This book demonstrates that the encounter between Christianity and various African cultures gives rise to a number of problems for Africans who become Christians. It draws attention to certain traditional African beliefs and practices that seem to be incompatible with Christianity and create problems for Africans who embrace Christianity. Against this background it argues for the need to inculturate Christianity. It contends that in this exercise African Christianity can learn from the attempts at inculturation found in the New Testament times and in the early church. It offers examples of how the early church sought to make use of non-Christian categories of thought and elements in its articulation of the Christian message and in worship. It suggests a few areas of Ghanaian and African life where inculturation could and should take place. These include funeral rites, widowhood rites, child-naming rites, the rites of marriage, libation and christology. It concludes by offering some guidelines for use in the process of the inculturation of Christianity in Africa today.

This is a rich, informative, and inspiring compendium of the Christian tradition of prayer and contemplation from the earliest days of the Church to the present day. Included are selections from St. Ignatius of Antioch, Justin Martyr, St. Clement of Rome, St. Gregory of Nyssa, John Cassian, St. Augustine, St. Gregory of Sinai, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Bonaventure, St. Ignatius Loyola, St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Julian of Norwich, Brother Lawrence, St. Francis de Sales, St. Vincent de Paul, Lancelot Andrewes, St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, St. Edith Stein, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Hans Urs von Balthasar and Pope John Paul II. Levering has selected readings that capture how Christian saints and spiritual leaders through the ages have understood what prayer is, why we pray, and how we pray. The selections also integrate the Eastern Orthodox and Western understandings of prayer and contemplation. The book is perfect for study, meditation, and inspiration.

Four centuries of African American preaching has provided hope, healing, and heaven for people from every walk of life. Many notable men and women of African American lineage have contributed, through the art of preaching, to the biblical emancipation and spiritual liberation of their parishioners. In African American Preaching: The Contribution of Dr. Gardner C. Taylor, Gerald Lamont Thomas offers a historical overview of African American preaching and its effect on the cultural legacy of black people, nothing the various styles and genius of pulpit orators. The book's focus is on the life, ministry, and preaching methodology of one of this era's most prolific voices, Dr. Gardner C. Taylor, and should be read by everyone who takes the task of preaching seriously.

Are you ready for a revolutionary year with Heidi & Rolland? Whether stopping for the one in a dusty village in Mozambique or reaching out to the world, Heidi and Rolland model--and invite everyone into--the radical love that thrills God's heart. Energized by their work on the frontlines of ministry, the Bakers weave together miraculous stories, Scriptures, encouraging devotional thoughts and prayer to take you through the year. Every day is a fresh invitation to live fully devoted to God. When you surrender to Him and allow His presence to grow in you, you will find, like the Bakers, that you don't become less of yourself; you actually become more fully the person He has always intended you to be. Join Heidi and Rolland for an unforgettable year of sold-out, passionate, reckless devotion to the One who loves you more than you can imagine. "All God wants is my laid-down love, my reckless devotion. He is asking the same from you."--Heidi Baker

Down through the years, those who have been close to God have met with him daily. The Quiet Time Companion can help you begin and make the most of your own daily meetings with God. Offering a fresh approach to Bible study each week (with eleven different approachs in all), this book will help keep your quiet times stimulating and challenging. You'll learn a variety of Bible study skills that will last a lifetime With The Quiet Time Companion you'll gain a thorough overview of the whole Bible as you move through two years of structured and unstructured meetings with God. Each week you'll find five Bible studies designed to occupy about twenty minutes daily. These include whole book studies overviewing major themes detailed studies of short passages topical studies on important aspects of the Christian life character studies of fascinating people in the Bible word studies of key biblical concepts You'll also find suggestions for activities and projects to give you a change of pace each weekend. Divided into eight sessions of thirteen weeks each, The Quiet Time Companion can also be used easily by small groups and Sunday school classes. Here is a great opportunity to get started meeting with God every day.

Heartbreaking losses can steal the cheer from anyone's life. But here's a way to overcome the tribulations that threaten your happiness and shadow your days. In this clever and inspirational book, experienced counselor and popular speaker Marilyn Meberg shows you how to triumph and choose to laugh instead of cry.

