Bøger udgivet af Chalice Press

In the spring of 2013, seventeen people gathered at the North Carolina state legislature to protest extreme legislation passed by the General Assembly attacking health insurance, unemployment insurance, labor, and voting rights. The ministers, labor, and human rights activists began praying, singing, and chanting, and were ultimately arrested. That group grew into crowds of thousands at successive "e;Moral Mondays"e; rallies, and by summer's end nearly 1,000 people had been arrested, making this sustained moral protest one of the largest acts of civil disobedience in U.S. history. The effort grew out of seven years of organizing with more than 160 groups. Rallies continued in 2014, with a "e;Moral March"e; of 80,000 people in February. Rev. Dr. William Barber II, a pastor and president of the North Carolina Conference of the NAACP, now the largest in the South, became one of the architects of the Forward Together Moral Movement. In a new book, Forward Together, Rev. Barber tells the story of a new fusion civil rights movement, a "e;big tent,"e; in which black and white, gay and straight, rich and poor, old and young, Republicans and Democrats are all welcome. Rev. Barber's sermons/speeches at the protests, many of them collected in Forward Together, became the inspiration and rallying cry for a new civil rights movement. North Carolina today is at the epicenter of the political and spiritual crisis affecting 21st-century America. What happens here, says Barber, can shift the center of gravity in the American political discourse. Similar movements are now growing in states around the country. Forward Together captures the essence of what it means to preach in the public square.

This book develops a theology of childhood both from a theoretical basis in biblical theology (especially the gospel of Mark) and practical experience in children and youth ministry. Mercer builds on classical theologians such as Augustine, Calvin, Barth, and Rahner as well as modern feminist theologians such as Brock and Russell. She gains insights from pastoral theologians such as Capps and Couture and from contemporary cultural criticism. Mercer challenges approaches to educational and liturgical practices with children in congregations that segregate children from the rest of the church and its key practices of service, mission, worship, care, and learning. She reframes ministries with children as processes through which the church as a "e;community of practice"e; forms children into an alternative identity that resists surrounding consumerist culture and walks in the ways of Jesus. This book offers strategies for educational practices with children in congregations as it seeks to address the question, "e;What might educational practices that welcome children and contribute to their flourishing look like in the context of a faith community where children's learning happens in collaboration with experienced practitioners of faith?"e; Outlining a feminist practical theology of childhood, it explores five basic theological claims: (1) children as gifts and parenting as a religious practice of stewardship; (2) welcoming those who welcome and care for children; (3) children as already fully human; (4) children as part of the purposes of God; and (5) acknowledging and transforming the sufferings of children.

This interdisciplinary conversation combines educational theory with Bible scholarship to help teachers of the Bible move beyond conveying information to revealing the transformative power of the scripture.

Boundaries are healthy and necessary parts of life and ministry. Staying in Bounds provides straight-talk guidance to ministers and other leaders of churches and faith-based organizations on the what, why, and how of relational boundaries. Provides guidance on identifying, implementing, and enforcing healthy boundaries, with a special focus on ministry settings. The author develops the concept of boundaries from psychological and theological perspectives, discusses the benefits of boundaries, and then explains the importance of healthy boundaries in the church.

The biblical story of Dinah has often been overlooked, until Anita Diamant's The Red Tent (St. Martin's Press, 1997), that is. With equal skill and passion, Sandra Hack Polaski unravels the biblical story of Leah, Rachel, Zil'pah, Bil'hah, and Leah's daughter Dinah, probing aspects of The Red Tent that give us insight into the text and into the lives of women in the ancient Near East. She gives us a glimpse "e;inside the red tent"e; at the families, relationships, encounters, goddesses, and God that defined their lives and that define ours.

This book was written to help congregational leaders, clergy, staff, and laypersons, plan and organize a Christian education ministry from the approach of Christian formation in a community of faith context. This book provides a model for organizing the Christian education leadership committee or team of the church, demonstrates how to use the church year as a framework for planning the Christian education ministry of the church, and gives a model for assessing the effectiveness of the educational ministry of the church and a process to help congregations move toward the Christian Education Formation approach.

Reclaim the Psalms for true worship, as well as prayer, as you learn how to approach God with the emotional intensity of the ancient psalmists. Denise Dombkowski Hopkins combines the insights of scholarship on the Psalms with artwork, liturgy, song, and poetry, to give us a new way to use the Psalms in our life of faith together, to empower our corporate identity and revitalize our worship. She examines how the Psalms formed the worship of ancient synagogues and the earliest churches and how they can do the same for our churches today. Reflective questions bring worship leaders and individuals alike to a new awareness of the power of the Psalms to enrich public worship and private devotions with an honesty that does not turn away from the realities of suffering and anger.

The shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, reignited a long-smoldering movement for justice, with many St. Louis-area clergy stepping up to support the emerging young leaders of today's Civil Rights Movement. Seminary professor Leah Gunning Francis was among the activists, and her interviews with more than two dozen faith leaders and with the new movement's organizers take us behind the scenes of the continuing protests. Ferguson and Faith demonstrates that being called to lead a faithful life can take us to places we never expected to go, with people who never expected us to join hands with them.Ferguson and Faith is the first book from the partnership of the Forum for Theological Exploration (FTE) and Chalice Press.

Damaging social contradictions, pervasive patriarchal structure, oppressive gender biases - no wonder women are abandoning formal religions! But our faith is still important to us, leaving many conflicted and frustrated in the quest to cultivate and practice our authentic female spirituality and authority. Jennifer D. Crumpton, author of the popular blog Femmevangelical, takes us on a journey to find the good news in the gospel of Jesus that encourages us to seek a different reality of equality, freedom, and wholeness. These stories and meditations - mixed with theological exploration and a closer look at church history - are dedicated to those who have searched for themselves in the Greater Story and been forced to take on an ill-fitting and soul-killing role to be included. It is a companion for anyone who seeks a devotional book not written to prove a religious ideology or uphold an institution, but to prove and uphold our unique experiences, potential, and worth. Femmevangelical supports the risks, hope, and faith it takes to follow our instincts, create change, and find the God we know exists beyond what we've been taught; and to commit our lives to creating the world in which we were truly made to live.

God is love. Consequently, shouldn't love exist at the center of Christian theology? When love is at the center, theology is understood differently than it has typically been understood. Some theologians have placed faith at the center, others God's sovereignty, still others-the Church, but Dr. Oord places the emphasis on love. God's love for us, revealed in Christ, in the Church, and in creation, and our love for God and others as ourselves-must be afforded its rightful place. Beginning with the foundation of "e;love"e; is what differentiates the Christian faith from others...a loving God. Dr. Oord defines love as: "e;To love is to act intentionally, in sympathetic/empathetic response to God and others, to promote overall well-being."e; Is this not what has defined Christians throughout history?

Coming home from military service is a process of reconnection and reintegration that is best engaged within a compassionate community. There are almost 20 million veterans and service members living in the United States, including more than one million Americans deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan since 2001. Post-war life can be challenging unless there are communities responding with compassion and hospitality. How churches welcome and respond will be critical to the well-being of our nation's veterans, their families, our local communities, and our nation. Zachary Moon, a commissioned military chaplain, has seen the unique challenges for those adjusting to post-war life. In this book, he prepares congregations to mobilize a receptive and restorative ministry with military service members and their families. Designed to be accessible to both clergy and laypersons, this is an ideal resource for individuals or small groups interested in addressing the opportunities and challenges facing veterans and their families. Discussion questions and other resources included will help support small-group dialogue and community building.

The apostle Paul often gets a bad rap with progressive Christians, primarily due to his reputation as being anti-woman, anti-Jew, anti-sex, pro-slavery, and a guilt-mongerer. But what if Paul isn't really Progressive Christianity's Enemy #1, but rather a strong biblical ally for justice and inclusion?

When the unexpected comes and words escape you, 99 Prayers Your Church Needs (But Doesn't Know It Yet) provides the prayer your congregation or pastor needs. From comfort for a family dealing with addiction, to a celebration of the new pastor, these 99 prayers will help you respond to unexpected events of your congregation's life.

The author discusses how to preach about racism thoughtfully and sensitively to predominantly white congregations.

As nationalism, patriarchy, and alt-right fear-mongering threaten our troubled nation, the pulpit has again become a subversive space of sacred resistance. In this provocative and powerful collection of sermons from diverse pastors across America, hear the brave and urgent voice of Christians calling for radical change rooted in love, solidarity, and justice. Preaching as Resistance resists, confronts, and troubles the dangerous structures of authoritarianism and oppression crashing in from all sides – and proclaims the transformation, possibility, and hope stirring in the gospel of Christ. From big-steeple churches in big cities to rural congregations in red states, preaching as resistance is practiced in a wide variety of social contexts and preaching styles, inspiring and equipping listeners to respond to the call of justice. Ideal for pastors and church leaders, Preaching as Resistance also provides the opportunity to experience hopeful, welcoming Christian voices rooted in the gospel values of love, solidarity, and justice. In these challenging times when Christianity is so often misrepresented, misunderstood, and misused for unjust agendas, take heart and find your own voice in this collection of resistance sermons from everyday pastors across the country. 

Every year millions of people engage in suicidal activity. Yet the Church remains largely silent about mental health, depression, and suicide. Pastor Rachael Keefe shares her own story of depression and suicidality, and provides resources, scriptures, and prayers for clergy, suicide loss survivors, and those struggling with suicidality.

Reanimate your congregation by Drawing on Holy Currencies--an altogether awesome (and fun!) way to explore your gifts and purpose in the world! This interactive graphic workbook is filled with drawings, doodles, questions, invitations, songs, meditations, and more spirited exercises to explore the amazing ways you give and receive in life.

