It is my theological presupposition that GOD knew us long before we were detectable in our mother's womb. I am of the strong opinion that GOD knew every victory, success, as well as setback and downfall long before we drew our first breath. Knowing this provides me great comfort, particularly given the fact that there are times in life when and where we are confronted with situations and circumstances which test and try our faith. There are moments in life, when and where we are confronted with our frailty and our weakness. Isaiah 40:31 for me is a scripture that has provided me great comfort and reassurance as I have faced my own challenges in life. This familiar passage reminds us that regardless of what we are facing, we serve a GOD who can and who will renew, restore and revive us: "But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.
The Bible’s version of leadership is pretty different from—and sometimes alien to—that of the business world. It is also dissimilar from our usual assumptions about what makes a great leader in the church, where we tend to focus on preaching ability, strategic hutzpah, and managerial savvy. But what if the Bible actually points toward a different set of characteristics necessary for leadership? What if our weakness is an essential qualification? Do we know our limitations, our inabilities? Do we see clearly our vulnerable, broken selves? Do we really believe that God’s strength is perfected in our weakness, and do we lead with that as a core belief? James Howell’s Weak Enough to Lead is not a list of “leadership principles” from the Bible. This book is an examination of stories about leaders from the Old Testament, where we discover not only them but ourselves. How does family dysfunction or depression or tragic bad luck or larger historical forces figure into the leadership equation? How do biblical characters prosper despite themselves or stumble even while being holy? Can we get inside the head, heart, and the actual administration of King David and reckon with his strength and foibles? How is strength in leadership almost always the downfall of the biblical leader? What kind of leader would Jesus, Esther, Moses, Jeremiah, or Paul be today? Howell explores the careers, struggles, joys, and devastations of various biblical leaders, believing that immersion in scripture’s stories is what modern Christian leaders need—not to succeed so much as to be God’s people in the world. He roots this unique exploration of leadership in a prayer of Jehoshaphat: “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.”
In this creative contribution to the doctrine of revelation, Clark seeks to develop and articulate an understanding of God's self-disclosure located in the participation of the ecclesial community in the trinitarian life of God. Clark takes as his point of departure Karl Barth's doctrine of the Word of God. Barth has impressed upon theology that revelation is primarily an event in which God establishes relationship with humanity in an act of his sovereign freedom. But what is the role of human participation in this revelatory event? It is here that Barth's account is less than satisfactory, and this shortcoming points to the principal theme of the book. Addressing this theme, Clark engages with the work of Michael Polanyi, whose philosophy provides a potent resource for the task. One profoundly innovative aspect of Polanyi's work is his theory of tacit knowledge, which demonstrates how articulate knowledge (conceptual understanding) arises out of knowledge established through practical and intrinsically imaginative participation in particular practices or "life-ways." Although we depend upon such knowledge, we can articulate it only in part. We know more than we can tell. This insight has profound implications for the doctrine of revelation. It suggests that knowledge of God is necessarily bound up with the various practices of the church in which Christians are imaginatively engaged and through which God makes himself known. It also suggests that such knowledge cannot be fully articulated. Clark does not deny the possibility or the importance of doctrinal formulation, but he does issue a reminder that theological statements are only possible because God gives himself to be known in the life and practices of the church. This substantial work provides important and original proposals for rearticulating the doctrine of revelation.
Anthony Ruff, O.S.B., has written a brilliant, comprehensive, well-researched book about the treasures of the Church's musical tradition, and about the transformations brought about by liturgical reform. The liturgy constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium stated many revolutionary principles of liturgical reform. Regarding liturgical music, the Council's decrees mandated, on the one hand, the preservation of the inherited treasury of sacred music, and on the other hand, advocated adaptation and expansion of this treasury to meet the changed requirements of the reformed liturgy. In clear, precise language, he retrieves the Council's neglected teachings on the preservation of the inherited music treasury. He clearly shows that this task is not at odds with good pastoral practice, but is rather an integral part of it. The book proposes an alternate hermeneutic for understanding the Second Vatican Council's teachings on worship music.
