Church History
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Church History 101
$13.99Add to cartOne may read about the “early church” or the “Renaissance popes” without having a clear idea of the who-where-what-why-and-how of those eras. This slim volume answers the basic question “what did the Church look like in this particular period?” for the four traditionally recognized eras of Church history: early, medieval, Reformation, and modern.
Each chapter includes a map and timeline to locate the reader in place and time. Then they address these topics:
1) The Big Picture – a broad overview of the era
2) The Church’s Hierarchy – a look at the popes, cardinals, and bishops with their concerns
3) The Church in the Pews – what Christianity was like for the average person
4) What Made This Period Unique – taking a comparative approachAll chapters conclude with discussion questions and a list for further reading.
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Catholics In America
$53.00Add to cartFrom colonial missions to the Iraq war, Patrick W. Carey details the rich and varied involvement Roman Catholics have had in American political, cultural, and family life. Comprehensive and up-to-date, the paperback edition of Catholics in America: A History includes a new chapter covering the election of Pope Benedict XVI, ongoing investigation of abuse scandals, and increasing tension between traditional Catholic values and the beliefs of modern lay people. Brief biographical sketches of important Church figures and a chronology of key events make this an accessible and invaluable resource for anyone seeking insight into the history and current status of the Catholic Church in America.
– Includes a Biographical Dictionary of Catholic leaders and an updated chronology of key events
– Highlights the changes in American Catholic religious thought, particularly since the late eighteenth century
– Focuses on American Catholic responses to significant issues in American life including slavery, racism, industrialization, birth control, abortion, and other cultural wars of the twentieth century
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Cloud Of Witnesses (Revised)
$34.95Add to cartFirst published in 1989, A Cloud of Witnesses has been completely rewritten to incorporate a multitude of minor amendments and a considerable amount of additional information. Like the first edition, it is intended as an introduction to the formative first five hundred years of the Christian theological tradition. In these pages the opinions and personalities of the Fathers of the Church that emerge are presented against the intellectual, social, and political world of their times, but since the book is only an introduction, the author presents the development of Christian doctrine in a rather more logical and cohesive manner than was the case in reality.
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Opus Dei : An Objective Look Behind The Myths And Reality Of The Most Contr
$23.00Add to cartThe first serious journalistic investigation of the highly secretive, controversial organization Opus Dei provides unique insight about the wild rumors surrounding it and discloses its significant influence in the Vatican and on the politics of the Catholic Church.
Opus Dei (literally “the work of God”) is an international association of Catholics often labeled as conservative who seek personal Christian perfection and strive to implement Christian ideals in their jobs and in society as a whole. Founded in Spain in 1928, it now has 84,000 members (1,600 of whom are priests) in eighty countries. But far from running bingo nights at local parishes, Opus Dei has become a center of controversy and suspicion both within and outside the Church. It has been accused of promoting a right-wing political agenda and of cultlike practices, aggressive recruiting, brainwashing new recruits, and isolating members from their families. Its notoriety escalated with the publication of the runaway bestseller The Da Vinci Code (Opus Dei plays an important and sinister role in the novel) and with the previous pope’s much-debated canonization of its founder (often linked with Francisco Franco’s facist regime) and the discovery that convicted FBI spy Robert Hanson was a member of Opus Dei.
With the expert eye of a longtime trusted observer of the Vatican and the skill of an investigative reporter intent on uncovering closely guarded secrets, John Allen finally separates the myths from the facts in Opus Dei. Granted unlimited access to the prelate who heads the organization and to Opus Dei centers throughout the world, Allen draws on a wealth of interviews with current members, as well as with highly critical ex-members, to create an unprecedented portrait of the activities, practices, and intentions behind its veil of secrecy. Allen reveals the remarkable power that Opus Dei commands in shaping Vatican policy and presents a detailed look at the full extent of its network, which includes people in key positions in politics, banking, academia, and other influential arenas. He even describes the arcane rituals-including self-flagellation-performed to preserve and promote a spiritual tradition strange and unsettling to modern sensibilities.
For years, Opus Dei has been the subject of conspiracy theories and dark, uninformed speculation. Opus Dei sets the record straight.
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Benedictine Tradition
$24.95Add to cartDedicated to God and the practices of the Liturgy of the Hours and monastic life, Benedictines have made significant contributions to chant, theology, and the preservation of spiritual works of literature and scholarship. Swan explores the work of major Benedictine figures throughout the ages. From the Spirituality in History series.
