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This Far by Faith: Tradition and Change in the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania
by David R. ContostaThe history of the Diocese of Pennsylvania is in many ways a history of the Episcopal Church at large. It remains one of the largest and most influential dioceses in the national church. Its story has paralleled and illustrated the challenges and accomplishments of the wider denomination—and of issues that concern the American people as a whole. In This Far by Faith, ten professional historians provide the first complete history of the Diocese of Pennsylvania. It will become essential reading for anyone wishing to understand the history and significance of the Episcopal Church and of its evolution in the Greater Philadelphia area.Aside from the editor, the contributors are Charles Cashdollar, Marie Conn, William W. Cutler III, Deborah Mathias Gough, Ann Greene, Sheldon Hackney, Emma J. Lapsansky-Werner, William Pencak, and Thomas F. Rzeznik.
This Far by Faith: Tradition and Change in the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania
by David R. ContostaThe history of the Diocese of Pennsylvania is in many ways a history of the Episcopal Church at large. It remains one of the largest and most influential dioceses in the national church. Its story has paralleled and illustrated the challenges and accomplishments of the wider denomination—and of issues that concern the American people as a whole. In This Far by Faith, ten professional historians provide the first complete history of the Diocese of Pennsylvania. It will become essential reading for anyone wishing to understand the history and significance of the Episcopal Church and of its evolution in the Greater Philadelphia area.Aside from the editor, the contributors are Charles Cashdollar, Marie Conn, William W. Cutler III, Deborah Mathias Gough, Ann Greene, Sheldon Hackney, Emma J. Lapsansky-Werner, William Pencak, and Thomas F. Rzeznik.
This Female Man of God: Women and Spiritual Power in the Patristic Age, 350-450 AD
by Gillian ClokeThis book is a study of the contribution of women to the development of the newly legitimate Christian church in the twilight of the Western Roman Empire. There are many women noted for the example of their life in this period, regarded amongst the luminaries of the day; but while their male mentors, the patristic authors have retained their fame, the women who surrounded and influenced them have all but disappeared from sight. The women themselves are partly to blame for this, for in order to be pious it made sense to disguise one's sex sometimes literally: Dr Cloke gives examples of those whose sex was discovered only after their death - they sought to become androgynous, a third sex before God. This book looks at a multitude of examples in some detail and takes an overview of the role of Christian women at this time. It should appeal not only to historians, classicists and theologians, but also to anyone who takes a general interest in the changing status of women over the the centuries.
This First Christmas Night
by Laura GodwinElegant, simple text and luminous art make this picture book an almost hymn-like meditation on the meaning of Christmas and the Nativity story.See this small gray donkey,this long, dusty road,this promising star.See this man, Joseph,this woman, Mary.Feel the frost onthis clear Bethlehem night."Wonderful for bedtime and lapsit storytimes, this book is a gentle retelling of the Nativity for very young readers who are learning about Jesus for the first time."--School Library Journal"Godwin directly addresses readers, beckoning them to witness the sights and sounds of the first Christmas through their senses... It’s a lyrical and understated account of the Nativity that will leave readers feeling as though they are witnessing something momentous."--Publishers Weekly
This Flawless Place Between
by Bruno PortierHurtling over the edge of the precipice, Anne embraces the moment, relishing the cool air streaming through her hair, the setting sun's shimmering light, the freedom of release from the earth before gravity comes back to claim her. She takes the time to enjoy it. It will be over soon.For all those who loved The Alchemist, Siddhartha, and Jonathan Livingston Seagull, This Flawless Place Between is a mesmerising and uplifting story about death and dying. Interweaving the key themes of The Tibetan Book of the Dead, one of the world's most influential and treasured spiritual texts, Portier gently explores our deepest questions about life, love, and death with a refreshing openness and delicacy.Anne and Evan are vacationing in the Tibetan mountains when on an isolated stretch of road they lose control of their motorbike. Bike and riders spin over the edge, plunging into a ravine. Evan's leg is broken; Anne isn't moving. A Tibetan peasant hurries to help them, but while Evan tries in vain to save Anne's life, the stranger focuses on guiding her spirit along the new path it must take to the next one. So begins a cathartic voyage that carries Anne away from her broken body and back through the traumas and ecstasies of her life. Once again, she is a child mourning a dead pet, a young woman embracing her lover, the radiant hostess of an art exhibition, a distraught mother hearing that her young daughter has been critically injured. As she revisits her past, and the futures of those she will leave behind, Anne begins to accept not only her death but also her life - and that what happens next will be up to her.
