Aquinas and the Infused Moral Virtues

Aquinas and the Infused Moral Virtues PDF Author: Angela McKay Knobel
Publisher: University of Notre Dame Pess
ISBN: 0268201080
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 266

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Book Description
This study locates Aquinas’s theory of infused and acquired virtue in his foundational understanding of nature and grace. Aquinas holds that all the virtues are bestowed on humans by God along with the gift of sanctifying grace. Since he also holds, with Aristotle, that we can create virtuous dispositions in ourselves through our own repeated good acts, a question arises: How are we to understand the relationship between the virtues God infuses at the moment of grace and virtues that are gradually acquired over time? In this important book, Angela McKay Knobel provides a detailed examination of Aquinas’s theory of infused moral virtue, with special attention to the question of how the infused and acquired moral virtues are related. Part 1 examines Aquinas’s own explicit remarks about the infused and acquired virtues and considers whether and to what extent a coherent “theory” of the relationship between the infused and acquired virtues can be found in Aquinas. Knobel argues that while Aquinas says almost nothing about how the infused and acquired virtues are related, he clearly does believe that the “structure” of the infused virtues mirrors that of the acquired in important ways. Part 2 uses that structure to evaluate existing interpretations of Aquinas and argues that no existing account adequately captures Aquinas’s most fundamental commitments. Knobel ultimately argues that the correct account lies somewhere between the two most commonly advocated theories. Written primarily for students and scholars of moral philosophy and theology, the book will also appeal to readers interested in understanding Aquinas’s theory of virtue.

The Sermons of Charles Wesley

The Sermons of Charles Wesley PDF Author: Charles Wesley
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191520624
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 422

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Book Description
Charles Wesley (1707-1788) is widely recognized as one of the greatest writers of the English hymn. The importance of Charles, however, extends well beyond his undoubted poetic abilities, for he is a figure of central importance in the context of the birth and early growth of Methodism, a movement which today has a worldwide presence. It was Charles and not John who first started the Oxford 'Holy Club' from which the ethos and structures of organised Methodism were eventually to emerge. It was Charles rather than John who first experienced the 'strange warming of the heart' that characterised the experience of many eighteenth-century evangelicals; and in the early years it was Charles no less than John who sought to spread, mainly through his preaching, the evangelical message across England, Wales, and Ireland. Eye witness testimony suggests that Charles was a powerful and effective preacher whose homiletic work and skill did much to establish and further the early Methodist cause. In this book this other side of Charles Wesley is brought clearly into focus through the publication, for the first time, of all of the known Charles Wesley sermon texts. In the four substantial introductory chapters a case is made for the inclusion of the 23 sermons here presented and there is discussion also of the significant text-critical problems that have been negotiated in the production of this volume. Other chapters present a summary of Charles's life and preaching career and seek to show by example how the sermons, no less than the hymns, are significant vehicles for the transmission of Charles's message. This book hence makes a plea for a reassessment of the place of Charles Wesley in English Church history and argues that he deserves to be recognised as more than just 'The Sweet Singer of Methodism'.

You Are What You Love

You Are What You Love PDF Author: James K. A. Smith
Publisher: Brazos Press
ISBN: 1493403664
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 238

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Book Description
Christianity Today Book Award Winner Martin Institute and Dallas Willard Center Book Award You are what you love. But you might not love what you think. In this book, award-winning author James K. A. Smith shows that who and what we worship fundamentally shape our hearts. And while we desire to shape culture, we are not often aware of how culture shapes us. We might not realize the ways our hearts are being taught to love rival gods instead of the One for whom we were made. Smith helps readers recognize the formative power of culture and the transformative possibilities of Christian practices. He explains that worship is the "imagination station" that incubates our loves and longings so that our cultural endeavors are indexed toward God and his kingdom. This is why the church and worshiping in a local community of believers should be the hub and heart of Christian formation and discipleship. Following the publication of his influential work Desiring the Kingdom, Smith received numerous requests from pastors and leaders for a more accessible version of that book's content. No mere abridgment, this new book draws on years of Smith's popular presentations on the ideas in Desiring the Kingdom to offer a fresh, bottom-up rearticulation. The author creatively uses film, literature, and music illustrations to engage readers and includes new material on marriage, family, youth ministry, and faith and work. He also suggests individual and communal practices for shaping the Christian life.