As a young, black, MIT-educated social scientist, Marsha Coleman-Adebayo landed her dream job at the EPA, working with Al Gore, assisting post-apartheid South Africa. But when she tried to get the government to investigate allegations that a multinational corporation was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of South Africans mining vanadium—a vital strategic mineral--she found that the EPA was the first line of defense for the corporation. When the agency stonewalled, Coleman-Adebayo blew the whistle. How could she know that the agency with a hippie-like logo would use every racist and sexist trick in their playbook in retaliation? The EPA cost her her career, endangered her family, and sacrificed more lives in the vanadium mines of South Africa—but also brought about an upwelling of support from others in the federal bureaucracy who were fed up with its crushing repression. Upon prevailing in court, Coleman-Adebayo organized a grassroots struggle to bring protection to all federal employees facing discrimination and retribution from the government. The No FEAR Coalition that she organized waged a two-year-long battle with Congress over the need to protect whistleblowers—and won. This book is her harrowing story.
The research, writing and analysis in the pages of this work show the story of how Generation X grew-up during one of the greatest periods of technological, social, political, economic and educational change in US history. Included in that story is how the greater percentage of them grew-up in the church, but then walked away en masse. Today, Generation X is the smallest percentage of Main Line and Catholic Church membership, while the overwhelming majority of church membership is made up of an aging population of Baby Boomers and Silent Generation folk. In ten year's time, what will be the state of the church when many of the current membership has passed on to eternal life, or are no longer able to do what it is that they're doing today? Generation X could well be the answer to much of the solution. Generation X is generally at a more comfortable place in their lives and are asking the questions about the meaning of their lives while considering issues of mortality. Yet at the same time, they're having now to care for parents, grandchildren, and for many Gen Xers, their own children still. They're busy and committed, but they're also spiritually hungry. Having had a relationship at one point in their lives, they're not completely foreign to what the church can be, but the ball is really in the church's court. How the church chooses to respond to Generation X could mean life, or church closure. It's a conversation that needs to take place, and that conversation begins here.
The book of Acts serves as our playbook for ministry as it prepares us for the active presence of God.Studying the book of Arts takes us back to the future. It shows the church how to trust in the active presence of God and inspire people to move from being mere members to bold disciples. As members become disciples of faith, they experience the unstoppable power of disciplined growth and divine purpose in Christian living.
TOPICS IN THE BOOK The Doctrine of Purgatory and Its Relevance in Africa Related Philosophical Concepts in the Philosophy of Utuism Philosophy of Utuism and Its Positive Affirmation Church Members Reflection on the Involvement of Lay or Ordained Leaders in Active Politics: A Study of MCK Kaaga Circuit Theological Studies of Paul’s Teaching Based on 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 for the Elderly Congregation in the Church
Daily Prayer is the perfect companion for your spiritual journey, offering a thoughtful order of prayer for each day. By reflecting on Scripture and the liturgical year, you will gather the wisdom and strength to live out your day as a disciple of Jesus. Equally useful for group or individual prayer, Daily Prayer centers each day’s prayer on a Scripture reading, along with a reflection, a psalm, intercessions, and closing prayer. Daily Prayer 2024 provides an introduction to Catholic prayer for those involved in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults and an easy-to-use format for Catholics of all ages. It provides a simple order of prayer for each day of the liturgical year from the First Sunday of Advent, December 1, 2023, through Saturday, November 30, 2024. As the perfect gift for parish volunteers, teachers, and catechists, the prayer on these pages will inspire and bring readers to a deeper appreciation for the Word of God.
