Creation and Hope
Creation and Hope

Author: Nicola Hoggard Creegan

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2018-04-25

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 1532609744

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We live in an ecological age. Science in the last few hundred years has given us a picture of nature as blind to the future and mechanical in its workings, even while ecology and physics have made us aware of our interconnectedness and dependency upon the web of life. As we witness a possible sixth great mass-extinction, there is increasing awareness too of the fragility of life on this planet. In such a context, what is the nature of Christian hope? St Paul declares that all of creation "will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God." How are we to imagine this "freedom" when death and decay are essential to biological life as we currently experience it, and when the scientific predictions for life are bleak at best? This book explores these questions, reflecting on how our traditions shape our imagination of the future, and considering how a theology of hope may sustain Christians engaged in conservation initiatives. The essays in this volume are partly in dialogue with the ground-breaking work of Celia Deane-Drummond, and are set in the context of global and local (Aotearoa New Zealand) ecological challenges.

Words for a Dying World
Words for a Dying World

Author: Hannah Malcolm

Publisher: SCM Press

Published: 2020-12-07

Total Pages: 166

ISBN-13: 0334059860

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How do we talk about climate grief in the church? And when we have found the words, what do we do with that grief? There is a sudden and dramatic rise in people experiencing a profound sense of anxiety in the face of our dying planet, and a consequent need for churches to be better resourced pastorally and theologically to deal with this threat. Words for a Dying World brings together voices from across the world - from the Pacific islands to the pipelines of Canada, from farming communities in Namibia to activism in the UK. Author royalties from the sale of this book are split evenly between contributors. The majority will be pooled as a donation to ClientEarth. The remainder will directly support the communities represented in this collection. Contributors include Anderson Jeremiah, Azariah France-Williams, David Benjamin Blower, Holly-Anna Petersen, Isabel Mukonyora, Jione Havea, and Maggi Dawn.

Interface Theology Volume 1, Issue 1
Interface Theology Volume 1, Issue 1

Author: Yves Congar

Publisher: ATF Press

Published: 2016-10-13

Total Pages: 79

ISBN-13: 1925486443

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Interface Theology is a biannual refereed journal of theology published in print, epub and open access by ATF Press in Australia. The journal is a scholarly ecumenical and interdisciplinary publication, aiming to serve the church and its mission, promoting a broad based interpretation of Christian theology within a trinitarian context, encouraging dialogue between Christianity and other faiths, and exploring the interface between faith and culture. It is published in English for an international audience.

But What Is the Church For?
But What Is the Church For?

Author: Neil Darragh

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2021-11-19

Total Pages: 204

ISBN-13: 1666732915

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What is the church really for? Some people are members of the church because it’s part of their family tradition or their culture or their identity. Others have left the church because that’s all it is in fact. Is it the best way to salvation or a way of coming closer to God? In any case, the church is not just for us or the benefits we get out of it. Very few of us would say that this is what the church is really for. There is surely something more here, something more generous, life-giving, outgoing, and gracious than what we personally get out of it. This book is about the church’s outreach beyond itself—its purpose beyond any benefits for those already its members. This book is not about a church looking inwards and worrying about itself, but about a church looking outwards. The local Christian community that we belong to is part of that much bigger, much more exhilarating project of the evolving realm of God.

A World of Light
A World of Light

Author: May Sarton

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Published: 1987-12

Total Pages: 260

ISBN-13: 9780393305005

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"Its revelations, its tender frankness, its acutely sensitive observations recommend [this book] to Sarton's growing legion of readers." --Choice

Image and Pilgrimage in Christian Culture
Image and Pilgrimage in Christian Culture