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Road To Vatican 2
$17.95Add to cartThe Second Vatican Council is considered by most theologians to have been a decisive moment in the history of the Catholic Church. It produced a charter for the Church of the twentieth century and beyond and spawned thousands of books, articles, conferences, and doctoral theses over the last forty years. Part of the Council’s fascination lies in the many “stories” that surround it. In THE ROAD TO VATICAN II, author Maureen Sullivan tells the story behind the story by revealing how the Church moved from the rigid, hierarchical model espoused by Pius IX at Vatican I (1869-70) to the collegial, “communio” model that emerged under John XXIII at Vatican II (1962-65). She recounts the events and trends leading up to the Council and demonstrates how it became possible, in the four brief sessions that took place from 1962-65, for over 2,500 bishops-who often disagreed on the most critical issues-to produce sixteen documents that touched the very essence of the Catholic faith. THE ROAD TO VATICAN II is written-not for other theologians-but for men and women who are eager to have a more in-depth understanding of a watershed event that shaped their faith. The author focuses on the contributions of important theologians whose efforts over the years laid the groundwork for the Council and she documents their influence on many of the key documents that emerged. Sullivan argues that these theologians were indeed prophets among us, offering a renewed vision of the faith, a methodology to facilitate the theological endeavor, and a language of life rediscovered in the New Testament that could speak to contemporary men and women. These prophets often suffered because of their convictions, but Sullivan maintains that they were instruments of the Holy Spirit in our midst-and their story needed to be told.
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Infant Baptism In Historical Perspective
$54.99Add to cartThese important and incisive essays, spanning more than two decades of research and engagement, probe facets and episodes of infant baptisms’ fortunes over twenty centuries. The story of paedo baptism is traced from its shadowy beginnings as a variant of faith-baptism, through inflated Reformation defenses as it monopolized baptismal thought and practice, to biblical and ecumenical reevaluations and hopeful contemporary rapprochements across divisive waters.
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Byzantine Rome And The Greek Popes
$57.99Add to cartByzantine Rome and the Greek Popes examines the scope and extent to which the East influenced Rome and the Papacy following the Justinian Reconquest of Italy in the middle of the sixth century through the pontificate of Zacharias and the collapse of the exarchate of Ravenna in 752.
A combination of factors resulted in the arrival of significant numbers of easterners in Rome, and those immigrants had brought with them a number of eastern customs and practices previously unknown in the city. Greek influence became apparent in art, religious ceremonial and liturgics, sacred music, the rhetoric of doctrinal debate, the growth of eastern monastic communities, and charitable institutions, and the proliferation of the cults of eastern saints and ecclesiastical feast days and, in particular, devotion to the Theotokos or Mother of God. From the late seventh to the middle of the eighth century, eleven of the thirteen Roman pontiffs were the sons of families of eastern provenance.
While conceding that over the course of the seventh century Rome indeed experienced the impact of an important Greek element, some scholars of the period have insisted that the degree to which Rome and the Papacy were “orientalized” has been exaggerated, while others argue that the extent of their “byzantinization” has not been fully appreciated. The question has also been raised as to whether Rome’s oriental popes were responsible for sowing the seeds of separatism from Byzantium and laying the foundation for a future papal state, or whether they were loyal imperial subjects ever steadfast politically, although not always so in matters of the faith, to the reigning sovereign in Constantinople. Finally, there is the important issue of whether one could still speak of a single and undivided imperium Roman christianum in the seventh and early eighth centuries or whether the concept of imperial unity in the epoch following Gregory the Great was a quaint and fanciful fiction as East and West, ignoring and misunderstanding one another, began to go their separate ways. Byzantine Rome and the Greek Popes provides a guide through this complicated and often contradictory history.
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Byzantine Rome And The Greek Popes
$133.00Add to cartByzantine Rome and the Greek Popes examines the scope and extent to which the East influenced Rome and the Papacy following the Justinian Reconquest of Italy in the middle of the sixth century through the pontificate of Zacharias and the collapse of the exarchate of Ravenna in 752.
A combination of factors resulted in the arrival of significant numbers of easterners in Rome, and those immigrants had brought with them a number of eastern customs and practices previously unknown in the city. Greek influence became apparent in art, religious ceremonial and liturgics, sacred music, the rhetoric of doctrinal debate, the growth of eastern monastic communities, and charitable institutions, and the proliferation of the cults of eastern saints and ecclesiastical feast days and, in particular, devotion to the Theotokos or Mother of God. From the late seventh to the middle of the eighth century, eleven of the thirteen Roman pontiffs were the sons of families of eastern provenance.
