Apostolicity Then and Now explores apostolicity from its origin to today. Apostolicity is a fundamental mark of the church, referring to Jesus' faith given to, carried on, and taught?unaltered?by a continuous line of apostles. This book primarily focuses on how apostolicity pertains to the church as a whole and views apostolic succession in light of how apostolicity is applicable to the church. Scriptural, historical, theological, and ecumenical contexts provide a thorough study that includes worldviews and their impact on apostolicity. Chapters are "Who Were the Apostles?" ?Why the Early Churches Understood Themselves as Apostolic,? ?Apostolicity in History,? ?Apostolicity and the Theologians,? ?Apostolicity and the Classical and Modern Worldviews,? ?Apostolicity in a Postmodern World,? ?Apostolicity in Ecumenical Dialogue,? and ?Apostolicity in an Ecumenical Church.?

At the heart of the ecumenical discussions over the past century lies the issue of what constitutes the apostolicity of the church. In an attempt to forge structural agreements, these discussions have ignored the diversity of world Christianity. In this groundbreaking study, John Flett presents a bold account of an apostolicity that embraces plurality.

We would like to recommend this book to all who are concerned about the Porvoo fellowship as well as those who are commited to visible unity -K G Hammar and David Hope Apostolicity and Unity explores the purpose and potential of the Porvoo Common Statement (PCS), a major ecumenical agreement between the Anglican churches in Great Britain and Ireland and the Lutheran churches in the Nordic and Baltic nations. First presented in 1992 and now affirmed by ten signatory churches, the PCS provides the basis for church fellowship for approximately fifty percent of the so-called Protestant Christians in Europe. Porvoo is the European parallel to the 'Called to Common Mission' statement arising out of the Episcopal-Lutheran dialogue in the United States. Written by church leaders and theologians who have long worked for the cause of church unity, this volume discusses key aspects of the PCS, including the nature of the church, the basic characteristics of church unity, and the church's mission in the world. Special emphasis is placed on the theological core of the PCS -- its understanding of apostolicity and apostolic continuity, and its proposal of how different signs of such continuity can be shared between the churches within the framework of communion. Critical contributions from members of other church traditions round out the volume by assessing the wider ecumenical significance of the PCS.

Spanning the gamut from "Aaron" to "Zwingli," this dictionary includes nearly 3,000 entries written by about sixty authors, all of whom are specialists in their various theological and religious disciplines. The editors have designed the dictionary especially to aid the introductory-level student with instant access to definitions of terms likely to be encountered in, but not to substitute for, classroom presentations or reading assignments. - Publisher.

A land like our own explores the ways the Bible has reused previous traditions and has subsequently been reused by both Jews and Christians. The editors employ the symbol of the "Land" as indicative of both loss and hope, reflective of the ways in which the past is variously figured and re-configured by the authors of both Testaments.

This thorough study of spiritual gifts will help Christians understand their God-given gifts and how they should use those gifts in the church. Thomas explains each gift, examining them in the light of the Word. He also deals with the issues concerning the source, purpose, and nature of spiritual gifts. Understanding Spiritual Gifts will give readers new insight into how their gifts can be used for God's glory and service.

In recent bilateral ecumenical dialogue the aim of the dialogue has been to reach some form of doctrinal consensus. The three major chapters of the book discuss the variety of forms of doctrinal consensus found in ecumenical dialogues among Anglicans, Lutherans and Roman Catholics. In general, the dialogue documents argue for agreement/consensus based on commonality or compatibility. Each of the three dialogue processes has specific characteristics and formulates its argument in a unique way. The Lutheran-Roman Catholic dialogue has a particular interest in hermeneutical questions and proposes various forms of "differentiated" or perspectival forms of consensus. The Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogue emphasises the correctness of interpretations. The documents consciously look towards a "common future", not the separated past.