Becoming a Christian
Becoming a Christian

Author: Thomas F. Best

Publisher: World Council of Churches

Published: 1999-01-01

Total Pages: 106

ISBN-13: 9782825413159

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The essays in this book explore varieties of baptismal practice today, address the continuing problem of 're-baptism', offer fresh perspectives on the relation between baptism and Christian ethics, and call the churches to draw the full implications for Christian unity of their 'mutual recognition of baptism'. Baptism, the birthright common to all Christians, is a cornerstone of the ecumenical movement. Continuing the dialogue among liturgists, theologians, church musicians and pastors begun in So We Believe, So We Pray (WCC, 1995), this book focuses on baptism in relation the unity of the church. Exploring patterns of baptismal practice today, it includes striking examples of inculturation from around the world. It also insists on the link between liturgy and life. With contributions from Gordon Lathrop, Anscar Chupungco, OSB and Janet Crawford, this book is an important resource for everyone concerned with baptism, worship, the life of the church and the ecumenical movement today.

Keeping Faith with the Constitution
Keeping Faith with the Constitution

Author: Goodwin Liu

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2010-08-05

Total Pages: 274

ISBN-13: 0199752834

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Chief Justice John Marshall argued that a constitution "requires that only its great outlines should be marked [and] its important objects designated." Ours is "intended to endure for ages to come, and consequently, to be adapted to the various crises of human affairs." In recent years, Marshall's great truths have been challenged by proponents of originalism and strict construction. Such legal thinkers as Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia argue that the Constitution must be construed and applied as it was when the Framers wrote it. In Keeping Faith with the Constitution, three legal authorities make the case for Marshall's vision. They describe their approach as "constitutional fidelity"--not to how the Framers would have applied the Constitution, but to the text and principles of the Constitution itself. The original understanding of the text is one source of interpretation, but not the only one; to preserve the meaning and authority of the document, to keep it vital, applications of the Constitution must be shaped by precedent, historical experience, practical consequence, and societal change. The authors range across the history of constitutional interpretation to show how this approach has been the source of our greatest advances, from Brown v. Board of Education to the New Deal, from the Miranda decision to the expansion of women's rights. They delve into the complexities of voting rights, the malapportionment of legislative districts, speech freedoms, civil liberties and the War on Terror, and the evolution of checks and balances. The Constitution's framers could never have imagined DNA, global warming, or even women's equality. Yet these and many more realities shape our lives and outlook. Our Constitution will remain vital into our changing future, the authors write, if judges remain true to this rich tradition of adaptation and fidelity.

Wiley Blackwell Companion to Karl Barth
Wiley Blackwell Companion to Karl Barth

Author: George Hunsinger

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2020-01-10

Total Pages: 650

ISBN-13: 1119156599

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The most comprehensive scholarly survey of Karl Barth’s theology ever published Karl Barth, arguably the most influential theologian of the 20th century, is widely considered one of the greatest thinkers within the history of the Christian tradition. Readers of Karl Barth often find his work both familiar and strange: the questions he considers are the same as those Christian theologians have debated for centuries, but he often addresses these questions in new and surprising ways. The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Karl Barth helps readers understand Barth’s theology and his place in the Christian tradition through a new lens. Covering nearly every topic related to Barth’s life and thought, this work spans two volumes, comprising 66 in-depth chapters written by leading experts in the field. Volume One explores Barth’s dogmatic theology in relation to traditional Christian theology, provides historical timelines of Barth’s life and works, and discusses his significance and influence. Volume Two examines Barth’s relationship to various figures, movements, traditions, religions, and events, while placing his thought in its theological, ecumenical, and historical context. This groundbreaking work: Places Barth into context with major figures in the history of Christian thought, presenting a critical dialogue between them Features contributions from a diverse team of scholars, each of whom are experts in the subject Provides new readers of Barth with an introduction to the most important questions, themes, and ideas in Barth’s work Offers experienced readers fresh insights and interpretations that enrich their scholarship Edited by established scholars with expertise on Barth’s life, his theology, and his significance in Christian tradition An important contribution to the field of Barth scholarship, the Wiley Blackwell Companion to Karl Barth is an indispensable resource for scholars and students interested in the work of Karl Barth, modern theology, or systematic theology.