What can one person do to change the world? Be inspired by real stories of ordinary people who changed their neighborhoods. Transforming Communities will give you the vision, the tools, and the encouragement to start your own transformations.

Barbara Mosley de Souza shares the stories of the women she taught and worked with during her 40 years of service in Brazil,  14 as a social worker for the local Catholic church, 8 with the American Friends Service Committee (Quakers), and 18 with Global Ministries. She provided health education to empower women in the favelas (shantytowns) of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. With her students, she designed and published the curriculum for a Community Health Educators Training Course and proved that knowledge builds self-esteem, thus empowering her students to become multipliers, encouraging more women to change their own lives and the lives of others. 

Now more than ever, it's time to preach. The election of Donald Trump left countless faith leaders across the country speechless. Now that he is president, silence must give way to prophetic preaching.

What happens when a people can take no more injustice rained down upon their sons and daughters? When each new travesty echoes the cries of ancestors killed for the color of their skin? How do a people rediscover hope? And how do they use that new-found hope as momentum and strength for change? In his powerful new book Stakes Is High, pastor, activist, and community leader Michael W. Waters blends hip-hop lyricism and social justice leadership, creating an urgent voice demanding that America listen to the suffering if it hopes to redeem its soul. Weaving stories from centuries of persecution against the backdrop of today's urban prophets on the radio and in the streets, Waters speaks on behalf of an awakened generation raging against racism - yet fueled by the promise of a just future. Through the pain and hard but holy work, you will hear the call to join the faithful struggle for racial justice.

When the screams of innocents dying engulf you, how do you hear God's voice? Will God and God's people call you to life when your breath is strangled out of you?

ΓÇïChris Crass calls on all of us to join our values to the power of love and act with courage for a world where Black lives truly matter. A world where the death culture of white supremacy no longer devours the lives of Black people and no longer deforms the hearts and souls of white people. In addition to his own soul-searching essays and practical organizing advice in his "notes to activists," Chris Crass lifts up the voices of longtime white anti-racist leaders organizing in white communities for Black Lives Matter. Crass has collected lessons and vibrant examples of this work from rural working class communities in Kentucky and Maine, mass direct action in Wisconsin and New York, faith-based efforts among Jewish communities, Unitarian Universalists, and the United Church of Christ, and national efforts like Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) and Jewish Voice for Peace.ΓÇ¿

The history of the Christian spiritual life suggests that those who truly teach the spiritual life have been themselves "taught by God." The phrase "taught by God" occurs in Christian writings across several centuries. This book draws on the teachers and teaching models that animate Christian history, bringing it into conversation with the issues and concerns of contemporary teachers and learners who seek to follow Christ.

Trauma therapist Teresa B. Pasquale offers healing exercises, true-life examples, and life-giving discussion for anyone suffering from the very real pain of church hurt. Pasquale, a trauma survivor herself, understands the immeasurable value of our wounds once we've acknowledged them and recovered in community. That's why the wounds are "sacred," and the hope this book offers is a powerful message to anyone suffering from this widespread problem. This book explores the nature of emotional wounds, trauma, and spiritual hurt that come from negative religious experience. Some of the features are: -Stories from a wide range of persons hurt by negative religious experience -Healing and contemplative practices to help readers explore their own spiritual story and practical ways to move towards personal healing -A journey through the experience of trauma in religious settings and how it is both relatable to other forms of trauma and distinctive-outlining both facets -An exploration of the author's own personal and professional understanding of hurt, trauma, PTSD, and the power of resiliency and healing

Eric Law's foundational Holy Currencies (2013) demonstrated a new way ministries can think about the resources needed to do their work in their communities. Law's follow-up book, Holy Currency Exchange, shares a variety of tools for thinking differently about how those resources can mobilize ministries into new life, mission, and vitality. Examples include a restaurant ministry, programs for youth, an emergency rent loan fund for people in the neighborhood, worship service in Mexican restaurants, and many more. What could your ministry do?

The books in this series help preachers and students of preaching understand biblical texts in light of current scholarship. Each volume gives exegetical help, suggestions on how to preach important biblical texts, and sample sermons.This comprehensive resource is the first lectionary-based collection of prayers for the communion table. Included are communion and post-communion prayers for each Sunday in the lectionary cycle and selected special days. The prayers can be used both by congregations that offer separate prayers for bread and cup and by those that use a single prayer. An index is included for congregations that do not use the lectionary.

¿Cómo llevamos el evangelio liberador de Jesús al mundo hoy? La líder nacional Sharon Watkins nos dice que envuelve unirnos alrededor de las diferencias, misericordia y apertura. Lo que en realidad importa es "la relación con el Dios viviente y amoroso; un Dios que nos llama a amarnos unos a los otros, a crear comunidades para cuidar y equiparnos para la plenitud de modo que el amor y la esperanza que conocemos por medio de nuestra relación con Cristo pueda verdaderamente ser llevada desde nuestras puertas hasta los últimos confines de la tierra."