From Blind Obedience to a Responsible Faith

From Blind Obedience to a Responsible Faith

Author: Donald F. Fausel

Publisher: iUniverse

Published: 2010-09-07

Total Pages: 432

ISBN-13: 1450244580

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Author Donald F. Fausel was raised in the pre-Vatican II Catholic Church, when prescribed beliefs were rarely questioned and blind obedience to authority trumped following ones conscience. Through a process of developing an informed conscience and learning to think critically, his journey led him to a more responsible faith, while remaining in his Catholic tradition. This memoir recalls Fausels life experiences, his reflections on those events, and how they affected his spiritual journeyfrom his birth in 1929; his formative years; his life in the seminary and ordination in 1957; his nine years in the active ministry, ending with a dispensation from the Vatican in 1972; and his continued journey as a married Catholic. Fausel reflects on a range of faith-related issues: the differences between faith and beliefs; abortion and artificial birth control; the doctrine of infallibility; the danger of relying solely on the magisterium; the charism of celibacy and mandatory celibacy; the place of women in the church and the ordination of women; and the effect of the new cosmology on our image of God. Not only does Fausels memoir frame the events that shaped his life, but provides reflections to help others in their faith journey.


Reenvisioning Christian Ethics

Reenvisioning Christian Ethics

Author: Darryl W. Stephens

Publisher: MDPI

Published: 2020-12-29

Total Pages: 144

ISBN-13: 3039283944

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Christian ethics is a wide and varied field; so diverse are the methods and approaches, theological perspectives and starting points, and scopes of inquiry and purposes—dare we even call it a discipline?—that the field is rarely considered as a whole. Christian ethics includes historical, descriptive, critical, constructive, and applied projects on countless topics. Lending creative energy to this field of study are a range of partner disciplines, including, most prominently, theology, philosophy, and sociology, each containing multiple schools themselves. To envision the entire field of Christian ethics is a difficult task; to reenvision the entire field may perhaps be impossible for one person. Thus, this publication includes original research by multiple scholars, each offering a distinct perspective from their primary partner discipline. Chapters include Roman Catholic and Protestant voices from Europe, Asia, and North America. In aggregate, these writings contribute to a composite reenvisioning of Christian ethics, refracting our collective vision through the prisms of diverse academic and methodological perspectives in this vast field of inquiry, study, and practice.


Kierkegaard, Religion, and Existence

Kierkegaard, Religion, and Existence

Author: Avi Sagi

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2021-12-13

Total Pages: 220

ISBN-13: 9004493964

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This book is an original philosophic exploration of the meaning of Kierkegaard’s life, his thought, and his works. It makes a bold case for Kierkegaard’s recognition of the concrete existence of the individual, including Kierkegaard himself, as crucial to the spiritual life. Written with delicate insight, and beautifully translated from Hebrew, this work offers valuable new turns to understanding the puzzling life-work of a modern giant of spiritual reflection.


Hans Urs von Balthasar on the Spiritual Exercises

Hans Urs von Balthasar on the Spiritual Exercises

Author: Hans Urs Von Balthasar

Publisher: Ignatius Press

Published: 2019-05-20

Total Pages: 386

ISBN-13: 1642290718

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"I would like one day," Hans Urs von Balthasar wrote in 1952, "to write a book on Ignatius of Loyola, the saint of whom I will always consider myself the least of sons." The Jesuit-formed theologian from Switzerland—widely considered one of the greatest thinkers and spiritual writers of modern times—never got the chance to fulfill this dream. Instead, Balthasar's whole theology, from Theo-Drama to Dare We Hope "That All Men Be Saved", is imbued with the influence of Saint Ignatius, founder of the Society of Jesus and author of the Spiritual Exercises, a multi-week retreat guide that has rejuvenated Catholic spirituality since the sixteenth century. Throughout Balthasar's priestly life, he led countless retreatants in the Ignatian Exercises, accompanying them in their discernment of God's call. This anthology is an aid for those either giving or making an Ignatian retreat. Full of citations and equipped with four indexes, as well as many texts never before translated into English, it sifts Balthasar's writings for insights into almost every element of Ignatius' "libretto", sometimes diving into themes scarcely explored by others. Moreover, it maps out those hidden strains of Jesuit spirituality that run unnoticed through the theologian's oeuvre. Yet the book may help anyone at all who wants to engage more deeply with Jesus or come to grips with Church doctrine, for as Balthasar himself says, the Spiritual Exercises are both a "great school of Christocentric contemplation" and a "genuine interpretation of the deposit of the faith".