This Flowing Toward Me: A Story Of God Arriving In Strangers
by Marilyn LaceyWhat began in 1979 as a response to a random bulletin board posting would ultimately change Sister Marilyn Lacey's life--and the lives of countless refugees. In vivid prose, Sister Lacey narrates her twenty-five year spiritual journey of work with those displaced by conflict and disaster. In the spirit of "Dead Man Walking," she invites us to solidarity with some of the world's most vulnerable. Timely and engaging, "This Flowing Toward Me" offers fresh, personal insights into the world of refugees and international immigrants. More importantly, it stirs our hearts to remember the gospel mandate to welcome the stranger.
This Hallelujah Banquet: How the End of What We Were Reveals Who We Can Be
by Eugene H. PetersonIn this powerful new interpretation of the book of Revelation, the late, revered author and translator of The Message Bible offers timely insights into how we can lean into growth, not in spite of challenging times, but because of them. &“Insightful and inviting . . . This is Eugene at his pastoral best.&”—Rev. Dr. Glenn Packiam, associate senior pastor at New Life Church and author of Blessed Broken Given The book of Revelation is filled with angels and dragons, fantastic beasts and golden cities, bottomless pits and mysterious numbers. It&’s dramatic, sure—but what exactly does that have to do with the tests we face today? Actually, a lot. When the apostle John penned the book of Revelation, believers lived in a time of deception and injustice. But his message doesn&’t just reflect their cries for things to be made right; it reveals heaven&’s perspective of the bigger picture. In this never-before-published work, Eugene H. Peterson traces the dramatic symbolism found in John&’s letters to the seven churches, uncovering Christ&’s instructions to these ancient communities. Along the way, encounter seven key tests, of our love, suffering, truth, holiness, reality, witness, and commitment, tests from Christ that can deepen our faith and even shape our future. This Hallelujah Banquet is your personal invitation to grow deep and begin living now in a generous, abundant, and hopeful reality in Christ.
This Happened in My Presence: Moriscos, Old Christians, and the Spanish Inquisition in the Town of Deza, 1569-1611
by Patrick J. O'BanionThis Happened in My Presence reveals life in the small Spanish town of Deza during a period that was complex and tumultuous. The introduction explains the medieval origins of Deza's Christian, Muslim, and Jewish populations and the changing policies toward religious minorities under the Catholic Monarchs and the Hapsburgs. The workings of the Spanish Inquisition and of Deza's local religious and political institutions are clearly described. Helpful pedagogical materials enhance the primary sources: a timeline interweaving local, national, and international events; a cast of characters; four modern images of Deza; maps; a glossary; discussion questions; and a bibliography. Each set of documents is accompanied by a brief introduction and focus questions.
This Hebrew Lord
by John Shelby SpongFrom the bestselling author of Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism: John Shelby Spong's original groundbreaking classic, now newly revised, reveals the Jesus "behind the language of myth, magic, and superstition.""In this study I found a Lord, a center for my being. Behind the supernatural framework of the first century . . . I discovered a life I wanted to know; a life that possessed a power I wanted to possess; a freedom, a wholeness for which I had yearned for years."Illuminating the "figure who stands at the center of all the Christina Church is," John Shelby Spong explores Jesus under the light of the Hebrew tradition into which he was born. Candid, personal, and soundly argued, this is Spong's spiritual and intellectual pilgrimage to the Christ he discovered in Jesus of Nazareth.
