The Fragmentation of the Church and Its Unity in Peacemaking

The Fragmentation of the Church and Its Unity in Peacemaking
Author: Jeffrey Gros
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Total Pages: 243
Release: 2001
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0802847455

The Gospel Places Peacemaking at the center of Christian identity. Over the centuries, however, churches have divided over the role and place of the peacemaking imperative in their lives and teachings. This volume offers deep ecumenical discussion of the relationship of the church to its peacemaking mission from the standpoints of history and the contemporary context. Contributors representing ten major faith traditions -- Lois Y. Barrett, Alexander Brunett, Murray W. Dempster, Donald F. Durnbaugh, John H. Erickson, Eric W. Gritsch, Jeffrey Gros, Paul Meyendorff, Lauree Hersch Meyer, Thomas H. Olbricht, Thomas D. Paxson Jr., James F. Puglisi, John D. Rempel, Alan P. F. Sell, and Glen H. Stassen -- address this crucial topic from the perspective of their own churches and explore paths that could lead to the reconciliation of existing differences.

Just Peace Companion

Just Peace Companion
Author: World Council of Churches
Publisher: World Council of Churches
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2012
Genre: Peace
ISBN: 9782825415672

The Just Peace Companion is a guide for individuals and groups to come together around the notion and practice of 'Just Peace,' a holistic approach to peacemaking and social justice. Adopting a fully global perspective, the book elaborates on the insights and convictions of An Ecumenical Call to Just Peace (text also included), which is the culminating statement of the World Council of Churches' (WCC) decade-long effort to understand and address conflict, violence, and injustice. This second edition expands on the key biblical, theological, and ethical considerations of Just Peace. The book invites further exploration and critique, and it offers examples of best practices for building peace with justice. Like the Call itself, the Just Peace Companion centers on four crucial venues of Just Peace, focusing on peace in the community, in the marketplace, with the Earth, and among peoples. The project - and this new edition, which includes learnings from the landmark "International Ecumenical Peace Convocation" in Jamaica in May 2011 - was coordinated by former WCC general secretary Konrad Raiser. The book is divided into five sections, and includes the following: Vision for Just Peace * Signposts for Just Peace * Contexts of Just Peace * Just Peace Challenges * Just Peace Practices

Restoring the First-century Church in the Twenty-first Century

Restoring the First-century Church in the Twenty-first Century
Author: Warren Lewis
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 629
Release: 2005-10-15
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1597524166

'Restoring the First-century Church in the Twenty-first Century: Essays on the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement in Honor of Don Haymes' is a snap-shot of a major American religious movement just after the turn of the millennium. When the ÒDisciplesÓ of Alexander Campbell and the ÒChristiansÓ of Barton Warren Stone joined forces early in the 19th century, the first indigenous ecumenical movement in the United States came into being. Two hundred years later, this American experiment in biblical primitivism has resulted in three, possibly four, large segments. Best known is the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), active wherever ecumenical Christians gather. The denomination is typically theologically open, having been reshaped by theological Liberalism and the Social Gospel in the twentieth century, and has been re-organized on the model of other Protestant bodies. The largest group, the Churches of Christ, easily distinguished by their insistence on 'a cappella' music (singing only), is theologically conservative, now tending towards the evangelical, and congregationally autonomous, though with a denominational sense of brotherhood. The Christian Churches/Churches of Christ (Independent) are a 'via media' between the two other bodies: theologically conservative and evangelical, congregationally autonomous, pastorally oriented, and comfortable with instrumental music. The fourth numerically significant group, the churches of Christ (Anti-Institutional), is a conservative reaction to the 'a cappella' churches, much in the way that the Southern ''a capella' churches reacted against the emerging intellectual culture and social location, instrumental music and institutional centrism of the Northern Disciples following the Civil War. Besides these four, numerous smaller fragments, typically one-article splinter groups, decorate the history of the Restoration Movement: One-Cup brethren, Premillennialists, No-Sunday-School congregations, No-Located-Preacher churches, and others. This movement to unite Christians on the basis of faith and immersion in Jesus Christ, and to restore New-Testament Christianity, is too little recognized on the American religious landscape, and it has been too little studied by the academic community. This volume is focused primarily on the 'a cappella' churches and their interests, but implications for the entire Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement abound. The voices that speak freely within were unimpeded in authoring these essays by standards of orthodoxy imposed from without. All of the contributors are acquainted with Don Haymes, the honoree of the volume, and have been inspired by this friend and colleague, a man with a rigorous and earthy intellect and a heavenly spirit. David Bundy, series editor Studies in the History and Culture of World Christianities

From Jesus to Christ

From Jesus to Christ
Author: Paula Fredriksen
Publisher: Yale University Press
Total Pages: 286
Release: 2008-10-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0300164106

