Updated version of spiritual autobiography from an important voice in the church -- Insights on how parishes have confronted issues of change As a standard in the field of spiritual autobiography, Diana Butler Bass' Strength for the Journey has been a guide for thousands of Christians who have also found themselves "journeying" along a path toward a faith different from that discovered in childhood. This new edition will retain all that drew readers to its pages alongside the voice of those next generation Christians now walking that path for themselves. In Strength for the Journey, Diana Butler Bass illustrates the dynamic strength and persistence of mainline Protestantism. While many baby boomers left the church, only to come back later in life, Bass was a "stayer" who witnessed the struggles and changes and found much there that was meaningful. Offering thought-provoking portraits of eight parishes she attended over two decades, she explores the major issues that have confronted mainline denominations, congregations, and parishioners during those years -- from debates over women clergy to conflicts about diversity and community to scrimmages between tradition and innovation
Diana Butler Bass, one of contemporary Christianity’s leading trend-spotters, exposes how the failings of the church today are giving rise to a new “spiritual but not religious” movement. Using evidence from the latest national polls and from her own cutting-edge research, Bass, the visionary author of A People’s History of Christianity, continues the conversation began in books like Brian D. McLaren’s A New Kind of Christianity and Harvey Cox’s The Future of Faith, examining the connections—and the divisions—between theology, practice, and community that Christians experience today. Bass’s clearly worded, powerful, and probing Christianity After Religion is required reading for anyone invested in the future of Christianity.
The headlines are clear: religion is on the decline in America as many people leave behind traditional religious practices. Diana Butler Bass, leading commentator on religion, politics, and culture, follows up her acclaimed book Christianity After Religion by arguing that what appears to be a decline actually signals a major transformation in how people understand and experience God. The distant God of conventional religion has given way to a more intimate sense of the sacred that is with us in the world. This shift, from a vertical understanding of God to a God found on the horizons of nature and human community, is at the heart of a spiritual revolution that surrounds us – and that is challenging not only religious institutions but political and social ones as well. Grounded explores this cultural turn as Bass unpacks how people are finding new spiritual ground by discovering and embracing God everywhere in the world around us—in the soil, the water, the sky, in our homes and neighborhoods, and in the global commons. Faith is no longer a matter of mountaintop experience or institutional practice; instead, people are connecting with God through the environment in which we live. Grounded guides readers through our contemporary spiritual habitat as it points out and pays attention to the ways in which people experience a God who animates creation and community. Bass brings her understanding of the latest research and studies and her deep knowledge of history and theology to Grounded. She cites news, trends, data, and pop culture, weaves in spiritual texts and ancient traditions, and pulls it all together through stories of her own and others' spiritual journeys. Grounded observes and reports a radical change in the way many people understand God and how they practice faith. In doing so, Bass invites readers to join this emerging spiritual revolution, find a revitalized expression of faith, and change the world.
“It would be difficult to imagine anyone reading this book without finding some new insight or inspiration, some new and unexpected testimony to the astonishing breadth of Christianity through the centuries.” — Philip Jenkins, author of The Lost History of Christianity “Interesting, insightful, illuminating, and remarkably relevant.” — Marcus Borg, author of The Heart of Christianity In the tradition of Howard Zinn comes a new history of Christianity that reveals its bottom-up movements over the past 2,000 years, which preserved Jesus’s original message of social justice, and how this history is impacting the church today.
Bucking the conventional wisdom that only conservative churches are growing, the surprising results of Bass's investigation reveals just the opposite: non-evangelical, progressive churches are flourishing, and they are doing so without resorting to mimicking the mega-church, evangelical style.
Drawing on her personal experience and knowledge of religious history, Diana Butler Bass ex-amines the contours of the uniquely American relationships between church and state, Christian identity and patriotism, citizenship and congregational life. Broken We Kneel attempts to answer the central question with which so many people are struggling: do Christians owe their deepest allegiance to God or country? In writing both impassioned and historically informed, Bass reflects on current events and political questions that have sharpened the tensions between serious faith and national imperatives. This book incorporates the author's own experience of faith, her voca-tion as a writer and teacher, and her roles as wife, mother, and churchgoer into a larger conver-sation with Christian practice and contemporary political issues. Broken We Kneel is a call to re-member that the core of Christian identity is not always compatible with national political policies. This volume includes a new foreword and reflections on the sixteen years since the publication of the first edition. This second edition of Broken We Kneel includes a powerful new introduction by Rev. Robert W. Lee (author of A Sin By Any Other Name), and new reflections by Diana Butler Bass on the tensions of faith and citizenship, especially regarding race in a post-Charlottesville world. Broken We Kneel is both a lament and a plea for communities of faith to engage important issues. It would make a great group reading book during the upcoming election.
The award-winning author of Grateful goes beyond the culture wars to offer a refreshing take on the comprehensive, multi-faceted nature of Jesus, keeping his teachings relevant and alive in our daily lives. How can you still be a Christian? This is the most common question Diana Butler Bass is asked today. It is a question that many believers ponder as they wrestle with disappointment and disillusionment in their church and its leadership. But while many Christians have left their churches, they cannot leave their faith behind. In Freeing Jesus, Bass challenges the idea that Jesus can only be understood in static, one-dimensional ways and asks us to instead consider a life where Jesus grows with us and helps us through life’s challenges in several capacities: as Friend, Teacher, Savior, Lord, Way, and Presence. Freeing Jesus is an invitation to leave the religious wars behind and rediscover Jesus in all his many manifestations, to experience Jesus beyond the narrow confines we have built around him. It renews our hope in faith and worship at a time when we need it most.
