Living On The Border Of The Holy

"The first thing to say in our exploration of priesthood is this: priesthood is a fundamental and inescapable part of being human. All human beings, knowingly or not, minister as priests to one another. All of us, knowingly or not, receive priestly ministrations from one another. Unless we begin here, we are not likely to understand the confusions and uncertainties and opportunities we have been encountering in the life of the church itself in recent years. We shall be in danger, in fact, of creating makeshift solutions to half-understood problems, easy answers to misleading questions, temporary bandages for institutions that need to be healed from the ground up." - L. William Countryman There is a lot of tension in churches today about whose ministry is primary-that of the laity or of the clergy. L. William Countryman argues that we can only resolve that problem by seeing that we are all priests simply by virtue of being human and living, as we all do, on the mysterious and uncertain border with the Holy. Living on the Border of the Holy offers a way of understanding the priesthood of the whole people of God and the priesthood of the ordained in complementary ways by showing how both are rooted in the fundamental priestly nature of human life. After an exploration of the ministry of both laity and ordained, Countryman concludes by examining the implications of this view of priesthood for churches and for educating those studying for ordination.

“I wish every self-identified ‘person of faith’ could read this remarkable, thought-provoking book.”—Bruce Bawer, author of Stealing Jesus There is a lot of tension in churches today about whose ministry is primary—that of the laity or of the clergy. Living on the Border of the Holy offers a way of understanding the priesthood of the whole people of God and the priesthood of the ordained by showing both are rooted in the fundamental priestly nature of life. After an exploration of the ministries of laity and ordained, Country examines the implications of this view of priesthood for churches and for those studying for ordination. “For anyone struggling with how to live in the thin places between heaven and earth, Dr. Countryman’s brilliant offer hope, companionship, and the fruits of years of experience. His theory of a ‘fundamental human priesthood’ gives us all a compassionate guide to follow as we enter the borderlands, and it should help end the division between clergy and laity. Countryman’s human priesthood leads us into the future, where God calls us to be.”—Nora Gallagher, author of Things Seen and Unseen: A Year Lived in Faith

What are our responsibilities as human beings in the exercise of our undoubted powers over all other creatures and the earth itself? The idea that human beings have dominion over the rest of creation is often regarded as the chief source of the world’s current environmental crisis. From the universities to talk-back radio, this is a commonly repeated theme, but how strong is its basis? Is Anyone in Charge Here? is a critical conversation with the seminal Lynn White paper, “The Historical Roots of Our Ecologic Crisis.” Easter Island, New Zealand, and ancient Mesopotamia, biblical exegesis, historical theology, monastic movements, and current environmental challenges are all explored. It examines the roots of the idea of human dominion, how the idea has been understood through the centuries, how people have worked it into their living, and how it might be constructively applied in our current crisis. All this is theologically evaluated in the light of Jesus Christ being both the true human, and God’s way of involvement in the world as creative Word, representative image, and serving Lord.

Esther de Waal draws on the ancient traditions of Celtic and monastic spirituality to explore thresholds between people, between cultures, between the human and the divine. Ancient spiritual wisdom teaches that thresholds are sacred places and Esther encourages readers to become more receptive to their surroundings and to learn to pause, reflect and meet God at the places of encounter and change in our lives.

Use Your Creativity to Respond to God's Word This single-column, wide-margin New Living Translation Bible has 2.25" lightly ruled margins, making this Bible great for note-taking, journaling, recording prayers, doodling, drawing, or any other creative expression in response to God's Word. Special features include: Quality white Bible paper for journaling Beautiful line-over-line, single-column setting Attractive 8-point Lexicon font Lightly ruled 2.25" wide margins Quality lay-flat, Smyth-sewn binding Matching ribbon marker Enhance Your Bible Studying through the Free Filament App NLT Wide Margin Bible, Filament-Enabled Edition is the only journaling Bible with access to the Filament Bible app, which features thousands of study notes, devotionals, videos, reading plans, and more! This app enables you to use your mobile phone or tablet to connect every page to a vast array of related content, including: 25,000+ study notes 350+ videos 40+ maps and infographics 400+ profiles and articles 1,500+ devotionals Library of worship music The Filament Bible app turns this Bible into a powerful study and devotional experience, offering more to expand your mind and touch your heart than you can possibly hold in your hand. And there is no additional cost for the Filament Bible app. No additional purchase. No additional size or weight. Of course, you can use this Bible without the app, but when you want to dig deeper, grab your phone or tablet and open the Filament Bible app. It's so easy to use. The New Living Translation is a clear and trusted English translation of the Bible. It conveys the precise meaning of the original languages in a flowing, effortless writing style that promotes comfortable and meaningful reading.

This easy-to-read Bible includes the complete NIrV translation, written for a third grade reading level and the perfect stepping stone to the NIV.

Green presents the fourth edition of the translation that appears in the side margins of his bestselling work, "The Interlinear Hebrew-Greek-English Bible."

What distinguishes this edition of the New Living Translation of the Bible are the line drawings by Dina Danosa of plants, animals, landscapes, and people mentioned in Scripture.