The Continuing Conversion of the Church

The Continuing Conversion of the Church PDF

Author: Darrell L. Guder

Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing

Published: 2000-03-20

Total Pages: 244

ISBN-13: 9780802847034

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Western society is now a very different, very difficult mission field. In such a situation, the mission of evangelism cannot succeed with an attitude of "business as usual." This volume builds a theology of evangelism that has its focus on the church itself. Darrell Guder shows that the church's missionary calling requires that the theology and practice of evangelism be fundamentally rethought and redirected, focused on the continuing evangelization of the church so that it can carry out its witness faithfully in today's world. In Part 1 Guder explores how, under the influence of reductionism and individualism, the church has historically moved away from a biblical theology of evangelism. Part 2 presents contemporary challenges to the church's evangelical ministry, especially those challenges that illustrate the church's need for continuing conversion. Part 3 discusses what a truly missional theology would mean for the church, including sweeping changes in its institutional structures and practices. Written for teachers, church leaders, and students of evangelism, this volume is vital reading for everyone engaged in mission work.

Conversion and Church

Conversion and Church PDF

Author:

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2016-05-23

Total Pages: 354

ISBN-13: 9004319166

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In Conversion and Church. The Challenge of Renewal, the contributors explore the challenges of renewal in the Church, and the call to conversion that plays a significant role in the dialogue on ecumenism and contemporary spirituality.

Tilling the Church

Tilling the Church PDF

Author: Richard Lennan

Publisher: Liturgical Press

Published: 2022-04-15

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 0814667430

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Tilling the Church is a theology for the pilgrim church. In this book, Richard Lennan shows how the ecclesial community looks toward the fullness of God’s reign but lives within the flux of history, the site of its relationship to the trinitarian God. In this way, God’s grace “tills” the church, constantly refreshing the tradition of faith and prompting the discipleship that embodies the gospel. Tilling the Church explores the possibilities for a more faithful, just, and creative church, one responsive to the movement of grace. Fruitful engagement with grace requires the church’s conversion, the ongoing formation of a community whose words and actions reflect the hope that grace engenders.

Committed Worship: The sacraments of ongoing conversion

Committed Worship: The sacraments of ongoing conversion PDF

Author: Donald L. Gelpi

Publisher: Michael Glazier Books

Published: 1993

Total Pages: 328

ISBN-13:

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Volume II develops a sacramental theology that addresses the needs of all adult Christians. The chapters on Marriage show how conversion both humanizes and Christianizes human sexuality, providing the context for a foundational rethinking of the meaning of the context for a foundational rethinking of the meaning of Christian Marriage. The discussion of Orders examines the responsibilities of ordained leaders and throws light on the rise of clericalism and on the meaning of priestly identity and ministry, in addition to clarifying the relationship between the priesthood of the laity and that of the ordained. A discussion of Christian nurture explains the practical and theoretical meaning of infant Baptism. This volume also examines the three sacraments that most foster ongoing conversion: Reconciliation, Anointing and Eucharist. After situating each of these rituals in its Biblical and historical setting, the author shows how each contributes to ongoing Christian conversion.

Born Fundamentalist, Born Again Catholic

Born Fundamentalist, Born Again Catholic PDF

Author: David Currie

Publisher: Ignatius Press

Published: 2009-09-03

Total Pages: 228

ISBN-13: 1681490587

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David Currie was raised in a devout Christian family whose father was a fundamentalist preacher and both parents teachers at Moody Bible Institute. Currie's whole upbringing was immersed in the life of fundamentalist Protestantism - theology professors, seminary presidents and founders of evangelical mission agencies were frequent guests at his family dinner table. Currie received a degree from Trinity International University and studied in the Masters of Divinity program. This book was written as an explanation to his fundamentalist and evangelical friends and family about why he became a Roman Catholic. Currie presents a very lucid, systematic and intelligible account of the reasons for his conversion to the ancient Church that Christ founded. He gives a detailed discussion of the important theological and doctrinal beliefs Catholic and evangelicals hold in common, as well as the key doctrines that separate us, particularly the Eucharist, the Pope, and Mary.

The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert

The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert PDF

Author: Rosaria Champagne Butterfield

Publisher:

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 191

ISBN-13: 9781884527821

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"Rosaria, by the standards of many, was living a very good life. She had a tenured position at a large university in a field for which she cared deeply. She owned two homes with her partner, in which they provided hospitality to students and activists that were looking to make a difference in the world. In the community, Rosaria was involved in volunteer work. At the university, she was a respected advisor of students and her department's curriculum. And then, in her late 30s, Rosaria encountered something that turned her world upside down -- the idea that Christianity, a religion that she had regarded as problematic and sometimes downright damaging, might be right about who God was. That idea seemed to fly in the face of the people and causes that she most loved. What follows is a story of what she describes as a train wreck at the hand of the supernatural. These are her secret thoughts about those events, written as only a reflective English professor could."--Back cover.

