The unity of the church : a theological state of the art and beyond /
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In contrast to its original name, Ecclesia Reformata, ecclesiology did not develop into a major theme within the Reformed tradition. Notwithstanding the undeniable schismatic tendency and the ecclesial embarrassment about disunity, the unity of the church did not rise to prominence as a theological topic. This volume challenges this traditional low-key attitude towards the unity of the church. It investigates theological aspects that contributed to a weak sensus unitatis, and explores approaches that remedy the disease of division. It discusses the role played by scripture, the sacraments, confessions, and discipline; it searches for the best theological practices within other Christian traditions; it links the unity of the church to the unity of God and reformulates the nature of the church.
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The articles in this volume stem from contributions to the Seventh Biannual Conference of the academic network of International Reformed Theological Institute (IRTI) held in Cluj-Napoca, Romania from 3 to 8 July 2007. :
1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789047443988 :
1571-4799 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Church and Ministry /
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The International Reformed Theological Institute (IRTI) was founded in 1995. Its purpose is to create a platform where Reformed theologians from all over the world can meet each other, become acquainted with each other's work, discuss theological issues and stimulate each other in scholarly theological research. The members of IRTI present their work in the series Studies in Reformed Theology . Thus, the volumes of this series offer a perspective on the theological insights and spirituality of Reformed theologians all over the world. The third volume of Studies in Reformed Theology contains the contributions to the second international conference of the IRTI. Leading theme of the conference was 'Church and Ministery'. Thoughts and experiences, problems and solutions were shared concerning the position of the church and the training of ministers in Reformed churches. Most of the devotional contributions to the conference have been included in this volume as well.
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1 online resource :
9789004389106
9789043501262
Why Tongues? The Initial Evidence Doctrine in North American Pentecostal Churches /
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The modern Pentecostal movement has been studied many times in relation to its theological and sociological background. Previous studies, however, have not focused on the disctinctive doctrine of that movement: the teaching that speaking in tongues is the initial physical evidence of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Given that Pentecostals believe that this is a work of grace, such a doctrine seems unlikely to arise, as physical evidence is seldom required or looked for in the life of a believer in relation to any other area of grace. This prompts the question of why such evidence was even being looked for. And yet, within a very short time of its proposal, acceptance of this doctrine was so widespread as to become the hallmark of the movement. Insistence on such a doctrine led to many being asked to leave their denominations, and thus to the founding of other denominations. This book attempts to answer the question: "Why?" And specifically: "Why Tongues?"
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1 online resource. :
9789004397187
9781905679317
Essays in ecumenical theology
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In the first volume of Essays in Ecumenical Theology Ivana Noble depicts differences between what she calls a sectarian outlook and one which engages in the search for common roots, dialogical relationships and shared mission in a world that has largely become post-Christian, but often also post-secular. Drawing on both Western and Orthodox scholarship, and expressing her own positions, Noble sketches what ecumenical theology is, how it is linked to spirituality, the methods it uses, how it developed during the twentieth century, and the challenges it faces. Specific studies deal with controversial interpretations of Jan Hus, Catholic Modernism, the problematic heritage of the totalitarian regimes, and responses to the current humanitarian crisis.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004381094 :
1571-4799 ;
Trinity in unity in Christian-Muslim relations : the work of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue /
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Christian-Muslim relations are one of the major issues in contemporary theology of religions. This book deals with the theological foundations that have been laid for these relations in the recent official documents (1966-2005) of the Secretariat for Non-Christians/the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. There is a continuous interrelationship in recent Roman Catholic thinking between philosophy (existentialism and personalism) and theology ("nouvelle théologie" and "kerygmatic theology"). This study shows that the doctrine of the Trinitarian nature of God is the cornerstone on which this documentation rests, and that the Trinitarian dimension of Roman Catholic theology of religions will challenge the Christology of 21st century theology.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [295]-355) and index. :
9789047420828 :
1570-7350 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Marriage in the Western Church : the Christianization of marriage during the patristic and early medieval periods /
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Marriage in the Western Church examines how marriage acquired a specifically Christian identity in the Western Church from the patristic through Carolingian periods. It shows how theologians came to regard marriage as an ecclesiastical institution and how they developed a Christian theology of marriage. The first part of the book deals with marriage and divorce in Roman and Germanic law. Other parts deal with marriage and divorce in ecclesiastical law, with the Latin Fathers' distinction between the divine and human laws of marriage, and with the customary stages by which persons became married. Several chapters are devoted to Augustine's views on marriage and sexuality. The author shows how the doctrine of indissolubility became the West's chief means of christianizing marriage, and how theologians found here their preferred arguments for affirming the holiness and the 'sacramentality' of marriage. The author argues that the Western regime of indissolubility was the product of a fourth century reform movement. This publication has also been published in paperback, please click here for details.
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1 online resource (xxx, 436 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 420-427) and index. :
9789004312913 :
0920-623X ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Pentecostal churches in transition : analysing the developing ecclesiology of the Assemblies of God in Australia /
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The global growth of Pentecostal movements during the course of the twentieth century has been widely documented although, to date, there has been little written on their developing ecclesiology. After making the case for a concrete rather than idealised approach to ecclesiology, this book describes and analyses the transitions that have framed the ways in which Australian Pentecostals have understood church life and mission. From a loosely knit faith missions movement, to congregational free church structures, to the so-called apostolic models of mega-churches, Australian pentecostalism stands as a microcosmos of ecclesial developments that have occurred throughout the world. This book, therefore, provides a means of reflecting upon what has been gained and lost in the process of ecclesiological change.
