Группа авторов
Список книг автора Группа авторовWhat Does It Mean to “Do This”?
Jesus' best-known mandate–after perhaps the mandate to love God and neighbor–was given at the Last Supper just before his death: «Do this in memory of me.» Indeed, a case can be made that to «do this» is the source and summit of the way Christians carry out Jesus' love-mandate. Of course, Christians have debated what it means to «do this,» and these debates have all too often led to divisions within and between them–debates over leavened and unleavened bread, reception of the cup, real presence and sacrifice, «open» or «closed» communion, this Supper and the hunger of the world. These divisions seem to fly in the face of Jesus' mandate, causing some to wonder whether this is «really» the Lord's Supper we celebrate (compare 1 Corinthians 11). Everything turns on just what it means to «do this.» The purpose of the Center for Catholic and Evangelical Theology's 2012 conference was to address at least some of the many aspects of this question–to address them together, as Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox pastors and theologians, and all participants in the Supper.
Discovering Kenarchy
This book is a bold attempt to present a love-based personal and corporate politics fit for the coming decades of the twenty-first century. Taking as its starting point the love for friends, neighbors, and enemies embodied in the life of Jesus and recognized both inside and outside the church, this book sets out a contemporary practical politics called kenarchy that has already positively impacted many lives. Its contributors set out the key components of kenarchy, challenging the reader to confront the norms of personal rights, security, and economic gain with a love for «the other» that restores a female world perspective lost over generations of patriarchal dominance. Discovering Kenarchy is the promised response to the inevitable disintegration of the partnership of church and sovereign power outlined in its companion volume, The Fall of the Church. It is an inspirational resource for all those who desire to fill the emerging new political space with a loving, just, and practical alternative to the devaluation of human life by global capitalism and the reactionary religious and racist behavior that threatens the common good.
Safeguarding a Truly Catholic Vision of the World
A. J. Conyers (1944-2004) was a Baptist theologian with wide-ranging interests and a founding faculty member of the George W. Truett Seminary at Baylor University. He published books ranging from basic Christian doctrine to political theology, but his many essays show his true range and depth of insight. This work collects ten of his most important and provocative essays in order to introduce Conyers–who died of cancer in 2004–to theologians and pastors unfamiliar with his contribution to the theological task of the church.
Cynicism and Hope
On the morning after they walked for miles through freezing rain to a prayer vigil outside the White House in March 2007, a group of young war protesters listened to one last speech before heading home to Chicago. Peter Dula, who had served with the Mennonite Central Committee in Iraq, spoke honestly about the caustic combination of guilt and disempowerment the protesters were struggling with. He commended protesting and suggested resisting war taxes, then made two surprising final recommendations: ride a bike and plant a garden. Electrified by Dula's speech, the group wanted to talk more about their disillusionment and to learn from their elders in activism and the church. So in November 2007 they hosted a conference at Reba Place Church in Evanston, Illinois, where over two hundred people gathered to learn, worship, and contemplate a more hopeful way. This volume is a collection of the major addresses from that conference. The contributors suggest a new way to live in the tension between hope that things will improve and cynicism about whether they ever will. While creating space for lament, they point toward a radical Christian faithfulness in neighborhoods and congregations that can be both hopeful and profoundly political.
Fruits of the Cotton Patch
In honor of what would have been Clarence Jordan's one hundredth birthday and the seventieth anniversary of Koinonia Farm, the first Clarence Jordan Symposium convened in historic Sumter County, Georgia, in 2012, gathering theologians, historians, actors, and activists in civil rights, housing, agriculture, and fair-trade businesses to celebrate a remarkable individual and his continuing influence. Clarence Jordan (1912-1969), a farmer and New Testament Greek scholar, was the author of the Cotton Patch versions of the New Testament and the founder of Koinonia Farm, a small but influential religious community in southwest Georgia.
Fruits of the Cotton Patch,Volume 2 contains Symposium presentations that interpret Jordan's storytelling and the meaning of his prophetic voice in the areas of peacemaking in the context of historical harms, the future of the affordable housing movement, and the direction of the New Monastic movement. These essays and others invite the curious, the student, and the teacher alike to experience the life and work of Clarence Jordan and its powerful connection to the present.
Who Do You Say That I Am?
No question is more central to Christian living, preaching, and theology than Jesus' question to his disciples: Who do you say that I am? Some would have it that pastors and theologians, biblical exegetes and historians, dogmatic and moral theologians, Catholic and Evangelical have more differences than similarities in the way Christians with such diverse vocations respond to Jesus' question. And there is little doubt that there sometimes seem to be unbridgeable gulfs between the way historians and believers, Internet gossipers and preachers, classical christological debates and present-day praying and pastoral care implicitly or explicitly address the Lord's question. But the authors here address these and other issues in ways that are remarkably convergent, as if a «Catholic and Evangelical theology» for proclaiming and following Jesus today has emerged, or is indeed emerging.
Vulnerability, Churches, and HIV
The HIV pandemic has caused serious challenges for the Church as well as for theology. The pandemic has brought enormous human suffering to individuals and has affected families and entire societies. In this context, churches need to listen and to learn, and not least to respond, to thereby mold their own actions and futures. In so doing, this book aims to enable churches to become more HIV and AIDS competent.
Vulnerability, Churches, and HIV includes two kinds of contributions. First, researchers present their thoughts about theology, the church, and HIV. A pastoral letter from the bishops of the Church of Sweden provides a second perspective. The letter makes recommendations to decision-making bodies, patent holders, and decision makers in the pharmaceutical industry. The letter also guides parishes and church workers.
Contributors include editor Goran Gunner, Musa W. Dube, Susanne Rappmann, Kenneth R. Overberg, Edwina Ward, and the bishops of the Church of Sweden.
The book is the first volume in the Church of Sweden Research Series.
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.
Launch Point: Community Group Mission Guide
What if Small Groups Embarked on Mission Together . . .
In Their Own Backyards?
Whereas small groups have traditionally focused internally, many Christians nowadays are hungering for much more! Seeking to make a difference where they live, Christians desire mission. The Community Group Mission Series focuses eight weeks of training–to launch groups in a dynamic mission trajectory!
Each group will engage holistically, showing the love of Christ and making disciples. Relationally angled, this series leads groups to assimilate the mission skill set of Jesus. Hold on! The stories of God are yet to be written. Who knows what God will do in the lives of your neighbors . . . your group . . . and your church?!
Session Titles: 1. The Soul of Mission 2. When Faith Is Fantastic 3. Learning the Faith Formation Process 4. Getting Real for the Gospel 5. The Gospel and Its Key 6. Discerning Belief Barriers 7. Coming Home to Jesus 8. What Jesus Co-missioned Us to Do
First Steps Discipleship Training
The First Steps of Your Discipleship Journey . . . Are More Important than You Think!
Are you seeking a strong spiritual walk? If you are willing to do some training, this course can get you there! Replicating Jesus's exciting vision, First Steps teaches six key practices to establish your faith and empower your mission! Come journey alongside others to gain a stride that will bless you for the rest of your life!
First Steps Skill Set: – Develop a method for getting the most from your Bible – Adopt the simple pattern of conversational prayer – Experience the life-changing power of confessional abiding – Take steps into deeper relationships and service – Learn skills to touch your world with the love and message of Christ!