As cities expand, Christ calls the church to bring the gospel to centers of population, culture, and political power.

Based on hitherto untapped primary sources, including diocesan records and vernacular oral histories expressed in both stories and songs, this volume not only provides the first critical study of Bishop Azariah's life but also offers important - at times challenging - insights for those interested in modern India and the place of Christianity within it.

Religious conversion has always been and remains today a controversial issue in many of the world's reigions. It has been promoted, condoned, banned but almost never ignored. Although it normally appears in a religious context, the language of conversion can be discerned at the heart of the new religious pluralism that is increasingly present at least in many Western societies. This volume explains the practices of various world religions and highlights some of the issues that cut across traditions and emerge in distinctive ways in different ways in different religions and cultural settings. The first three chapters offer students some theoretical perspectives, and are followed by accounts of the history of conversion in Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, Sikhism, Chinese religion and Zoroastrianism, as well as descriptions of contemporary practice. Additonal chapters look in depth at personal stories of conversion, both within Christianity and from Christianity Eastern and New Age forms of religion. The book will be of interest to undergraduates as well as the general reader interested in gaining an insight into an enduring controversy that affects all religions.Christopher Lamb is Head of the Centre for Inter-Faith Dialogue at Middlesex University, London. M. Darrol Bryant is Professor of Religion and Culture at Renison College, University of Waterloo, Ontario.

Prepare everyone in the congregation for a meaningful Lenten season with this worship guide for Reconciliation. Designed to be used each weekday during the season of Lent, it encourages individuals to read short sections from the Bible, then reflect on the meaning of the readings in their own lives.
Six study guides for group discussion enable small groups to discuss how reconciliation is working in their own lives. Stimulating questions will lead to a shared experience and closer ties among church members.
A Companion volume of sermon outlines and program ideas is available.
Karen Helsel has served as a missionary in Bangkok, Thailand, an associate pastor of outreach and youth, and a case manager for a women's shelter for the homeless. She attended Warner Pacific College in Portland and Gulf Coast Bible College in Houston, and received her B.A. degree in Psychology from Anderson University in Indiana.

The Sundays of Lent don't have to be boring! Follow the lectionary and provide your congregation with exciting worship experiences by using these positive yet sensitive dialogue sermons based on Cycle A of the Revised Common Lectionary. Wit and scripture are combined to encourage Christian growth and prod listeners into making a personal commitment. In addition to six sermon dialogues, worship planning aids are included for each Sunday, along with an Ash Wednesday worship service. In addition to six sermon dialogues, worship planning aids are included for each Sunday, plus an Ash Wednesday worship service with the theme-setting sermon, "Onward! Through The Fog!" Subsequent to a position as Business Administrator of the New York State Grange, E. Morris-Pierce began studies to become a pastor in the United Methodist Church. She served as an officer in the Salvation Army for five years, and her various church positions have included church secretary, choir director, organist, handbell choir director, and Sunday school teacher. She and her husband, Rev. Norman Morris, were foster parents to sixteen children before adopting their daughter. Her own unusual childhood experiences at an orphanage and various boarding homes contributed much to her background and character.

In "Transforming Culture," Lingenfelter sets out a model for understanding the workings of a society and then applies this model to conflicts missionaries and nationals often face over economic and social issues. Utilizing a plethora of case studies and personal anecdotes, he identifies the root of the conflicts and contradictory assumptions that make it difficult for missionaries and nationals to work together, and guides readers to solutions for transforming culture.

Gain clear 'snapshots' into what God expects of us in living the Kingdom life. Snapshots of the Kingdom is a book that seeks to demonstrate how a church can become a relevant expression of the Kingdom of God through having a heart for compassionate ministries. In light of the 1997 General Assembly decision to make North America a mission field, this book will be especially appealing to readers who are seeking to impact not only world wide missionary work, but that of their local community and/or inner-city as well. Paper.

In this book, Pat Williams, senior executive vice president of the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association, gives five secrets he has discovered that lead to a magical, miraculous way of life.

