Whats New: September 2020
| New Books for September 2020 Camden Theological Library has added a number of new books to our collection during the month of August. These books are now available for loan and are currently on display in the Library, near the circulation desk. Several of these books are highlighted below. A full listing of all new items can be viewed here. A Women’s History of the Christian Church : Two Thousand Years of Female Leadership by Elizabeth Gillan Muir Tracing two thousand years of female leadership, influence, and participation, Elizabeth Gillan Muir examines the various positions women have filled in the church. From the earliest female apostle, and the little known stories of the two Marys – the Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene – to the enlightened duties espoused by the nun, the abbess, and the anchorite, and the persecutions of female “witches,” Muir uncovers the rich and often tumultuous relationship between women and Christianity. Offering broad coverage of both the Catholic and Protestant traditions and extending geographically well beyond North America, A Women’s History of the Christian Church presents a chronological account of how women developed new sects and new churches, such as the Quakers and Christian Science. Youth Ministry and Theological Shorthand : Living Amongst the Fragments of a Coherent Theology by David Bailey In Youth Ministry and Theology Shorthand, David Bailey explores the dialogue between practice and theological education through the lens of youth ministry. This qualitative study illuminates how youth ministers talk about their work amongst young people. Through the slowing down of the youth ministry process it is discovered that youth ministers speak in theological shorthand. Theological shorthand is a paradox: it is both meaningful—it fuels long-term sacrificial service amongst young people—and it is problematic, as it risks untethering youth ministry from the wider narrative of the Christian story. Consuming Mission : Towards a Theology of Short-term Mission and Pilgrimage by Robert Ellis Haynes Short-term mission trips are commonplace in American church life. Yet their growth and practice have largely been divorced from theological education, seminary training, and mission studies. Consuming Mission takes important steps in offering a theological assessment of the practice of STM and tools for subsequent mission training. Using relevant academic studies and original focus-group interviews, Haynes offers important insights into this ubiquitous practice. While carefully examining the biblical and historical foundations for mission, Consuming Mission engages more contemporary movements like the Missio Dei, Fresh Expressions, the Emergent Church, and Third-Wave Mission movements that have helped shape mission. A beginner’s guide to New Testament studies : understanding key debates by Nijay K Gupta This accessible and balanced introduction helps readers sort out key views on the most important debated issues in New Testament studies. Well-known New Testament scholar Nijay Gupta fairly presents the spectrum of viewpoints on thirteen topics and offers reflections on why scholars disagree on these matters. Written to be accessible to students and readers without advanced training in New Testament studies, this book will serve as an excellent supplementary text for New Testament introduction courses. Seven pillars of servant leadership : practicing the wisdom of leading by serving by James W. Sipe Seven Pillars of Servant Leadership offers concrete, functional skills necessary to practice servant leadership—to lead by serving first. Responding to post-truth by Peter Crumpler Disinformation and ‘fake news’ now appear to be wide-spread in our social media age. There are some important practical arguments against this – but what is a Christian response? This study sets out the underlying issues and the impact on society, before considering what the church and Christian thinking bring to the debate – including practical steps to help tackle this urgent problem. Vulnerability and resilience : body and liberating theologies by Jione Havea Vulnerability and Resilience takes advantage of the power of stories and storytelling to generate scope and meaning for vulnerable subjects, and brings the visceral and queer leanings of body theology into the arms of liberation theology. As a collective, the contributors lay resilience alongside liberation on the path of theology. Is this still my church? : Faith and feeling during a church merger by Ann Hopwood While church mergers are fairly common, much of the surrounding literature is intended to help church leaders in the mechanics of merger, and to avoid failure. There is comparatively little evidence of how these processes affect the people involved. This study examines many of the psychological factors in the process of merging churches. It aims to enable church leaders and members, regardless of denomination, to understand more about which issues are important in thinking about church mergers, and how success may be achieved. Hopeful Influence : A Theology of Christian Leadership by Jude Padfield The Church by its very nature is called to be hope filled and future orientated – it exists as a sign, instrument and foretaste of the coming Kingdom of God. Christian leadership, therefore, is at heart all about eschatological influence. Engaging