Introducing the Practice of Ministry Review

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Introducing the Practice of Ministry ReviewProfessor Kathleen Cahalan has offered readers a smart book on Practice and on Ministry. While it is titled an introduction this book is comprehensive. She defines current conversations in a fresh and inviting framework that is original and foundational at the same time. The heart of her teaching is the last chapter where she presents a readable and contemporary belief in the Trinity as the dynamism of practice of ministry. This book is an invitation to vocation for all disciples. She defines ministry in service of disciples. The charisms of the Holy Spirit are not separate gifts, but enfold us in deep, abiding relationships. We imitate Christ and are literally Christ for others in our very own world.
If a book can be a verb, this is one. I have read it twice and it continues to change not only my thinking, values and attitudes, but actions that become a habit. It is in the practice that we become by grace what God is by nature.
I wish I had this book when I worked in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis's Education Office, or when I was on the Board of St. Meinrad Seminary, or Weston School of Theology Board. I would recommend this book as a place to start for all who have been Baptized. Vocation has a voice through this book.Introducing the Practice of Ministry Overview

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I Am With You Always: A Study of the History and Meaning of Personal Devotion to Jesus Christ for Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant Christians Review

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I Am With You Always: A Study of the History and Meaning of Personal Devotion to Jesus Christ for Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant Christians ReviewExcellent book. Fr. Groeschel has written a different type of book. Rather than a classic history book Fr. Groeschel covers the devotional life of Christians from Jesus to current times. The book covers the Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant views and contains writings representative of each group. Fr. Groeschel shows how the core essence of Christianity has not really changed over the last two thousand years.
I am a graduate student in Theology and most of my courses cover systematic or moral theology. This book is a vastly different approach. It is a study of the devotional life of the Christian people. What better way is there to understand what the ordinary people believe than to study the classic devotional writings of each period? By understanding how the people pray and worship we gain understanding of their beliefs.
The book is long (600) pages but you do not have to read it cover to cover. Fr. Groeschel gives guidance in the introduction on how to approach the book depending on the perspective you bring to the book. The book also is an excellent introduction to many spiritual writers and I was led to investigate writers who I was not familiar with.
This book was given to me for Christmas and I am most appreciative. I will enjoy reading it in the years to come. I highly recommend it. I believe it will become a classic devotional reference work.
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Life is Hard: Machismo, Danger, and the Intimacy of Power in Nicaragua (Centennial Book) Review

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Life is Hard: Machismo, Danger, and the Intimacy of Power in Nicaragua (Centennial Book) ReviewWhen people want to know what everyday life in Nicaragua was like during what Eduardo Galeano has called "the time of beautiful madness," they invariably turn to Lancaster's book. Life is Hard gives an up-close, personal, and often poignant accounting of the experiences of three working-class families during the Sandinista period. But this accessible, engaging book is also more than a classic ethnography. The latter chapters (whose theoretical arguments ineluctably flow from the more descriptive chapters) provide a highly readable short course on much of what is most exciting in twentieth century cultural theory: semiotics, deconstruction, neomarxism, and the origins of queer theory.
Over the course of the book, the author takes the reader through various vignettes, life stories, and analyses. At the same time, Lancaster reveals different facets of himself, in context-appropriate passages: socialist, Southern working-class origins, white, gay... The result is an implicit argument about how complex, compound, and contingent identities are. The result is also that alert readers get a very good sense of how the author's experiences shaped his research questions- and how they affected his interactions with Nicaraguan informants spanning a broad social gamut: single mothers, soldiers, adolescent boys and girls, "macho" men, and a number of gay men (clearly quoted, sometimes at length, in the chapter on same-sex relations).
Lancaster's overarching analysis is complex. In a feminist vein, he argues that the Sandinista revolution failed, in part, because its leadership failed to undertake an effective renovation of gender relations and family life. In a gay studies vein, the author shows how the everyday stigmatization of male same-sex relations regulates and supports conceptions of "appropriate" manhood (nobody wants to be called a "queer"!)-- and how, in no small part, it was this quotidian homophobia that undermined Sandinista efforts at changing family life.
The nuanced picture Lancaster draws of family life in a culture of machismo, and the innovative analysis he develops of how same-sex relations function in that culture, have been corroborated by a host of scholars working in different fields: Tomas Almaguer, Ana Alonso, Annick Prieuer, Don Kulick, David Whisnant, Richard Parker, and many others. With good reason, this important book received both the Society for the Study of Social Problems' C. Wright Mills Award, and the Society of Lesbian and Gay Anthropologists' Ruth Benedict Prize. I should add: this book has been used in several undergraduate and graduate courses I've taken. Invariably, students vote this the best-realized ethnography in the class.Life is Hard: Machismo, Danger, and the Intimacy of Power in Nicaragua (Centennial Book) Overview

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Four Ways of Holiness for the Universal Church: Drawn from the Monastic Tradition (Monastic Wisdom) Review

