Fraternità

Fraternità

«In questo libro, Enzo Bianchi, con la sua abituale profondità umana e intelligenza spirituale, mostra che la fraternità è la vocazione dell'umanità». Papa Francesco «In questo libro, Enzo Bianchi, con la sua abituale profondità umana e intelligenza spirituale, mostra che la fraternità è la vocazione dell'umanità. Siamo tutti fratelli e sorelle in umanità, mortali ma con la consapevolezza di essere viventi per stare in relazione gli uni con gli altri. Il grande dono che possiamo accogliere è l'altro: vicino o lontano, conosciuto o sconosciuto, amico o nemico. Se ci mettiamo accanto, abbiamo sempre di fronte un fratello, una sorella, e sentiamo di avere un'unica vocazione: passare dal dire "io" al dire "noi", per vivere insieme». Dalla prefazione di Papa Francesco Nella celebre triade di valori coniata dalla rivoluzione francese - libertà, uguaglianza, fraternità - il terzo elemento è forse il piú trascurato. Eppure proprio la fraternità è necessaria per dare fondamento all'affermazione dei primi due. Il culto della libertà assoluta mina le basi dell'uguaglianza e l'uguaglianza imposta come unico principio distrugge la libertà. Si parla spesso di crisi della paternità e della maternità, ma ciò che manca al nostro vivere insieme è soprattutto la fraternità. E nella società contemporanea il rancore, la rabbia e l'indifferenza diventano i sentimenti piú diffusi, alimentati da una politica fondata sulla paura. In questo suo nuovo libro, Enzo Bianchi ci esorta a ripensare l'idea stessa di fraternità. «Fraternità come fondamento e ragione per una necessaria fiducia nella bontà del vivere insieme; fraternità come solidarietà tra membri di una convivenza ai quali è necessario riscoprire il bene comune; fraternità come incessante ricostruzione di ponti, come riproposizione di confronti, di riconciliazioni religiose, culturali ed etniche». Alle radici della fraternità, infatti, ci sono alcune esigenze imprescindibili: l'accettazione incondizionata del fratello e della sorella; un'assunzione di responsabilità degli uni verso gli altri; la solidarietà come cura e custodia reciproca. «Chi è il mio prossimo?» chiede lo scriba a Gesú nella parabola evangelica del Buon Samaritano, ma è una domanda sbagliata. Non conta chi è il prossimo, ma come possiamo noi diventare «prossimo» per i nostri fratelli. Occorre uscire da sé stessi, andare verso gli altri, provare empatia. La fraternità - ci dice Enzo Bianchi - non è spontanea, non è una condizione naturale, ma un compito che sta sempre davanti a noi. Un'opera essenziale e ineludibile che va realizzata giorno dopo giorno.

The Cloister Walk

The Cloister Walk

 A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AND NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR“Vivid, compelling... An embrace of moral and spiritual contemplation.” –The New York Times“A remarkable piece of writing. If read with humility and attention, Kathleen Norris's book becomes lectio divina, or holy reading.” –The Boston GlobeFrom the iconic author of Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith, a spiritual journey that brings joy to the meanings of love, grace and faith. Why would a married woman with a thoroughly Protestant background and often more doubt than faith be drawn to the ancient practice of monasticism, to a community of celibate men whose days are centered on a rigid schedule of prayer, work, and scripture? This is the question that poet Kathleen Norris asks us as, somewhat to her own surprise, she found herself on two extended residencies at St. John's Abbey in Minnesota.Part record of her time among the Benedictines, part meditation on various aspects of monastic life, The Cloister Walk demonstrates, from the rare perspective of someone who is both an insider and outsider, how immersion in the cloistered world-- its liturgy, its ritual, its sense of community-- can impart meaning to everyday events and deepen our secular lives. In this stirring and lyrical work, the monastery, often considered archaic or otherworldly, becomes immediate, accessible, and relevant to us, no matter what our faith may be.

