Theology and ecumenism
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How Would we Know what God is up to?This second volume in the series on "An Earthed Faith" will address the following question: "Given what we know about the Anthropocene, how does one even begin to answer the question: What is this God up to, and how ought humans respond?” This is a question of theological method, including the sources and interlocutors of Christian theology, its aims and starting points, social theories shaping it, and presuppositions grounding it. Addressing this question is the classic task of doing contextual theology, namely describing and analysing a particular context and considering how this context may best be addressed theologically and practically. The question highlights the need for prophetic theology to discern the “signs of the time”, to recognise a “moment of truth” (Kairos) and to discern counter-movements of the Spirit. The question of method opens the door to constructive critique of how theology has been done and should be done.
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Eco-Theology in Indonesian Islam: Ideas on Stewardship among Muhammadiyah MembersIn response to environmental degradation, Muslims worldwide have been developing Green Islam and Eco- Theology. This article focuses on Indonesia, particularly on Muhammadiyah members. The authors advocate an empirical approach, based on an analysis of the beliefs of Muslims rather than on the source texts of Islam. Terms frequently used by Muslims to refer to the relationship between humans and nature is “steward” and “stewardship”. By conducting interviews, the authors aim to get a deeper insight into how these terms are used in constructing Green Islam. Interviewees say on the one hand that “all creatures are the same”, on the other hand, that humans act “as stewards, as leaders” of nature. This ambiguity raises a dilemma for Eco-Theology in Indonesian Islam: between deep ecology and eco-modernity. The interviewees, however, also see a need to go beyond this dichotomy, by moderation and balancing, or the Middle Path. The Middle Path is a life orientation that promotes “harmony between humankind, the rest of nature and the Transcendent.” Menanggapi degradasi lingkungan, umat Islam di seluruh dunia telah mengembangkan Islamdan Eco-Theology. Artikel ini berfokus pada Indonesia, khususnya pada anggota Muhammadiyah. Para penulis menganjurkan pendekatan empiris, berdasarkan analisis keyakinan Muslim daripada pada teks sumber Islam. Istilah yang sering digunakan oleh umat Islam untuk merujuk pada hubungan antara manusia dan alam adalah “penatalayanan” dan “penatalayanan”. Dengan melakukan wawancara, penulis bertujuan untuk mendapatkan wawasan yang lebih dalam tentang bagaimana istilah-istilah ini digunakan dalam membangun Islam Hijau. Orang yang diwawancarai mengatakan di satu sisi bahwa “semua makhluk adalah sama”, di sisi lain bahwa manusia bertindak “sebagai pelayan, sebagai pemimpin” alam. Ambiguitas ini menimbulkan dilema bagi eko-teologi dalam Islam Indonesia: antara ekologi dalam dan eko-modernitas. Orang yang diwawancarai, bagaimanapun, juga melihat kebutuhan untuk melampaui thadalah dikotomiy, dengan moderasi dan keseimbangan, atau Jalan Tengah. Jalan Tengah adalah orientasi hidup yang mempromosikan “harmoni antara umat manusia, seluruh alam dan Transenden.”
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Spiritual aspects of meat and nutritional security: Perspectives and responsibilities of the Abrahamic faithsFor devotees of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, food that does not meet the standards of ‘spiritual quality’ in its production or preparation may be unsuitable for consumption. Regardless of its availability and affordability, this food may as well be absent from the marketplace. Thus a religious perspective should be included in the discourse on global food security. This article reviews the laws and customs of the Abrahamic faiths that relate to the production, distribution and eating of food, with emphasis on the central role of ‘meat security’ in ancient and modern societies. Permissions and prohibitions stipulated in the Torah, Bible and Quran are described, along with interpretations and research from current literature. On-going food security for kosher and halal consumers is at risk in some countries if legislation and regulations restrict traditional practices such as religious slaughter of meat animals.
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Defining Neo-Shamanic Practices Involving Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) from Shamans’ Perceptions on Transcendence and TransformationN,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT or N,N-DMT) is a chemical compound that has been used in entheogenic concoctions such as ayahuasca by Amazonian indigenous cultures for centuries. When Westerners started to come to the jungles in search of this ancestral medicine, some of them became shamans themselves and brought the medicine to other Westerners and into urban areas as well. This changed the way to see traditional shamanism into what can be called new shamanism. However, it is not clear what makes them two different ways of achieving transcendence and transformation. By analyzing published interviews of shamans and neo-shamans, it is possible to re-define new shamanistic practices as a new contemporary lifestyle with its unique features that can also be considered as a new religious movement.
