A Layman's Introduction to Christian Thought


Book Description

“It is not—it cannot be—a case of either/or.” Why have different denominations—all leaning on the Bible—emerged with different emphases? Differing views of sin, of man, of Christ and his work, of the nature and purpose of the church, all seem to be in head-on opposition . . . until the author explains how these opposites are held together in tension. Each of the views is true—but each, by itself, is incomplete. Three basic concepts of sin (Is it rebellion, guilt, bondage—or all three?) lead to the concepts that man must be either a rebel or a slave. The person and work of Christ must also be seen in different ways. Either Jesus came to turn man away from his rebellious ways or he came mainly to atone for man’s guilt. Or did he come to rescue man who was helplessly in bondage? For the first time in many centuries, Christians of different faiths are coming together as brothers. Should we seek the lowest common denominator, ignoring our differences, in the quest for unity? The author sees a real threat in trying to choose “either/or.” “The different denominations need each other,” he emphasizes, “but they need each other as different denominations.”







Clericalism


Book Description

Searching for answers in the midst of the sexual abuse crisis in the church, many blamed the clerical culture. But what exactly is this clerical culture? We may know it when we see it, but how can we 'whether clergy or laypeople 'go about dismantling it and putting in place a new, healthy culture? George Wilson has spent decades working with organizations to help them discover, and often recover, their foundational calling. He is also a Jesuit priest engaged in the lives of congregations. In Clericalism: The Death of Priesthood he brings together both capacities and gives his sense of the challenges facing the church. As members of the church, Wilson maintains, we are all responsible for creating a clerical culture. And we are also responsible for that culture's transformation. Clericalism aids this transformation by helping us examine some underlying attitudes that create and preserve destructive relationships between ordained and laity. After looking at the crisis and establishing where we are now, this book challenges us with concrete suggestions for changing behaviors. We are lay and ordained, but all baptized into the royal priesthood of 1 Peter 2:9, all called to spread the Gospel and do the work of God's love in the world. Ultimately, this is a hopeful book, looking for the restoration of a genuine priesthood, free of clericalism, in which we become truly united in Christ..




A Layman’S Guide To


Book Description

This history of the origins and development of Christian denominations is in laymans language. Readers will not become bogged down in technical or archaic terms. Begin by reading about the Christian groups, denominations, that developed in the time between Jesus crucifixion and the formal origins of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches. Learn how the Roman empire came to accept Christianity as its religion, of the cooperation and struggles between the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches and how that led to their separation. Read about how the Black Death, the Crusades, the struggles within the Roman Catholic Church led some church leaders, such as Martin Luther, to attempt to reform the church, and how those attempts led to The Reformation. That opened the door to England declaring that the Church of England, the Anglican Church is the true Christian church. John Calvin laid the ground work for what became the Presbyterian and the Reformed churches. Then came the Huguenots and the Walloons, and the Puritan-Pilgrims who came to America and evolved into such as the Congregationalists. Back in England the Quakers experienced persecution that encouraged them to move to America. John Wesley began what evolved into Methodism. The American Revolution caused American churches of English origin to separate from their English roots and to become such as the Episcopalians and the Methodists. Read about the history of the many denominations that have come into being in The United States. There are the numerous Christian churches, the Unitarians, Spiritualist churches, Mormons, Adventists, Jehovahs Witnesses, Christian Science, Pentecostalism and many independent non-denominational churches. It is fascinating history, and all in laymans language.




... Catalogue of Printed Books


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The Monthly Review


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Christifideles Laici


Book Description

Revolutionary document on the dignity and role of the lay faithful in the Church