Angels are all around us. They are not fairy-tale creatures or New Age sprites but powerful beings created by God to reflect his light. And while we often are not aware of them, the angels are deeply interested in us. In Angels: Our Guardians in Spiritual Battle, moral theologian, author, and speaker Msgr. Brian Bransfield teaches us how to recognize the angels present in our lives. Drawing on Scripture, the Church Fathers, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Msgr. Bransfield shows how the angels — the good angels who serve God and the evil angels who fell with Lucifer — influence us in powerful ways. The evil angels are insidious as they seek to lure us into sin and away from God. The good and holy angels help us combat the wiles of the demons and accompany us on our mission of sharing Christ with the world. They serve as God’s humble yet powerful messengers and our guardians in the wilderness of this life, strengthening us against temptation. Ultimately, they lead us to the glory of the Resurrection so that we might share the victory of Jesus over sin and death.
The primary responsibility of the church, its raison d'etre, is to make disciples by sharing the "good news" of salvation and teaching believers to grow in maturity in Christ (Matt 28:16-20; 1 Cor 3:2-3; 14:20). What does it mean to grow in discipleship and maturity in Christ? What are the required ingredients for such growth and maturity to occur? Answers to both questions are provided in the book you're about to read. Growing in Discipleship is wide-ranging in scope, from biblical studies to systematic theology, focusing on a sample of fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith. The book is written for both new and old believers who are seeking a deeper engagement with and understanding of the good news of salvation in Christ. Daniel Dapaah has broken down the complex theological concepts to present them in a concise and accessible format to readers who have no background in biblical studies. Beginning seminarians will also find this book useful. But true discipleship is more than an intellectual assent to the doctrines of the church. It is also a personal commitment to the life and teachings of Christ. It involves growing spiritually to reflect the image of Christ (Latin, Imago Dei). The book includes an "Individual or Group Exercise" guide at the end of each chapter, focusing on sample questions from the study, a "Personal Application" for reflection, and a "Commitment" to grow and mature in Christ through the enabling power of the Holy Spirit. This book is a useful resource for individual and group Bible study.
At the beginning of the new millennium, the Christian Churches are in a process of renewal. The Roman Catholic Church, since Vatican II, has been in a major stage of renewal. Contemporary globalization, multi-cultural interrelationships, and inter-religious dialogues have presented serious challenges to these renewal efforts. In this volume, I want to offer to the Catholic Renewal and from there to other denominational renewals, a view of the church from the rich tradition of Franciscan philosophy and theology. To date there are a only a few books which include small essays on this theme. This volume presents an in-depth Franciscan approach to ecclesiology.
Revolutionary War Patriots: Bladen, Robeson, Cumberland, Sampson, and Duplin Counties, North Carolina By: Rev. Dr. Carolyn Cummings-Woriax History and storytelling are prominent in Rev. Dr. Carolyn Cummings-Woriax's life. As a child, her oral traditionalist father and other members of the community shared their stories of yesteryear. Rev. Dr. Cummings-Woriax holds special interests in Colonial War, the Whigs and Tories, the Tuscarora Indians War, and the Revolutionary War. These wars were harsh, particularly for those economically poor, with injustices and slavery placed upon those who had always known freedom, with forced transition to bondage by the encroaching occupants in the New Colony. Sadly, these wars played a major role in the writer’s ancestry—on both sides—as European family connections fought against the Natives of America family connections, which in turn was met by counterattacks. While in preparation of certification of her Daughters of American Revolution War Patriot, John Brooks, Rev. Dr. Cummings-Woriax discovered an unrecognized wealth of information. Patriots who fought side by side in these major battles continued their commonality as citizens within local counties. Her discovery showed that a more vital patriotism was taking place among the patriots as citizens in the New Colony. Rev. Dr. Cummings-Woriax returns to her biblical history to point out the words of God: Only God can raise up a nation, and only God can tear down a nation. She understands this is what God has done for the early patriots and their descends. The building of a new community of people was God’s doing.
