Rites Of Ordination And Commitment In The Churches Of The Nordic Countries

A unique situation exists in the Nordic countries where there is a Lutheran majority living in ecumenical cooperation with other churches and ecclesiastical communities. This book attempts to shed light on what the churches have discovered they hold in common and on areas where they recognise that there are divergencies between them, both in relation to ordination and ministry, and in particular to the theology and terminology of ordination. The book brings together the research and insights of 23 researchers from all the Nordic countries studying more than 200 different kinds of 'ordination' rites from the Orthodox and Roman Catholic as well as Lutheran and non-Lutheran protestant traditions. After an introduction to the churches in the Nordic countries, the book presents 19 case studies from the Nordic countries. The last part includes some general ecumenical and liturgical perspectives on ordination and rites presented by international researchers.

Paul Bradshaw, one of the world's foremost scholars on the history of Christian liturgy, has shared this expertise in several works that have become standard texts for students of liturgy. In Rites of Ordination, Bradshaw turns his attention to the ways that Christians through the ages have understood what it means to ordain someone as a minister and how that has been expressed in liturgical practice. Bradshaw considers the typological background to ordained ministry some have drawn from the Old Testament and what ministry meant to the earliest Christian communities. He explores the ordination rites and theology of the early church, the Christian East, the medieval West, the churches of the Reformation, and the post-Tridentine Roman Catholic Church. Rites of Ordination promises to serve as an enriching resource for seminary students, students of liturgy and church history, and anyone fascinated by the history and theology of Christian liturgy and ministry.

The field of ecclesiology is rapidly expanding as new material, theories, methods, and approaches are being explored. This raises important and challenging questions concerning ecclesiology as an academic discipline. This book takes the reader into the trenches of ecclesiological research where the actual work of reading, writing, interpreting, and analyzing is being done. The authors reflect on fundamental questions concerning theory and method in ecclesiology in relation to concrete and actual research projects. Ecclesiology is dealt with as a systematic, empirical, historical, and liturgical discipline. Essays explore theology in South Africa as shaped by apartheid, liturgical theology, the diaconate in an ecumenical context, Free Church preachership, suburban ecclesial identity, medieval church practices, liturgical texts, church floor plans, and ecclesiology as a gendered discipline. Ecclesiology in the Trenches is a book for anyone who is interested and involved in ecclesiological research. It is also an example of a reflective approach to academic work. The book can be read as an overall argument for ecclesiology as a theological discipline with great potential for studying the church as a theologically defined empirical phenomenon.

Scandinavian Critique of Anglo-American Feminist Theology is a collection of articles by scholars in various theological disciplines from five Scandinavian or Nordic countries. The articles cover a wide range of topics, including feminist sexual ethics, ecofeminist theology, gender perspectives on European welfare systems, Birgitta of Sweden and a search for Mary beyond stereotypes. As the title implies, a critical dialogue with US feminist theology is a recurrent theme throughout the book, but the essays also include constructive work from different theological perspectives. The journal also includes a bibliography that shows the diversity of Scandinavian and Nordic feminist theological research.

The idea of a state religion is seldom connected to religious freedom and liberal, modern, and democratic states. However, such a situation existed in Norway until 2012, when the Lutheran Church was the state church of Norway. A large majority of the population belonged to the church, even though the percentage in 2013 had fallen to well over seventy-five. The relationship between the church and minority religious movements demanded adaptation and compromises from the minority churches. The Salvation Army's enculturation and accommodation during its 128-year history in Norway illustrates such a situation. The book examines how The Salvation Army accommodated itself both doctrinally as well as practically to the situation of a dominant state church. The study reveals such a close affiliation of Salvationists to the Norwegian Church as a state institution, that it raises the question of whether a concept of civil religion was implicitly present in Salvationists' view of the state church and their own adherence to the church. This situation also raises the question of what constitutes a real church. The book indicates the tension between Lutheran and Salvationist ecclesiology as well as the influence from the Lutheran Church.

Common Worship is ten years old. In this volume, Nicholas Papadopulos gathers contributions from distinguished liturgical practitioners to assess its development and reflect upon its usage in this first decade. In a series of penetrating and thought-provoking essays, ten authors consider Common Worship's emergence from earlier liturgical revisions. They examine its provisions for the Eucharist, baptism and ordination, as well as for the Service of the Word. The effective use of music and architecture is also considered, as are the training needs of worship leaders and the Church's liturgical future.

With variety and breadth, these essays celebrate the 800th anniversary of the foundation of the Dominican Order as well as the richness in Catholic thought and praxis during the past hundred years around the world. Their themes range from Yves Congar's view of the hierarchy to Jacques Loew's theory of ministry in the workplace. Ideas from thinkers interacting with Islam and Judaism lead on to a theology of refugees. A book for those pondering theology amid history and culture.

A specific focus and intent of this final volume of A People's History of Christianity is to delve behind the global phenomenon of Christianity to glimpse some of the very rich and dynamic lifeways within it. Ranging over the whole century and across several continents, the scholars in this volume probe Christians' creative encounters with popular culture, liturgy and spirituality, social change and Marxism, intrareligious and interreligious dialogue, and changes in gender expectations and roles. Includes 50 illustrations, maps, bibliographies, and an 8-page color gallery. Contributors include Mary Farrell Bednarowski; Mercy Oduyoye, Ghana; Patrick Henry, St. John's University; Bruce Forbes, Morningside College; Valerie Demarinis, Upsaala University; Rosetta E. Ross, Spelman College; Ada Mariacute;a Isasi-Diacute;az, Drew University; Mark Noll, Wheaton College; Ann Pederson, Augustana College; Eleazar Fernaacute;ndez, United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities; Victoria Barnett United States Holocaust Memorial Museum; Margaret Bendroth, American Congregational Association; Oscar Cole-Arnal, Waterloo Lutheran Seminary; Paul Mojzes, Rosemont College; Luis Rivera-Pagaacute;n, Princeton Theological Seminary; Ethan Sanders, University of Cambridge; Christina Traina, Northwestern University; Jean-Paul Wiest, University of San Francisco.