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The Teaching Ministry of Congregations
In this important and groundbreaking book, Osmer develops a practical theology of the teaching ministry. He begins with the Apostle Paul, identifying in Paul's letters to his congregations the core tasks of the teaching ministry.
Practical Theology
Every church congregation encounters challenging situations, some the same the world over, and others specific to each church. Richard Osmer here seeks to teach congregational leaders -- including, but not limited to, clergy -- the requisite knowledge and skills to meet such situations with sensitivity and creativity. Osmer develops a framework for practical theological interpretation in congregations by focusing on four key questions: What is going on in a given context? Why is this going on? What ought to be going on? and How might the leader shape the context to better embody Christian witness and mission? The book is unique in its attention to interdisciplinary issues and the ways that theological reflection is grounded in the spirituality of leaders. Useful, accessible, and lively -- with lots of specific examples and case studies -- Osmer's Practical Theology effectively equips congregational leaders to guide their communities with theological integrity.
A Teachable Spirit
Osmer provides a strong understanding of the teaching office which is a part of Reformation heritage. He discusses why the teaching office is important in mainline churches.
Teaching for Faith
This useful, theologically informed guide "prepares the soil" for teachers in the church, whose purpose is to awaken, support, and challenge faith. Richard Osmer offers practical suggestions for preparing good lectures and leading lively discussions. He explores four important dimensions of faithfaith as belief, as commitment, as relationship, and as mysteryand describes different teaching approaches that can address each of these dimensions. Osmer demonstrates that teaching is a crucial task in the church today.
The Shape of Baptism
After revealing the genesis of the Roman tradition of initiation, Kavanagh moves on to the tensions between traditional practice and the need for change. He stresses the Church's ongoing need to focus its efforts on its main concern - the initiation of new members.
The Invitation
Moving beyond conversionism Many Christians today are uncomfortable with older, simpler notions about evangelism as conversionism but see as insufficient the more progressive model of evangelism as hospitality. Transcending that dichotomy, Richard Osmer advances a theology of evangelism as a multifaceted act of invitation into Christ-following community. Osmer begins by exploring references to evangelism in the New Testament--both in the Gospels and in the letters of Paul. He then enters into dialogue with Karl Barth to work through ideas of church witness and the relationship of evangelism to salvation. Finally, with lucid explanations and illustrative case studies, he offers guidance for p...
The Future of Protestant Religious Education in an Age of Globalization
Global developments have come to shape our lives, economically, culturally, and even religiously. Young people growing up in a global age have to be prepared for living in this age. Economic and technological demands are important, but there also is a need for personal and social orientations that go beyond them. This book provides both insights into the Protestant tradition in education as well as its meaning for the future of the church, for society and for individual persons. It follows an innovative approach by combining perspectives from three different contexts - Germany with its important Protestant starting points in the Reformation, the United States as a country which has been stro...
New Testament Theology
In this volume in the Library of Biblical Theology series, James D.G. Dunn ranges widely across the literature of the New Testament to describe the essential elements of the early church’s belief and practice. Eschatology, grace, law and gospel, discipleship, Israel and the church, faith and works, and most especially incarnation, atonement, and resurrection; Dunn places these and other themes in conversation with the contemporary church’s work of understanding its faith and life in relation to God’s self-revelation in Jesus Christ.
The Bible in Christian Education
Iris V. Cully explores the use of the Bible in the education of children, youth, and adults. She assesses the role of the Bible in worship, in spiritual life, in moral development, and in other areasas well.
Confirmation
Confirmation is one of the most widespread practices in the contemporary church, although much confusion exists about its relationship to faith: Is confirmation a rite of passage? Is it just one step on an unfolding journey of faith? Are new privileges granted and additional responsibilities required of confirmands? Christian educator Richard Robert Osmer addresses these questions as he examines the theological significance of confirmation. Osmer surveys early church practices of confirmation and offers a comprehensive discussion of the particularities of the Protestant experience of confirmation, including Presbyterian, Episcopal, Lutheran, and Methodist practices. He discovers a need for a renewed understanding of confirmation in today's church. He proposes a two-step process of confirmation that would address the unique concerns and understandings of those involved at two distinct and significant developmental transitions: from youth to adolescence and from adolescence to adulthood.