In recent years the term "religious pluralism" has come to be used not only in a descriptive sociological sense but also as theologically prescriptive. Within this new paradigm traditional Christian understandings of Christ, conversion, evangelism, and mission have been radically reinterpreted. The Recovery of Mission explores the pluralist paradigm through the work of three of its most influential Asian exponents - Stanley Samartha, Aloysius Pieris, and Raimundo Panikkar - subjecting each to a theological and philosophical critique. On the basis of biblical, patristic, and contemporary theological writings Vinoth Ramachandra argues for the uniqueness and decisiveness of what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. Ramachandra seeks to show that many of the valid concerns of pluralist theologians can best be met by reappropriating the missionary thrust at the heart of the gospel. The book ends with suggestions, challenging to pluralists and conservatives alike, as to how the gospel needs to be communicated in a multifaith world.

Founded by free people of color in Philadelphia in the aftermath of the American Revolution, the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church emerged in the nineteenth century as the preeminent black institution in the United States. In 1896, the church opened mission work in South Africa, absorbing an independent ""Ethiopian"" church founded by dissident African Christians a few years earlier. In the process, the church helped ignite one of the most influential popular movements in South African history. Songs of Zion examines this remarkable historical convergence from both sides of the Atlantic. James Campbell charts the origins and evolution of black American independent churches, arguing that the very act of becoming Christian forced African Americans to reflect on their relationship to their ancestral continent. He then turns to South Africa, exploring the AME Church's entrance and evolution in a series of specific South African contexts. Throughout the book, Campbell focuses on the comparisons that Africans and African Americans themselves drew between their situations. Their transatlantic encounter, he argues, enabled both groups to understand and act upon their worlds in new ways. |Discusses the interaction between the African Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States and in South Africa, arguing that each group influenced the other to understand and act on their worlds in new ways.

-- An exposition of the meaning of the Trinity for worship, baptism, the Lord's supper and language for God.
-- Firmly rooted in Scripture and warm-heartedly pastoral while masterfully theological.
-- Points to the "who" of worship, not the "how".

Here Is a Book That Sets Our Worship, sacraments, communion and language of God back on track. In a day when refinement of method and quality of experience are the guiding lights for many Christians, James Torrance points us to the indispensable "who" of worship, the triune God of grace. "Worship is the gift of participating through the Spirit in the incarnate Son's communion with the Father", writes Torrance.

This book explodes the notion that the doctrine of the Trinity may be indispensable for the creed but remote from life and worship. Firmly rooted in Scripture and theology, alive with pastoral counsel and anecdote, Torrance's work shows us just why real trinitarian theology is the very fiber of Christian confession.

The Psalms are wonderful sources of encouragement, enlightenment, and strength. This series explores the Psalms for Cycle A of the Common Lectionary using New Revised Standard Version of the Bible texts.
Each meditation is in three parts. First is the Psalm itself. Second is the alternate image, offering readers new insights to stimulate their vision of the Psalms. Third is the reflection section, offering a short analysis and comment on the passage.
"Aids to the Psalms" is appropriate for liturgical aids, sermon starters, personal and group meditation, and Christian education.
Among the Psalms of Cycle A are:
- Christmas Eve -- O sing to the Lord a new song.
- Good Friday -- My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
- Thanksgiving -- Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion.
- Ascension -- Clap your hands, all you peoples.
This is part of a three-book set on exploring the message of the Psalms.
Hugh H. Drennan is a Presbyterian minister serving in the Oakland-Cambridge Presbyterian church in Cambridge, Wisconsin. He is a graduate of the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary, Dubuque. Iowa.

Four complete Christmas services:
- Christmas Play With Drama And Service Of Lights
- Christmas Service Based On Traditions And Carols From Around The World
- Christmas Service In Monologues And Carols
- Christmas Service Of Scriptures, Traditions, And Carols
These inspiring services are easy for any size church to prepare and present. Each one offers a unique and different approach.
Gail Gaymer Martin has a Bachelor of Science degree in Education, majoring in English and Speech Performance, and a Masters degree in Educational Guidance and Counseling from Wayne State University in Detroit. She is a high school guidance counselor. She has written news and feature articles for professional publications and has been active for many years in worship planning and choral music. Gail sings with two professional choral ensembles. She is a script writer for puppet ministries and has written and directed numerous successful musical comedy productions used in fund-raising programs. Her poetry has been widely published.

