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Addresses "belonging before believing" and other new patterns for
remaking congregations As we move beyond the "emergent" or
"missional" church paradigm, pastors and other church leaders are
discovering a new reality: people (especially younger generations)
are coming to church not as believers, but to find a place to
belong-with or without faith. This book describes the dilemma and
the distractions that currently prevent congregations from being
the place where that sense of belonging can unfold and guide
newcomers in the discovery of faith. The authors argue that despite
elaborate talk of change, spirituality, transformation, and
conflict resolution, congregations are still mired in old patterns
of belonging. Using broad-based career experiences, surveys of
religious life, historical precedent, and insights from social
psychology about what it means to belong today, the book suggests
new and effective approaches to help churches make vital
connections.
Must adversity erase your purpose? The experience of Tim Hightower
demonstrates that it is possible to recover when all that one has
is pursued suddenly vanishes. Tim's story, on and off the football
field, encourages everyone who faces crippling challenges. A Dream
Worth Fighting For conveys determination and resilience. Anyone who
has suffered injury or loss will find their experience illuminated.
A Dream Worth Fighting For helps readers regain hope and the
confidence to dream again. Tim's story is the building block to
regaining strength physically and spiritually. In the midst of
chaos, lasting purpose can be embraced.
Anglicanism is one of the largest and most widely dispersed of all
religious traditions. How it reached this status is replete with
irony and with conflict. The origins of Anglicanism lie in the
Church of England, still its largest branch and arguably its
defining center. But the majority of Anglicans now reside in
sub-Saharan Africa and do not speak English as their primary
language. Given Anglicanism's roots, and its integration into
British colonialism, the expansion of this branch of Christianity
seems puzzling. Moreover, intramural Anglican conflict, from the
end of colonialism onward, seemingly has torn the fabric of
Anglican life. It seems problematic that this tradition, and the
church bodies that represent it, will remain intact. By looking at
the Church through the lens of the biblical theme of promise, this
book seeks to offer neither lament for a tattered tradition nor
facile hope for an expanding one. It considers the key phases of
Anglican history, each defined by clear intentions, from securing
English national life, to mission, to finding contextual roots in
various locales. Whilst not denying that the ongoing contestation
about the proper shape of Anglican faith and practice has become
central, the book highlights the emergence of fresh consensus among
Anglicans, centered on grassroots initiative and innovation,
creating informal patterns of collaboration that can transcend
context and overlook divergence.
The Oxford History of Anglicanism provides a global study of
Anglicanism from the sixteenth century to the twenty-first. The
five volumes in the series look at how Anglican identity was
constructed and contested since the English Reformation of the
sixteenth century, and examine its historical influence during the
past six centuries. They consider not only the ecclesiastical and
theological aspects of global Anglicanism, but also the political,
social, economic, and cultural influences of this form of
Christianity that has been historically significant in Western
culture, and a burgeoning force in non-Western societies since the
nineteenth century. Written by international experts in their
various historical fields, each volumes analyses the varieties of
Anglicanism that have emerged. The series also highlights the
formal, political, institutional, and ecclesiastical forces that
have shaped a global Anglicanism; and the interaction of
Anglicanism with informal and external influences which have both
moulded Anglicanism and been fashioned by it. Volume five of The
Oxford History of Anglicanism considers the global experience of
the Church of England in mission and in the transitions of its
mission Churches towards autonomy in the twentieth century. The
Church developed institutionally, yet more than the institutional
history of the Church of England and its spheres of influence is
probed. The contributors focus on what it has meant to be Anglican
in diverse contexts. What spread from England was not simply a
religious institution but the religious tradition it intended to
implant. The volume addresses questions of the conduct of mission,
its intended and unintended consequences. It offers important
insights on what decolonization meant for Anglicans as the mission
Church in various global locations became self-reliant. This study
breaks new ground in describing the emergence of an Anglicanism
shaped more contextually than externally. It illustrates how
Anglicanism became enculturated across a broad swath of cultural
contexts. The influence of context, and the challenge of adaption
to it, framed Anglicanism's twentieth-century experience.
The Anglican conflict over homosexuality has drawn worldwide
interest and divided the church. However, conflict within
Christianity is not new. This book traces the steps by which the
crisis emerged, and reveals the deeper debates within the church
which underlie both the current controversy and much earlier
splits. William L. Sachs contends that the present debate did not
begin with opposition to homosexuality or in advocacy of it. He
argues that, like past tensions, it originates in the diverging
local contexts in which the faith is practised, and their differing
interpretations of authority and communion. In the aftermath of
colonialism, activists and reformers have taken on prominent roles
for and against the status quo. The crisis reveals a Church in
search of a new, global consensus about the appropriate forms of
belief and mission.
This book examines the various contexts - historical, social, cultural, and ideological - which have shaped the modern efforts of the Anglican tradition at self-understanding. The author’s thesis is that modernity and world mission have changed Anglicanism in ways that are deep and pervasive, just as other Christian traditions have also been profoundly affected by worldwide extension. In the case of the Anglican tradition, however, a distinctive way of relating Christianity to local culture and a distinctive kind of indigenous leader produced a church identity different from other forms of Christendom. Dr Sachs’ aim is to contrast Anglicanism both with the style of Roman Catholicism and with the characteristically Protestant emphasis upon individual conversion apart from concern for the Church and its tradition.
This book examines the various contexts - historical, social,
cultural, and ideological - which have shaped the modern efforts of
the Anglican tradition at self-understanding. The author's thesis
is that modernity and world mission have changed Anglicanism in
ways that are deep and pervasive, just as other Christian
traditions have also been profoundly affected by worldwide
extension. In the case of the Anglican tradition, however, a
distinctive way of relating Christianity to local culture and a
distinctive kind of indigenous leader produced a church identity
different from other forms of Christendom. Dr Sachs' aim is to
contrast Anglicanism both with the style of Roman Catholicism and
with the characteristically Protestant emphasis upon individual
conversion apart from concern for the Church and its tradition.
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