Discusses the current crisis of Christian community and offers timely, helpful insights based on 1 Corinthians

Bixby discusses the ways in which churches can restructure themselves and work through issues that are causing stagnation, early dismissal of pastors, and other conflicts that detract from the mission and vision of the church. Challenging the Church Monster suggests new ways for churches to function so that mission and ministry can once again become priorities, and people can begin to feel their time and energy are being used for something other than adding fuel to the fire of conflict within the congregation.

"An old dog (galu wamkota) does not dig for nothing," so the proverb says. The two authors, one from America (with 45 years in Zambia); the other from Zambia, explore the encounter of the Christian faith with African Traditional Religion, treating concept(s) of God, the world of the spirits, of powers and witchcraft, and then how the Bible can be translated into the language of Zambia and Malawi taking into account both changes in concepts of translation and in society

Forty years ago, Toolan composed the words and music of the famous hymn I Am the Bread of Life, performed in 25 languages worldwide. Today, Toolan is one of the most respected writers of religious hymns in the world; the story behind her work sparks creativity in other artists and musicians. (Motivation)

This is the first book by a Malawian woman theologian. First released in 1997 it won an honorable mention in the Noma Award for Publishing in Africa in 1998 and is now updated here with a new introduction by the author. The study traces the struggles and contribution of Chewa women to the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian. Amongst the topics are female mediumships in traditional religion, post-missionary developments in Chigwirizano, womens attempts to achieve some public manifestation of their personal relatioship to God in open ministry, and the current women's organisation in Nkhoma Synod. Dr. Isabel Apawo Phiri is in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Malawi.

Here is a carefully researched yet accessible study by Luther E. Smith, Jr. of five religious communities -- Church of the Messiah, Koinonia Partners, Patchwork Central, Sojourners, and Voice of Calvary.

All Things Are Ready by Peter Andrew Smith is a lectionary book based on Cycle A of the Revised Common Lectionary. Here are some of the topics covered in this lectionary book: - Communion prayer - Communion prayers - Prayers after communion - Responsive prayer - Stewardship - Christian stewardship - Lectionary resources - Lectionary scripture - Lectionary worship Make your celebration of the Lord's Supper flow together with music and other liturgical elements with this stimulating collection of communion prayers. Peter Andrew Smith incorporates imagery and themes from lectionary scripture texts, church seasons, and special pastoral occasions into these eloquent prayers, allowing you to design seamless worship experiences in which the Eucharist reflects and reinforces the focus of the entire service. There are 35 responsive settings of pre-communion prayers for a variety of times throughout the year, including church seasons, seasons of the year, confirmation, stewardship, and more, as well as seven brief post-communion prayers. This volume will be a cherished resource for any pastor or worship planner. We do thank and praise you, Loving God, for the richness of the gifts you have given us. You have given us the bounty of creation, the bold colors of autumn, the cycles of nature, and the wonder of the earth around us. You have richly blessed us with a world of life and beauty. (excerpt from ""Autumn"") Peter Andrew Smith is a pastor in the United Church of Canada who currently serves in Quispamsis, New Brunswick. Smith is also a freelance writer of both fiction and nonfiction in several genres. His devotions have appeared in The Upper Room and United Online, and his stories have been in numerous publications, including The Drabbler and Storyteller. Smith is a graduate of the University of New Brunswick and Atlantic School of Theology.

This book is a facsimile reprint and may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages.

The early growth of Christianity in northern Malawi has often been told as a predominantly missionary story. In reality it came about through the varied interactions of local peoples, and Scottish and Xhosa missionaries (of whom the most famous was William Koyi). In these selected essays, Jack Thompson concentrates mainly on how the Ngoni people interacted with both Scottish and Xhosa missionaries in the period between 1875 and 1914. During these years, the Ngoni were struggling for religious, cultural and political survival, and all these elements are dealt with in these essays.

A survey of resources about small groups at the beginning of the 1990s led to a discovery: Many books on small groups carried an instructional content and touched on groups as instrumental in delivery of that specific subject matter. How a leader was to function relative to a group was discussed as a matter of how to manage an instructional hour. The potential of groups for making connections and building community and serving others was largely unrecognized. What a group leader might do to pull together and maintain a group, or how a group leader might become acknowledged as part of a larger leadership strategy for service and outreach was simply unaddressed. From the insights developed in his complex and widely recommended "Prepare Your Church for the Future," best-selling author Carl George extracts the most basic, practical elements of how an individual leader can contribute to the well-being of others and the overall organization. He interprets the role of a group leader in language that is easily understood and remembered: nine commitments leading to a partnership with professional church leaders. Pastors and church consultants consistently report that the people exposed to these nine keys are easy to work with. They readily grasp the reasonableness of the principles, which help them be trustworthy team players in this matter of shared ministry. From the forward, by Robert Coleman, Director of the Billy Graham Institute: "This book speaks to our need for practical leadership training. With profound simplicity, it describes how small groups grow through loving relationships as readers build up one another in the faith. More importantly, the reader learn ways to prepare yourselffor leadership in the group. The sequential steps show readers how to bring others into the circle of love, and in the process, how to enlarge your outreach by multiplying disciple makers." This 2007 edition includes an updated Appendix, describing recent developments in the fi

