Near Occasions Of Grace

This latest offering of Byron Stuhlman is the third in his trilogy on the Prayer Book. It is also the conclusion of his study of the liturgy of the church begun in his previous book, Redeeming the Time. This book deals with the pastoral offices and episcopal services in the Book of Common Prayer using the method known as "comparative liturgy." Stuhlman's purpose is to explore at a deeper level the theological connections between these services and the faith which they articulate, rendering them effective in shaping lives according to the gospel.

If the church is ever tempted to think that it has its theology of grace sorted, it need only look at its reception of queer black bodies and it will see a very different story. In this honest, timely and provocative book, Jarel Robinson-Brown argues that there is deeper work to be done if the body of Christ is going to fully accept the bodies of those who are black and gay. A vital call to the Church and the world that Black, Queer, Christian lives matter, this book seeks to remind the Church of those who find themselves beyond its fellowship yet who directly suffer from the perpetual ecclesial terrorism of the Christian community through its speech and its silence.

"Sarah Kaufman offers an old-fashioned cure for a modern-day ailment. The remedy for our culture of coarseness is grace…This is an elegant, compelling, and, yes, graceful book." —Daniel H. Pink, author of Drive In this joyful exploration of grace’s many forms, Pulitzer Prize–winning critic Sarah L. Kaufman celebrates a too-often-forgotten philosophy of living that promotes human connection and fulfillment. Drawing on the arts, sports, the humanities, and everyday life—as well as the latest findings in neuroscience and health research—Kaufman illuminates how our bodies and our brains are designed for grace. She promotes a holistic appreciation and practice of grace, as the joining of body, mind, and spirit, and as a way to nurture ourselves and others.

Here are occasions of grace experienced with a baseball coach in a Boston bar, a hotel shuttle driver at a Florida airport, during a retreat Mass in Indianapolis, a winery in Sonoma, a rectory kitchen, a youth conference, an exchange between inner city principals, a high school reunion, the front porch one evening, the health club before dawn, a funeral request, a Brooklyn subway, and many more everyday settings. Reading them will bring your own occasions of grace to the surface. Mark yours when they come and give them away wherever they are needed.

This book is the first to bring together a number of essays which deal directly with the crucial topic of ‘engagement’ in Religious Education. But it also breaks new ground by creating a dialogue with the world of ethics. Here readers will find fresh insights relevant to the 21st century. Contributors, all committed to excellence in Religious Education, include school teachers, sixth form tutors and those working in higher education. Addressing central issues in the debate from a range of theoretical and methodological positions, the book raises important questions about how we might understand and promote positive ‘engagement’ at the present time. Primarily, it has one aim in view: to make Religious Education a more stimulating and enjoyable experience for all those involved.