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Mark Pierson is a strikingly original thinker and practitioner whose influence on alternative worship and emerging church forms has spread worldwide. Whatever our church tradition – liturgical, evangelical, charismatic or alternative, Mark’s challenge is clear: tired patterns of worship do not engage with people beyond the regular congregation (and sometimes not even with them). The last place that many genuine spiritual seekers would try is church. He shows a way of thinking about and practicing worship where real connection with God can happen. The idea of ‘curating’ rather than leading worship invites a potentially huge mind shift about worship practice. Leading worship is not about staying in control of content or delivery, but about exploring creatively the riches of our traditions, the arts, our buildings, music and language to offer worship that better reflects the glory of God. This inspiring, practical book raises the bar in terms of what we expect from worship and then gives us the courage, vision and resources to bring it about.
Mark is one of the most daring figures of the early church, but at the same time he is not easily labeled. He is the first to assemble the oral traditions about Jesus, thereby showing his fidelity and devotion to the past. But he is equally forceful in challenging his own church's accumulated traditions, especially those he does not see as authentically representative of the events of Jesus's life and ministry. He respectfully documents the authority of church leaders, and still feels free to challenge them. At times, it is difficult to know what to make of Mark. One point is clear: no Christian of any time can read this gospel without being challenged by it.
Black British Gospel Music is a dynamic and multifaceted musical practice, a diasporic river rooted in the experiences of Black British Christian communities. This book examines gospel music in Britain in both historical and contemporary perspectives, demonstrating the importance of this this vital genre to scholars across disciplines. Drawing on a plurality of voices, the book examines the diverse streams that contribute to and flow out of this significant genre. Gospel can be heard resonating within a diverse array of Christian worship spaces; as a form of community music-making in school halls; and as a foundation for ‘secular’ British popular music, including R&B, hip hop and grime.
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Religion today is in competition with the leisure and entertainment industries. Gen Y, the postmodern generation, is open to spirituality; but most of todays young adults have not been born into faith communities where they feel any lasting allegiance. Studies suggest that for the young, belief in God is an optional matter, a virtual consumer choice. As a result, different trends in worship and worship styles are offered by different churches to suit lifestyles, attitudes, and personal taste.
Against many expectations, religion has not vanished from Western culture. People are troubled and fascinated in equal measure by this new visibility and are unsure whether it is right to (re)incorporate the vocabulary of faith into our common life. This unprecedented co-existence of religion and secularism is sometimes termed the “postsecular,” and in this book Elaine Graham considers some of its implications for the public witness of Christianity. She argues that everyone, from church leaders, theologians, local activists, and campaigners, needs to learn again how to “speak Christian” in these contexts. They need to articulate credible theological justifications for their involveme...
The main aim of this work is to understand Jesus as he saw himself, and to compare that self-understanding with the ways in which others have grasped the nature of his mission.