Sirota delves deeply into the reasons church musicians do their jobs in the face of poor pay and limited opportunities for advancement, offering the reader a pastoral understanding without avoiding the challenging questions that every church musician must consider. She has an uncanny ability to name that which lies at the heart of the sacred artist's craft. Addressed directly and conversationally to the working musician in church or synagogue and those with whom they work, Sirota explores issues that are well-chosen for their understanding of "insider's information" and sensibilities to art, beauty, scripture, and pastoral care. Her personal reflection is balanced with probing questions from someone who's "been there" and is well-known to multi-denominational church musicians, as a gifted preacher and writer, a scholar, and a professional performing artist.

Pierre-Andre Liege, one of the foremost French theologians of the 20th century, influenced John XXIII and Paul VI, and sat on Vatican II committees with both the future John Paul II and Benedict VI. Fifty years on from Vatican II is a good time to remember the decade of dramatic struggle and pioneering work that preceded it, and review what it accomplished. This book explores the life and work of Pierre-Andre Liege, presenting it to an English speaking readership for the first time. Discussing the impact and profound challenges Liege's work raises for spirituality and church life today, Bradbury tackles issues including: the organisation of parish life rooted in theological criteria; cradle to grave corporate Christian formation; a compelling vision of what the church is for and why, and how should this be expressed in practice. Bradbury argues that for faith to match real life, the church today needs to let go of much baggage, align its talk to its action, and radically re-examine the question of what the church needs to do to conform to the Gospel. This book takes critical issues confronting practical theology and the church, breaking them open in a lively and accessible style.

The second century was a religious and cultural crucible for early Christian Christology. Was Christ a man, temporarily inhabited by the divine? Was he a spirit, only apparently cloaked in flesh? Or was he the Logos, truly incarnate? Between varieties of adoptionism on the one hand and brands of gnosticism on the other, the church's understanding took shape. In this clear and concise introduction, James Papandrea sets out five of the principal images of Christ that dominated belief and debate in the postapostolic age. While beliefs on the ground were likely more tangled and less defined than we can know, Papandrea helps us see how Logos Christology was forged as the beginning of the church's orthodox confession. This informative and clarifying study of early Christology provides a solid ground for students to begin to explore the early church and its Christologies.

Against Indifference analyzes four responses to Jewish suffering during the Holocaust, moving on a spectrum from indifference to courageous action. C. S. Lewis did little to speak up for victimized Jews; Thomas Merton chose to enclose himself in a monastery to pray for and expiate the sins of a world gone awry; Dietrich Bonhoeffer acted to help his twin sister, her Jewish husband, and some other Jews escape from Germany; and the Trocmes established protective housing and an ongoing "underground railroad" that saved several thousand Jewish lives. Why such variation in the responses of those who had committed their lives to Jesus Christ and recognized that His prime commandment is to love God and others? This book provides answers to this question that help shed light on current Christians and their commitment to victims who suffer and need their help.

"In this book, Jonathan Riley-Smith provides an approachable and expert introduction to the two most famous and most active military orders, the Knights Templar and Knights Hospitaller, and their activities in the Levant. It is a first-rate study, energetically and engagingly written by the world's most accomplished historian of the crusades." --Thomas Madden, St. Louis University

"The image of the military orders is mostly dominated by their military, political, or economic role while their spirituality and their religious character are often neglected. This book, from a great authority on crusading and military orders, offers an inspiring new perspective. Its chapters, concise and well-founded studies concentrating on the inner life of Templars and Hospitallers in the Holy Land, will thus contribute to a considerably better understanding of their history." --Juergen Sarnowsky, Universitaet Hamburg

"Jonathan Riley-Smith, Grand Master of Hospitaller studies since the 1960s, offers the first systematic comparison of the two earliest, most famous, and most researched Military Orders--the Temple and the Hospital. Contrasting the Templars' exclusive commitment to warfare with the Hospitaller dedication to the care of the sick and poor as well as to warfare, Riley-Smith persuasively argues that this disparity influenced decisively not only the internal stratification and the governance of the two Orders, but also their chances of survival. The book, which will have a major impact on future studies, amounts also to an act of love for the Hospital." --Benjamin Z. Kedar, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

