Waiting In Christian Traditions

Christians wait for prayers to be answered, for an afterlife in heaven, for the Virgin Mary to appear, and for God to speak. They wait to be liberated from oppression, to be “saved” or born again, for Easter morning to dawn, for healing, for conversion, and for baptism. Waiting and the disappointment and hope that often accompany it are explained in terms that are, at first glance, remarkably invariant across Christian traditions: what will happen will happen “on God’s time.” A study of sources from across Christian traditions shows that there is considerable complexity beneath this surface claim. Understandings of free will and personal agency alongside shifts in institutional and theological commitments change the ways waiting is understood and valued. Waiting is often considered a positive state to be endured as long as God wills, and that fundamental understanding helps keep the promises at the heart of Christianity alive. Scholars have long overlooked the problem and promise of waiting despite (or perhaps because of) its prevalence. Indeed, there are relatively few mystics, few who have undergone “sudden” conversion, and few who have attained saintly status. Many, however, have waited, and that problem remains prominent—and its solutions remain influential—in Christian traditions today.

Christians wait for prayers to be answered, for an afterlife in heaven, for the Virgin Mary to appear, and for God to speak. They wait to be liberated from oppression, to be "saved" or born again, for Easter morning to dawn, for healing, for conversion, and for baptism. Waiting and the disappointment and hope that often accompany it are explained in terms that are, at first glance, remarkably invariant across Christian traditions: what will happen will happen "on God's time." A study of sources from across Christian traditions shows that there is considerable complexity beneath this surface claim. Understandings of free will and personal agency alongside shifts in institutional and theological commitments change the ways waiting is understood and valued. Waiting is often considered a positive state to be endured as long as God wills, and that fundamental understanding helps keep the promises at the heart of Christianity alive. Scholars have long overlooked the problem and promise of waiting despite (or perhaps because of) its prevalence. Indeed, there are relatively few mystics, few who have undergone "sudden" conversion, and few who have attained saintly status. Many, however, have waited, and that problem remains prominent -- and its solutions remain influential -- in Christian traditions today. -- Provided by publisher.

People often feel that biblical theology of future and hope is of little practical value for life in the present. Christians are suspected of waiting for a 'pie in the sky when they die' instead of dealing with the 'steak on their plate while they wait'. But the writers in this book argue that eschatology of creation's future in God's purposes - is profoundly relevant for contempory life. The book outlines biblical and historical teachings on eschatology, and then creatively explores their implications for a range of current issues from art to politics, from ecology to pop culture, from mission to work, and from gender issues to ethics

Wesley Hill's personal experiences and biblical reflections offer insight into how a nonpracticing gay Christian can "prove, live out, and celebrate" the grace of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. For many who are on this path, it's a lonely one. The reality of loneliness and isolation of the celibate homosexual Christian is something that Hill lives and takes seriously in his pursuit of the gospel-centered life. To those on a similar journey, it's often a life of uncertainties and questions. In Washed and Waiting, Hill explores the three main struggles that have been part of his daily effort to live faithfully: What exactly does the gospel demand of gay and lesbian Christians, and how can it enable them to fulfill its commands? How do Christians who experience homoerotic desires live with the loneliness such desires entail? Is there any relief for it? What comfort does the gospel offer? Can those of us who struggle with homosexuality please God and truly experience his pleasure in the midst of sexual brokenness? Interspersed throughout these main sections are character sketches and stories of people who have experienced this journey's trials and triumphs. Hill offers wise counsel that is biblically faithful, theologically serious, and oriented to the life and practice of the church. As a celibate gay Christian, he gives us a glimpse of what it looks like to wrestle firsthand with God's "No" to same-sex sexual intimacy and contemplate serious and difficult questions.

This concise reference on Christian backgrounds in English literature is scholarly yet accessible. Created for students who may be unfamiliar with the Bible or church history, this guide introduces Christianity's key concepts, themes, images, and characters as they relate to English literature up to the present day.

This is the first in a series of books commissioned in consultation with John Sentamu. It can be described as "The Archbishop of York's Advent book". Its theme is overtly an Advent one, yet subsequent books will range over other biblical and seasonal topics.Paula Gooder provides a profoundly biblical guide to the season of Advent and we explore its central theme of waiting (something we are not good at in our modern culture) in the company of the biblical characters who feature prominently in the lectionary readings for the season: Abraham and Sarah who waited for a child, Isaiah and the prophets who waited for judgement and redemption, John the Baptist whose role was to wait in the wilderness until the prophecies he foretold were realised, Mary whose waiting began in pregnancy and continued as she stood at the foot of the cross. Arranged for daily reading, this offers an exquisite meditation on the spirituality of waiting - the active doing of nothing - as a way of enhancing our lives and bringing us closer to God.

A collection of one-hundred articles which appeared in rural newspapers in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois over a period of three years. The ongoing, syndicated column,"Ask Pastor Adrienne(TM)," provides a forum for readers to query a member of clergy without being judged, interrogated or embarrassed by their standing (or non-standing) on the Christian landscape. Readers asked questions and were answered by Pastor Adrienne in general, biblical terms. The book is an archive of diverse topics regarding the American culture of Christianity as experienced by the public.

As an aspect of civic humanism, the liberal arts comprehended the skills necessary to realize the common good of free citizens within a free society, the mental habits basic to citizenship as preached and taught in the classical, medieval, and Renaissance worlds. The liberal arts formed people with the virtues proper to civic life. The Church has never been quiet about these issues. In every age Christians have addressed themselves to what the human animal is that such a being can be trained in civic virtue, and how this can best be done, why Christians should care, and what Faith has to say on such matters as profane learning. This book's essays explore how the various Christian Traditions have taken up the question of liberal learning by setting it within the context of their own peculiar idioms and histories.