's contributions
in the recent collection of papers "Schopfung und Evolution"
("Creation and Evolution"), published in Germany in April, 2007.
Responding to this heightened interest, the book offers a valuable
collection of work from outstanding Catholic scholars in various
fields.
This new series, Research on Religion and Education, will examine
the important role that religion continues to play in education at
all levels, elementary, secondary and tertiary and in all venues,
public, private, and parochial schools. A central focus of the
series will identify the place of religious schools in maintaining
the identity of sponsoring faith communities and the impact these
communities have on the school. Other topics will examine differing
educational philosophies of religious schools including the
non-Christian schools, the appropriate role of religion in public
schools, and the impact of religion on the lives of students in
higher education. This series will study the impact that religion
has on education and education has on religion.
Hans Urs von Balthasar is emerging as a colossus of
twentieth-century theology. More and more of his works are being
translated. But as yet he is mainly known only through his great
multi-volume trilogy 'Glory', 'Theo-Drama' and Theo-Logic'.Aidan
Nichols has treated each part of the trilogy and theearly worksin
his widely acclaimed 'Introduction to Hans Urs von Balthasar'.In
this final volume he explores all von Balthasar'slater works. Many
of these works are extremely important, although several are as yet
untranslated and several as yet almost unknown. Nichols ranges
widely and comprehensively, from journal articles to his major
works, such as 'Apokalypse der deutschen Seele', to his final short
works. The result is a wholly new perspective on von Balthasar, a
contextualising of his trilogy and an illumination of his whole
life and work.
What Catholic social thought can teach thinkers of all faiths and
backgrounds about equitable economics Inequality is skyrocketing.
In a world of vast riches, millions of people live in extreme
poverty, barely surviving from day to day. All over the world, the
wealthy's increasing political power is biasing policy away from
the public interest toward the financial interests of the rich. At
the same time, many countries are facing financial fragility and
diminished well-being. On top of it all, a global economy driven by
fossil fuels has proven to be a collective act of self-sabotage
with the poor on the front lines. A growing chorus of economists
and politicians is demanding a new paradigm to create a global
economy for the common good. In Cathonomics, Anthony M. Annett
unites insights in economics with those from theology, philosophy,
climate science, and psychology, exposing the failures of
neoliberalism while offering us a new model rooted in the wisdom of
Catholic social teaching and classical ethical traditions. Drawing
from the work of Pope Leo XIII, Pope Francis, Thomas Aquinas, and
Aristotle, Annett applies these teachings to discuss current
economic challenges such as inequality, unemployment and
underemployment, climate change, and the roles of business and
finance. Cathonomics is an ethical and practical guide to readers
of all faiths and backgrounds seeking to create a world economy
that is more prosperous, inclusive, and sustainable for all.
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