Organizations and Institutions Books

Just about anything you ever wanted to know about Catholicism in the American experience. Very scholarly. Articles include a history of the Church in every state, major figures that impacted the Church and American society. Copies of letters and speeches from notables such as President Kennedy. Statements from the American bishops on war, poverty, and justice. I even found the article on the Church and slavery to be eye opening. Lists of population figures and brief summaries of Catholic institutions of higher learning. Some of the articles deal with all of the "Americas" which puts the US Church in perspective with the rest of the American hemisphere.

If you're looking for different organizations in your area, look no further than the Encyclopedia of Associations. I was on a mission to find listings of non-profits in the Chicago area and I couldn't find anyone with a comprehensive list until I found this book at Amazon.com. The book is broken down by state and then by city so it is very easy to find what you are looking for. And as an additional bonus, the local chapter of national organizations like the American Heart Assoc. and American Lung Assoc. were also listed. A definite must have!

I have bought at least 3 consecutive editions via Amazon.

Kimberly does an excellent job as always.

It's too bad the "new" price is several hundred $$, making it mainly within the financial realm of libraries only.

Even if it is an edition or 2 behind, the data is still of value.

General Sir John Hackett once remarked that, "There is no such thing as the British Army, only a confederation of regiments, hopefully fighting on the same side, all preserving their individuality by being as different from one another as possible." Well, anyone watching the British scene has noticed the Household Cavalry, the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, and others, in their colorful and distinctive dress uniforms. This book is a look at the modern British regiments and corps, giving a quick history of each unit, its insignia, battle honours, anniversaries, customs, mascots (wait until you see the regimental goat of the Royal Welsh Regiment, decked out in its regalia!), dress destinctions, marches, and family tree (just about all of the modern regiments are amalgamations of earlier regiments).

Does that sound like a lot? Well, it is! This is a fun and interesting book, filled with brightly colored pictures, and lots of information. I highly enjoyed this book, and think that you will as well. I highly recommend this book.

This book handles some very delicate situations with appropriate services and prayers that are of comfort for those suffering from terminal illnesses or loss of loved ones. It offers a nice selection for clergy to use and assists in providing guidelines to follow. This would be a excellent addition to any library.

It is an oft-quoted joke that if you ask an Anglican to pray, the Anglican will first reach for a book. Reality is, as it often is, twice as true and half as funny, but for a particular reason. The Anglican liturgical style is very rooted in tradition, and while innovation is acceptable, it must be done in full recognition and appreciation of the past. The primary book used during worship services is the Book of Common Prayer, a book that has remained the centre of Anglican worship in various formats since the 1600s. Each national church has the option of modifying the Book of Common Prayer (BCP) for itself; as the various national churches strive to develop liturgies that their communities respond to fully, they develop trial liturgies and disseminate those in various ways. One typical way for the Episcopal church (the official branch of the Anglicans in America) is to publish supplemental liturgical books that may be used along side (almost never instead of) the Book of Common Prayer.

'Enriching Our Worship' is one of the latest of such books, deriving from the deliberations of the more recent General Conventions and the liturgies approved for consideration. One of the primary purposes of this book is inclusive and expansive language, incorporating the broader considerations of language highlighted by liberation theologians (among others) that traditional language tends to lean too exclusively toward patriarchal models of God and community. The language of many worship services, while of undeniable beauty and majesty, still feels more like an historical reenactment at times than a true worshipful experience for many people. The language of the eighteenth and nineteenth century still dominates, even in the 1979 American version of the Book of Common Prayer.

As the introduction states, this is simply another step in a continuing journey of the liturgical development in the life of the church. Some changes are rather minor -- for example, the 1979 BCP still has the simple substitution, derived from 1789, replacing the monarch of Britain with the President in the prayer formulations when praying for the leadership of the nation; this does not reflect the true separation-of-powers method of American governance, so Enriching Our Worship addresses this. At other places, the language shift is much more dramatic (hence, more controversial). avoiding masculine references to God, even in the traditional Father-Son-and-Holy-Spirit formulations.

