Ecclesiology
Showing 1–30 of 92 results
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Spiritual Formation For The Global Church
$28.00Add to cartThe church is called to grow in Christ. Yet too often, it ignores the practical dimensions of the faith. The church is one in Christ. Yet too often, it is divided by national, denominational, theological, and racial or ethnic boundaries. The church is a global body of believers. Yet too often, it privileges a few voices and fails to recognize its own diversity. In response, this volume offers a multi-denominational, multi-ethnic vision in which biblical scholars, theologians, and practitioners from around the world join together to pursue a cohesive yet diverse theology and praxis of spiritual formation for the global church. Be fed in your faith by brothers and sisters from around the world.
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Let The Stones Cry Out
$29.95Add to cartToday we see many magnificent old church buildings abandoned because the Gospel went out of them long ago. However, good architecture and the proclamation of the Gospel should go hand in hand.
Jesus Christ by his death on the cross made the kingdoms of this world His. The architecture of our church buildings should proclaim His lordship.
In Let the Stones Cry Out , Douglas Wilson reflects on what a Christian church should look like, and how human nature wants to get it wrong. A glorious building without the gospel will soon be empty, and an ugly building is lying about the nature of our salvation.
From fundraising to the first Sunday, Douglas Wilson provides much-needed wisdom on how to go about building a church and filling it so as to expand greatly the opportunities for ministry, locally and nationally. After all, worshipping God is not a means to another end. Worshipping God is the highest calling that any human being has. It requires no other justification.
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People Of Gods Presence
$27.99Add to cartIn an age when the church is sometimes viewed as irrelevant and inauthentic, leading Pentecostal theologian Terry Cross calls the people of God to a radical change of structure and mission based on theological principles not programmatic ones. Cross, whose work is respected by scholars from across the ecumenical landscape, offers an introduction to ecclesiology that demonstrates how Pentecostals can contribute to and learn from the church catholic. A forthcoming volume by the author, Serving the People of God’s Presence, will focus on the role of leadership in the church.
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Vision Of Vatican 2
$69.95Add to cartThis book is unique in the literature about Vatican II. From the manifold issues debated at the council and formulated in its sixteen documents, Ormond Rush proposes that the salient features of “the vision of Vatican II” can be captured in twenty-four principles. He concludes by proposing that these principles can function as criteria for assessing the reception of the conciliar vision over the last five decades and into the future. There is no other book that attempts such a comprehensive synthesis of the council’s vision for renewal and reform of the Catholic Church.
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Church Of God In Jesus Christ
$34.95Add to cartThe Church of God in Jesus Christ consists of three parts: the first provides a concise historical survey of ecclesiology elucidating the most salient teachings and insights from the Old and New Testaments, the writings of the fathers, the medievals, moderns, up to the present day. It integrates a standard historical overview with a recovery of oft ignored or forgotten insights from the tradition (e.g., beginnings of the Church in prehistoric times and in Israel, Irenaeus’s Trinitarian ecclesiology and St. Bernard’s nuptial vison of the Church.
The second part is a systematic ecclesiology ordered around the four marks of the Church, then proceeding to treat the participation of all the faithful in the threefold office of Christ, the ongoing renewal and reform of the Church by the Holy Spirit working through her members, and finishing with a hitherto neglected study of the eschatological consummation of the Church in heavenly glory.
The third part consists of five essays on particular themes of special importance in ecclesiology. Of the five, most notable is the chapter on the relationship between the Church’s infallibility and Mary.
Fr. Roch Kereszty intends to integrate theological insights with nourishing the reader’s spiritual life by emphasizing the essentially Trinitarian, nuptial and Marian dimensions of the Church.
The book fills a genuine need in that it offers a rich synthesis of the ecclesiological renewal in an accessible and clear language. It will enrich not only students of theology but all those college educated adults who are interested to delve beyond the cliches of the media into the contemplation of the manifold mystery of the Church.
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End Times Simplified
$11.00Add to cartAnthony Jeffrey Ballinger Title
The world is in a real mess, with wars, rumours of wars, earthquakes, floods, droughts, diseases and famines in every corner of our planet. Is this just a normal part of going forward into the future or are we seeing the culmination of prophecies like never before?
