A Church Militant

By 1952 the Chinese Communist Party had suppressed all organized resistance to its regime and stood unopposed, or so it has been believed. Internal party documents—declassified just long enough for historian Paul Mariani to send copies out of China—disclose that one group deemed an enemy of the state held out after the others had fallen. A party report from Shanghai marked “top-secret” reveals a determined, often courageous resistance by the local Catholic Church. Drawing on centuries of experience in struggling with the Chinese authorities, the Church was proving a stubborn match for the party. Mariani tells the story of how Bishop (later Cardinal) Ignatius Kung Pinmei, the Jesuits, and the Catholic Youth resisted the regime’s punishing assault on the Shanghai Catholic community and refused to renounce the pope and the Church in Rome. Acting clandestinely, mirroring tactics used by the previously underground CCP, Shanghai’s Catholics persevered until 1955, when the party arrested Kung and 1,200 other leading Catholics. The imprisoned believers were later shocked to learn that the betrayal had come from within their own ranks. Though the CCP could not eradicate the Catholic Church in China, it succeeded in dividing it. Mariani’s secret history traces the origins of a deep split in the Chinese Catholic community, where relations between the “Patriotic” and underground churches remain strained even today.

God wants you, but He wants you "strong" in His supernatural power. From the very first days of our membership in the Mystical Body of Christ, we are, in essence, commissioned officers in the Church Militant. This Church Militant Field Manual will test you in your resolve to become strong in the Lord and His mighty power. You will also learn the special operations (special ops) techniques and procedures for search and rescue missions of fallen comrades (family and friends whose faith has grown weak). Discover what it means to be "God strong."

Although the young Edward VI's death in 1553 led to resounding defeat for his Protestant allies, his reign has a significance out of all proportion to its brief six-year span. For during its course England's rulers let loose an explosive form of Christianity within the realm. In this lavishly illustrated book, MacCulloch underlines the significance of Edward's turbulent and neglected reign. As well as the young king's life and beliefs he takes a fresh look at the ruthless politicians who jostled for position around him and explores the strange afterlife of Edward's attempt at the religious transformation of his kingdom. In this MacCulloch traces a connection through the civil wars of the 17th century up to the present day.

The role of the Portuguese and Spanish missionaries in the overseas expansion of the Iberian powers.

A worldview of ""spiritual warfare"" is widely held among charismatics and Pentecostals, but it has been criticized for producing paranoia and denying personal responsibility. It is less well known that the term was first used in print around 1970 by Anglican charismatics. What did it mean to them then, and what are the practical effects of their worldview? Should we now be adopting a more sophisticated ontology of evil, such as Nigel Wright's ""non-ontological realist"" view or Amos Yong's ""apophatic theology"" of the demonic, rather than the traditional one that Satan and demons are real ontological entities? This practical theological study begins with a study of Anglican charismatic pioneers, and an in-depth case study of a charismatic Anglican congregation, before grappling with the ontological question in dialogue with Wright (together with Barth and Walter Wink), Yong, and Gregory Boyd. A fresh engagement with the biblical texts then argues for a positive, realist ontology for rebellious demonic powers and presents a Trinitarian model of spiritual warfare praxis that emphasizes personal responsibility and promotes freedom from fear. ""Smith has produced a study on spiritual warfare unusual in its depth, rigor, and theological insight. By engaging with lived experience, biblical material, and contemporary authors of different perspectives, he has opened a new way of understanding spiritual warfare. This book deserves to be taken seriously!"" --Gavin Wakefield, Director of Training for Missional Ministry, York Diocese; Author of Alexander Boddy: Pentecostal Anglican Pioneer ""This book is a gold mine. Where else will I find a scholarly but readable tour de force about the experiential, philosophical, biblical, and theological aspects of the battle withevil as understood in thecharismatic churches of the UK since the 1970s? The writer recordsinterviews with well-known practitioners. He considers with an open mind the critical views of established scholars. Ultimately, he emerges with carefully nuancedsupport for the traditional and orthodox understanding of Satan and the demonic realm. Excellent!"" --Graham Dow, formerly Bishop of Carlisle, England; Author of Explaining Deliverance REV'D DR GRAHAM SMITH is Team Vicar in Bushbury parish, Wolverhampton, UK.

Militant and Triumphant fills a major gap in the historical record of American Catholicism by presenting a vivid, objective portrait of Cardinal William Henry O'Connell and his significance in the church and his times. Focusing on both the triumphs and controversies of O'Connell's career, James M. O'Toole chronicles the history of the Catholic Church in Boston in the first half of the twentieth century. The biography begins with a lively discussion of O'Connell's Irish immigrant youth and education and his early positions as rector of the American College in Rome and bishop of Portland, Maine. O'Toole convincingly demonstrates that as bishop, O'Connell actively built his own public image while ambitiously campaigning for the position of archbishop of Boston. The most enduring success, O'Toole argues, of O'Connell's 37-year tenure as archbishop of Boston--despite a sexual and financial scandal surrounding his nephew, the archdiocesan chancellor--was his elaboration of "a personal style of leadership that was different from that of earlier bishops, changing the expectations for Catholic bishops in America by thrusting on them the role of public figures they have generally south to play since." Throughout, the book examines O'Connell's cultural and symbolic leadership of New England's Catholic population, and describes O'Connell's role in defining American Catholicism as both "militant and triumphant": asserting its cultural vision beyond narrow denominational boundaries into broad areas of public morality, and confident of its eventual triumph over secular standards.