Rudolf Steiner, the often undervalued, multifaceted genius of modern times, contributed much to the regeneration of culture. In addition to his philosophical teachings, he provided ideas for the development of many practical activities, including education - both general and special - agriculture, medicine, economics, architecture, science, religion and the arts. Steiner's original contribution to human knowledge was based on his ability to conduct 'spiritual research', the investigation of metaphysical dimensions of existence. With his scientific and philosophical training, he brought a new systematic discipline to the field, allowing for conscious methods and comprehensive results. A natural seer from childhood, he cultivated his spiritual vision to a high degree, enabling him to speak with authority on previously veiled mysteries of life. Samples of Steiner's work are to be found in this introductory reader in which Matthew Barton brings together excerpts from Steiner's many talks and writings on Easter. The volume also features an editorial introduction, afterword, commentary and notes.

This is a book about making musical choices. But not just any choices. This is a book about making musical choices that are deliberately informed by the Word of God. It is about making choices that are discerning, wise, beneficial, and edifying. This book is about making musical choices that will bring glory to God. Six brief, engaging chapters will help you answer the most significant questions influencing our musical choices today.

We are apt to forget how much people traveled in the Middle Ages. Not only merchants, friars, soldiers and official messengers, but crowds of pilgrims were a familiar sight on the roads of Western Europe. In this engaging work of history, Jonathan Sumption brings alive the traditions of pilgrimage prevalent in Europe from the beginning of Christianity to the end of the fifteenth century. Vividly describing such major destinations as Jerusalem, Rome, Santiago de Compostela and Canterbury, he examines both major figures -- popes, kings, queens, scholars, villains -- and the common people of their day.

A fascinating entertaining read, this book:

-- addresses what motivated such extraordinary quests.

-- offers a snapshot of those worldly pilgrims, who were among the first "package tour" travelers.

-- brings alive the traditions of pilgrimage prevalent in Europe from the beginning of Christianity to the end of the fifteenth century.

The process of living is a journey, and this book is a vehicle that evokes the inner life. Boldly step into the life of the Spirit through this journal workbook.

Of the many works he wrote during 1848, his "richest and most fruitful year," Kierkegaard specified "Practice in Christianity" as "the most perfect and truest thing." In his reflections on such topics as Christ's invitation to the burdened, the imitatio Christi, the possibility of offense, and the exalted Christ, he takes as his theme the requirement of Christian ideality in the context of divine grace. Addressing clergy and laity alike, Kierkegaard asserts the need for institutional and personal admission of the accommodation of Christianity to the culture and to the individual misuse of grace. As a corrective defense, the book is an attempt to find, ideally, a basis for the established order, which would involve the order's ability to acknowledge the Christian requirement, confess its own distance from it, and resort to grace for support in its continued existence. At the same time the book can be read as the beginning of Kierkegaard's attack on Christendom. Because of the high ideality of the contents and in order to prevent the misunderstanding that he himself represented that ideality, Kierkegaard writes under a new pseudonym, Anti-Climacus.

A Pilgrim's Jounral is a spiritual travelogue in which the author tells us much about the union between Christian faith and living in the word, the union between grace and nature. This book helps us to understand that the story of each of us is a journey in faith.

Is there one correct way for the people of God to worship him? It turns out that Scripture offers many models and forms for worship, all of which are acceptable but not necessarily appropriate or functional in a particular setting. Barry Liesch, a professor of music at Biola University, helps his readers to grasp that fact and it's implications for worship in the church today. This is a one-of-a-kind book for many kinds of readers in all kinds of churches. It offers biblical perspective, historical awareness, musical and artistic sensitivity, authentic reverence, and creative stimulation for worship leaders, church musicians, study groups, pastors, worship committees, and a host of others who are interested in appreciating and renewing worship according to biblical models. Within each of the twenty chapters the author shares many suggestions for enhancing and transforming worship in the church today. Not only does he present the various biblical models and offer a wealth of suggestions, he takes up some of the major concerns of worship leaders, planners, and participants -- concerns such as the role of music, uses of symbolism, the appropriateness of dance, modes of celebration, expressions of reverence, and many others.