Womanist Sass and Talk Back

Womanist Sass and Talk Back

Womanist Sass and Talk Back is a contextual resistance text for readers interested in social (in)justice. Smith raises our consciousness about pressing contemporary social (in)justice issues that impact communities of color and the larger society. Systemic or structural oppression and injustices, police profiling and brutality, oppressive pedagogy, and gendered violence are placed in dialogue with sacred (con)texts. This book provides fresh intersectional readings of sacred (con)texts that are accessible to both scholars and nonscholars. Womanist Sass and Talk Back is for readers interested in critical interpretations of sacred (con)texts (ancient and contemporary) and in propagating the justice and love of God while engaging those (con)texts.

Brendan

Brendan

An acclaimed author interweaves history and legend to re-create the life of a complex man of faith fifteen hundred years ago. Winner of the 1987 Christianity and Literature Book Award for Belles-Lettres.

Why Christians are wrong about Jesus

Why Christians are wrong about Jesus

In the much-awaited follow-up to Cross-Examined: Putting Christianity on Trial, trial lawyer John W. Campbell demonstrates why Christians are fundamentally wrong about Jesus, the leader of the movement that developed into modern Christianity. Using the most up to date research and findings, Campbell shows, among other things, why Jesus was not the Jewish Messiah, why the true Jesus was replaced by Paul's Christ of faith, and why Jesus was not resurrected from the dead. Campbell reveals how Jesus came to be severely misunderstood, unwittingly giving birth to a religion he would not have recognized and surely would have opposed. Campbell explains who Jesus really was, what he believed, and why he would be so disappointed with modern Christianity.

The Christian's Union, Communion and Conformity to Jesus Christ In His Death and Resurrection

The Christian's Union, Communion and Conformity to Jesus Christ In His Death and Resurrection

John Brinsley (1600-1665), the younger, was a Presbyterian puritan divine who was a powerful Reformed Gospel preacher and writer. This work is a biblical masterpiece on Romans 6:5, “For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.” Brinsley sets into view the Christian’s union and communion with, and conformity to, Jesus Christ. After establishing this, he teaches how Christ’s death and resurrection apply to believers as they are grafted into the life-giving Root of the Savior. He covers how believers die to sin, what it means to mortify sin, and how to live in righteousness through the power of the resurrecting Spirit. This work is not a scan or facsimile, has been carefully transcribed by hand being made easy to read in modern English, and has an active table of contents for electronic versions.

The Natural Man Directed to Jesus Christ

The Natural Man Directed to Jesus Christ

Francis Roberts (1609-1675), was a Presbyterian and Reformed Puritan, widely known for his theological works. From McMahon's introduction: "Most Evangelicals today believe that salvation is by an outward show of moral character. This kind of religion is specially designed by the devil for the natural man. Roberts’ work on directing sinners from being captive to their natural tendencies to Christ is not simply a work that shakes the sinner’s intellectual mechanisms to understand the basics of the Gospel of Jesus Christ concerning sin and salvation, but this work is one of the most violent theological earthquakes of Gospel exhortation ever penned by any pastor or theologian in the history of the Christian church. Roberts’ main objective is to get sinners not only interested in Christ, but pointed in the direction of the only means by which men must be saved." This is not a scan or facsimile, has been updated in modern English for easy reading and has an active table of contents for electronic versions.

What Can I Do with My Guilt?

What Can I Do with My Guilt?

If you say “nobody’s perfect,” likely everyone will agree with you. Feelings of guilt over sin are common. A person may ignore their sense of guilt, rationalize it, or suppress it, but it is there. It points to the fact that all people are objectively guilty before God.So, what do we do with our guilt? In this booklet, Dr. R.C. Sproul shows how God can use these feelings to reveal our true guilt. Dr. Sproul then points to the only remedy—the forgiveness that God provides through Jesus Christ.The Crucial Questions booklet series by Dr. R.C. Sproul offers succinct answers to important questions often asked by Christians and thoughtful inquirers.

