Eucharist In The Local Church

This book deals with the principles for planning and performance that encourage active participation in Sunday Eucharists in the Catholic tradition It attempts to identify and propose solutions to the issues that liturgical ministers and planners face on a weekly basis in producing a Sunday liturgy that maximizes active participation.

This book is envisioned as a follow up to Stookey's successful Baptism: Christ's Act in the Church, published in 1982. It will provide historical--theological perspective in a style that is "popular," rather than academically heavy; and, it will be ecumenical in scope, but with a concentration on Protestantism. The shared Calvinian eucharistic tradition of Presbyterians, UCC, and Methodists will be particularly explored. It will also provide material pertinent to preaching, study of the eucharist by laity, and practical local reform that implements recent revisions of denominational rites.

This book innovatively explores the notion of koinonia for understanding the nature and function of the Church. Since the Scriptures assert that the Church is the Church of God, God's communal mode of existence is looked at namely, God who is a communion of three hypostases relating to one another in an interpenetrating koinonia of infinite love as a way of understanding the very being of the church as communion. Such a notion of koinonia, far from having anything to do with socio-political understandings, suggests that it is a foundational gift bestowed from above to the world as the solution par excellence to the impasse of isolationism. More often than not, however, such an ecclesiology of communion has not taken seriously the historical reality of the Church living within the fallen world along with its ceaseless temptations, divisions and even sins in history. In this way, it becomes apparent that a dialectic needs to be acknowledged in the notion of communion as both foundational gift from God, and yet one still to be fully realised. Accordingly, this work shows that the Church is not only as the gift of God's miraculous presence here on earth. The Church is also constantly striving to exist epicletically until such time as it will fully experience the final consummation in Gods eschatological kingdom. An examination of this double dimensionality of the Church is undertaken in order to assess if this is in line with the Scriptural witness of the ekklesia. Having established the gift-goal dialectic in the notion of koinonia in the New Testament Church, the study then traces the trajectory of this dynamic approach to koinonia in the Churchs worship and authoritative structures. This promises to cast both a deeper light on, and a more realistic solution to ecclesiological problems within the life of the Church today, allowing for the Churchs constant renewal.

How did the Christian Church originate, what journeys has it taken over two millennia, and how did it come to exist in its present, myriad forms? The answers to these questions form a tapestry of history that reaches from first century Palestine to the ends of the earth. This volume tells this rich story from an ecumenical perspective, drawing on both Eastern and Western historic sources in exploring the rise of Eastern Orthodoxy; the church across Asia, Africa, and the Americas; and the reformations of the Western Church; including the diversity of contemporary voices. The work benefits from many pedagogical features: - boxed text sections identifying central figures and points of debate - study questions for each chapter - chapter summaries - maps --charts --index Supplemented by over 400 illustrations, this book embraces the universality of historic and current Christianity, creating a single and comprehensive volume for students of Church history and systematic theology.

"This collection of essays covers fundamental aspects of the Eucharist, from the Biblical notion of 'memorial' to the issues of intercommunion and the relationship between the Eucharist and the Church. The chapters give evidence of increasing theological convergence in the thinking of contemporary Eastern and Western theologians on the Eucharist. This consensus is the result of developments in Biblical studies, our increasing knowledge of the Fathers, and the findings of liturgical studies and the historical study of the Church's liturgy in the East and the West." [Back cover].

Regarded as the leading text in Christian theology for the last 25 years, Alister E. McGrath’s The Christian Theology Reader is now available in a new 5th edition featuring completely revised and updated content. Brings together more than 350 readings from over 200 sources that chart 2,000 years of Christian history Situates each reading within the appropriate historical and theological context with its own introduction, commentary, and study questions Includes new readings on world Christianity and feminist, liberation, and postcolonial theologies, as well as more selections by female theologians and theologians from the developing world Contains additional pedagogical features, such as new discussion questions and case studies, and a robust website with new videos by the author to aid student learning Designed to function as a stand-alone volume, or as a companion to Christian Theology: An Introduction, 6th edition, for a complete overview of the subject

Essays from an ecumenical conference that promote a further convergence in our understanding of the Eucharist.