This book reveals the answer to these questions by looking at current geopolitical events and comparing them with what the Bible has to say. Why is Israel the centre of world attention, who is the antiChrist and will Christ ever return to rescue our planet? Is the Rapture even possible or just a myth and when does it happen? Look no futher to find the answers to these questions and many others.
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Ecclesiology In The New Testament
$31.99Add to cartThe earliest Christians thought of themselves in communal terms. They did not simply make individual commitments to Jesus as God’s messiah; they constituted themselves as communities shaped by the in-breaking of God’s realm. They likely learned to do so from Jesus himself. When he summoned an inner circle of his followers and numbered them twelve, he signaled that his ministry had the character of a reform movement within Israel. In his work of preaching, healing, exorcism, and prophetic sign actions, Jesus shaped his followers into what would eventually become the church. By transgressing contemporary religious and social boundaries in his ministry, he planted the seeds of the church’s later inclusion of non-Jews. This book will investigate New Testament texts about the church from a comparative standpoint. That is, the various authors adopt different metaphors for their communities-family, assembly, nation, priesthood, and so on–to make varying claims about how they ought to live together and how they ought to live among their neighbors. In their descriptions of themselves as the church, Christians implicitly and explicitly describe their theology but also the Roman empire, the Jerusalem temple, the synagogue, popular philosophical circles, and first-century domestic order.
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Flawed Church Faithful God
$36.50Add to cartHow can we reconcile the ideal church described by theology with the broken church that we see in the world? In this book Joseph Small argues that the church’s true identity is known somewhere in the tension between the two.
Small revisits familiar ecclesiological concepts-including the body of Christ, communion of saints, and people of God- but rather than focusing on theological abstractions or worldly cynicism, he evaluates the church in its scriptural, historical, theological, and social contexts. After stripping away the marketing and shallowness that characterizes much of contemporary church life, Small finds hope that the church’s faith, nature, and mission can be lived out within God’s calling.
Both sociologically honest and theologically discerning, Flawed Church, Faithful God offers a constructive Reformed yet ecumenical ecclesiology for the real world.
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Liturgy In The Reformed Tradition
$18.99Add to cartPantocrator Press
A concise yet comprehensive analysis of liturgical traditions, in which the Western liturgical tradition is contrasted with the Eastern, and then the various Western traditions are compared and contrasted. The Reformed liturgical tradition is shown to be the most Biblically based of them all.
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Come Let Us Eat Together
$26.00Add to cartAcknowledgments
Introduction
1. The Supper Of The Lord: Goodness And Grace In 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 (Amy Peeler)
2. Churches And The Politics Of The Sacraments: Rethinking “Unity Of The Church” (D. Zac Niringiye)
3. In Persona Christi: The Catholic Understanding Of The Ordained Priesthood In Relation To The Eucharist (Thomas G. Weinandy)
4. A Way Forward: A Catholic-Anabaptist Ecclesiology (D. Stephen Long)
5. Ascension, Communion, And The Hospitality Of The Priest-King (Cherith Fee Nordling)
6. The Gospel We Share And The Unity We Seek: An Orthodox Contribution (Bradley Nassif)
7. Christ The Ursakrament (Katherine Sonderegger)
8. Visual Ecumenism: The Coy Communion Of Art (Matthew J. Milliner)
9. The Eucharist, The Risen Lord, And The Road To Emmaus: A Road To Deeper Unity? (Matthew Levering)
10. The Eschatological Dimension Of Sacramental Unity: An Orthodox Christian View (Paul L. Gavrilyuk)
11. “For You Have Been Planted Together With Christ”: Sacraments And The Life Of The Church (George Kalantzis)
12. Who Invited The Baptist? The “Sacraments” And Free Church Theology (Marc Cortez)
13. Sacraments And (Dis-)Unity: A Constructive Ecumenical Proposal Toward Healing The Divisions And Facilitating Mutual Recognition (Veli-Matti Karkkainen)
Contributors
Author Index
Subject Index
Scripture IndexAdditional Info
As Christians, we are called to seek the unity of the one body of Christ.But when it comes to the sacraments, the church has often been-and remains-divided. What are we to do? Can we still gather together at the same table?
