Author: Ross Douthat
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 1501146939
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 272
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Book Description
A New York Times columnist and one of America’s leading conservative thinkers considers Pope Francis’s efforts to change the church he governs in a book that is “must reading for every Christian who cares about the fate of the West and the future of global Christianity” (Rod Dreher, author of The Benedict Option). Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in 1936, today Pope Francis is the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church. Pope Francis’s stewardship of the Church, while perceived as a revelation by many, has provoked division throughout the world. “If a conclave were to be held today,” one Roman source told The New Yorker, “Francis would be lucky to get ten votes.” In his “concise, rhetorically agile…adroit, perceptive, gripping account (The New York Times Book Review), Ross Douthat explains why the particular debate Francis has opened—over communion for the divorced and the remarried—is so dangerous: How it cuts to the heart of the larger argument over how Christianity should respond to the sexual revolution and modernity itself, how it promises or threatens to separate the church from its own deep past, and how it divides Catholicism along geographical and cultural lines. Douthat argues that the Francis era is a crucial experiment for all of Western civilization, which is facing resurgent external enemies (from ISIS to Putin) even as it struggles with its own internal divisions, its decadence, and self-doubt. Whether Francis or his critics are right won’t just determine whether he ends up as a hero or a tragic figure for Catholics. It will determine whether he’s a hero, or a gambler who’s betraying both his church and his civilization into the hands of its enemies. “A balanced look at the struggle for the future of Catholicism…To Change the Church is a fascinating look at the church under Pope Francis” (Kirkus Reviews). Engaging and provocative, this is “a pot-boiler of a history that examines a growing ecclesial crisis” (Washington Independent Review of Books).
Author: Brad Powell
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
ISBN: 1418552690
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 321
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Book Description
The church is the hope of the world when it's working right...and therein lies the problem. Most aren't. This has led both Christians and non-Christians to give up on the church entirely; it has led many others to give up on all existing churches-and maybe even start new ones. But all church can and should be transitioned to a new life. A church is never beyond hope. This book will provide principles and practices that can lead to a resurrection of any church, in any setting. It will provide the inspiration and information needed to lead a church successfully through the necessary changes of tradition and culture without compromising God's timeless truth. When this happens, the church will once again be what God intended...the hope of the world.
Author: John Thomas Noonan
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 328
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Book Description
Noonan's analysis of the development in Catholic moral teaching on usury, contraception, religious freedom, slave-holding, and divorce.
Author: Mike Regele
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 0310200067
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 296
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Book Description
Our culture is changing at a dizzying rate. But the church seems to be left behind, caught in subcultural backwaters that have little or no impact on mainstream society. Based on the quantitative research of his group, Percept, Regele analyzes the forces in our culture and discusses how the church can fulfill its mission in the face of them.
Author: Margaret Nutting Ralph
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1442242558
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 226
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Book Description
As contentious debates swirl in the Catholic church about the role of women, abortion, sexuality, and more, author Margaret Nutting Ralph urges readers to see that past church teaching on these issues is not infallible. Contrary to popular belief, church teaching on key issues has evolved in the past, and Ralph makes the case that it should again. Ralph works through some of the most vexing questions in the church today, from homosexuality to contraception, outlining key scriptural references for each issue, exploring the history of church teaching, then looking for ways these teachings might evolve. The paperback edition features a new preface that explores the potential for change in the church in light of Pope Francis's first year.
Author: C. Peter Wagner
Publisher: Gospel Light Publications
ISBN: 9780830736584
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 212
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Book Description
Peter Wagner tells readers exactly how they can contribute to the Church's worldwide fulfillment of God's kingdom on earth! "The Changing Church" sheds light on the exciting things that are happening by the power of the Holy Spirit! The Church is being aligned with God's plan for the Great Harvest. While we might feel small in the scheme of things, we can make a huge impact when we unite with what God is doing worldwide. This new vision overlooks denominational barriers, asking one and all to join together for the ultimate fulfillment of God's purposes!
