Archbishop Desmond Tutu of Cape Town once said with regard to South Africa’s apartheid policy, “One of the ways of helping to destroy a people is to tell them that they don’t have a history, that they have no roots.” More recently, he described homophobic discrimination as “totally unacceptable and unjust as apartheid ever was.” Unfortunately, it has been particularly difficult for some gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Christians to remain connected to identify with their own faith traditions because some of these traditions not only treat them as people of secondary status but also teach Christian history as though no people of same-gender attraction or opposite-gender identity had any noteworthy place in it and made no significant contributions at all to Christian tradition. Passionate Holiness tries to remedy this situation by explaining why acquaintance with the stories of certain saints with whom gender minorities can identify can help them to connect with their own history and spiritual legacy and empower them to face a brighter future with a sense of optimism and inclusion.
NEW 2010 B&W Edition Archbishop Desmond Tutu of Cape Town once said with regard to South Africa's Apartheid policy, "One of the ways of helping to destroy a people is to tell them that they don't have a history, that they have no roots." He recently described homophobic discrimination "as totally unacceptable and unjust as Apartheid ever was." Unfortunately, it has been particularly difficult for some gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered Christians to remain connected with and identified with their own faith traditions because some of these traditions not only treat them as people of secondary status but teach Christian history as though no people of same-gender attraction or opposite-gender identity had any noteworthy place in it and had made no significant contributions at all to Christian tradition.Passionate Holiness tries to remedy this situation by explaining why acquaintance with the stories of Sts. Polyeuct and Nearchus, Sts. Sergius and Bacchus, Christ/Holy Wisdom, Sts. Matrona, Perpetua and Felicity, Brigid and Darlughdach, and many others with whom gender minorities can identify can help them to connect with their own history and spiritual legacy and empower them to face a brighter future with a sense of optimism and inclusion. The story of the removal of the feast of Sts. Sergius and Bacchus from the liturgical calendar of the Roman Catholic Church in 1969 - ironically, the very year New York's Stonewall Riots launched the gay liberation movement - is a particularly revealing example of how far some religious authorities will go to keep gender minorities distanced from their own history. This is all explored in Passionate Holiness. "It's a marvelous, beautiful book." Ursula Vaughan Williams poet, novelist, and widow of composer Ralph Vaughan Williams "It was a fascinating study. Congratulations on a job well done." Andrew M. Greeley priest, sociologist, novelist "Many thanks for sending me your book Passionate Holiness, which I enjoyed very much. It is a fascinating account of the cult of Holy Wisdom, mixed with stories of various 'distinctive people' and the roles they have played in the history of the Church. It is full of saints, sinners, heretics, martyrs, and those who persecuted them. Some of these people, and the ideas they believed in, have featured in my novels, though there was much that I was not aware of. The material in the Russian and Irish chapters were new to me. You say at the beginning of Chapter VII that the reader may cry out "Too much information". Not me! Passionate Holiness is a work of remarkable scholarship, and I wish it had been published before I wrote my Byzantine novels, rather than afterwards. If I ever return to Byzantium as a subject, I am sure I will find your book invaluable. The icons that illustrate the book are beautiful. You are lucky to have access to works by such gifted artists. If only my publisher had commissioned something similar for the cover of Theodore. Maybe next time!" Christopher Harris English novelist, author of "Theodore," "Memoirs of a Byzantine Eunuch," and "False Ambassador" "Here's something the antigay modern Roman Catholic Church would like to forget: In the early years of Christianity, homosexual saints were worshipped too, as Dennis O'Neill reminds us. O'Neill is a Chicago-based Catholic pastor who 11 years ago founded The Living Circle, a spirituality center devoted to GLBT people and their friends. In 1995 the Circle hosted an art exhibit entitled "Passionate Holiness" that displayed such holy icons as Saint Boris and George the Hungarian and Saints Brigid and Darlughdach of Kildare. O'Neill's retelling of such stories, plus striking color illustrations, will surprise and inspire any reader, gay or not." Anne Stockwell Review from "The Advocate", May 24, 2005 issue, p. 82. "Passionate Holiness is indeed a remarkable book, unlike any other that I know of. Its scope
This collection of Charles Spurgeon's word pictures of the majestic throne of grace that believers are privileged to come before, should be an inspiration for prayer life.
