We live in a world driven by fear. But should we allow fear to play such a large role in our lives? According to the religions of the world, the answer is no. In this helpful and illuminating book, Michael Kinnamon challenges readers to consider why we find ourselves in this age of fear and what we can do about it. Drawing on support from a diversity of religious traditions and teachers, Kinnamon argues that religious faith is the best way to combat a culture of fear. He explores fear in relation to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the American political scene, and he shares courageous examples of individuals from different religions working for peace. Perfect for individuals or group study, this book helps readers understand the manipulative power of fear and how religious beliefs call us to reject fear at all costs. A study guide is included.

Included in this exhaustive collection of documents from the twentieth-century ecumenical movement are significant passages from the most widely influential texts produced by assemblies, conferences, and studies of the World Council of Churches and similar bodies, covering the three broad areas of historic concern within modern ecumenism: faith and order, life and work, and mission and evangelism. Designed as a resource for courses in ecumenism in theological seminaries and faculties of religion, the volume can also serve as a useful reference guide. In addition to selections from the WCC and other global Christian bodies, the collection includes texts from various regions of the world. From The Critics "This anthology is useful as a resource for teaching, whether upper-level college courses, seminaries, congregations, or workshops, and an excellent reference tool for those involved in ecumenical efforts. Likely to become a standard work, this text inspires readers with a vision that holds the search for unity and the pursuit of justice, explicit witness to Christ, and renewal of creation, in appropriate tension. A valuable reference tool for all engaged in common Christian witness and service. "A "must" for all theological libraries and a necessary tool for all who study or teach the ecumenical movement or simply wish to understand where the churches are today-and why " - Religious Studies Review "This anthology is useful as a resource for teaching, whether upper-level college courses, seminaries, congregations, or workshops, and an excellent reference tool for those involved in ecumenical efforts. Likely to become a standard work, this text inspires readers with a vision that holds the search for unity and the pursuit of justice, explicit witness to Christ, and renewal of creation, in appropriate tension. A valuable reference tool for all engaged in common Christian witness and service." - Missiology

There is no doubt that ecumenism occupies a prominent place in the history of the church in the twentieth century: countless churches have been renewed through encounter with Christian brothers and sisters in other confessions and cultures. But it is not clear that this ecumenical impulse will continue to figure prominently in the church's story. In this book, Michael Kinnamon argues that the ecumenical movement, which has given such energy and direction to the church, needs to be reconceived in a way that provides renewing power for the church in this era - and he shows how this might happen. He names the problems with ecumenism, identifies strengths and accomplishments upon which the church now can build, and suggests practical, concrete steps we can take in the direction of revitalization, especially at the local level.

Visser 't Hooft and the Shaping of Ecumenical TheologyVisser 't Hooft is, perhaps, the most distinguished figure in the modern ecumenical movement, emerging in the postwar decades as a pivotal figure. Under his leadership, the World Council of Churches was officially constituted in 1948 by 147 Protestant and Orthodox Catholic denominations, and the organization grew to include nearly 300 denominations in the following decades. Visser 't Hooft played a major role in the inclusion of churches from communist countries in the World Council, and he also sought to enlarge the role played by African, Asian, and Orthodox churches in the organization. He served as editor of the Ecumenical Review from 1948 to 1966. He was also the author of numerous books on the ecumenical movement and the nature and functions of the church.