Словари
Различные книги в жанре СловариSelf-Emptying Love in a Global Context
Care for the environment is an ever more pressing concern in today's world in which narrow self-interest has blinded us to the growing pollution of atmosphere and seas and the destruction of animal species caused by our indifference and neglect. Christianity has been blamed in part for this because of a misunderstanding of the Biblical call to «have dominion» over creation. Our spiritual tradition has indeed so focused on human salvation that the Earth has been seen simply as a transient environment that will be left behind in the end. In response, this little book highlights another spiritual tradition within Western Christianity that affirms that creation itself will also be transformed with humanity through the self-emptying love of God. God's dominion, after all, is service rather than despotic control, the raising up of the lowly of this Earth and of the Earth itself as part of a cosmic community. The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius are examined in this light as a call not only to join Christ in redeeming humanity, but also in extending Christ's care and love to «all creation» that longs «for the freedom of the children of God.»
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism: A Shalom Motif for the Christian Community is an attempt to engage the Christian community on the ongoing discussion of cultural diversity and its implications for the church and the entire Christian community of the twenty-first century. Written for Christian schools and churches, this book confronts the fact that, for the Christian church in North America to remain vibrant and relevant in the twenty-first century, it must engage with the idea of multiculturalism and all other forms of diversity that now characterize the contemporary society. While the nature of this engagement will vary from case to case, cultural diversity must become a growing face of the church in America. This book uses a combination of philosophy, educational theories, and biblical theology to provide Christian educators and churches with a critical understanding of multiculturalism, as well as practical steps for engaging this issue within the Christian community.
Why Baptizing Your Child Matters
This book is written for young families. It avoids the baptism debate while graciously presenting the story of God's faithful provision, protection, and promise of deliverance for His people given through the sign of the covenant. Beginning with Adam and continuing through Abraham–where the covenant is ratified and developed in the forming of the nation of Israel–it traces through the Scripture 1) God's common grace for all people, 2) His covenant grace for believers and their children received through the sign of the covenant, and 3) His saving grace applied through faith. The reader is shown how the same levels of grace are given in a deeper and fuller way upon the finished work of Jesus Christ. The themes of provision, protection, and deliverance are applied to our present day. The book concludes by taking the reader through five questions commonly asked of parents and congregations during the baptism ceremony.
Love in Flesh and Bone
On the weekend of April 22, 2012 the St. Anne's Church website received thousands of visitors. That Sunday, in the New York Times Magazine, an article appeared about the Rev. Dr. Amy E. Richter competing in a physique competition. The strong reactions to the article got Richter and her husband and fellow clergyperson, the Rev. Dr. Joseph Pagano, thinking about the scandal of the Incarnation. The claim that God entered fully into our flesh-and-blood human existence makes some of us squeamish. And yet, this shocking claim is at the heart of the good news that in Christ God is with us no matter what. There is nothing that can happen to us–no pain, no humiliation, no anguish–that can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. In sermons for the seasons of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany, Richter and Pagano proclaim the good news of the scandalous love of God in flesh and bone.
Steps to Faith: Examine Faith—Explore Questions—Encounter God
Everyone Has a Unique Pathway to Faith. Take the First Step! – Perhaps you are open to the Christian faith, but in no way convinced. You have legitimate questions or lingering doubts. – Perhaps you seek a spiritual rooting–that comes from deep beliefs. – Perhaps you hope to experience the living God–in a way that's real and sticks. – Perhaps you are searching for something compelling–a vision for your life!
If you are willing, simply, to take the first exploring step, this booklet charts the way forward. It fulfills Jesus's promise that «those who seek will find.» Welcome to a discovery-path of unlimited potential. It can bless you–beyond measure!
Vignettes Inside: The First Step – A Tale of Two Operators – Jesus: Poser or Pedigree? – Something Has Gone Really Wrong! – Jesus Came to Fix What We Can't – The Meaning of the Cross – The Sign of the Resurrection – What's Unique about Christianity – Miscues in Approaching Faith – Faith & Flying – Navigating Forward – Rear View Mirror – Stepping Up – What Surfers Know
To pursue your questions, curiosity, and longings, Steps to Faith can be read personally, with a Christian friend, or by a class/group at church.