"There is no historian better equipped to define the nature of the two great orders of the Hospital and the Temple than Jonathan Riley-Smith. In this concise analysis he brings to bear his great depth of experience not only to show the similarities and differences between the two orders, but also to place them firmly in their contemporary context." --Malcolm Barber, University of Reading, UK

The Templars and the Hospitallers were the two earliest and most famous of the major Military Orders of the Roman Catholic Church from the early twelfth to the middle of the thirteenth century. In this book, Jonathan Riley-Smith attends to the Templars' and Hospitallers' primary role as religious orders, not as military phenomena or economic powerhouses. In a prologue, four chapters, and an epilogue, Riley-Smith discusses the origins of the orders in dedication to the protection of pilgrims to the Holy Land (Templars) and to the care of the poor and the sick among them (Hospitallers). He examines their traditions and early history, the organization of their communities, modes of governance, and, in the fourth chapter, important differences between the orders and a brief account of their respective fates in the wake of the Crusades. The Templars were eventually persecuted by the Church and the order suppressed. Riley-Smith speculates that the violent end of the order was caused both by jealousy of its wealth and by internal problems of governance that left it vulnerable to accusations of conducting blasphemous rites. The Hospitallers survived in one form or another to the present day; vestiges of the original order inform the contemporary Knights of Malta.

Gandhi today is universally recognised as an international icon, but did his influence extend to the Vatican as well? The author unravels the answer by pursuing six research targets. The book opens with a historical inquiry into Gandhi's unsuccessful attempt to meet Pius XI, and then goes on to examine the writings and speeches of the Popes from Pius XI to Benedict XVI who alluded to Gandhi. Adopting a hermeneutical slant, it also engages in a comparative study of the thoughts and actions of Pope Francis and Gandhi, and highlights some remarkable similarities that call for an explanation. In the process, the book explores and assesses the popular claim that Gandhi was influenced by Christ, and the not so popular conjecture that Francis was influenced by Gandhi.

This workbook is designed to accompany the fifth edition of Bruce Shelley's Church History in Plain Language. Following the textbook's structure, this workbook offers discussion questions for group and personal reflection, assessments, activities, and resources for further study, all of which reinforce the textbook's teaching and support the students' learning experience. The newest edition of Bruce Shelley's Church History in Plain Language brings the story of global Christianity into the twenty-first century. In this fifth edition, Marshall Shelley assembled a team of historians, historical theologians, and editors to revise and update his father's classic text. As a result, it now includes important stories of the development of Christianity in Asia, India, and Africa, both in the early church as well as in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. It also highlights the stories of women and non-Europeans who significantly influenced the development of Christianity but whose contributions are often overlooked in overviews of church history. Covering recent events, this book also: Details the rapid growth of Christianity in the southern hemisphere Examines the influence of technology on the spread of the gospel Discusses how Christianity intersects with other religions in countries all over the world Together with this workbook companion, the new edition of Church History in Plain Language provides an easy-to-read guide to global Christianity and promises to set a new standard for readable church history.

The Church and wider society in Northeast India have witnessed a number of shifts in ethnic identity and the resultant inter-ethnic conflicts since the 1980s are threatening the peaceful co-existence of various ethnic groups. Caught up in the throes of such ethnic turmoil, people of the region are confronted with two options. On the one hand, there is a need to safeguard their respective ethnic identities against the dominant hegemony; on the other, there is a need to promote a peaceful co-existence amongst diverse ethnic groups. These twin challenges, in their turn, confront the Northeast Indian tribal theologies by posing a series of questions with serious implications: how is one to maintain a balance between these two conflicting identities? What should the priority be: preserved ethnic identity or ethnic blending? In all this, what is the role of tribal theology? Notwithstanding the importance of safeguarding ethnic identity, this book focuses on the urgent necessity of promoting a peaceful co-existence among diverse ethnic groups by exploring their various tribal theologies and cultural standpoints and finding a common base.

