Paul Spencer presents the definitive study of the ways of life of the cattle-herding peoples of East Africa, drawing on many years of research. This region has offered a prime example of a traditional culture resisting the inevitability of change; it provides the best-known and most extensive instance both of cattle-pastoralist society and of social organization based primarily on age. Pastoral peoples were once dominant in the East African interior, but development of the market economy has progressively polarized the region and forced them into the most marginal, drought-ridden areas; in this ecological trap they have become a peripheral underclass. The Pastoral Continuum examines the richness and resilience of their cultures and illuminates the role of indigenous practices and institutions in adaptation and survival. The pastoralists' systems of age organization in particular are notable for their resilience: it is demonstrated that these are bound up with problems of growth and succession in family enterprises, and that marriage is a critical link in the web of alliance that governs the problematic relations between old and young. Spencer's exploration of the development of the pastoralist phenomenon yields a unique view of its place in the modern world and its prospects for the future. This landmark work by a leading authority will be of lasting value to any reader interested in traditional social systems of this kind.

The Worship Continuum is a reminder that a central part of what goes on in heaven now and in the future is worship around the throne of God. Our worship in the temporal realm is linked to the worship that is taking place in the spiritual realm right now. One day all believers will experience the authentic worship of heaven either in death or at Jesus's return. When we recognize that our worship here on earth is joined together with the worship of heaven, our approach to worship will change. It will become more focused on entering into the holy of holies where we can experience the presence of God in a very tangible way. It's possible to know the presence of God in worship! The tabernacle progression that is spoken of in The Worship Continuum is a type of model for our worship experiences. The desired destination of our worship, whether alone or in a group, should be the presence of God. We should seek the anointing of the Spirit as we lead worship or participate in worship. As we lead we take on a sacred role. A role that is ancient yet at the same time contemporary. It's a role worthy of the anointing. However, do we sometimes enter into worship flippantly and casually with no thought of truly seeking God's presence? Do we reduce the significance of worship by relegating it to a list of songs to be played? The Worship Continuum seeks to inspire those who lead worship or participate in worship to see their role as sacred. It seeks to inspire us to live a lifestyle of praise and worship that extends beyond the weekly worship service. It seeks to help us make the connection between our worship here on earth and the worship that is taking place in the tabernacle of heaven that we see mentioned in Scripture. It seeks to lessen the gap between our worship and heavenly worship with the hope that they will intersect and we will experience the supernatural.

Pastoral is a succinct and up-to-date introductory text to the history, major writers and critical issues of this genre. Terry Gifford clarifies the different uses of pastoral covering: the history of the genre from its classical origins to Elizabethan drama, through eighteenth-century pastoral poetry to contemporary American nature writing the pastoral impulse of retreat and return, beginning with constructions of Arcadia and using a combination of close reading of quoted texts, cultural studies and eco-criticism post-pastoral texts with a look at writers, who Gifford argues, have discovered ways of reconnecting us with our natural environment.

Join the conversation as experts propose, defend, and explore Four Views of Youth Ministry and the Church.In a dialog that often gets downright feisty, four youth ministry academicians delineate their distinct philosophical and ecclesiological views regarding how youth ministry relates to the church at large--and leave a taste of what’s profound and what’s not in these four typologies:Inclusive congregational (Malan Nel). What happens when a church thoroughly integrates its adolescents, making them full partners in every aspect of congregational life?Preparatory (Wesley Black). Why and how should a church consider its teenagers as disciples-in-training and its youth ministry a school of preparation for future participation in church life?Missional (Chap Clark). What does a church look like, whose youth ministry does not necessarily nurture "church kids" but is essentially evangelistic? Whose youths and youth workers are considered missionaries?Strategic (Mark Senter). How feasible is it for a youth ministry to become a new church on its own--the youth pastor becoming the pastor, and the new church planted with the blessing of the mother church?In Four View of Your Ministry and the Church, solid academic writing and an inviting tone and design create a compelling text for both in-the-field, practicing youth workers and undergraduates and graduate students.

Aims to demonstrate how people can use theology to deal with real life problems, using the author's own experiences whilst working with adults and examining their experiences using the gospel. The author has also written "Power to the Powerless.">

A critical guide to effective pastoral care provision, exploring a range of issues including bereavement, bullying, child abuse, domestic violence, separation/divorce, self-harm and suicide.

An engaging series of essays, originally given at the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism. The aim of the colloquium was to make available the results of recent archaeological work to a wider interested public, and specifically to bring science to bear on the early history of the Jewish people.