Based on the lectures from the 2017 Wheaton Theology Conference, this volume brings together the reflections of Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox theologians, who jointly consider what it means to proclaim the unity of the body of Christ in light of the sacraments.
Without avoiding or downplaying the genuine theological and sacramental differences that exist between Christian traditions, what emerges is a thoughtful consideration of what it means to live with the difficult, elusive command to be one as the Father and the Son are one.
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Canoeing The Mountains
$25.00Add to cartPart 1: Understanding Uncharted Territory
1. Seminary Didn’t Prepare Me For This
2. Adventure Or Die
3. A Leadership Model For Uncharted TerritoryPart 2: On-the-Map Skill Set
4. Competence And Credibility
5. Preparing For The Unknown
6. Eating Strategy For BreakfastPart 3: Leading Off The Map
7. Navigating The “Geography Of Reality”
8. My Italian Grandfather Was Killing Me
9. Don’t Just Do Something, Stand There . . . Then Do Something
10. The Mission Trumps!
11. Take A Good Look Into The CoffinPart 4: Relationships And Resistance
12. Gus And Hal Go To Church
13. Et Tu, Church?Part 5: Transformation
14. How A Nursing Mother Saved America
15. The End Of Our ExploringEpilogue: Taking The Hill With Grandma
Study Guide
Acknowledgments
NotesAdditional Info
14th Annual Outreach Magazine Resource of the Year, LeadershipExplorers Lewis and Clark had to adapt. While they had prepared to find a waterway to the Pacific Ocean, instead they found themselves in the Rocky Mountains. You too may feel that you are leading in a cultural context you were not expecting. You may even feel that your training holds you back more often than it carries you along.Drawing from his extensive experience as a pastor and consultant, Tod Bolsinger brings decades of expertise in guiding churches and organizations through uncharted territory. He offers a combination of illuminating insights and practical tools to help you reimagine what effective leadership looks like in our rapidly changing world.If you’re going to scale the mountains of ministry, you need to leave behind canoes and find new navigational tools. Now expanded with a study guide, this book will set you on the right course to lead with confidence and courage. -
7 Practices For The Church On Mission
$14.00Add to cartPreface
1. The Lord’s Table
2. Reconciliation
3. Proclaiming The Gospel
4. Being With The “Least Of These”
5. Being With Children
6. The Fivefold Gifting
7. Kingdom Prayer
NotesAdditional Info
Jesus gave his followers seven key practices:The Lord’s Supper
Reconciliation
Proclaiming the gospel
Being with the “least of these”
Being with children
Fivefold ministry gifting
Kingdom prayerWhen we practice these disciplines, God becomes faithfully present to us, and we in turn become God’s faithful presence to the world. Pastor and professor David Fitch shows how these seven practices can revolutionize the church’s presence in our neighborhoods, transform our way of life in the world, and advance the kingdom.
Our communities can be changed when they see us practicing our faith. Go and do.
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Ekklesia : Rediscovering God’s Instrument For Global Transformation
$15.99Add to cartIn this vital, eye-opening book, bestselling author Ed Silvoso equips believers to transform the world around them. Amid the social, political, and moral chaos in our world today, he shows how we can become the church, the ekklesia, that Jesus called us to be: the revolutionary, transformational, life-giving force that people and nations so desperately need.
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Parish : An Anglican Theology Of Place
$31.00Add to cartThe Anglican parish is uniquely embedded in English culture and society, by virtue both of its antiquity and close allegiance with secular governance. Yet it remains an elusive and surprisingly overlooked theme, whose ‘place’, theologically, is far from certain. Whilst ecclesiastical history has long formed a pillar of academic training for ordained ministry, ecclesiastical geography has not contributing to the often uninformed assumptions about locality in contemporary church debate and mission strategy. At a time when its relevance and sustainability are being weighed in the balance and with plans progressing for the Church in Wales’ abandonment of parochial organisation, there is an urgent need for a clear analysis of the parish’s historical, geographical and sociological – as well as theological significance.?
“Parish” examines the distinctive form of social and communal life created by the Anglican parish: applying and advancing, the emerging discipline of place theology by filling a conspicuous gap in contemporary scholarship. Andrew Rumsey will help in forming a vision for the future of the English parish system, contribute towards the Church’s strategy for parochial ministry and also inform the broader national conversation about ‘localism’ and cultural identity.