This Here Flesh: Spirituality, Liberation, and the Stories That Make Us
by Cole Arthur RileyIn her stunning debut, the creator of Black Liturgies weaves stories from three generations of her family alongside contemplative reflections to discover the &“necessary rituals&” that connect us with our belonging, dignity, and liberation.&“This is the kind of book that makes you different when you&’re done.&”—Ashley C. Ford, New York Times bestselling author of Somebody&’s Daughter&“Reaches deep beneath the surface of words unspoken, wounds unhealed, and secrets untempered to break them open in order for fresh light to break through.&”—Morgan Jerkins, New York Times bestselling author of This Will Be My Undoing and Caul Baby&“From the womb, we must repeat with regularity that to love ourselves is to survive. I believe that is what my father wanted for me and knew I would so desperately need: a tool for survival, the truth of my dignity named like a mercy new each morning.&” So writes Cole Arthur Riley in her unforgettable book of stories and reflections on discovering the sacred in her skin. In these deeply transporting pages, Arthur Riley reflects on the stories of her grandmother and father, and how they revealed to her an embodied, dignity-affirming spirituality, not only in what they believed but in the act of living itself. Writing memorably of her own childhood and coming to self, Arthur Riley boldly explores some of the most urgent questions of life and faith: How can spirituality not silence the body, but instead allow it to come alive? How do we honor, lament, and heal from the stories we inherit? How can we find peace in a world overtaken with dislocation, noise, and unrest? In this indelible work of contemplative storytelling, Arthur Riley invites us to descend into our own stories, examine our capacity to rest, wonder, joy, rage, and repair, and find that our humanity is not an enemy to faith but evidence of it. At once a compelling spiritual meditation, a powerful intergenerational account, and a tender coming-of-age narrative, This Here Flesh speaks potently to anyone who suspects that our stories might have something to say to us.
This Here Flesh: Spirituality, Liberation and the Stories That Make Us
by Cole Arthur Riley'This is the kind of book that make you different when you're done.' - Ashley C. Ford, New York Times bestselling author of Somebody's Daughter'From the womb, we must repeat with regularity that to love ourselves is to survive. I believe that is what my father wanted for me and knew I would so desperately need: a tool for survival, the truth of my dignity named like a mercy new each morning.'So writes Cole Arthur Riley in an unforgettable book of stories and reflections on discovering the sacred in her skin. In these deeply transporting pages, Cole reflects on the stories of her grandmother and father and encounters of enfleshed, embodied spirituality. As she writes memorably of her own lived experiences of childhood and selfhood, Cole boldly explores some of the most urgent questions of life and faith: How can spirituality not silence the body, but instead allow it to come alive? How do we honour, lament, and heal from the stories we inherit?How can we find peace in a world overtaken with dislocation, noise, and unrest? At once a compelling spiritual meditation and a tender coming-of-age narrative, This Here Flesh invites us to ponder the site of the soul by examining our capacity to rest, wonder, joy, rage, and repair - and finding that our humanity is not an enemy to faith but evidence of it.'Exquisite' - Ayo Tomenti, co-founder of Black Lives Matter
This House Is Haunted: True Encounters With The World Beyond (True Encounters with the World Beyond #10)
by Hans HolzerJoin paranormal expert and storyteller extraordinaire Hans Holzer as he investigates the most famous, and infamous, real-life haunted housesPerhaps no other paranormal situation captures our imagination more than a haunted house. The idea of sharing a home with the dead is unsettling for the current inhabitants, but according to professor Hans Holzer, it can be equally as upsetting to the ghost. In The House Is Haunted, Holzer explores more than eighty haunted houses—all over the United States and abroad—dissects their history, and speculates on the reasons the otherworldly inhabitants continue to stay in their earthly abodes.
