Enchanted Community


Book Description

What Henderson has done in 'Enchanted Community' is force us to confront the questions of why the church is, and what it has to do with the good news of God in Jesus Christ. He takes us on a fascinating journey into the mystery of the church, and in the process, challenges our understanding of what it means to be the authentic body of Christ. For Henderson, the church should not be identified with its institutional forms, but rather in the authentic communities inhabited by the Holy Spirit that are part of God's missional movement. We, as believers, are in a very real sense Òcalled out to be part of this New Creation community to lead transformed lives as a witness to God's revelation. The journey leads us back to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as the only (and ultimate) source of enchantment in a disenchanted world. As Henderson makes clear, this journey is anything but non-controversial, harmless, and Òspiritual, but is in fact radical and subversive in its very essence. This book offers to all of us--from the pragmatic, the idealistic, and the honest, to the slightly cynical and almost-jaded--practical steps to maintaining the integrity of our discipleship and the authenticity of our relationships as we struggle to live out our calling to be an enchanted people, bearers of God's authentic New Creation humanity in the church and in our daily ministry as salt and light where we live and work.




The Enchanted Village


Book Description

In this tale for older children, Greek mythology comes back with a vengeance. Something strange is happening in Tremarion. The local mystic claims it to be supernatural. Then the fairground folk arrive. With the names of ancient gods and dressed to match, they take the village by storm. Piers is given a golden apple, but is it a gift, or a curse?




The Church and the Relentless Darkness


Book Description

In a period of tumultuous transition for the church as it moves out of the Christendom era and into the unknowns of the post-Christian era, it is strange that so little has been written about the church's calling out of the dominion of darkness (Satan) and into the kingdom of Light (or, God's dear Son). The very word ecclesia speaks of a people "called out." In the New Testament the theme of spiritual warfare is ubiquitous, and yet is relegated to the margins in our present cultural whitewater. In The Church and the Relentless Darkness, Robert Henderson approaches the topic of spiritual warfare directly, and focuses on its manifestation in local Christian communities. Using the Letter to the Ephesian Christians as his base, Henderson portrays the relentless darkness that comes with all satanic subtlety on unsuspecting communities, but he brings with this a message of hope and encouraging disciplines.




Refounding the Church from the Underside


Book Description

As the Christian church in the West moves further into the post-Christian era a dilemma rises for those thoughtful followers of Jesus Christ who find themselves in venerable, older church institutions that have become forgetful of their reason for being in the purpose of God. Such Christendom church institutions, as Henderson designates them, rather become somewhat idolatrous of their traditions, their sanctuaries, their ecclesiastical accoutrements, not to mention their dependence on a questionable category of persons called clergy. A younger generation, involved in many of these churches, is raising insistent questions about the integrity of so much of this--while at the same time being appreciative of so much that is good. Henderson's long career as a teaching pastor and mentor to the younger generations help us walk through this dilemma with refreshing insights about purpose (teleology), Kingdom integrity, form, and the disciplines necessary to transform these communities from the underside. He employs the term refounding as indicating something much more profound than renewal--a reclaiming of its original intent in the heart and mind of God.




The Enchanted Life


Book Description

A book of natural wonders, practical guidance and life-changing empowerment, by the author of the word-of-mouth bestseller If Women Rose Rooted. 'To live an enchanted life is to pick up the pieces of our bruised and battered psyches, and to offer them the nourishment they long for. It is to be challenged, to be awakened, to be gripped and shaken to the core by the extraordinary which lies at the heart of the ordinary. Above all, to live an enchanted life is to fall in love with the world all over again.' The enchanted life has nothing to do with escapism or magical thinking: it is founded on a vivid sense of belonging to a rich and many-layered world. It is creative, intuitive, imaginative. It thrives on work that has heart and meaning. It loves wild things, but returns to an enchanted home and garden. It respects the instinctive knowledge, ethical living and playfulness, and relishes story and art. Taking the inspiration and wisdom that can be derived from myth, fairy tales and folk culture, this book offers a set of practical and grounded tools for reclaiming enchantment in our lives, giving us a greater sense of meaning and of belonging to the world.







Introduction to Pagan Studies


Book Description

Pagan Studies is maturing and moving beyond the context of new religious movements to situate itself in within of the study of world religions. Introduction to Pagan Studies is the first and only text designed to introduce the study of contemporary Paganism as a world religion. It examines the intellectual, religious, and social spheres of Paganism through common categories in the study of religion, which includes beliefs, practices, theology, ritual, history, and role of texts and scriptures. The text is accessible to readers of all backgrounds and religions and assumes no prior knowledge of Paganism. This text will also serve as a general introduction to Pagan Studies for non-specialist scholars of religion, as well as be of interest to scholars in the related disciplines of Anthropology, Sociology and Cultural Studies, and to students taking courses in Religious Studies, Pagan Studies, Nature Religion, New Religious Movements, and Religion in America. The book will also be useful to non-academic practitioners of Paganism interested in current scholarship.










Investing in Enchantment


Book Description

Should we keep the family cabin or list it on Airbnb? U.S. second homes are formally classified as investment properties used primarily for financial gain or vacation homes primarily reserved for personal use, but what have families actually been doing with them before, during, and after COVID-19 lockdowns? Today’s desire for authenticity and family connectedness has made family vacation homes a compelling site to examine how we think of labor and leisure, whom we include as family members and neighbors, and how all of this is represented both spatially and materially. Framed as a magical place for family members to look back on nostalgically, the family vacation home remains an enchanted and memory-filled site that is artificially removed from the marketplace, even if it is rented to others for their family vacations. It is meant to be a magical escape from the challenges of work and family stress, politics, and social inequalities. In reality, the family vacation home requires labor, has financial value as a piece of family wealth, and the magic is not accessible to all. In Investing in Enchantment, Michelle Janning tells a new story about the cultural meanings and structural outcomes surrounding family vacation homes today.