* Speaks to the bewilderment and helplessness many churches feel in the face of current events * Practical new interpretation of changes in the West Throughout its history, the church has faced crises of meaning and identity in all kinds of changing contexts. The crises facing the churches of the western hemisphere today are no different. At their best, churches have recognized that their challenge is not their own fixing or even "reformation" but a deep engagement with the ways the gospel transforms society. This book explores how this can happen again in a radically changing western world.

* Popular author with broad appeal * New vision for shaping future church leaders The Church's mission is not dependent upon economic or worldly boundaries. The gospel will expand and grow where people respond to God's grace in their lives. The Episcopal Church, along with all denominational churches, is being forced to break out of old training models and traditions of ordination in this new age of mission. The Church must rethink formation of leaders (lay and clergy) to keep up with what God is already doing in the world. Participating in God's mission will press us to reconsider assumptions about the vocations themselves, and their shape for the future.

Recent crises have revealed the desperate need for wise, grounded leadership. Too often, leaders have little experience and even less training in how to address crises in a way that strengthens their communities and guides them into the future. Drawing on examples from government, business, health care, non-profits, and the church, this book helps leaders in those sectors in the present crises and beyond. When a pandemic closes down churches, schools, and offices; when protests rage over racist police brutality; when everything you've always done as a leader becomes irrelevant, where can you turn? This book examines leaders who creatively navigated crises, drawing out principles of crisis leadership from them. This series of Little Books of Leadership is designed to foster conversations within congregations around certain principles and practices that nurture community and growth in the ongoing life of the church.

Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson was the charismatic leader of the Chabad Hasidic movement and its designated Messiah. Yet when he died in 1994, the messianic fervor he inspired did not subside. Through traditional means and digital technologies, a group of radical Hasidim, the Meshichistim, still keep the Rebbe palpably close—engaging in ongoing dialogue, participating in specific rituals, and developing an ever-expanding visual culture of portraits and videos. With Us More Than Ever focuses on this group to explore how religious practice can sustain the belief that a messianic figure is both present and accessible. Yoram Bilu documents a unique religious experience that is distinctly modern. The rallying point of the Meshichistim—that the Rebbe is "with us more than ever"—is sustained through an elaborate system that creates the sense of his constant and pervasive presence in the lives of his followers. The virtual Rebbe that emerges is multiple, visible, accessible, and highly decentralized, the epicenter of a truly messianic movement in the twenty-first century. Combining ethnographic fieldwork and cognitive science with nuanced analysis, Bilu documents the birth and development of a new religious faith, describing the emergence of new spiritual horizons, a process common to various religious movements old and new.

In the past, clergy malfeasance was mentioned only in passing by group members or adherents. The subject was invisible and those who studied it were often stigmatized as hostile to religion itself. Today clergy misconduct is acknowledged as a social problem with growing conceptual and theoretical implications.

In Pastoral Misconduct, Anson Shupe and Janelle M. Eliasson-Nannini argue that the history and traditions of black pastoral leadership, coupled with the close identity of many black congregants with their pastor, congregation, and racial subculture, creates opportunity structures that facilitate predatory behavior. Familiarity and mutual identity frequently leads victims to drop their normal levels of wariness.

Major denominations and minor sects have been studied, but this unique study by Shupe and Eliasson-Nannini pursues nuances of pastoral bad behavior in a new context. This book is not a tabloid treatment of the American black church. In fact, the black church becomes the vehicle for a major new sociological development: a theory of clergy misconduct in any minority religion.

Reveals the yogic understanding of the power of words and images (matrika shakti) and explains how to still the mind and reveal the divinity within.

Nearly 1 in 4 pastors will experience a forced exit from ministry within their vocational tenure. Pastors-At-Risk will alert you to what attitudes and actions have put thousands of pastors at-risk of losing their position in the church. It includes testimonials, success stories and practical solutions for dealing with these issues. It offers a solution for restoration to those who have gone from a place of risk in the church to a transition in ministry.

Images and inscriptions on monuments can show us how priests and cult personnel saw themselves and were viewed by others, illuminating the social and political identity of these figures within their polis. Dedications and donations by cult personnel, and the honours that they earned, demonstrate their claim on the city's attention and their financial power. The cityscape itself came to be shaped, in varying intensities and forms, by statues in honour of cult personnel, set up by relatives, fellow citizens and other groups. This set of cultural records, analysed in the studies presented here, is central to understanding how the roles of priests and priestesses were constructed in social and political terms in post-classical Athens. The approaches are both historical and archaeological, and elucidate the religious functions that the cult personnel fulfilled for the city, and their perception, by themselves and by others, as citizens of the polis.