This House is Haunted: The True Story of a Poltergeist
by Guy Lyon PlayfairA full-length true account of a poltergeist case, written by an experienced investigator of the paranormal on the spot right from the start.
This I Know: Trusting Your Unknown Future to a Known God
by Laura DingmanHow to live like God's in controlDo you worry often about what the future holds? Do you long for peace but don&’t know how to have it? Do you know factually that God is trustworthy, but not practically how to live that out?This I Know is a 6-week Bible study for those who want to walk upon the water. It guides women into biblical truths about the character of God so they can step faithfully into the unknown, confident in the God they do know. Corrie Ten Boom said it best, &“Never be afraid to trust your unknown future to a known God.&” Join Laura Dingman as she journeys through Acts 17, James 1, Habakkuk 3, Psalm 46, 2 Chronicles 20, and Joshua 3, diving into subjects like abundance in Jesus, the goodness of God in trial, and the value of remembering God&’s past faithfulness. Each week offers opportunity for prayer, interaction with the biblical text, journaling, and group discussion. Using Scripture, insights from her own life, and prompts for reflection, Laura points readers continuously to the unchanging character of God, helping them surrender their lives to Him and give Him all their trust.
This I Know: Trusting Your Unknown Future to a Known God
by Laura DingmanHow to live like God's in controlDo you worry often about what the future holds? Do you long for peace but don&’t know how to have it? Do you know factually that God is trustworthy, but not practically how to live that out?This I Know is a 6-week Bible study for those who want to walk upon the water. It guides women into biblical truths about the character of God so they can step faithfully into the unknown, confident in the God they do know. Corrie Ten Boom said it best, &“Never be afraid to trust your unknown future to a known God.&” Join Laura Dingman as she journeys through Acts 17, James 1, Habakkuk 3, Psalm 46, 2 Chronicles 20, and Joshua 3, diving into subjects like abundance in Jesus, the goodness of God in trial, and the value of remembering God&’s past faithfulness. Each week offers opportunity for prayer, interaction with the biblical text, journaling, and group discussion. Using Scripture, insights from her own life, and prompts for reflection, Laura points readers continuously to the unchanging character of God, helping them surrender their lives to Him and give Him all their trust.
This I Know For Sure: Taking God at His Word (This I Know For Sure)
by Babbie MasonDo you have a longing to know God more intimately? Do you desire a rock-solid faith to believe God for the challenges you are facing, regardless of how you may feel? This powerful new book by award-winning Gospel singer-songwriter and Bible teacher Babbie Mason challenges you to examine your personal relationship with God and make up your mind to believe God's Word, regardless of your feelings or circumstances, and take hold of some non-negotiable principles of the faith. Whether you are wrestling with questions or fears, facing a health or financial or other crisis, or struggling in your relationships, these principles will enable you to trust God with your doubts, cease your wavering, and drive a spiritual stake of faith in the ground. Drawing upon the powerful words of 2 Timothy 1:12, Babbie identifies five spiritual "landmarks" that point us to foundational promises in God's Word we can know beyond a shadow of a doubt.
This I Know For Sure - Women's Bible Study Leader Guide: Taking God at His Word (This I Know For Sure)
by Jennifer Youngman Babbie MasonDo you have a longing to know God more intimately? Do you desire a rock-solid faith to believe God for the challenges you are facing, regardless of how you may feel? Based on her book, This I Know For Sure, this six-week Bible study by award-winning Gospel singer-songwriter and Bible teacher Babbie Mason challenges you to examine your personal relationship with God, make up your mind to believe God's Word, regardless of your feelings or circumstances, and take hold of some non-negotiable principles of the faith. Whether you are wrestling with questions or fears, struggling in your relationships, or facing a health, financial, or other crisis, these principles will enable you to trust God with your doubts, cease your wavering, and drive a spiritual stake of faith in the ground. The Leader Guide contains six session plan outlines, complete with discussion points and questions, activities, prayers, and more--plus leader helps for facilitating a group.
