In this book, one of the world's leading scholars on the history of religion in Africa shows how Christianity has been transformed as it has been adopted by black Africans, from the introduction of Christianity in the seventeenth century to the present. Richard Gray finds that Africans have not meekly accepted monolithic Western practices and interpretations but have appropriated Christian faith for specific needs and added to it insights of their own. "Gray's theological conclusions are fascinating, and the book forms a useful contribution to the study of missions in Africa."-Eugeniah Adoyo, Theological Book Review "Gray's most significant contribution is his essay that compares differing concepts of evil in the cosmologies of Christianity and traditional African religions. This compact, well-written volume has extensive footnotes. It is recommended for specialists, graduate students, and advanced undergraduates."-Choice "A thoughtful and informative book, well worth reading."-Joseph C. McKenna, Theological Studies "Concrete and detailed cases support Gray's lucid account of this transformation in Africa."-Wyatt MacGaffey, American Historical Review "The work of a master historian and demonstrates archival detective work and scholarly analysis at its finest. Anyone interested in the introduction and development of Christianity in Africa will find this book particularly valuable."-Roger B. Beck, History: Reviews of New Books "Christianity in Africa has too often been written about by those who recognize only its sociological consequences. Gray . . . writes . . . with insights that are not found often enough in studies of black Christians and white (and black) missionaries in Africa, and this is welcome."-M. Louise Pirouet, International Journal of the African Historical Society

At the close of the twentieth century the United States was, by all accounts, among the most religious of modern Western nations. Pillars of Faith describes the diversity of tradition and the commonality of organizational strategy that characterize the more than 300,000 congregations in the United States, arguing that they provide the social bonds, spiritual traditions, and community connections that are vital to an increasingly diverse society. Nancy Tatom Ammerman follows several traditions--Mainline Protestant, Conservative Protestant, African American Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox, Jewish, Sectarian, and other religions--as they establish discernible patterns of congregational life that fit their own history, tradition, and relationship to American society. Her methodologically sophisticated study balances survey research with interviews conducted with people from ninety-one different religious traditions and ethnographic observations that yield new information on many dimensions of American congregational life. Her book is the first to depict the complex resource base supporting American congregations, the enormous web of partners with whom congregations work, and the range of institutional patterns they exhibit. Contrary to many gloomy forecasts, Pillars of Faith: American Congregations and Their Partners argues that organized religion in the United States is robust and vigorous--and that it can handle the increasing demands of escalating diversity and mobility the future is sure to bring.

This book offers a modern analysis of religious practices. Topics discussed include renewing Islamic discourse; the re-scripting of the Jihad; churches and campaign activity; continuity and change in prison chaplaincy; gender violence in Muslim societies; religion and politics in Malawi and a discussion of whether religion produces or reduces corruption, as well as the question of whether religion causes violence.

El "Manual para entender y participar en la Misa" es su guia para la celebracion liturgica. En este libro, el Padre Juan J. Sosa nos ensena que la Misa es una celebracion que puede cambiar la vida de muchas personas que esten listas para ser testigos del mensaje que Jesus nos da como familias, trabajadores y catolicos.

Vea como Rosa y Fernando, una pareja que se presenta al principio de este libro, aprenden como sus acciones y oraciones durante la Misa los ayudan en su conversion y los enriquece en su fe.

Mientras lee el "Manual para entender y participar en la Misa, " usted tambien podra valorar la celebracion con una mejor apreciacion del mensaje de la salvacion.

Die Geschichte der Neuapostolischen Kirche in der NS-Zeit wird anhand bisher unerforschter Quellen aus vielen Archiven neu geschrieben. Die quellenkritische Analyse fuhrte schliesslich zu der Fragestellung und Analysekategorie der "inszenierten Loyalitaten". Ein besonderer Fokus liegt auf den Akteuren und deren Handlungspraxis. So wird die formale und materiale NS-Belastung von Funktionstragern beleuchtet, die uberwachte Korrespondenz mit jener verglichen, die unter Umgehung der Zensur gefuhrt wurde, die Zeitschrift "Unsere Familie" einer kritischen Betrachtung unterzogen. Ein Schwerpunkt liegt auf den Einzelschicksalen neuapostolischer Christen judischer Herkunft sowie dem Umgang der Kirche mit ihnen. Damit liegt eine Grundlagenforschung zu vielen Themenbereichen aus einem dunklen Kapitel deutscher Geschichte vor.

