Connected Toward Communion

We are living in a cultural shift: digital communication has reshaped the way we interact with one another, form and maintain relationships, and gain knowledge and understanding. How might we go about communicating the Good News of Jesus Christ in the midst of these changes to an emerging culture shaped by digital media? This question addresses the whole church, from the baptized faithful to pastoral ministers and the institutional structures that serve the church locally and globally. In Connected toward Communion, Daniella Zsupan-Jerome traces the Roman Catholic Church's contemporary thought and practice of social communication, from Inter Mirifica of the Second Vatican Council to the church's approach to communicating faith through social networking today. Throughout, a key question forms a common thread: how might we form pastoral ministers today for serving the church in the digital age and beyond?

Communion with God, or in full, "Of communion with God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost each person distinctly, in love, grace, and consolation; or, the saints' fellowship with the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost unfolded," is John Owen's finest devotional treatise. This work expounds "the most glorious truth that believers may have distinct communion with the three persons Father, Son, and Spirit," and being addressed to the "Christian reader" is simpler than much of Owen's theology. (Unabridged. Includes all footnotes.)

When we celebrate communion, is there a connection with anyone or anything? How do we connect? The body of Christ is often spoken as being connected, often like how the human body works. How many times do we go through the motions and not feeling a connection to anything? With Christian communion is much to discover. In the Communion Connection, you will experience from being a friend to Jesus to the completion of your Faith. You will come away with a new perspective on many different avenues of Connecting the Jesus and one another. My point for this book is to keep communion uncomplicated, simple and complete. Communion is about fellowship and connecting with Jesus and one another. The most notable aspect of partaking communion is the premise of this book. The elements of the bread and cup are symbolic, nothing more. Within the chapters are aspects of why and how we partake of this tender and loving celebration. For the Lord Jesus, it was just that. It was an emotional moment with "His friends" as the last day of fellowship prior to the Crucifixion.

This book is about ecumenism, from a Catholic point of view. The first part, chapters 1 and 2, describe the history of divisions within the Church, as well as of the efforts to bring about Christian unity. The second part examines Ecumenism from a systematic theological perspective. This first part takes into account the different factors that led to definitive ruptures within the Church, which usually are not only theological. The text gives useful information about what happened after the respective divisions as well as about the various attempts to restore unity, the development of the Ecumenical Movement in the 20th Century, and the current situation of ecumenical dialogue within the Catholic Church. While offering insight into the sad history that has led to the present disunity, this work also highlights the way Christians have sought to bring to fulfill the petition of Christ that his disciples might be one, as He and the Father are one. The second part―chapters three, four and five―offers a systematic theological analysis of unity in the Church, from the point of view of dogmatic theology. We find here an explanation of the Catholic concept of ecumenism, of how Catholic theology understands the unity of the Church, and, finally, of the Catholic principles which sustain the efforts for regaining unity in the Church. The Second Vatican Council, and particularly the Constitution Lumen gentium and the Decree Unitatis redintegratio, are at the foundation of these reflections. At the same time, since the theology of the Church and the life of the Church are intimately connected, there is a profound link between this dogmatic section and the earlier historical section. The last chapter, about the practice of ecumenism, is also written from a theological perspective, but with more links with life and spirituality. The chapter recalls that ecumenism can never simply remain a set of theological principles, but rather inspires an attitude and action in charity which are essential to the Christian life.

Who is a member of the church? Christians divide on how one enters the church body. Matters are quickly complicated once other factors are considered, such as faith, instruction, baptism, first communion, and formal membership. Who should be baptized? What role does instruction play? And what is the best order of these things? Jonathan D. Watson's In the Name of Our Lord provides an explanatory typology and incisive analysis for thinking through these interrelated questions. Watson's four--model framework accounts for the major historical varieties of relationship between baptism and catechesis as initiation into the church. With this framework in place, Watson then considers each model in relation to one another. With a guide to navigating the terrain, readers can comprehend, compare, and contrast these different theological formulations. Readers will have a sophisticated but clear system for thinking through foundational matters that are important to every pastor and congregant.

Anna Rowlands offers a guide to the main time periods, key figures, documents and themes of thinking developed as Catholic Social Teaching (CST). A wealth of material has been produced by the Catholic Church during its long history which considers the implications of scripture, doctrine and natural law for the way these elements live together in community - most particularly in the tradition of social encyclicals dating from 1891. Rowlands takes a fresh approach in weaving overviews of the central principles with the development of thinking on political community and democracy, migration, and integral ecology, and by considering the increasingly critical questions concerning the role of CST in a pluralist and post-secular context. As such this book offers both an incisive overview of this distinctive body of Catholic political theology and a new and challenging contribution to the debate about the transformative potential of CST in contemporary society.

All the large churches in the world agree on this: communion is the highest expression of the church unity. Yet it is exactly the act of communion that historically has given rise to vehement controversies among the churches. This new book not only explores the meaning of holy communion but also marks a turning point on the way to common understanding. Welker gives a clear explanation of holy communion based on the biblical tradition and evaluates the ecumenical discourse on communion of the past thirty years. In the process he answers such often posed questions as "What do we mean when we say that Christ is present in communion?" "How are Christ's body and blood connected with bread and wine?" "What is the difference between the Christian Supper and the Jewish Passover meal?" and "Are children allowed to share in communion?"