Has the Christian Holocaust Begun? A Christian genocide at the hands of Islamic extremists is unfolding in the Middle East. Entire Christian populations have been eliminated, and the ultimate aim of ISIS and the Islamic State is to eradicate the world of Christianity. They are well on their way. Thousands of Christians arrive in refugee camps daily as tents can be seen for miles across the countryside of Jordan, N. Iraq and Lebanon.
Two Lives and Then Some: The Parti ng, Volume 3 of Gordon Graham's memoirs, is a tribute to Barbara Graham, his wife Barbara who died in 2006 of Motor Neurone Disease. We follow Gordon from his days working as personnel manager at in Washington, D.C., through law school and into work as a civil rights acti vist and government anti -poverty worker. He returns to Clinton where he is successful in his bid for a School Committ ee seat. He turns to another career as general counsel for a major state environmental agency where the latent sti rrings of religious vocati on surface and he decides to enter seminary. His journey then takes him to Northern Ireland where as an ordained priest of the Anglican Communion he serves in parishes, works with other Christi an churches, and does church development work. Throughout it all, Barbara pursues her interest in music and parti cipates in choirs and chorales and makes her own eff ort in the church to bring people together. Readers will laugh out loud at many of Gordon's stories but they will shed tears as they share those last days of Barbara's life.
The collection of inspirational stories, food for thought, famous quotes, and humor is the result of more than ten years as senior pastor of Friendship Baptist Church, Memphis, Tennessee, and more than thirty-eight years of preaching and teaching. It is my hope that clergy and professional speakers as well as ordinary individuals will become better communicators in any setting using this easy to read and absorb material. It is also my hope that this collection will mentally stimulate the reader to do or feel something, especially to do something creative and spontaneous. Quoting from Mother Theresa: "The greatest disease in the West today is not TB or Leprosy, it is being unwanted, unloved, and uncared-for. We can cure physical diseases with medicine, but the only cure for loneliness, despair, and hopelessness is love. There are many in the world who are dying for a little love. The poverty in the West is a different kind of poverty . . . it is not only the poverty of loneliness but also of spirituality. There's a hunger for love, as there is a hunger for God." (Mother Theresa, A Simple Path: Mother Theresa) In most of the inspirational stories, you will be able to experience God's love for humankind and His love for you, and at the same time demonstrate your love for God through your love for neighbor as suggested by Mother Teresa's quote. Even though I'm very acquainted with the section on humor, I find myself laughing out loud each time I revisit this section. If you are an introvert (quiet or your attention is mainly on yourself), this humor will make you an extrovert (active and expressive) and the life of any gathering, because almost everyone loves humor. Make this book a treasured addition to your library and one you will gladly recommend to others. It is my fervent prayer that through this effort I am leaving the wood pile a little higher than I found it. Jesus loves you and so do I! Reverend Wesley Louis Moss, at eighty-one years young, is Associate Minister of Mt. Tabor Baptist Church in Columbus, Georgia. Reverend Ken Jelks is senior pastor.
This book is a bridge between science and religion. For much of the ancient times until the eighteenth century, all our human issues and answers were based on religion. However, from the eighteenth century onward (even though it started from the second century and peaked a bit more during the thirteenth century), people questioned the authenticity of all the religious responses to all our human quest. For this reason, many scientists conducted scientific research to find out the evidentiary truth to the religious responses about the universe, origin of moral values, the existence of God, etc. This book is about the true origin of moral values and about the true existence of God. In this book, I seek to give objective, scientific, philological, and religious explanations as to the real existence of God. I also seek to explain who is the source of our moral values. In the final analysis, I do suggest in this book that science and religion are friends who are seeking and seeing the same thing from different perspectives. Therefore, they proclaim their findings with different names, which are generally of similar philological meaning. I also suggest that with the present lack of objective evidentiary proof, God cannot be said to exist anthropomorphically but truly exists pneumatologically, and he is the creator of our existence and the source of our moral values.
