Dementia is one of the most feared diseases in Western society today. Some have even gone so far as to suggest euthanasia as a solution to the perceived indignity of memory loss and the disorientation that accompanies it.
In this book John Swinton develops a practical theology of dementia for caregivers, people with dementia, ministers, hospital chaplains, and medical practitioners as he explores two primary questions:
Who am I when I've forgotten who I am?
What does it mean to love God and be loved by God when I have forgotten who God is?
Offering compassionate and carefully considered theological and pastoral responses to dementia and forgetfulness, Swinton's Dementia: Living in the Memories of God redefines dementia in light of the transformative counter story that is the gospel.
This book synthesizes the diverse reflections on technology by monk and spiritual writer Thomas Merton to develop a compelling contemplative critique of the threats and challenges of nuclear war, communication technologies, and biotechnologies that may alter what it means to be human. At the core of his critique, Merton opposes a technological mentality that favors processes of efficiency and utility at the expense of our ultimate purpose, a quest for the wisdom to guide us to the divine source of our being and reality. To counter this modern idolatry, Merton's insights offer a path of reflection, balance, and community. More specifically, Merton offers some constructive approaches and healing possibilities through a balanced approach to work, a careful and intentional managing of technology, and an accessing of the recuperative dimensions of nature. In its conclusion the book brings the insights of these chapters together for a final reflection on how to maintain our humanity and our spiritual integrity in a technological world.
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A Grace Revealed A Grace Revealed: How God Redeems the Story of Your Life
Twenty years ago, Jerry Sittser lost his daughter, wife, and mother in a car accident. He chronicled that tragic experience in A Grace Disguised, a book that has become a classic on the topic of grief and loss. Now he asks: How do we live meaningfully, even fruitfully, in this world and at the same time long for heaven? How do we respond to the paradox of being a new creature in Christ even though we don't always feel or act like one? How can we trust God is involved in our story when our circumstances seem to say he isn't? While A Grace Disguised explored how the soul grows through loss, A Grace Revealed brings the story of Sittser's family full circle, revealing God's redeeming work in the midst of circumstances that could easily have destroyed them. As Sittser reminds us, our lives tell a good story after all. A Grace Revealed will helps us understand and trust that God is writing a beautiful story in our own lives.
Strident New Atheists who seek to disprove God make historical attacks on the New Testament Gospels as a major part of their strategy. According to the late Christopher Hitchens, in God Is Not Great, 'The case for biblical consistency or authenticity or "inspiration" has been in tatters for some time, and the rents and tears only become more obvious with better research, and thus no "revelation" can be derived from that quarter.'
In responding to Hitchens and others, Paul Barnett concedes that their instincts are correct: destroy the credibility of the Gospels and you destroy the credibility of Jesus and thus the credibility of God and the structure of Christian belief. The issue of 'gospel truth', that is, of the Gospels' historical truth, is of critical importance.
Barnett surveys the main issues and questions, offering historical arguments in response to the critics and sceptics: New Testament dating and history, hostile witnesses to Jesus, his immediate impact, wider world history, archaeology, contradictions in the Gospels, the stories of Jesus' birth, miracles, the resurrection of Jesus, and other 'gospel' texts. He concludes with a clear affirmation of true and trustworthy revelation from God in the Gospels and in the person of Jesus Christ.
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相愛又相爭—教會衝突的反思 Church Conflicts: Socio-psychological and Pastoral Perspectives