Author: Mark D. Chapman
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030534251
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 376
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Book Description
This volume, dedicated to the memory of Gerard Mannion (1970-2019), former Joseph and Winifred Amaturo Chair in Catholic Studies at Georgetown University, explores the topic of changing the church from a range of different theological perspectives. The volume contributors offer answers to questions such as: What needs to be changed in the universal church and in the particular denominations? How has change influenced the life of the church? What are the dangers that change brings with it? What awaits the church if it refuses to change? Many of the essays focus on people who have changed the church significantly and on events that have catalyzed change, for the better or for the worse. Some also present visions of change for particular Christian denominations, whether over the ordination of the women, different approaches to sexuality, reform of the magisterium, and many other issues related to change.
Author: Michael L. Brown
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780800793104
Category : Church renewal
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
There can be no revolution in the world until there is a revolution in the Church, bringing reformation--large-scale change--that the Reformation never envisioned.
Author: Jim Mellado
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780785296911
Category : Church renewal
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
If you sense that your church's best days are ahead, use this book's guidelines for deciding where and what kind of change to implement. Then tackle Mellado, Appel, and Nelson's strategy for wise planning and team building so your goals will find rich fulfillment. The authors authoritatively cover the elements of initiating change in a church body, addressing such topics as: Examining what motivates you Getting below the skin of improvement Honoring past traditions while developing new ones Understanding the emotional side of change Identifying opinion leaders in your church Determining where you want to go as a body Creating a transition plan Sailing the "leader ship" Making conflict work for you Enjoying the benefits of improved ministry Though many American churches are fading in number and effectiveness, yours can stay on course. Take advantage of others' experience: How to Change Your Church (Without Killing It) contains many success and crash-and-burn stories, as well as pointed lessons about how to guide your church through innovation with the least pain possible. Embark on the journey through church change with these able guides and make your local church body irresistible to believers and seekers alike.
Author: John Cornwell
Publisher: Chronicle Books
ISBN: 1797202022
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 306
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Book Description
Church, Interrupted: Havoc & Hope: The Tender Revolt of Pope Francis is a revealing portrait of Pope Francis's hopeful yet controversial efforts to recreate the Catholic Church to become, once again, a welcoming place of empathy, love, and inclusiveness. Bestselling author, Vanity Fair contributor, and papal biographer John Cornwell tells the gripping insider story of Pope Francis's bid to bring renewal and hope to a crisis-plagued Church and the world at large. With unique insights and original reporting, Cornwell reveals how Francis has persistently provoked and disrupted his stubbornly unchanging Church, purging clerical corruption and reforming entrenched institutions, while calling for action against global poverty, climate change, and racism. Cornwell argues that despite fierce opposition from traditionalist clergy and right-wing media, the pope has radically widened Catholic moral priorities, calling for mercy and compassion over rigid dogmatism. Francis, according to Cornwell, has transformed the Vatican from being a top-down centralized authority to being a spiritual service for a global Church. He has welcomed the rejected, abused, and disheartened; reached out to people of other faiths and those of none; and proved a providential spiritual leader for future generations. Highly acclaimed author John Cornwell's riveting account of the hopeful—and contentious—efforts undertaken by Pope Francis to rebuild the Catholic Church. • Well researched and brilliantly written, readers, scholars, and fans of John Cornwell will want to read his most controversial and compelling work yet. • More than a third of America's 74 million Catholics said they were contemplating departure in 2018. It is estimated that over the past twenty years, the Catholic Church has been losing $2.5 billion dollars annually in revenues, legal fees, and damages due to clerical abuse cases. The decline in church attendance, marriages, and vocations to the priesthood and sisterhood tell a story of major decline and disillusion. Cornwell showcases Pope Francis's way forward, a hopeful message that gives reinvigorated reasons to stay with the church and help be the change the new generation would like to see. • For readers within and outside Catholicism fascinated by the future and restructuring of the church, this will be a book they want to read again and again as the church continues to change and grow.