The text includes revised versions of Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer, an Order for Evening Worship (a variant of Compline), a Great Litany, a Holy Eucharist service (with three Eucharistic prayers), fraction anthems, blessings, and other prayers. This text also recognises the importance of music in worship, and adds as the final pages the musical notations for opening acclamations, prefaces, concluding doxologies, and fraction anthems.

There are notes about historical, social and theological considerations for many of the changes made, but these are cursory compared the volumes of text written regarding liturgical development in the church. This is a text meant to be used. However, it is also a text meant to be critiqued, and the church invites commentary back in various forms from those use it.

For Episcopalians and others attracted to liturgical forms of worship, this is a good text to have to show some of the modern ideas as they intersect traditional patterns of worship.

Mrs. Sanders has written a wonderful cookbook about the many meals she serves as the wife of President Sanders at the College of Charleston. Her insights and quick, creative recipes make entertaining the South Carolina way much more fun. The book, which was printed to fund College of Charleston scholarships, is a must have for any serious entertainer. I reccommend it for those interested in Charleston style and for any parent, student, alumni, or friend of the College of Charleston. It's a great way to get entertaining tips as well as help fund higher education.

Catholisism in Latin American Countries, i.e. Mexico, has a very powerfull influence, and coming about this sort of Books is difficult and most gratifying, intellectualy wise. I was trully amazed by this book. The author is well documented and always objective,never letting emotional or subjetive elements influence his writing. I wonder why this kind of books are allways out of print? Could it be beacause the Church is in search ef them all? Beacause they enclose thruths it doesn't want people to learn?

Ethics and Spiritual Care is a collaboration between well-known ethicist Karen Lebacqz (author of Sex in the Parish) and Joseph Driskill, a professor of spirituality. The authors explore many ethical dimensions of ministry as spiritual leadership.

The book begins by examining two fundamental questions: What is authentic spirituality? And, is the "professional model" adequate for examining ministry?

They then move on to pastoral care, pastoral counseling, and spiritual direction--the differences between them and the ethical issues involved with providing spiritual guidance.

Although the entire book is very good, I think it really shines in chapter four. Here they explore several ethical quandaries: when to tell people "this is not the right church for you," dealing with noncongregants who come for assistance, dealing with spiritual practices from other religions and traditions, and dealing with the fine line between spiritual gifts and mental illness.

Chapter four also introduces the concept of "spiritual neglect" and examine several issues where pastors too often neglect to lead: family violence, spiritual growth, feminist spirituality, stewardship, and social justice.

The next chapter focuses on specialized and workplace ministries (for example, campus ministers, and hospital & military chaplains). These ministers' ability to structurally impact their institutions (if they do not merely become agents of the institutions leadership) is highlighted. The authors also point out that these ministers are not always given the recognition they deserve as "real" ministers.

The connection between spirituality and workplace is also explored. Ministers may be so wrapped-up in the culture of overwork and so accepting of their own long hours that they preach the virtue of "hard work" to people who are already overworked. On the subject of workplace spirituality, the authors caution, "If spiritual practices are used to help people endure situations that should be transformed, the spritual practice is simply a coping technique in the service of harmony or productivity."

The final subject of the book is spiritual abuse. Other authors' discussions about the spiritual abuse of parishioners are examined. Lebacqz and Driskill then provide their own "composite picture" and analysis. The spiritual abuse of clergy is also examined.

Ethics and Spiritual Care does not provide hard-and-fast rules of "do this" and "don't do that," though it does provide some guidelines. Its real strength is the depth with which it explores a wide-range of ethical issues in ministry.

The book is well-written and easy to follow. It is not some dense theological treatise where you have to wonder what the authors are trying to say.

In summary, I agree with the opinion of Richard Gula printed on the back cover--this book "should be required reading in ministry training and continuing education programs." I doubt any religious leader will be sorry they got this book.

This work shows what the Church's position is on life. I definately recommend this book for everyone.