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Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Christian theology > General
In a world of conflict in which religious differences play a
significant role, reconciliation grows increasingly important. The
Ministry of Reconciliation shows how with a spirituality of
reconciliation we can create the spaces in which reconciliation can
happen, and with human strategies, how the process of
reconciliation can move forward.
From wide-ranging travels Schreiter has gained a profound wisdom
and hope as well as the questions and struggles to be faced. In
Part One, "Reconciliation as Spirituality, " Schreiter poses this
key question: "If God did indeed raise Jesus up to a new life that
breaks the grip of violence and sin on the world, what should be
the concrete object of our hope?" Each of the next six chapters
then meditates on post-Easter appearances as recorded in Scripture.
Schreiter's explorations of such events as "the breakfast at the
seashore" (John 21:1-17) and "what the women saw" (Mark 16:1-8;
John 20:1-18) reveal a direct pastoral style reminiscent of Rahner
and Barth at their best.
From this profound and hope-filled beginning Schreiter goes on
to emphasize how a spirituality of reconciliation without sound
social and theological reflection on its implementation will fail.
Part Two, "Elements of a Strategy for Reconciliation, " tackles
such vexing questions as individual and social responsibility;
truth and justice; amnesty and pardon; and how the church can aid
in reconciliation. Schreiter explores questions as: How can
forgiveness happen? What is justice, and how should it be sought
and administered? How can a society be rebuilt that includes the
perpetrators of evil?
Many people's understanding of the world does not include God. A
number of 'new atheist' authors - such as Richard Dawkins,
Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris and Daniel Dennett - claim that
science can explain how the universe works without any need for the
divine, and this seems to have become the default position in
modern Western culture. But a great number of people are prepared
to spend time and effort trying to establish some sort of spiritual
dimension to their lives. Faced with the choice between rejecting
modern scientific knowledge or all awareness of the divine, they
choose from a range of vaguely 'spiritual' practices and ideas,
which can be picked up and dropped with minimal commitment. Making
Sense of Faith in God, as the title indicates, offers a different
alternative: to reject neither reason nor God, because believing in
God makes sense.
Two thousand years ago the Lady Mary, the sacred 'Rose in the
Heart', made pilgrimage to the mystical British Isles, with the boy
Jesus, Naomi her daughter and Joseph of Arimathea. Her Holy Mission
as designated by the Masters, was to reactivate the Cosmic Light at
ancient Druidic sites, some which held an Atlantean Temple in the
Etheric Realm. As 'instructed' by Mary and with Divine guidance,
Caroline Harris has followed in her footsteps, travelling through
ancient Dummonia - Cornwall, Devon and Somerset, performing sacred
Ceremonies to revitalize that Light, and earth the ancient Temples.
Intuitively received inspirational messages for the Aquarian Age,
are offered from the Masters, Angelic Messengers and those from the
Devic Kingdom. Among many subjects explored are: Britain - the New
Jerusalem; Atlantis, Hyperborea and Lyonesse; the Ancient Wisdom;
the Immaculate Conception; did Jesus die on the Cross?; the Lost
Goddess; the Holy Grail; Celtic Christianity; Arthurian Tales; the
Crystalline Grid; Ley Lines; Reincarnation; Unicorns; the Essenes;
the Egyptian Mysteries; Aboriginal Wisdom, Thought Travel, plus
Visions of Glastonbury. You will find this fascinating story,
absorbing, enlightening and thought provoking, whatever your
persuasion, and it will be of special interest to the dedicated
Pilgrim and Light Worker.
Arguably the most respected Catholic systematic theologian in the
English-speaking world, David Tracy's growing influence
internationally and on persons of other Christian traditions and
his ability to communicate with representatives of the secular
academy stem from the unique quality of his voice. Still, Tracy's
views on Catholicism, the mission of the church, and how plurality
of worldviews and hermeneutics affect the church mission are
largely unknown. Containing both new material and articles written
over the past decade for Concilium, the international journal of
progressive Catholic theology, these essays reveal dimensions of
Tracy's thought on these topics foreshadowed in his books and
philosophical theological reflections. In addition, On Naming the
Present shows the best of the spirit of Concilium and its project
of fostering a critical and prophetic yet world-welcoming Christian
future rooted in a troubled present.
What did Jesus and the early Christians believe about death,
resurrection, heaven and hell, human destiny and God's ultimate
purpose for creation? And what are the implications for Christian
doctrine today? Drawing on his acclaimed work in biblical
hermeneutics, Thiselton shows how methods and insights from the
philosophy of language can clarify our perception of the New
Testament data and help us develop a more rounded, coherent and
biblically based understanding of God's planfor the world and for
humanity.
"What are Christians to make of their mission in an pluralistic
world?" asks Paul F. Knitter, author of the landmark work in
interfaith dialogue No Other Name? As a recognized scholar and
participant in interfaith dialogue, Knitter is in a unique position
to explore the key concept of what Christian mission must entail in
a world that will remain a world of many religious faiths for the
foreseeable future. From the first chapter of Jesus and the Other
Names, which recounts his own theological and dialogical odyssey,
Knitter constructs what he calls a "correlational,
globally-responsible theology of religions" as a necessary
correction to traditional pluralist and exclusivist approaches. By
anticipating and addressing his critics - both conservative and
liberal - Knitter makes a powerful argument for a reconstruction of
mission faithful to the Christian imperative and dynamically
attuned to the plurality of the world. Jesus and the Other Names
will give pause to those who believe Christian mission can be
carried on as it was in the modern era. Sure to inspire debate as
well as dialogue it offers a more humble, but perhaps more
"Christic", postmodern approach to mission in the new millennium
that has little to do with earthly glory and nothing to do with the
sense of cultural superiority that has so often - and often so
tragicallyaccompanied modern missionary movements. Theologians,
missiologists, Christian historians, can all benefit from its
thoughtful and timely message.