While conceding that over the course of the seventh century Rome indeed experienced the impact of an important Greek element, some scholars of the period have insisted that the degree to which Rome and the Papacy were “orientalized” has been exaggerated, while others argue that the extent of their “byzantinization” has not been fully appreciated. The question has also been raised as to whether Rome’s oriental popes were responsible for sowing the seeds of separatism from Byzantium and laying the foundation for a future papal state, or whether they were loyal imperial subjects ever steadfast politically, although not always so in matters of the faith, to the reigning sovereign in Constantinople. Finally, there is the important issue of whether one could still speak of a single and undivided imperium Roman christianum in the seventh and early eighth centuries or whether the concept of imperial unity in the epoch following Gregory the Great was a quaint and fanciful fiction as East and West, ignoring and misunderstanding one another, began to go their separate ways. Byzantine Rome and the Greek Popes provides a guide through this complicated and often contradictory history.
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History Of Christianity In Asia 2
$53.00Add to cart‘A wonderful addition to any library of historical works . . . will expand the understanding of ‘the Church’ as truly universal, transhistorical and multicultural, and never again to be reduced to or confused with the Church of Christendom. This book is a gift to us all.’ – Anthony J. Gittins
‘With attention to detail and a passion for his subject, Moffett opens new doors of understanding to the developments, conflicts, and surprises of Christian history in Asia.’- Catholic Press Association.
This second volume of Samuel Moffett’s acclaimed History of Christianity in Asia illustrates the advance of the modern missionary movement in the continent of its birth. Like the first volume, it makes available immense research in a readable and engaging narrative. The four centuries treated here are years of great missionary outreach and ambiguous results. Moffett’s eye brings into dramatic relief events that illustrate both the broad patterns and the vital details of the spread of Christianity on a continent with more and deeper cultural differences than any other.
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Women In Mission
$30.00Add to cartThe first full-length study of women’s changing roles in the mission of Christianity.
In surveying those major works that treat the full sweep of the church’s missional self-understanding, Susan E. Smith notes that, while they help us better understand the story of Christian mission, “they are less helpful in understanding women’s part in that narrative.” In matters of mission history, as in so many other areas, scholars have been much better at telling “his” story than “hers.”
Smith tries to redress the balance with a comprehensive history of mission that highlights the critical contributions of women, as well as the theological developments that influenced their role. Beginning with an examination of the New Testament record, Smith goes on to review the long period between the apostolic church and the Second Vatican Council. Following a survey of critical developments since 1965 in both Catholic and other churches, she concludes with a magisterial chapter entitled “A Feminist Missiology for Contemporary Missionary Women.”
Women in Mission is a landmark in women’s history and essential reading for anyone engaged in historical, theological, mission, and women’s studies.
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Mary And The Fathers Of The Church
$19.95Add to cartFather Luigi Gambero, internationally-known expert on early Christianity, presents a comprehensive survey of the development of Marian doctrine and devotion during the first eight centuries. Focusing on the lives and works of over thirty of the most famous Church Fathers and early Christian writers, Fr. Gambero has produced a clear and readable summary of the richness of the patristic age’s theological and devotional approach to the Mother of God.
The book contains numerous citations from the works of those men who developed the defining Christological and Mariological positions that have constituted the foundational doctrinal teaching of the Church. Each chapter concludes with an extended reading from the works of the patristic authors. A number of these texts have never before been published in English.The thought of the Fathers and early Christian writers continues to fascinate readers today. Their theological acuity and spiritual depth led them faithfully into the mysteries of Sacred Scripture. Their vast experience made them reliable and trustworthy witnesses to the faith of the people of God.
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Oxford Guide To The Book Of Common Prayer
$51.00Add to cartThe Book of Common Prayer runs like a golden thread through the history of the Church of England and the worldwide Anglican Communion. The Oxford Guide to the Book of Common Prayer is the first comprehensive guide to the history and usage of the original Book of Common Prayer and its numerous descendants throughout the world. It shows how a seminal text for Christian worship and devotion has inspired a varied family of religious resources that have had an influence far beyond their use in the churches of a single tradition.
The Guide is unique. In it experts from every part of the globe and every branch of Anglicanism, as well as from the Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Methodist, and Unitarian traditions, provide an unparalleled examination of The Book of Common Prayer and its lineage. From 1549 to the Twenty-first Century, The Oxford Guide to the Book of Common Prayer offers a fascinating journey through the history and development of a classic of world literature.