With warm encouragement, contagious enthusiasm, and a dash of mischievous humor, she shares the powerful medicine of God's Word. As the light of His love courses through your heart, you'll soon find yourself agreeing: "I'd Rather Be Laughing "

Each page of this new devotional by David Teems is charged with originality, beauty and the richness of our common language, as well as necessary and timely spiritual content. Each day illuminates one subject, Love. Each entry puts Christ at the center of that love, whether it's love for your husband or wife, for you neighbor, for the stranger, for God. It's all centered in Him and in 365 lovely treatments. The language is lyrical, speaking the way love speaks, sounding the way devotion is supposed to sound. Each day also closes with a benediction, such as, "May Christ be the template by which love shapes itself in you." It's about true Christianity, about worship, about devotion, about ourselves, and much much more. An incredibly generous book, you could say it's the little book with the big heart. And finally, as it says in the Prologue, offering us perhaps the clearest description of itself, "This is a book of love. It only thinks it's a devotional."

Love has always been the need.

Jesus has always been the answer.

"The world is hurting for love," writes pastor and Bible teacher Charles Stanley. "Because God is infinite and full of compassion, He heard our cries and responded in the form of a perfect gift, Jesus."

Consider this simple truth: all the wonderful attributes of God would be meaningless unless God was also a "giver." He loves the world, and the evidence of that love is that he "gave" His Son. From this simple but profound premise, Dr. Stanley unfolds the riches of the giver and the glories of the gift. Stanley explores the many dimensions of God's generous nature, first in His character, then in the revelation of Himself through His Son, and finally in the impact of His magnificent gift.

Written in a warm, daily devotional format, "A Gift of Love" will cause the height and depth of God's love to shine in your heart.

The essence of the Christian life is Jesus-and when everything you do is aimed at glorifying Him, the life-changing consequences are limitless

In this new trade paper edition, best-selling author Franklin Graham and Ross Rhoads offer thirty compassionate yet uncompromising devotionals that will inspire and challenge readers to embrace a life devoted to Jesus. Insightful and personal, "All For Jesus" helps readers develop the qualities of focused, wholehearted discipleship, while showing how to fully embrace a life lived all for Jesus.

Prayer is an important religious practice that is rarely studied from the perspective of politics - and yet it should be. Though some forms of Protestantism teach that prayer should be individual and private, this is an exception rather than a rule. In many other religions and cultures, the regulation of collective and public prayer cannot be separated from the complex world of politics. Where is prayer allowed, and where not? Who can participate, and who can't? How should you pray - and how shouldn't you? Prayer is subject to a host of both written and unwritten political rules. From the Pentecostal religious battle - where prayer is both sword and shield against the Satanic Other - to the relations between Islam and Christianity, prayer as spiritual warfare can be found cross-culturally and across the world. This book brings together case studies of the political salience of prayer in Nigeria, France, India, Russia, and the United States. It deals with Christian, Muslim, and Hindu practices. In a world where religious tensions are ever-present, it reminds us of the intensely political nature of prayer. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Religious and Political Practice.

En el Adviento y en la Navidad nos ponemos en contacto con Jesus de Nazaret, quien supo de movimiento y de caminos aun desde antes de nacer. Ya en el seno de su madre viaja rumbo hacia Belen. Huye, exiliado, junto con Jose y Maria, a Egipto. Desde entonces, sus discipulos tambien habremos de alistar las sandalias y el baston La vida es un viaje y la libertad no tiene precio. Nuestro mejor pan para darle sentido a nuestro peregrinar y para satisfacer nuestra hambre es la Palabra. Estas paginas son una fraterna invitacion a dejar que el Senor del tiempo toque nuestra jornada diaria, ponga su mano en nuestra historia, para que entonces, nuestro tiempo sea divino y humano. Se convierta en... tiempo para Dios. The true meaning of Advent and Christmas finds its voice in "Tiempo Para Dios" for Every Day of Advent and the 12 Days of Christmas. From the First Sunday of Advent through Christmas and Epiphany for each liturgical year (A, B, and C), this book will help prepare for and deepen our experience this holy season.

