In recent years there has been a groundswell of interest on how Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can best be harnessed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Catholic liturgy. Accordingly, the book discusses the future of worship at a time of digital explosion in the Christian Churches, as expended through the lenses of the Second Vatican Council's interdisciplinary document titled Inter Mirifica 13. While the nexus between ICT and Liturgy may seem obvious, the deep connections and the many possibilities for the 21st century e-worship are yet to be significantly explored. When not handled well, they will lead to cataclysmic destruction of liturgical heritage and patrimony. Nonetheless, exploring ICT for e-worship, the book advocates for adherence to guidelines in liturgical celebrations. Hence, the book discloses the meaning, theology, types, prospects, uses, and abuses in ICT for digital worship. This book will make a vital contribution not only to scholarship in liturgical studies in Africa but also as a catalyst towards a simplified consolidation, to the practice of Christian worship in the world today.

At a time dominated by the disappearance of Future, as claimed by the French anthropologist Marc Augé, Utopia and Religion seem to be two different ways of giving back an inner horizon to mankind. Therefore this book, on the one hand, considers the importance of utopia as a tool and how it offers an economic and social resource to improve cities’ wealth, future and livability. On the other, it explores the impact of religious and cultural ideals on cities that have recently emerged in this context. Based on numerous observations, the book examines the intellectual legacy of utopian theory and practices across various academic disciplines. It also presents discussions, theories, and case studies addressing a range of issues and topics related to utopia.

Today s pastors often expected to be multitasking marvels who can make their churches "successful" are understandably confused about their role. Craig Barnes contends that the true calling of a pastor is to assist others in becoming fully alive in Christ to be a "minor poet." The pastor absorbs the wisdom of major poets the biblical poets as well as the church s theological poets and distills its essence for parishioners. / The Pastor as Minor Poet calls pastors to continually search for a deeper, truer understanding of what they see both in the text of Scripture and in the text of their parishioners' lives. Discerning the subtexts beneath these texts reveals the core truths that allow pastors to preach the heart of the Word and to understand the hearts of the people to whom they minister. Written with a seasoned pastor s depth of understanding and a poet's sensibility and sensitivity, this book will minister to and inspire pastors everywhere.

A historical study of Chile's twin experiments with cybernetics and socialism, and what they tell us about the relationship of technology and politics. In Cybernetic Revolutionaries, Eden Medina tells the history of two intersecting utopian visions, one political and one technological. The first was Chile's experiment with peaceful socialist change under Salvador Allende; the second was the simultaneous attempt to build a computer system that would manage Chile's economy. Neither vision was fully realized—Allende's government ended with a violent military coup; the system, known as Project Cybersyn, was never completely implemented—but they hold lessons for today about the relationship between technology and politics. Drawing on extensive archival material and interviews, Medina examines the cybernetic system envisioned by the Chilean government—which was to feature holistic system design, decentralized management, human-computer interaction, a national telex network, near real-time control of the growing industrial sector, and modeling the behavior of dynamic systems. She also describes, and documents with photographs, the network's Star Trek-like operations room, which featured swivel chairs with armrest control panels, a wall of screens displaying data, and flashing red lights to indicate economic emergencies. Studying project Cybersyn today helps us understand not only the technological ambitions of a government in the midst of political change but also the limitations of the Chilean revolution. This history further shows how human attempts to combine the political and the technological with the goal of creating a more just society can open new technological, intellectual, and political possibilities. Technologies, Medina writes, are historical texts; when we read them we are reading history.

Women are now actively engaged in the work of theology and their insights are re-shaping the Christian theological tradition. In Her Name: Women Doing Theology presents an overview of the theological contributions of women around the world with special attention to those of African women. Beginning with a discussion of the origins and development of feminist theology and its interpretations in Africa and other continents, the book then engages with the key themes of Christian theology: woman as person, God, Christology, biblical hermeneutics, church and ministry, ethical issues, ecofeminism. Mariology and holiness, spirituality, and eschatology and hope. Each chapter contains reflection questions and suggestions for further reading to assist in small group and class discussion.