The Calling of the Church in Times of Polarization


Book Description

In many societies all over the world, an increasing polarization between contrasting groups can be observed. Polarization arises when a fear born of difference turns into ‘us-versus-them’ thinking and rules out any form of compromise. This volume addresses polarizations within societies as well as within churches, and asks the question: given these dynamics, what may be the calling of the church? The authors offer new approaches to polarizing debates on topics such as racism, social justice, sexuality and gender, euthanasia, and ecology and agriculture in various contexts. They engage in profound theological and ecclesiological reflection, in particular from the Reformed tradition. Contributors to this volume are: Najib George Awad, Henk van den Belt, Nadine Bowers Du Toit, Jaeseung Cha, David Daniels, David Fergusson, Jan Jorrit Hasselaar, Jozef Hehanussa, Allan Janssen, Klaas-Willem de Jong, Viktória Kóczián, Philipp Pattberg, Louise Prideaux, Emanuel Gerrit Singgih, Peter-Ben Smit, Thandi Soko-de Jong, Wim van Vlastuin, Jan Dirk Wassenaar, Elizabeth Welch, Annemarieke van der Woude, and Heleen Zorgdrager.




Christian-Muslim Relations. A Bibliographical History. Volume 12 Asia, Africa and the Americas (1700-1800)


Book Description

Christian-Muslim Relations, a Bibliographical History 12 (CMR 12) covering the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia, Africa and the Americas in the period 1700-1800 is a further volume in a general history of relations between the two faiths from the 7th century to the early 20th century. It comprises a series of introductory essays and also the main body of detailed entries which treat all the works, surviving or lost, that have been recorded. These entries provide biographical details of the authors, descriptions and assessments of the works themselves, and complete accounts of manuscripts, editions, translations and studies. The result of collaboration between numerous leading scholars, CMR 12, along with the other volumes in this series, is intended as a basic tool for research in Christian-Muslim relations. Section Editors: Clinton Bennett, Luis F. Bernabe Pons, Jaco Beyers, Emanuele Colombo, Karoline Cook, Sinéad Cussen, Lejla Demiri, Martha Frederiks, David D. Grafton, Stanisław Grodź, Alan Guenther, Emma Gaze Loghin, Gordon Nickel, Claire Norton, Reza Pourjavady, Douglas Pratt, Radu Păun, Charles Ramsey, Peter Riddell, Umar Ryad, Mehdi Sajid, Cornelia Soldat, Karel Steenbrink, Ann Thomson, Carsten Walbiner




Does Religion Make a Difference?


Book Description

Religions are increasingly being regarded as relevant partners in international development cooperation due to their special attributes. However, to date there has been little research into what the special attributes of religious development agencies actually are or how such organisations employ them. What resources do religious NGOs draw on in development cooperation? How do such NGOs differ from other development agencies? Does their engagement make a considerable difference to collaborative development work? Using empirical case studies and theoretical analysis, the contributions in this book address these questions. In doing so, they examine different religions and their collaborative development work in various regions of the world, and chart the most recent changes in religions. With contributions by Jeffrey Haynes, Katherine Marshall, Andreas Heuser, Jens Koehrsen, Dena Freeman, Richard Friedli, Wilhelm Gräb, Ulrich Dehn, Marie Juul Petersen, Claudia Hoffmann, Sinah Theres Kloß, Yonatan N. Gez, Katrin Langewiesche, Suwarto Adi, Ido Benvenisti, Christine Schliesser, Leif H. Seibert, Philipp Öhlmann, Marie-Luise Frost, Adi Maya.




