Download or read book The Book of Resolutions of The United Methodist Church 2016 written by United Methodist Church and published by United Methodist Publishing House. This book was released on 2016-12-16 with total page 772 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Book of Resolutions provides models for applying an active faith to daily life in ways that can impact the world around us. The new Book of Resolutions contains all current social policies adopted by the General Conference of The United Methodist Church. Includes positions on more than 200 subjects, organized into seven sections: The Natural World The Political Community The Nurturing Community The World Community The Social Community The Economic Community Other Resolutions Fully indexed by resolution title, Scripture reference, and topic. Available in English only.

Download or read book Reckoning Methodism written by Darryl W. Stephens and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2024-03-29 with total page 293 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reckoning Methodism addresses the brokenness of The United Methodist Church (UMC) in the United States. Homosexuality is but one of several fault lines with decades-long histories in this predominantly White denomination. Demographic shifts, racism, and imperialism are heavily implicated in the current state of division. What, then, is the true nature and mission of this church? The UMC is the public church divided. Distinct missional theologies arise from competing commitments and priorities. When Methodist programmatic initiatives—such as vital congregations, environmental witness, and volunteers in mission—fail to account for these differences, denominational unity is weakened. Constructively, this book seeks historical clarity, collective repentance, charismatic learning, and institutional courage as United Methodists reckon with inherited animosities and divisions. This book provides no answers or programmatic fixes. Rather, it provides possibilities for repairing past harms as United Methodists seek ways to continue living out their Wesleyan faith. Reckoning with the public church divided, we glimpse the nature and mission of the church—not only as it has been but also as it could be. Podcast interview with GCAH

Download or read book Book of Resolutions 1996 English written by and published by . This book was released on 1996-04 with total page 772 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book United Methodist Doctrine written by Scott J. Jones and published by Abingdon Press. This book was released on 2002 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Throughout this book, Scott J. Jones insists that for United Methodists the ultimate goal of doctrine is holiness. Importantly, he clarifies the nature and the specific claims of "official" United Methodist doctrine in a way that moves beyond the current tendency to assume the only alternatives are a rigid dogmatism or an unfettered theological pluralism. In classic Wesleyan form, Jones' driving concern is with recovering the vital role of forming believers in the "mind of Christ, " so that they might live more faithfully in their many settings in our world.

Download or read book The Muslims of America written by Amherst Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad Professor of Islamic History University of Massachusetts and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 1991-06-13 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This collection brings together sixteen previously unpublished essays about the history, organization, challenges, responses, outstanding thinkers, and future prospects of the Muslim community in the United States and Canada. Both Muslims and non-Muslims are represented among the contributors, who include such leading Islamic scholars as John Esposito, Frederick Denny, Jane Smith, and John Voll. Focusing on the manner in which American Muslims adapt their institutions as they become increasingly an indigenous part of America, the essays discuss American Muslim self-images, perceptions of Muslims by non-Muslim Americans, leading American Muslim intellectuals, political activity of Muslims in America, Muslims in American prisons, Islamic education, the status of Muslim women in America, and the impact of American foreign policy on Muslims in the United States.

Download or read book Bioethics Yearbook written by B. Andrew Lustig and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 1997-03-31 with total page 754 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As the field of bioethics has matured, increasing attention is being paid to how bioethical issues are treated in different moral and religious traditions and in different regions of the world. It is often difficult, however, to obtain timely information about these matters. The Bioethics Yearbook series analyzes how such issues as new reproductive techniques, abortion, maternal-fetal conflicts, care of seriously ill newborns, consent, confidentiality, equitable access, cost-containment, withholding and withdrawing treatment, euthanasia, the definition of death, and organ transplantation are being discussed in different religions and regions. Volume 5 discusses theological developments from 1992 to 1994 in Anglican, Baptist, Catholic, Hindu, Jehovah's Witness, Jewish, Latter-Day Saint, Lutheran, Methodist, Muslim, Pentecostal, and Presbyterian traditions.

Download or read book Bioethics Yearbook written by B.A. Lustig and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-03-14 with total page 754 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As the field of bioethics has matured, increasing attention is being paid to how bioethical issues are treated in different moral and religious traditions and in different regions of the world. It is often difficult, however, to obtain timely information about these matters. The Bioethics Yearbook series analyzes how such issues as new reproductive techniques, abortion, maternal-fetal conflicts, care of seriously ill newborns, consent, confidentiality, equitable access, cost-containment, withholding and withdrawing treatment, euthanasia, the definition of death, and organ transplantation are being discussed in different religions and regions. Volume 5 discusses theological developments from 1992 to 1994 in Anglican, Baptist, Catholic, Hindu, Jehovah's Witness, Jewish, Latter-Day Saint, Lutheran, Methodist, Muslim, Pentecostal, and Presbyterian traditions.

