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This book examines the quest for the fundamentals of Christian belief. The attempt to state what is important and distinguish this from what is of lesser importance for faith has been long-standing and controversial. What is often forgotten is that what we believe is deeply connected to how we believe and the company we keep. The need for a more integrated approach to belief and practice is critical especially in our present day when there is so much conflict and misunderstanding about Christian belief and the practices of the community of faith. This book offers an ecclesial reading of the inner logic of Christian faith, bringing church and theology into a closer and more integrated relationship and thus highlighting the ecclesiological significance of Christian faith. Stephen Pickard outlines the history, motivations and purposes of the quest for the fundamentals of belief; the structure of Christian belief (foundations, short formulae of faith, longer narrative discourse); the Trinitarian pattern of belief; the relationship between the Church and its beliefs; the way in which primary beliefs are translated into liturgy, prayer, sacrament and acts of compassion; the unfinished and dynamic nature of Christian belief. Offering a new approach to the fundamentals of Christian belief, and the connection between believing and belonging, this book presents rich insights into the engine room of theology as a continuous and innovative form of Christian discipleship.
List of contents
Contents:
About the author
Rt. Rev'd Dr. Stephen Pickard, Visiting Professorial Fellow, Ripon College Cuddesdon; Director, Oxford Centre for Ecclesiology and Practical Theology.
Summary
This book examines the quest for the fundamentals of Christian belief. The attempt to state what is important and distinguish this from what is of lesser importance for faith has been long-standing and controversial. What is often forgotten is that what we believe is deeply connected to how we believe and the company we keep. The need for a more integrated approach to belief and practice is critical especially in our present day when there is so much conflict and misunderstanding about Christian belief and the practices of the community of faith. This book offers an ecclesial reading of the inner logic of Christian faith, bringing church and theology into a closer and more integrated relationship and thus highlighting the ecclesiological significance of Christian faith. Stephen Pickard outlines the history, motivations and purposes of the quest for the fundamentals of belief; the structure of Christian belief (foundations, short formulae of faith, longer narrative discourse); the Trinitarian pattern of belief; the relationship between the Church and its beliefs; the way in which primary beliefs are translated into liturgy, prayer, sacrament and acts of compassion; the unfinished and dynamic nature of Christian belief. Offering a new approach to the fundamentals of Christian belief, and the connection between believing and belonging, this book presents rich insights into the engine room of theology as a continuous and innovative form of Christian discipleship.