The Complete Book of Everyday Christianity

The Complete Book of Everyday Christianity PDF Author: R. Paul Stevens
Publisher: Graceworks
ISBN: 9811188475
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 1317

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Book Description
“I am thrilled to know that The Complete Book of Everyday Christianity is being relaunched. A well-worn first edition of this book sits next to my office desk and I consult it often. There is no better collection of everyday issues examined from a Christian perspective. A wide variety of topics are addressed with a cleverly balanced combination of academic and practical perspectives, informed by thoughtful biblical and theological reflection. This is a wonderfully useful tool. I am pleased that it will be available to resource a new generation of Christians who are eager to understand more about what it means to follow Christ in every aspect of life.” — Alistair Mackenzie, Senior Lecturer: School of Theology, Mission and Ministry, Laidlaw College, Christchurch, New Zealand. Also Director of Faith at Work (NZ)

The Practice of Christian and Religious Perfection

The Practice of Christian and Religious Perfection PDF Author: Alfonso Rodríguez
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Asceticism
Languages : en
Pages : 548

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Book Description


Practicing Christian Patience

Practicing Christian Patience PDF Author: Jeffrey L Bullock
Publisher: Church Publishing, Inc.
ISBN: 0819229091
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 73

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Book Description
• A fresh approach to church life and ecclesial health • Addresses the concerns of leadership in challenging times • Includes questions for reflection and study by individuals and groups Patience may be the least understood and least practiced of the Christian virtues—and yet patience may be the most important virtue to today’s church, the virtue that can underpin our most faithful longing. Building on a theological, biblical, and historical foundation, the author lays out a case for patience as a distinctly Christian practice. Patience subverts the cycle of crisis and fear that shapes so much of our culture. Patience understands that urgency and haste are hallmarks of the secular world, not the church. Patience and attending to the Other, whether divine or human, is a modern day cornerstone of justice, holding us together in a timeless bond. The author, a scholar and minister, has long wrestled with the notion that the church has to get out there and sell itself. In this book, he offers patience as an alternative way to address current issues and church growth.

Before You Lose Your Faith

Before You Lose Your Faith PDF Author: Ivan Mesa
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780999284377
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description


Richard Hooker and the Christian Virtues

Richard Hooker and the Christian Virtues PDF Author: Daniel F. Graves
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004700889
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 379

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Book Description
The contributors to the volume explore the relationship of the virtues to Richard Hooker's ontology, to questions of justification by faith, how righteousness is appropriated by the Christian, how the virtues relate to his polemical context, what he takes from both Scripture and his theological forbearers, and how he demonstrates the virtues in his own literary persona. Contributors include: Benjamin Crosby, Paul Dominiak, Daniel Eppley, André A. Gazal, Daniel F. Graves, Dan Kemp, Scott N. Kindred-Barnes, W.J. Torrance Kirby, W. Bradford Littlejohn, Arthur Stephen McGrade, W. David Neelands, and John K. Stafford.

Science and Christian Ethics

Science and Christian Ethics PDF Author: Paul Scherz
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108482201
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 245

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Book Description
The scientific reproducibility crisis is a crisis of character. Stoic and Christian spiritual exercises build virtues that address these problems.

After You Believe

After You Believe PDF Author: N. T. Wright
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0061730556
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 326

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Book Description
From the author of the acclaimed Simply Christian and Surprised by Hope comes a book that addresses the question that has plagued humans for centuries—what is our purpose? As Christians, what are we to do with that ambiguous time between baptism and the funeral? It's easy to become preoccupied with who gets into heaven; the real challenge is how we are going to live in the here and now. Wright dispels the common misconception that Christian living is nothing more than a checklist of dos and don'ts. Nor is it a prescription to "follow your heart" wherever it may lead. Instead, After You Believe reveals the Bible's call for a revolution—a transformation of character that takes us beyond our earthly pursuit of money, sex, and power into a virtuous state of living that allows us to reflect God and live more worshipful, fulfilling lives. We are all spiritual seekers, intuitively knowing there is more to life than we suspect. This is a book for anyone who is hoping there is something more while we're here on Earth. There is. We are being called to join the revolution, and Wright insightfully encourages readers to find new purpose and clarity by taking us on an eye-opening journey through key biblical passages that promise to radically alter the work of the church and the direction of our lives.