All in all, what happened was, after Captain Kempers service during the American Revolution, serving directly under General Washington, which contributed to helping us win our victory, everything was fine. Then in the pension years, beginning in 1832, he filled out a declaration in order to receive a pension. After going through scrutiny by the War Department, he was awarded a pension. What he did not know was that they were stealing his pension money. His brother, Colonel Daniel Kemper, brought this to his attention and told him to hire an attorney and he would back him up 100 percent since he was deputy clothier-general of the Continental Army and the one who procured his brothers appointment. When John contacted his New York State agent and attorney, Giles F. Yates, his pension was cancelled. Mr. Yates fought for over twenty years to restore his pension, including ten years after he died. Congressmen and other statesmen came behind Captain Kemper. Everyone lost until his records were passed down to this author, his fifth great-grandson. In reality, Captain Kemper was tortured to death by the very country he loved and adoredAmerica! It was not physical torture but mental torture. Captain Kempers daughter, Elizabeth, filed the first law suit in American history against the pension department of the War Department; likewise, she lost. This is why President Reagan came behind it as well as two- and three-star generals at the Pentagon, members of the US Senate and Congress, etc. You can see all in my list in Acknowledgements.
The church needs effective leaders." "We must be more missional." "Better organization is required." Such sentiments are commonplace among Christians concerned with the health and sustainability of their local church as well as the church universal. Over the past thirty years, the desire for more efficiently run, effectively led, and organizationally sound churches has contributed to an approach to thinking about the church in terms uncritically assumed from the business and management sector. This has given rise to treating the church as if it were just another social body in need of better organization. The question is, what happens when we apply the logic of management techniques to an organization that identifies as the body of Christ? Drawing on organizational theory, theological anthropology, and sacramental theology, this book navigates a path for Christians that avoids reducing the church to just another organization, while providing a vision for the church as the social body where all are invited to connect and be made members of Christ and each other. Such a vision provides an alternative to the social categorization that would define the church by its organizational character rather than its eschatological destiny.
If Jesus had lived to my age (90 years) I think he might have written his autobiography. Unfortunately, however, he was killed by those he had come to save. Fortunately four of his disciples wrote up the story of his life, and gave us the four Gospels which are a marvelous account of his life and his teaching. We are tremendously indebted to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John who have given us an inspired account of all that Jesus did and taught. Recognizing the great value that a biography or autobiography may have, I decided to write and publish my autobiography. From a thirty day retreat I made back in 1977 I learned that an autobiography may not only be a blessing to the readers of it, but also to the author. The healing I experienced through the 800 pages I wrote at that time and shared with my director convinced me that the writing of an autobiography can be a blessing to the author, perhaps more than to later readers. I am so convinced of the benefit the author of an autobiography may receive that I would encourage parents and teachers to teach children, perhaps, by the age of eight or ten to begin to write a diary or journal. Very helpful to me in writing my autobiography was the practice I began about 1949 (When I was 22 years old) of keeping a journal or appointment book in which I kept a record of all the persons I met or places where I travelled, and things I saw, and reflections that seemed to be significant. In the course of writing my autobiography I became more aware of the many people who have had a significant role in my life and development. More important, I have discovered at a deeper level how important in my life has been the friendship I have developed with Jesus. I am convinced that Jesus has had a very important part in bringing into my life the many people who have touched and transformed my life. That is why I consider Jesus the first and greatest of all my friends. I heartily agree with St. Paul when he wrote to the Corinthians: “Brothers, you are among those called. Consider your situation. Not many of you are wise, as men account wisdom, not many are influential, and surely not many are well born. God chose those whom the world considers absurd to shame the wise; he singled out the weak of this world to shame the strong. He chose the worlds’s lowborn and despised, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who were something: so that mankind can do no boasting before God. God it is who has given you life in Christ Jesus. He has made him our wisdom and also our justice, our sanctification, and our redemption. This is just as you find it written, “Let him who would boast, boast in the Lord.” ( I Cor. 1:26 - 31)
