Compassion A Pastoral Paradigm For Integral Salvation And The Growth Of The Church

Legacy: Wisdom of African Traditions and the Bible compares almost 300 proverbs from all over the continent with Bible verses, organized into forty-six broad themes. Chris Morehouse was compelled to write the book after exploring the Parallel Sayings books, which juxtapose insights from the great religious traditions with their counterparts from Jewish and Christian scriptures. These books explore resonances between Christianity and Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Taoism. The author began to wonder why there was not a similar volume exploring corresponding insights from Africa’s traditions. In this book, you’ll discover: • African expressions of the golden rule; • versions of loving one’s enemies and welcoming the stranger; • insights about losing your way to find your way—and much more. The African idea of sankofa—“go back and get it”—tells us that we can go forward by looking to the past. Find common ground and get tools to face the future with the insights in this book of African and biblical wisdom.

The Asian American church is in transition. Congregations face the challenges of preserving ethnic culture and heritage while contextualizing their ministry to younger generations and the unchurched. Many Asian American church leaders struggle with issues like leadership development, community dynamics and intergenerational conflict. But often Asian American churches lack the resources and support they need to fulfill their callings. Peter Cha, Steve Kang and Helen Lee and a team of veteran Asian American pastors and church leaders offer eight key values for healthy Asian American churches. Drawing on years of expertise and filled with practical examples from landmark churches like Evergreen Baptist Church of Los Angeles, NewSong Church and Lighthouse Christian Church, the book provides soundly biblical perspectives for effective ministry that honors the Asian American cultural context. Insights from such pioneering leaders as Ken Fong, David Gibbons, Grace May, Wayne Ogimachi, Steve Wong, Nancy Sugikawa and Soong-Chan Rah make this an essential guide for Asian American church leaders wanting to help their congregations achieve health and growth. Produced in partnership with the Catalyst Leadership Center, a resource organization for Asian American church ministry.

The perfect gift! A specially priced, beautifully designed hardcover edition of The Joy of the Gospel with a foreword by Robert Barron and an afterword by James Martin, SJ. “The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus… In this Exhortation I wish to encourage the Christian faithful to embark upon a new chapter of evangelization marked by this joy, while pointing out new paths for the Church’s journey in years to come.” – Pope Francis This special edition of Pope Francis's popular message of hope explores themes that are important for believers in the 21st century. Examining the many obstacles to faith and what can be done to overcome those hurdles, he emphasizes the importance of service to God and all his creation. Advocating for “the homeless, the addicted, refugees, indigenous peoples, the elderly who are increasingly isolated and abandoned,” the Holy Father shows us how to respond to poverty and current economic challenges that affect us locally and globally. Ultimately, Pope Francis demonstrates how to develop a more personal relationship with Jesus Christ, “to recognize the traces of God’s Spirit in events great and small.” Profound in its insight, yet warm and accessible in its tone, The Joy of the Gospel is a call to action to live a life motivated by divine love and, in turn, to experience heaven on earth. Includes a foreword by Robert Barron, author of Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith and James Martin, SJ, author of Jesus: A Pilgrimage

“In the heart of this world, the Lord of life, who loves us so much, is always present. He does not abandon us, he does not leave us alone, for he has united himself definitively to our earth, and his love constantly impels us to find new ways forward. Praise be to him!” – Pope Francis, Laudato Si’ In his second encyclical, Laudato Si’: On the Care of Our Common Home, Pope Francis draws all Christians into a dialogue with every person on the planet about our common home. We as human beings are united by the concern for our planet, and every living thing that dwells on it, especially the poorest and most vulnerable. Pope Francis’ letter joins the body of the Church’s social and moral teaching, draws on the best scientific research, providing the foundation for “the ethical and spiritual itinerary that follows.” Laudato Si’ outlines: The current state of our “common home” The Gospel message as seen through creation The human causes of the ecological crisis Ecology and the common good Pope Francis’ call to action for each of us Our Sunday Visitor has included discussion questions, making it perfect for individual or group study, leading all Catholics and Christians into a deeper understanding of the importance of this teaching.

Throughout his life, the apartheid activist, Nelson Mandela (Madiba), maintained, 'In the darkest moment there is always hope. We must never give up'. Hope as a mode of the courage to be (Paul Tillich), points to what the Sociologist Peter Berger calls: signals of transcendence. Wholeness in Hope Care explores the rich tradition of hope in wisdom, philosophy and Christian theology. It connects non-hope/un-hope (Gabriel Marcel: inespoir) to a theology of compassion in soul care (cura animarum). Resurrection hope (theologia resurrectionis) points to the healing of life (cura vitae) and the preservation of land (cura terrae). In order to describe the helping and healing dimension in pastoral caregiving, the term 'promissiotherapy' has been coined. Daniel Johannes Louw was Dean of the faculty of theology at the University of Stellenbosch (2001-2005), President of the International Academy of Practical Theology (IAPT) (2003-2005) and President of the International Council for Pastoral Care and Counselling (ICPPC) (2011-2015). (Series: Pastoral Care and Spiritual Healing) (Series: Pastoral Care and Spiritual Healing - Vol. 3) [Subject: Pastoral Studies, Religious Studies, Christianity]

In Fragile World: Ecology and the Church, scholars and activists from Christian communities as far-flung as Honduras, the Philippines, Colombia, and Kenya present a global angle on the global ecological crisis--in both its material and spiritual senses--and offer Catholic resources for responding to it. This volume explores the deep interconnections, for better and for worse, between the global North and the global South, and analyzes the relationship among the physical environment, human society, culture, theology, and economics--the "integral ecology" described by Pope Francis in Laudato Si'. Integral ecology demands that we think deeply about humans and the physical environment, but also about the God who both created the world and sustains it in being. At its root, the ecological crisis is a theological crisis, not only in the way that humans regard creation and their place in it, but in the way that humans think about God. For Pope Francis in Laudato Si', the root of the crisis is that we humans have tried to put ourselves in God's place. According to Pope Francis, therefore, "A fragile world, entrusted by God to human care, challenges us to devise intelligent ways of directing, developing, and limiting our power."