Awesome Ecclesial Album and Music Offers

The first 2 volumes of Roger Haight's Christian Community in History received enormous critical attention. Of volume 2, a reviewer in the Anglican Theological Review wrote: "This work is worthy of celebration...anyone who cares about the theology of the church must read it." Those volumes of Christian Community in History described the historical diversity of the church across its history (up to the Reformation in vol. 1) and among the churches (since the Reformation in vol. 2). By contrast, vol. 3 is an attempt to describe what the churches possess in common, i.e., to retrieve ecclesiological constants from history reaching back to scriptural origins in order to construct and portray the common ecclesial existence shared by the churches. In more traditional terms, it aims to find the apostolicity, the catholicity, and the unity amidst the plurality of the churches..
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In this revised edition of her groundbreaking original volume, Zeni Fox emphasizes the crucial relationship between lay ecclesial ministers and the Church's response to them in light of the many developments of recent years. Written in a clear, crisp style, the book is divided into three parts: Part one describes the present reality, both sociological research about who these new lay professionals are and a review of the ways in which theologians are reflecting upon this new phenomenon. The second part explores the new reality from the standpoint of the tradition, including Scripture, the documents of Vatican II and the work of the U.S. bishops. The final part assesses this reality in light of the tradition, and outlines steps needed to more fully integrate these lay leaders into the structural fabric of the Church. This proven resource assists lay ministers to more fully understand their personal experience in the Church, both the joys and the difficulties, through contextualizing these with the stories of others, and in the larger story of the Church. It assists the larger faith community to understand the lay ecclesial ministers better, and to ponder what is needed to better respond to them..
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A collection of essays and assessments in which scholars from a variety of denominational, geographical and ecclesiological backgrounds attempt to discern the significance of the 2006 document Nature and Mission of the Church from the World Council of Churches. Thereby offering doctrinal, theological and hermeneutical perspectives and analysis on its formation and content. The essays also seek to discern the potential ecumenical ramifications of the document.

Contributions also address futures for ecumenical dialogue and the development of an ecumenical ecclesiology in general. This is an apposite and timely collection of responses which includes contributions from those who witnessed its launch in the context of the WCC in 2006 at Porte Allegre. Whilst so many books on the church already exist, the focused nature of the proposed volume, as well as the international, and broad denominational range of the contributors, makes this volume unique. .
Price: $66.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Does religious life still make sense today?

Controversial author Sandra Schneiders asks the question, does being a religious still make sense in today's world? Her answer is yes, that religious life has a future full of hope but that it must be rethought and remodeled within the radically new context of post-Vatican-II postmodernism. Situating religious life both within a historical-cultural setting and within the Catholic Church, Schneiders addresses major questions of meaning, identity, and boundaries that have arisen over the past decades.

With tremendous cohesion, she examines issues about celibacy, permanent commitment, formation, community, vows, and prayer, as well as issues of particular concern to women: patriarchy, feminism, the role of women in the Church, and female ordination. The years since Vatican II, she says, have been a "Dark Night of the Soul" for religious life; she uses this paradigm to make sense of what has happened, the purification and transformation of religious life from dinosaur to songbird.

Schneiders' book is both deeply exciting and genuinely consoling for North American Roman Catholic women religious. Yet this sweeping multidisciplinary work has a crucial message as well for brothers, women religious in other countries or denominations, and anyone interested in the state of the church today..
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The complete guide to the Basic Community movement that has swept through the Third World and is creating a revolution in a growing number of churches in the First World, Basic Is Beautiful includes case studies, reflections on experiences, and a series of questions and answers about the movement. Line drawings..
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