Security for Holy Places is the first comprehensive security guide for religious associations and organizations. While focused on houses of worship (and schools and centers connected to them), the guide also provides important information on securing religious summer camps and its guidance can be used for any faith-based organization, senior center, day care, or school. The book includes chapters on: overall threat types of weapons used by intruders perimeter and inside security where to get professional help how to build a security plan what to know when hiring guards armed versus unarmed guards & volunteers gun laws mental health issues how to use volunteers effectively to strengthen security information on technology that can strengthen the protection of holy places and their immediate surroundings security for day and overnight camps guidance on how to organize security committees to strengthen security checklists for congregations and camps to use immediately

In Postcolonial Preaching, HyeRan Kim-Cragg argues that preaching is the act of dropping the stone of the Gospel into a lake, making waves to move hearts and transform the world wounded by colonial violence. The ripple effect serves as a metaphor and acronym to guide to preaching that takes postcolonial concerns seriously: Rehearsal, Imagination, Place, Pattern, Language and Exegesis (RIPPLE). Kim-Cragg explains each "ripple" in this approach and exercise of creating and delivering sermons. The author delivers fresh insights while drawing on some traditional homiletical perspectives in the service of a homiletic that takes the reality of racism, migration, and environmental degradation seriously. Moreover, Kim-Cragg demonstrates the postcolonial sermon in action by including annotated homilies. This book contributes to the very first wave of the application of postcolonial scholarship in preaching. Given the continuing extent and influence of colonial worldviews and legacies, this approach should become a staple in preaching over the next generation.

When Paul III was elected in 1534, hopes arose across Christendom that this pope would at last reform and reunite the Church. During his fifteen-year reign, though, Paul's engagement with reform was complex and contentious. A work of cultural history, this book explores how cultural narratives of honour and tradition, including how honour played out in politics, significantly constrained Pope Paul and his chosen reformers in framing strategies for change. Indeed, the reformers' programme would have undermined the culture of honour and weakened Rome's capacity to ward off current threats of invasion. The study makes a provocative case that Paul called the Council of Trent to contain reform rather than promote it. Nevertheless, Paul and the Council did sow seeds of reform that eventually became central to the Counter-Reformation. This book thus sheds new light on a pope whose relationship to reform has long been regarded as an enigma.

The pontificate of Clement VII (Giulio de' Medici) is usually regarded as amongst the most disastrous in history, and the pontiff characterized as timid, vacillating, and avaricious. It was during his years as pope (1523-34) that England broke away from the Catholic Church, and relations with the Holy Roman Emperor deteriorated to such a degree that in 1527 an Imperial army sacked Rome and imprisoned the pontiff. Given these spectacular political and military failures, it is perhaps unsurprising that Clement has often elicited the scorn of historians, rather than balanced and dispassionate analysis. This interdisciplinary volume, the first on the subject, constitutes a major step forward in our understanding of Clement VII's pontificate. Looking beyond Clement's well-known failures, and anachronistic comparisons with more 'successful' popes, it provides a fascinating insight into one of the most pivotal periods of papal and European history. Drawing on long-neglected sources, as rich as they are abundant, the contributors address a wide variety of important aspects of Clement's pontificate, re-assessing his character, familial and personal relations, political strategies, and cultural patronage, as well as exploring broader issues including the impact of the Sack of Rome, and religious renewal and reform in the pre-Tridentine period. Taken together, the essays collected here provide the most expansive and nuanced portrayal yet offered of Clement as pope, patron, and politician. In reconsidering the politics and emphasizing the cultural vitality of the period, the collection provides fresh and much-needed revision to our understanding of Clement VII's pontificate and its critical impact on the history of the papacy and Renaissance Europe.

Do you want to reignite your passion for the local church and see your congregation live out the Great Commission by growing and making disciples? If so, implementing the revolutionary Intentional Growth Planning (TM) operating system will benefit you, your church, and your community! Just as laptops and smart phones have an operating system, the church needs a biblically based operating system where its various programs and activities can effectively plug in to. In Intentional Churches, Doug Parks and Bart Rendel combine their 35 years of executive church leadership experience and unveil a proven and practical operational system that will help you: Clarify your unique vision Filter trends and new ideas through your mission Improve implementation abilities Maintain unity and alignment around what matters most This is a repeatable and transferable process any church can learn. Start today and be ready to go and grow through God's power for God's glory.

The Inspirational Story of the Twentieth Century s Greatest Evangelist Billy Graham has preached the gospel message in person to more people than anyone in history, and millions more have heard him through television, radio, and film. His faithful witness is testimony to his great love of God and passion to serve Him. This easy-to-read biography tells Billy Graham s story, including his humble beginnings as a southern farm boy, his calling to the ministry, the start of the crusades, his service to America s leaders, and his later years preaching around the globe. As you read these details of a life dedicated to the cause of Christ, you will be encouraged. Also these stories will inspire anyone who desires to give their life in service to God. Here s a fresh look at a contemporary man of God and giant of the faith."

