Speaking out of twenty-seven years of pastoral ministry, Ian Stackhouse writes a series of letters to a young pastor just starting out. Responding to the various challenges his young charge faces in the first few years of congregational leadership, Letters to a Young Pastor is something of a spiritual reflection on leadership in the context of Christian ministry. To say that the letters are addressed to a fictitious pastor is not to say that the ...
This book examines the ambivalence of folk Catholicism as a resource to fight against injustice, exploitation, and oppression. Cases are cited to illuminate the value and potential trespasses of popular religious beliefs and practices. Over centuries, representatives of the powerful middle and upper middle classes did not hesitate to manipulate popular piety to protect their power and privileges. In fact, much of popular religion still reflects ...
The philosopher, theologian, and biblical scholar Austin Farrer (1904-1968) highlighted in his various writings the central role that images play in the interpretation of biblical writings, the construction of theological arguments, and the descriptions of the Christian spiritual life. Theologians down through the centuries have sought to revitalize the central biblical images as they addressed the pressing theological, moral, and spiritual ques ...
The topic of the Internet is vastly underrepresented in the current literature on the intersection of technology and theology. Studies on Internet theology are certainly viewed as a topic of «special interest,» relevant–it might be thought–only to eccentric academics and tech geeks. Yet, this book contends that there is no topic more pertinent to our daily walk as contemporary followers of Jesus Christ than the theological implications of the In ...
What is the difference between good worship and good entertainment? Too often, people disparage some aspect of worship by calling it «just entertainment» or «just a performance.» Others say that they do not need to go to church because they have profound spiritual or even religious experiences at concerts, plays, movies, or dances. How is worship different from these performing arts? How is art different from entertainment? This book looks at th ...
This book aims to uncover and explore the ideas of notable people in the story of Christian universalism from the time of the Reformation until the end of the nineteenth century. It is a story that is largely unknown in both the church and the academy, and the characters that populate it have for the most part passed into obscurity. With carefully located bore holes drilled to release the long-hidden theologies of key people and texts, the volum ...
A devastating war, a burning cross, a crime network, and a victorious general–these are some of the many threads Hadzic and Irby weave together to clarify one of history's most misunderstood symbols: the cross. The authors interweave Hadzic's story with that of the cross in a way that seeks to rescue the true meaning of the cross from its misrepresentations and misuses throughout history. The result is a compelling tapestry tha ...
This book investigates the impact of Pentecostalism on the participation of women in business in Harare, Zimbabwe. Chapters in this volume trace the history of women's participation in business and highlight how Pentecostalism serves as a major motivating factor. The central argument is that there is a way in which selected women's businesses are «powered by the Spirit.» Contributors to the volume utilize case studies of selected Pente ...
In an age of moral relativity, is there a place for rules? They govern acceptable behavior on the sports field, but do they have a position in general life and relationships? 3,500 years ago, a new nation emerged as Moses led the Israelites on a journey toward the land God had promised them. They needed boundaries that would govern their worship, interpersonal relationships, and property, and God wrote them down. We refer to them as the Ten Com ...
