Ecumenism

The Gospel of Inclusion: Reaching Beyond Religious Fundamentalism to the True Love of God and Self

Fourth-generation fundamentalist Carlton Pearson, a Christian megastar and host, takes a courageous and controversial stand on religion that proposes a hell-less Christianity and a gospel of inclusion that calls for an end to local and worldwide conflicts and divisions along religious lines.

The Gospel of Inclusion explores the exclusionary doctrines in mainstream religion and concludes that according to the evidence of the Bible and irrefutable logic, they cannot be true. Bishop Pearson argues that the controlling dogmas of religion are the source of much of the world's ills and that we should turn our backs on proselytizing and holy wars and focus on the real good news: that we are all bound for glory, everybody is saved, and if we believe God loves all mankind, then we have no choice but to have the same attitude ourselves.

The Gospel of Inclusion also tells the story of a powerful religious figure who watched everything he had crumble due to a scandal. Why? He didn't steal money nor did he have inappropriate sexual relationships. Following a revelation from God, he began to preach that a loving God would not condemn most of the human race to hell because they are not Christian. Hepreaches that God belongs to no religion. The Gospel of Inclusion is the journey of one man's quest to preach a new truth.

The First Seven Ecumenical Councils (325-787): Their History and Theology (Theology and Life Series 21)

A Friendly Dialogue between an Atheist and a Christian

A Friendly Dialogue between an Atheist and a Christian is an exchange between Luis Palau and Zhao Qizheng presenting a composite of recorded dialogues held in China in 2005. Luis Palau is a well known Christian evangelist and Zhao Qizheng is the Vice Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee and former Minister of Information for China. A Friendly Dialogue represents a dialogue on philosophy, history, religion, the Bible, creation, atheism, Confucianism, politics, ethics, Chinese and Western cultures, and the relevance of Jesus Christ to society.

After Our Likeness: The Church As the Image of the Trinity (Sacra Doctrina)

A History of Christianity in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, 1450-1990: A Documentary Sourcebook

One River, Many Wells

Who but Matthew Fox--former Dominican priest, author of countless influential books such as Original Blessing and The Reinvention of Work, silenced by the Vatican for his controversial statements about creation spirituality, and now an Episcopal priest--would combine rave dances with a religious mass? And who else would now attempt such a distillation of the world's religions as this book brings us? Combining writings from a multitude of spiritual traditions, Fox here puts into practice the idea of deep ecumenism that he has been exploring in a series of books going back to The Coming of the Cosmic Christ in 1989. To accomplish this task, Fox focuses on four categories of spiritual inquiry that he sees running like a river through all spiritual traditions: how we relate to creation, to divinity, to ourselves (this includes topics such as meditation, art, ritual, sexuality), and, finally, how we relate to the future, a section that explores issues of service and compassion, justice and spiritual warriorhood. He then concludes with "18 New Myths and Visions" that summarize his central message.

Simplicity and clarity are the goals of this book. To achieve this Fox weaves his own brief commentary through a series of quotations drawn from a myriad of traditions. While it may be faulted by some for this method of making easy connections between traditions, the book serves its purpose as a kind of primer for deep ecumenism. It will be especially useful for those new to such ideas, and to those who might otherwise never meet Hildegard of Bingen and Julian of Norwich, Hafiz, and the Sufi Ibn Arabi--not to mention Thomas Aquinas, physicist Werner Heisenberg, and geologian Thomas Berry--all sharing each other's company. --Doug Thorpe

Maverick theologian Matthew Fox brings readers into the common heart of the world's great religions, illuminating a "deep ecumenism" for seekers everywhere.

We get to the core of religion by going to the heart experience, Matthew Fox says, not by dwelling on doctrines that so easily divide even within religious traditions. In One River, Many Wells, Fox exhorts readers to embrace the common faith of deep ecumenism.

Fox masterfully distills the common principles of the world's religions, and shows exactly how the different fingers of world faiths connect to a single hand. Drawing on seminal quotes, lessons, and ideas from the great faiths, he demonstrates how each expresses a common goal and approach to life, and concludes the book with "18 New Myths and Visions" that will inspire readers to embrace deep ecumenism.

One River, Many Wells is an indispensable resource, envisioning a new and exciting way of faith that erases the lines of false distinction between religions and calls upon each of us to worship from our common heart.

Gift of Responsibility: The Promise of Dialogue Among Christians, Jews, and Muslims

The Gift of Responsibility argues that Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, locked as they have been over the centuries in many kinds of mutual enmity and violence, now need to join resources to resist the destructive economic and political forces now on the loose across the globe, some of which distrust among these faiths has tended to intensify. Such a project requires relational practices among the faiths, all of them based on mutual moral commitments that draw on the respective communities' scriptural traditions of covenantal promise-keeping. That is, each tradition has a gift of responsibility, both to its God and to its people. Mudge wants to plumb the resources of each of these religions and encourage them to be responsible in taking these gifts seriously. Such relational practices are hardly used as resources in interreligious dialogue. Mudge contends that Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are called to practice moral hospitality and covenantal humanism in order to foster justice and responsibility in societies around the globe.

Rome and Canterbury: The Elusive Search for Unity

Although the history of the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches is a long and tumultuous one, Mary Reath believes that the 500-year-old split between these prominent faiths can be healed. Reath, who has worked closely with both the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity in Rome and His Eminence Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, offers her unique and positive perspective on the past, present, and future of these two churches. Particularly at a time of such discontent for both Episcopalians and Catholics, this book is timely and helpful.

Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry (Faith and order paper)

The Evangelizing Catholic: A Practical Handbook for Reaching Out

Practical advice for putting evangelizing programs into effect by individuals. Discusses one-on-one encounters, specific parish programs, and public relations and mail campaigns.