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Four Ways of Holiness for the Universal Church: Drawn from the Monastic Tradition (Monastic Wisdom) ReviewFrancis Kline's book was published in October of 2007 a year after his untimely death. I only know of Francis Kline via a CD of organ music which he recorded in 2003 in the Abbey Church of Mepkin Abbey, South Carolina where he was third abbot of Mepkin Abbey. In addition, I read his book on Monasticism Being Loosed in the Church which was intriguing in its use of metaphor. The present book on 4 ways to holiness is a "must" read for those who want practical exposure on how to become a "living sacrifice" as Paul teaches in the 12th chapter of the Roman letter. Kline draws on his extensive practice of lectio as a Cistercian monk for over 30 years. Each of the chapters (Conversion, Suffering, Desire, and Unity) are soundly based in his reflection upon numerous passages of scripture especially those of the Gospels. The chapter on Suffering is actually an autobiographical essay on Abbot Kline's battle with cancer over a period of several years. This second chapter alone is worth the purchase of the book. Keen insights are given into the struggles of hospital stays and treatments along with trying to maintain his calling as a monk in the midst of it all. His essay on "conversion" (first chapter) is one of a daily conversion of life in the confines of routine work and a daily regimen of prayer lived out in community and in the presence of the God of the Bible. The third chapter investigates "Desire" as a call to give all to God through His Son Jesus as one becomes poured out as a fragrance and offering in service to others. The opening of chapter 5 of the Ephesian letter best describes the substance of the essay on Desire. "Therefore brothers, be imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk in love as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a sacrifice and fragrant offering to God."
The final essay develops the concept of a Christian's Unity being found, formed and ultimately transformed into the image of the Son of God through the Spirit of Jesus who was sent on Pentecost.
I am surprised there has not already been a review of this short book since its publication in 2007. I would hope that my feeble attempt will flush out others who will write a more scholarly and perhaps indepth review of what I see as an excellent resource for spiritual reading. Four Ways to Holiness for the Universal Church by Francis Kline will definitely be on my "reread" list in the very near future.
Ronald DavisFour Ways of Holiness for the Universal Church: Drawn from the Monastic Tradition (Monastic Wisdom) Overview

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Introduction to Christianity Review

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Introduction to Christianity ReviewHigh quality work presented at a level that anyone can understand and be very interested in. Intended as a serious, academic introduction to the history of Christianity, this book would be beneficial to all who read it with an eye towards historical issues / development, etc.Introduction to Christianity Overview

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Called to Love: Approaching John Paul II's Theology of the Body Review

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Called to Love: Approaching John Paul II's Theology of the Body ReviewI've read other works on John Paul II's theology of the body before, but what set apart "Called to Love" for me was the authors' interweaving of the pope's other literature, as well -- specifically, his poetry and plays. I must say I came away with an even greater appreciation for the late pope and his committment to marriage, families and upholding the dignity of the human person. Clearly, he was steeped in this love.
I think "Called to Love" achieves a nice balance between giving the layman a thorough -- but accessible -- introduction to JPII's teachings on love and human sexuality, and providing a "where do we go from here" approach for those already familiar with theology of the body and want to bring that message of faith-filled love to society. I'd definitely recommend it.Called to Love: Approaching John Paul II's Theology of the Body Overview

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Contemplative Prayer Review

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Contemplative Prayer ReviewThis is not a how-to book. It is a study of the history and meaning and reason for contemplative prayer, deeply thought of, deeply experienced. My little old copy is dogeared and heavily underlined, having been read so many times. And it is not my first copy - I've given others to friends.
As with much of Merton's writing, it is a tool for examining our own prayer, our own lives. He shows us many ways we may be evading the very goal of our prayer, how we may be shielding ourselves from God's light shining upon us.
Merton did not write this book in order to become popular. It is not all sweetness and gentle breezes of the Spirit. It is more like a cold wind that seeks to blow away our defenses and leave us face to face with what our souls really want - God. Whether we enjoy the process is not the point, but a book like this lets us know that we are not alone on the path, that, tough as it is, others have gone before. It gives comfort in the old English meaning of the word: strengthening. Read this if you need a good dose of spiritual tonic.
review by Janet Knori, author of Awakening in GodContemplative Prayer Overview

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We Drink from Our Own Wells: The Spiritual Journey of a People Review

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We Drink from Our Own Wells: The Spiritual Journey of a People ReviewGutierrez has written about "liberation theology" in layman's language. Not only is the book informative, it is a guide to personal spirituality.
After completing the book, I find it difficult to understand why "liberation theology" has been such a controversial topic within the political and church establishments for the past 30 years. Why had a US government study claimed "liberation theology" a greater threat to Latin America than communism? And why had the authorities in Rome silenced both Gutierrez and Boff for their positions on liberation theology?
We Drink from Our Own Wells is formated into three sections. The first section contains two chapters that define "new" spirituality as practiced among the poor in Latin America.
The second section is comprised of three chapters that focus on scripture; particularly the gospels of the evangelists and the epistles of Paul. Much attention is given to the social gospel of Christ. The concepts of flesh, spirit, and body are extensively discussed, as are the terms "discipleship" and "community".
The five chapters in the final section are summarized in Henri Nouwen's superbly written Forward: "...filled with deeply moving texts written by Christian men and women who have experienced persecution and suffering but have been witnesses to the living and hope-giving God in the midst of their sufferings."
The 202 pages include 33 pages of notes, 4 pages of scripture references (over 200 entries), a 15 page Forward written by Henri Nouwen, and a 5 page Preface by Gutierrez for the 20th Anniversay Edition.We Drink from Our Own Wells: The Spiritual Journey of a People Overview

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