Much more than simply a history, this volume describes how Anglican churches at all points of the compass have developed their own Prayer Books and adapted the time-honored Anglican liturgies to their diverse local cultures. In the dozens of editions now in use throughout the world, the same texts–Daily Prayers, the Eucharist, Marriage and Funerals, and many others–resemble each other, and yet differ from each other in interesting ways. A brief look at “electronic Prayer Books” offers a glimpse at how this story of development and adaptation may continue in the Information Age.
Oxford is pleased to publish a varied selection of The Book of Common Prayer in formats, features, and prices to suit every need and budget. We invite you to explore our Web site for further information regarding these fine resources.
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Passing From Self To God
$29.95Add to cartIn this book an experienced spiritual master provides an intensive directed retreat. Readers may read and digest at their own pace, savoring the author’s contagious enthusiasm for the monastic way and the medieval monks who formed this distinctive contemplative tradition.
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Christian Spirituality : Gods Presence Through The Ages (Expanded)
$27.00Add to cart22 Chapters
Additional Info
A comprehensive survey of Christian spirituality.Complete enough to use as a textbook and graceful enough to attract the general reader.-Publisher’s Weekly
The author’s exquisite command of the sources, breadth of perspective, depth of sensitivity to historical nuance, together with his clear, often witty, expression, make his latest contribution to the field, in a word, magisterial. This volume is highly recommended not just for experts but for all interested in the history of Christian spirituality-teachers and students at all levels, writers, preachers, as well as the “average” reader. It will undoubtedly prove to be an invaluable source of spiritual enrichment for years to come.-Spirituality Today
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Facing East : A Pilgrims Journey Into The Mysteries Of Orthodoxy
$13.99Add to cartThe Classic Story of a Family’s Pilgrimage
into the Orthodox ChurchVeiled in the smoke of incense, the Eastern Orthodox Church has long been an enigma to the Western world. Yet, as Frederica Mathewes-Green discovered, it is a vital, living faith, rich in ritual beauty and steadfast in integrity. Utilizing the framework of the Orthodox calendar, Mathewes-Green chronicles a year in the life of her small Orthodox mission church, eloquently illustrating the joys and blessings an ancient faith can bring to the worshipers of today.
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Brief History Of The Vatican 2
$26.00Add to cartBy the doyen of Vatican II studies, this book illuminates the key events and meaning of the most important religious event of the twentieth century.
The Second Vatican Council, summoned by Pope John XXIII on Christmas day 1961, began in October 1962. Meeting in four autumn sessions from 1962 to 1965, Pope John’s Council was a watershed in both world Christian and world religious history.
With brevity and insight Giuseppe Alberigo tells the story of Vatican II Council for a generation that has come of age since its close. He shows us a Council that Pope John called to renew not just the church but Christianity as a whole. He shows that that vision was realized in ways far beyond its participants’ ability to understand.
The drama of the Council comes alive, as the assembled bishops and their advisors work on themes that transformed the global landscape of religion, bringing Catholicism into dialogue with other religious traditions and establishing a whole new spirit of intra-Christian dialogue. Alberigo also suggests ways in which the spirit of the Council has not been implemented.
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Married Catholic Priests
$19.95Add to cartIn the current crisis over the shortage of celibate male Catholic priests, the solution of ordaining married men is hotly debated. Married Catholic Priests shows us the remarkable experience of American Catholic priests who marry and continue their Christian journey. In part a fascinating historical review, the book also includes the varied experiences of married priests in our time, whether active in the church or not. Kowalski manifests a strong faith, a positive affirmation of church and priesthood, and a welcoming embrace of the stirrings of the Spirit in these times.