Download or read book We Shall Not Be Moved written by Jane Ellen Nickell and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2014-10-15 with total page 195 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As Protestant denominations are fracturing over whether to ordain gays and lesbians, this work looks at The United Methodist Church's conversations about the issue, in light of Methodism's historic contests over the leadership of African Americans and women, to see what can be learned from these earlier periods of change. Using the uniform context of the Methodist General Conference, where denominational policy is set, the book analyzes transcripts of floor debates in key years of these struggles, letting those who argued for and against the changes speak for themselves. Those arguments are read through the lens of French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, whose theory offers a sophisticated model that goes deeper than simple "resistance to change" in articulating a dialectic between social structures and agents that predisposes both to reproduce existing power relationships. This interdisciplinary, historical study seeks to move beyond conscious motivations for the exclusion of these three groups and uncover deeply embedded, misrecognized social dynamics. In exploring these groups' stories, this book examines who holds power in Methodist churches, how changes in authority structures occur, and why it is such a long and painful process.

Download or read book Living Grace written by Dr. Manfred Marquardt and published by Abingdon Press. This book was released on 2002-01-01 with total page 860 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Living Grace is the most comprehensive expression of systematic theology for United Methodism to appear in the 1990's. Its authors, Bishop Walter Klaiber and Dr. Manfred Marquardt, are leading theologians of continental European United Methodism. Their work meets the long-felt need to provide partners in ecumenical dialog a clearer exposition of Methodism's theology, as founded upon biblical witness, apostolic heritage, the Protestant Reformation, and the Wesleyan Revival. The authors concede that Methodists are often regarded more as specialists in evangelization, ecclesial organization, or social engagement, than as representatives of a cogently articulated theology. Further, United Methodists today are frequently at the forefront of facilitating interchurch cooperation in worship and social outreach. It is the authors' hope that a clearer exposition of our common understanding could offer a foundation upon which the "vital Wesleyan accent" could better direct the Christian witness we are offering in the world. Their response to the challenge has produced a thoughtful attempt to find a solid theological basis for our identity as a church that will not only accent our distinctiveness but will also assist other faith communities to articulate their profiles of faith. In this first English edition, the work has been adapted for the American historical and social milieu. As such, it becomes a pathbreaking effort to articulate for our American constituency the global dimensions of a United Methodist theology, in which the American church is increasingly called to participate. Four emphases of the book are: Responsible Proclamation, Basics of a UMC theology; Universal Salvation; Personal Faith; and, Fullness of Christian Life and the Reality of Love.

Download or read book The 1987 Economic Report of the President written by United States. Congress. Joint Economic Committee and published by . This book was released on 1988 with total page 516 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Sacramental Life Volume 30 3 written by Heather Josselyn Cranson and published by OSL Publications. This book was released on 2018-10-18 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sacramental Life Vol 30.3 (Ordinary Time 2018) Founded in 1988, Sacramental Life is one of two journals published by the Order of Saint Luke (OSL Publications). Print distribution is to the members of the Order globally, as well as to a number of theology departments and seminary libraries in the United States.

Download or read book Practicing Discipleship written by Nicole L. Johnson and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2009-06-01 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Despite a plurality of doctrinal statements on war, peace, and nonviolence, some United Methodists sustain a commitment to nonviolence. Through qualitative research, Practicing Discipleship draws out lived theologies of nonviolence in order to understand how nonviolent United Methodists define, ground, and practice nonviolence, and to give that voice opportunity to challenge church doctrine and thereby the wider church. An analysis of statements from the Book of Disciplines and the Book of Resolutions reveals the plurality of Methodist teachings on moral issues related to war and peace. While such plurality is indicative of the inclusive tradition of United Methodism, Johnson shows that it also causes confusion, thus hindering the vitality and authority of the church's witness. This study's qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews with twelve nonviolent United Methodists reveals a lived theology rooted in Scripture and theological reflection: it points particularly to a christocentrism that posits nonviolence as central to Christ's teachings and example. While study participants affirm the tradition of openness in the United Methodist Church, they also call for more tangible and extensive support for and education about nonviolence as a faithful option for Christians. Through amicable and constructive practical-theological dialogue, doctrinal plurality, and ecclesial openness are affirmed as appropriate and possible only within the context of the church's profound commitment to serious discipleship, which includes transformation toward nonviolence. Implications of this interaction include developing and adopting a more truthful conception of a nonviolent ethics, moving toward broadly conceived Christian formation in nonviolence, and fostering ongoing ecclesial dialogue about difficult moral issues of war, peace, and nonviolence.

Download or read book The Evangelistic Love of God Neighbor written by Bishop Scott J. Jones and published by Abingdon Press. This book was released on 2010-08-01 with total page 230 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There are, it seems, as many definitions of the term "evangelism" as there are people doing the defining. For some, it means proclaiming the gospel to those who have not heard it. To others, it means making disciples of Jesus Christ. To others, it means working for the transformation of the world into the kingdom of God. For still others, it has principally to do with building vibrant, healthy congregations. Underlying this confusion is a fundamental inability to locate the practice of evangelism within one's overall theological convictions. We will never understand the part that proclamation, disciple making, kingdom building, and church growth play in evangelism until we first ask a more important question: What does evangelism have to do with who God is? What is it we know about God that makes evangelism a central part of what it means to be Christian? In this comprehensive theology of evangelism, Scott J. Jones proposes to ground the practice of evangelism in an understanding of God's love for the world, specifically as seen in the incarnation of God in Christ. In Jesus, God took on all of what it means to be human. Because of this, evangelism must be a ministry to the whole person. The typical distinctions between soul-winning, social action, and church growth evaporate; individual conversion and acts of mercy are part of the same ministry of bringing persons more fully into the reign of a loving God.

