This study of shamanistic practices in contemporary Japan examines the shamanic figures surviving in Japan today, their initiatory dreams, ascetic practices, the supernatural beings with whom they communicate, and the geography of the other world in myth and legend.

He Must Increase but I Must Decrease is for those who overweight, underweight, bulemic or anorexic. If you have weight problems of any kind, this book is for you! Inside is 20 years experience in counseling men/women with weight control problems. The key is discipline of mind, body and spirit. Followed in its entirety, results will exceed expectations. It will do for you what it has done for many others who committed their weight control to God rather than following fad diets/diet plans which produce no results or result in poor health or death! This plan does not require any special foods or diets

The last days of the apocalypse are already upon us, but most people don't know it. Author Louis A. Kelsch, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, reveals that the last days are already here and will not be deterred. He explores the methods God will use to teach us repentance and how selected individuals will benefit others as events unfold. Christ will reign on Earth, and life will be restored to a true utopia.

He also considers the ways in which the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints looks exactly like the church that Christ once organized. Founded on the principle of revelation from God, it is a truly an original American church.

There are trying times ahead for the Latter-Day Saints, and if you're already a member of the church, your faith will be tested. But it will not be more than you can bear, and there will also be times of unspeakable joy. No matter what your faith, there's not much time left to start living a life that will free you from sin. Discover how to find the path to salvation with The Apocalypse Has Begun.

We Must Speak: Rethinking How We Communicate About Faith in the 21st Century "Pray that I may declare (the message) boldly, as I must speak." - Ephesians 6:20 In "We Must Speak," Larry Hollon addresses the communications crisis in mainline denominations and sounds a call to action for the church: Speak out in today's digital culture or risk irrelevance. Communications technology is connecting people in unprecedented ways, yet many mainline churches have been slow to adapt - and have continued to lose members and status. Other voices and messages are filling the void, offering superficial entertainment and consumerism as poor substitutes for the good news of the church. By embracing communications ministry, churches can transform their communities, change lives and be the presence of Christ for a hurting world. Hollon shares success stories, a theologically grounded vision, and specific steps for local congregations and denominations to tap the power of communications. "Larry Hollon sets out the case for why we need to maintain our voice ... in a world crowded with competing messages and often destructive values." - Mike McCurry, former White House press secretary

As understanding and awareness of abuse has grown, many revelations of church leaders abusing their power have come to light. How did the church get here? Is there a way we can address both individual and institutional failings to counter the misuse of power and, more importantly, prevent it in first place? Powerful Leaders? exposes and explores how leaders are tempted away from a biblical model of leadership into illegitimate - and in the worst cases abusive - use of authority and power. Director of Living Leadership, a charity that focuses on healthy leadership and church culture, Marcus Honeysett traces how leaders move along a spectrum of healthy to unhealthy uses of power and position and offers practical wisdom for countering and preventing harmful leadership. Drawing on his years of experience in the local church and working with leaders and congregations, Honeysett unpacks how to spot danger signs of abuse in the church and provides advice on what to do if you see or are under unhealthy leadership. He also explores why people don't blow the whistle and encourages critical self-examination in existing leaders to ensure they maintain a healthy use of power - and offers guidance to help leaders improve their skills and move back towards healthy, biblically-based leadership. For anyone concerned about improving safeguarding in the church, Powerful Leaders? will prove a valuable resource. It challenges and equips both those in leadership and those in a position to hold leaders accountable, and will empower them to take the necessary steps forward to create healthier church cultures in which everyone can thrive.

Tramps, lazy, cheaters. Expressions like these were widely used by several masters in view of the multiple forms of transgressions committed by slaves. This type of (dis) qualification gained an even stronger contour in properties controlled by religious orders, which tried to impose moralizing measures on the enslaved population. In this book, the reader will come across a peculiar form of management, highly centralized and commanded by one of the most important religious corporations in Brazil: the Order of Saint Benedict. The Institutional Paternalism built by this institution throughout the 18th and 19th centuries was able to stimulate, among the enslaved, the yearning for freedom and autonomy, 'prizes' granted only to those who fit the Benedictines' moral expectation, based on obedience, discipline and punishment. The "incorrigible" should be sold while the "meek" would be rewarded. The monks then became large slaveholders, recognized nationally as great managers. However behind this success, they had to learn to deal with the stubborn resistance of those who refused to peacefully surrender their bodies and minds, resulting in negotiations and concessions that caused disturbances, moments of instability and internal disputes.

This book continues a series of volumes containing the papers read at an annual conference held in turn by Tel Aviv and Bochum in the course of a co-operation between the Lester and Sally Entin Faculty of Humanities, Chaim Rosenberg School of Jewish Studies, the Department of Bible of Tel Aviv University and the Faculty of Protestant Theology in the University of the Ruhr, Bochum, since 1985. As a collection the book focuses on the important role religious views have played in critical moments during Jewish and Christian history. It argues for the significance that the role religious beliefs play in political and economic decision-making and the formation of worldviews; as well as demonstrating common convictions held by both Jewish and Christians that can be used as a foundation to find similar answers to actual problems. Focusing on the conference held in March 2005 at Tel Aviv, the book contains a collected biography of the literature quoted as well as a list of standard abbreviations.

