History of the Christian church.

Mode of access: Internet.

A Select library of the Nicene and post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian church : [second series] /

Includes indexes.

Origines ecclesiasticae, or, The antiquities of the Christian church : and other works of the Rev. Joseph Bingham ; with many additional annotations and several original sermons : the whole revised and edited, together with a biographical account of the author

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

The role of a Christian church in the career development of its congregants

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of a Christian church in the career development of its congregants. Contemporary theorists in the 21st century view career development as the totality of an individual's life, and the literature revealed that 85% of Americans claim the practice of Christianity as a major life role. Therefore, an understanding of the church's role in the lives of its congregants is essential when conceptualizing career development theories. Traditional and contemporary theories formed the framework for this examination, which was guided by four research questions: How do congregants of a local church view its contribution to their career development; how do church leaders characterize the potential of the church for making a contribution to the career development of congregants; how useful are church sermon concepts to the career development of congregants; how do church programs and activities contribute to the career development of congregants? A Christian church in South Florida was the study's site, as it was identified as a church which focused on career development. Basic interpretive qualitative inquiry was used to collect and analyze three data sources: interviews, sermon recordings, and church documents. Twenty-four participants were interviewed using two interview guides to elicit perspectives of 15 congregants and 9 church leaders. The interviews and 13 sermon recordings were transcribed and analyzed. Church documents were categorized and analyzed for evidence of career development programs and activities. The findings revealed that the church played the following role in the participants' life career development: empowerment, guidance for life, learning and development, safety and support, and servant-leadership. As a result of their church participation, and through the learning and development from programs and activities, participants developed an awareness of their identity, purpose, and meaning for their lives. These constructs supported their interactions within the environments of home, work, school, and community. This holistic perspective revealed that an integration of traditional and contemporary career development theories was necessary to conceptualize the role of this Christian church in the career development of its congregants.

The Christians and the great commission. A brief history of the home and foreign missionary work of the Christian church, with biographical sketches of foreign missionaries

Mode of access: Internet.

Obispos y gladiadores: El recurso a los profesionales del anfiteatro en disputas por la elección episcopal.

[spa]La costumbre de enrolar a combatientes del anfiteatro (arenarii) como guardia personal en el marco de luchas faccionales sobrevivió durante el siglo IV. Incluso si en la mayor parte de casos este fenómeno se explica por razones políticas, conocemos dos ejemplos en los que los candidatos a obispo recurrieron a gladiadores para triunfar sobre sus oponentes. El primer ejemplo está relacionado con la elección de Silvano (en el 305 o en el 307/308), quien llegó a hacerse elegir obispo de Cirta (actual Constantine)gracias a la ayuda del arenarius Muto. Esta ayuda quedó bien demostrada por el testimonio de diversas personas durante el proceso seguido contra Silvano en el 320, en el que se reconoció su culpabilidad y se le condenó al exilio. El segundo ejemplo es el del papa Dámaso (366), elegido obispo de Roma en la iglesia de Lucina el mismo día en el que el diácono Ursino era escogido en la basílica de Julio. En el conflicto siguiente, Dámaso convocó a arenarii, quadrigari y fossores, quienes acudieron en su ayuda fuertemente armados. Éstos atacaron la basílica en la que se habían refugiado los partidarios de Ursino y el resultado del asalto fue de 137 muertos. [eng]The habit of engaging fighters of the amphitheatre (arenarii) as a personal guard in the factional struggles survived during the 4th century. Although in most cases it was about political causes, we know two examples where the candidates to be bishops turned to gladiators in order to overcome their opponents. The first example is that of election of Silvanus (305 or 307-308), who got the bishopric of Cirta (the modern Constantine) thanks to the help of the arenarius Mutus. This help was proved by the testimony of several witnesses during the trial which was followed against Silvanus in 320, where his guilt was admitted and he was condemned to the exile. The second exemple is that of the the Pope Damasus (366), elected bishop of Rome in the church of Lucina in the same day as the deacon Ursinus was elected in the basilica of Julius. In the conflict that was to follow, Damasus called arenarii, quadrigarii and fossores who came to help him heavily armed. They attacked the basilica where the supporters of Ursinus had taken refuge and as a result of the assault 137 people died.

Structuration and branding of a religious tourism product: Catalonia sacra

This article aims to provide an overview of the products Catalonia has to offer in terms of religious tourism. The growing interest in this kind of tourism worldwide, and in Catalonia itself, along with the region's wealth of religious heritage (particularly connected to the Christian Church) contrast with the lack of religion-based tourism products available, which results in its absence from the region's image as a tourism destination. In view of this, the Faculty of Tourism (University of Girona), the Vic Bishopric's Albergueria-Centre for Cultural Dissemination and the Tarraconense Episcopal Conference's Interdiocese Secretariat for the Custody and Promotion of Holy Art (SICPAS) decided to address the situation with the help of funding from the Autonomous Government of Catalonia. In order to re-position Christian religious heritage in the image of Catalonia as a tourist destination, the aforementioned parties embarked upon a project to set up a series of routes throughout the region, branded under the name Catalonia Sacra

Transforming curriculum leadership: vice principals in independent Christian elementary schools /

