Conversation, Risk, and Conversion


Book Description

In Conversation, Risk & Conversion, two of America's acknowledged leaders and most trusted thinkers on the phenomenon of small Christian communities explore their growth, development, and impact in the U.S. over the last decade. Cowan and Lee address issues such as the mission of SCCs and conflict resolution within them. Most importantly, by reflecting on both the internal and public dimensions of SCCs, Conversation, Risk & Conversion offers a cogent social analysis of the Catholic church in the U.S. today.







A Life in Conversation


Book Description

In a long and creative academic career, Professor Bernard J. Lee has published and taught on the cutting edge of Catholic theology. He has been a beloved teacher, generous mentor and cherished colleague during his academic tenures at Maryville University, St. Johns University (Collegeville), Loyola University New Orleans, and St. Marys University, San Antonio. In A Life in Conversation, his colleagues and former students offer a collection of essays that honor him on the occasion of his eightieth birthday. The essays focus on many aspects of Lees pioneering work which includes explorations in process theology, ecclesiology, the Jewish world of Jesus, sacramentology, religious life, small Christian communities, and practical theology. Gathered here under the metaphorical umbrella of conversation, a commitment of primary and life-long importance to Professor Lee, these essays offer glimpses of the stature of a religious thinker whose life in conversation continues to affect deeply his students and colleagues alike. The authors contributing to this volume are Dianne Bergant, C.S.A.; Michael A. Cowan; Nancy Dallavalle; William V. DAntonio; Peter Eichten; Thomas F. Giardino, S.M.; Andrew Simon Sleeman, O.S.B.; Terry A. Veling; and Evelyn and James Whitehead. A Life in Conversation concludes with an essay by Professor Lee.




Difficult Conversations


Book Description

The 10th-anniversary edition of the New York Times business bestseller-now updated with "Answers to Ten Questions People Ask" We attempt or avoid difficult conversations every day-whether dealing with an underperforming employee, disagreeing with a spouse, or negotiating with a client. From the Harvard Negotiation Project, the organization that brought you Getting to Yes, Difficult Conversations provides a step-by-step approach to having those tough conversations with less stress and more success. you'll learn how to: · Decipher the underlying structure of every difficult conversation · Start a conversation without defensiveness · Listen for the meaning of what is not said · Stay balanced in the face of attacks and accusations · Move from emotion to productive problem solving




Gathered and Sent


Book Description

"In Gatbered and Sent, Bernard Lee and Michael Cowan propose a mode of doing theology within small Christian communities that is marked by conversation and active participation by all. It is a practical theology where people reflect on their whole lives, personal and social, in the light of Christian faith, make commitments to action in light of that reflection, and hold one another accountable for those commitments."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved




Pentecostal Theology for the Twenty-First Century


Book Description

In our post 9/11 world where there is a growing religious fundamentalism, and when both exclusion and easy tolerance are inadequate options, this book offers a creative alternative arguing that Pentecostalism has the potential to be a peaceful harbinger of plurality. The potential lies in its spirituality - a lively pneumatology and eschatology. The eschatological Spirit is seen as orientated towards the other, crossing boundaries in redemptive embrace, transcending exclusion and easy tolerance. This book's non-Western perspective and the empirical contextual study of Singapore's multicultural and multi-faith context are unique contributions to religion and society. This is a book for students, pastors, teachers, and theologians concerned for an approach to mission that is sensitive to their context, who want to learn from a creative theological voice from what has been perhaps the largest religious movement in history, and who see the immense potential in lively theology by Christians of the Chinese diaspora who can speak to the many millions of ethnic Chinese Christians. This book will also appeal to those outside Christianity who are interested in its attempts to engage with a complex multi-ethnic and multi-religious situation such as that in Singapore.




Effective Small Churches in the Twenty-First Century


Book Description

Dudley's work in Making the Small Church Effective (1978) broke new ground in understanding the dynamics of life in the small congregation. In this revised edition, Dudley revisits the small church, posing new questions reflective of the considerable changes that have swept over small churches in the last two decades. Among the most significant recent developments are shifts in institutional loyalty and individual's sense of identity in relation to larger groups and organizations. Dudley explores the key components that contribute to a small congregation's sense of unity and that motivate its members to more faithfully live out their faith.




City-making, Space and Spirituality


Book Description

This book is about the soul of the city, embodied in its spaces and people. It traces dynamics in inner city neighbourhoods of South Africa’s post-apartheid capital, Pretoria. Viewing the city through its most vulnerable people and places, it recognizes that urban space is never neutral and shaped by competing value frameworks. The first part of the book invites planners, city-makers, and ordinary urban citizens, to consider a new self-understanding, reclaiming their agency in the city-making process. Through the metaphor of "becoming like children", planning practice is deconstructed and re-imagined. A praxis-based methodology is presented, cultivating four distinct moments of entering, reading, imagining and co-constructing the city. After deconstructing urban spaces and discourses, the second part of the book explores a concrete spirituality and ethic of urban space. It argues for a shift from planning as technocracy, to planning as immersed, participatory artistry: opening up to the "genius" of space, responsive to urban cries, and joining to construct new, soul-full spaces. Local communities and interconnected movements become embodiments of urban alternatives – through resistance and reconstruction; building on local assets; animating local reclamations; and weaving nets of hope that will span the entire city. Providing a concrete methodology for city-making that is rooted in a community-based urban praxis, this book will be of interest to urban planning researchers, professional planners and designers and also grass-root community developers or activists.




Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High, Third Edition


Book Description

Keep your cool and get the results you want when faced with crucial conversations. This New York Times bestseller and business classic has been fully updated for a world where skilled communication is more important than ever. The book that revolutionized business communications has been updated for today’s workplace. Crucial Conversations provides powerful skills to ensure every conversation—especially difficult ones—leads to the results you want. Written in an engaging and witty style, the book teaches readers how to be persuasive rather than abrasive, how to get back to productive dialogue when others blow up or clam up, and it offers powerful skills for mastering high-stakes conversations, regardless of the topic or person. This new edition addresses issues that have arisen in recent years. You’ll learn how to: Respond when someone initiates a crucial conversation with you Identify and address the lag time between identifying a problem and discussing it Communicate more effectively across digital mediums When stakes are high, opinions vary, and emotions run strong, you have three choices: Avoid a crucial conversation and suffer the consequences; handle the conversation poorly and suffer the consequences; or apply the lessons and strategies of Crucial Conversations and improve relationships and results. Whether they take place at work or at home, with your coworkers or your spouse, crucial conversations have a profound impact on your career, your happiness, and your future. With the skills you learn in this book, you'll never have to worry about the outcome of a crucial conversation again.




Spiritual Quest


Book Description

A guide for those who want to grow in the spiritual life, with insights into the questions spawned by today's spiritual resurgence.