Colin Harris

People of faith sometimes hesitate at the suggestion that they are by definition "theologians." The word tends to conjure up an image of an ordained church leader or an academic professional with formal training in the field. And, to be sure, such persons have carried the discipline of theology in a formal way through the generations, providing a structure and basis for the church's understanding of its faith. Also, the accumulated work of formal theologians is massive to the point of being overwhelming to many people who attempt to delve into it. Its complexity can easily dissuade those with casual interest and even those required to study it. But there is another level of theological thinking that goes on in the life and mind of every adherent to a faith. It usually does not lead to formal expression in a systematic way, but it becomes the working understanding of what one's faith means and how it is lived in real time. It is to this kind of theological thinking and to those who engage in it that the author offers this "set of keys." These basic suggestions do not delve into the depths of the doctrines of the church or explore the nuances that have accompanied the Christian tradition. There are resources aplenty for anyone who wishes to explore those avenues and their many-faceted interpretations of the faith experience. This set of keys is more basic, but no less important. They provide helpful access to the rooms of theology and a perspective for dealing with what is found there, so that the encounters can be a healthy and wholesome part of the faith journey. Introduction: A Theologian? Who Me? Part 1: Keys for Personal DiscernmentKey #1-Faith and TheologyKey #2-Faith and BeliefsKey #3-Faith and the Partiality of UnderstandingKey #4-Faith and the Sources of Theological GuidanceKey #5-Faith and the Religious MarketplaceKey #6-Faith and the Levels of TruthKey #7-Faith and ScienceKey #8-Faith and HistoryKey #9-Faith and Personal DevelopmentKey #10-Faith and Other FaithsPart 2: Using the Keys to Unlock UnderstandingWhat kind of God is this? How can I know what to believe? Do I have to believe this Trinity thing? How could Jesus be God and human at the same time? How can the Bible be true when it contains so many inconsistencies? What is a faithful way to respond to other faiths? How do we apply the Bible's evolving moral guidance? How do we bridge the gap between faith and science? How does faith respond when bad things happen? Part 3: Supplemental Keys on Particular TopicsThe "Inspiration" of the BibleThe Old Testament ProphetsThe Gospel "Portraits" of JesusThe Bible as Source and Companion for the Faith JourneyTraditional Concepts That "Grow Up" TheologicallyWhen Theological Concepts Grow UpConclusion: Theology as a Pilgrimage Toward Community

Property rights are the rules governing ownership in society. This Element offers an analytical framework to understand the origins and consequences of property rights. It conceptualizes of the political economy of property rights as a concern with the follow questions: What explains the origins of economic and legal property rights? What are the consequences of different property rights institutions for wealth creation, conservation, and political order? Why do property institutions change? Why do legal reforms relating to property rights such as land redistribution and legal titling improve livelihoods in some contexts but not others? In analyzing property rights, the authors emphasize the complementarity of insights from a diversity of disciplinary perspectives, including Austrian economics, public choice, and institutional economics, including the Bloomington School of institutional analysis and political economy.

This is Volume V of fifteen in a series on the Sociology of Gender and the Family. Originally published in 1965, this study looks at family and kinship in the South Wales town of Swansea which was used as a parallel to the Institute of Community Studies 1957 study in east London at Bethnal Green.

This is Volume V of fifteen in a series on the Sociology of Gender and the Family. Originally published in 1965, this study looks at family and kinship in the South Wales town of Swansea which was used as a parallel to the Institute of Community Studies 1957 study in east London at Bethnal Green.