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Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Christian institutions & organizations > General
When Paul III was elected in 1534, hopes arose across Christendom
that this pope would at last reform and reunite the Church. During
his fifteen-year reign, though, Paul's engagement with reform was
complex and contentious. A work of cultural history, this book
explores how cultural narratives of honour and tradition, including
how honour played out in politics, significantly constrained Pope
Paul and his chosen reformers in framing strategies for change.
Indeed, the reformers' programme would have undermined the culture
of honour and weakened Rome's capacity to ward off current threats
of invasion. The study makes a provocative case that Paul called
the Council of Trent to contain reform rather than promote it.
Nevertheless, Paul and the Council did sow seeds of reform that
eventually became central to the Counter-Reformation. This book
thus sheds new light on a pope whose relationship to reform has
long been regarded as an enigma.
Volunteering can be a rewarding and exciting experience-but to
effectively serve you need to understand the why, how, and what of
serving others. Based on the principles and training they have
utilized at Wooddale Church, pastor Leith Anderson and Jill Fox
will help you better understand: The importance of prayer in
ministry Avoiding burnout and serving for the long-term Recruiting
others to serve in ways that are natural and easy Enjoying the
'pay' that is more valuable than money Finding your fit and serving
out of your strengths This short and accessible book will help you
to find the resources you need to be inspired and trained to serve
in the most vital workforce in the world today-the church of Jesus
Christ.
Culture is a continuing, forward process-the gradual unveiling of
truth as life. But often we get ensnarled. We can only imagine
culture as a war, a gritty ideological and religious struggle where
every arena is bloody with strife: art, philosophy, cuisine, music,
literature, science. But at its foundation, culture is about
building, not conflict. The time has come for us to beat our swords
into plowshares. By realizing the Bible's vision for a cultivated
earth, we can build a more comprehensive, radical, holistic
culture, resistant to compromise and dedicated to a Trinitarian
aesthetic. What does this culture look like? It is the development
of the earth into a global fabric of gardens and cities in harmony
with nature-a glorious garden-city. Plowing in Hope provides a
positive, clear, and colorful introduction to this transformational
topic. "David Hegeman's approach is refreshingly different. He maps
out a positive theology of culture building rooted in Creation and
extending into the New Jerusalem. His wonderful little book, based
on sound Biblical exegesis, presents a compelling case for why and
how we should build a culture that magnifies God and ennobles men."
-David Ayers, Grove City College, Pennsylvania
WINNER OF THE 2018 WOLFSON HISTORY PRIZE Centuries on, what the
Reformation was and what it accomplished remain deeply contentious.
Peter Marshall's sweeping new history-the first major overview for
general readers in a generation-argues that sixteenth-century
England was a society neither desperate for nor allergic to change,
but one open to ideas of "reform" in various competing guises. King
Henry VIII wanted an orderly, uniform Reformation, but his actions
opened a Pandora's Box from which pluralism and diversity flowed
and rooted themselves in English life. With sensitivity to
individual experience as well as masterfully synthesizing
historical and institutional developments, Marshall frames the
perceptions and actions of people great and small, from monarchs
and bishops to ordinary families and ecclesiastics, against a
backdrop of profound change that altered the meanings of "religion"
itself. This engaging history reveals what was really at stake in
the overthrow of Catholic culture and the reshaping of the English
Church.
"I love Jesus but hate the church."
We hear this kind of talk all the time, but what if it's
profoundly mistaken? Rob Bentz challenges readers to rethink this
popular--yet ultimately harmful--mentality.
Drawing on his experience as a pastor, Bentz helps those
disenchanted with the church to rediscover its importance for the
Christian life by examining the biblical, theological, and
historical reasons why Christ's followers should embrace
gospel-centered community--even when it's hard.
Honest yet hopeful, The Unfinished Church provides an
encouraging look at God's ultimate building project: his
church.
John Driver offers studies of 12 biblical images for understanding
the church. They steer the reader toward a church more in harmony
with God's missionary purpose for His people, and toward a mission
solidly based in the biblical vision of peoplehood. Driver explores
the images of pilgrimage, of God's new order, and of
transformation.
The sacrificial life of Christ is a major focus of Lent. "Symbols
Of Sacrifice" provides congregations with opportunities to create
visual worship aids representing Christ's life during worship.
Each weekly presentation builds a growing reminder of Christ's
sacrifice for the congregation.
This series offers a list of symbols and explanation of the
symbols. These are provided for the Sundays of Lent and Easter
Sunday.
Symbols are:
Palms and Ashes
Robe
Basin and Towel
The Cross
Hammer and Nails
Crown of Thorns
Spices
Richard J. Hull, II is pastor of the West Street Christian Church,
Tipton, Indiana. He is a member of the board of directors of The
Division of Overseas Ministry of The Christian Church (Disciples of
Christ). He is a graduate of Bethany College (West Virginia), Yale
Divinity School, and has studied at Christian Theological Seminary.
Rather than discussing their possible vocation, discussions of
children tend to center on their rights or duties. Does God have
intentions for their young lives -- before they grow up and become
"real" people? Distinguished jurist Patrick McKinley Brennan has
gathered sixteen authors to approach this idea in various ways,
from historical to psychological to theological. The authors
explore throughout whether it is possible for adults to either
squander their children's vocations or instead to help discover and
embrace them.
In trying to understand the relationship of the British people to
religion - specifically Christianity - we tend to say that people:
believe - or do not; attend - or do not. The argument of Lost
Church is that the majority of people do not really fit either of
these categories. Rather, they 'belong' - in the sense that they
feel some affinity to Christianity and the Church; they are not
hostile to its ministers; they do not find churches alien places to
be, and they turn to the Church and its clergy on specific
occasions. But they do not want to attend regularly and their
beliefs may be incoherent or even nonexistent, and often flicker on
and off like a badly wired lamp. This absorbing and encouraging
volume is a call to lay Christians and clergy to take stock of what
is happening and to recover an understanding of the Church that
will not alienate those who 'belong' but rather enable ministry to
them to continue.
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