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Key Moments In Church History
$116.00Add to cartAcknowledgments
Introduction
Jesus Of Nazareth
The Early Church
The Church Gives Birth To The New Testament
The Constantinian Era
The Council Of Chalcedon
The Crusades, The Inquisition, Saint Dominic And St. Francis Of Assisi
The Protestant Reformation
The Council Of Trent
Ultramontanism And The First Vatican Council
Pius X And The Modernist Crisis
John XXIII And The Second Vatican Council
Epilogue: The Current State Of The Church
Additional Info
Spanning from the birth of Christianity through the Crusades and the Protestant Reformation to John XXIII and the Second Vatican Council, Key Moments in Church History is a brief and accessible guide to the origins and evolution of the Catholic Church. In this insightful and informative look at eleven of the most significant periods in church history, Finley not only helps readers understand the context and characters of the past, but sheds light on the current and future Church. The result is a hopeful and inspirational reading experience that is ideal for personal reflection or group use -
Key Moments In Church History
$35.00Add to cartAcknowledgments
Introduction
Jesus Of Nazareth
The Early Church
The Church Gives Birth To The New Testament
The Constantinian Era
The Council Of Chalcedon
The Crusades, The Inquisition, Saint Dominic And St. Francis Of Assisi
The Protestant Reformation
The Council Of Trent
Ultramontanism And The First Vatican Council
Pius X And The Modernist Crisis
John XXIII And The Second Vatican Council
Epilogue: The Current State Of The Church
Additional Info
Spanning from the birth of Christianity through the Crusades and the Protestant Reformation to John XXIII and the Second Vatican Council, Key Moments in Church History is a brief and accessible guide to the origins and evolution of the Catholic Church. In this insightful and informative look at eleven of the most significant periods in church history, Finley not only helps readers understand the context and characters of the past, but sheds light on the current and future Church. The result is a hopeful and inspirational reading experience that is ideal for personal reflection or group use -
Oasis Of Wisdom
$26.95Add to cartThe life and wisdom of the desert fathers and mothers is not only retained in historical volumes, but has been a constant presence throughout the development of the church. A formative influence since the time of the early Christians, this wisdom has the power to transform and nurture even today.
Using six fundamental aspects of desert monastic life as windows-The Cell, Patience, Praxis, Labor and Time, Solitude and Silence, and Humility-Oasis of Wisdom reveals the world that created the wisdom of early Christian monastic men and women. With this experiential approach to learning, Keller goes beyond simple reflection by providing substantial historical background, including the environment of solitude, ascetic disciplines, labor, and daily life experiences. Touching on the social, religious, political, and linguistic influences of the culture, it is an ideal introduction for modern readers with limited backgrounds in theology or church history.
Oasis of Wisdom is ideal for those seeking spiritual mentoring or a discipline of prayer, and will appeal to those from all denominations and backgrounds, from those new to church history to oblates. The richness of this ancient wisdom will challenge modern Christians to catch the spirit of the desert elders and join in their struggle to live an authentic human life.
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Doctrine Of Deification In The Greek Patristic Tradition
$295.00Add to cart1. Introduction
2. Deification In The Graeco-Roman World
3. The Jewish Paradigm: From Ezekiel To The Yored Merkavah
4. The Earliest Christian Model: Participatory Union With Christ
5. The Alexandrian Tradition I: Christian Schools And Study-Circles
6. The Alexandrian Tradition II: The Imposition Of Episcopal Control
7. The Cappadocian Approach: Divine Transcendence And The Ascent Of The Soul
8. The Monastic Synthesis: The Achievement Of Maximus The Confessor
9. EpilogueAdditional Info
Deification in the Greek patristic tradition was the fulfillment of the destiny for which humanity was created – not merely salvation from sin but entry into the fullness of the divine life of the Trinity. This book, the first on the subject for over sixty years, traces the history of deification from its birth as a second-century metaphor with biblical roots to its maturity as a doctrine central to the spiritual life of the Byzantine Church. Drawing attention to the richness and diversity of the patristic approaches from Irenaeus to Maximus the Confessor, Norman Russell offers a full discussion of the background and context of the doctrine, at the same time highlighting its distinctively Christian character. -
Envoy Of The Messiah (Student/Study Guide)
$10.95Add to cartIn his new book Envoy of the Messiah, Stephen Pimentel completes the journey he began in the popular Witnesses of the Messiah.
Envoy of the Messiah invites the reader to walk in the footsteps of St. Paul in his mission to the Gentiles, as told in Acts of the Apostles 16-28. Through nine lessons, each including stimulating discussion questions, the reader is challenged to encounter Christ in the early Church and to follow the example of St. Paul in their lives today. Written in accessible language, yet filled with helpful information and scriptural references, this book is perfect for beginners as well as more advanced biblical scholars.
Scripture scholar and popular author Steve Ray praises Envoy of the Messiah for its clarity and theological insight: “Stephen Pimentel’s book takes you through the recorded travels and teachings of St. Paul as revealed by Luke. He provides interesting insights and theological understanding useful to both the average reader and the scholar. This book is easy to read, yet full of helpful information and Scriptural detail. It is too bad we can’t insert most of this book into our Bibles as footnotes.”
