Caesar and the Sacrament

Caesar and the Sacrament PDF

Author: R. Alan Streett

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2018-01-24

Total Pages: 221

ISBN-13: 1498228410

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When the earliest Christ-followers were baptized they participated in a politically subversive act. Rejecting the Empire's claim that it had a divine right to rule the world, they pledged their allegiance to a kingdom other than Rome and a king other than Caesar (Acts 17:7). Many books explore baptism from doctrinal or theological perspectives, and focus on issues such as the correct mode of baptism, the proper candidate for baptism, who has the authority to baptize, and whether or not baptism is a symbol or means of grace. By contrast, Caesar and the Sacrament investigates the political nature of baptism. Very few contemporary Christians consider baptism's original purpose or political significance. Only by studying baptism in its historical context, can we discover its impact on first-century believers and the adverse reaction it engendered among Roman and Jewish officials. Since baptism was initially a rite of non-violent resistance, what should its function be today?

Caesar and the Sacrament

Caesar and the Sacrament PDF

Author: R. Alan Streett

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2018-01-24

Total Pages: 190

ISBN-13: 1498228402

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When the earliest Christ-followers were baptized they participated in a politically subversive act. Rejecting the Empire’s claim that it had a divine right to rule the world, they pledged their allegiance to a kingdom other than Rome and a king other than Caesar (Acts 17:7). Many books explore baptism from doctrinal or theological perspectives, and focus on issues such as the correct mode of baptism, the proper candidate for baptism, who has the authority to baptize, and whether or not baptism is a symbol or means of grace. By contrast, Caesar and the Sacrament investigates the political nature of baptism. Very few contemporary Christians consider baptism’s original purpose or political significance. Only by studying baptism in its historical context, can we discover its impact on first-century believers and the adverse reaction it engendered among Roman and Jewish officials. Since baptism was initially a rite of non-violent resistance, what should its function be today?

The Liturgy of Politics

The Liturgy of Politics PDF

Author: Kaitlyn Schiess

Publisher: InterVarsity Press

Published: 2020-09-08

Total Pages: 221

ISBN-13: 0830853405

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A generation of young Christians are weary of the political legacy they've inherited and hungry for a better approach. They're tired of seeing their faith tied to political battles they didn't start, and they're frustrated by the failures of leaders they thought they could trust. Kaitlyn Schiess grew up in this landscape, and understands it from the inside. Spiritual formation, and particularly a focus on formative practices, are experiencing a renaissance in Christian thinking—but these ideas are not often applied to the political sphere. In The Liturgy of Politics, Schiess shows that the church's politics are shaped by its habits and practices even when it's unaware of them. Schiess insists that the way out of our political morass is first to recognize the formative power of the political forces all around us, and then to recover historic Christian practices that shape us according to the truth of the gospel.

Political Gospel

Political Gospel PDF

Author: Patrick Schreiner

Publisher: B&H Publishing Group

Published: 2022-10-18

Total Pages: 202

ISBN-13: 1087755204

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Christians are constantly being accused of being too political or not political enough. Often, the accusations are fair. Christians tend to get stuck in one of two political ditches: we either privatize our faith or make it partisan. We think religion and politics should be separate and never intermingle, or we align so tightly with a political party that we conflate the gospel with a human agenda. In Political Gospel, Patrick Schreiner argues Christianity not only has political implications but is itself a politic. The gospel at its very core is political––Jesus declared Himself to be King. But He does not allow you to put Him in your political box. In a supercharged political climate, Political Gospel explores what it means for Christians to have a biblical public witness by looking to Scripture, the early church, and today. Should we submit to governing authorities or subvert them? Are we to view them as agents of the dark forces or entities that promote order? In these pages, we’ll see that Christians live in a paradox, and we’ll see how to follow Christ our King right into the political craziness of our day.