Is your church meeting both the physical and spiritual needs of your community? Churches That Make a Difference explores the biblical mandate and how-to's of developing and maintaining an effective holistic ministry that combines evangelism and social outreach. This comprehensive resource will help your congregation embrace change, resolve conflict, overcome social barriers, and move into a life-changing outreach of holistic ministry. "When Sider, Olson, and Unruh call churches to engage in holistic ministry, they are calling us all back to the basics-to simply be faithful to the Gospel." Senator Rick Santorum, Pennsylvania "Those who want help in the integration of spiritual and social ministry will find that this book will give them the help they need." Commissioner John Busby, National Commander, Salvation Army "This is compulsive reading because it's not a set of ideas but realities that have been worked out in the ministry of local churches. I wholeheartedly commend it." Clive Calver, president, World Relief "A faith-based revolution is emerging with the church, taking its rightful and responsible place in the public square. I found this timely book to be an insightful and practical guide for the church to seize this unprecedented opportunity." Dave Donaldson, founder & CEO, We Care America "This timely book combines a theological and historical perspective with practical advice. Filled with detailed examples of ministries that are successfully addressing societal problems, it should be an influential and useful work." Robert L. Woodson Sr., president, National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise "A wonderful guide for churches that want to empower the poor and share the gospel."Rep. Tony P. Hall, U.S. Congressman (D-Ohio) "This book shows that churches, especially small churches, with vision, courage, and a biblically informed theology can be major players in transforming cities. It gave me great hope." Tony Campolo, professor of sociology, Eastern College "A biblically grounded, richly researched, and thoroughly useful guide to enacting holistic ministry in every congregation." Carl S. Dudley, Hartford Institute for Religion Research, Hartford Seminary "An extremely important book for congregations seeking to create ministries that reach the whole person, body and soul, with God's empowering love." Barbara Williams-Skinner, president, Skinner Leadership Institute "This is a good book on holistic ministry. It is excellent for the church in America and timely." Jesse Miranda, director, Center for Urban Studies and Ethnic Leadership, Vanguard University "This is an important book that will have a lasting impact on the role and vision of all our faith-based organizations." Bob Edgar, General Secretary, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA

Multifaith spaces reflect the diversity of the modern world and enable a connection between individuals from different religious backgrounds. These spaces also highlight the complex and sensitive areas of political and social debates regarding the emergence of densely urbanised populations. They hold the potential to encourage connection and dialogue between members of different communities, promoting empathy, community and shared activity for the betterment of society. This book explores the history, development, design and practicalities of multifaith spaces from the early shared religious buildings that had to cater for two or more faiths, to the shared multifaith spaces of modern secular locations such as universities, airports and hospitals. Terry Biddington looks at the architectural, theological, social, legal and practical complexities that arise from the development and use of such spaces. The book also draws together research to enable further development of multifaith spaces.

The surge in divisive and far-right politics and growing Islamophobia in Britain pose new challenges for Muslim advocacy organisations. British Muslim activism has taken centre stage in the public sphere as a result. Yet for over fifty years Muslim advocacy groups have worked to preserve religious identity, lobby the state and provide concerted responses to the political establishment. This is the first book to chart critically the national and global factors influencing the political mobilisation of British Muslim activists as Muslims. Khadijah Elshayyal traces the changes of thought, direction and method within Muslim identity politics after 1960, noting key organisations and turning points such as the Rushdie Affair, the 9/11 attacks, the 7/7 bombings and the current conflict in Syria. The book argues that the Rushdie Affair prompted new debate around the subject of freedom of expression, which has continued to be a point of contention ever since. Providing a history of the interaction between Muslim advocacy groups and the state, and the impact of state policy on Muslim communities, Muslims Identity Politics shows that Muslim citizens continue to experience an `equality gap' and recommends where transformation and progress can be made. Based on primary sources and in-depth interviews, this book is a vital resource for government officials, policy-makers and researchers interested in multiculturalism, Islamophobia and security issues in Britain.