Humans are lovers, and yet a good deal of pedagogical theory, Christian or otherwise, assumes an anthropology at odds with human nature, fixed in a model of humans as "thinking things". Turning to Augustine, or at least Augustine in conversation with Aquinas, Martin Heidegger, the overlooked Jesuit thinker Bernard Lonergan, and the important contemporary Charles Taylor, this book provides a normative vision for Christian higher education. A phenomenological reappropriation of human subjectivity reveals an authentic order to love, even when damaged by sin, and loves, made authentic by grace, allow the intellectually, morally, and religiously converted person to attain an integral unity. Properly understanding the integral relation between love and the fullness of human life overcomes the split between intellectual and moral formation, allowing transformed subjects -authentic lovers - to live, seek, and work towards the values of a certain kind of cosmopolitanism. Christian universities exist to make cosmopolitans, properly understood, namely, those persons capable of living authentically. In other words, this text gives a full-orbed account of human flourishing, rooted in a phenomenological account of the human as basis for the mission of the university.

First full-length account of St Stephen's Chapel, bringing out its full importance and influence throughout the Middle Ages. In St Stephen's College, the royally-favoured religious institution at the heart of the busy administrative world of the Palace of Westminster, church and state met and collaborated for two centuries, from its foundation to pray for the royal dead by Edward III in 1348, until it was swept away by the second wave of the Reformation in 1548. Monarchs and visitors worshipped in the distinctive chapel on the Thames riverfront. Even when the king and his household were absent, the college's architecture, liturgy and musical strength proclaimed royal piety and royal support for the Church to all who passed by. This monograph recreates a lost institution, whose spectacular cloister still survives deep within the modern Houses of Parliament. It examines its relationship with every English king from Edward III to Edward VI, how it defined itself as the "king's chief chapel" through turbulent dynastic politics,and its contributions to the early years of the English Reformation. It offers a new perspective on the workings of political, administrative and court life in medieval and early modern Westminster.

What does it mean to believe in the church? What is the relationship between the church we believe in and the church we experience? Is there an invisible church that is different from the visible? This book is an argument for an ecclesiology of the visible. The only church, the real church, is a concrete reality made up of people, just like any other fellowship. What distinguishes it as church is the presence of the triune God among those who gather in the name of Jesus, making it a sign and anticipation of the fellowship of the kingdom of God. From this premise Dr. Hegstad analyzes such issues as the relationship between church and world, mission and diakoni, church as fellowship and organization, ministries in the church, worship, and the unity of the church, as well as discussing the relationship between a sociological and a theological understanding of the church.

This book is a theological reflection on the broken state of faith within the Catholic Church in Ireland following more than two decades of revelations about institutional and child sexual abuse and the Church's now acknowledged failure to respond to the abuse in an appropriate way. The result has been broken lives, broken faith and a broken church. While the book has a theological purpose, it employs a see-judge-act methodology in attempting to come to terms with a very complex problem. Following a broad introduction, the first section sets out to listen to the voices of the victims. The second section consists of an interdisciplinary academic analysis, with significant input from psychology and also from history and social studies. The final section of the book engages in theology, seeking to place us in a Kairos moment that might allow us to look beyond our broken faith. This, however, requires an analysis of the theological misunderstandings that led to the aberration of clericalism, the resulting abuse of power and the wider malaise within the Church. St Paul is suggested as a "mentor", as we seek to restore trust and rebuild the Church in a radically new way. The book ultimately seeks a renewal of our broken faith, searching for trajectories towards healing and wholeness, truth and reconciliation.