MISSIONS STRATEGIES OF KOREAN PRESBYTERIAN MISSIONARIES IN CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES is the most important book on Presbyterian missions in the Philippines to be published in this century. Historians of Asia and scholars of Christian history interested in learning about the planting of the Presbyterian movement in the Philippines cannot ignore this book. This book describes the origin and growth of the Presbyterian Church of the Philippines (PCP), a major Presbyterian denomination in the Philippines, and it explains the strategies used by Presbyterian missionaries to accomplish Presbyterianism in the Philippines. Written by the current director of the main missionary training agency of the Korean Presbyterian Church (Ko-Shin), one of the biggest Korean Presbyterian denominations with thousands of churches throughout the world and dozens of co-operative "daughter" Korean Presbyterian denominations worldwide - in the USA, Australia, the European Union, Indonesia, etc. - this book provides a picture into the secrets of success behind Korean Presbyterian missions work. This book is written by Rev. Dr. Hoo-Soo Jose Nam who has served as the President of Cebu Bible College in the Philippines for over a decade and trained hundreds of Christian clergy and leaders. Rev. Dr. Nam is not only an academic but personally founded or help found over 10 Filipino Presbyterian churches in the Philippines. This book is an authoritative book on Presbyterian missionary activity in the Philippines by one who was an important part of that history.

This book sets out, translates into English and interprets the key documents and texts of the African Ancestors Religion. It contextualises the movement within Malawi's new religious movements and conflicts between tradition and modernisation. It argues that both the negative and positive aspects of the teaching reflect an indigenous, carefully considered strategy to mobilise the masses for a return to traditional practices of worship, and to challenge the foreign ideologies of Christianity, which its follows consider are undermining the religious heritage of Africans.

Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!

The first serious journalistic investigation of the highly secretive, controversial organization Opus Dei provides unique insight about the wild rumors surrounding it and discloses its significant influence in the Vatican and on the politics of the Catholic Church.
Opus Dei (literally "the work of God") is an international association of Catholics often labeled as conservative who seek personal Christian perfection and strive to implement Christian ideals in their jobs and in society as a whole. Founded in Spain in 1928, it now has 84,000 members (1,600 of whom are priests) in eighty countries. But far from running bingo nights at local parishes, Opus Dei has become a center of controversy and suspicion both within and outside the Church. It has been accused of promoting a right-wing political agenda and of cultlike practices, aggressive recruiting, brainwashing new recruits, and isolating members from their families. Its notoriety escalated with the publication of the runaway bestseller "The Da Vinci Code" (Opus Dei plays an important and sinister role in the novel) and with the previous pope's much-debated canonization of its founder (often linked with Francisco Franco's facist regime) and the discovery that convicted FBI spy Robert Hanson was a member of Opus Dei.
With the expert eye of a longtime trusted observer of the Vatican and the skill of an investigative reporter intent on uncovering closely guarded secrets, John Allen finally separates the myths from the facts in "Opus Dei". Granted unlimited access to the prelate who heads the organization and to Opus Dei centers throughout the world, Allen draws on a wealth of interviews with current members, as well as with highly critical ex-members, to create an unprecedented portrait of the activities, practices, and intentions behind its veil of secrecy. Allen reveals the remarkable power that Opus Dei commands in shaping Vatican policy and presents a detailed look at the full extent of its network, which includes people in key positions in politics, banking, academia, and other influential arenas. He even describes the arcane rituals--including self-flagellation--performed to preserve and promote a spiritual tradition strange and unsettling to modern sensibilities.
For years, Opus Dei has been the subject of conspiracy theories and dark, uninformed speculation. "Opus Dei "sets the record straight.

Here is a book to challenge all separationist and accommodationist views of Christianity and the contemporary world. These pages will provoke a new level of discussion in the church and the academy alike.--Don El Saliers, Professor of Theology and Worship, Candler School of Theology, Emory University

The Author's Account Of His Travels To Monasteries Of The Mediterranean And Mid-East Area, Including Egypt, Jerusalem, Athos As Well As Details Of Native People, Their Beliefs.

How do we assess the effect of an evangelistic meeting or campaign? Are we right to judge its success or failure by the number of people who go forward or sign a card? There can, of course, be no greater or more important invitation to men and women than that of the gospel. The preacher should never feel any inhibitions in declaring the free offer of salvation in Christ. But does this mean that we are at liberty to use any method that appears to get results? Is the appeal or altar call a justified method of encouraging that final commitment, or is it an unwarranted addition to the inherent power of the gospel? This is controversial and may come as a shock to many who have never considered the rights or wrongs of the invitation system before. The authors desire is that all Christians think the issue through and ensure that the Great Invitation of the gospel is not based on modern trends or cultural pressures for instant success, but on the sure foundation of the Word of God.

This academic missiological text provides a thorough, readable and engaging analysis of the foundational concepts of ministry and mission in the early church as presented by one of the earliest Christian historians, Luke. Luke's skill as a storyteller and teacher become evident as he weaves his ministry and mission themes and agenda throughout the text of his two-volume work--The Gosple of Luke and The Book of Acts. This very readable text is appropriate for college students, missionaries or ministers interested in a biblical perspective on mission and ministry in today's global, multicultural society.

True Stories Of The Intrepid Bravery And Patient Endurance Of Missionaries.