This introduction to Christianity is designed for use as a basic text to help provide structure, background, and perspective for a first year college course in theology or religious studies. It strives to be ecumenical in approach, though not without some impact from the author's being a Roman Catholic. The text is organized around the categories of scripture, tradition, sacraments, and Christian life. Christian theology, presented both affirmatively and critically, stands at the center of an interdisciplinary approach that draws upon philosophical, historical, and social scientific perspectives. The author pays serious attention to the inclusion of various peoples and points of view. Religious pluralism, globalization, engagement with the modern world, reason and faith, iconoclasm and sacramentality, and spirituality and religion are among the contemporary themes that run throughout the text. Each chapter provides questions for discussion, a glossary of key terms, and a list of recommended primary sources and background texts. As an introduction, the text chooses not to be fully comprehensive, but rather to be intelligently selective as it lays the groundwork for student participation in class. The text provides materials for fostering conversations that bridge the current gap between objective academic approaches and approaches that engage the students personally. +

After he starts telling lies, eleven-year-old Patrick loses the trust of everyone around him and finds that no one will believe him about a serious accident at school.

Abstract: Sound money management, starting with proper bookkeeping, can make the difference between success or failure of any business by preventing profit drains. Correct procedures will allow implementation of a set of controls for efficient business operation. Guidelines are presented for understanding accounting and record-keeping principles, what records to keep and how long to keep them, and how to minimize tax liabilities. Proper use of a checking account, budgets, capital, and cash flow also leads to a useful information system for future planning. Accurate knowledge of the dynamics of a business can maximize profits through careful cost controls and realistic, competitive pricing.

"In this new study Dennis Doyle notes that scholars as diverse as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and Edward Schillebeeckx have been quoted as saying that "communion ecclesiology" is the most basic way to characterize the nature of the church. Yet the term has often been caught up in the divide between left and right in a polarized church. Doyle shows that the notion of communion among God's people and between them and the triune God is a doctrine that allows for both solid, this-worldly community and a fundamental sense that the Church is essentially rooted in and convoked by God."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Church, and religion more broadly, exist within the context of our life stories. That's why this readable and engaging introduction to Catholicism deftly combines personal narrative with rich theology and current scholarship. Dennis Doyle's The Catholic Church in a Changing World: A Vatican II Inspired Approach invites readers to consider their own beliefs while studying the contemporary teachings of the Catholic Church. Organized around two central documents of Vatican II, Lumen gentium and Gaudium et spes, the text presents contemporary theological and ecclesiological ideas with nuance, clarity, and fairness, especially regarding issues that might be polarizing. With short chapters, sidebars, recommendations for further reading, and an ecumenical and inclusive voice, The Catholic Church in a Changing World updates a proven and popular text to meet the needs of the modern classroom.