From Britney and Brangelina to Tiger Woods and Michael Jackson, Western society is obsessed with its American idols and gods of the red carpet. We worship their triumphs, judge their sins, and maintain vigil at their deaths. Can our fixation on and devotion to celebrity culture itself be considered a religion? If not, why do we use religious terminology to describe these stars and our actions towards them?
"Gods Behaving Badly" examines the blurred boundary between popular culture and religion one that has given way to an often confounding fusion of the sacred and the profane. Flipping...
From Britney and Brangelina to Tiger Woods and Michael Jackson, Western society is obsessed with its American idols and gods of the red carpet. We ...
Within the disciplines of religious studies, systematic theology, and practical theology there exists a divide between empirical and theological analyses of the church. Each volume in the cross-disciplinary series Studies in Ecclesiology and Ethnography attempts to address this gap by exploring the methodological and substantive issues that arise from both theological and empirical studies of the church's practices and social reality. Perspectives on Ecclesiology and Ethnography, the inaugural volume in the series, proposes that if theology is to regain its relevance to the church...
Within the disciplines of religious studies, systematic theology, and practical theology there exists a divide between empirical and theological analy...
This introduction to the field of practical theology reclaims a theological vision for the life and work of the church. Pete Ward dispels the myth that practical theology is a distraction from the -real- tasks of ministry or from serious academic theological work. He argues that practical theology is part of the everyday life of the church and that there are a variety of possible approaches, helping readers evaluate the approach that is most appropriate to their ministerial context and theological tradition. This reliable, accessible resource will work well for those in training or in...
This introduction to the field of practical theology reclaims a theological vision for the life and work of the church. Pete Ward dispels the myth tha...
Making Jesus Attractive is an in-depth look at the history and theology of this parachurch organization dedicated to ministry with young people. Beginning with the theological background of founder Jim Rayburn and moving through the decades of the ministry, this book examines not only the articulated theological statements of the organization but the lived theology as well. This book provides a thorough overview of the theological underpinnings of the Young Life organization and challenges their model of an attractive Christianity, providing insights that could be utilized by all youth...
Making Jesus Attractive is an in-depth look at the history and theology of this parachurch organization dedicated to ministry with young people. Begin...
In Liquid Ecclesiology Pete Ward explores the theological contours of the turn to ethnography in the study of the Christian Church. His approach rests on a theology of culture that holds in tension and paradox the expression of the Church and divine presence. This theological framework is then developed through an extended qualitative empirical case study examining the communicative practices of the contemporary evangelical Church. The case study examines how the evangelical Gospel through expression has become marginalised in the everyday life of communities being replaced by a new...
In Liquid Ecclesiology Pete Ward explores the theological contours of the turn to ethnography in the study of the Christian Church. His approac...
