How has Pope Francis’s groundbreaking document on marriage and family, Amoris Laetitia, been implemented in Africa? In Asia? In Latin America? In this volume, scholars from across these regions reflect on their experiences, correcting the overly western focus of most reactions to AL. The contributions look at local issues like polygamy in Africa, as well as more global issues in a local context, like feminism in Indonesia and synodality in Colombia. The reader will find that concerns about marriage and family can be similar throughout the world or specific to different contexts. As a whole, the book contributes to a more diverse and revisited catholic understanding of marriage and family.

The publication of the ESCT (European Society for Catholic Theology) with the title “Synodality in Europe” reflects on the synodal process in Europe and challenges of theological work in view of the learning process to become a “synodal church”. The different articles lay theological foundations of synodality, they present regional and world church perspectives, they show tensions and processes of pluralisation which are understood as a “laboratory” of synodality related to the liberating and healing Gospel of Jesus Christ. Most of the authors are members of different sections of ESCT (in Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Lithuania, Portugal, Slovakia and Spain). Integrated are also a protestant and two world-church contributions.

Autism was only identified and recognised relatively recently, but even so one might have expected the church to have moved further in its thinking about how autistic thinking can contribute to the life of the church. At a time when churches exhibit a heightened awareness of ‘inclusion’ and recognition of difference in all manner of ways, it is startling how little attention is given to those who have autism. Drawn from extensive research amongst autistic worshippers, Autistic Thinking in the Life of the Church develops and explores a model in which churches can strengthen and retain the cognitive engagement of those worshippers in their congregations who are on the autistic spectrum.

The volume grew out of research undertaken as a part of the UN University's European Perspectives Project. It addresses the consequences of the failure of large-scale industrial enterprise, and the inability of central government policies to cope with the results of economic restructuring, in a series of comparative case studies showing how local communities throughout Europe (East and West, rural and industrial) have responded to economic dislocation and decline, and how these local initiatives have become the basis for economic regeneration. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

How did the Christian Church originate, what journeys has it taken over two millennia, and how did it come to exist in its present, myriad forms? The answers to these questions form a tapestry of history that reaches from first century Palestine to the ends of the earth. This volume tells this rich story from an ecumenical perspective, drawing on both Eastern and Western historic sources in exploring the rise of Eastern Orthodoxy; the church across Asia, Africa, and the Americas; and the reformations of the Western Church; including the diversity of contemporary voices. The work benefits from many pedagogical features: - boxed text sections identifying central figures and points of debate - study questions for each chapter - chapter summaries - maps --charts --index Supplemented by over 400 illustrations, this book embraces the universality of historic and current Christianity, creating a single and comprehensive volume for students of Church history and systematic theology.

Earth’s changing climate is increasingly obvious, and if humans are largely responsible, we all have a part in the solution. The purpose of this book a faith perspective to Earthcare, and in particular to demonstrate how Earthcare is an integral part of the Christian Faith and therefore of Christian mission. It is not a peripheral issue or an optional extra! Moreover, the Christian Faith can interact not only with other faith perspectives, but also with science, and with all who simply care. And in the process of caring for the Earth, we can build bridges of understanding rather than walls of division. “Faith and the Greening of Earth” invites the inquiring reader into realistic scenarios and offers high-value resources with integrity. Rev Dr Wayne Sanderson A well summarised affirmation of Earthcare as an integral part of faith and an important dimension of Christian mission.

God and the Human Environment: Catholic Principles of Environmental Stewardship as a Template for Action in Nigeria brings into conversation the Churchs theological reflection on the mandate to care for Gods creation and the circumstances of the environment in Nigeria. In vivid terms and with systemic thinking, Fr. Jude Osunkwo, a theologian who specializes in Environmental Studies and Pastoral Catechesis, explores the biblical, theological, magisterial, and doctrinal bases that underlie a faithful response to contemporary environmental challenges. After setting the stage with a summation of the issues and a survey of significant ecclesiastical statements on the topic of the environment, God and the Human Environment addresses Catholic theological principles of stewardship, Christian responsibility, and the ethics of development. Then the discussion turns to the environment of Nigeria, assessing its current state and reviewing the causes and consequences of environmental challenges before proposing pastoral responses for the Church. Finally, some chapters address likely developments in Nigeria and the Church. An extensive bibliography and several appendices provide additional support. God and the Human Environment is a rigorously researched and passionately presented exploration of the issues growing out of the environmental circumstances Nigerians currently face. Whether you live in Nigeria or count yourself as a member of the Catholic Church and live somewhere else, God and the Human Environment explores a topic that promises to make a difference in your life and to protect the part of the environment that God has created for you to tend.

Readers are invited into a unique ongoing conversation with Maria Harris, author of Fashion Me a People, which has been a popular book with Catholic and Protestant educators for over seventeen years. Adopting the framework of that book, Gabriel Moran has written a succinct and vibrant commentary that interprets, applies, and expands upon the earlier text. Includes a memoir about the life and death of Maria Harris.

This important volume explores the implications of the emerging global society for the local church and its mission. Written by prominent scholars and missionaries, "The Local Church in a Global Era" examines the relation of Christian theology and ethics to global changes in the family, economics, technology, education, the media and other key spheres of life.

Examines current issues facing the Anglican Communion through the prism of the history of the Southern African church and people. Through this combined narrative of the global and local church, the author offers a remarkable story combining history, race, class and culture in Africa. He traces the paradigm shift in Anglicanism as its vitality moves beyond the borders of England and America to the global South, with all the theological implications. Today, South African Anglicanism attempts a middle way through crucial issues like HIV/AIDS, poverty, and human sexuality. Ideal for those interested in "inculturation" - the intersection of church, culture, and ethnicity.