Rooted And Renewing

What does it mean to be church today? As changes in demographics, participation, and leadership continue to roil faith communities in the Western world, questions about the historic roots of church communities have become all the more important. Scholarly investigations of the historical texture of early Christian communities continue to advance our understanding, but are often too technical for non-experts for whom the questions may be more keenly felt. Troy M. Troftgruben provides an accessible, succinct survey of what we now know about the roots of Christian community, taking an "ancient-future" approach by engaging contemporary questions through classical sources. Rooted and Renewing turns to historical-critical and social-scientific studies to portray everyday realities in the earliest communities, especially the Pauline assemblies. Aimed at church members and leaders alike, the book encourages reflection on the church's past so as to explore how Christians are called to be the church in today's world.

Rooted and Rising is for everyone who worries about the climate crisis and seeks spiritual practices and perspectives to renew their capacity for compassionate, purposeful, and joyful action. Leah Schade and Margaret Bullitt-Jonas gather twenty-one faith leaders, scientists, community organizers, theologians, and grassroots climate activists to offer wisdom for fellow pilgrims grappling with the weight of climate change. Acknowledging the unprecedented nature of our predicament—the fact that climate disruption is unraveling the web of life and threatening the end of human civilization—the authors share their stories of grief and hope, fear and faith. Together, the essays, introductory sections, and discussion questions reveal that our present crisis can elicit a depth of wisdom, insight, and motivation with power to guide us toward a more peaceful, just, and Earth-honoring future. With a foreword by Mary Evelyn Tucker and a special introduction by Bill McKibben, the book presents an interfaith perspective that welcomes and challenges readers of all backgrounds.

Are you struggling in your walk with Christ? Do you want to rediscover your reason for living, the person you were created to be? Renewing You: A Priest, a Psychologist, and a Plan gives you the keys to unlock areas of your life that hold you back from fully experiencing the renewal and transformation God has in mind for you. Co-authored by a priest and a psychologist, Renewing You combines principles of spiritual growth with psychological tools to help you become your best self, fully connected with God's purpose for you.

An exceptional contribution to the teaching and study of Chinese thought, this anthology provides fifty-eight selections arranged chronologically in five main sections: Han Thought, Chinese Buddhism, Neo-Confucianism, Late Imperial Confucianism, and the Twentieth Century. The editors have selected writings that have been influential, that are philosophically engaging, and that can be understood as elements of an ongoing dialogue, particularly on issues regarding ethical cultivation, human nature, virtue, government, and the underlying structure of the universe. Within those topics, issues of contemporary interest, such as Chinese ideas about gender and the experiences of women, are brought to light. Introductions to each main section provide an overview of the period, while brief headnotes to selections highlight key points. The translations are the works of many distinguished scholars, and were chosen for their accuracy and accessibility, especially for students, general readers, and scholars who do not read Chinese. Special effort has been made to maintain consistency of key terms across translations. Also included are a glossary, bibliography, index of names, and an index locorum of The Four Books.

When we tell the story of God, where do we start? As the pandemic disrupted the ways we worship and practice our faith, we've been given an opportunity to reevaluate everything. Perhaps the better question now is this: Where do we restart? Whatever a church or a community of faith will be, we will always be telling the story of God. But how do we tell it best in a post-pandemic world? How would you tell it to a child? Or to someone who has never heard it before? Maybe the best place to begin is still here: "In the beginning..." The things we want to believe most about God are often present in the story's first truths from the Garden of Eden. And in those first truths, we also find the most important things to believe about ourselves. In a season of renewal for people and for churches, the opening story of Genesis reminds us of who God is, who we are, and the call of creation. It's a story about so much more than sin. And it's a good place to begin, again. Roots of Eden explores the first truths of scripture. What's the first thing the story tells us about God? About ourselves? What's the first thing God says to human beings? What is the first truth of the relationship between Adam and Eve? How can we see the events of Genesis 3 through the first truths of Genesis 1? And what does all of this mean for life outside the garden? The roots of Eden still run deep into the world we've made. And from the beginning, it's a world that can be good.

Deepen your connection to the natural world with this inspiring meditation, "a path to the place where science and spirit meet" (Robin Wall Kimmerer). In Rooted, cutting-edge science supports a truth that poets, artists, mystics, and earth-based cultures across the world have proclaimed over millennia: life on this planet is radically interconnected. Our bodies, thoughts, minds, and spirits are affected by the whole of nature, and they affect this whole in return. In this time of crisis, how can we best live upon our imperiled, beloved earth? Award-winning writer Lyanda Lynn Haupt’s highly personal new book is a brilliant invitation to live with the earth in both simple and profound ways—from walking barefoot in the woods and reimagining our relationship with animals and trees, to examining the very language we use to describe and think about nature. She invokes rootedness as a way of being in concert with the wilderness—and wildness—that sustains humans and all of life. In the tradition of Rachel Carson, Elizabeth Kolbert, and Mary Oliver, Haupt writes with urgency and grace, reminding us that at the crossroads of science, nature, and spirit we find true hope. Each chapter provides tools for bringing our unique gifts to the fore and transforming our sense of belonging within the magic and wonder of the natural world.