“What is at stake is authenticity. . . . Sooner or later Christians tire of public meetings that are profoundly inauthentic, regardless of how well (or poorly) arranged, directed, performed. We long to meet, corporately, with the living and majestic God and to offer him the praise that is his due.”—D. A. CarsonWorship is a hot topic, but the ways that Christians from different traditions view it vary greatly. What is worship? More important, what does it look like in action, both in our corporate gatherings and in our daily lives? These concerns—the blending of principle and practice—are what Worship by the Book addresses.Cutting through cultural clichés, D. A. Carson, Mark Ashton, Kent Hughes, and Timothy Keller explore, respectively:· Worship Under the Word· Following in Cranmer’s Footsteps· Free Church Worship: The Challenge of Freedom· Reformed Worship in the Global City “This is not a comprehensive theology of worship,” writes Carson. “Still less is it a sociological analysis of current trends or a minister’s manual chockfull of ‘how to’ instructions.” Rather, this book offers pastors, other congregational leaders, and seminary students a thought-provoking biblical theology of worship, followed by a look at how three very different traditions of churchmanship might move from this theological base to a better understanding of corporate worship. Running the gamut from biblical theology to historical assessment all the way to sample service sheets, Worship by the Book shows how local churches in diverse traditions can foster corporate worship that is God-honoring, Word-revering, heartfelt, and historically and culturally informed.
Understanding the religious beliefs and practices of the other raises hermeneutic questions on the extent to which the dialogical call to openness is related to commitment, the meaning of religious identity, and whether openness to the beliefs of the other poses a threat to one's religious identity. If interreligious learning demands that the interlocutors unite their attitude of commitment and openness, how does this occur without the loss of alterity? This book addresses these questions within the context of Christian-Muslim dialogue on Christology as an exercise in learning - a new form of dialogue which leads Christians and Muslims to the discovery of common values such as prayer and submission to God; peace and peaceful co-existence, and solidarity with the poor and marginalised.
Few people know that during the 2016 presidential campaign, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton received a devotion every day. Over the course of those 20 months, Rev. Dr. Bill Shillady—a pastoral friend of Clinton’s—and a small team of other pastors provided the Democratic nominee with spiritual support to stay strong through arguably one of the more contentious elections in American history. Strong for a Moment Like This: The Daily Devotions of Hillary Rodham Clinton includes 365 of the more than 600 devotions written for Secretary Clinton, along with personal notes, portions of her speeches, and headlines that provide context for that day’s devotion. Clinton is writing the foreword, the first time post-election readers will have a chance to hear directly from her about her faith during that time. The book will include: -A foreword from Hillary Rodham Clinton -365 devotions -Selected reflections on the writing by the author -Selected responses from Secretary Clinton -Additional material including a timeline of events, speech excerpts, press selections, and quotes -Gorgeous gift-book packaging: a jacketed hardcover, ribbon, photographs, and a devotion-like interior design. The book’s devotions are organized into 12 themes, such as Forgiveness, Doing Good, Courage, and Women. A portion of the proceeds from the book will go to the United Methodist City Society in New York. As Secretary Clinton said in The New York Times (January 26, 2016), “My study of the Bible, my many conversations with people of faith, has led me to believe the most important commandment is to love the Lord with all your might and to love your neighbor as yourself. And that is what I think we are commanded by Christ to do. And there is so much more in the Bible about taking care of the poor, visiting the prisoners, taking in the stranger, creating opportunities for others to be lifted up, to find faith themselves that I think there are many different ways of exercising your faith.” Strong for a Moment Like This gives readers an inside, personal look at the faith of one of our nation’s most lauded leaders.