The Joy of the Gospel

The Joy of the Gospel PDF

Author: Pope Francis

Publisher: Image

Published: 2014-10-07

Total Pages: 164

ISBN-13: 0553419544

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The perfect gift! A specially priced, beautifully designed hardcover edition of The Joy of the Gospel with a foreword by Robert Barron and an afterword by James Martin, SJ. “The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus… In this Exhortation I wish to encourage the Christian faithful to embark upon a new chapter of evangelization marked by this joy, while pointing out new paths for the Church’s journey in years to come.” – Pope Francis This special edition of Pope Francis's popular message of hope explores themes that are important for believers in the 21st century. Examining the many obstacles to faith and what can be done to overcome those hurdles, he emphasizes the importance of service to God and all his creation. Advocating for “the homeless, the addicted, refugees, indigenous peoples, the elderly who are increasingly isolated and abandoned,” the Holy Father shows us how to respond to poverty and current economic challenges that affect us locally and globally. Ultimately, Pope Francis demonstrates how to develop a more personal relationship with Jesus Christ, “to recognize the traces of God’s Spirit in events great and small.” Profound in its insight, yet warm and accessible in its tone, The Joy of the Gospel is a call to action to live a life motivated by divine love and, in turn, to experience heaven on earth. Includes a foreword by Robert Barron, author of Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith and James Martin, SJ, author of Jesus: A Pilgrimage

Committed Worship: Adult conversion and initiation

Committed Worship: Adult conversion and initiation PDF

Author: Donald L. Gelpi

Publisher: Liturgical Press

Published: 1993

Total Pages: 298

ISBN-13: 9780814658253

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Volume II develops a sacramental theology that addresses the needs of all adult Christians. The chapters on Marriage show how conversion both humanizes and Christianizes human sexuality, providing the context for a foundational rethinking of the meaning of the context for a foundational rethinking of the meaning of Christian Marriage. The discussion of Orders examines the responsibilities of ordained leaders and throws light on the rise of clericalism and on the meaning of priestly identity and ministry, in addition to clarifying the relationship between the priesthood of the laity and that of the ordained. A discussion of Christian nurture explains the practical and theoretical meaning of infant Baptism. This volume also examines the three sacraments that most foster ongoing conversion: Reconciliation, Anointing and Eucharist. After situating each of these rituals in its Biblical and historical setting, the author shows how each contributes to ongoing Christian conversion.

Ongoing Conversion: From Good to Better

Ongoing Conversion: From Good to Better PDF

Author: Fr. Henry J. Charles

Publisher: Xlibris Corporation

Published: 2014-01-17

Total Pages: 333

ISBN-13: 149315883X

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This book is a compilation of homilies of Fr. Henry Charles composed and delivered over a period of at least twenty years. The homilies were written out and were eventually typed up and it is possible that Fr. Henry had himself thought about publishing them, though we do not know this for sure. While many persons were privileged to receive emailed copies and others actually heard his preaching, the homilies were thought to be deserving of a wider audience. The underlying message of his preaching is that discipleship of Jesus Christ requires not only the grace of faith but also demands perseverance, courage and discipline, critical elements of the process he terms “ongoing conversion.” In addition, Fr. Henry advocates moral excellence, not settling for the merely moderate or the mediocre, but striving always to “be perfect.” Fr. Henry faces up to and wrestles with the “perplexities” of the Gospel and he believed that one of the keys to overcoming these is an appreciation of its many paradoxes and that as a consequence, we are required to see things from a different perspective, not as we are normally inclined to see them, but as God sees them. The homilies have been arranged thematically—On God; On Jesus; What Jesus Calls Us To Be; What Jesus Calls Us To Do; Faith; Hope; Love; Loss, Suffering, Death and Heaven; Virtues and Vices; Human Dignity; Spirituality; Church, Liturgy and Ritual and Culture Society and Leadership. There is of course considerable overlap among the various themes. The subjects he refers to and the examples he gives are contemporary and relevant, not only to a Caribbean audience, but we think to audiences globally. The style is informal and conversational for the most part and this quality of the writing has been maintained. The homilies have been edited for clarity and for obvious errors and omissions in the transcripts, and some have been retitled, but they have otherwise been reproduced and stand as he wrote them.

Converting Witness

Converting Witness PDF

Author: John G. Flett

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2019-06-05

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 1978708416

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Building on the work and legacy of Darrell L. Guder, Converting Witness: The Future of Christian Mission in the New Millennium, explores key questions and new possibilities in missiology in light of the world Christian context. The conversation around missional theology and the missional church has examined the gap between theology and mission with the intent of fostering renewal within North American Christianity. But this can only fully occur in relation to the reality of world Christianities and the framing significance of global cultural diversity. Many of the classic categories and methods—such as church planting, catholicity, and even the term “world Christianity” itself—are in need of fresh examination and thoughtful analysis. The contributors to this volume address a range of important missiological topics, including globalization, interfaith dialogue, integral mission, intercultural hermeneutics, and church practices.