The Morally Divided Body

The Morally Divided Body
Author: Michael Root
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 156
Release: 2012-09-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1621894312

At the same time as Catholic and evangelical Christians have increasingly come to agree on issues that divided them during the sixteenth-century reformations, they seem increasingly to disagree on issues of contemporary "morality" and "ethics." Do such arguments doom the prospects for realistic full communion between Catholics and evangelicals? Or are such disagreements a new opportunity for Catholics and evangelicals to convert together to the triune God's word and work on the communion of saints for the world? Or should our hope be different than simple pessimism or optimism? In this volume, eight authors address different aspects of these questions, hoping to move Christians a small step further toward the visible unity of the church.

Divided by Faith

Divided by Faith
Author: Michael O. Emerson
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 228
Release: 2000-07-20
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0199741190

Through a nationwide telephone survey of 2,000 people and an additional 200 face-to-face interviews, Michael O. Emerson and Christian Smith probed the grassroots of white evangelical America. They found that despite recent efforts by the movement's leaders to address the problem of racial discrimination, evangelicals themselves seem to be preserving America's racial chasm. In fact, most white evangelicals see no systematic discrimination against blacks. But the authors contend that it is not active racism that prevents evangelicals from recognizing ongoing problems in American society. Instead, it is the evangelical movement's emphasis on individualism, free will, and personal relationships that makes invisible the pervasive injustice that perpetuates racial inequality. Most racial problems, the subjects told the authors, can be solved by the repentance and conversion of the sinful individuals at fault. Combining a substantial body of evidence with sophisticated analysis and interpretation, the authors throw sharp light on the oldest American dilemma. In the end, they conclude that despite the best intentions of evangelical leaders and some positive trends, real racial reconciliation remains far over the horizon.

Christian Unity — the Next Step

Christian Unity — the Next Step
Author: Fr. Kevin E. Mackin OFM
Publisher: WestBow Press
Total Pages: 60
Release: 2020-03-31
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1973687186

Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants have in many ways moved from diatribe to dialogue. Conversations among theologians have achieved significant progress on many issues in the half century since the Catholic Church entered the ecumenical movement in earnest. In CHRISTIAN UNITY – THE NEXT STEP ‘THAT THEY MAY ALL BE ONE’ Kevin E. Mackin, OFM, a popular priest and former college president and professor, delves into and shares his studies on recent Church history and theology, and posits that the time is ripe for more real-world Christian collaboration and service, for further internal reform, and for a third ecumenical Council.

Faith and Order

Faith and Order
Author: Norman A. Hjelm
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Total Pages: 68
Release: 2005
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9780802829146

The aim of Faith and Order, the global movement now nearly a century old, is "to proclaim the oneness of the church of Jesus Christ and to call the churches to the goal of visible unity in one faith and one eucharistic fellowship, expressed in worship and in common life in Christ, in order that the world may believe." The movement encompasses classical church traditions -- Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant -- and, increasingly, traditions not always present in discussions concerning unity -- Pentecostal, Evangelical, and Third World independent churches. A Conference on Faith and Order in North America is projected within the near future. This conference -- to which all church bodies in Canada and the United States are being invited -- will center on the theme "The Church: Its Faith and Its Unity." Traditions with differing visions of unity and different views of Scripture, sacraments, ministry, authority, and experience will encounter each other in deep theological reflection, in prayer and worship, in serious quest for that unity which will lead the church to faithful witness in the present time. Published in anticipation of this groundbreaking event, "Faith and Order: Toward a North American Conference" includes statements regarding the rationale and importance of the projected conference, descriptions of the aims and accomplishments of Faith and Order, and initial reflections concerning the conference theme. Meant to foster awareness of the issues surrounding the Faith and Order movement, this small book is designed for use by laity and clergy in study groups in congregations, seminaries, and a variety of ecumenical contexts. Contributors: Donna Geernaert JeffreyGros Norman A. Hjelm Dale T. Irvin Kevin Mannoia William G. Rusch George Vandervelde

The Priestly Kingdom

The Priestly Kingdom
Author: John Howard Yoder
Publisher: University of Notre Dame Pess
Total Pages: 199
Release: 1985-01-31
Genre: History
ISBN: 0268161682

In this volume of essays John Howard Yoder projects a vision of Christian social ethics rooted in historical community and illuminated by scripture. Drawing upon scriptural accounts of the early church, he demonstrates the Christian community's constant need for reform and change. Yoder first examines the scriptural and theoretical foundations of Christian social ethics. While personally committed to the "radical reformation" tradition, he eschews "denominational" categorization and addresses Christians in general. The status of Christian community, he argues, cannot be separated from the doctrinal content of beliefs and the moral understanding of discipleship. As a result, the Christian's voluntary commitment to a particular community, as distinct from secular society, offers him valuable resources for practical moral reasoning. From a historical perspective, Yoder reviews the efforts of sixteenth-century radical (or Anabaptist) reformers to return to the fundamental ethical standards of the New Testament, and to disengage the community, as a biblically rooted call to faith that does not imply withdrawal from the pluralistic world. Rather, radical commitment to Christianity strengthens and renews the authentic human interests and values of the whole society. His analyses of democracy and of civil religion illustrate how Christianity must challenge and embrace the wider world.