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Pius War : Responses To The Critics Of Pius XII
$122.00Add to cartIntroduction
Joseph Bottum
Pius XII And The Jews
David G. Dalin
Dismantling The Cross
Robert Louis Wilken
A Dangerous Thing To Do
Ronald Rychlak
A New Syllabus Of Errors
Justus George Lawler
Desperately Seeking Culprits
Russell Hittinger
The Land Of What If
Kevin M. Doyle
Something Deeply Shameful
John Jay Hughes
How Not To Deal With History
John S. Conway
To Avoid Worse Evils
Rainer Decker
Bigotry’s New Low
Michael Novak
Pius XII And The Nazis
Joseph Bottum
Annotated Bibliography Of Pius XII, The Second World War, And The Holocaust
William Doino JrAdditional Info
In the brutal fight that has raged in recent years over the reputation of Pope Pius XII-leader of the Catholic Church during World War II, the Holocaust, and the early years of the Cold War-the task of defending the Pope has fallen primarily to reviewers. These reviewers formulated a brilliant response to the attack on Pius, but their work was scattered in various newspapers, magazines, and scholarly journals-making it nearly impossible for the average reader to gauge the results. In The Pius War, Weekly Standard’s Joseph Bottum has joined with Rabbi David G. Dalin to gather a representative and powerful sample of these reviews, deliberately chosen from a wide range of publications. Together with a team of professors, historians, and other experts, the reviewers conclusively investigate the claims attacking Pius XII. The Pius War, and a detailed annotated bibliography that follows, will prove to be a definitive tool for scholars and students-destined to become a major resource for anyone interested in questions of Catholicism, the Holocaust, and World War II. -
Following In The Footsteps Of Christ
$25.00Add to cartThe Anabaptists were the largest, most significant of the “radical” movements that paralleled the Protestant reforms of the 16th century. Their program was distinctive in its insistence upon baptism of adult believers, a visible life of discipleship, an ascetic way of life, and a commitment to nonviolence. This vision clashed with the ruling civil and church authorities, whether Catholic or Protestant, who persecuted them violently. Despite persecution and ostracism the Anabaptist tradition lives on in diverse forms whether among the Amish, the Hutterites, the Bruderhof, or the Mennonites.
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Roman Catholic Worship (Reprinted)
$29.95Add to cartA great deal has happened in Roman Catholic worship since Vatican II promulgated the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy on December 4, 1963. But the myth persists that very little happened in the four centuries between the end of the Council of Trent on December 4, 1563, and Vatican II. Roman Catholic Worship explores what occurred in those four hundred years before Vatican II and how the stage was set for all the changes that have come about since the council. It may be true that liturgical texts were frozen during those intervening centuries, but to assume that liturgical texts are the whole of liturgy is questionable. James White demonstrates that the worship life of Roman Catholicism was in constant transition during this entire period despite the intransigence of liturgical texts.
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Faith : A History Of Christianity
$31.00Add to cartBeginning with the birth of Jesus and tracing the religion established by his followers up to the present day, The Faith is a comprehensive exploration of the history of Christianity. Judiciously covering all the signal moments without bogging down in minutia, author Brian Moynahan’s superbly written and generously illustrated book is of central importance to Christians, historians, and anyone interested in a faith that shaped the modern world.
Moynahan’s research uses little-known sources to tell a magnificent story encompassing everything from the early tremulous years after Jesus’ death to the horrors of persecution by Nero, from the growth of monasteries to the bloody Crusades, from the building of the great cathedrals to the cataclysm of the Reformation and the Catholic Counter-Reformation, from the flight of pilgrims from Europe in pursuit of religious freedom to the Salem Witch Trials, from the advent of a traveling pope to the rise of televangelists. -
Celtic Model Of Ministry
$19.95Add to cartWhy is the Christian Church declining in numbers and effectiveness in the 21st century? An experienced clergyman and Celtic scholar writes the decline is caused by a crisis of individualism, a crisis of faith, and a crisis of lifestyle. The response to the crisis is provided by Celtic spirituality and the way of ministry of early Celtic Christians in Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Brittany, and the Isle of Man. The early Celtic communities provide a model for ministry today in the local congregation and a way for the successful future of the Church.
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Women Who Hear Voices
$8.95Add to cartMore than a few people today scoff at the notion of “religious experience.” What the believer accepts as God acting in human lives, the skeptic attributes to delusion or hysteria-especially when the believer is a woman. Indeed, the possibility of self-deception in the realm of religious experience is sufficiently great that even devotees tread softly around it. At what point does mindless enthusiasm come to an end and actual, transcendent reality begin?