with the work of influential theological voices such as Lesslie Newbigin, Tom Wright and Martyn Percy, “Hopeful Influence” argues that it is in the process of helping others to see, participate in or experience the world to come that Christian leadership becomes manifest. Deep focus : film and theology in dialogue by Robert K. Johnston Three media experts guide the Christian moviegoer into a theological conversation with movies in this up-to-date, readable introduction to Christian theology and film. Building on the success of Robert Johnston’s Reel Spirituality, the leading textbook in the field for the past 17 years, Deep Focus helps film lovers not only watch movies critically and theologically but also see beneath the surface of their moving images. The book discusses a wide variety of classic and contemporary films and is illustrated with film stills from favourite movies. Reimagining the spiritual disciplines for a digital age by Sara Schumacher Sociologists and psychologists increasingly note the harmful effects of the digital age, where non-stop connectivity reshapes how we relate to one another, to ourselves and to the world around us. This compelling study urges Christians to reclaim the spiritual disciplines as an antidote to the creep of technology in our lives, and to rediscover our creatureliness – our dependence on and need for intimacy with the God who created us. The Emerging Church, Millennials, and Religion: Prospects and Problems by Randall Reed The landscape of American religion is changing dramatically, Millennials are dropping out of church, and new experimental types of Christianity such as the Emerging Church are coming to the fore. But what is the future of religion in America, and what role will Millennials play in that? The results of three years of scholarly inquiry, this collection of essays looks at the Emerging Church and Millennial religious responses and seeks to define and explore both phenomena, always on the lookout for their intersection. Does youth ministry have a future? : Lessons learned and lost from youth ministry past and present by Tim Gough We need ‘something’ for the youth! This oft-repeated refrain can mask the view that as long as young people are attending church and are relatively engaged, exactly what that something is becomes less important. This no-hold-barred study looks to the future of Christian youth work by examining its past and present. It urges church leaders and members to adopt a multigenerational approach in which youth minsters facilitate the movement of truth, compassion, discipleship, worship and mission between young people, the church and the broader community. Christianity in a time of climate change : to give a future with hope by Kristen Poole What does climate change have to do with religion and spirituality? Even though a changing environment will have a dire impact on human populations—affecting everything from food supply to health to housing—the vast majority of Americans do not consider climate change a moral or a religious issue. Yet the damage of climate change, a phenomenon to which we all contribute through our collective carbon emissions, presents an unprecedented ethical problem, one that touches a foundational moral principle of Christianity: Jesus’s dictate to love the neighbor. This care for the neighbor stretches across time as well as space. We are called to care for the neighbors of the future as well as those of the present. How can we connect the ethical considerations of climate change—the knowledge that our actions directly or indirectly cause harm to others—to our individual and collective spiritual practice? Christianity in a Time of Climate Change offers a series of reflective essays that consider the Christian ethics of climate change and suggest ways to fold the neighbors of the future into our spiritual lives as an impetus to meaningful personal, social, and ultimately environmental transformations. In the mystery’s shadow : reflections on caring for the elderly and dying by Susan H Swetnam As our lifespans continue to grow longer, millions of people every year spend time caring for the elderly and dying—some as professionals, some as volunteers, and some through their loving but demanding care for parents, spouses, or other family members or friends. In her book In the Mystery’s Shadow, Susan Swetnam draws on her experience serving thousands of ill and dying clients, often in hospice programs, as a certified massage therapist—and also on her experience of caring for her own husband, who died young of cancer. She explains how this sometimes difficult work offers not just the fulfilment of giving comfort to people who need it, but also moments of breathtaking wonder, moments that hint at the untold complexity of being human and affirm our sacred connections with each other. She writes of the hard lessons caregivers learn about themselves, while at the same time knowing the strange and humbling sense of being used in the service of God’s love. Insightfully connecting end-of-life care with the liturgical year, Swetnam invites those who care for the sick and dying, whether professional or volunteer, to stay awake to the sacred implications of their labours. COVID-19 : environment, justice and the future by Ruth Valerio; Martin J. Hodson; Margot Hodson; Timothy Howles This booklet explores the justice and environmental issues raised by