"All of us can talk but very few of us communicate." Transform your marriage into the rich and joyful relationship you always reamed it could be-in just 10 minutes a day! With clarity, wit, and insight, Fred and Florence Littauer share from their thirty years of experience working with couples and offer practical advice on how to add zest and meaning to your relationship. In Daily Marriage Builders for couples, you and your spouse will find 120 appealing, quick-to-read chapters that help you: 1. Communicate without conflict Learn how to make time for each other despite your busy lifestyle Understand your personality differences Know God's plan for your life Stay faithful to each other Break down barriers to communications 2. Discover new ways to laugh together Turn talking into meaningful conversation Increase your understanding of each other's feelings, attitudes and motivators Strengthen the spiritual foundation of your marriage and nurture the bond between you Overcome common marriage problems Share cherished memories-and create new ones

Religions contribute to wars, but they can also contribute to peace. They are its necessary foundation. Here eight different religions join together in peace to pray for peace. Under the auspices of the interfaith organization, The Week of Prayer for World Peace, they bring home vividly the love that is God and the horror that is war. It is not only inner peace - tranquility of soul and mind - which is being sought here, but an end to agony and bloodshed, physical and psychological torture, abuse of every kind taking place in the world of men, women and children. This is a very practical prayer book, earthed in the pain of being human. Peace itself comes in many different forms, and the book is arranged to be flexible and comprehensive, ideal for individual or group use. It consists of seven weeks of prayer, each of which contains eight "days" of prayers and intercessions on particular themes connected with the overall theme of "Peace on earth and goodwill towards mankind".

The "Celtic Wheel of the Year" offers an original and inspiring selection of prayers for individual use. Divided into monthly sections, it incorporates Celtic Christian and Celtic Pagan traditions in a single pattern of prayer. Prayers combine the Christian seasons with the seasons of the Solstices and Equinoxes. But they also reach beyond both traditions, dancing together and finding a new way of worshipping; one that we can enjoy in private spirituality or as a partaker of established religion.

The Most Popular Commentary Ever Written in a Modern, Easy-to-Read Edition.
"First among the mighty (commentaries) for general usefulness we are bound to mention the man whose name is a household word, Matthew Henry. He is the most pious and pithy, sound and sensible, suggestive and sober, terse and trustworthy . . . he is deeply spiritual, heavenly, profitable; finding good matter in every text, and from all deducting the most practical and judicious lessons . . . It is the Christian's companion, suitable to everybody, instructive to all."
--Charles H. Spurgeon
From Genesis to Revelation, Matthew Henry successfully combines practical application, devotional insight, and scholarship on the entire Bible. Henry has profound insights on the content, message and nature of God's divine revelation. Perfect for all readers of the Bible who want a comprehensive commentary.
- Modern easy-to-read modern type with Scripture passages in bold
- Complete and unabridged in 6 volumes
- Includes The Life of Matthew Henry by J. B. Williams
- Entirely faithful to the original

The magnitude of the current ecological crisis demands a fundamental redefinition of human identity. It is no longer viable to regard human beings as the apex of creation; rather, humans must be recognized as existing within an intricate web of cosmic relations. For Christian sacramental theology, this redefinition requires that the horizon of theological reflection be shifted from a redemption-centered focus to a cosmocentric one. In this book, Dorothy C. McDougall elaborates the construction of an ecological sacramental theology based on the metaphor of the cosmos as the primary sacrament. McDougall draws on the work of Thomas Berry, with its foundation in a new and emergent scientific perspective, as well as the social critique of ecofeminism as two significant resources.

A study of liturgy in Byzantium, Armenia, Syria and Palestine. The author shows how the central Christian liturgy, the Eucharist, poses all-too human problems of structure, text, history, context and meaning. For humankind's unfailing, incessant ritual repetition of the Lord's Supper down through the ages and across multiple Christian cultures in the liturgies of east and west, in obedience to Jesus' Last Supper mandate, Do this in remembrance of me, has, inevitably, given rise within the same recognizably common framework to innumerable diversities of shape, text, cultural context and theological interpretation. It has also given rise to debates, sometimes heated, among modern experts about the most suitable methods for resolving the problems arising from these differences. The work explores the theories of Anton Baumstark, Dom Gregory Dix and Josef Andreas Jungmann, and what we can derive from their insights. Their way of working, applied to the problems of cultural history, structural, historical and textual reconstruction, theological interpretation, and method involved in the modern scholarly debate on these issues, are the object of the author's studies in this volume.