Christian Ritualizing and the Baptismal Process: Liturgical Explorations Toward a Realized Baptismal Ecclesiology (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781608997411)

Most people, even non-Christians, know that Christians gather for worship once a week, and that they are right there to support each other when there is a baptism or a wedding or a funeral. But what about other poignant, vulnerable, or life-changing times? How does the church help people handle changes that in the past, in Christendom, were considered "secular"? Does the church have a role at retirement when one's ministry changes, or when a family's children leave home and familiar patterns seem to grind to a halt? Is there any rite possible for someone who is called to Christian ministry but not to ordination? Or to someone whose vows are broken in divorce? Christian Ritualizing and the Baptismal Process asserts that baptism marks the beginning of a process of participation in Christ's ministry, so that no part of life can finally be considered secular. Susan Marie Smith shows how every passage, healing, and ministry vocation is "holy," and she lays the groundwork needed for every church to create the rituals necessary to lament and celebrate the endings and beginnings that happen in every Christian life.

Author: Susan Marie Smith
ISBN-10: 1608997413
ISBN-13: 9781608997411
Publisher: Pickwick Publications
Language: English
Published: 11/15/2011
Pages: 286
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 8.90h x 5.90w x 0.70d