Questions For The Twenty First Century Church

Author : Russell E. Richey,William Benjamin Lawrence,Dennis M. Campbell
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 364 pages
File Size : 52,6 Mb
Release : 1999
Category : History
ISBN : UOM:39015042557093

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Questions for the Twenty-first Century Church by Russell E. Richey,William Benjamin Lawrence,Dennis M. Campbell Pdf

Offering timely, relevant analysis of trends and issues, the essays in this collection address questions and concerns that will determine the shape and direction of the denomination in the next century. These essays cover policy issues and current events considerations that Russell Richey says "emerged as a priority" in sponsored conferences of the United Methodism and American Culture Project. Policy issues addressed include music, evangelism, contextual theology, urban losses, electronics & media, lay leadership roles and growth, bishopric election and leadership, the discipline of local churches, church finance, clergy compensation, and others. Contributors include Garlinda Burton, Dennis Campbell, Jackson Carroll, Ken Chalker, Meghan Froehlich, Frederick Herzog, Sarah Kreutziger, Andy Langford, William Lawrence, Priscilla Pope-Levison, Russell Richey, Kenneth Rowe, and Carol Voisin.

Author : Stephen B Bevans,Katalina Tahaafe-Williams
Publisher : James Clarke & Company
Page : 150 pages
File Size : 44,9 Mb
Release : 2012-07-26
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780227900956

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Contextual Theology for the Twenty-First Century by Stephen B Bevans,Katalina Tahaafe-Williams Pdf

In this compact collection of essays on contextual theology, the reader is offered fresh voices from the United States, Latin America and Oceania. The inclusion of diverse cultural voices is one of the book's strengths: these voices emphasize the significance of contextual theology for our twenty-first century. The proposal of the book is to address new ways of doing theology, opening up new and fresh topics for our theological agenda.

Author : Cheryl M. Peterson
Publisher : Fortress Press
Page : 166 pages
File Size : 44,6 Mb
Release : 2013-05-01
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781451426380

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Who Is the Church? An Ecclesiology for the Twenty-First Century by Cheryl M. Peterson Pdf

Many congregations today are beset by fears, whether over loss of members and money, or of irrelevancy in an increasingly pluralistic society. To counter this, many congregations focus on strategy and purpose-what churches "do"-but Cheryl Peterson submits that mainline churches need to focus instead on "what" or "who" they are-to reclaim a theological, rather than sociological, understanding of themselves. To do this, she places the questions of the church's identity and mission into a conversation with the primary ecclesiological paradigms of the past century: the neo-Reformation concept of the church as a "word event" and the ecumenical paradigms of the church as "communion." She argues that these two paradigms assume a context of cultural Christendom that no longer exists-focused on the church that is gathered-rather than the missional church that is sent out.

Author : Dennis A. Davis
Publisher : Xulon Press
Page : 166 pages
File Size : 48,9 Mb
Release : 2002-12
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781591603153

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Twenty-one Positive Principles for a Powerful Twenty-first Century Church by Dennis A. Davis Pdf

Author : Flora Claybrook Th.D.
Publisher : Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
Page : 119 pages
File Size : 49,7 Mb
Release : 2020-06-08
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781098020309

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Church Leadership Challenges in the Twenty-First Century by Flora Claybrook Th.D. Pdf

The twenty-first century consists of an ever-evolving diverse population (multiculturally, internationally, racially, and sexually) whose ideas and beliefs are as diverse as the population itself. This has caused the church to face challenges she has never faced before. There was a time when Christians were a majority in this country and were free to speak about Jesus, prayer, or sin without fearing repercussions. However, the twenty-first century has ushered in a paradigm shift toward something called "un-Christian" and "tolerance" culture. This new "pluralistic" culture is one where everything is tolerated/accepted, with one exception: Christianity. Church attendance is declining, and fewer people understand scripture or know anything about Jesus. Therefore, their belief systems do not align with scripture. Church leaders must step out of the "church bubble," face today's world, and plan how they will meet these challenges. In this book, the author discusses the following twelve major challenges confronting twenty-first-century church leaders as well as some strategies for meeting these challenges and reversing negativity: un-Christian phenomenon, blending the generational groups, religious pluralism vs. exclusivism, open theism vs. classical theism, gender-neutral Bible controversy, egalitarianism vs. complementarianism, LGBTQ conversation, postmodernism and religion, futurism vs. preterism, biblical illiteracy in the church, the need for racial reconciliation, and continual disintegration of American families.

Author : James M. Phillips,Robert T. Coote
Publisher : Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Page : 416 pages
File Size : 41,7 Mb
Release : 1993
Category : Religion
ISBN : 0802806384

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Toward the Twenty-first Century in Christian Mission by James M. Phillips,Robert T. Coote Pdf

This unique volume offers a comprehensive survey of the prospects and critical isssues for the Christian world mission. The essays--written by various mission experts--cover such topics as the biblical and theological basis of the mission, women in mission, urban mission, dialogues with other faiths, the anthropology of "popular" religions, and more.

