Ordination

A Country Shattered by War -- For generations, warlords fought bitterly for dominance in a land without a king, leaving a fractured, war-torn country plagued by thieves, slavers, and the servants of dark gods and darker magic... A Fallen Knight -- Allystaire Coldbourne, former castellan of Wind's Jaw Keep, walks away from his privileged position and into self-imposed exile amidst the ruins he's spent a lifetime creating. In the smoking remains of a destitute village, he finds an improbable survivor, a young girl named Mol. Reluctantly, he pursues the marauders who leveled Mol's village and sold the villagers into slavery. He follows their trail to a town of pirates and fugitives and exacts a bitter and violent justice. This sudden act of bravery and righteousness draws the attention of jealous and angry gods, embittered warlords, a downtrodden populace, and awakens a very ancient power, a long-absent goddess of mercy. A Legendary Journey -- Allystaire travels a treacherous path toward his Ordination as a holy knight of legend, a Paladin, a savior of the people. But to fulfill this role, he -- and the unexpected allies he finds along the way -- must face the demonic, sorcerous evil that stalks the land, the wrath of gods and men, and his own dark past.

Thai Buddhist monks wrap orange clerical robes around trees to protect forests. "Ordaining" a tree is a provocative ritual that has become the symbol of a small but influential monastic movement aimed at reversing environmental degradation and the unsustainable economic development and consumerism that fuel it. This book examines the evolution of this movement from the late 1980s to the present, exploring the tree ordination and other rituals used to resist destructive national projects. Susan M. Darlington explores monks' motivations, showing how they interpret their lived religion as the basis of their actions, and provides an in-depth portrait of activist monk Phrakhru Pitak Nanthakhun. The obstacles monks face, including damage to their reputations, arrest, and even assassination, reveal the difficulty of enacting social justice. Even the tree ordination itself must now withstand its appropriation for state projects. Despite this, monks have gone from individual action to a loosely allied movement that now works with nongovernmental organizations. This is a fascinating, firsthand account of engaged Buddhism.

Women and Ordination: Biblical and Historical Studies is a careful review of both ministry and ordination in Scripture and in the history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. This book explores what it means to be "called" to the ministry and how ordination, as we know it, came to be practiced. The book stands as the culmination of an extensive conversation. It is poised to begin the next conversation on ordination and women in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. --back cover.

"A Pueblo book."Includes index. Includes bibliographical references and index. Table of Contents: Historical and typological background -- Ministry in the earliest Christian communities -- Ministry and ordination in the third and fourth centuries -- Early ordination rites -- Ordination rites in the churches of the East -- Ordination rites in the medieval West -- The theology of ordination in the Middle Ages -- Orders and ministry in the churches of the Reformation -- The Roman Catholic Church from the Council of Trent to the present -- Other modern ordination rites.

Contributing Authors: Fr. John Behr Dr Spyridoula Athanasopoulou-Kypriou Dr. Dionysios Skliris Fr. Andrew Louth Dr Mary Cunningham Met Kallistos Ware Rev Dr Sarah Hinlicky Wilson Dr Kyriaki Karidoyanes FitzGerald Dr Carrie Frederick Frost Dr Paul Ladouceur Luis Josue Sales This book--a collaborative, international initiative, involving academic theologians and practitioners--invites the reader into a conversation about the ordination of women in the Orthodox Church. It explores questions relating to the significance of being human, Eve's curse, sexed bodies, the place of Mary, the nature of priesthood, the role of the deacon, and the task of being a priest in the twenty-first century. The reflections move across three main areas of discussion: issues of theological anthropology, particular questions pertaining to the priesthood and the diaconate, and contemporary practices. In each area the implications for ordaining women in the Orthodox Church today are explored.

Finding something of true value that evokes our faith and commitment is rare indeed, especially in a time when positive myths are in danger of disappearing. Those in the West today seeking ordination as Buddhists are still convinced of the need to commit to the search for spiritual awakening. Looking at themes such as altruism, purity, loyalty, and courage, and drawing on the examples of the Triratna Buddhist Order, Ordination offers some of the mystery and challenge, confusion and joy the quest can entail.

The Roman Catholic leadership still refuses to ordain women officially or even to recognize that women are capable of ordination. But is the widely held assumption that women have always been excluded from such roles historically accurate? How might the current debate change if our view of the history of women's ordination were to change? In The Hidden History of Women's Ordination, Gary Macy argues that for the first twelve hundred years of Christianity, women were in fact ordained into various roles in the church. He uncovers references to the ordination of women in papal, episcopal and theological documents of the time, and the rites for these ordinations have survived. The insistence among scholars that women were not ordained, Macy shows, is based on a later definition of ordination, one that would have been unknown in the early Middle Ages.

A comprehensive, quick reference for all Episcopalians, both lay and ordained. This thoroughly researched, highly readable resource contains more than 3,000 clearly entries about the history, structure, liturgy, and theology of the Episcopal Church—and the larger Christian church worldwide. The editors have also provided a helpful bibliography of key reference works and additional background materials. “This tool belongs on the shelf of just about anyone who cares for, works in or with, or even wonders about the Episcopal Church.”—The Episcopal New Yorker