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Vajrayāna Ritual
- Ritual, however conceptualized, plays a central role in Vajrayāna Buddhist practice. Dedicated practitioners – yogis and yoginis – are introduced to Vajrayāna practices through initiation rituals which purify them and empower them to cultivate the qualities of Vajrayāna deities and their as...
- Author
- Nick Swann
- Faith tradition
- Buddhism
- Topics
- Spiritual life and practices
Church Law in the United Kingdom
- This entry examines the laws and other regulatory instruments of a range of Christian churches in Great Britain, many of which also have a global reach. These legal instruments are pervasive in the lives of churches and regulate their ministry and government, doctrine, worship and rites of ...
- Author
- Norman Doe and Stephen Coleman
- Faith tradition
- Christianity
- Topics
- Spiritual life and practices
Faith
- From its origins, ‘faith’ has been a central category which correlates positively with the high regard for the discipline of theology in Christianity. However, it has been understood in various different ways. Current controversies about faith crystallize around an unusual expression empl...
- Author
- Paul R. Hinlicky
- Faith tradition
- Christianity
- Topics
- Spiritual life and practices
Bishops
- This article examines the phenomenon of bishops in Christian theology, church history, and the present role, work, and identity of a bishop. The article tries to answer the questions: ‘what does a bishop do?’ and ‘what is a bishop for?’ The approach to answering this question assesses scr...
- Author
- Paul Avis
- Faith tradition
- Christianity
- Topics
- Spiritual life and practices
Witness and Evangelism
- Witness and evangelism are concepts related to how Christians participate in the mission of the triune God (missio Dei). As stated in Together Toward Life, a document published by the World Council of Churches Commission on World Mission and Evangelism (CWME), God’s mission is to share th...
- Author
- Mark R. Teasdale
- Faith tradition
- Christianity
- Topics
- Spiritual life and practices
Yoga
- Yoga represents both a philosophy and a practice, with the goal of liberation. Although ascetic practices existed previously, and the word yoga appears in the Vedas, the first definition is in the Kaṭha Upaniṣad, where it is described as ‘the steady restraint of the senses’, building on the...
- Author
- Zoë Slatoff
- Faith tradition
- Hinduism
- Topics
- Spiritual life and practices
The Lord’s Prayer
- Christians throughout the world recite the Lord’s Prayer in their personal devotions and in liturgical settings. Its universality and authority stem from its origin in the very words of Jesus in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Thus, Cyprian of Carthage (210–258) could write: ‘For what can be...
- Author
- John Gavin
- Faith tradition
- Christianity
- Topics
- Spiritual life and practices
Virginity in the Christian Tradition
- This entry traces the development of the Christian understanding of virginity with specific attention to theology and embodied, ecclesial practice. Often reductively assumed to be the bodily state of one (usually a woman) who has not had sexual intercourse, this entry examines virginity m...
- Author
- Amy Brown Hughes
- Faith tradition
- Christianity
- Topics
- Spiritual life and practices
The Straight Path (al-Ṣirāṭ al-Mustaqīm)
- Al-Ṣirāṭ al-Mustaqīm (the Straight Path) is a central concept within the Islamic tradition. It is loosely understood as the path that leads to God, often being employed as a reference to the Qur’an, the Prophet Muḥammad, or Islam in general. Throughout the history of Islam, many scholars an...
- Author
- Mohammed Gamal Abdelnour
- Faith tradition
- Islam
- Topics
- Spiritual life and practices
A Jewish Theology of Food
- This article addresses how Jewish food practices are an expression of Jewish theology. It addresses the question: how is Jewish food ‘God talk?’ and what forms does it take? Jewish dietary practices, the kosher laws, etc., are a kind of Jewish body-language. Attention is paid first to bibli...
- Author
- Jonathan Brumberg-Kraus
- Faith tradition
- Judaism
- Topics
- Spiritual life and practices
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