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Laki-laki adalah pemimpin bagi perempuan (kajian tafsir tematik perspektif Mutawalli Al-Sya’rawi dalam Tafsir Al-Sya’rawi)This article discusses the meaning of the verse ar-Rijal Qawwamuna 'ala an-Nisa' bima fadhdhalallhu b'adhamuh 'ala ba'dh in surah an-Nisa' verse 34 according to the interpretation of al-Sya'rawi. This article also explains the dialectic of the scholars in understanding the meaning of the verse. This tafsir study includes a thematic interpretation model that discusses one maudhu 'in the al-Qur'an, namely the discussion about men as leaders for women. In this research, obtained through literature review and processed using descriptive-comparative methods. This study aims to provide understanding and reduce tension in the midst of debates that have not yet found a clear point regarding this verse
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Convertir des âmes et des castors : rivalités missionnaires et accusations commerciales en Nouvelle-France au XVIIe siècleCe mémoire explore les rivalités entre les missionnaires jésuites, récollets et sulpiciens en 
 Nouvelle-France au XVIIe
 siècle. Plus précisément, il porte sur le discours polémique à propos des 
 missionnaires, qu’il provienne de concurrents religieux ou de membres de l’administration 
 coloniale. Même si ces missionnaires participaient tous à un projet apostolique commun, les 
 sources nous révèlent que différents réseaux luttaient à cette époque pour que certains 
 missionnaires puissent jouir d’un monopole sur les âmes de la colonie, tandis que les autres étaient 
 relégués au second plan. Dans cette Église naissante, plusieurs désaccords sévissent entre ces trois 
 familles religieuses et permettent d’expliquer les tensions que l’on retrouve dans leurs écrits. Il 
 s’agit principalement de la francisation des Premières Nations et de la fondation de l’évêché de 
 Québec. En outre, les rivalités entre les Jésuites, les Récollets et les Sulpiciens dépassent largement 
 le cadre spirituel et débouchent régulièrement sur des questions de nature commerciale. Certains 
 missionnaires, les Jésuites en particulier, seront accusés tout au long du siècle par divers acteurs de 
 s’enrichir de différentes manières et notamment de se livrer au trafic des fourrures. Plutôt que de 
 s’intéresser à la véracité de ces attaques, ce mémoire propose de les analyser et de chercher à 
 comprendre leur origine ainsi que leur fonction. Ces accusations doivent également être mises en 
 relation avec les rivalités auxquelles les missionnaires devaient faire face dans leurs autres missions
 à la même époque.
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Samuel Hebich : der erste sendbote der Basler mission in Indien."Mit 8 bildern und 1 karte".
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Missionary Preparation and Care at Mercy Church, in Charlotte, North CarolinaThe purpose of this project is to establish a program for missionary preparation and care a Mercy Church. Chapter 1 describes the context, rationale, purpose, goals, research methodology definitions, and limitations/delimitations of the project. Chapter 2 presents a biblical foundation for the role of local churches in missionary sending. Chapter 3 explains Launch Global’s approach to missionary preparation through the local church. Chapter 4 shows the need for long-term missionary care and evaluates the missionary preparation and care surveys. Chapter 5 articulates the pastoral care plan to minister to the missionaries sent by Mercy Church and provides an evaluation of the overall project.
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Beyond Global Apartheid. Post-Colonial Thinking in Muslims revivalism in TanzaniaItem does not contain fulltext
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An appeal from India11 pages ; 15 cm
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The Importance of the Five Roles and the Movement Strengthening Strategist in Networks of Multiplying ChurchesThe five roles in Ephesians 4:11 are critically important in equipping the saints for the work of the ministry and to help new churches to continue to multiply and grow in healthy ways. Many practitioners in harvest fields in South and Southeast Asia affirm the five roles above and advocate for the role of a Movement Strengthening Strategist who focuses on training elders in emerging networks of new churches so that churches grow in a healthy manner and movements are sustained.
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Exploring entwined histories through Chinese material culture in Scottish museumsThe East Asia Collections in Scottish Museums review by National Museums Scotland has highlighted the impressive presence of Chinese material culture in Scotland. Largely accumulated from the late nineteenth century onwards, they partly reflect the rapid British imperialist expansion into China at the time, as well as the many other complex and nuanced manners with which China and Scotland interacted with each other. How can we begin understanding these objects and their contexts? What complex stories are they able to tell? Requiring no prior knowledge on Chinese material culture and history, this workshop invites any interested attendee to follow together one object’s journey from China to Scotland: ‘an Ancient Chinese land deed’ gifted to the University of Aberdeen museum collections. We will first explore some of the original cultural contexts and meanings which could be gleaned by using the 'deed’ as a source of data. This includes physical features, functions and broader themes such as the Qing imperial court and military conflicts. From that, we will explore the complex stories the ‘deed’ can represent. This includes the two original owners of the ‘deed’, who had lived through the tumultuous time of late Qing-dynasty China. We will also turn our attention to the later Scottish collectors of the ‘deed’, a family of missionaries from Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, who sojourned in China for 40 years. Through the Stephens, we will discuss some of the complexities behind the presence of missionaries in China; their roles and experiences while in the field, and how they contributed to the growth of Chinese material culture in Scotland. The ‘deed’, along with many other Chinese objects housed in the collections of Scottish museums, represent an exciting host of contexts, meanings and stories that could resonate with the diverse audiences that visit Scottish museums today. The workshop will conclude by questioning how we might transpose this knowledge into the museum space; and how Chinese material culture could be utilised in telling the nuanced and complex histories shared between China and Scotland.