Author: Victor Turner

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Published: 2011-11-08

Total Pages: 357

ISBN-13: 0231527829

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First published in 1978, Image and Pilgrimage in Christian Culture is a classic work examining the theological doctrines, popular notions, and corresponding symbols and images promoting and sustaining Christian pilgrimage. The book examines two major aspects of pilgrimage practice: the significance of context, or the theological conditions giving rise to pilgrimage and the folk traditions enabling worshippers to absorb the meaning of the event; and the images and symbols embodying the experience of pilgrimage and transmitting its visions in varying ways. Retelling its own tales of "mere mortals" confronted by potent visions, such as the man Juan Diego who found redemption with the Lady of Guadalupe and the poor French shepherdess Bernadette whose encounter with the Lady at Lourdes inspired Christians across the globe, this text treats religious visions as both paradox and empowering phenomena, tying them explicitly to the times in which they occurred. Offering vivid vignettes of social history, it extends their importance beyond the realm of the religious to our own conceptions of reality. Extensively revised throughout, this edition includes a new introduction by the theologian Deborah Ross situating the book within the work of Victor and Edith Turner and among the movements of contemporary culture. She addresses the study's legacy within the discipline, especially its hermeneutical framework, which introduced a novel method of describing and interpreting pilgrimage. She also credits the Turners with cementing the link between mysticism, popular devotion, and Christian culture, as well as their recognition of the relationship between pilgrimage and the deep spiritual needs of human beings. She concludes with various critiques of the Turners' work and suggests future directions for research.

Theologies from the Pacific
Theologies from the Pacific

Author: Jione Havea

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2021-07-16

Total Pages: 350

ISBN-13: 3030743659

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This book offers engagements with topics in mainline theology that concern the lifelines in and of the Pacific (Pasifika). The essays are grouped into three clusters. The first, Roots, explores the many roots from which theologies in and of Pasifika grow – sea and (is)land, Christian teachings and scriptures, native traditions and island ways. The second, Reads, presents theologies informed and inspired by readings of written and oral texts, missionary traps and propaganda, and teachings and practices of local churches. The final cluster, Routes, places Pasifika theologies upon the waters so that they may navigate and voyage. The ‘amanaki (hope) of this work is in keeping talanoa (dialogue) going, in pushing back tendencies to wedge the theologies in and of Pasifika, and in putting native wisdom upon the waters. As these Christian and native theologies voyage, they chart Pasifika’s sea of theologies.

The Bird of Light
The Bird of Light

Author: John Hay

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Published: 1993-05

Total Pages: 170

ISBN-13: 9780393310016

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"Joy Hay is one of our very best essayists on the natural world, and The Bird of Light is a fine example of his work."--Peter Matthiessen

Towards Friendship-Shaped Communities: A Practical Theology of Friendship
Towards Friendship-Shaped Communities: A Practical Theology of Friendship

Author: Anne-Marie Ellithorpe

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2022-04-13

Total Pages: 244

ISBN-13: 1119756960

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A unique and incisive exploration of the place and nature of friendship in both its personal and civic dimensions In Towards Friendship-Shaped Communities: A Practical Theology of Friendship, distinguished theological researcher Anne-Marie Ellithorpe delivers a constructive and insightful exploration of the place and nature of friendship as innate to being human, to the human vocation, and to life within the broader community. Of particular interest to members and leaders of faith communities, this book responds to contemporary concerns regarding relationality and offers a comprehensive theology of friendship. The author provides an inclusive and interdisciplinary study that brings previous traditions and texts into dialogue with contemporary contexts and concerns, including examples from Indigenous and Euro-Western cultures. Readers will reflect on the theology of friendship and the interrelationship between friendship and community, think critically about their own social and theological imagination, and develop an integrative approach to theological reflection that draws on Don Browning’s Fundamental Practical Theology. Integrating philosophical, anthropological, and theological perspectives on the study of friendship, this book presents: A thorough introduction to contemporary questions on friendship and discussions of co-existing friendship worlds Comprehensive explorations of friendship in first and second testament writings, as well as friendship within classical and Christian traditions Practical discussions of theology, friendship, and the social imagination, including explorations of mutuality and spirit-shaped friendships Considerations for outworking friendship ideals within communities of practice, from the perspective of strategic (or fully) practical theology Perfect for graduate and advanced undergraduate students taking courses on friendship or practical theology, Towards Friendship-Shaped Communities: A Practical Theology of Friendship will also earn a place in the libraries of scholars of practical theology and community practitioners, including ministers, priests, pastors, spiritual advisors, and counselors.