This book attempts to develop a theological response to the suffering of people in Myanmar (Burma). For this purpose, a Burmese word Ludu is used to indicate the common people and a Buddhist term Dukkha will be employed to refer to their suffering. We can see the Ludu as a dukkha-ridden people in Myanmar context. Why do they suffer? Is their suffering the root cause of sin or the consequence of kamma - one's deed, word or thought? As a Buddhist-dominated country, how do Buddhists respond their suffering? What about Christian minority's response to this harsh situation? Can the Ludu, both Christians and Buddhists, see how God is revealed in the midst of their suffering? In terms of suffering under oppression, Minjung (people/mass) in the Korean context is somewhat similar to the situation of the Ludu in Myanmar. In the 1970s, Minjung theology emerged during the era of military dictatorship in South Korea. How can Minjung theology be relevant for evolving a Ludu theology in Myanmar?

The Handbook of Global Contemporary Christianity: Movements, Institutions & Allegiance traces how the largest religion in the world continues to be expressed in energetic global dynamic forms. In contemporary times Christianity is increasingly exposed to divisions, not only through its traditional channels - Roman Catholic, Protestant and the Orthodoxy - nor conservative and liberal streams, but numerous nuanced articulations. This is reflected in the roles of clergy and lay people, in organisational dynamics, sources of allegiance and articulations of the faith, movements of renewal and revivalism, syncretic modes, and broader relationships with wider cultural trajectories and changing social circumstances. Collectively the contributors to this volume offer a comprehensive exploration of these themes. The volume is a companion to the Handbook of Global Contemporary Christianity.

Beginning to study Reformed theology is like stepping into a family conversation that has been going on for five hundred years. How do you find your bearings and figure out how to take part in this conversation without embarrassing yourself? The Pocket Dictionary of the Reformed Tradition takes on this rich, boisterous and varied tradition in its broad contours, filling you in on its common affirmations as well as its family tensions. Here you will find succinct and reliable entries on Latin terms, such as ad fontes and sola fide Theologians, from Calvin to Torrance Confessions, such as the Belgic and Westminster Doctrines, such as atonement and sanctification Apologists, such as Francis Schaeffer and Cornelius Van Til And much more. The Pocket Dictionary of the Reformed Tradition is ready to assist you over the rough parts of readings, lectures, conversations and blogs. It will also be a companionable and concise introduction to one of the great Christian traditions. Designed for students and pastors alike, the short and accessible volumes in the IVP Pocket Reference Series will help you tackle the study of biblical languages, church history, apologetics, world religions, Christian spirituality, ethics, theology, and more.

Today new and ever more pernicious forms of terrorist violence threaten the world. Because these new forms of violence are so often linked to religious radicalism, modern terrorism has challenged the secular ethics of contemporary civil society. There is a pressing need to understand modern religious movements that have added militancy and belligerence as fundamental elements of religious practice. Contributors to this volume painstakingly tackle the question of how to define the contours of current religious fundamentalism as they examine the private and public postures of fundamentalist rhetoric, the importance of its regional variants, and the damage it can do to regional and national education systems. Their analysis tracks trends in religious movements that aspire to radicalize, reform, and violently topple governments and nations, while highlighting the difference between fundamentalist interpretations and other longstanding juridical, political, and intellectual traditions.

This work treats of the Phenomenology of Mary and the Church as persons of faith in relation to the Wojtilian phenomenology of the human being as an acting person. According to John Paul II, Mary is an ideal person in/for the Church, and the Church, as a personal communion, has Her as a mirror and concrete evidence of the Church's call, being and mission. As far as the vocation of the Church is concerned, it will always be far from complete if it is studied, proclaimed or believed in without placing Mary as part of the unavoidable persons and personality in its unfolding. Mary and the Church are related in the mystery of the Church as personal subjects of faith. They owe their being and vocation to the Trinity and have a direct connection with Judaism. Christ is the centre of this relationship and this goes on to highlight ecumenism and also the place of the laity and women in the life of the Church.