During his lifetime on earth Jesus was not regarded as a priest. How then is he the pioneer and author of the Christian priesthood? What is the difference between the common priesthood and the ministerial priesthood? Why is the priesthood the highest vocation? Can the Church exist without the priesthood? Why is there scarcity of priestly vocations in some parts of the world today? Why do Catholic priests not marry? These questions and many others are answered in The Amazing Gift of the Priesthood which grew out of the several retreats given by Rev. Kieran C. Okoro to various groups of priests, deacons, seminarians and lay Christians. Very inspirational, The Amazing Gift of the Priesthood is a spiritual classic for the clergy, religious and lay Christians, which keeps the reader engaged throughout.
About the Book Bon Vivant Banker-Bishop is the biography and memoir of Rt. Rev. Dr. Julius T. Makoni. This book highlights key points in his life triggered by the unfolding of events on the day his father died. Readers will benefit from reading about Makoni’s life experiences in business, in the Church, and in his unique upbringing. Makoni hopes his message will inspire other people to be successful and have faith like he has done. About the Author Rt. Rev. Dr. Julius T. Makoni was born in Zimbabwe. He is currently an independent financial consultant for clients including banks, the Bretton Woods institutions and parastatals. He has held several leadership positions in the banking industry, including being the CEO and founding shareholder of a major bank. He has served as the Lord Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Manicaland. Makoni’s education includes a B.A. in economics; an MSc., MBA in finance; a PhD. in international finance; a Postgraduate Diploma in theology; and M. Phil, theology. He comes from a religious family in the Anglo-Catholic tradition. He has established a reputation in the world of banking and finance and is also a keen musician and golfer.
The 35 Doctors of the Church presents the most comprehensive and fascinating collection available anywhere on the lives and labors of the saints who have been declared the Church's Doctors. From St. Athanasius (c. 297-373) to St. Thérèse of Lisieux (1873 1897), you'll find the amazing stories of 35 extraordinary men and women who are honored both for their holiness and for the eminence of their teachings about the Faith. Their work and witness are truly timeless; their lives and wisdom show us how to be holy in our own lives, how to confront the challenges of today, and how to proclaim the Gospel to a modern world hungering for Jesus Christ. Originally published as The 33 Doctors of the Church by Father Christopher Rengers, O.F.M. Cap., The 35 Doctors of the Church has been updated by Dr. Matthew E. Bunson, K.H.S., to include two new chapters about recently proclaimed Doctors, St. John of Ávila and St. Hildegard of Bingen. The revised edition also includes a new Introduction with a detailed explanation of how the Church proclaims Doctors and their meaning for today.
Be Blessed" is a product of daily online ministry where numerous people are blessed every morning/afternoon/evening, depending on the location on the globe, with Scriptural passages, personal reflections, answers to questions, and Christian teachings. When we experience hurt, anger, prejudice, pain, suffering, separation, divorce, poverty, loneliness, spiritual dryness to mention a few; we often feel sad, depressed, hopeless and overwhelmed. Fr Joyzy Pius Egunjobi has through this work, made it possible to experience the value of Psycho - Spiritual Therapy and the power of God's Healing Love. Remember to "sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asked you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear..." (1Pet 3:15) Be Blessed
As leaders in the faith community, the parish staff are to guide the faithful to embrace their baptismal call to make Christ tangibly present in the world. To support parish administrative staff, this resource presents an examination of the communal nature of baptism by author Stephen S. Wilbricht, CSC, concrete examples from pastoral ministers of ways discipleship is lived out, and seven short prayer services that reflect on aspects of baptism.
A Collar Well Worn" is the work of an ninety year old Catholic priest who spent more than thirty years each in civilian ministry and another thirty years as an Air Force chaplain. Rev. Paul F. McDonald has knitted together sixty years of events from the 20th century, by describing stories about those periods, the geography and history of places where he lived and served, some of the notable people he had known during fifteen assignments and a few dozen temporary duty assignments in Western Europe, the Pacific region, and the United States. He served the Catholic Church and his Country, during and after the dynamic times of the Second Vatican Council, 1962-65, during this time he listened to his people in a collaborative ministry in bringing about the necessary pastoral and liturgical changes. Such reforms, and others, continue to shape a revitalized church, and a resilient people who feel empowered as the 'people of God' to work with all people of good will. Surely, such an abundance of experiences provide a panorama of a life's journey in the service of God, Church, and Country, during which time he was proud to wear "A Collar Well Worn.
