This book is a comparative study of two Church Communities, specifically the Anglican Communion and the Universal Catholic Church. It demonstrates what caused the Church in England to break away from the Catholic Church, and focuses on how English Law has influenced the Church of England since the sixteenth century, and how the Common Law system has molded its doctrine and ecclesiology. In its comparison, it follows the Churches’ histories from their inception up until the English Reformation. It highlights the differences between the two Church Communities from that time, and gives a detailed study of the two Church Communities’ understanding of law, authority and ecclesiology and how these influence the governing aspects of their respective communities. Concomitantly, it discusses the differences between the two main figures of each Community, the Pope and the Archbishop of Canterbury. This book will appeal to Anglicans, Catholics, historians, lawyers, theologians and Christians in general.

In many societies all over the world, an increasing polarization between contrasting groups can be observed. Polarization arises when a fear born of difference turns into ‘us-versus-them’ thinking and rules out any form of compromise. This volume addresses polarizations within societies as well as within churches, and asks the question: given these dynamics, what may be the calling of the church? The authors offer new approaches to polarizing debates on topics such as racism, social justice, sexuality and gender, euthanasia, and ecology and agriculture in various contexts. They engage in profound theological and ecclesiological reflection, in particular from the Reformed tradition. Contributors to this volume are: Najib George Awad, Henk van den Belt, Nadine Bowers Du Toit, Jaeseung Cha, David Daniels, David Fergusson, Jan Jorrit Hasselaar, Jozef Hehanussa, Allan Janssen, Klaas-Willem de Jong, Viktória Kóczián, Philipp Pattberg, Louise Prideaux, Emanuel Gerrit Singgih, Peter-Ben Smit, Thandi Soko-de Jong, Wim van Vlastuin, Jan Dirk Wassenaar, Elizabeth Welch, Annemarieke van der Woude, and Heleen Zorgdrager.

An invaluable contribution to the area of leadership studies, the Handbook of International and Cross-Cultural Leadership Research Processes: Perspectives, Practice, Instruction brings together renowned authors with diverse cultural, academic, and practitioner backgrounds to provide a comprehensive overview and analysis of all stages of the research process. The handbook centers around authors’ international research reflections and experiences, with chapters that reflect and analyze various research experiences in order to help readers learn about the integrity of each stage of the international leadership research process with examples and discussions. Part I introduces philosophical traditions of the leadership field and discusses how established leadership and followership theories and approaches sometimes fail to capture leadership realities of different cultures and societies. Part II focuses on methodological challenges and opportunities. Scholars share insights on their research practices in different stages of international and cross-cultural studies. Part III is forward-looking in preparing readers to respond to complex realities of the leadership field: teaching, learning, publishing, and applying international and cross-cultural leadership research standards with integrity. The unifying thread amongst all the chapters is a shared intent to build knowledge of diverse and evolving leadership practices and phenomena across cultures and societies. The handbook is an excellent resource for a broad audience including scholars across disciplines and fields, such as psychology, management, history, cognitive science, economics, anthropology, sociology, and medicine, as well as educators, consultants, and graduate and doctoral students who are interested in understanding authentic leadership practices outside of the traditional Western paradigm.

Students’ school motivation and engagement are key contributors to the quality of their academic learning and performance, as well as growth in other important areas of life (social, emotional, and physical health). Fostering motivation and engagement is thus a meaningful educational purpose, both in and of itself and as a pathway to holistic student development. However, motivation and engagement do not develop in a vacuum, and effort seeking to facilitate them cannot be effectively pursued without understanding their underpinning sociocultural influences. In the first edition of this volume, “Big Theories Revisited” (McInerney & Van Etten, 2004), authors of major models of school motivation and engagement were ‘challenged’ to look into their theoretical work through a sociocultural lens. The volume has been well received as objectively reflected in the number of citations of its chapters. Significant progress has since been made in the theorizing and research of ‘big theories’ of school motivation and engagement. In this volume, we invited a group of internationally-renowned scholars to re-examine their theoretical and conceptual work by highlighting the ‘what’ (factors) and ‘how’ (processes) of sociocultural influences in association with the key motivation and/or engagement construct(s) of their expertise. We made it clear to our contributors that we solicited new chapters rather than chapters with merely rehashed materials. As a result, this volume, “Big Theories Revisited 2” (Liem & McInerney, 2018) contains chapters that critically discuss sociocultural influences on school motivation and engagement constructs as viewed from focal theories including self-determination theory, achievement goal theory, personal investment theory, expectancy value theory, self-efficacy theory, self- and co-regulated learning models, and many others. Whereas some of the chapter topics covered in the initial edition are also part of this edition, some are new and provide fresh sociocultural angles on achievement-relevant processes and outcomes. Likewise, whereas some of the authors contributed to the earlier edition of the Volume, many of them are different. What appears to be the same across the two editions is the scholarly distinction of the authors and the substantive rigor of the chapters in advancing our current understanding of this field of enquiry. Readers will learn much from and be inspired by stimulating ideas presented in this volume.