Isis Unveiled: Volume 2, Religion

Isis Unveiled: Volume 2, Religion

H.P. Blavatsky was born August 12th 1831 in Yekaterinoslav, Russia.  After leaving Russia after an unconsummated arranged marriage, Helena became a prolific world traveler.  She traveled the world with her second husband, Henry Steel Olcott, visiting Egypt, France, Germany, Mexico, South America, Canada, before settling in Madras, India. There, she founded the Theosophical Society. Theosophy's all-encompassing worldview proposes explanations for the origin, workings and ultimate fate of the whole of Existence.   Isis Unveiled, published in 1877, is a book of esoteric philosophy, and was Blavatsky's first major work. The book discusses or quotes, among others, Plato , the Chaldean Oracles, the Egyptian Book of the Dead, the Bible, Pythagoras, Apollonius of Tyana, the Popol Vuh, Paracelsus, Giordano Bruno, Marco Polo, Jesus the Nazarene, Siddhārtha Gautama, Zoroaster and Max Müller, as well as Buddhist , Brahmanical, Chinese, Persian, Babylonian, Chaldean, Syrian, Gnostic, Egyptian literature and much more. It is composed of two volumes, the first concentrating on science, and the second on religion. This edition of Volume 2 of Isis Unveiled is specially formatted, including the original illustrations and a Table of Contents.

Protestants and Catholics: Do They Now Agree

Protestants and Catholics: Do They Now Agree

Protestants & Catholics have battled for centuries over how a sinful man is forgiven by a holy & righteous God. Some of evangelical Christianity’s most highly respected leaders have linked hands with Catholics in an unprecedented accord by signing an agreement entitled "Evangelical & Catholics Together"... Have doctrinal differences been eliminated? What was decided about justification by faith - the one issue upon which Martin Luther said the church stands or falls? Which side changed its views? The authors delve into the history of the Catholic church & discuss the sacraments, penance, confession, the rosary, indulgences & Purgatory.

The City of God

The City of God

Skyros Publishing is dedicated to reproducing the finest books ever written and letting readers of all ages experience a classic for the first time or revisit a past favorite. The City of God, written by St. Augustine written in the 5th century, is a classic book on Christian philosophy.The book has been influential in the development of Western thought and is one of St. Augustine's most famous works.

I Will Follow You, O God

I Will Follow You, O God

Building on his compelling exploration of God’s character in the book, I Exalt You, O God, Jerry Bridges now equips you to respond in fresh, authentic ways to the God we come to know better through our personal worship. What is the best way and the best place to learn what it truly means to walk with God as a disciple? I Will Follow You, O God focuses prayerfully on the four most fundamental aspects of discipleship: • living all of life under God’s authority • finding delight in genuine obedience • continually experiencing God’s conscious presence • truly depending on him for everything I Will Follow You, O God also includes a generous scattering of helpful prayers that will guide your heart in reverent praise and thanksgiving. As a result, you’ll find your heart overflowing, your life recharged, and your spirit yearning to obey the God who loves you.

Surpreendida pela glória

Surpreendida pela glória

Você anseia por algo mais em seu relacionamento com Deus? Se anda sentindo falta daquele ânimo que tomou conta de você quando entregou sua vida a Jesus e se está frustrada por perceber que seu relacionamento com Deus poderia ter aquele `algo mais` tão desejado, Sharon Jaynes tem uma boa notícia: as conquistas que alcançamos em nosso relacionamento com o Criador não são fruto de esforço pessoal ou de uma vida de sacrifícios. Deus tampouco está esperando que você se transforme na pessoa ideal para abençoá-la. Portanto, a questão não é o que Deus quer de você, mas o que Deus quer para você! Quer ser surpreendida pela glória divina e desenvolver uma intimidade com Deus como nunca antes? Respire fundo, segure na mão dele e experimente em toda plenitude a presença do Senhor.