Crunching more data maybe helpful but will not revolutionize, let alone save, a declining church. We need creative thinking done by people who are not afraid to face the institutional church. Indeed, the change we long for is already happening. It is happening on the margins in ministries to the least, the last, and the lost. Written by two creative pastors with different but successful ministries, this breathtaking book will show you how the church can live out its mission and ignite a movement. If we pay attention, we can let this Jesus Insurgency create new life.
This book is Dusty Pruitt’s memoir about growing up Born Again in a fundamentalist Baptist household, coming out as a lesbian as a young woman in her ‘20’s, and her struggle to reconcile God, Gays and the Bible. Along the way Pruitt recounts her time as an active duty officer in the Women’s Army Corps, and her lawsuit against the US Army to be able to serve as an openly gay servicemember. Pruitt’s life as a pastor to the LGBT+ community and beyond chronicles the joys and heartaches of being a pastor to which all clergy who have served local parishes can relate. The theme that runs throughout all the book is God’s faithfulness and the enduring lessons learned in early childhood about how to “keep the faith”.
A History of Preaching brings together narrative history and primary sources to provide the most comprehensive guide available to the story of the church's ministry of proclamation. Bringing together an impressive array of familiar and lesser-known figures, Edwards paints a detailed, compelling picture of what it has meant to preach the gospel. Pastors, scholars, and students of homiletics will find here many opportunities to enrich their understanding and practice of preaching. Volume 1 contains Edwards's magisterial retelling of the story of Christian preaching's development from its Hellenistic and Jewish roots in the New Testament, through the late-twentieth century's discontent with outdated forms and emphasis on new modes of preaching such as narrative. Along the way the author introduces us to the complexities and contributions of preachers, both with whom we are already acquainted, and to whom we will be introduced here for the first time. Origen, Chrysostom, Augustine, Bernard, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, Wesley, Edwards, Rauschenbusch, Barth; all of their distinctive contributions receive careful attention. Yet lesser-known figures and developments also appear, from the ninth-century reform of preaching championed by Hrabanus Maurus, to the reference books developed in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries by the mendicant orders to assist their members' preaching, to Howell Harris and Daniel Rowlands, preachers of the eighteenth-century Welsh revival, to Helen Kenyon, speaking as a layperson at the 1950 Yale Beecher lectures about the view of preaching from the pew. Volume 2, available separately as 9781501833786, contains primary source material on preaching drawn from the entire scope of the church's twenty centuries. The author has written an introduction to each selection, placing it in its historical context and pointing to its particular contribution. Each chapter in Volume 2 is geared to its companion chapter in Volume 1's narrative history. Ecumenical in scope, fair-minded in presentation, appreciative of the contributions that all the branches of the church have made to the story of what it means to develop, deliver, and listen to a sermon, A History of Preaching will be the definitive resource for anyone who wishes to preach or to understand preaching's role in living out the gospel. "...'This work is expected to be the standard text on preaching for the next 30 years,' says Ann K. Riggs, who staffs the NCC's Faith and Order Commission. Author Edwards, former professor of preaching at Seabury-Western Theological Seminary, is co-moderator of the commission, which studies church-uniting and church-dividing issues. 'A History of Preaching is ecumenical in scope and will be relevant in all our churches; we all participate in this field,' says Riggs...." from EcuLink, Number 65, Winter 2004-2005 published by the National Council of Churches
Thank you for visiting our website. Would you like to provide feedback on how we could improve your experience?
This site does not use any third party cookies with one exception — it uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic.Learn More.