Songs of Resistance

Songs of Resistance PDF

Author: R. Alan Streett

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2022-11-11

Total Pages: 198

ISBN-13: 1725270013

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Songs of Resistance: Challenging Caesar and Empire examines New Testament hymns in light of their historical and cultural contexts. Such a reading yields new insights. Rather than finding theological truths alone, one also discovers lyrics that contest and defy Rome's "great tradition." The early Christ followers sang songs that opposed the empire's worldview and offered an alternative vision for society. These songs were a first-century equivalent of modern-day protest songs. But instead of marching and singing in the streets, believers gathered in private spaces where they lifted their voices to Jesus and retold the story of his execution as an enemy of the state and how God raised him from the dead to rule over the universe. As they sang, believers were emboldened to remain faithful to Christ and withstand the temptation to comply with the sociopolitical agenda of the empire.

Subversive Meals

Subversive Meals PDF

Author: R. Alan Streett

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2013-06-27

Total Pages: 341

ISBN-13: 1620320185

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Subversive Meals examines the Lord's Supper within the sociopolitical context of first-century Roman domination, and concludes that it was an anti-imperial praxis.Although the Christian communal meal looked much like a typical Roman banquet in structure, with a deipnon and a symposion, it was essentially different. The Roman meal supported the empire's ideology, honored Caesar and the gods, reinforced stratification among the masses, and upheld Rome's right to rule the world. The Christian meal, on the other hand, included hymns that extolled Jesus as Lord, prophecies that challenged Rome's ideological claims, and letters--read aloud--that promoted egalitarianism and instructed believers on how to live according to kingdom of God principles. Hence, the Christian banquet was an act of nonviolent resistance, or what James C. Scott calls a "hidden transcript."

Discerning Ethics

Discerning Ethics PDF

Author: Hak Joon Lee

Publisher: InterVarsity Press

Published: 2020-02-25

Total Pages: 348

ISBN-13: 0830843728

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Racism. Immigration. Gun violence. Sexuality. Health care. The number of ethical issues that demand a response from Christians today is almost dizzying. How can Christians navigate such matters? What are faithful responses to these questions? Edited by two theologians with pastoral experience, this volume invites engagement with these issues and more by drawing on real-life experiences and offering a range of responses to some of the most challenging moral questions confronting the church today. With an unflinching yet irenic approach, this resource can help Christians as they seek to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.

How Marriage Became One of the Sacraments

How Marriage Became One of the Sacraments PDF

Author: Philip L. Reynolds

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2016-06-30

Total Pages: 1083

ISBN-13: 1316790908

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Among the contributions of the medieval church to western culture was the idea that marriage was one of the seven sacraments, which defined the role of married folk in the church. Although it had ancient roots, this new way of regarding marriage raised many problems, to which scholastic theologians applied all their ingenuity. By the late Middle Ages, the doctrine was fully established in Christian thought and practice but not yet as dogma. In the sixteenth century, with the entire Catholic teaching on marriage and celibacy and its associated law and jurisdiction under attack by the Protestant reformers, the Council of Trent defined the doctrine as a dogma of faith for the first time but made major changes to it. Rather than focusing on a particular aspect of intellectual and institutional developments, this book examines them in depth and in detail from their ancient precedents to the Council of Trent.

Word and Rite

Word and Rite PDF

Author: Beatrice Batson

Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing

Published: 2010-05-11

Total Pages: 199

ISBN-13: 144382237X

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This book is an attempt to show something of the ways in which the Bible and the Christian tradition intersect the language of Shakespeare. Word and Rite also focuses on the manner in which rites are efforts to illuminate mysteries: the mystery of marriage, the mystery of baptism, the mystery of confession, the mystery of the Eucharist, the mystery of funerals, and even the mystery of words, in their relation to the Word. Holy objects such as the Fountain of blood may also be considered. Maimed rites frequently occur in Shakespeare, but through ceremony there are attempts to turn mayhem into mystery--especially in comedies. In the words of the author of the Foreword to this book:" In Shakespeare word and rite are as inseparable as word and sacrament in worship...so outward signs of inward truth are linked with words of these plays and with Scripture and with the Word incarnate." This book also explores the ramifications of observing this insight.