COVID-19, considering it’s causes, the impact of the lockdown in many countries, and the ethics of rebuilding for sustainability and human flourishing. Lectionary Sermon Resource : Preaching the Psalms by William Willimon Will Willimon is widely acclaimed as one of the top ten preachers in the world. For each Sunday of the Christian year, Will provides just what you need to begin the journey toward a sermon. This guide will stoke, fund, and fuel your imagination while leaving plenty of room to insert your own illustrations, make connections within your congregational context, and speak the Word in your distinctive voice. The spirituality revolution : the emergence of contemporary spirituality by David J. Tacey The spiritual life is no longer a specialist concern, restricted to those who belong to religious traditions. The spirituality revolution is a spontaneous movement in society, a significant new interest in the reality of spirituality and its healing effects on life, health, community and well being. The Spirituality Revolution: The Emergence of Contemporary Spirituality recognises that we have outgrown the ideals and values of previous times and reveals an image of the spiritual situation of our era. Recent discoveries in physics, biology, psychology and ecology have begun to restore status to previously discredited spiritual visions of reality and this book illustrates the ways in which we might uncover a universal spiritual wisdom that could transform our splintered world. Topics explored include the current state of the Western experience of spirit, our need for spiritual guidance when we cannot turn to organised religion in their traditional forms, and the creative potentials of spirit in education, personal experience, contemporary philosophy and popular feeling for the environment. A Future That’s Bigger Than the Past : Catalysing Kingdom Communities: The Chalmers Lectures, 2019 by Samuel Wells A Future that’s Bigger than the Past sets out a vision for renewing the local church that is energising, realistic and practical for small and large congregations alike. In response to prevailing narratives of decline, it reimagines how the church can live its vocation of receiving the abundance God gives us, and sharing that abundance far and wide. It recognises the surprising, exuberant and plentiful things that the Holy Spirit is doing in the world and calls the church to celebrate creation, enjoy culture and share in their flourishing. With a rich theological foundation and borne out in the practical experience of a growing number of local church communities, this groundbreaking book will enable churches to discover fresh ways in which they can become a blessing to the communities they serve. Inviting Muslims to church : how to plan and hold a guest service for people of Islamic faith by Colin Bearup Muslims are more numerous in the UK than ever before, and the fully indigenized British Muslim population is growing. Embedded in the flow of UK culture, Muslims are able to articulate Islam in a contemporary fashion. This practical guide gives advice on how to hold guest services for those from a Muslim background. It argues that such events are vital in gospel-sharing and relationship-building, and help church members grow in confidence in faith matters with Muslim friends and neighbours. The Green Good News : Christ’s Path to Sustainable and Joyful Life by T. Wilson Dickinson When was the last time that we heard some good news? For those tuned in to the ecological crisis and the daily chronicle of injustice, the declaration of good news might seem synonymous with denial and avoidance. The gospel of Jesus Christ helps us to face the suffering of the world and live in love and hope. The only catch is, it requires that we change. It is only by losing our consumeristic, profit-seeking, and isolated lives that we may save them. The Green Good News finds a fresh take on the Gospels, painting a picture of Jesus as a humorous and subversive teacher, an organizer of alternative communities and food economies, as a healer of bodies and relationships, and as a prophet who sought to overturn an empire and restore a more just and joyful way of life. Christ teaches and incarnates a vision for sustainable life and provides practices that mark the path toward it. By exploring this always-inspiring sustainable gospel, we can find ways to transform our lives, communities, and even creation. Jesus according to the New Testament by James D. G. Dunn New Testament scholar James D. G. Dunn has published his research on Christian origins in numerous commentaries, books, and essays. In this small, straightforward book designed especially for a lay audience, Dunn focuses his fifty-plus years of scholarship on elucidating the New Testament witness to Jesus, from Matthew to Revelation. Dunn’s Jesus according to the New Testament constantly points back to the wonder of those first witnesses and greatly enriches our understanding of Jesus. Anyone who is a part of the Uniting Church in Australia or a student at United Theological College is eligible to join the library and access our resources for free. If you are not yet a member and would like to join, please contact us on 02 8838 8940 or library@nswact.uca.org.au. Camden Theological Library Centre for Ministry 16 Masons Drive North Parramata NSW 2151 61 2 8838 8940 |
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