Sidney Callahan, a psychologist, author and Christian ethicist, describes authentic religious experience as the work of “a creative God of love who gives totally and renounces coercion.” Human beings, she says, “are wired for relationship.” They move instinctively toward a dynamic presence who abides within the world and in human affairs. In this Madeleva Lecture delivered at Saint Mary’s College in Indiana, Callahan affirms not only the reality but the usefulness of private religious experiences, especially those of “women barred from hierarchical authority,” which, she says, “can be a rich source of strength for the church.” Beginning with the insights of William James and Rudolf Otto, and borrowing from contemporary theologians Karl Rahner and John E. Thiel, Callahan describes the way religious “signals” emerge into society through the attentive reflection of individuals. And the world is better for it. “Women who hear voices and see visions and have prophetic and intimate religious experiences,” she states, “have given witness to God’s justice and equality while affirming God’s maternal love.”
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Witness To Integrity
$29.95Add to cartWitness to Integrity is a first-person account of the historic dispute between the Immaculate Heart of Mary Sisters (I.H.M.) and James Francis McIntyre, the Cardinal Archbishop of Los Angeles. Former Mother General of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Sisters and president of the Immaculate Heart Community, Anita Caspary, I.H.M., tells her story of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Sisters’ motivations and struggles in their claim for authority and freedom to live a Christian life in accordance with their consciences. The conflicts that lead a part of the Immaculate Heart Sisters’ Community to become an ecumenical community are described with vividness.
Anita Caspary’s personal narrative reflections provide in-depth details of the story that has captured media attention in books, television documentaries, and plays. In addition, the use of original sources from the Immaculate Heart Community archives that have not been open to the public assists in producing new insights and correcting inaccuracies and myths.
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Rule Of Benedict For Beginners
$19.95Add to cartBenedictine spirituality is simple and down to earth. Not only does the Benedictine lifestyle fit well within the walls of the monastery, its interpretation of life is also suitable to other forms of society. In The Rule of Benedict for Beginners, Wil Derkse reveals how elements from Benedictine spirituality and the Benedictine lifestyle may be fruitful outside the monastery to strengthen the quality of societal living and working.
The Rule of Benedict for Beginners is a useful source of life orientation and lifestyle for those interested in living by the Rule. It applies the monastic vows to life within organizations and examines the valuable elements of Benedictine leadership and Benedictine time management.
Chapter one sketches Derkse’s own acquaintance with the Benedictine lifestyle. Chapter two examines the basic patterns of Benedictine spirituality in order to translate these patterns into nonmonastic contexts. Inspired leadership, listening decision-making, fruitfully prospering human resources, and sensible time management are themes in the remaining chapters.
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Women And Christianity 3
$28.00Add to cart1. Continuity And Change
2. Women And The Reformation
3. Teresa Of Avila And Catholic Reform
4. New Women’s Communities Education And Health
5. Women Missionaries To The New World
6. Protestant Women: Philosophers, Missionaries And Mystics
7. The Marian Age
8. The Feminist Challenge
9. Seeking A Spirituality For Women
10. Towards An Inclusive Global Ethic
301 PagesAdditional Info
The third and final volume of Women And Christianity completes this well conceived, carefully researched, and beautifully crafted history of the Christian content of women’s lives from the period of pre-Reformation movements to the present. Culminating with an astute treatment of feminist spirituality and ethics as global Christian realities today, this volume commands attention from everyone interested in Christian women’s history. -
Cultural Tools For Interpreting The Good News
$12.95Add to cartHow can reading the Bible in its appropriate Mediterranean cultural context shed light on concerns of believers who live in Western or other cultures? In this book, John J. Pilch presents a basic introduction to the ancient Middle Eastern culture in which the Bible originated. A brief review of the life of Jesus from birth to death and resurrection guides the selection of biblical text segments to illustrate key cultural concepts so that believers may appropriate the Bible for personal or community life.
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Church According To The New Testament
$24.95Add to cartIn the last days of the twentieth century, leading New Testament scholar and popular preacher Daniel Harrington, S.J., asked himself two powerful questions: What might the church of the first century have to say to the church of the twenty-first century? And How might a brief sythesis of what the New Testament says and does not say about the church help bring greater vitality within and unity among the churches? The result of Father Harrington’s research and thinking is this timely and important book.
