Kristne sakramenter

Thomas Long begins this fascinating volume by describing how the Christian funeral developed historically, theologically, and liturgically, and then discusses recent cultural trends in funeral practices, including the rise in both cremations and memorial services. He describes the basic pattern for a funeral service, details options in funeral...

A leading expert shares important benchmarks for leading liturgy. Grounded in Christian liturgical theology and how ritual forms the people who practice it, this book offers the principles at work in good liturgical practice, guidance for making liturgical choices, and best practices in leading and presiding over liturgical worship. Topics include curating liturgy and leading with excellence, principles for liturgical planning and presiding, and best practices for the Eucharist and Baptism. The author draws on his wide-ranging work in ritual theory to provide a practical guide that clergy and lay leaders in the Episcopal Church will find to be an essential resource. Those in other denominations will also find this book to be a useful reference in a standard setting.

This book is a meticulously researched and thought-provoking study that delves into the analysis and comparison of rituals in two distinct settings: the ancient Book of Leviticus and traditional Malagasy culture on the island of Madagascar. Author Olivier Randrianjaka invesigates why Malagasy Christians connect with Leviticus despite the apathy of the Western church. As this book demonstrates, the key unifying themes are sin, purification, and sacrifice. Profound parallels emerge between Levitical rituals (such as postpartum purification and the Day of Atonement) and Malagasy rituals (such as taboo violation, postpartum purification, and the New Year royal bath). The study highlights the universal relevance of sin, purification and sacrifice rituals, inviting reflection on their significance in diverse cultural and religious contexts."This is a remarkable book that represents a groundbreaking exploration of the intricate connections between Leviticus and Malagasy traditional rituals. The author¿s meticulous analysis and profound insights into the themes of sin, sacrifice and atonement offer invaluable knowledge for Christian readers. I highly recommend this work to anyone seeking a comprehensive understanding of Madagascar¿s religion, particularly its rich tapestry of traditional rituals."¿Dr. Razivelo Mariette, Lutheran Faculty of Theology (SALT), Madagascar"Rituals for purification play a significant role in most cultures, and this book contributes to the understanding of these phenomena in general. It provides insight into these rituals in Malagasy society and their description in the Book of Leviticus in the Bible. The book focuses on religious praxis, as described in texts and demonstrated in life. Every person will encounter these phenomena, and here is a tool to grasp their meaning."¿Magnar Kartveit, Emeritus Professor of Old Testament at VID Specialized University, Stavanger, Norway

Charism is a hot contemporary issue. The growing interest in the charisms is one of the significant religious developments of our time. Opinions on charisms vary to a remarkable degree. Unfortunately, in some cases, diverse viewpoints have led to confusion among Christians. On the positive side though, this developing interest in charisms has contributed to spiritual renewal and stimulated biblical research in this most important area of the Church's life.The exponential growth of the Charismatic/Pentecostal Movement throughout the world and especially in Africa urged led to choice of this topic on charisms. In the Charismatic/Pentecostal Movements the issue of charisms is very vital and extremely important. It is at the centre of its spirituality and practice. This Movement has spread to almost all major Christian confessions/denominations and continues to attract many followers. This work is unique among the many studies written on the charisms. Even though the subject of charisms has received some scholarly attention, most have not delved into the role of the charisms in the Church from Pauline perspective as this study does. The following observations and reasons demonstrate that it is still meaningful and worthwhile to study charisms in Pauline letters.

The Last Supper-oft referred to as The Lord's Supper, Communion, or the Eucharist-is one of the sacraments celebrated in Christian churches as a means of communing with Jesus and as a commemoration of His death. But whether or not one is a Christian, when The Last Supper is mentioned, inevitably the iconic painting by Leonardo da Vinci springs to mind. It has become a part of our collective consciousness.Created toward the end of the 15th century, da Vince painted in the mode of the day, so while the beloved masterpiece is most certainly great art, it is not particularly good history. In fact, Leonardo got it all wrong. The question must be asked, was it intentional or did he have an ulterior motive?Conspiracy theorists point to esoteric connections hidden in the picture. Magdalene cults found Mary as one of the desciples. Musical scholars found examples of Pythagorean musical ratios. Numerologists find the painting to be a playground of numerical references. There have been reported connections between da Vinci and secret cults. And of course there is Dan Brown's wildly popular international bestselling novel, The DaVinci Code. Literally thousands of theologians have attempted to explain the Christian symbolism and truth in the picture and to name the disciples as they sit in the picture.Regardless of how beloved or revered the painting was and is, apart from its symbolic representation, it was not a true representation of the real Last Supper.