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Comparative constitutional law has a long pedigree, but the comparative study of constitution-making has emerged and taken form only in the last quarter-century. While much of the initial impetus came from the study of the American and French constituent assemblies in the late eighteenth century, this volume exemplifies the large comparative scope of current research. The contributors discuss constituent assemblies in South East Asia, North Africa and the Middle East, Latin America, and in Nordic countries. Among the new insights they provide is a better understanding of how constituent assemblies may fail, either by not producing a document at all or by adopting a constitution that fails to serve as a neutral framework for ordinary politics. In a theoretical afterword, Jon Elster, an inspirational thinker on the current topic, offers an analysis of the micro-foundations of constitution-making, with special emphasis on the role of crises-generated passions.
In his previous book, The Pastor: A Spirituality, Gordon W. Lathrop writes: "The most important symbol of Christ in the room is not the minister, not the altar, not even the bread and wine or the water of the font. It is the assembly, the Body of Christ, as the New Testament says" (page 27). This statement forms the central theme of this new book. Reflecting on the recent painful time of pandemic, when the wisest and most caring course was not to assemble at all, has illuminated the author's conviction and strengthened it. But as churches return to in-person worship and life in community, they will need to revisit formation in assembly practice. This book articulates why and how the assembly is so important in Christianity. Lathrop intends the book to assist Christian congregations and their pastors or priests to recover vital, participatory, and life-giving in-person worship after the pandemic. He further intends that participants will see and treasure the importance of assembly as the primary form of "church" and as a vital source of Christian daily life. Part 1 of the book looks in depth at the assembly, discusses why the sacraments are assembly events, and explores how the assembly forms Christians for daily living. Part 2 presents a critical catechism for the assembly, with emphasis on the sacraments, the Lord's Prayer, the Creed, and the Ten Commandments.