Formation is a rite of passage or initiation ritual. This book draws on the findings of social anthropological studies of initiation tiruals and contemporary biblical studies of rites of passage. Since initiation rituals are of critical importance in the life journeys of individuals and groups, the book's central theme is relevant to educationalists and ritual leaders in the Church and secular society. Most religious congregations founded since the thirteenth century were formed for prophetic ministry to a world in change, yet for centuries before Vatican II, their candidates were rarely trained explicitly for this task. Through years of quasi-indoctrination and voluntary incarceration they were taught, in a monastic atmosphere of unchanging order, that the world was evil and to be avoided. Conformity to a theological, ecclesiastical and pastoral status quo was the most esteemed value in a candidate. This emphasis was contrary to the very nature of active religious life. Religious must be prophetic challengers of the status quo within the Church and society. Training for membership in active religious congregations, therefore, must now be radically reformed, but there are no road maps available to direct educationalists in developing programmes that would stimulate candidates to be radically creative in ministry. From Chaos to Mission creates a framework for radical thinking and practical action about the critical ussue of formation of religious for mission today.

From Chaos To Mission

Religion & Spirituality

Arbuckle, Gerald A.

Christian Books & Bibles

Continuum International Publishing

Stresses the fact that refounding persons are essential for the revitalization of religious life.

Out of Chaos: Refounding Religious Congregations

Paulist Pr

Gerald A. Arbuckle creates a framework for radical thinking about the critical issue of formation of religious for mission today and shows that all formation for ministry must flow from union with the mission of Christ.

From Chaos to Mission: Refounding Religious Life Formation

Liturgical Pr

Never before have healthcare institutions faced a more chaotic and threatening environment. Rising costs, aging populations, and a lack of medical insurance have forced healthcare in the Western world to undergo a tumultuous change. The Christian healthcare ministry has added problems. With increasingly complex medical-ethical challenges and the continuing struggle to maintain financial viability while insisting on a preferential option for the poor, there is an urgent need for Christian healthcare to refound itself. It must continually re-invent radically new ways to bring Christ's healing gifts to people in need. In Healthcare Ministry, Gerald Arbuckle examines this refounding and offers examples of how it can be done in creative ways.

Healthcare Ministry: Refounding the Mission in Tumultuous Times

History

World

Religious Life: Rebirth Through Conversion

Alba House

Change, Grief & Renewal in the Church: A Spirituality for a New Era

Thomas More Pr

Earthing the Gospel: An Inculturation Handbook for Pastoral Workers

Orbis Books

Refounding the Church: Dissent for Leadership

Christians are much the richer for this accomplishment of a long-cherished dream by an experienced missioner-social anthropologist. Gerald Arbuckle has provided a book for the contemporary pastoral care team that mediates basic insights on ministry via the social sciences. He also challenges church workers to rethink and reassess their work in light of the profound cultural changes taking place around them. 'Earthing the Gospel' introduces pastoral workers in the First World to methods of social analysis pioneered by missionaries worldwide. It includes case histories, personal stories, and the results of fieldwork of hundreds of people in both the First and Third Worlds. Applying the insights of social anthropology to the parishes on the home front" Arbuckle offers the tools required to address issues of mission and inculturation in the First World. Above all, 'Earthing the Gospel' is practical. It presumes no special knowledge of anthropology as it zeroes in on topical issues - racism, fundamentalism, the modern family, youth and senior citizen subcultures - affecting parishes and communities today. Each chapter ends with questions for reflection and action. For pastoral teams and workers on every level, the insights gained from mission around the world can, applying the methods described here, be just as fruitful in our own back yards.

Earthing the Gospel: An Inculturation Handbook for the Pastoral Worker

Wipf and Stock

"Among the many books on clergy sex abuse this work of the anthropologist and theologian Gerald Arbuckle is without doubt the most helpful. . . . A book that must be meditated upon by the Vatican officers and all the bishops." -- Peter Phan, Georgetown University Here is a timely book on the sex abuse crisis by a scholar who is adept at weaving insights from the social sciences into a framework of practical theology. Written for readers deeply concerned for the future of the church, this book addresses two questions: Why does the culture of the Catholic Church, despite Vatican II's emphasis on collegiality and transparency, still cover up abuses of power? How can this culture change in order to end abuse and heal the wounds it inflicts on the Body of Christ?

Abuse and Cover-Up: Refounding the Catholic Church in Trauma

Orbis

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Books by Arbuckle, Gerald A.