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Based on the author's thesis (Ph. D.)--Australian Catholic University, 2005. :
1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [227]-242) and index. :
9789047428701 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
From temple to church : destruction and renewal of local cultic topography in late antiquity /
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Destruction of temples and their transformation into churches are central symbols of late antique change in religious environment, socio-political system, and public perception. Contemporaries were aware of these events' far-reaching symbolic significance and of their immediate impact as demonstrations of political power and religious conviction. Joined in any "temple-destruction" are the meaning of the monument, actions taken, and subsequent literary discourse. Paradigms of perception, specific interests, and forms of expression of quite various protagonists clashed. Archaeologists, historians, and historians of religion illuminate "temple-destruction" from different perspectives, analysing local configurations within larger contexts, both regional and imperial, in order to find an appropriate larger perspective on this phenomenon within the late antique movement "from temple to church".
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1 online resource (xi, 378 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and indexes. :
9789047443735 :
0927-7633 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Racial integration in the church of apartheid
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In Racial Integration in the Church of Apartheid Marthe Hesselmans uncovers the post-apartheid transformation of South Africa's Dutch Reformed Church. This church once constituted the religious pillar of the Afrikaner apartheid regime (1948-1994). Today, it seeks to unite the communities it long segregated into one multiracial institution. Few believe this will succeed. A close look inside congregations reveals unexpected stories of reconciliation though. Where South Africans realize they need each other to survive, faith offers common ground - albeit a feeble one. They show the potential, but also the limits of faith communities untangling entrenched national and racial affiliations. Linking South Africa's post-apartheid transition to religious-nationalist movements worldwide, Hesselmans offers a unique perspective on religion as source of division and healing.
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1 online resource. :
9789004385016
Christian remnant-African folk church : Seventh-Day Adventism in Tanzania, 1903-1980 /
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The growth of Christianity in Africa during the twentieth century is one of the most fascinating shifts in the history of religions. This book presents a history of the Tanzanian Seventh-day Adventist Church, which is representative of this shift in many respects: slow beginnings, struggles over cultural issues, the emergence of a unique church life combining denominational heritage and African elements, frictions with governments, and the development of popular theology. Yet Tanzanian Adventism also exemplifies an important phenomenon which has been given little attention so far - the transformation of minority denominations to dominant religions. This study breaks new ground in analyzing how the Adventist "remnant" developed into an African "folk church" while attempting to remain true to its original ethos.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [559]-600) and index. :
9789047422686 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
The Spiritual Seed - The Church of the 'Valentinians' /
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This book is a comprehensive study of "Valentinianism," the most important Gnostic Christian movement in Antiquity. It is the first attempt to make full use of the Valentinian documents from Nag Hammadi as well as the reports of the Church Fathers. The book discusses the difference between the Eastern and the Western branches of Valentinianism, and argues that individual sources must always be understood in the context of the historical development of Valentinian doctrines. It also analyses the ideas about the incarnation, protological theories, and initiation practice, as well as the dynamic relationship between these building-blocks of Valentinian doctrine. A final chapter studies anew the doctrine of Valentinus himself and outlines the history of the movement. The book's usefulness lies in its attempt to bring together for the first time all the sources so as to construct a coherent picture of Valentinian Christianity. This volume is also available as paperback .
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789047417163
9789004148024
The ideal of the self-governing church : a study in Victorian missionary strategy /
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It is part of current missiological orthodoxy that newly created churches should obtain independence from cross-cultural missionaries as soon as possible. It is not often realised that much Victorian missionary thinking shared that objective. This important new work examines the ideal of the self-governing church in the Victorian period through a study of the official mind of the Church Missionary Society. The study begins with an examination of Henry Venn's, the famous CMS Secretary, commitment to self-supporting, self-propagating and self-governing churches. Was he a lonely figure battling against the accepted wisdom of the mid-Victorian period? The author argues that he was not, and was, if anything a slightly conservative spokesman for much current wisdom. Far from his views being abandoned at his death, they were the accepted orthodoxy within CMS until the end of the century. Although they came under increasing attack in the nineties, it was not until the beginning of the twentieth century, particularly under the influence of Eugune Stock, that they were finally abandoned. The importance of this study lies not only in its ability to explain Victorian missionary development, but also because it takes on board the age-old issue of how quickly should a church become self-governing.
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1 online resource (xv, 293 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 265-284) and index. :
9789004319837 :
0924-9389 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Herakles inside and outside the church : from the first apologists to the end of the Quattrocento /
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"Herakles Inside and Outside the Church: from the first Apologists to the Quattrocento explores the reception of the ancient Greek hero Herakles (the Roman Hercules) in the predominantly Christian cultures which succeeded classical antiquity in Europe. Each chapter takes a particular literary or visual incarnation, grappling with the question of the hero's significance within the early Church, in less formal contexts, and beyond Christendom in his unexpected role as Buddha's companion in Gandharan art. The volume is one of four to be published in the Metaforms series examining the extraordinarily persistent role of Herakles-Hercules in western culture up to the present day, drawing together scholars from a range of disciplines to offer a unique insight into the hero's perennial appeal".
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Includes index. :
1 online resource. :
9789004421530
Spiritual mapping in the United States and Argentina, 1989-2005 : a geography of fear /
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Spiritual Mapping is a U.S. Evangelical and Neo-Pentecostal movement (1989-2005), which developed its own religious technique to wage a 'spiritual' war against unseen non-human beings. These 'spirits' were identified along the lines of geographical territories and put on a map, whence 'Spiritual Mapping' . Its intended function was to boost the numerical growth of Christianity. This book offers a comprehensive historical-descriptive approach of both the movement and the concept, with special attention for theological and anthropological concepts. Its historical roots, relation with Argentina, self-understanding and critics are being described. The reader is presented with a unique insight into Spiritual Mapping as an expression of Americanism, as well as the socio-political concept of Manifest Destiny and U.S. religious marketing.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 337- 361) and index. :
9789047443551 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.