This Incredible Need to Believe (European Perspectives: A Series in Social Thought and Cultural Criticism)
by Julia Kristeva"Unlike Freud, I do not claim that religion is just an illusion and a source of neurosis. The time has come to recognize, without being afraid of 'frightening' either the faithful or the agnostics, that the history of Christianity prepared the world for humanism."So writes Julia Kristeva in this provocative work, which skillfully upends our entrenched ideas about religion, belief, and the thought and work of a renowned psychoanalyst and critic. With dialogue and essay, Kristeva analyzes our "incredible need to believe"--the inexorable push toward faith that, for Kristeva, lies at the heart of the psyche and the history of society. Examining the lives, theories, and convictions of Saint Teresa of Avila, Sigmund Freud, Donald Winnicott, Hannah Arendt, and other individuals, she investigates the intersection between the desire for God and the shadowy zone in which belief resides. Kristeva suggests that human beings are formed by their need to believe, beginning with our first attempts at speech and following through to our adolescent search for identity and meaning. Kristeva then applies her insight to contemporary religious clashes and the plight of immigrant populations, especially those of Islamic origin. Even if we no longer have faith in God, Kristeva argues, we must believe in human destiny and creative possibility. Reclaiming Christianity's openness to self-questioning and the search for knowledge, Kristeva urges a "new kind of politics," one that restores the integrity of the human community.
This Incredible Need to Believe (European Perspectives)
by Julia Kristeva&“A sprawling analysis of religion in major psychological and philosophical literature, fiction and in private life . . . compelling and remarkable.&”—Publishers Weekly &“Unlike Freud, I do not claim that religion is just an illusion and a source of neurosis. The time has come to recognize, without being afraid of &‘frightening&’ either the faithful or the agnostics, that the history of Christianity prepared the world for humanism.&” So writes Julia Kristeva in this provocative work, which skillfully upends our entrenched ideas about religion, belief, and the thought and work of a renowned psychoanalyst and critic. With dialogue and essay, Kristeva analyzes our &“incredible need to believe&”—the inexorable push toward faith that, for Kristeva, lies at the heart of the psyche and the history of society. Examining the lives, theories, and convictions of Saint Teresa of Avila, Sigmund Freud, Donald Winnicott, Hannah Arendt, and other individuals, she investigates the intersection between the desire for God and the shadowy zone in which belief resides. Kristeva suggests that human beings are formed by their need to believe, beginning with our first attempts at speech and following through to our adolescent search for identity and meaning. Kristeva then applies her insight to contemporary religious clashes and the plight of immigrant populations. Even if we no longer have faith in God, Kristeva argues, we must believe in human destiny and creative possibility. Reclaiming Christianity&’s openness to self-questioning and the search for knowledge, Kristeva urges a &“new kind of politics,&” one that restores the integrity of the human community. &“A helpful commentary and introduction to Kristeva&’s major work over the last two decades.&”—Choice
This Incredibly Benevolent Force: The Holy Spirit in Reformed Theology and Spirituality
by C. Van der KooiA key refrain in Reformed theology is that God&’s Spirit trumpets the message of salvation through Jesus Christ into every nook and cranny of the universe—but how? And in what way does this cosmic truth touch and shape the mundane reality of our lives and our world?In this distillation of his Warfield Lectures, delivered at Princeton Theological Seminary in spring 2014, leading Reformed theologian Cornelis van der Kooi examines the relationship of the Holy Spirit to Jesus Christ. He demonstrates how a fuller understanding of the interplay between Christology and pneumatology can encourage the Christian church to have open eyes and ears for the inbreaking of God&’s &“incredibly benevolent force&” into the cosmological emptiness of today&’s world.