Worship must be directly connected to our daily lives," writes George A. Nye. "It must address our fears, our hopes, even our indifferences."
"Old Wine In New Skins" provides pastors many resources to make the connection. These include 66 calls to worship, 13 preparations for pastoral prayers, and 52 reflections.
Calls to worship categories include:
- With praise and celebration
- Using traditional hymns and praise hymns
- Relating to a story
- With a commitment theme
- Involving personal preparation
- By season
A preparation for pastoral prayer section helps pastors broaden a congregation's understanding of how to approach God in prayer. Thirteen "preparations" are provided, including one for Advent-Christmas.
Fifty-two short reflections cover eight major themes for countless pastoral uses. These are easily adopted for mini-devotions, sermon illustrations, and newsletter meditations.
George A. Nye, Medford, Oregon, is senior pastor of the Eastwood Baptist Church. He graduated from Willamette University, Salem, Oregon, and holds a master's of divinity degree from American Baptist Seminary of the West, Berkeley, California. He has pastored churches in Washington, Idaho, Utah, and Oregon.

"Dallas Brauninger offers all who plan Sunday services of worship rich varieties of uses of one lectionary passage for every Sunday: a variety of voices and groupings of voices, and a variety of settings within the service of worship itself, from calls to worship to benedictions. Each arrangement can help worshipers hear the Word of God with new appreciation."
Arthur M. Field
Editor, "These Days"
"In The Beginning Was The Word" allows every person of whatever age who can read and speak to become a leader in worship.
The clear, ringing voice of children, and the aging voices of older members help make Sunday worship part of everyone's joy.
Dallas Brauninger takes one lectionary reading for each Sunday and other special days in the life of the church and develops it into a choral reading.
Readings are based on the New Revised Standard Version texts and the Revised Common Lectionary texts.
This is part of a three-book cycle on lectionary readings.
Dallas A. Brauninger, a graduate of Albion College, received her master of divinity degree and an honorary doctor of divinity degree from the Chicago Theological Seminary. A full-time writer, Brauninger has served churches in Colorado and Nebraska. She and her husband, also an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, live in West Point, Nebraska.

"Death took me. I found myself in an empty, dark void. I don't remember anything of it, just emptiness. Then I heard his voice, "Lazarus, come out " Jesus called me from death to life. Struggling through the darkness, I came out of my tomb." (from Lazarus' personal confession)
Using the theme "confessions" this resource offers 12 worship options to enhance your congregation's Holy Week and Easter journey.
The journey begins with a Palm Sunday worship service and the confession of Lazarus. Resources are also offered for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and various Saturday and Sunday services.
Two communion services for Easter Sunday and an Easter message, "The Sun Has Risen, Behold -- The Risen Son " conclude the series.
Stephen and Cynthia Cowen, Escanaba, Michigan, have worked together to develop many creative worship resources for their congregations. The husband-wife team is active in the Northern Great Lakes Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Cynthia is author of many CSS books. This is the first CSS book jointly authored by the couple.