The Making of the 1963 Baptist Faith and Message

The Making of the 1963 Baptist Faith and Message

Author: A. J. Smith

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2008-08-05

Total Pages: 258

ISBN-13: 1498273750

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Questions regarding the orthodoxy of Dale Moody and Ralph Elliott propelled the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) toward a re-evaluation of its doctrinal statement, the Baptist Faith and Message (BFM). The SBC adopted this document in 1925 under the leadership of E. Y. Mullins when faced by the challenge of modernism. This dissertation argues that the 1962 Committee on Baptist Faith and Message produced a document that expressed subtle shifts in Baptist theology. This shift had the effect of assuring the conservative base while allowing enough latitude in interpretation for those serving in the academy to teach more "progressive" views. After a first, introductory chapter, chapters 2 and 3 trace the historical developments leading to the formation of the Committee. Biblical inspiration and interpretation were key concerns, but as chapter 3 demonstrates, other concerns drew the attention of the Committee. Chapters 4 and 5 deal with the ever-sensitive issue of the relationship between Baptist confessionalism, soul liberty, and soul competency. Each chapter examines how Baptist confessionalism functioned in relation to these concepts. Chapter 6 examines in detail the work of the Committee itself and looks at those persons or groups who influenced the outcome of the Committee's work. Of special note are the contributions made by Wayne Ward, Leo Garrett, the religion faculty of Mercer University, and the theology faculty of Southern Seminary. Chapter 7 examines four areas where the 1963 BFM altered the confessional expression of Baptist doctrines: (1) Scripture; (2) Man; (3) Salvation; (4) The Church. Chapter 8 is the conclusion. Four appendices contain early drafts of the Committee's work.


This Independent Republic

This Independent Republic

Author: R. J. Rushdoony

Publisher: Chalcedon Foundation

Published: 2019-02-14

Total Pages: 149

ISBN-13: 1879998246

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First published in 1964, this series of essays gives important insight into American history by one who could trace American development in terms of the Christian ideas which gave it direction. These essays will greatly alter your understanding of, and appreciation for, American history. Topics discussed include: the legal issues behind the War of Independence; sovereignty as a theological tenet foreign to colonial political thought and the Constitution; the desire for land as a consequence of the belief in .inheriting the land" as a future blessing, not an immediate economic asset; federalism's localism as an inheritance of feudalism; the local control of property as a guarantee of liberty; why federal elections were long considered of less importance than local politics; how early American ideas attributed to democratic thought were based on religious ideals of communion and community; and the absurdity of a mathematical concept of equality being applied to people.


Freedom Glorious Freedom

Freedom Glorious Freedom

Author: John J. McNeill

Publisher: Lethe Press

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 334

ISBN-13: 1590211480

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In Freedom, Glorious Freedom, acclaimed author John J. McNeill shows how lesbian and gay Christians can achieve full spiritual maturity and self-acceptance. McNeill discusses freedom of conscience and discernment of spirits, ancient teachings of the Christian church that have a special urgency for lesbian and gay people who need to free themselves from all the homophobic authorities and deal with God on a direct and personal basis. The liberating process of coming out of the closet is seen as a spirit-filled effort to achieve the glory of God by becoming fully alive. McNeill offers a twelve-step spirituality as a spiritual process of liberation from all addictions in order to experience the love of God in its fullness. The epilogue expresses in detail a philosophical vision, looking both to the past and to the future, of how gay liberation fits into the Spirit-directed evolution of human history and its role in the ongoing struggle for human liberation. For more than thirty-five years, John J. McNeill, an ordained priest and psychotherapist, has been devoting his life to spreading the good news of God¿s love for lesbian and gay Christians.


The Just Shall Live by Faith

The Just Shall Live by Faith

Author: David Paul McDowell

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2020-02-27

Total Pages: 202

ISBN-13: 1725252694

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Romans: the apostle Paul’s magnum opus. It is a book that has changed the lives of countless men and women throughout the history of the church, and it could change your life as well! The Just Shall Live by Faith begins by clearly outlining the whole book of Romans and then sets about explaining each section of the outline in commentary form written from a pastoral perspective, with illustrative material and practical applications. There are questions for each section that can be used for individual study or small-group discussion. It has been field-tested by small groups of women and men, and has proven to be insightful, encouraging, and spiritually challenging. Romans is not a book meant to be casually read. The Just Shall Live by Faith will ensure that you go deep.


Taking a Chance on God

Taking a Chance on God

Author: John J. McNeill

Publisher: Beacon Press

Published: 2015-10-27

Total Pages: 241

ISBN-13: 0807079006

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Taking a Chance on God explores how lesbians and gay men can claim both a positive gay identity and a fulfilling life of Christian faith.