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Spirituality For The Sent
$35.00Add to cartAcknowledgments
Introduction (Nathan A. Finn And Keith Whitfield)
1. The Missional Church And Spiritual Formation (Nathan A. Finn And Keith Whitfield)
2. Spirituality, Mission, And The Drama Of Scripture (Craig G. Bartholomew)
3. Missional Spirituality And Global Missions (Susan Booth)
4. Missional Spirituality As Congregational (Anthony L. Chute And Christopher W. Morgan)
5. Missional Spirituality And Cultural Engagement (Timothy W. Sheridan And Michael W. Goheen)
6. Welcome To Paul’s World: The Contextual Nature Of Missional Spirituality (Gary Tyra)
7. Lament As Appropriate Missional Spirituality (Soong-Chan Rah)
8. Godly Love: The Primary Missional Virtue (Diane Chandler)
9. Missional Spirituality And Worship (Gordon T. Smith)
10. Missional Spirituality And Justice (Mae Elise Cannon)
11. Journey In The Spirit (George R. Hunsberger)General Index
Scripture IndexAdditional Info
Since their rise in the midst of the revivals of the eighteenth century, evangelicals have been dedicated to the importance of both spirituality and mission. In recent years, evangelicals have engaged in the missional theology discussion that advocates a more holistic Christian mission grounded in the eternal mission of the triune God. At the same time, evangelicals have also been key participants in the spiritual formation discussion that seeks to recover biblical and classical practices for contemporary spiritual growth. While these two movements have been largely independent of each other, the time is right to join them together into a single conversation for the sake of ongoing evangelical faithfulness. Spirituality for the Sent brings together evangelical scholars from a variety of disciplines and ecclesial traditions to address the relationship between spiritual formation and a missional vision of theology and practice. The contributors share a common vision for a missional spirituality that fosters spiritual maturity while also fueling Christian evangelism, cultural engagement, and the pursuit of justice. This collection features contributions by Craig G. BartholomewSusan BoothMae Elise CannonDiane ChandlerAnthony L. ChuteMichael W. GoheenGeorge R. HunsbergerChristopher W. MorganSoong-Chan RahTimothy W. SheridanGordon T. SmithGary Tyra -
Organizing Church : Grassroots Practices For Embodying Change In Your Congr
$24.99Add to cartWhat if congregations embraced community organizing? While many theories exist on how to plant or how to renew a church and its leadership, Organizing Church offers a unique perspective that brings together the tools of community organizing and a robust ecclesiology to suggest a new way forward for revitalizing and empowering churches. This book is a helpful field guide for pastors and other church leaders trying to build healthy congregations, create a deep culture of discipleship in their community, and to respond to the challenges presented by the global culture of the 21st century.
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Kenotic Ecclesiology : Select Writings Of Donald M. MacKinnon
$49.00Add to cartDonald M. MacKinnon has been one of the most important and influential of the post-World War British theologians, significantly impacting the development and subsequent work of the likes of Rowan Williams, Nicholas Lash, and John Milbank, among many other notable theologians. A younger generation largely emerging from Cambridge, but with influence elsewhere, has more recently brought MacKinnon’s eclectic and occasionalist work to a larger audience worldwide.
In this collection, MacKinnon’s central writings on the major themes of ecclesiology, and especially the relationship of the church to theology, are gathered in one source. The volume features several of MacKinnon’s important early texts. These include two short books published in the Signposts series during World War II, and a collection of later essays entitled The Stripping of the Altars.
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Faithful Presence : Seven Disciplines That Shape The Church For Mission
$24.00Add to cartFaithful Presence aims to reshape how we think about the church, what we do in the name as church, and the way we lead as church. It offers seven distinct spiritual practices that are undergirded by sound theology to provide a fuller vision for how people can come together to live in and for Christ and his Kingdom.