With camera in hand, Tracey Lind, dean of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Cleveland and an open lesbian, looks for and finds God on the edge of exclusion and embrace in "Interrupted by God: Glimpses From the Edge." This powerful combination of black-and-white photographs and spare storytelling shares not only her spiritual journey but will introduce you to interruptions by God in unexpected people and places: Lisa, the homeless Christmas angel; Siah, the infant hope of her ancestors; Sally, who feasts on communion remnants; the Garbage Tree on Ellison Street; and Bacardi, the drunken Christ, among others.
Recent times have put a spotlight on the inequities, systems of oppression, and deep divisions in our society. Much has been written that acknowledges and describes racial, political, religious, and other divides, but there is little practical information on what can be done about them. How to Heal Our Divides highlights organizations that are taking real action to address these issues and heal divides in effective and practical ways. Take a look to see how you can help make the world a better place.Reviews"Jesus' final prayer with his disciples (John 17) asked for one thing: that we his followers demonstrate a profound unity that will both convict and attract the watching world. In this time of deep division, this book shows how to do exactly that."- Philip Yancey, author of "What's So Amazing About Grace""Creed and community remind me that changing habits is hard, and practicing solidarity involves wrestling with my own failures. But, with the help of others, each one of us can mend the fault lines in our own lives and lend our hands to repair the world. Read these essays and discover you are not alone. You have friends, co-workers, mentors, and guides for the way." - Diana Butler Bass, author of "Freeing Jesus" "Grateful" and "Grounded""A brilliant and loving collection of real stories, "How to Heal Our Divides" shows what brave, humble people are doing all over the world to heal hurt and build bridges to restoration and peace. With inspiration on every page--written by some of the world's most renowned authors--here's a source of hope and healing that arrives just when we need it most." - Patricia Raybon, award-winning author of "My First White Friend: Reflections on Race, Love and Forgiveness" and "Undivided: A Muslim Daughter, Her Christian Mother, Their Path to Peace""This volume brings together a diverse team of creative practitioners of un-division. All of these practitioners are translating peace-making theory into practice on the street, in the neighborhood, and in the human heart. Not only that, but they are developing and revising theory through their practice. That's what makes each contribution so powerful."- Brian McLaren, author of "Faith After Doubt: Why Your Beliefs Stopped Working and What to Do About It""For twenty-five years, the Center for Courage & Renewal has helped people reclaim the wholeness that is everyone's birthright gift, so they can bring their identity and integrity more fully into their personal, vocational, and public lives. I am happy to participate in 'How to Heal Our Divides' to come alongside other organizations working with similar goals."- Parker J. Palmer, Founder and Senior Partner Emeritus of the Center for Courage & Renewal"A vast book of diverse and accessible ideas the world needs right now!"- Mark Schaefer, author of "Cumulative Advantage""Filled with strong and hopeful voices, How to Heal Our Divides is a book that recognizes it will take more than a Kumbaya moment to bring wholeness to our society. It does the hard work of bringing civil discourse to the page in a way that shows us it is possible to talk even when we don't agree. The healing will begin from there." - Sophfronia Scott, author of "The Seeker and the Monk: Everyday Conversations with Thomas Merton""Projects like the ones in this book are healing the world. My own work as an activist has been shaped by stories like the ones in this book. This is holy work we are doing. It begins with humility."- Shane Claiborne, leader of Red Letter Christians
Lady Diana Cooper was a star of the early twentieth stage, screen and social scene. This first instalment of her sparkling autobiography tells of her upbringing, her beautiful artistic mother and aristocratic father, her debut into high society and the glittering parties - 'dancing and extravagance and lashing of wine, and charades and moonlit balconies and kisses' - which were interrupted with the outbreak of the First World War. This volume ends with Diana's marriage to the 'love of her life', diplomat and politician Duff Cooper.
The BCS Glossary is the most authoritative and comprehensive work of its kind. This unrivalled study aid and reference tool has newly updated entries and is divided into themed sections making it more than just a list of definitions. Written in an easily accessible style, it is specifically designed to support those taking computer courses or courses where computers are used, including GCSE, A-Level, ECDL and 14-19 Diplomas in Functional Skills in schools and further education colleges.
The BCS Glossary is the most authoritative and comprehensive work of its kind. This unrivalled study aid and reference tool has newly updated entries and is divided into themed sections making it more than just a list of definitions. Written in an easily accessible style, it is specifically designed to support those taking computer courses or courses where computers are used, including GCSE, A-Level and 14-19 Functional Skills qualifications in schools and further education colleges.
This last volume of Lady Diana Cooper's memoirs covers the years of the Second World War and its aftermath, when her husband Duff Cooper served as Minister of Information and then in various diplomat posts around the world. We accompany the Coopers on their travels from the Dorchester Hotel during the breathless days of the Blitz, to a happy sojourn farming in Sussex, to Singapore and Algiers and eventual retirement to France, all told with Diana's unique perspective and enchanting style.
In between her fairy-tale wedding and her premature death, there lived the most beloved royal presence of our century, surely as multifaceted as any celebrity of our time. The radical twists and turns in her brief life drew the fascination of millions. Yet the most photographed woman in the world was also the least quoted--her actual words were seldom heard, and never gathered, until now. This unique book is the result of a scrupulous worldwide search for every one of Diana's significant quotes. Upon reading this collection, one will find that behind her shy veneer dwelled a woman of extraordinary resourcefulness, stamina, and, perhaps above all, vulnerability. In fact, her open frankness about the events and people around her is both disarming and startling. The reader will discover the sharp clarity, endless warmth, and ready wit that she brought to her legendary life in this intimate self-portrait. This is the closest we will ever get to an autobiography from the People's Princess.
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