El propósito eterno de Dios

El propósito eterno de Dios

A fin de que el pueblo de Dios piense profundamente en estos temas, presentamos este número de Portavoz de la Gracia: El propósito eterno de Dios. No todos los autores incluidos concuerdan  entre sí en todos los detalles; los lectores  diestros en asuntos teológicos lo notarán acá y allá. Pero todos estos autores —protestantes o bautistas— creen que el propósito eterno de Dios es el fundamento de la totalidad de nuestra salvación. David Martyn Lloyd-Jones introduce este tema sumamente profundo. Charles Spurgeon luego explica hermosa y conmovedoramente las partes, estipulaciones y los objetivos de los concilios eternos de Dios. ¿Cuál es la naturaleza de este acuerdo eterno? Patrick Gillespie lo describe, y Peter Bulkeley ofrece una breve lista de las promesas y los acuerdos tomados entre el Padre y el Hijo en la eternidad. La realidad bíblica del plan de Dios es explorado por R. B. C. Howell, y A. W. Pink muestra la importancia de la elección de Cristo como nuestro Mediador. Ahora bien, ¿es esto pura especulación o hay algún valor práctico en contemplar este tema? Thomas Brooks contesta esa pregunta con una exposición detallada de los acuerdos entre el Padre y el Hijo, que apunta a edificar y alentar al creyente. A. A. Hodge nos ayuda a ver que la única manera de comprender correctamente la expiación de Cristo es a través del cristal del propósito eterno de Dios. Y después, tenemos un segundo artículo en el que Spurgeon nos da una visión impresionante de la consumación del plan de Dios: la boda del Cordero. Para finalizar, Isaac Ambrose nos urge amar a Cristo profundamente porque planeó y acordó ser nuestro Salvador antes de la fundación del mundo. ¡Aleluya! ¡Qué Salvador!

Appropriating the Dao

Appropriating the Dao

Assembling original contributions, this book is a pioneering attempt to address the Euro-American esoteric reception and appropriation of China. Positioned between eighteenth-century's mesmerism and intersections with the modern martial arts current, the contributions specifically centre on nineteenth and early twentieth-century occult appraisals and representations. This book opens up an under-explored area of research in the field of East–West interactions and the global history of religions.

The Doctrine of Justification

The Doctrine of Justification

James Buchanan (1804–1870) was a Scottish minister and theologian. He joined the Free Church of Scotland in 1843, and succeeded Thomas Chalmers as professor of systematic theology at the New College of the Free Church in Edinburgh in 1847, a post he held for twenty-one years. Buchanan's magnum opus was The Doctrine of Justification, which still has great value as a classic treatment of the article by which Martin Luther says the church stands or falls. He covers biblical, systematic, and historical ground in his work, but is never far from a warm-hearted evangelical delight in the doctrines he is expounding.

The Tibetan Book of the Dead

The Tibetan Book of the Dead

The first complete translation of a classic Buddhist text on the journey through living and dying. Graced with opening words by His Holiness The Dalai Lama, the Penguin Deluxe Edition of The Tibetan Book of the Dead is "immaculately rendered in an English both graceful and precise." Translated with the close support of leading contemporary masters and hailed as “a tremendous accomplishment,” this book faithfully presents the insights and intentions of the original work. It includes one of the most detailed and compelling descriptions of the after-death state in world literature, practices that can transform our experience of daily life, guidance on helping those who are dying, and an inspirational perspective on coping with bereavement.

Devenir une femme à l'écoute de Dieu

Devenir une femme à l'écoute de Dieu

Avez-vous envie d'entendre la voix de Dieu, non pas comme une expérience unique dans une vie, mais au quotidien ? Avez-vous le désir de voir ses empreintes digitales sur les pages de votre vie bien remplie ? Plus qu'un « guide pratique », Devenir une femme à l'écoute de Dieu offre un regard bienveillant, amusant et tendre pour reconnaître de quelles manières surprenantes et inattendues, notre Dieu nous tend la main par son amour et sa présence. Vous vous sentirez rafraîchie, confortée et renouvelée en vous engageant à écouter Celui qui aime à vous parler.

How Can I Be Blessed?

How Can I Be Blessed?

It’s common to hear people speak of health, wealth, and prosperity as signs of God’s blessing. But Jesus said that those who are poor, persecuted, and in pain are blessed. How can this be? What kind of blessing was Jesus referring to?In this booklet, Dr. R.C. Sproul looks at a beloved portion of the New Testament known as the Beatitudes. As he explores Jesus’ famous sermon, Dr. Sproul explains that whatever life’s circumstances, true blessedness is found only by knowing the grace of God in Jesus Christ.The Crucial Questions booklet series by Dr. R.C. Sproul offers succinct answers to important questions often asked by Christians and thoughtful inquirers.