After the collapse of the Russian Empire in 1917, Orthodox Christians in Estonia and Latvia had to rethink their place in society and reorganise the local Orthodox Church. The Church was challenged both by the new political circumstances and by societal antagonism. In both cases, the local ecclesiastic authorities considered themselves independent from the Patriarchate of Moscow, although in very different fashions. This study uses primarily periodicals and other published sources from the period between 1917 and 1940 to shed light on the internal discussions in the respective Orthodox Churches on issues of authority, identity, and history. This includes creating adequate structures for the Church, reforming liturgical elements and emphasising the positive role of Orthodox Christianity in Estonian and Latvian history.

There has been substantial church growth in Britain between 1980 and 2010. This is the controversial conclusion from the international team of scholars, who have drawn on interdisciplinary studies and the latest research from across the UK. Such church growth is seen to be on a large scale, is multi-ethnic and can be found across a wide range of social and geographical contexts. It is happening inside mainline denominations but especially in specific regions such as London, in newer churches and amongst ethnic minorities. Church Growth in Britain provides a forceful critique of the notion of secularisation which dominates much of academia and the media - and which conditions the thinking of many churches and church leaders. This book demonstrates that, whilst decline is happening in some parts of the church, this needs to be balanced by recognition of the vitality of large swathes of the Christian church in Britain. Rebalancing the debate in this way requires wholesale change in our understanding of contemporary British Christianity.

There has been substantial church growth in Britain between 1980 and 2010. This is the controversial conclusion from the international team of scholars, who have drawn on interdisciplinary studies and the latest research from across the UK. Such church growth is seen to be on a large scale, is multi-ethnic and can be found across a wide range of social and geographical contexts. It is happening inside mainline denominations but especially in specific regions such as London, in newer churches and amongst ethnic minorities. Church Growth in Britain provides a forceful critique of the notion of secularisation which dominates much of academia and the media - and which conditions the thinking of many churches and church leaders. This book demonstrates that, whilst decline is happening in some parts of the church, this needs to be balanced by recognition of the vitality of large swathes of the Christian church in Britain. Rebalancing the debate in this way requires wholesale change in our understanding of contemporary British Christianity.

Seeking to dynamically alter the way that theologians, ecclesiologists, students of religion and ministers look at the relationship between church and society, this book takes religion, politics and society as basic categories and explores how oft-overlooked issues are in fact highly significant for the shaping of theological and ecclesiological horizons. The Ecclesial Canopy is not, however, simply about reading meanings into religion, politics and society. Rather, it sets out to faithfully interpret much of the material that surrounds us, yet is often taken for granted or unnoticed. Paying close and patient attention to beliefs, language, artefacts, rituals, practices and other material - all of which are constitutive for ecclesial life and theological identity - this book offers an invitation of engagement to the scholar or minister. The Ecclesial Canopy makes a significant and important contribution to the field of pastoral and practical theology. Building on the concepts of implicit and invisible religion, Martyn Percy offers a fresh and original interpretative 'take' on contemporary society, appealing to clergy, laity, scholars and all those working in the field of theory and reflective practice in practical and pastoral theology.

Seeking to dynamically alter the way that theologians, ecclesiologists, students of religion and ministers look at the relationship between church and society, this book takes religion, politics and society as basic categories and explores how oft-overlooked issues are in fact highly significant for the shaping of theological and ecclesiological horizons. The Ecclesial Canopy is not, however, simply about reading meanings into religion, politics and society. Rather, it sets out to faithfully interpret much of the material that surrounds us, yet is often taken for granted or unnoticed. Paying close and patient attention to beliefs, language, artefacts, rituals, practices and other material - all of which are constitutive for ecclesial life and theological identity - this book offers an invitation of engagement to the scholar or minister. The Ecclesial Canopy makes a significant and important contribution to the field of pastoral and practical theology. Building on the concepts of implicit and invisible religion, Martyn Percy offers a fresh and original interpretative 'take' on contemporary society, appealing to clergy, laity, scholars and all those working in the field of theory and reflective practice in practical and pastoral theology.