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Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Aspects of religions (non-Christian) > Religious institutions & organizations
In life we have moments in time in which we have an opportunity
before us to make a change or to respond to a situation. According
to Michael Lindsay, president of Gordon College, what follows these
instances will depend intrinsically on the decisions we make and
the actions we take. These are what he calls "hinge
moments"-opportunities to open (or close) doors to various pathways
of our lives. Lindsay maintains that getting these moments right
can change our lives for the better, and getting them wrong can
pose problems for years to come: "Some transitions have a
disproportionate impact on our happiness, our contribution to
society, and our family's well-being." In these pages Lindsay
shares faith-based stories of success and failure from his ten-year
study of 550 PLATINUM leaders. He has charted seven phases of
transition, providing both practical and spiritual insights for
making the most of each stage. In uncertain and tumultuous times,
there is no better advantage than wisdom gained early.
In Western popular imagination, the Caliphate often conjures up an
array of negative images, while rallies organised in support of
resurrecting the Caliphate are treated with a mixture of
apprehension and disdain, as if they were the first steps towards
usurping democracy. Yet these images and perceptions have little to
do with reality. While some Muslims may be nostalgic for the
Caliphate, only very few today seek to make that dream come true.
Yet the Caliphate can be evoked as a powerful rallying call and a
symbol that draws on an imagined past and longing for reproducing
or emulating it as an ideal Islamic polity. The Caliphate today is
a contested concept among many actors in the Muslim world, Europe
and beyond, the reinvention and imagining of which may appear
puzzling to most of us. Demystifying the Caliphate sheds light on
both the historical debates following the demise of the last
Ottoman Caliphate and controversies surrounding recent calls to
resurrect it, transcending alarmist agendas to answer fundamental
questions about why the memory of the Caliphate lingers on among
diverse Muslims. From London to the Caucasus, to Jakarta, Istanbul,
and Baghdad, the contributors explore the concept of the Caliphate
and the re-imagining of the Muslim ummah as a diverse multi-ethnic
community.
Much has changed for the priests at the Minakshi Temple, one of
the most famous Hindu temples in India. In "The Renewal of the
Priesthood," C. J. Fuller traces their improving fortunes over the
past 25 years. This fluidly written book is unique in showing that
traditionalism and modernity are actually reinforcing each other
among these priests, a process in which the state has played a
crucial role.
Since the mid-1980s, growing urban affluence has seen more
people spend more money on rituals in the Minakshi Temple, which is
in the southern city of Madurai. The priests have thus become
better-off, and some have also found new earnings opportunities in
temples as far away as America. During the same period, due partly
to growing Hindu nationalism in India, the Tamilnadu state
government's religious policies have become more favorable toward
Hinduism and Brahman temple priests. More priests' sons now study
in religious schools where they learn authoritative Sanskrit ritual
texts by heart, and overall educational standards have markedly
improved.
Fuller shows that the priests have become more "professional"
and modern-minded while also insisting on the legitimacy of
tradition. He concludes by critiquing the analysis of modernity and
tradition in social science. In showing how the priests are
authentic representatives of modern India, this book tells a story
whose significance extends far beyond the confines of the Minakshi
Temple itself.
Der Wiederaufbau von in der NS-Zeit zerschlagenen Strukturen
innerhalb der katholischen Kirche steht im Zentrum dieses Buches.
Die Darstellung erfolgt sowohl auf gesamtoesterreichischer Ebene
als auch auf der Ebene einzelner Dioezesen. Die Autoren
berucksichtigen ebenso die Reorganisation des kirchlichen Lebens in
anderen christlichen Kirchen und decken zeitlich die ersten
Nachkriegsjahrzehnte in OEsterreich, also die Grundungsphase der
Zweiten Republik, ab. Zahlreiche prominente Theologen, Juristen und
Historiker haben an diesem Sammelband mitgewirkt und schildern ihre
Sicht der Dinge, die den weiteren Weg der Kirchen in der
oesterreichischen Gesellschaft gepragt haben.
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