Uniquely authoritative and wide-ranging in its scope, The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church is the indispensable reference work on all aspects of the Christian Church. It contains over 6,500 cross-referenced A-Z entries, and offers unrivalled coverage of all aspects of this vast and often complex subject, from theology; churches and denominations; patristic scholarship; and the bible; to the church calendar and its organization; popes; archbishops; other church leaders; saints; and mystics. In this new edition, great efforts have been made to increase and strengthen coverage of non-Anglican denominations (for example non-Western European Christianity), as well as broadening the focus on Christianity and the history of churches in areas beyond Western Europe. In particular, there have been extensive additions with regards to the Christian Church in Asia, Africa, Latin America, North America, and Australasia. Significant updates have also been included on topics such as liturgy, Canon Law, recent international developments, non-Anglican missionary activity, and the increasingly important area of moral and pastoral theology, among many others. Since its first appearance in 1957, the ODCC has established itself as an essential resource for ordinands, clergy, and members of religious orders, and an invaluable tool for academics, teachers, and students of church history and theology, as well as for the general reader.

In an age when religious radicalism was regarded as socially subversive, Bunyan's Grace Abounding describes the spiritual regeneration of one who came from 'that rank that is meanest and most despised'. God and Satan are the chief protagonists in Bunyan's drama: they exist not as theological concepts but as terrifyingly immediate adversaries in the competition for Bunyan's soul. 'What care I,' says Satan to Bunyan, 'though I be seven years in chilling your heart, if I can do it at last?' Bunyan finds his spiritual defences not so much in God as in the Bible, and Grace Abounding charts his passionate and imaginative involvement with this ultimate source of spiritual wisdom.

This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special Legacy Reprint Series. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as a part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literature.

The word liturgy is packed with power. For some, it evokes the grandeur and mystery of the church's rich tradition. For others it evokes a rigid and confusing form of obsolete practice. Dan Benedict provides us with a deeper and more satisfying way to understand liturgy and to discuss issues related to worship. In his understanding, readers come to see liturgy as God's means of uniting with the heart, mind, and work of Christ. Liturgy, Benedict says, carries us into the presence of the holy in the same way that those friends in the Gospel story carried their paralyzed friend into the presence of Christ. When our spiritual life is dry and we have difficulty experiencing that presence, liturgy holds that meaning for us until we are ready to return. Liturgy connects us with the communion of the saints and allows us to worship with other believers across time and place. Over time, given faithful participation, the liturgy works to shape our perceptions and create more space for God's grace to find expression. This volume, with original prayers and reflection questions, is an excellent text for a new members' studying worship, or for a congregation's worship committee to read as a preparation for its work. Topics include corporate liturgical practices like Baptism, Communion, and the Christian year, as well as personal practices of daily prayer and scriptural reading.

Good News of Great Joy by John Piper invites Christians to make Jesus the center of the Advent season through 25 devotional readings.

A book of Eastertide resources covering the period from Easter Sunday to Trinity Sunday, it offers prayers, responses, liturgies, songs, poems, reflections, meditations, sermons and stories for a period of nearly two months, including Easter Day, Ascension Day, Pentecost, Trinity Sunday, Saints' days and Rogation days.

For 60 years, Lillenas has been providing Christmas resources for church programs. This anniversary edition includes recitations for children and a variety of other choices for multi-generational worship, giving you the latest and best tools for your seasonal needs. Use individually or combine several pieces for longer church services. Titles include: On Earth Peace... - a reading on the gift of Jesus; Little Star - an easy children's play with suggested songs; and Voices of Christmas - a complete service for a pastor, small cast, scripture, and congregational music to trace the traditional story. Christmas Program Builder No. 60 contains: 12 preschool recitations; 11 pieces for ages 5 to 7; 6 pieces for ages 8 to 10; 5 plays and monologues for all ages

Let the words of Trappist monk Thomas Merton lead you through the holy season of Lent and into Easter. The author was known for his journaling skills. With that in mind, the daily format includes an explanation of one facet of the season, followed by Mertons' writings, appropriate Scripture passages and a daily journal topic to encourage your own thoughts related to Lent and Easter.

The NASB Pew and Worship Bible is perfect for any church pew or classroom and matches page-for-page with the NASB Preacher's Bible. While both Bibles retain their own distinct page layout and font size, they were skillfully designed so that the pages of these two different Bibles begin and end with the same word. This will allow pastors and congregations to literally be on the same page during sermons. Universally recognized as the gold standard among word-for-word translations, the beloved New American Standard Bible, 1995 Edition, is now easier to read with Zondervan's exclusive NASB Comfort Print (R) typeface. Features The full text of the New American Standard Bible, 1995 Edition Matches page-for-page with the NASB Preacher's Bible Premium, durable hardcover binding High-quality paper Double-column, verse-by-verse format Exclusive Zondervan NASB Comfort Print typeface 9-point print size