Author : Steve Bevans
Publisher : BRILL
Page : 229 pages
File Size : 45,7 Mb
Release : 2018-06-12
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9789004363083

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Essays in Contextual Theology by Steve Bevans Pdf

A collection of essays on the nature of contextual theology, criteria for orthodoxy, prophetic dialogue, conversion, culture and other relevant topics as Christian faith and particular contexts encounter one another.

Author : Lucian N. Leustean
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 867 pages
File Size : 55,5 Mb
Release : 2014-05-30
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9781317818663

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Eastern Christianity and Politics in the Twenty-First Century by Lucian N. Leustean Pdf

This book provides an up-to-date, comprehensive overview of Eastern Christian churches in Europe, the Middle East, America, Africa, Asia and Australia. Written by leading international scholars in the field, it examines both Orthodox and Oriental churches from the end of the Cold War up to the present day. The book offers a unique insight into the myriad church-state relations in Eastern Christianity and tackles contemporary concerns, opportunities and challenges, such as religious revival after the fall of communism; churches and democracy; relations between Orthodox, Catholic and Greek Catholic churches; religious education and monastic life; the size and structure of congregations; and the impact of migration, secularisation and globalisation on Eastern Christianity in the twenty-first century.

Author : SuYeon Yoon
Publisher : Wipf and Stock Publishers
Page : 230 pages
File Size : 47,7 Mb
Release : 2019-09-19
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781532651793

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Toward a Twenty-First Century Biblical, Apostolic Church by SuYeon Yoon Pdf

This book explores biblical values that critique the ecclesiology of the New Apostolic Reformation Church (NARC) and compares the ecclesiology to other missional movements in the North American context. A biblical exegesis of Ephesians 4:11–13 as well as C. Peter Wagner’s conceptualization of an apostle and apostolic ministry allow the author to demonstrate the gap between the biblical perspective and Wagner’s concept of an apostle. The biblical role of an apostle is to make the church missional by emphasizing the concept of sending, whereas Wagner sees the apostle as a church leader. Based upon interviews and participant observation in three NARCs, SuYeon Yoon describes the leadership and ecclesiology based on their own self-descriptions. This book then demonstrates the gap between the biblical and conceptual ideals and the reality of ecclesial practice. The author argues that the NARC serves as a charismatic manifestation of a similar cultural response to establish a relational structure for church communities that can appropriately reflect upon and identify with the contemporary context. This implies that each movement needs to be biblically sound, faithful to its conceptualization, and relevant to the context in order to cultivate its own way of being the church.

Author : Douglas H. Shantz,Tinu Ruparell
Publisher : Cascade Books
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 50,8 Mb
Release : 2012-04
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1498214304

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Christian Thought in the Twenty-First Century by Douglas H. Shantz,Tinu Ruparell Pdf

Description: In this volume some of the outstanding Christian scholars of our day reflect on how their minds have changed, how their academic fields have changed over the course of their careers, and the pressing issues that Christian scholars will need to address in the twenty-first century. This volume offers an accessible portrait of key trends in the world of Christian scholarship today. Christian Thought in the Twenty-First Century features scholars from Great Britain, Canada, the United States, and Switzerland. The contributors represent a wide variety of academic backgrounds--from biblical studies to theology, to religious studies, to history, English literature, philosophy, law, and ethics. This book offers a personal glimpse of Christian scholars in a self-reflective mode, capturing their honest reflections on the changing state of the academy and on changes in their own minds and outlooks. The breadth and depth of insight afforded by these contributions provide rich soil for a reader's own reflections, and an agenda that will occupy Christian thinkers well into the twenty-first century. Endorsements: "I heard many of the lecturers whose essays appear in this book when they were guests of the Chair of Christian Thought at the University of Calgary. Now they reappear to reflect personally on how their minds and academic fields have changed over the course of their careers. They tackle key issues in their disciplines needing future attention and present their views as authentic humans, not only as respected academics." --Wayne Holst University of Calgary and St. David's United Church, Calgary About the Contributor(s): Douglas H. Shantz is Professor of Christian Thought at the University of Calgary. His recent books are Between Sardis and Philadelphia (2008), and A New Introduction to German Pietism (2012). Tinu Ruparell is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Calgary. He is coeditor, with Ian S. Markham, of Encountering Religion (2000). His current work centers on idealism in Ramanuja and Leibniz as well as on science and religion.

Author : M. Chapman,Miriam Haar
Publisher : Springer
Page : 217 pages
File Size : 49,9 Mb
Release : 2016-04-29
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781137571120

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Pathways for Ecclesial Dialogue in the Twenty-First Century by M. Chapman,Miriam Haar Pdf

This volume identifies a myriad of obstacles standing in the way of dialogue both within churches and between churches and then move on to discuss how these obstacles might be dissolved or circumvented. The contributors explore all the ways through which ecclesial dialogue can be re-energized and adapted for a new century.