We might be relieved if God placed our sanctification only in the hands of trained professionals, but that is not his plan. Instead, through the ministry of every part of the body, the whole church will mature in Christ. Paul David Tripp helps us discover where change is needed in our own lives and the lives of others. Following the example of Jesus, Tripp reveals how to get to know people, and how to lovingly speak truth to them.

This book examines race, religion, and politics in the United States, illuminating their intersections and what they reveal about power and privilege. Drawing on both historic and recent examples, Stephanie Mitchem introduces readers to the ways race has been constructed in the United States, discusses how race and religion influence each other, and assesses how they shape political influence. Mitchem concludes with a chapter looking toward possibilities for increased rights and justice for all.

The phenomenon of the Cistercian Order occupies a key place in the history of Western culture as it grew to dominate reformed European monasticism in the high middle ages. The transition from the Romanesque to Gothic styles occurred in the twelfth century when the order was expanding most dramatically. With sharp, clean lines, and minimal decor, its architecture was designed to reflect the simplicity and austerity required for this experiment in monastic life. An important reference work, The Cistercian Arts offers insights into a contemplative order that expanded from its modest origins in the Burgundian heartland to encompass six continents. Under the supervision of Terryl Kinder and Roberto Cassanelli, the theological and spiritual aspects and material culture of the Cistercian world are analyzed in depth by more than thirty international specialists in a forty-chapter overview. Music, libraries, water management, metallurgy, farming, liturgical arts, sacred reading, and many other facets of monastic life are traced from the founding of the order in 1098 to the present day. While the Cistercian Order grew to include approximately 1,700 abbeys for men and women, it did not end with the middle ages, and architecture was not its only manifestation. This exquisitely illustrated volume shows how the many arts created by and for Cistercian abbeys continued well beyond the medieval period.

The first document enacted by the Second Vatican Council was its Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, and the liturgical reform mandated by that document has probably had a greater impact on the average Catholic than any other action of the Council. That this liturgical reform has not in every respect been the unalloyed success hoped for by the Council Fathers, however, has only been grudgingly recognized. The liturgists and other Church officials responsible for implementing the reforms have had a vested interest in claiming success, even where there was evidence to the contrary. Nevertheless, the many and sometimes abrupt liturgical changes made were bound to affect long-established modes of worship and devotion - not to speak of the drastic move from Latin to the vernacular which came shortly after the Council, and which necessarily entailed radical change in the Church's worship. In July 2007, Pope Benedict XVI signaled that the liturgical question needed to be revisited when he issued a motu proprio that allowed, some forty-plus years after the end of the Council, a wider celebration of the unreformed pre-Vatican-II Mass in Latin as an "extraordinary" form of the Roman rite. While the pope's motu proprio was not a repudiation or cancellation of the Vatican II liturgical reforms - as some liturgists feared (and some traditionalists hoped) - it did indicate a sane and sensible papal recognition that liturgy must be developed organically, not "manufactured" by a "committee." Above all, the pope recognized that the question of the liturgy must be approached realistically in the light of how the reforms have actually worked out, not of how some have imagined that they might or should have worked out. This book by Kenneth D. Whitehead, who has written extensively both on Vatican II and on the liturgy, explains Pope Benedict's action in its proper context and describes the reactions to it, while making special reference to some of the pontiff's own extensive previous writings on the liturgy. The author then doubles back to evaluate the Vatican II liturgical reforms generally - how and why they were enacted, what has actually come about as a result of them, and how and why a "reform of the reform" is now called for.

In this historical overview of American fundamentalism and evangelicalism, Marsden provides an introduction to the growing religious movements and a deeper analysis of two themes that have been especially prominent and controversial in these traditions -- views of science and views of politics.

Warm and Welcoming: How the Jewish Community Can Become Truly Diverse and Inclusive in the 21st Century is the first book to tackle institutionalized biases and barriers to inclusion, offering not only stories and context about the issues facing Jews of all backgrounds, but more importantly offering practical and concrete advice that Jewish institutions can implement right away to change how they engage with diverse populations. The book will feature 17 chapters written by some of the most knowledgeable individuals in the Jewish community around the areas of diversity and inclusion. From senior leaders in the field to young innovators who are helping the change the ways that Jewish institutions create community, Warm and Welcoming will offer fresh perspectives, best practices, and new ideas to transform Jewish institutions regardless of their size, resources, or number of years in existence.