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Virtual Body Of Christ In A Suffering World
$22.99Add to cartWe live in a wired world where 24/7 digital connectivity is increasingly the norm. Christian megachurch communities often embrace this reality wholeheartedly while more traditional churches often seem hesitant and overwhelmed by the need for an interactive website, a Facebook page and a twitter feed. This book accepts digital connectivity as our reality, but presents a vision of how faith communities can utilize technology to better be the body of Christ to those who are hurting while also helping followers of Christ think critically about the limits of our digital attachments. This book begins with a conversion story of a non-cell phone owning, non-Facebook using religion professor judgmental of the ability of digital tools to enhance relationships. A stage IV cancer diagnosis later, in the midst of being held up by virtual communities of support, a conversion occurs: this religion professor benefits in embodied ways from virtual sources and wants to convert others to the reality that the body of Christ can and does exist virtually and makes embodied difference in the lives of those who are hurting. The book neither uncritically embraces nor rejects the constant digital connectivity present in our lives. Rather it calls on the church to a) recognize ways in which digital social networks already enact the virtual body of Christ; b) tap into and expand how Christ is being experienced virtually; c) embrace thoughtfully the material effects of our new augmented reality, and c) influence utilization of technology that minimizes distraction and maximizes attentiveness toward God and the world God loves.
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Becoming A Pastor Theologian
$28.00Add to cartThe Center for Pastor Theologians (CPT) seeks to overcome the bifurcation that has developed between the roles of pastor and theologian. Based on the first annual CPT conference in 2015, this volume brings together the reflections of church leaders and academic theologians to consider how these roles might be reconnected once again.
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Coming Kingdom : What Is The Kingdom And How Is Kingdom Now Theology Changi
$22.00Add to cartGod’s theocratic, mediatorial kingdom is a vast, sweeping subject from the first book of the Bible to the last. Understanding this overarching biblical theme of God’s clearly revealed and sovereign plan is essential not only for believers in Christ to make sense of the chaos in our world but also for the church to know and fulfill its God-ordained role in this era of world history. Are we currently living in God’s promised kingdom? Yes, say a plethora of professing evangelicals today. No, say the careful reading of the Bible and the biblical evidence marshaled by Dr. Andy Woods in The Coming Kingdom. The conclusions of this book are based on accurate interpretation of Scripture, which are then insightfully compared and contrasted with the various forms of contemporary evangelical teaching about the kingdom. Are you confused by conflicting views on the kingdom? Do you long for something better than the current conditions you see in our world today? Then read The Coming Kingdom. This book shows convincingly from Scripture that the establishment of God’s theocratic kingdom on earth is still future and it will be vastly superior to the conditions we see in our world today. The Coming Kingdom clarifies for readers the biblical truth of God’s glorious kingdom, while exalting the coming King and edifying the soul of the reader with its constant appeal to God’s Word.
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Representing Christ : A Vision For The Priesthood Of All Believers
$28.00Add to cartThe priesthood of all believers is a core Protestant belief. But what does it actually mean? Uche Anizor and Hank Voss set the record straight in this concise treatment of a doctrine that lies at the center of church life and Christian spirituality. The authors look at the priesthood of all believers in terms of the biblical witness, the contribution of Martin Luther and the doctrine of the Trinity. They place this concept in the context of the canonical description of Israel and the church as a royal priesthood that responds to God in witness and service to the world. Representing Christ is much more than a piece of Reformation history. It shows that the priesthood of all believers is interwoven with the practical, spiritual and missional life of the church.
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World Church In Our Backyard
$16.95Add to cartHow did a culturally diverse world church emerge in our local neighborhoods and backyards? Rather than an accidental coincidence, diversity in our country, neighborhoods and pews was intentionally brought about through the Spirit’s prompting of historical events. The jubilee of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) reminded us how the Catholic Church opened her doors to the world, while the Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965 revealed how the U.S. opened her shores to migrants around the world. Through both ecclesial and legislative reforms, the U.S. became home to many ethnically diverse people and allowed for the creation of a worship space incorporating their cultural backgrounds.
Simon C. Kim is a Korean American priest of the Diocese of Orange, California, and serves as the Thomas E. Chambers Assistant Professor of Theology at Our Lady of Holy Cross College. As a theologian of culture-focused on doing theology within a particular context-Kim is able to understand not only his own cultural relevance in theological reflection but also the culture of others as well. His stories, experiences, and theological reflection resonate both with initial immigrants and the next generation and have won high praise from both groups as they draw on their Catholic faith to navigate their way in Church and society. His recent publications illustrate the bridging of his theological endeavors and pastoral engagements.
