Since its first publication in 1981, AMERICA: RELIGIONS AND RELIGION has become the standard introduction to the study of American religious traditions. Written by one of the foremost scholars in the field of American religions, this textbook has introduced thousands of students to the rich religious diversity that has always been a hallmark of the American religious experience. Beginning with Native American religious traditions and following the course of America's religious history up to the present day, this text gives students the benefit of the author's rigorous scholarship in clear language that has proven to be readily accessible for today's undergraduates. This long-awaited new edition explores a variety of recent events and developments, including increasing religious pluralism and, especially, a combinative postpluralism in which different faiths in America subtly begin to borrow from one another. The new edition examines postethnic Judaism in the Jewish Renewal movement and other instances, the growing Womenpriest movement among American Catholics, and the development of Islam in America in the light of September 11, 2001. It surveys the emerging church movement among liberal evangelicals and others, and follows the growth of a new spirituality that is much broader than the New Age movement. Important Notice: Media content referenced within the product description or the product text may not be available in the ebook version.

This Is Our Faith: A Catholic Catechism for Adults is a bestselling overview of the faith for those preparing entry into the Church, as well as for both newly initiated and lifelong Catholics who wish to understand Church teachings more clearly. This revised and updated edition strengthens one of the strongest endorsements of the book: that it communicates important Church teachings in an engaging and understandable manner. Revised and updated in collaboration with longtime RCIA leaders, this new edition of This Is Our Faith has been refreshed with two new chapters, with language and style more in line with the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and with updated cultural and historical references. The text maintains the popular book’s accessible tone and easy-to-follow organization, following the four pillars of the Catechism: the Profession of Faith celebration of the sacraments, liturgy, and the Paschal Mystery life in Christ: foundations of Catholic morality Christian prayer Chapters in each of the four parts lead with a thought-provoking story that connects the reader to important teachings, which are then communicated through an easy-to-understand question-and-answer format. Discussion questions and suggestions for additional reading are included for RCIA and parish adult-education groups wishing to explore Church teachings in a group environment. This Is Our Faith provides a solid, clear presentation of the Catholic faith for adults at any stage in their faith journey.

The author discusses the theology of the sacrament of Reconciliation that emanated from the reformed rites that were promulgated after Vatican II. He treats the public nature of sin and forgiveness and shows that the Church has always been concerned to continue Christ's reconciling ministry in a public and sacramental way. Further, he treats the constitutive "parts" of the developed sacrament and analyzes the sacramental forms of reconciliation as well as the non-sacramental form in a way that reveals their complementarity. He concludes by suggesting some possibilities for the development of the sacrament.

This dictionary attempts to give direct access to the development of Christian Spirituality. It is a series of pieces written by experts to provide instant, accurate and thought-provoking information of high scholarship.

Although much has been written about the vigorous debates over science and religion in the Victorian era, little attention has been paid to their continuing importance in early twentieth-century Britain. Reconciling Science and Religion provides a comprehensive survey of the interplay between British science and religion from the late nineteenth century to World War II. Peter J. Bowler argues that unlike the United States, where a strong fundamentalist opposition to evolutionism developed in the 1920s (most famously expressed in the Scopes "monkey trial" of 1925), in Britain there was a concerted effort to reconcile science and religion. Intellectually conservative scientists championed the reconciliation and were supported by liberal theologians in the Free Churches and the Church of England, especially the Anglican "Modernists." Popular writers such as Julian Huxley and George Bernard Shaw sought to create a non-Christian religion similar in some respects to the Modernist position. Younger scientists and secularists—including Rationalists such as H. G. Wells and the Marxists—tended to oppose these efforts, as did conservative Christians, who saw the liberal position as a betrayal of the true spirit of their religion. With the increased social tensions of the 1930s, as the churches moved toward a neo-orthodoxy unfriendly to natural theology and biologists adopted the "Modern Synthesis" of genetics and evolutionary theory, the proposed reconciliation fell apart. Because the tensions between science and religion—and efforts at reconciling the two—are still very much with us today, Bowler's book will be important for everyone interested in these issues.

A distinctive exposition of the main elements of the study of Christian spirituality that also underlines the essentially socially transformative nature of the Christian spiritual tradition

Monthly current affairs magazine from a Christian perspective with a focus on politics, society, economics and culture.

Religion as a powerful impulse in human existence plays a paradoxical role in society as it both contributes significantly in shaping the spiritual, socio-political and economic lives of millions of people and also acts as a source of conflict. The sad experience of interreligious conflict in Northern Nigeria challenges the claim of Islam and Christianity to be religions of peace. However, understood as closely intertwined with culture and custom of a people, religion can be central in the establishment of peace and conflict resolution in and between communities. This text using the model of dialogue (Nostra Aetate) explores and presents the socio-political and theological resources available in Northern Nigeria (the locality) for a consistent peace building process.

An evangelical classic for a new generation of Christian readers Back in print for the first time in many years, John Stott's classic treatise on confession discusses a neglected Christian practice. Though the Bible clearly teaches that confession is a necessary part of the redemption story, many Christians are uncertain how and to whom they should confess their sins. Stott offers vital answers in Confess Your Sins: The Way of Reconciliation. After presenting the necessity of confession, Stott distinguishes between three types of confession—in secret to God, in private to a person whom our sin has injured, and in public in the presence of a Christian congregation. He shows how this threefold distinction is biblically grounded, and he critically examines the practice of confessing to a priest. Offering assurance of forgiveness to Christians, this little book opens the door to fruitful conversation about the practice of confession.

Any Christian who lives in such a broken world may ask God what their role would be as the person who is reconciled with God, and about the implications of the vertical dimension of reconciliation. Many would agree that the vertical and horizontal dimensions of reconciliation should not be separated. It is, however, still necessary to examine further. For instance, what does the inseparableness of the two dimensions actually mean--in theory and practice? How does the vertical dimension of reconciliation become the source and foundation of the horizontal dimension? How should the church maintain its theology of reconciliation, which includes both dimensions? All these questions point to an underlying question: what is the relationship between the vertical and horizontal dimensions of reconciliation? This book explores this question, interacting with the four thinkers and practitioners of reconciliation, Karl Barth, Miroslav Volf, Son Yang-Won, and Desmond Tutu, and assessing the theology of a leading theologian in the discourse of mission as reconciliation, Robert Schreiter. Based on the discussions, it presents a proposal for a more wholesome and robust understanding of reconciliation for the discourse in mission studies, which can be applied to any broken context, including the Korean peninsula.