Author : Alistair May
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 296 pages
File Size : 51,9 Mb
Release : 2004-09-01
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780567054272

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The Body for the Lord by Alistair May Pdf

Alistair May explores the part played by sexual ethics and the rhetoric of sexual morality in the formation of Christian identity by focusing on the longest discussion of sex in the New Testament - 1Corinthians 5-7. Viewing this passage as a unified discourse, he considers how Paul's ethics serve to give his converts a distinct identity. Although tools from the social sciences are used, the major focus of the work is in careful exegesis of the text. As the study progresses through the text of 1Corinthians 5-7, May argues that Paul strives to maintain an absolute distinction between insider and outsider in regard to morality. Immorality belongs exclusively to the outside and to the pre-conversion identity of the Corinthians. Hence those labelled immoral can no longer remain in the community. 1 Corinthians 6.12-20 reveals that, for Paul, sexual sin is unique in its destruction of Christian identity and that any sexual participation is a potential conflict with participation in Christ. Thus, chapter 6 is directly connected with the discussion of the legitimacy of marriage in 1Corinthians 7. Rejecting the scholarly consensus that Paul is reacting to ascetics, May controversially argues that chapter 7 should be read as Paul's commendation of singleness to a reluctant Corinthian audience. This is volume 278 in the Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement series.

Author : Robert Wuthnow
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 260 pages
File Size : 47,7 Mb
Release : 1995-04-13
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780198025641

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Christianity in the Twenty-first Century by Robert Wuthnow Pdf

In the year 2000--and beyond--what will the church be like? What challenges will it face? Will the church be able to provide a strong sense of community? Will it be an ethical force in the lives of Americans? And what role will religion play in politics and in the marketplace? In Christianity in the 21st Century Robert Wuthnow reflects on these provocative questions as he seeks to identify changes that are taking place now in American society that churches must address if they are to remain vital in the future. He foresees five critical areas--institutional, ethical, doctrinal, political, and cultural--in which major challenges will arise, then meets the thorny issues head-on. How will churches' resource bases, their very identity, and their capacity to carry on their spiritual traditions be altered? till they continue to function as sources of caring in a needy world? What impact will the resurgence of fundamentalism have, and how will moderate and liberal congregations react? How will the political activities of churches influence their capacity to be heard in the public arena, and what will the impact be of pluralism and the prevailing materialism of our society? Drawing on a wide range of first-hand observations and research, Wuthnow demontrates that in each of these five areas people of faith have strong reasons to enter the next century with confidence in their religious institutions. But he also highlights worrisome signs, and points to specific areas that need to be addressed to ensure the continuing vitality for Christianity in America--not least among these are the rampant individualism that erodes spiritual communities and the religious infighting that diminishes the Christian sense of unity. The onset of a new millennium affords a historic opportunity to take stock of the present situation and to plan for the future--in the years ahead, much reflection is likely to occur about all our major institutions. Christianity in the 21st Century aims to contribute to those reflections by offering a sobering, realistic, and ultimately hopeful assessment of where the church is now, and where the church is headed.

Author : Jason E. Vickers
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 411 pages
File Size : 40,9 Mb
Release : 2013-10-07
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781107433922

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The Cambridge Companion to American Methodism by Jason E. Vickers Pdf

A product of trans-Atlantic revivalism and awakening, Methodism initially took root in America in the eighteenth century. In the mid-nineteenth century, Methodism exploded to become the largest religious body in the United States and the quintessential form of American religion. This Cambridge Companion offers a general, comprehensive introduction to various forms of American Methodism, including the African-American, German Evangelical Pietist, holiness and Methodist Episcopal traditions. Written from various disciplinary perspectives, including history, literature, theology and religious studies, this volume explores the beliefs and practices around which the lives of American Methodist churches have revolved, as well as the many ways in which Methodism has both adapted to and shaped American culture. This volume will be an invaluable resource to scholars and students alike, including those who are exploring American Methodism for the first time.

Author : Charles P Arand,Robert Kolb
Publisher : New Reformation Publications
Page : 175 pages
File Size : 50,8 Mb
Release : 2023-01-24
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781956658187

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The Alien and the Proper by Charles P Arand,Robert Kolb Pdf

"This book probes the beating theological heart of Luther's evangelical theology." — Michael J. Chan, Ph.D., Concordia College In his Galatians commentary of 1535, Martin Luther insists that"our theology" relies on the proper distinction of two kinds of righteousness: Alien and Proper. In relation to our Creator, we freely receive our"alien" righteousness from Christ who has obtained it for us through his death and resurrection. In relation to humanity and God's created order, we practice a"proper" righteousness by actively fulfilling God's commands that set down the form and pattern for good human living. The Alien and the Proper “ helps us to appropriate Luther' s theology as our theology as well.” — Mark Mattes, Lutheran Bible Institute Chair of Theology, Grand View University Luther posited that this distinction was the key to understanding our humanity. His regular use of this anthropological principle, particularly when applied to justification by faith, the nature of sin, and the proper practice of God's gift of humanity, demonstrates its centrality and importance. In The Alien and the Proper, five authors examine the historical development of Luther's Twofold Righteousness and propose ways in which it can continue to serve Christians today. Through these essays you will learn about Luther's radical divergence from medieval theological formulations, and you will discover what it means to be human. Essays by: David A. LumppCharles P. ArandWilliam W. SchumacherJoel BiermannTimothy SaleskaRobert Kolb (editor)