Christian Initiation

Originally published in 1999, The Rites of Christian Initiation was haled for its clarity and comprehensiveness. Kalian McDonnell, OSB, called it the best overall treatment of Christian initiation available, and Paul Bradshaw predicted it would be the standard textbook on the subject for very many years to come." The current edition draws on new translations of early texts on baptism as well as recent scholarship on the early traditions in the East and West. It is sure to replace itself as the new standard reference on the rites of Christian initiation. Maxwell E. Johnson's expanded and revised text provides a more complete view of the history and interpretation of the rites in the Eastern Church, including two chapters that explore the pre-Nicene Eastern and Western traditions in detail. Revisiting the theology of baptism, this edition also provides more nuanced positions on the Eastern and Western traditions. Finally, recent liturgical developments in American Protestant churches, particularly Lutheran, as well as the ongoing development of the RCIA and confirmation practices of Catholics, made it necessary to revisit the place and meaning of these rites in the church today. Maxwell E. Johnson, PhD, is professor of liturgy at the University of Notre Dame and an ordained minister of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He has published in Worship and is the editor of and contributor to Living Water, Sealing Spirit: Readings on Christian Initiation (Liturgical Press, 1995) and the revised and expanded edition of E.C. Whitaker, Documents of the Baptismal Liturgy (Liturgical Press and S.P.C.K., 2003), to which this study serves as a companion volume. "

Originally published in 1999, The Rites of Christian Initiation was haled for its clarity and comprehensiveness. Kalian McDonnell, OSB, called it the best overall treatment of Christian initiation available, and Paul Bradshaw predicted it would be the standard textbook on the subject for very many years to come." The current edition draws on new translations of early texts on baptism as well as recent scholarship on the early traditions in the East and West. It is sure to replace itself as the new standard reference on the rites of Christian initiation. Maxwell E. Johnson's expanded and revised text provides a more complete view of the history and interpretation of the rites in the Eastern Church, including two chapters that explore the pre-Nicene Eastern and Western traditions in detail. Revisiting the theology of baptism, this edition also provides more nuanced positions on the Eastern and Western traditions. Finally, recent liturgical developments in American Protestant churches, particularly Lutheran, as well as the ongoing development of the RCIA and confirmation practices of Catholics, made it necessary to revisit the place and meaning of these rites in the church today. Maxwell E. Johnson, PhD, is professor of liturgy at the University of Notre Dame and an ordained minister of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He has published in Worship and is the editor of and contributor to Living Water, Sealing Spirit: Readings on Christian Initiation (Liturgical Press, 1995) and the revised and expanded edition of E.C. Whitaker, Documents of the Baptismal Liturgy (Liturgical Press and S.P.C.K., 2003), to which this study serves as a companion volume. "

Up to now the teaching on baptism in the Holy Spirit has been based on a few scriptural texts, whose interpretation was disputed. This doubt cast its shadow on those who promote baptism in the Holy Spirit. Now new evidence has been found in early post-biblical authors (Tertullian, Hilary of Poitiers, Cyril of Jerusalem, John Chrysostom, Philoxenus, and the Syrians) which demonstrates that what is called baptism in the Holy Spirit was integral to Christian initiation (baptism, confirmation, Eucharist). Because it was part of initiation into the Church, it was not a matter of private piety, but of public worship. Therefore it was and remains normative. This is an intriguing ground-breaking study of value to RCIA teams, pastors, theology teachers and students, and Church offices.

Includes all the rites for the catechumeante and Christian initiation.

This handbook to the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), written by a renowned religious educator and theologian, invites converts, the clergy, and all those engaged in the catechumenal process to appreciate anew the richness of the Catholic faith. Regis Duffy articulates the requirements for becoming and remaining a full Christian committed to gospel values on every level of life to the building of the Kingdom of God. On Becoming a Catholic is a complete introduction to the essentials of the catechumenal process and clearly relates what the church teaches to its members. Duffy's exposition stresses: - The theology of the Cross as the root of all Christian conversion and formation, and its meaning for individual Christians and parish life - The Word of God as prophetic Word in parish, familial, and personal lives: learning to recognize the Lord in unexpected places of our lives and world, and nurture openness and responsiveness to the Word - How to live and act as one marked by the Cross and the Word of God: participating in a conversion process that profoundly changes our priorities, values, lifestyle, and -- most importantly -- our involvement in worship and sacraments - What it means to be a Christian community: discovering the meaning of the Liturgical Year and the Church's role as teacher - The value of Lenten observance, the meaning of Good Friday, and the centrality of the Easter event as basis for a practical theology of our redemptive need and God's enduring response - How honest Eucharistic participation embodies a renewed sense of personal commitment to Christ and sense of mission and ministry in the community.

Predicting Success in Completing the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults By: Laurence F. Aucella, Ed.D, Ph.D Predicting Success in Completing the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults regards the process of RCIA, the process by which one becomes a convert to the Roman Catholic Faith. It also contains valuable history about Christianity and how it has evolved over the centuries that will aid in nourishing the faith and increased the knowledge of both new converts and life-long Catholic. This book is dedicated to the memory of Sister Dorilda Flynn of the Sisters of Saint Anne, Anna Maria College.