The life of a Victorian religious community, both within the privacy of the convent and in its work in the wider world, including front-line nursing. This book introduces readers to the life of a Victorian religious community, both within the privacy of the convent and in its work in the wider world, based on documents preserved by the Society of All Saints Sisters of the Poor.It begins by using the memoirs of first-generation members of the community, a colourful and human introduction to the Anglican 're-invention' of monastic life in the second half of the nineteenth century. The section on government includes the power struggles between the sisters and the religious establishment, and the community's determination to retain its identity after the death of the mother foundress. The sisters nursed with the newly-formed Red Cross in the Franco-Prussian War, work recorded in a diary which discusses the difficulties and dangers of Victorian front-line nursing. Most of all, the documents reveal the challenges and excitement of the struggle to establish awomen's community, to be unfettered in their work with the poor and suffering, and to govern themselves, in a world dominated by men largely hostile to their aspirations. SUSAN MUMM is lecturer in religious studies at the OpenUniversity, Milton Keynes.

Nineteen ninety-five is the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the death camps and of the martyrdom of the Protestant theologian and resistance leader, Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The author weaves together the stories of his studies at the Shoah archives and former death camps in Central and Eastern Europe and at the Israeli Holocaust memorial. Following the reflections and narratives there is a lengthy compilation of resources for worship services, interfaith observances, and both study and dialogue programs. The unique section on liturgical resources includes models for seasonal services, historical background, sermons and sermon outlines, prayers, readings, hymns, litanies, other resources, and an annotated bibliography.

Most people in the United States today no longer live their lives under the guidance of local institutionalized religious leadership, such as rabbis, ministers, and priests; rather, liberals and conservatives alike have taken charge of their own religious or spiritual practices. This shift, along with other social and cultural changes, has opened up a perhaps surprising space for chaplains--spiritual professionals who usually work with the endorsement of a religious community but do that work away from its immediate hierarchy, ministering in a secular institution, such as a prison, the military, or an airport, to an ever-changing group of clients of widely varying faiths and beliefs. In A Ministry of Presence, Winnifred Fallers Sullivan explores how chaplaincy works in the United States--and in particular how it sits uneasily at the intersection of law and religion, spiritual care, and government regulation. Responsible for ministering to the wandering souls of the globalized economy, the chaplain works with a clientele often unmarked by a specific religious identity, and does so on behalf of a secular institution, like a hospital. Sullivan's examination of the sometimes heroic but often deeply ambiguous work yields fascinating insights into contemporary spiritual life, the politics of religious freedom, and the never-ending negotiation of religion's place in American institutional life.

The Greek Historia Monachorum in Aegypto was one of the most widely read and disseminated Greek hagiographic texts during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. To this day it remains, alongside Athanasius' Life of Antony, one of the core primary sources for fourth-century Egyptian monasticism as well as one of the most fascinating, yet perplexing, pieces of monastic hagiography to survive from the entire patristic period. However, until now it has not received the intensive and sustained scholarly analysis that a monograph affords. In this study, Andrew Cain incorporates insights from source criticism, stylistic and rhetorical analysis, literary criticism, and historical, geographical, and theological studies in an attempt to break new ground and revise current scholarly orthodoxy about a broad range of interpretive issues and problems.

God loves us and wants us to love Him, each other, and ourselves. God never intended anyone to be victimized, and it is important that we love and respect ourselves, holding ourselves in high regard. Domestic violence is sin, and violent interactions break the greatest commandments. Violence is incompatible with love, and that s why it is important to embrace God s word to find out exactly what it says to us about God s love. Furthermore, we know the Holy Spirit neither produces nor condones abuse, for love and gentleness are Fruit of the Spirit according to Galatians. We are precious to Him. We are valuable to God, and His sacrifice for us proves that. No matter what we have been told, what experiences we have had, what mistakes we have made, God loves us and wants us to be loved. We do not have to labor in an arena God never intended for us to labor in, He wants us to be free. If you are in a relationship that threatens your mental and physical health, your soul and your temple, seek guidance and strength from a God who knows your struggle. He is ready to deliver you because you have dwelt long enough on this mountain.

As the AIDS crisis spread and gained momentum, Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish clergy in the United States and the United Kingdom became involved in sometimes surprising ways. Using quantitative and qualitative data from the early 1990s and from follow-up interviews conducted later in the decade, the authors show that many clergy became involved in the pastoral care for and counseling of people stigmatized by AIDS, including gay and bisexual men, despite expressions of antipathy from their denominations. Sociological theories concerning clergy roles, social movements, social space, and social capital provide a framework for analyzing the initial findings and the data from subsequent interviews. The study concludes that this small but dedicated group of clergy who ministered to the needs of this suffering population were part of a social movement that addressed a community problem despite both obstacles and opposition.

Using data obtained from structured interviews and responses to questionnaires concerning clergy responses to real and hypothetical situations involving people who are HIV-positive or who have AIDS, the authors illustrate how clergy and organized religious groups confronted a new and acute fatal illness that was initially associated with stigmatized behavior. They demonstrate that many clergy saw their roles as advocates for these individuals and as providers of pastoral and spiritual care, in spite of the rhetoric of conservative and fundamentalist clergy who condemned the victims as an example of the wrath of God against gay and bisexual men. The study also shows that even those who were less actively engaged in AIDS pastoral care and counseling demonstrated tolerance for those affected by it. Follow-up interviews indicate, finally, that as AIDS became more of a chronic illness, the social movement to provide religious and spiritual care and counseling began to wane.