Whats Theology Got To Do With It
$30.00
Theology can be a loaded word for mainline Protestant congregations. It often suggests the dogmatic or implies fault lines for conflict. But when unleashed from its narrow academic sense, “theology” offers a powerful way to get at many of the issues that impact the health and vitality of congregations.
Anthony Robinson carefully defines theology as the “core convictions” that help members of a congregation understand their common perspective and shared identity. Theology is the foundational Christian experience, the wisdom that both forms and transforms lives. Rather than avoiding theology, congregations should openly express their beliefs and values to clarify their purpose, argues Robinson. Instead of trying to define the boundaries of belief, a “center-set” congregation will zero in on a reasonably clear core faith.
He examines the problems that occur when congregations are reluctant to focus on theology and are unsure of their beliefs. They risk having a weak identity with nothing at stake. They risk being little more than an exclusive social club. Absent core convictions, structure replaces Spirit, indirection replaces healthy dialogue, and agendas replace leadership.
Central to the book is the notion that Christianity is a revealed religion apart from our own personal preferences. The Bible as Scripture offers a doorway to God and a critical unifying narrative. The Trinity, as a powerful metaphor, provides a balanced approach to fulfilling a congregation’s purpose. Core convictions about God as creator, the person and work of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are crucial to a congregational vitality.
Too many mainline Protestant churches are theologically “underfunded.” Congregations are strengthened when what they believe backs what they do. Indeed, theology, it turns out, has everything to do with it.
in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase
SKU (ISBN): 9781566993203
ISBN10: 1566993202
Anthony Robinson
Binding: Trade Paper
Published: December 2005
Publisher: Rowman and Littlefield Publishing Group
Print On Demand Product
Related products
-
Knowledge Of The Holy
$15.99Add to cartInformative and inspiring, The Knowledge of the Holy illuminates God’s attributes–from wisdom, to grace, to mercy–and shows through prayerful and discussion, how we can more fully recognize and appreciate each of these divine aspects. This book will be treasured by anyone committed to the Christian faith. It bears eloquent witness to God’s majesty and shows us new ways to experience and understand the wonder and the power of God’s spirit in our daily lives.
-
Problem Of Pain
$17.99Add to cartFor centuries Christians have been tormented by one question above all — If God is good and all-powerful, why does he allow his creatures to suffer pain? C. S. Lewis sets out to disentangle this knotty issue but wisely adds that in the end no intellectual solution can dispense with the necessity for patience and courage.
-
7 Last Words
$18.99Add to cartBased on his talks at New York’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Good Friday 2015, the New York Times bestselling author and editor at large of America magazine offers a portrait of Jesus, using his last words on the cross to reveal how deeply he understood our predicaments, what it means to be fully human, and why we can turn to Christ completely, in mind, heart, and soul.
Each meditation is dedicated to one of the seven sayings:
*”Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”
*”Today you will be with me in Paradise.”
*”Woman, this is your son” . . . “This is your mother.”?
*”My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”?
*”I thirst.”?
*”It is finished.”?
*”Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.”With the warmth, wisdom, and grace that infuse his works, Father James Martin explains why Jesus’s crucifixion and death on the cross is an important teaching moment in the Gospels. Jesus’s final statements, words that are deeply cherished by his followers, exemplify the depth of his suffering but also provide a key to his empathy and why we can connect with him so deeply.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.