Below is a description of the book’s content.
The primary task of the Christian life is to respond to God’s gracious initiative by loving God and our neighbor, that is, the people God puts in our path. The sacraments help us do that. They hold up a vision of new life, and they make that life possible. This book explores how such sacramental grace comes to us and how we can open ourselves to it more fully. It emphasizes God’s grace, yet insists that there is a human side to the covenant, the work of receiving grace. Dr. Stamm helps us rediscover that to discuss the sacraments is to discuss the entirety of human life and Christian discipleship.
About the author:
Dr. Mark W. Stamm is Professor of Christian Worship at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University
Dr. Stamm is a 1995 graduate of Boston University (Th.D.), where he served as a research associate and consultant on the Boston University Worship, Music, and Religious Identity Project.
An ordained elder in The United Methodist Church, he came to the Perkins faculty in July 2000 after serving seventeen years as a pastor of local congregations in Pennsylvania and Kentucky.
At Perkins, he teaches courses in liturgical and sacramental history, theology, and practice. As Chapel Elder, he oversees the school’s chapel program. He also served eight years as Abbot of the Order of Saint Luke.
He has written several books related to the theology and practice of the sacraments, including Let Every Jesus Be Jesus’ Guest, A Theology of the Open Table (Abingdon Press, 2006), and Devoting Ourselves to the Prayers, A Baptismal Theology of the Church’s Intercessory Work (Discipleship Resources, 2014).
He is married to Margie Stamm, a nurse in the Dallas Independent School District, and they are the parents of two adult children.