"Evangelical" is a badge, a line in the sand, a term of abuse, a much-overworked word. What are the key markers of the evangelical faith? How did the movement come into being, and how is it changing? What is its style, then and now, and what is its theology? Richard Turnbull shows how and why the evangelicals have not only survived, but have grown strong, and explains their unique contribution to world Christianity. He covers the historical roots of evangelical spirituality; the place of the Bible; the concepts of conversion, personal transformation and call; evangelism and service; worship and revival. "The greatest need of our age is for the Church to rediscover her evangelical foundations. Dr Turnbull tells the stirring story of the rise of evangelicalism - of a beautiful Saviour, a Living Scripture, a heart-felt Song and a sending Spirit. Read this book, recall the cloud of witnesses, remind yourself of what matters, revive your own faith, then go reach a lost world for Christ." - Simon Ponsonby, Pastor of Theology at St Aldates Church, Oxford -There are great riches within the evangelical tradition to resource the whole Church and it is vital that evangelicals become better acquainted with their heritage. Richard Turnbull's study shows how evangelicals in the past forged a spirituality that had clarity and depth, and calls us to do the same.- Revd Dr Liz Hoare, Tutor in Prayer, Spirituality and Mission at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford
The hole in our holiness is that we don't care much about holiness. Or, at the very least, we don't understand it. And we all have our reasons too: Maybe the pursuit of holiness seems legalistic. Maybe it feels like one more thing to worry about in your already overwhelming life. Maybe the emphasis on effort in the Christian life appears unspiritual. Or maybe you've been trying really hard to be holy and it's just not working! Whatever the case, the problem is clear: too few Christians look like Christ and too many don't seem all that concerned about it. This is a book for those of us who are ready to take holiness seriously, ready to be more like Jesus, ready to live in light of the grace that produces godliness. This is a book about God's power to help us grow in personal holiness and to enjoy the process of transformation.
Do you believe you were born to change the world? And do you think its actually possible? These are two questions to ask yourself before you even read this book. This is because this book is for those whose aim is to make a difference in this world. Its for those who are unsatisfied with allowing darkness, injustice, and hopelessness to enslave people and who want to be part of a counter-culture attack that brings true freedom. Now, is this book for you? I will say this: We need you. We need as many people as we can get to join a generation that is called to action. Do you know Jesus and are seeking what it means to follow Him in a deeper, more radical way? Are you looking for ways to make your faith come alive? Do you want your life to have meaning? Have you longed to see Gods kingdom come? Is your soul hungry for more? Will you be willing to give whatever it takes to see transformation come to you and the people around you? In my own reflection to answer all these questions, I believe there is a key. It is something called holy passion. Its a holy passion for Jesus that fills you and causes movement in ways you have never experienced before. Embrace a new journey of holy passion in action. It will be one you will never forget.
The God of Christian faith is, according to Peter Taylor Forsyth, a God of holy, righteous love. As a result, God’s intervention in human life is morally robust. It seeks the transformation of its recipients toward holy love, reaching its high points is in the cross of Jesus Christ. Paul Moser and Benjamin Nasmith expertly gather together twenty of Forsyth’s essays clarifying the nature and manifestation of God’s love. Forsyth contends that God is an active personal agent who desires interpersonal fellowship with humans, and that the authority governing that fellowship is His love. Attending to the experience of God in moral conscience, where one can experience forgiveness and redemption by God, Forsyth’s writing challenges readers to consider whether their experience includes an encounter with a God who manifests holy love.
Holiness is the very character of God and it is one of the most important areas of our lives where we need to conform to His image. It is a process that will take our whole lives to accomplish. The key to walking forward in this process is to understand the principles regarding this topic from the Word of God and to discover how our culture has shifted through time to become what it represents today. When we realize the blessing and protection released by obedience to holiness, the ability to conform to His character becomes a beautiful process.
Samuel Brengle's Helps to Holiness is a devotional classic which offers Christians guidance on following the instructions of the Lord, that they may practice faith with the greatest of fulfilment. This book's stated purpose is to guide the Christian believer to a deeper and more fulfilling experience of faith. Beginning with a definition of the term 'holiness', Brengle goes on to explain in detail tenets of Christianity that must be observed by believers in the present-day. Each separate topic is supported with quotations from the Bible, whereby Brengle ably and authentically tells the reader how to proceed with a virtuous adherence to God and His holiness. Together with its inspiring passages, which instruct the reader on how to properly devote and observe the principles set out in the Holy Bible, Helps to Holiness is an insightful account into the early history of the Salvation Army.