This Incredibly Benevolent Force: The Holy Spirit in Reformed Theology and Spirituality
by C. Van der KooiA key refrain in Reformed theology is that God&’s Spirit trumpets the message of salvation through Jesus Christ into every nook and cranny of the universe—but how? And in what way does this cosmic truth touch and shape the mundane reality of our lives and our world?In this distillation of his Warfield Lectures, delivered at Princeton Theological Seminary in spring 2014, leading Reformed theologian Cornelis van der Kooi examines the relationship of the Holy Spirit to Jesus Christ. He demonstrates how a fuller understanding of the interplay between Christology and pneumatology can encourage the Christian church to have open eyes and ears for the inbreaking of God&’s &“incredibly benevolent force&” into the cosmological emptiness of today&’s world.
This Invitational Life
by Steve CarterThe community of Christ has a great tradition of invitation. Inviting others to faith requires leaning in to your own story, overcoming fear, and stepping out. But the good news is for everyone, always. And you can help keep it going.Using Scripture and story, Steve Carter casts a vision for non-threatening conversations that point people to Christ. Most significantly, Steve shows that only through risking it all will we discover what God is truly like.
This Invitational Life Study Guide
by Steve CarterDo you want to share your faith but don’t know where to begin? Are you worried about coming across as a salesperson for Christ?This eight-week guide gives you practical ideas and a biblical foundation for talking about what you believe and why. With questions and reflections that dig deeper into This Invitational Life, you’ll find a passion beyond your insecurities so that you can speak about God’s love and live out His truth with abandon.
This is a Soul: The Mission of Rick Hodes
by Marilyn Berger"Whoever Saves a Life, It Is Considered as If He Saved an Entire World"Dr. Rick Hodes arrived in Africa more than two decades ago to help the victims of a famine, but he never expected to call this extremely poor continent his home. Twenty-eight years later, he is still there.This Is a Soul tells the remarkable story of Rick Hodes's journey from suburban America to Mother Teresa's clinic in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. As a boy, Rick was devoted to helping those in need, and eventually he determined that becoming a doctor would allow him to do the most good. When he heard about famine in Africa, that's where he went, and when genocide convulsed Rwanda, he went into the refugee camps to minister to the victims. When he was told that Ethiopia was allowing its Jews to emigrate to Israel, he went to help. While there, he was drawn to Mother Teresa's mission in Addis Ababa. It was there that Rick found his calling when he began caring for the sickest children in one of the world's poorest countries. But he did more than that—he began taking them into his home and officially adopted five of them. This Is a Soul is also a book filled with great joy and triumph. When Rick's kids return from surgery or life-saving treatments, he is exultant. "Seeing these people after surgery is like going to heaven," he says.Marilyn Berger went to Africa to write about Dr. Hodes, but while there, she became involved with the story. When she came upon a small, deformed, and malnourished boy begging on the street, she recognized immediately that he had the exact disease Rick could cure. She took him to Rick, who eventually arranged for the boy to have a complicated and risky surgery, which turned out to be incredibly successful. The boy's story—intertwined with Rick's, and Marilyn's as well—is unforgettable in its pathos and subtle humor. This Is a Soul is not just a story of the savior and the saved, it is a celebration of love and wisdom, and an exploration of how charity and devotion can actually change lives in an overcrowded, unjust, and often harsh world.
This Is Awkward
by Sammy RhodesDon’t waste your awkwardness.The most difficult subjects in our lives are also the ones that we find most uncomfortable to talk about: divorce, body image, sexuality, pornography, or depression. Our awkward silence reveals the gap that exists between what we are and what we know we should be. But God loves those awkward moments, Sammy Rhodes argues, because they are precisely where we find connection with God and one another.In This Is Awkward, Rhodes talks directly, honestly, hilariously about the most painfully uncomfortable subjects in our lives. In chapters like “Parents Are a Gift (You Can’t Return Them)” and “The Porn in My Side,” he boldly goes where most of us fear to tread, revealing that we can be liberated by the embrace of a God who knows the most shameful things about us and loves us all the same. Because nothing is too awkward for God.