Placing the neglected issue of class back into the study and understanding of religion, Sean McCloud reconsiders the meaning of class in today's world. More than a status grounded in material conditions, says McCloud, class is also an identity rhetorically and symbolically made and unmade through representations. It entails relationships, identifications, boundaries, meanings, power, and our most ingrained habits of mind and body. He demonstrates that employing class as an analytical tool that cuts across variables such as creed, race, ethnicity, and gender can illuminate American religious life in unprecedented ways. Through social theory, historical analysis, and ethnography, McCloud makes an interdisciplinary argument for reinserting class into the study of religion. First, he offers a new three-part conception of class for use in studying religion. He then presents a focused cultural history of religious studies by examining how social class surfaced in twentieth-century theories of religious affiliation. He concludes with historical and ethnographic case studies of religion and class. Divine Hierarchies makes a convincing case for the past and present importance of class in American religious thought, practice, and scholarship.

De Coelesti Hierarchia is a Pseudo-Dionysian work onangelology, written in Greek and dated to ca. the 5th century CE; it exerted great influence on scholasticism and treats at great length the hierarchies of angels. The work has also been very influential in the development ofOrthodox Christian theology. Thomas Aquinas (Summa Theologica, I.108) follows the Hierarchia (6.7) in dividing the angels into three hierarchies each of which contains three orders, based on their proximity to God, corresponding to the nine orders of angels recognized by Pope St Gregory I. 1. Seraphim, Cherubim, and Thrones; 2. Dominations, Virtues, and Powers; 3. Principalities, Archangels, and Angels.

In the current age where democratic and egalitarian ideals have preeminence, Eastern Orthodox Christianity, among other hierarchically organized religious traditions, faces the challenging questions: “Why is hierarchy maintained as the model of organizing the church, and what are the theological justifications for its persistence?” These questions are especially significant for historically and contemporarily understanding how Orthodox Christians negotiate their spiritual ideals with the challenges of their social and ecclesiastical realities. To critically address these questions, this book offers four case studies of historically disparate Byzantine theologians from the sixth to the fourteenth-centuries—Dionysius the Areopagite, Maximus the Confessor, Niketas Stethatos, and Nicholas Cabasilas—who significantly reflect on the relationship between spiritual authority, power, and hierarchy in theoretical, liturgical, and practical contexts. Although Dionysius the Areopagite has been the subject of much scholarly interest in recent years, the applied theological legacy of his development of “hierarchy” in the Christian East has not before been explored. Relying on a common Dionysian heritage, these Byzantine authors are brought into a common dialogue to reveal a tradition of constructing authentic ecclesiastical hierarchy as foremost that which communicates divinity.

“All seekers of truth yearn for the mystical experience. In this remarkable journey, you do not walk alone. With you is your indispensable partner to success—the spiritual hierarchy.” The Angelic Keys to Fulfilling Your Life's Purpose Award-winning authors Barbara Y. Martin and Dimitri Moraitis explore the sacred art of communing with celestial beings. Based on Martin's extensive direct clairvoyant experiences, this book will teach you to work closely with angels, archangels, and other divine beings who guide you in day-to-day living and help you achieve your destiny. You will learn how to strengthen your intuitive powers and hear what the divine is telling you, as well as thrilling accounts of Martin's compelling personal encounters with celestial beings and her eye-opening encounters with dark spirits. In Communing with the Divine, you will discover: •Various types of angels, including joy guides, teaching angels, and guardian angels •Techniques to call on Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, Raphael, and other Archangels •Ways in which leaders of the spiritual hierarchy influence your life •The nature of evil and the importance of spiritual protection •Keys to psychic and spiritual visions and clairvoyance •Meditation tools to access celestial realms with more than fifty meditative prayers that call on Divine Light and celestial beings for wisdom, love, prosperity, healing, peace, guidance, inspiration, and much more

Written from an ecumenical perspective, "That All May Be One" is addressed to those who are concerned about hierarchy in their own churches and those concerned about the ecumenical movement. Terence L. Nichols details the notion of participatory hierarchy, grounding it in Scripture and in Christian tradition.

A private Foundation in cooperation with Herder & Herder Publishers is launching a landmark initiative for the development of a Christian cosmology based on reality as process, to replace the medieval static worldview. The initiative will launch this March 24, 2021 with the publication of the first of six volumes by physicist and theologian Richard J. Pendergast, SJ: The Cosmic Hierarchy: God's Plan for the Evolution of the Universe. This volume offers an introduction to a Christian cosmology, an integration of modern science and divine revelation, with the aim of achieving a coherent view of the universe. Combining notions from science, philosophy, and theology, Pendergast weaves a coherent picture of what we know about reality. He considers the nature of matter, human consciousness, quantum mechanics, biological evolution, and the problem of evil. Addressing both believers and nonbelievers, he aims to offer insight into problems that may disturb the faith of the former or impede the latter's search for God.