In medieval Europe, the death of a king could not only cause a dispute about the succession, but also a severe crisis. In times of a vacant throne particular responsibility fell to the bishops - whose general importance for the time around the first milennium has been revealed by recent scholarship - as royal counsellors and policy makers. This volume therefore concentrates on the bishops' room for manoeuvre and the patterns of episcopal power, focusing on the Eastern Frankish Reich and Anglo-Saxon England in a comparative approach which is not least based upon the research of a renowned medievalist, Timothy Reuter. His article about "A Europe of Bishops" ("Ein Europa der Bischofe") is presented in English translation for the first time."

Both traditions recognize and draw theological and historical lessons from some of the same narrative sources, but this is the first comparative resource to provide interdisciplinary coverage of the history and textual sources associated with prophets and prophecy. This thorough treatment of a difficult and increasingly controversial subject area will encourage and cultivate knowledge and understanding. Entries are drawn from five main fields: 1. Ancient Near Eastern Studies 2. Bible and Biblical Studies 3. Judaism and Jewish Studies 4. The Quran and Quranic Studies 5. Islam and Islamic Studies Noegel and Wheeler treat each entry as a compilation of relevant data culled from these different traditions in order to take the reader beyond the expected parameters of research. Originally envisioned as an initial resource for students of comparative religion, the extensive chronology, bibliography, list of acronyms, and the overall accessibility of the passages make the Dictionary suitable for a much wider audience.

The first comprehensive resource for spiritual and pastoral caregivers—a vital resource for clergy, seminarians, chaplains, pastoral counselors and caregivers of all faith traditions. This essential resource integrates the classic foundations of pastoral care with the latest approaches to spiritual care. It is specifically intended for professionals who work or spend time with congregants in acute care hospitals, behavioral health facilities, rehabilitation centers and long-term care facilities. Offering the latest theological perspectives and tools, along with basic theory and skills from the best pastoral and spiritual care texts, research and concepts, the contributors to this resource are experts in their fields, and include eight current or past presidents of the major chaplaincy organizations. Contributors include: Rev. Nancy K. Anderson • Rev. Dr. Willard W. C. Ashley, Sr. • Dr. Nancy Berlinger • Rev. W. L. (Bill) Bross • Rev. Robin C. Brown-Haithco • Rabbi Zahara Davidowitz-Farkas • Paula DeAngelo • Chaplain D. W. Donovan • Dr. George Fitchett • Rev. Bill Gaventa • Rabbi H. Rafael Goldstein • Chaplain Dr. Daniel Grossoehme • Sr. Norma Gutierrez • Rev. George Handzo • Rev. Curtis W. Hart • Rev. Brian Hughes • Rev. Dr. Martha R. Jacobs • Chaplain Gerald L. Jones • Rev. Robert A. Kidd • Rev. Yoke Lye Kwong • Rev. Michele J. Guest Lowery • Rev. Marcia Marino • Rev. Lynne M. Mikulak • Rev. Nancy Osborne • Rev. Jon Overvold • Rev. Brent Peery • Chaplain Linda F. Piotrowski • Rev. David B. Plummer • Rabbi Stephen B. Roberts • Rev. Dr. Glenn A. Robitaille • Chaplain Timothy G. Serban • Bishop Dr. Teresa E. Snorton • Rev. Dr. Dane R. Sommer • Rabbi Dr. Shira Stern • Rev. Jo Clare Wilson • Rev. Sue Wintz

The Buddhist monk Ashva-ghosha composed Life of the Buddha in the first or second century CE probably in Ayodhya. This is the earliest surviving text of the Sanskrit literary genre called kavya and probably provided models for Kali-dasa's more famous works. The most poignant scenes on the path to his Awakening are when the young prince Siddhartha, the future Buddha, is confronted by the reality of sickness, old age, and death, while seduced by the charms of the women employed to keep him at home. A poet of the highest order, Ashva-ghosha's aim is not entertainment but instruction, presenting the Buddha's teaching as the culmination of the Brahmanical tradition. His wonderful descriptions of the bodies of courtesans are ultimately meant to show the transience of beauty.

Co-published by New York University Press and the JJC Foundation

For more on this title and other titles in the Clay Sanskrit series, please visit http: //www.claysanskritlibrary.org

This exceptional work, with entries from Rav Abba to Rav Zutra, is an unprecedented study of every rabbi in the Talmud. The reader will find concise entries on every rabbinic personality mentioned in the Talmud, major and minor alike, and will discover such facts as their dates of birth, education, and occupation. Most entries are accompanied by a brief story about the rabbinic personality with sources cited for easy reference. Who's Who in the Talmud also includes a lengthy introduction to the Talmud in general and offers a lucid understanding of the timeless importance of aggadic (homiletic) literature. The reader will acquire valuable insight into the issues involved in reading talmudic stories as the author differentiates between truth and parable, law and lore. The author also chronicles the history and development of the Oral Law noting the variety of changes it underwent in its transmission from generation to generation and leaving no doubt as to the wisdom and the ways of our sages from centuries ago.