A leading expert shares important benchmarks for leading liturgy.Grounded in Christian liturgical theology and how ritual forms the people who practice it, this book offers the principles at work in good liturgical practice, guidance for making liturgical choices, and best practices in leading and presiding over liturgical worship.Topics include curating liturgy and leading with excellence, principles for liturgical planning and presiding, and best practice...

An invitation to a conversation about the direction of our worship life.The Anglican colloquium of the North American Academy of Liturgy acknowledged the need for a collection of insights to aid in the liturgical formation of the Episcopal Church as we move into liturgical revision. The volume's contributions have been shaped around the clauses of resolution A068, looking at the ways in which parishes and individuals can live into this time of revision and creativi...

Introducing readers to the contemporary field of sacramental theology, this volume covers the biblical and historical foundations, a survey of the state of the discipline, and a collection of constructive essays representing major themes, practices and approaches to sacraments and sacramentality in the contemporary world.The volume starts with a set of foundational essays that offer broad introduction to the field of sacramental theology from contemporary scholars, analysing a numb...

An ECPA 2003 Gold Medallion FinalistThe story of Christian theology has often been divisive and disjointed. Providing this companion volume to his earlier work The Story of Christian Theology, Roger E.Olson thematically traces the contours of Christian belief down through the ages, revealing a pattern of both unity and diversity. He finds a consensus of teaching that is both unitive and able to incorporate a faithful diversity when not forced intothe molds of ...

In this exploration of the foundations of Anglican worship, Louis Weil invites the laity to claim their true baptismal role and serve alongside the ordained as ministers and celebrants of the liturgy. He explains how the contribution of the people of God has steadily diminished over the centuries and why it is necessary to reclaim it today in the midst of Anglicanism's increasing multiculturalism. Since Anglicans are no longer primarily English-speakers worshiping in Gothic cathedrals, Wei...

This book provides an introduction to the study of theology and its various methods of investigation. While most theological texts focus on one facet of study, The College Student's Introduction to Theology introduces the whole rich and complex area of theological studies. It is written from a Roman Catholic perspective, but the book is consciously ecumenical in its approach.Part I: Foundations examines the nature of theology as both a science and a work of the Church (and...

Tracing developments in sacramental theology over the past twenty-five years, this study explores a growing ecumenical dynamism in both the academic study of sacramentality and its centrality in pastoral applications. But how does ecumenical excitement in a renewed discovery of sacramental theology fit with different theologies of church and different pastoral beliefs and practices? How does the universality of academic accessibility in the form of an expansive ecumenical sharing of perspe...

Christians are identified by their participation in liturgy. In this primer, Catherine Vincie introduces readers to current liturgical theology by providing them with the foundational themes of the field. She explains that liturgy draws us into the paschal mystery of Jesus Christ, that it should create a space in which we attempt to name toward God by employing an abundance of metaphors and images, and that the sacraments are communicated and understood through the use of symbols. Vincie i...

Sandra Schneiders continues her rethinking of the traditional religious vows in the context of postmodernism, reaching back into the gospels for the meaning of “world” in order to discern the meaning of renunciation of the “world” by religious, examining the vow of poverty both in its economic and spiritual sense as well as the vow of obedience.

An eminent group of Episcopal scholars and bishops addresses the core issues raised in Bishop Spong's books and teachings on the Virgin birth, resurrection, sexuality, scripture, sin, Jesus, culture, and God. These essays are incisive responses to an articulate and charismatic public figure whose provocative writings have stirred traditional and non-traditional thinkers alike.While acknowledging that Spong's writing strikes a chord with lay people in the churches and the general pu...

"[A] celebration of what is beautiful and lasting in the Catholic tradition . . . a kiss of peace to [all] Catholics, whether liberal, conservative, or confused." —Michael Leach, co-editor of I Like Being CatholicWhat makes a Catholic a Catholic? According to Thomas Groome, a professor in theology and religious education at Boston College, Catholics share certain vital features of life and identity. What Makes Us Catholic explains and illuminates t...

There is today a dramatic reexamination of structure, authority, dogma -- indeed, every aspect of the life of the Church is held up to scrutiny. Welcoming this as a sign of vitality, Avery Dulles has carefully studied the writings of contemporary Protestant and Catholic ecclesiologists and sifted out six major approaches, or "models," through which the Church's character can be understood: as Institution, Mystical Communion, Sacrament, Herald, Servant, and, in a recent addition to the book...