A striking book of contemporary spirituality based on the medieval writings of a woman ahead of her time, Julian of Norwich. An anchorite who lived in a monastic cell attached to a parish church, she found inspiration in the simple domestic detail of her life and used it as a springboard to prayer and contemplation. Penny Roker's warm and gentle book enables readers to make an 'armchair retreat' using nothing more than things around the house to access and apply the spiritual riches of Julian. Not everyone can get away on an organised retreat, but this is a complete resource for making a retreat alone at home. It is equally appropriate for guided group meditation, of course. Each day includes a scripture reading, an excerpt from Julian's Showing of Love, a meditation to read, a practical spiritual exercise, questions to reflect upon, closing prayers, further scriptures, and reading ideas.

Bryan Spinks is one of the world's leading scholars in the field of liturgy and to have a comprehensive work by him on the Eucharist is a major catch for SCM. Like the author's previous work on Baptism, this will become a standard work about the Eucharist and Eucharistic theology worldwide. The book, a study of the history and theology of the Eucharist, is the fifth volume in the SCM Studies in Worship and Liturgy series and will help to establish the series as a place for landmark books of liturgical scholarship. This book will be aimed at undergraduate and graduate theology students, clergy and theologically literate laity. It will assume some technical knowledge (i. e. it is not an introduction to liturgy or introduction to sacraments), but will attempt to outline what the evidence is, and what current scholars think. On occasions it will advance or argue for why one interpretation is preferable to another.

"Paper Bag Prayers" offers a very distinct method of prayer showing how users can pray about anything, anywhere, at anytime. It has proven to be a successful method of teaching prayer in elementary classrooms, but is equally appealing to busy adults needing to take time to pray. "Paper Bag Prayers" invites users to focus on one small thing and be surprised at how any object can lead to a mini-meditation or a brief conversation with God.
Teachers and busy mothers will love using this quick and easy method of prayer. Praying "Paper Bag Prayers" can become a favorite way to pray for everyone!
Bernadette McCarver Snyder is a bestselling author, advertising writer/designer, and columnist. She has written many books for parents, children, and teachers.
96-page paperback 4-1/4 x 7

Beloved Pope John Paul II was one of the most popular and inspirational religious figures of our time. In "Lent and Easter Wisdom From Pope John Paul II, " the late Holy Father's thought-provoking words lead readers through a journey of conversion throughout the season Lent and Easter week.
Each daily reflection--from Ash Wednesday through the Second Sunday of Easter--begins with thoughts from Pope John Paul II on some appropriate theme, supported by Scripture, a prayer, and a suggested activity for spiritual growth.
paperback

"I here humbly offer you, Christian reader, some assistance in that great and good work, which you have to do, and are concerned to do well, when you attend the table of your Lord. I send this abroad under the protection and blessing of heaven; with a hearty prayer to God to forgive whatever is mine, that is, what is amiss and defective in the performance; and graciouswly to accept what is his own, that is, whatever is good and profitable." - Matthew Henry "No treatise on The Lord's Table possesses more excellencies, nor fewer defects than Mathew Henry's THE COMMUNICANT'S COMPANION. It is very plain, very pious, and very practical." - Rev. John Brown of Edinburgh, Scotland (1825)

This is the Night is a work of "liturgical theology," understood as a theology inspired or informed by the liturgies of Christian Holy Week. In the context of modernity in crisis, it is an attempt to think with the principal liturgies of the "PaschalTriduum" - Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Great Vigil of Easter - about human suffering. The author works from an analysis of the structure of the Christian paschal liturgies to offer an account of suffering that is more compassionate and honest than that of western modernity. In both the philosophical and the popular imagination, modernity is a context in which "progress" is the defining human telos. Because of this commitment to progress, modernity is often allergic to the concrete pain and horror of suffering. Modernity sidelines suffering as an unfortunate but necessary moment in the course of human progress, not infrequently because it is a byproduct of our "progress" - our technical mastery of nature and leadership of global capitalization. In this context, suffering is more a concept than an existential fact or experience. Yet downplaying human suffering in this way creates even greater suffering, by anesthetizing us to its effect on human beings. Some of the critics of modernity also criticize Christianity as a religious version of the modern myth of progress, or even as its very source. Inspired in part by the political theology of Johann Metz and by the liturgical scholarship of Don Saliers, Robert Taft, and others, the author argues instead that in the liturgies of Holy Week, the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ form a context in which Christians recognize human suffering not as an unfortunate moment on the way to salvation but as the very field of God's saving activity.