"We have been drifting into a muddle and a mess, putting together bits and pieces of traditions, ideas and practices in the hope that they will make sense. They don't. There may be times when a typical Anglican fudge is a pleasant, chewy sort of thing, but this isn't one of them. It's time to think and speak clearly and act decisively."

With these robust words Tom Wright, Bishop of Durham, throws down a challenge to current liturgy and practice surrounding All Saints' and All Souls' Days, and 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.

The proper role of art in worship and spirituality is a topic of lively debate. There is a wide range of opinion, for example, concerning what types of artistic productions are appropriate for inclusion in a Christian worship service, or whether certain popular Christain images should be deplored as "kitch". Brown addresses both practical and theoretical questions regarding Christian taste: What is the relation between church and the rest of culture? What is wrong (or right) with importing into a house of worship various kinds of music and media that are worldly in origin? By exploring the complex relation between taste, religious imagination, and faith, Brown hopes ultimately to offer a new perspective on what it means to be spiritual, religious, and indeed Christian.

One woman's personal account of Saint Ignatius' Spiritual Exercisesin her own prayer life. This book is the result of an improbable friendship, she admits from the outset, Mine with St. Ignatius Loyola.The book grew out of a 30-day retreat the author took away from her busy life as a wife, theology student in pastoral education, translator and mother of two little boys. Yet nothing had prepared me for the experience. I had thought this would be a nice project for Lent. Lent began and ended, but the project went on, and radically changed my way of seeing things. In a sense I never finished them. They have become a part of me, the meditations being a kind of horizon against which I can see and reflect upon the course of my life, and to which I return again and again

Unlike other Christian creeds, the creed of The Christian Community is not a statement of belief, but rather a series of assertions that act as a path to a deeper understanding of Christianity. Peter Selg offers an insightful and informative overview of how, in the time leading up to the founding of The Christian Community nearly one hundred years ago, Rudolf Steiner formulated both the creed itself and its founding principles. He also examines the history of Christian creeds including the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed and compares them to each other. Finally, he explores the ongoing significance of the creed for The Christian Community today.

Augustins Sermones ad populum bilden den groessten Einzelposten all seiner Werke. Ihre Rolle in der Augustinus-Rezeption entspricht dagegen keineswegs ihrer Bedeutung. Die Vorstellungen von Person und Denken Augustins sind daher oft verzeichnet, weil seine Pastoral zu wenig zur Kenntnis genommen wird. Zu ihrer besseren Erschliessung legt der vierte Band der zweisprachigen Ausgabe dreizehn Weihnachtspredigten vor, wovon elf erstmals ins Deutsche ubertragen wurden. Der en face abgedruckte Text gibt die grundlegende Maurineredition unter kritischem Vergleich mit den spateren Editionen und deren Abweichungen wieder. Die Einleitungen und Anmerkungen erlautern das zur Einordnung und zum Verstandnis der Texte Erforderliche: Echtheit, UEberlieferung, Chronologie, Textkritik, Struktur, Stil, historische Daten, Theologie und Liturgie. Ein besonderer Schwerpunkt liegt auf dem Nachweis des biblischen Gedankengutes.

By the end of the 19th century, the ascendance of a naturalistic worldview had made it increasingly difficult for many educated Christians to believe in a God who intervened in the natural world. At the same time, many in the emerging middle-class culture saw themselves as too busy to practice the rigorous devotions of their ancestors. In this book, Rick Ostrander explores the attempts of American Protestants to articulate a convincing and satisfying ethic of prayer in these changing circumstances. Ostrander shows that, in response to the assault on petitionary prayer by naturalistic scientists, American Evangelicals articulated a highly supernatural ethic of prayer and co-opted the "scientific method" to defend their stance, recording and cataloging numerous answers to prayer as empirical proof of prayer's efficacy. Liberal Protestants, on the other hand, with their desire to adapt to modern thought, gradually abandoned traditional belief in petitionary prayer. The debate about the efficacy of petitionary prayer and other "alternative therapies" in mental and physical healing has taken on new vigor today; this timely and engagingly written work not only chronicles the history of that debate, but serves to illuminate the issues that are at stake.

Illustrated devotions to enrich your understanding of the Nativity narratives. includes readings and prayers to help individuals and groups walk the Stations of the Nativity.

In Being in Love, William Johnston addresses the question of the purpose of prayer. He shares with the reader the discovery of new ways to a prayerful life that is both meditative and active. His message is to surrender in love to God, to love God with one's own being, through prayer. Here Being in Love shows us how to pray-with heart, mind, intellect and body-as a form of communicating with God, one another, and the world around us. Johnston reveals, using his relationship with the Eastern traditions as a backdrop, the need and importance of finding stillness in our inner lives. He demonstrates in a clear and practical way, how we can make prayer a place for meditation and personal growth.

This is a comprehensive study of the impact of ritualism on the Church of England, other Anglican churches, and non-Anglican churches in Britain in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Drawing on an exhaustive study of archival and contemporary printed sources, Dr Yates presents a new and refreshing approach to this fascinating subject.