Download or read book Just War and Christian Traditions written by Eric Patterson and published by University of Notre Dame Pess. This book was released on 2022-12-15 with total page 440 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This much-needed anthology contains historically informed insights and analysis about Christian just war thinking and its application to contemporary conflicts. Recent Christian reflection on war has largely ignored questions of whether and how war can be just. The contributors to Just War and Christian Traditions provide a clear overview of the history and parameters of just war thinking and a much-needed and original evaluation of how Christian traditions and denominations may employ this thinking today. The introduction examines the historical development of Christian just war thinking, differences between just war thinking and the alternatives of pacifism and holy war, distinctions among Christian thinkers on issues such as the role of the state and “lesser evil” politics, and shared Christian theological commitments with public policy ramifications (for example, the priority of peace). The chapters that follow outline—from Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Reformed, Anglican, Methodist, Baptist, and Anabaptist denominational perspectives—the positions of major church traditions on the ethics of warfare. The contributors include philosophers, military strategists, political scientists, and historians who seek to engage various and distinctive denominational approaches to the issues of church and state, war, peace, diplomacy, statecraft, and security over two thousand years of Christian history. Just War and Christian Traditions presents an essential resource for understanding the Judeo-Christian roots and denominational frameworks undergirding the moral structure for statesmanship and policy referred to as just war thinking. This practical guide will interest students, pastors, and lay people interested in issues of peace and security, military history, and military ethics. Contributors: John Ashcroft, Eric Patterson, J. Daryl Charles, Joseph E. Capizzi, Darrell Cole, H. David Baer, Keith J. Pavlischek, Daniel Strand, Nigel Biggar, Mark Tooley, and Timothy J. Demy.

Download or read book Abortion written by Alireza Bagheri and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-04-13 with total page 286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rather than providing a global solution to the problem of abortion —to abort or not to abort—this volume sheds light on different but equally critical dimensions of abortion in global debate and practice. The aim is to elaborate on different value systems and policies in order to empower individuals to make well-informed decisions about abortion guided by moral reflection. The twenty one chapters of this volume are written by distinguished scholars in each of the religious and non-religious schools of thought, offering an exhaustive survey of the differing religious and legal views on abortion within the international community. The contributors present authoritative discussions in favor of or against abortion based on their perspectives and practices. As a result, the content of this book provides a foundational platform for better understanding, meaningful dialogue, and tolerance on a social issue which has divided individuals, philosophers, theologians, policy makers, and legislators within and across societies for centuries.

Download or read book The Bible and the Moral Life written by Charles Freeman Sleeper and published by Westminster John Knox Press. This book was released on 1992-01-01 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Bible helps to shape our understanding of Christian responsibility. Sleeper shows how various church bodies use the Bible to speak to specific contemporary ethical issues and deals directly with the question of the authority of the Bible by taking up the teaching of four basic styles of moral reflection--law, prophecy, apocalypse, and wisdom. Includes practical exercises.

Download or read book The Remnant Spirit written by Douglas E. Cowan and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2003-11-30 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the past few decades, mainline Protestant denominations in North America have been experiencing a significant decline in membership, active participation, and financial contributions. In the midst of this decline, these denominations have been caught up in a variety of controversial religious, ecclesiastical, and social issues—a shift from neo-orthodox to liberal theology, the advent of inclusive liturgical and biblical language, denominational support for often controversial social issues, and heated debates around human sexuality, particularly the place of homosexuals in the church. To address these issues and concerns, and to recapture the traditionalism many feel their churches have abandoned, the remnant faithful, those who choose to stay in their churches, have formed a number of reform and renewal movements. Cowan examines these emergent social movements, providing anecdotal and lively examples of their activities, their arguments, their identities, and their approaches to strengthening their churches. Rather than leave denominations which they regard as increasingly hostile to theological and ecclesiastical traditionalism, many mainline Protestants have chosen to stay and fight for their churches, forming reform and renewal movements intended to address hot-button issues in the way their churches function and practice. These conservative reform movements, however, are often vilified by their more liberal co-religionists, and not infrequently regarded as theologically immature, doctrinally stagnant, and ecclesiastically belligerent. The Remnant Spirit demonstrates that these are simplistic and reductivist analyses that only serve to avoid the very issues around which reform movements emerge and evolve. The author provides an in-depth examination of four major North American denominations, and the various conservative reform and renewal movements taking place in each, while acknowledging that every mainline Protestant Church in the U.S. and Canada is contending with similar issues and addressing them in similar fashions. Here, the voices of the remnant faithful, those that contribute to denominational discussions as they are experienced by ordinary church members and leaders alike, are presented and discussed in a thoughtful and lively manner.