Kingdom Calling
Kingdom Calling

Author: The Faith and Order Commission

Publisher: Church House Publishing

Published: 2020-10-15

Total Pages: 131

ISBN-13: 0715111760

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Kingdom Calling offers a compelling theological grounding for the vocation, ministry and discipleship of the whole people of God. Building creatively on previous studies, it challenges all of us to change so that the whole church can serve the whole mission of God in the whole of life. Kingdom Calling provides a thorough diagnosis of the theological factors that have prevented such a vision being realised over previous decades. These factors are embedded in the social realities of our everyday life and in the sometimes hidden assumptions that shape our thinking in the church. By setting out a sustained proposal for the renewal of our theological imagination, the report points the way to address some deep running fault lines in our common life. Written in an accessible style, Kingdom Calling looks in turn at the vocation, ministry and discipleship of all God’s people, asking what kind of theological thinking and imagining might most help us to flourish together. It affirms and celebrates the vital lay and ordained ministry roles that support the church in God’s mission, and it identifies changes in practice that can better foster the vocation, ministry and discipleship of the whole people of God.

Living in Love and Faith
Living in Love and Faith

Author: The Church of England

Publisher: Church House Publishing

Published: 2020-11-09

Total Pages: 399

ISBN-13: 0715111671

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Issues of gender and sexuality are intrinsic to people’s experience: their sense of identity, their lives and the loving relationships that shape and sustain them. The life and mission of the Church of England – and of the worldwide Anglican Communion – are affected by the deep, and sometimes painful, disagreements about these matters, divisions brought into sharper focus because of society’s changing perspectives and practices, especially in relation to LGTBI+ people. Living in Love and Faith sets out to inspire people to think more deeply both about what it means to be human, and to live in love and faith with one another. It tackles the tough questions and the divisions among Christians about what it means to be holy in a society in which understandings and practices of gender, sexuality and marriage continue to change. Commissioned and led by the Bishops of the Church of England, the Living in Love and Faith project has involved many people across the Church and beyond, bringing together a great diversity and depth of expertise, conviction and experience to explore these matters by studying what the Bible, theology, history and the social and biological sciences have to say. After a Foreword from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, the book opens with an invitation from the Bishops of the Church of England to embark on a learning journey in five parts: Part One sets current questions about human identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage in the context of God’s gift of life. Part Two takes a careful and dispassionate look at what is happening in the world with regard to identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage. Part Three explores current Christian thinking and discussions about human identity, sexuality, and marriage. In the light of the good news of Jesus Christ, how do Christians understand and respond to the trends observed in Part Two? Part Four considers what it means for us as individuals and as a church to be Christ-like when it comes to matters of identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage. Part Five invites the reader into a conversation between some of the people who have been involved in writing this book who, having engaged with and written Parts One to Four, nevertheless come to different conclusions. Amid the biblical, theological, historical and scientific exploration, each part includes Encounters with real, contemporary disciples of Christ whose stories raise questions which ask us to discern where God is active in human lives. The book ends with an appeal from the Bishops to join them in a period of discernment and decision-making following the publication of Living in Love and Faith. The Living in Love and Faith book is accompanied by a range of free digital resources including films, podcasts and an online library, together with Living in Love and Faith: The Course, a 5-session course which is designed to help local groups engage with the resources, also published by Church House Publishing.

The Faith of the Christian Church
The Faith of the Christian Church

Author: Gustaf Aulen

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2002-04-26

Total Pages: 417

ISBN-13: 1579109446

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This paperback reprinting of Gustaf Aulen's great textbook of systematic theology should be a welcome delight to the Christian theologian. The reputation if this second English edition, based on the fifth and most extensively revised Swedish edition, has steadily increased over the years as a clear and sound guide to the substance of the Christian faith. Besides treating the whole compass of traditional themes associated with the doctrines of God, Christ, and the church, Aulen in this edition has provided new chapters on the Communion of Saints and on the relation between scripture and tradition. The chapters on the biblical validation of the content of faith, the doctrine of the Lord's Supper, and the unity of the church and the disunity of the churches were rewritten. The statements on the relation between the two testaments, creation and redemption, natural law, the resurrection, the validity of infant baptism, and eschatology were substantially revised. Aulen's keen analysis and clear presentation of the fundamental motifs of the Christian faith, his sharp demarcation of these motifs from their aberrations in the history of Christian thought and in contemporary theology, and especially his profound sense of the oneness of the church's faith have endeared this book to students, theologians, clergymen, and hosts of intelligent and inquiring laity of every denomination.