"Magisterial. . . . A learned, brilliant and enjoyable study."—Géza Vermès, Times Literary Supplement In this exciting book, Paula Fredriksen explains the variety of New Testament images of Jesus by exploring the ways that the new Christian communities interpreted his mission and message in light of the delay of the Kingdom he had preached. This edition includes an introduction reviews the most recent scholarship on Jesus and its implications for both history and theology. "Brilliant and lucidly written, full of original and fascinating insights."—Reginald H. Fuller, Journal of the American Academy of Religion "This is a first-rate work of a first-rate historian."—James D. Tabor, Journal of Religion "Fredriksen confronts her documents—principally the writings of the New Testament—as an archaeologist would an especially rich complex site. With great care she distinguishes the literary images from historical fact. As she does so, she explains the images of Jesus in terms of the strategies and purposes of the writers Paul, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John."—Thomas D’Evelyn, Christian Science Monitor

The Joy of the Gospel

The Joy of the Gospel
Author: Pope Francis
Publisher: Image
Total Pages: 164
Release: 2014-10-07
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0553419544

The perfect gift! A specially priced, beautifully designed hardcover edition of The Joy of the Gospel with a foreword by Robert Barron and an afterword by James Martin, SJ. “The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus… In this Exhortation I wish to encourage the Christian faithful to embark upon a new chapter of evangelization marked by this joy, while pointing out new paths for the Church’s journey in years to come.” – Pope Francis This special edition of Pope Francis's popular message of hope explores themes that are important for believers in the 21st century. Examining the many obstacles to faith and what can be done to overcome those hurdles, he emphasizes the importance of service to God and all his creation. Advocating for “the homeless, the addicted, refugees, indigenous peoples, the elderly who are increasingly isolated and abandoned,” the Holy Father shows us how to respond to poverty and current economic challenges that affect us locally and globally. Ultimately, Pope Francis demonstrates how to develop a more personal relationship with Jesus Christ, “to recognize the traces of God’s Spirit in events great and small.” Profound in its insight, yet warm and accessible in its tone, The Joy of the Gospel is a call to action to live a life motivated by divine love and, in turn, to experience heaven on earth. Includes a foreword by Robert Barron, author of Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith and James Martin, SJ, author of Jesus: A Pilgrimage

Spiritual Authority

Spiritual Authority
Author: Watchman Nee
Publisher: Christian Fellowship Publishers
Total Pages: 189
Release: 1972-01-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0935008357

The chapters in this volume on the nature of Spiritual Authority are drawn from a series of messages delivered by the great Chinese preacher-teacher, Watchman Nee, during a training period for Christian workers in China in 1948.

Radiant Church

Radiant Church
Author: Tara Beth Leach
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Total Pages: 223
Release: 2021-02-16
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0830847634

In an era where the church has lost much of its credibility, pastor Tara Beth Leach casts a vision for Christians to rediscover a robust, attractive witness and form the radiant communities God intends. Challenging idolatrous false images of God and calling out toxic patterns, she shows how we can recover a winsome picture of a kingdom of abundance and goodness.

The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1994-1997, volume 2

The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1994-1997, volume 2
Author: Witness Lee
Publisher: Living Stream Ministry
Total Pages: 365
Release: 2021-05-28
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1536007005

The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1994-1997, volume 2, contains messages given by Brother Witness Lee from November 4, 1994, through November 13, 1995. During the entire period of 1994 until his death in 1997, Brother Lee ministered in Anaheim, California. The contents of this volume are divided into thirteen sections, as follows: 1. Four messages given on November 4 through 6, 1994. These messages are included in this volume under the title The Revival of the God-man Living. 2. A message given on November 18, 1994. This message is included in this volume under the title Fellowship with Serving Saints in the Living Stream Ministry Office. 3. Five messages given on November 25 through 27, 1994. These messages were previously published in a book entitled The Practical Way to Live a Life according to the High Peak of the Divine Revelation in the Holy Scriptures and are included in this volume under the same title. One of the messages was divided into two chapters. 4. A message given on December 31, 1994. This message was previously published, being included at the end of the softbound Life-study of 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther, and is included in this volume under the title The Eschatology of the Church according to the Divine Revelation of the Scriptures. 5. Four talks given on January 3, 1995. These talks are included in this volume under the title Talks with a Seeking One. 6. Two messages given on January 16 and November 13, 1995. These messages are included in this volume under the title Fellowship with Co-workers and Elders. 7. Three messages given on January 22, April 23, and September 13, 1995. These messages are included in this volume under the title Church Meetings in Anaheim. 8. Six messages given on February 3 through 5, 1995. These messages were previously published in a book entitled The Issue of the Union of the Consummated Spirit of the Triune God and the Regenerated Spirit of the Believers and are included in this volume under the same title. 9. Two messages given on February 27 and 28, 1995. These messages are included in this volume under the title The Intrinsic Revelation of the Bible. 10. Five messages given on April 11 through 13, 1995. These messages were previously published in a book entitled The Governing and Controlling Vision in the Bible and are included in this volume under the same title. 11. Six messages given on April 26 through June 7, 1995. These messages were previously published in a book entitled Crystallization-study of the Epistle of James and are included in this volume under the same title. One of the messages was divided into two chapters. 12. A message given on May 21, 1995. This message is included in this volume under the title Crucial Aspects of God's New Testament Economy Missed in Today's Christianity. 13. Six messages given on May 26 through 29, 1995. These messages were previously published in a book entitled The God-men and are included in this volume under the same title.