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Church : A Theological And Historical Account
$28.00Add to cartRenowned evangelical theologian Gerald Bray provides a clear and coherent account of the church in biblical, historical, and theological perspective. He tells the story of the church in its many manifestations through time, starting with its appearance in the New Testament, moving through centuries of persecution and triumph, and discussing how and why the ancient church broke up at the Reformation. Along the way, Bray looks at the four classic marks of the church–its oneness, holiness, catholicity, and apostolicity–and illustrates how each of these marks has been understood by different Christian traditions. The book concludes with a look at the ecumenical climate of today and suggests ways that the four characteristics of the church can and should be manifested in our present global context.
This accessible introduction to the church from an evangelical perspective explores ecclesiology through the lenses of church history and doctrine to reveal what it means for us today. Bray discusses the church as a living reality, offering practical ways churches and individuals can cooperate and live together. -
Political Church : The Local Assembly As Embassy Of Christs Rule
$45.00Add to cartPreface
Introduction
1. What Is Politics?
2. What Is An Institution?
3. The Politics Of Creation
4. The Politics Of The Fall
5. The Politics Of The New Covenant
6. The Politics Of The Kingdom
Conclusion
Author Index
Subject Index
Scripture IndexAdditional Info
The church is political. Theologians have been debating this claim for years. Liberationists, Anabaptists, Augustinians, neo-Calvinists, Radical Orthodox and others continue to discuss the matter. What do we mean by politics and the political? What are the limits of the church’s political reach? What is the nature of the church as an institution? How do we establish these claims theologically? Jonathan Leeman sets out to address these questions in this significant work. Drawing on covenant theology and the “new institutionalism” in political science, Leeman critiques political liberalism and explores how the biblical canon informs an account of the local church as an embassy of Christ’s kingdom. Political Church heralds a new era in political theology. -
Making All Things New
$25.00Add to cartMany people think eschatology refers to events occurring at the end of history. In this book, two scholars with expertise in biblical eschatology argue that God’s kingdom breaking into this world through Jesus Christ has inaugurated a new creation, a reality that should shape pastoral leadership and be reflected in the life and ministry of the church. Brief and accessibly written, this book articulates the practical implications of G. K. Beale’s New Testament Biblical Theology and features an introductory chapter by Beale. Each chapter concludes with practical suggestions and a list of books for further study.
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Liturgical Reform After Vatican 2
$44.00Add to cartSacrosanctum Concilium (SC) was the first document promulgated by the Second Vatican Council. The impact of this document was broad and ecumenical-the liturgical reforms approved by the Council reverberated throughout Christendom, impacting the order and experience of worship in Reformed and Orthodox Churches. Unrecognized in most studies, the Orthodox Churches were also active participants in the liturgical movement that gained momentum through the Catholic and Protestant Churches in the twentieth century. This study examines Orthodox liturgical reform after Vatican II through the lens of Catholic-Orthodox ecumenical dialogue. After establishing the retrieval of the priesthood of the laity and active liturgical participation as the rationales for liturgical reform, the study presents the history of liturgical reform through four models: the liturgical reforms of Alexander Schmemann; the alternative liturgical center in the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR); the symposia on liturgical rebirth authorized by the Church of Greece; and the renewed liturgy of New Skete Monastery. Following a discussion of the main features of liturgical reform, catechesis, ars celebrandi, and the role of the clergy, Denysenko concludes with suggestions for implementing liturgical reform in the challenges of postmodernity and in fidelity to the contributions of Catholic-Orthodox ecumenical dialogue.
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Participation In Christ And Eucharistic Formation
$49.99Add to cartThis wonderful book proposes a theological model for understanding Eucharistic celebration that demonstrates its centrality to the Christian believer’s sanctification and spiritual formation. It centres on John Calvin’s framework for understanding the Lord’s Supper which was founded upon the believer’s union with Christ, along with the belief that the Lord’s Supper deepened that union. By bringing Calvin’s Eucharistic theology into conversation with contemporary speech-act philosophy, Kevin Vanhoozer’s divine/communicative ontology, Biblical theology, and historical and liturgical theology, this multidisciplinary dissertation provides a biblical and theological foundation for understanding the role the Eucharist plays in the worship, sanctification, and formation of the church and her communicants.
