This much-needed collection of worship services, ceremonies, and celebrations is attuned to the unique needs of sexual minorities. The rites, written primarily by lesbians and gay men, include liturgies of spiritual beginnings, healing, blessings, holy communion, and pride and empowerment. Also included are funeral and memorial services, seasonal and holiday rites, and covenant rites for […]
Theological ideas and biblical injunctions have frequently been employed to legitimate the physical abuse of children. Some theological ideas are inherently abusive because they create fear in a child’s mind, causing a child to feel alone, odd, or of little worth. Donald Capps exposes some abuses that theology and the Bible have inflicted on vast […]
‘In recent years we’ve seen a host of books calling for a rediscovery of the Bible. John Burgess’s Why Scripture Matters stands head and shoulders above the rest. Burgess combines deep theological insight with down-to-earth emphasis on daily practices – memorization, reading aloud – from the neglected riches of Christian tradition.’ – John Wilson, editor, […]
Will churches merely survive in the next century? Or will they come alive? How can they work for congregational vitality and vision? Carnegie Samuel Calian challenges churches and their members to become committed to their own success and to take owenership of their future.
For Presbyterians, Holy Scripture and the Book of Confessions are the primary sources of authority and guidance. However, authorities are helpful only if they are interpreted correctly. While much has been written about biblical interpretation, this is the first book to apply the principles of biblical interpretation to understanding the Book of Confessions.
When Robert Chesnut became pastor in 1988, East Liberty Presbyterian Church was a declining and graying congregation. Over the next ten years, Chesnut sparked a remarkable – and often controversial – turnaround in membership, ministry, and finances. Transforming the Mainline Church gives the inside story of that renewal, and also provides valuable lessons for other […]
From Library Journal: This insightful book, with questions for reflection after each chapter, attempts to expand the reader’s idea of spirituality through six ways–of the will (through sacred story, Word of God as read and preached, and sacrament); of wonder (in spiritual classics); of witness (through compassion and justice); of welcome (God as experienced through […]
The essays in this book demonstrate that a theology shaped by the biblical narratives and grounded in the practices of the Christian community can provide resources to enable people to regain a public voice in a pluralistic culture. Ronald Theimann challenges us to develop a public theology that remains based in the particulars of Christian […]
‘Professor Reist provides us with a careful and fully documented account of the themes and the structure of the Institutes…. His years of living with Calvin’s writings are reflected in an ability to penetrate to the inner logic and development of the Reformer’s thought and effectively to counter many of the gross misunderstandings represented among […]
In this collection of forty-six letters and writings of John Calvin, newly translated into English, the reformer gives advice to individuals and groups about theology, ethics, worship, politics, economics, and church practices. Topics discussed include dogmatics and polemics, changes (and the need for changes) in religion, the worship of images, ecclesiastical discipline, marriage, and justice. Specific […]