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Care of Mind/Care of Spirit
| | <p>Although secular psychology addressed a great deal about how we come to be the way we are and how we might live more efficiently, it can offer nothing in terms of why we exist or how we should use our lives," writes Gerald May in this classic discussion of the nature of contemporary spiritual guidance and its relationship to counseling and psychiatry. For millions turning for answers to the world of the spirit, May shows how psychiatry and spiritual direction are alike, how they complement one another, and how they ultimately diverge.</p> | |
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Pastoral Theology: Essentials of Ministry
| | This much-needed book fully integrates principles of pastoral care, leadership, and theology to restore to ministers a clearly defined pastoral identity. Moving from a critique of inadequate models for ministry -- from community organizer to T. V. evangelist -- Oden develops a more classical model, rich in its references to the past and compatible both with Christian faith and theology through the ages and with current needs.</p>Reconciling classical tradition with practice, <i>Pastoral Theology</i> will be a standard resource and reference in the field. Oden distills the best ideas of the two millennia of ecumenical Christian thinking concerning what pastors are and do. <i>Pastoral Theology</i> provides the foundational knowledge of the pastoral office requisite to the practice of ministry. It will be of interest to persons preparing for ordination in its review of key issues; at the same time, <i>Pastoral Theology</i> will appeal to all those who have considered entering the ministry, those who want to know more about what clergy do and why, and those ministers who want to review their ongoing work in the light of a systematic reflection on the pastoral gifts and tasks.</p> | |
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Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith
| | <p> <i>By now I expected to be a seasoned parish minister, wearing black clergy shirts grown gray from frequent washing. I expected to love the children who hung on my legs after Sunday morning services until they grew up and had children of their own. I even expected to be buried wearing the same red vestments in which I was ordained. </p> <p> Today those vestments are hanging in the sacristy of an Anglican church in Kenya, my church pension is frozen, and I am as likely to spend Sunday mornings with friendly Quakers, Presbyterians, or Congregationalists as I am with the Episcopalians who remain my closest kin. Some-times I even keep the Sabbath with a cup of steaming Assam tea on my front porch, watching towhees vie for the highest perch in the poplar tree while God watches me. These days I earn my living teaching school, not leading worship, and while I still dream of opening a small restaurant in Clarkesville or volunteering at an eye clinic in Nepal, there is no guarantee that I will not run off with the circus before I am through. This is not the life I planned, or the life I recommend to others. But it is the life that has turned out to be mine, and the central revelation in it for me -- that the call to serve God is first and last the call to be fully human -- seems important enough to witness to on paper. This book is my attempt to do that.</i> </p> <p> After nine years serving on the staff of a big urban church in Atlanta, Barbara Brown Taylor arrives in rural Clarkesville, Georgia (population 1,500), following her dream to become the pastor of her own small congregation. The adjustment from city life to country dweller is something of a shock -- Taylor is one of the only professional women in the community -- but small-town life offers many of its own unique joys. Taylor has five successful years that see significant growth in the church she serves, but ultimately she finds herself experiencing "compassion fatigue" and wonders what exactly God has called her to do. She realizes that in order to keep her faith she may have to leave. </p> <p> Taylor describes a rich spiritual journey in which God has given her more questions than answers. As she becomes part of the flock instead of the shepherd, she describes her poignant and sincere struggle to regain her footing in the world without her defining collar. Taylor's realization that this may in fact be God's surprising path for her leads her to a refreshing search to find Him in new places. <i>Leaving Church</i> will remind even the most skeptical among us that life is about both disappointment and hope -- and ultimately, renewal. </p> | |
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Living Religions (5th Edition)
| | For one/two-semester courses in World Religions; and Comparative Religions and Introduction to Religion courses.This clearly written survey of the modern religious world explores the development, doctrines, and practices of today's major faiths--both traditional and modern religious movements. Sensitive and thought-provoking, it explores contemporary socio-political issues such as religion and materialism, the role of women, and fundamentalism. The extensive illustrations bring each religion to life, emphasizing the personal consciousness of believers. | |
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Leading Life-Changing Small Groups
| | Leading Life-Changing Small Groups is a comprehensive leadership tool for small group leaders and for churches seeking to structure their ministries around small groups. | |
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Solution-Focused Pastoral Counseling
| | This approach to pastoral counseling focuses on solutions rather than problems and is typically short-term, requiring only one to four or five sessions. | |
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