The Book of Cabolèk


Book Description

The Scope of the Work The main purpose of this work is to give a critical edition of a Javanese text - the Serat Cabolek - together with an Introduction, an English trans lation of the text, and Notes. The present publication is a slighdy revised version of a doctoral dissertation submitted to the Australian National Univer sity in 1967. The Introduction to the text begins with a brief description of each of the extant MSS of the Serat Cabolek to be found in the Manuscript Sections of the Jakarta Museum Library and the Lembaga Kebudayaan Indonesia and in the Griental Manuscripts Section of the Leiden University Library. In addition, a description is given of a printed version of the Serat Cabolek. The eleven MSS and the printed text are compared with one another on the points of form, structure and content, in order to discover their mutual relationship. From this comparison it becomes clear that no matter how much these eleven MSS and the printed text of theSerat Cabolek may differ the one from the other, they all share a common core and all ultimately derive from a single source. The kernel of the Serat Cabolek in all probability comprised only the following sections: (1) the story dealing with the trial of Haji Mutamakin by the Kartasura tribunal; (2) the teaching of Dewa Ruci to Bhima; and (3) a commentary on Dewa Ruds counsel to Bhima.




The Protestant Clergy of Early Modern Europe


Book Description

The Protestant Clergy of Early Modern Europe provides a comprehensive survey of the Protestant clergy in Europe during the confessional age. Eight contributions, written by historians with specialist research knowledge in the field, offer the reader a wide-ranging synthesis of the main concerns of current historiography. Themes include the origins and the evolution of the Protestant clergy during the age of Reformation, the role and function of the clergy in the context of early modern history, and the contribution of the clergy to the developments of the age (the making of confessions, education, the reform of culture, social and political thought).




Integrated Rural Development in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia


Book Description

These proceedings report on an international workshop held in Kupang, in April 2006, to identify opportunities and constraints to improving livelihoods in East Nusa Tenggara using an integrated rural development approach, and to discuss directions for future activities.




Interreligious Hermeneutics


Book Description

Catherine Cornille, Boston CollegeDavid Tracy, University of Chicago Divinity SchoolWerner Jeanrond, University of GlasgowMarianne Moyaert, University of LeuvenJohn Maraldo, University of North FloridaReza Shah-Kazemi, Institute of Ismaili StudiesMalcolm David Eckel, Boston UniversityJoseph S. O'Leary, Sophia UniversityJohn P. Keenan, Middlebury CollegeHendrik Vroom, VU University AmsterdamLaurie Patton, Emory University




Information Theory, Inference and Learning Algorithms


Book Description

Information theory and inference, taught together in this exciting textbook, lie at the heart of many important areas of modern technology - communication, signal processing, data mining, machine learning, pattern recognition, computational neuroscience, bioinformatics and cryptography. The book introduces theory in tandem with applications. Information theory is taught alongside practical communication systems such as arithmetic coding for data compression and sparse-graph codes for error-correction. Inference techniques, including message-passing algorithms, Monte Carlo methods and variational approximations, are developed alongside applications to clustering, convolutional codes, independent component analysis, and neural networks. Uniquely, the book covers state-of-the-art error-correcting codes, including low-density-parity-check codes, turbo codes, and digital fountain codes - the twenty-first-century standards for satellite communications, disk drives, and data broadcast. Richly illustrated, filled with worked examples and over 400 exercises, some with detailed solutions, the book is ideal for self-learning, and for undergraduate or graduate courses. It also provides an unparalleled entry point for professionals in areas as diverse as computational biology, financial engineering and machine learning.




A History of Christianity in Indonesia


Book Description

Indonesia is the home of the largest single Muslim community of the world. Its Christian community, about 10% of the population, has until now received no overall description in English. Through cooperation of 26 Indonesian and European scholars, Protestants and Catholics, a broad and balanced picture is given of its 24 million Christians. This book sketches the growth of Christianity during the Portuguese period (1511-1605), it presents a fair account of developments under the Dutch colonial administration (1605-1942) and is more elaborate for the period of the Indonesian Republic (since 1945). It emphasizes the regional differences in this huge country, because most Christians live outside the main island of Java. Muslim-Christian relations, as well as the tensions between foreign missionaries and local theology, receive special attention.