The literature on the vice principalship characterizes the position as one filled with clerical record keeping and student discipline and paints a picture of role conflict and general discontent. Research suggests that vice principals desire to take on a more significant role, specifically a role in curriculum leadership. Using open-ended interviews, a focus group interview, document analysis, and my research journal, I have explored the work ofa group of vice principals who have taken on the role of curriculum leader in independent Christian elementary schools in Ontario. When asked to explain their understanding of curriculum, the participants referred to written programs of study. However, their leadership activities reveal a broader understanding of curriculum as something that is in fact dynamic in nature. This leadership is enabled and shaped by their middle position on staff that combines the authority of an administrator and the credibility of a teacher. Although this dual identity creates tension, it also provides opportunities for genuine curriculum leadership. As middle leaders, the participants in this study often pull together or connect elements of the curriculum (teachers, principals, and programs) that have become separated. Such connective leadership is characterized by transformational (Van Brummelen, 2002) tendencies. This research suggests that the further along the continuum one goes from the understanding of curriculum as planned (Eisner, 1994) to acknowledging a lived curriculum (Aoki, 1993), the more transformational one's leadership style becomes.

Dr. Vernon Stauffer [left] on the California Christian College campus, Los Angeles, California, 1921

Dr. Vernon Stauffer [left], Dean and Professor of New Testament and Church History and unidentified on the California Christian College campus [later Chapman College], Los Angeles, California, 1921.

Letter from George Cran regarding a Christian mission in India, 1803.

George Cran was the son of a farmer in the parish of Forgue in Aberdeen Shire, Scotland. He became a member of the church at Huntley, Scotland where his devotion to God inspired him to become a Sunday school teacher. He subsequently became a member of the London Missionary Society. In 1801 he was sent to study at the seminary in Gosport, England where he spent two to three years. His desire was to preach Christ to the “heathens”. Messrs. Ringeltaube, Des Granges and Cran were designated to work in India. No ships for the East India Company would grant passage to missionaries due to the open hostility of the government therefore they set sail from Copenhagen on April 20, 1804 and reached Tranquebar on December 5th, 1805. Cran and Des Granges were designated to supervise the churches in Tinnevelly and they were to begin a mission among the northern Circars. This would have meant that they would have to work in two different places which would have separated them by over 500 miles. The society didn’t seem to be aware of the vast hindrances that the missionaries had to face. Cran and Des Granges decided instead to work in Vizagapatam where they were welcomed by many of the European residents. They conducted English services for which they were paid a monthly salary by the governor. They also conducted services for the natives and opened a school for native children. By November of 1806 a mission house had been built and a “charity” school for Eurasian children was opened. Cran and Des Granges were also diligently studying the native language and they began to translate the Bible into Telugu (spoken by the Hindus who live along the lower basins of the Kistna and Godaveri Rivers). In November of 1808 Cran was almost killed by a fever which left him severely weakened. He was only partially recovered, but accepted an invitation by the general who commanded the local district to accompany him on a journey around the province. The journey proved to be too much for Cran and he died on January 6th, 1809. He is buried at Chicacole, India. He is remembered for his successful work at Vizagapatam and his translation of the Bible. The fact that it was 27 years after the arrival of Cran before a single native was converted attests to the fact that this was a very difficult undertaking. The London Missionary Society was formed in 1795 in England by evangelical Anglicans and nonconformists. It is a non-denominational society and now forms part of the Council for World Mission. with information from The Voice of God to the Churches a Sermon on the Death of George Cran, Augustus Des Granges and Jonathan Brain by David Bogue and The History of the London Missionary Society 1795-1895 by Richard Lovett

Lake View House, Ontario Methodist Camp Ground : the Chautauqua of Canada, Grimsby, Ont. (1885)

Contains information about the campground, the hotel, church services and includes advertisements.

Understanding the Intersection of Reformed Faith and Dutch Immigrant Culture in Ontario Independent Christian Schools: Principals’ Experiences and Perspectives

In the aftermath of World War II, a wave of Dutch Reformed immigrants arrived in Ontario, many of whom joined the Christian Reformed Church. Following familiar cultural patterns, history, and their Reformed Christian faith, these immigrants settled in Ontario with remarkable institutional completeness (Breton, 1964). They quickly established independent, parent-operated Christian schools across Ontario. The primary purpose of the schools was to educate children through a comprehensive biblically based school program, yet this religious purpose often intersected with a Dutch immigrant ethnic culture. Van Dijk (2001) states that “the schools were the most important organization in maintaining the religious and ethnic identity of Calvinists” (p. 66). In this qualitative study I explore the intersection of Reformed faith and Dutch Canadian immigrant ethnic culture in Christian schools through the experiential and professional lens of eight retired principals. Employing a theoretical framework informed by Berger’s (1967) Sacred Canopy, I suggest that the intersection of faith and culture was experienced in the schools and was embodied by the schools themselves. Findings point to this intersection being located in the participants’ experience of (a) Dutchness, (b) the struggle for Christian education, (c) the ties that bound the school community together, and (d) the cloud of witnesses that founded and continues to support and encourage the Christian school community. The study offers insight into a Dutch Reformed immigrant group’s experience carving out a niche for themselves on the educational landscape in Ontario. This study also offers suggestions on how Christian schools can broaden their canopy and become more ethnically and denominationally diverse in the future.