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Books > Christianity > Protestantism & Protestant Churches
Naomi "Omie" Wise was drowned by her lover in the waters of North
Carolina's Deep River in 1807, and her murder has been remembered
in ballad and story for well over two centuries. Mistakes,
romanticization and misremembering have been injected into Naomi's
biography over time, blurring the line between reality and fiction.
The authors of this book, whose family has lived in the Deep River
area since the 18th century, are descendants of many of the people
who knew Naomi Wise or were involved in her murder investigation.
This is the story of a young woman betrayed and how her death gave
way to the folk traditions by which she is remembered today. The
book sheds light on the plight of impoverished women in early
America and details the fascinating inner workings of the Piedmont
North Carolina Quaker community that cared for Naomi in her final
years and kept her memory alive.
The last two decades have witnessed the growing participation in
theological dialogues of non-institutional (free church) movements.
This poses a serious challenge to 21st century ecumenism, since
ecclesial realities and internal diversity of these movements
impede fruitful dialogue in the classical manner. The present
volume addresses fundamental aspects of this challenge by a
critical study of an exemplary case of such dialogues, the
International Roman Catholic-Classical Pentecostal Dialogue
(1972-2007). This unique study builds both on primary archival
sources and on earlier research on the IRCCPD. After providing an
ecumenical profile of the Classical Pentecostal dialogue partner,
Creemers demonstrates how fair representation of the Classical
Pentecostal movement has been pursued in the course of the
dialogue. Next, he gives attention to the ecumenical method of the
IRCCPD. First, the development of a dialogue method hinging on
"hard questions" is traced, which has allowed a balanced
theological exchange between the dialogue partners. Regarding
theological method, it is demonstrated that both partners showed a
willingness to experiment together by integrating sources of
theological knowledge typically distrusted in their own traditions.
In conclusion, the analyses are integrated in an overview of
challenges and opportunities for dialogue with the Classical
Pentecostal movement in the context of ongoing discussions on
ecumenical method.
J. E. Hutton's superb history follows the Moravian Church from its
earliest years as one of the earliest founding Protestant
denominations, over the centuries as it developed into a mature
Christian fellowship. Arranged chronologically, Hutton's history
takes us first to the dawn of the Protestant Reformation in the
fifteenth century. He details the fraught religious and political
situation during the decades prior to the eventual split with the
dominant Catholic order. We are introduced to the pivotal figures
of the era, such as Peter of Chelci, Gregory the Patriarch and Luke
of Prague. The political climate of Prague, Bohemia and the
surrounding areas in which the Moravians lived is much-detailed.
The pure, simple observance of Christ and his virtues united the
Moravian movement - the essential devotion to Jesus and his gospel
appealed to Christians, who yearned for community under a common
banner and felt distant from the old order. Poland in particular
proved a bastion for Moravian brethren.
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