This book investigates the contemporary relevance of the Belgic Confession. The book groups the 37 articles of the Belgic Confession together to cover the confession in 12 chapters (alongside an introductory chapter). The emphasis of the publication falls on two aspects: (1) providing a scope of contemporary theological, ethical and general issues and possible controversies regarding the content of the Belgic Confession, and (2) formulating ethical perspectives and guidelines from the Belgic Confession that may assist in the building of societies. Where applicable, chapters also discuss the history of the text of the Belgic Confession, the organic unity between the articles of the Belgic Confession, a dogma-historical perspective on the development of the doctrine/content of the Belgic Confession and the relationship between the Belgic Confession and other confessions.

The Lord Jesus Christ intended his kingdom present on earth, the Church of God, to be one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. Prior to the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century, history tells of the most egregious division in the Church between the Latin West and Byzantine East in AD 1054 and following. How can it be that Catholics and Orthodox share a thousand years of ecclesial life together in one faith, sacramental order, and hierarchical government, only to have that bond of communion broken? Historians and theologians throughout the years have spilled much ink in recounting the causes and effects of this dreadful and heart-wrenching division, and among the many debates that exist between Catholics and Orthodox, none are as vital to the task of reconciliation as the subject of the papacy. In The Papacy: Revisiting the Debate between Catholics and Orthodox, Erick Ybarra examines sources from the first millennium with a fresh look at how methodology and hermeneutics plays a role in the reading of the same texts. In addition, he conducts a detailed investigation into the most significant points of history in order to show what was clearly accepted by both East and West in their years of ecclesiastical unity. In light of this clear evidence, the reader of The Papacy is free to decide whether contemporary Catholicism or Eastern Orthodoxy has maintained the heritage of the first millennium on the understanding of the Papal office.

This book marks the centenary of the Church in Wales, following its disestablishment in 1920. Part I provides a historical overview: from the Age of the Saints to Victorian times; the disestablishment campaign; Christianity in Wales since 1920; and broad issues faced over the century. Part II explores the constitution, bishops and archbishops, clergy, and laity. Part III examines doctrine, liturgy, rites of passage, and relations with other faith communities. Part IV deals with the church and culture, education, the Welsh language, and social responsibility. Part V discusses the changing images of the Church and its future. Around themes of continuity and change, the book questions assumptions about the Church, including its distinctive theology and Welshness, ecumenical commitment, approach to innovation, and response to challenges posed by the State and wider world in an increasingly pluralist and secularised Welsh society over the century.

No other work on Galileo Galilei has brought together such a complete description of the historical context in its political, cultural, philosophical, religious, scientific, and personal aspects as this volume has done. In addition to covering the whole of Galileo's life, it focuses on those things that are most pertinent to the Galileo Affair, which culminated in his condemnation by the Inquisition in 1633. It also includes an extensive discussion of the relationship between religion and science in general, and of the relationship between Christianity and science in particular, without which a true understanding of the affair is much weakened. This discussion of the relationship of Christianity with science-a long, generally positive relationship-is most timely since the case of Galileo is, as many historians and Pope Benedict XVI have stated, the beginning of the alienation of the Church from much of the intellectual culture of our present age. The "warfare between science and religion" is an old myth that should finally be retired, but for many it is still axiomatic. This work shows the significance of astrology in the history of society and the Church (Galileo was a master astrologer), and the importance of the internal tensions and factions within the Roman Curia in the seventeenth century. It also tells of the profound battles among Church leadership over the direction of the Church in a time of uncertainty and intellectual and cultural ferment. The Galileo Affair is not just of its time and place, and it is not just about Galileo, but it touches upon that perennial issue of how the Church deals with issues of adaptation and change.