St. Cyprian's writings portray vividly the life of the Christian church in the middle of the third century. The two pastoral addresses of this intensely devout bishop reveal the aftermath of the persecution by the Emperor Decius. +
Losing your religion is harder than it looks ... From devout ten-year-old performing the part of Jesus in a primary school play to blaspheming, undergraduate atheist, Monica Dux and her attitude to the Catholic Church changed profoundly over a decade. Eventually, she calmed down and was just 'lapsed'. Then, on a family trip to Rome, her young daughter expressed a desire to be baptised. Monica found herself re-examining her own childhood and how Catholicism had shaped her. Was it really out of her system or was it in her blood for life? In Lapsed, Monica sets out to find the answer. Her investigations lead her to test a miracle cure in Lourdes and visit the grave of a headless Saint who claimed to be married to Christ (and wore a wedding ring made of his foreskin to prove it). She speaks to canon lawyers, abuse survivors and even a nun who insists that the Virgin Mary starts her car every morning. With wry humour and razor-sharp observations, Lapsed is the story of one woman's attempt to exorcise her religious upbringing, and to answer the question, is Catholicism like a blood group and, if so, is it possible to get a total transfusion? 'Enlightening, forensic and laugh-out-loud funny' -- JANE CARO 'A frank, funny and heartfelt exorcism of our need to believe in a man in the sky' -- SHAUN MICALLEF
The first in a series of books by Zingerman's co-founding partner Ari Weinzweig examines the basic building blocks of the culture and structure we know now as Zingerman's. These approaches are applicable whether you're running a law office, a library, a restaurant, a record label, a software firm, or an organic farm. They are the behind-the-scenes "secret" stuff that goes into making a very special, sustainable business of any kind. Inc. Magazine calls it one of the Best Books for Business Owners.
Ari’s new book is the culmination of a lifetime of learning and thirty four years in business, the last three of which have been spent intensively studying, reflecting on, and writing about the critical role of beliefs in the businesses and organizations of which we’re a part. The fruits of that labor are now available in this new 600-page book. We could tell you more about what's in the book but we think John U. Bacon, author of the New York Times' bestseller, Endzone: The Rise, Fall and Return of Michigan Football, said it better than we ever could! “Some business leaders know practice. Some know theory. Ari Weinzweig is one of the few who knows both. He has built a famously successful organization, while giving it more thought than do the business gurus who merely philosophize about such things. The insights Ari shares here are both deeply perceptive and highly practical, from the ideas of Howard Zinn, Viktor Frankl and Anais Nin on one page, to the importance of learning your employees’ names on the next. Like its author, this book is uncommonly smart, helpful, and just plain fun.”
This humorous catechism will help Lapsed or wobbly Catholic readers deal with their residual guilt and continuing spiritual needs, even if they have fallen away from the One True Faith. It makes a perfect stocking suffer or birthday gift. It is an irreverent, satirical, and richly informed poke in the ribs to the Catholic Church. Good will to all! Advance Hallelujahs! for The Lapsed Catholic Catechism: "Many will be amused; some will be offended; all will learn a lot." -- Henry Rosovsky, Dean Emeritus of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University "An absolutely delightful book that we lapsed Catholics desperately needed. Ford delivers not just wit, but humorous and cogent insight into our confusing religion. There is nothing that delivers guilt relief faster than a chuckle. And once again, after reading this engaging book, I have some hope I can attain heaven ... if it exists, that is. " -- Richard Muller, Professor of Physics at UC Berkeley; author, "The Sins of Jesus"
This is the first up-to-date, accessible study on the rule of Cyprian as the Bishop of Carthage in the 250s AD. It controversially shows that Cyprian radically enforced the primary emphasis on the unity of the church, interpreting loyalty in the community as fidelity to Christ. It uses cultural anthropology to examine the impact of Cyprian's policy during the Decian persecution. Cyprian attempted to steer the middle ground between compromise and traditionalism and succeeded by defining the boundary between the empire and the church. J. Patout Burns Jr. concentrates on social structures to reveal the logic of Cyprian's plan, the basis for its success in his time, and why it later failed. This book will be of great interest to classicists, ancient historians and sociologists as well as theologians.
Novatian of Rome and the Culmination of Pre-Nicene Orthodoxy is an overview of the development of Christology and Trinitarian doctrine, which reached a plateau with Novatian, the third-century priest of Rome. Here James Papandrea offers an enlightening and thorough treatment of the thought, historical context, and theological influences of Novatian. Included are an assessment of the alternative Christologies of the pre-Nicene period, a survey of Novatian's legacy, and concluding comments on the relevance of his theology and ecclesiology for the contemporary church.
Where Is the Church? Martrydom, Persecution, and Baptism in North Africa is an overview of North African Christianity from the second to the fifth century. Beginning with the African martyrs, Ronald D. Burris investigates the idea of how "church" was defined in North African Christianity through the understanding of water baptism, martyrdom (baptism in blood), and key theological concepts such as origo or conscientia. In addition to baptism and ecclesiology, this work investigates the social, political, and economic issues that were germane to the shaping, hardening, and eventual condemnation of those beliefs as expressed by the North African Christians, called the Donatists. Morevoer, this work seeks to explain why so many North African Christians were drawn to that group. They were drawn to the Donatists because the latter more closely represented the tradition of the early African martyrs, Tertullian, and their beloved hero and martyr, Saint Cyprian.