Joseph Smith’s Tritheism
"I have always declared God to be a distinct personage, Jesus Christ a separate and distinct personage from God the Father, and that the Holy Ghost was a distinct personage and a Spirit: and these three constitute three distinct personages and three Gods." –Joseph Smith
Few figures in North American religious history are quite as enigmatic as Joseph Smith. His unabashed adherence to tritheism gave birth to one of the most influential religious movements in American history. Many attempts have been made to engage his life and unorthodox theology. However, Joseph Smith's Tritheism is a unique text that blends church history, thoughtful theological exegesis, and evangelical apologetics in an attempt to engage Joseph Smith's theology anew.
Contemplations from the Heart
How do we find God in a world where God often seems to be hidden? How do we love one another and seek social justice? This series of theological and spiritual reflections on family and community helps readers see spirituality in daily life, exploring current issues such as global warming, environment, racism, child rearing, and sexism in relation to the church to offer readers new insights and directions for living as faithful Christians. This book's brief, daily reflections on universal concerns give voice to what many people feel but struggle to articulate, bringing emotions to the surface to help readers apply theology in their everyday lives. The book's thirty entries make it ideal for a month of daily personal devotions or group study and discussion.
The Unspeakable Art of Bill Viola
The breach of art from religion is just one of the many unhappy legacies of modernism. There was a time, however, when the aesthetic and the spiritual were of a piece. This study of the work of American video artist Bill Viola considers the possible reemergence of a theological dimension to contemporary art–a reenchantment of art, as some have called it. Using the high-tech apparatus of modern video, Viola's art is rooted precisely in this theological tradition of transcendent mystical experience and spiritual self-concentration. The technological apotheosis of modern image-making–high speed film, high-definition video, LCD and plasma screens, and sophisticated sound recording–are put to use by Viola in ways that significantly challenge prevailing intellectual and artistic traditions and return us to the power of the Sublime–that which, by definition, defeats language. Viola's art as such converges with postmodern notions of the «unrepresentable» and with the ancient theological tradition of apophasis, «speaking away» or «unsaying.» The fullness of «meaning,» then, appears only as a promise of presence through embodied absence, neither fully here and now nor entirely elsewhere and beyond. This study seeks to define, through the work of a courageous and thoughtful contemporary artist, the theological sublime as an aesthetic of revelation.
Read Me Like a Book
Many pastors feel overwhelmed and ill-equipped to deal with the counseling issues in their congregations. But pastors are actually better equipped for counseling than they realize. Hermeneutics, homiletics, pastoral care, and counseling all share a common foundation in the field of «interpretation.» With this book, pastors can learn to interpret people with the same expertise they use to interpret Scripture. Read Me Like a Book offers a simple, practical, and theoretically sound approach to help pastors leverage their exegetical skills to improve their pastoral counseling.
inVisible
Every Life Matters. When you truly see a person God has placed in your path, not just with your eyes, but also with your heart, you just might catch a glimpse of God. When you cultivate the ability to see the «invisible,» you open yourself up to the opportunity for spiritual transformation. Some individuals may seem obscure, even invisible to the world, but if you choose to engage in a meaningful way, to hear and understand their story, the encounter could transform you–and them.
Listen In On A Conversation between Dr. Arthur Ammann and Barbara McLennan, inspired by the brief letter of the Apostle Paul to Philemon. Dr. Ammann presents rich stories of transformation occurring in the lives of friends, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, and even strangers bringing new found value to each individual Together, they explore what it means to engage in authentic relationships, and confront the devastating influences of our culture and technology, which threaten to undermine the value of individuals. The authors will challenge you to expect that transformation may occur in every encounter, and to resist the relentless intrusion of technology that seeks to diminish our value.