"EDWARD McKINLEY'S book moves readers beyond a rudimentary understanding of the Salvation Army as the top philanthropic organization in the U.S. Rooted in the holiness tradition, it is an evangelical denomination whose central mission is to win converts for Christianity. The distinctiveness of this church is twofold. First, the Salvation Army expresses itself through militaristic images, war phraseology and an organization based on military ranks. The military model expresses the Army's belief that Christians are engaged in spiritual warfare against evil. Second, Salvationists carry out their ministry of conversion and sanctification among a specific group: the poorest and most troubled people in society. A professor of history at Asbury College and an active soldier in the Salvation Army, McKinley wrote the first edition of this work in commemoration of the Army's centennial celebration. With this second edition the author makes a significant contribution to the scholarship of American evangelicalism. McKinley's well-researched work weaves the Army's particular history with the broader issues facing Protestant denominations in the late 19th and 20th centuries. While much of the book reads like a denominational history, McKinley recounts interesting stories, provides detailed personality sketches of the early leaders, and explains the Army's internal political intrigue. The book contains seven chapters that progress chronologically through the Army's history. In the last chapter, new to this edition, McKinley analyzes the Army's present situation and what it needs to do in order to chart a viable future. Three appendices list the Army's doctrines, ranks and national commanders. Nearly 40 black-and-white photographs are interspersed throughout the work. Like other evangelical groups, the Salvation Army espouses conservative theology. But unlike most conservatives, the Army has always accepted women in leadership roles and has never seen a contradiction between soul-winning and social ministry. Like most denominations, the Army's growth comes largely from within as children of Army families themselves become soldiers and officers. But while most denominations depend on their members for financial support, charitable giving is the Army's primary source of income. Finally, the Army shares a common challenge with all American denominations: struggling to stay true to its origins and its historic mission in the face of social and technological change." -Review in Christian Century

Liturgy, which literally means "the work of the people," sums up all the ways people have responded to God, including hymns, prayers, laments, invocations, and confessions of faith.
"The Liturgical Witness Of The New Testament" contemporizes and brings to life these various forms of worship as the author draws unique canticles, prayers, hymns, and responsive petitions from the books of the New Testament. Each New Testament book is allowed to speak with its own voice. For example, the service based on Luke gives voice to the gospel by the use of four canticles (psalms), and Luke's own version of the Words of Institution and his truncated version of the Lord's Prayer are included.
Also included are a helpful index listing the worship services according to their use in the lectionary and ten sermons for use with these liturgies.
Contents include:
- Through The Desert Clear A Highway -- The Liturgical Witness Of Luke
- One Lord, One Body -- The Liturgical Witness Of The Corinthian Letters
- Lordship And Unity -- The Liturgical Witness Of Colossians
- God Is Love -- The Liturgical Witness Of First John
- Worthy The Lamb -- The Liturgical Witness Of Revelation
Charles M. Mountain received a Master of Arts in Music degree from California State University, a Master of Divinity degree from Luther-Northwestern Theological Seminary, and has engaged in graduate work in Hispanic Ministries in Denver, Colorado. He has written, produced, and hosted various radio shows in Colorado and South Dakota, providing commentary for classical music. His articles have been widely published and he has authored three previous books, including "We Have Beheld His Glory "(CSS Publishing) and "New Testament Scriptures For Singing" (Fairway Press). A freelance violinist in the greater Denver area, he is married to Dr. Jane Mountain, a family practice physician.

Inspiring stories of Padre Pio's miracles, clairvoyance and bi-location.
Capuchin monk and spiritual leader, Padre Pio (1887-1968), is known and venerated throughout the world. Drawn by his stigmata (bodily wounds similar to those of the crucified Christ) and by his extraordinary powers of spiritual and physical healing, literally millions of people have made their way to his little monastery in Italy from every corner of the globe.
"Tales of Padre Pio" is a collection of first-hand accounts of various meetings with this humble and holy friar. Driven by curiosity and a bit of skepticism, the author first sought out Padre Pio some forty years ago and soon became a fervent disciple. Convinced of the man's saintliness, he remained a close confidant until Pio's death. As fascinating and inspiring as these stories are, they represent just a small portion of the countless miracles attributed to Pio. "The full extent of his authentic miracles will, however, never be known," the author reminds us. "But the example and spiritual splendor of his life," McCaffery continues, "is there for all to see. And that life, his attributes, and those works which we know constitute a tremendous rebuttal of all the blind and stupidly presumptuous godlessness of our present age."
This book is a most distinguished addition to the Image line and will be warmly welcomed for the spiritual riches it contains. In addition, students of ESP and mystical phenomena will find "Tales of Padre Pio" especially provocative, stimulating, and truly captivating.

A riveting work reflecting on the characteristics of Gregorian chant that have attracted the attention of so many: its permanence, beauty, and history, as well as its liturgical, sacred, and philosophical qualities.