Essays explore how interpretations affect casuistry, and cover
issues related to abortion, reproductive technologies, euthanasia,
sexuality, race, gender, social justice, the environment, civil
disobedience, capital punishment, and war.
Meister Eckhart, the fourteenth-century German mystic and
theologian, is one of the most enigmatic and controversial figures
in the history of the Church, and few have played so diverse and
fertile a role in the cultural imagination. He has been seen as
both heretic and 'the man from whom God nothing hid'; Christian
mystic and Buddhist sage; Catholic and Protestant; feminist and
ecologist; he is both medieval schoolman and inspirer of
contemporary philosophers such as Heidegger, Bloch and Derrida.
Oliver Davies's masterly evaluation of Eckhart is based on an
unrivalled knowledge of the original texts, their historical and
theological context, and their place in the Christian mystical
tradition. The portrait of St Dominic on the cover (of the book)
illustrates one of Davies's main themes: Eckhart's position in the
mainstream Dominican tradition of grounding theology in spiritual
experience. Both a stimulating scholarly study and an ideal
introduction for the non-specialist, Meister Eckhart: Mystical
Theologian explores the enduring fascination of Meister Eckhart, 'a
mystic for our age'.
Tom Wright sets out to clarify our thinking about what happens to
people after they die. Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory, what it means
to pray for the dead, what (and who) are the saints, are all
addressed in this invigorating and rigorously argued book.
Christians affirm that everything exists because of God--from
subatomic quarks to black holes. Science often claims to explain
nature without including God at all. And thinking Christians often
feel forced to choose between the two.But the good news is that we
don't have to make a choice. Science does not overthrow the Bible.
Faith does not require rejecting science. World-renowned scientist
Francis Collins, author of The Language of God, along with fellow
scientist Karl Giberson show how we can embrace both. Their
fascinating treatment explains how God cares for and interacts with
his creation while science offers a reliable way to understand the
world he made.Together they clearly answer dozens of the most
common questions people ask about Darwin, evolution, the age of the
earth, the Bible, the existence of God and our finely tuned
universe. They also consider how their views stack up against the
new atheists as well as against creationists and adherents of
intelligent design.The authors disentangle the false conclusions of
Christians and atheists alike about science and evolution from the
actual results of research in astronomy, physics, geology and
genetics. In its place they find a story of the grandeur and beauty
of a world made by a supremely creative God.
So much has changed about Catholic intellectual life in the half
century since the end of the Second Vatican Council that it has
become difficult to locate the core concepts that make up the
tradition. In the Logos of Love is a collection of essays that grew
out of a 2013 conference on Catholic intellectual life co-sponsored
by the University of Dayton and the Institute for Advanced Catholic
Studies of the University of Southern California. The essays,
written by scholars of theology, history, law, and media studies of
religion, trace the history of this intellectual tradition in order
to craft new tools for understanding the present day and
approaching the future. Each essay explores both the promise of
Catholic intellectual life and its various contemporary
predicaments. How does a changed media landscape affect the way
Catholicism is depicted, and the way its adherents understand and
communicate among themselves? What resources can the tradition
offer for reflection on new understandings of sexuality and gender?
How can and should US Catholic intellectual life embrace and
enhance-and introduce students to-the new ways in which Catholicism
is becoming a more global tradition? What is the role of scholars
in disciplines beyond theology? Of scholars who are not Catholic?
Of scholars in universities not sponsored by Catholic religious
orders or dioceses? By providing context for and proposing
responses to these questions, the scholars invite discussion and
reflection from a wide range of readers who have one important
thing in common-a stake in sustaining a vibrant, flourishing
intellectual tradition.
Africa is a continent of striking contrasts, with remarkable
diversity and beauty of landscape and peoples. At present, it is a
region where the Christian faith shows unprecedented growth and
vitality. Yet it is also a place of unparalleled suffering. African
believers must grapple with the awesome transformation presence of
Christ and the frequently devastating conditions in which he
appears. Their efforts to reconcile this seeming incongruity have
initiated important theological discussions that have resonated
around the globe. This book provides an ideal introduction to the
wealth of African theologies and the major questions they raise.
Topics range from biblical interpretation to spirituality and
ethics, from Pentecostalism and African Instituted Churches to evil
and suffering, from feminist theory to Christian identity and
ethnicity. The broad range of reflections includes seminal essays
by prominent theologians as well as new material written
specifically for this volume. All the contributions have been
shaped to be accessible at an introductory level. Study questions
at the end of each chapter are designed to stimulate original
thought to allow the reader to reflect personally on contemporary
ideas and participate in discussion.
Up until the second half of the 20th century, the American
Presbyterian creed has been the confessional tradition of the
Westminster Assembly (1643-48). Presbyterians in America adopted
the Westminster Confession nd Catechisms in 1729 through a
compromise measure that produced ongoing debate for the next
hundred years. Differences over the meaning of confessional
subscription were a continuing cause of the Presbyterian schisms of
1741 and 1837. The Presbyterian Creed is a study of the factors
that led to the 19th-century Old School/New School schism and the
Presbyterian reunions of 1864 and 1870. In these American
Presbyterian reunions, American Presbyterians finally reached
consensus on the meaning of confessional subscription which had
previously been so elusive.
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