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Many Mansions : An Introduction To The Development And Diversity Of Medieva
$41.95Add to cartAn overview of how religious thinking developed in the thousand years between the end of the Roman Empire and the Reformation, Many Mansions goes beyond other textbooks by looking at developments in both the Latin West and the Greek East. In addition to providing an introduction for readers with no background in theology or history, Bell points out the reasons behind the growing divergence between the two great halves of Christendom.
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Women Officeholders In Early Christianity
$49.95Add to cartWomen Officeholders in Early Christianity is a scholarly investigation of the evidence for women holding offices of authority in the first several centuries of Christianity. Ute Eisen focuses on inscriptions and documentary papyri (private letters, official documents, contracts, and other such pieces) that have scarcely been considered before.
Eisen presents the first extensive documentation of selected Greek and Latin inscriptions, plus a few documentary papyri, that witness to the existence of Christian women officeholders. The intent is to show the multiplicity of titles borne by women and to illustrate the narrowness of previous research on this topic. A single chapter is devoted to each of the titles of office or functional designations found in the sources. The epigraphical, papyrological, and literary witnesses are accordingly grouped by function. Topics are “Apostles,” “Prophets,” “Teachers of Theology,” “Presbyters,” “Enrolled Widows,” “Deacons,” “Bishops,” and “Stewards.”
Central to Women Officeholders in Early Christianity are the epigraphical witnesses. To this point they have been only marginally incorporated into research on women officeholders in the Church. In order to ensure correct interpretation, the majority of the inscriptions discussed have extensive documentation. They are organized geographically and chronologically. Besides the documentation they are commented on in the context of the existing literary sources. The book concludes with a chapter entitled “Source-Oriented Perspectives for a History of Christian Women Officeholders.” The book also includes a bibliography of reference works, primary sources, and secondary sources.
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Heaven Begins With You
$14.95Add to cartThe Christian hermits, ascetics, and monks of early history had deep insight into the nature and aspirations of humankind. Drawing on their experiences in the cloisters of the desert they became sought after mentors, teachers, and spiritual guides. This book is filled with poignant wisdom stories relating their message to modern daily life.
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14 Holy Helpers
$9.89Add to cartThe stories and special intercessory powers of 14 early Saint-Martyrs invoked for numerous special needs, such that they came to be called “The 14 Holy Helpers.” St. Barbara, St. Blaise, St. Christopher, St. George, St. Catherine, etc. They are invoked against throat ailments, lightning, diabolical possession, fire, family troubles, etc. Includes prayers to each Saint. This book links the present age to the earliest centuries of the Church. Impr.
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Western Monasticism : A History Of The Monastic Movement In The Latin Churc
$49.95Add to cartChristians have been drawn to monastic life nearly as long as Christianity has existed. Dedicating themselves to prayer, meditation, and good works, men and women in many diverse times and places have been willing to abstain from marriage, sexual relations, and personal ownership to serve God singlemindedly.
In this overview of the Latin tradition, Peter King, emeritus senior lecturer of medieval history at Saint Andrew’s University, leads readers quickly but deftly along the rugged monastic road from late antique Egypt to the present day, passing through spectacular expansion in medieval Europe, dissolution during the Reformation, retrenchment at the Counter Reformation, condemnation during the Enlightenment, destruction at the hands of revolutionaries, refoundation and new vigor during the nineteenth and the ecumenical twentieth centuries.
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Treasures From The Storeroom
$27.95Add to cartDo we really know about religion in the Middle Ages? Gary Macy suggests that what most people believe about the Church of the Middle Ages is actually wrong or founded on the perspective of one figure, Aquinas. Now, after two decades of research, Macy explores the truth about medieval religion and the Eucharist in Treasures from the Storeroom, an intriguing look into the forgotten areas of our Christian heritage. Using a wide range of original sources for these articles, Macy discusses such topics as theology, devotion, ecclesiology, and historical methodology.
This collection of eight essays provides an important backdrop to the plenary address, “The Eucharist and Popular Devotion,” presented at the 1997 national convention of the Catholic Theological Society of America (CTSA), since several themes raised in that address are actually summaries of the fuller arguments presented in these articles. By presenting them here as a whole in the form of a book, Macy offers readers a clearer, more systematic look at the themes raised in that address.
As comforting as it may be for today’s theologians (and others) to pick and choose from the past so that history conveniently leads to their own favorite conclusions, Macy suggests that the Church’s true tradition is diversity. Writing to fellow scholars, he offers Treasures from the Storeroom as a text for classroom use and as simply interesting reading.
