Böcker av Shawn O. Strout

An exploration--and an affirmation--of the connection between the Church's sacraments of initiation.

Every Sunday around the world, Christians offer money and in-kind gifts to the church, traditionally known as alms. This act produces questions about what it means to offer God a gift when God has offered humanity the greatest gift in Jesus Christ, or the balance of favour or gratitude in the giving of these gifts. These very questions, and more, have had a significant influence on the liturgy, particularly in the offertory, within Anglicanism.In Of Thine Own Have We Given Thee, Shawn O. Strout provides a comprehensive analysis of the offertory rites, including in his analysis other churches within the Anglican Communion, beyond the Church of England. Ordered historically, the book encompasses the sixteenth century through to current times, scrutinising the offertory and oblationary changes throughout their religious and historical contexts. Strout argues that the development of oblation in the offertory was neither arbitrary nor episodic but rather the result of sustained theological tension. Using liturgical theology¿s tools of historical, textual, and contextual analyses, the book examines why these developments occurred and their importance for the church today.

A complete resource for the theology, liturgy, and practice of the pastoral offices.This easy-to-use resource for clergy and lay liturgical leaders examines baptism, confirmation, marriage, reconciliation of the penitent, ministration to the sick, and burial, offering background and guidance for each liturgy. Each chapter begins with brief historical and theological contexts, followed by a discussion of pastoral and liturgical issues relevant to each rite. Because cultural considerations are often central to the pastoral offices, each chapter includes an overview of cultural practices surrounding each liturgy that may be unfamiliar to clergy.Taking into account theological and liturgical perspectives from a variety of denominations Shepherding Souls is designed to be useful in any church. This trusted resource provides the busy church leader with everything needed to prepare for and administer pastoral offices.