Through the Gospel story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus, Henri Nouwen offers a profound understanding of what he calls "the Eucharistic life." Like those original dejected disciples, we too come together in our brokenness before God, hear the Word and the profession of faith, and recognise Jesus in the breaking of the bread. But the story continues. Having received this Eucharistic gift, we are called, like the disciples, to go forth in mission to spread the Good News. From mourning to discernment, from invitation to intimacy, and from community to the charge to go forth and bear witness: With Burning Hearts calls us to experience all of this journey, to know that what we celebrate and what we are called to live are one and the same. With illustrations by the great medieval artist, Duccio, this is a book to contemplate and treasure.

Why do people sing hymns? Are hymns poetry? What makes a good hymn? The author discusses the nature of hymns and their particular appeal, examines the English hymn as a literary form, and systematically describes its development through four centuries, from the Reformation to the mid-twentieth century.

This classic work of Russian spirituality has charmed countless readers with its tale of a nineteenth-century peasant seeking the truth with simple humility, finding joy and plenty everywhere in life.

This is the first full-length study of the place and meaning of pilgrimage in European Renaissance culture. It makes new material available and also provides fresh perspectives on canonical writers such as Rabelais, Montaigne, Margurite de Navarre, Erasmus, Petrarch, Augustine, and Gregory of Nyssa. Wes Williams undertakes a bold exploration of various interlinking themes in Renaissance pilgrimage: the location, representation, and politics of the sacred, together with the experience of the everyday, the extraordinary, the religious, and the represented. Williams also examines the literary formation of the subjective narrative voice in his texts, and its relationship to the rituals and practices he reviews. This wide-ranging and timely new work aims both to gain a sense of the shapes of pilgrim experience in the Renaissance and to question the ways in which recent theoretical and historical research in the area has determined the differences between fictional worlds and the real.

In Being in Love, William Johnston addresses the question of the purpose of prayer. He shares with the reader the discovery of new ways to a prayerful life that is both meditative and active. His message is to surrender in love to God, to love God with one's own being, through prayer. Here Being in Love shows us how to pray-with heart, mind, intellect and body-as a form of communicating with God, one another, and the world around us. Johnston reveals, using his relationship with the Eastern traditions as a backdrop, the need and importance of finding stillness in our inner lives. He demonstrates in a clear and practical way, how we can make prayer a place for meditation and personal growth.

Year 2000 is a Jubilee year for the Catholic church and very large numbers are expected to make the pilgrimage to Rome. Debra Birch's lively account of pilgrimage to Rome throughout the medieval period is well-documented and clearly presented. HISTORY TODAY [Emma Mason]Well researched, clearly written, and, quite apart from the eternal city, provides an excellent introduction to pilgrimage as a whole. CHURCH TIMES [Nicholas Orme] Rome was one of the major pilgrim destinations in the middle ages. The belief that certain objects and places were a focus of holiness where pilgrims could come closer to God had a long history in Christian tradition; in the case of Rome, the tradition developed around two of the city's most important martyrs, Christ's apostles Peter and Paul. So strong were the city'sassociations with these apostles that pilgrimage to Rome was often referred to as pilgrimage `to the threshold of the apostles'. Debra Birch conveys a vivid picture of the world of the medieval pilgrim to Rome - the Romipetae, or `Rome-seekers' - covering all aspects of their journey, and their life in the city itself. DEBRA BIRCH is assistant secretary at the Institute of Historical Research. CONTENTS The Cult of Saints and Pilgrimage to Rome. The Journey to Rome . Obligations and Privileges . Rome of the Pilgrim I . Rome of the Pilgrim II . Welfare Provisions for Pilgrims in Rome . The Popularity of Pilgrimage to Rome in the 12th Century . The 13th-Century Revival.

The Power and Freedom of a Humble Life

Pride is often the true reason why we get our feelings hurt, why we feel rejection, why we won't admit to mistakes, why we want to be seen with certain people, and why we stay angry.

Jesus gives us the perfect example of a powerful life lived without conceit, smugness, or arrogance. So why do we not want to admit to our pride? It is because of our pride!

In The Power of Humility, R. T. Kendall challenges us to look deeply into our hearts and motives to recognize the pride and self-righteousness there. Using personal stories and enlightening examples from the Bible, he demonstrates how pride interferes with a close relationship with God and reveals how to overcome pride and become more like Jesus.

Guidance for Leaders Seeking a Richer Way to Employ Worship Music Worship expert Constance Cherry offers comprehensive guidance to Christian leaders seeking a deeper, richer way to employ worship music in engaging ways for twenty-first-century worshipers. Following Cherry's successful book The Worship Architect, this work helps Christian leaders think theologically and act pastorally about worship music in their churches. It addresses larger issues beyond the surface struggles of musical styles and provides tools to critically evaluate worship songs. The book is applicable to all Christian traditions and worship styles and is well suited to both the classroom and the local church. Each chapter concludes with suggested practical exercises, recommended reading, and basic vocabulary terms.

Every year, millions of people around the globe celebrate Christmas. But what does it all mean? Drawing from both the Old and New Testaments, noted pastor and theologian David Jeremiah provides answers to 25 of the most thought-provoking questions surrounding the most pivotal moment in human history--the birth of Jesus Christ. The 25 chapters can be read according to the Advent calendar.