The histories of the Church of England and the Methodist Church have been linked together for 250 years. In the 1970s, a proposal for unity failed narrowly. Now relationships between Methodists and Anglicans are stronger than ever, locally, regionally and nationally. Both are committed to the search for unity. What holds them apart? This official report of the Formal Conversations that began in 1999 sets out the common ground that has been rediscovered. It shows the strength of theological agreement, but also points out significant differences that require further work. Conscious of both the opportunities and the unresolved issues, the two churches asked the Conversations to draw up an agreement that would enable them to take a significant step towards future unity. The talks gave priority to mission and evangelism and paid special attention to diversity. This report proposes a national covenant, made up of mutual acknowledgement and mutual commitment. It should consolidate at the national level the many local and regional covenants that already exist and so prepare the ground for the next vital stage on the road to unity.

In the past, world mission in the Church of England largely meant working through independent Anglican agencies such as CMS and USPG. Today, the picture is very different. Many dioceses and even some parishes have their own companion links with partner churches in the Anglican Communion and there have been major shifts in the way that mission itself is understood. The distinction between 'home' and 'world' mission is blurred, and separating 'mission' from 'development' is no longer straightforward. Christian Aid, Tearfund and other agencies are now part of the wider pattern, and much of the church's mission now involves close working with other denominations. It is clear that the way we talk about world mission needs to develop. This landmark study is the result of a three year project by the Mission and Public Affairs Division of the Archbishops' Council to 'develop a new, better, narrative of mission' for the church. It is the fruit of close consultation with mission and development agencies, dioceses and others engaged in mission activity. World Shaped Mission will reconfigure the way the church talks about, and practices, mission in the world today. JANICE PRICE is World Mission Policy Adviser for the Church of England.

Contact is a practical, hands-on booklet that helps churches make the most of their connections with those outside the church. Most churches find that setting-up a course for non-churchgoers to explore Christianity is not the most difficult task - getting them to come is the real test. Heres where Contact steps in. Contact builds on insights from recent research and case studies and provides helpful advice for churches on: making contact with those outside the church making the most of existing contacts, such as occasional attendees, toddler groups connecting with peoples spirituality how to set up a nurture group encouraging your church to be involved in evangelism and outreach This second edition builds upon the experience of those who have used the Emmaus material since it was first published and also the considerable amount of statistical research which has been done in recent years.

Parson's Porch Books is excited to announce the publication of the new American edition of Michael Mayne's This Sunrise of Wonder. This Anglican classic will captivate readers with its warm humanity and endearing and pulsating spirituality. Michael Mayne, one of the greatest Anglican priest-writers, was Head of Religious Programmes, BBC Radio; Vicar of Great St. Mary's (the University Church), Cambridge; and Dean of Westminster Abbey. His last book, The Enduring Melody, was published a few days before his death in October 2006. He was also the author of A Year Lost and Found, Learning to Dance, and Pray, Love, Remember.

Trevor Beeson was Dean of Winchester Cathedr al for nearly 9 years. Over that period he kept a diary, whi ch provides a fascinating account of day-to-day events there . Through these pages readers can appreciate the work of the Dean himself. '

The purpose of this book is to enable us to hear a voice from our own past. We need to learn that the process of remembering, of ongoing corporate recollection, is an element essential to our self-understanding. Our Anglican heritage has in large measure made us what we are and is a factor enabling us to become what we truly are in Christ through the Spirit. That the voice from our past evokes clear echoes for Anglicanism today and in the inter-church scene is the theme of the last chapter: 'Postscript from the present'.

This is a study of Church and Society between the two World Wars as seen through the eyes of an able, caustic, individualist churchman. Herbert Hensley Henson held strong opinions on all subjects. He was the critic, on moral grounds, of the behaviour of the trade unions. He came into fierce controversy with the miners' national leaders. He strenuously defended the establishment of the Church of England, and then, because the House of Commons behaved badly over the Prayer Book, became its most vocal assailant. He stood for the right of Christians to profess their faith while remaining agnostic about miracles. He helped the Church to accept more modern attitudes to divorce. At times he was the most unpopular person among the Churches. But by courage he won a rueful respect, and by compassion he won from some a smiling admiration.

What rare learning John Breay has... the whole mood and air of the Victorian Church of the north-west can be breathed. What fun the man Brunskill is, with little insights into famous men like Sharp, Villiers and Harvey Goodwin... wonderful to meet a clergyman whose expertise is the shoeing of horses... The self-educated man who left school at fifteen and is interested in Wordsworth and Ruskin... can hold down the job of a headmaster and can write English prose in letters to the Press!' -The Revd Professor Owen Chadwick

The period 1928-1942 saw some of the greatest political and social upheavals in modern British history. Lang, as Archbishop of Canterbury, led the Church of England through this tumultuous period and was a pivotal influence in political and religious decision-making. In this book, Robert Beaken provides a new perspective on Lang, including his considerable relationship with the royal family. Beaken also shows how Lang proved to be a sensitive leader during wartime, opposing any demonisation of the enemy and showing compassion to conscientious objectors. Despite his central role at a time of flux, there has been little written on Lang since the original biography published in 1949, and history has not been kind to this intellectually gifted but emotionally complex man. Although Lang has often been seen as a fairly unsuccessful archbishop who was resistant to change, Beaken shows that he was, in fact, an effective leader of the Anglican community at a time when the Church of England was internally divided over issues surrounding the Revised Prayer Book and its position in an ever-changing world. Lang's reputation is therefore ripe for reassessment. Drawing on previously unseen material and first-hand interviews, Beaken tells the story of a fascinating and complex man, who was, he argues, Britain's first 'modern' Archbishop of Canterbury.

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

Two of the most noted theological works of the founder of the Oxford Movement, National Apostasy and The Case of Catholic Subscription to the Thirty-Nine Articles Considered, offer a solid introduction to the Catholic revival in the Church of England.

The celebration of the 350th anniversary of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer has helped to stimulate a renewed interest in its teaching and fundamental contribution to Anglican identity. Archbishop Cranmer and others involved in the English Reformation knew well that the content and shape of the services set out in the Prayer Book were vital ways of teaching congregations biblical truth and the principles of the Christian gospel. Thus the aim of this series of booklets which focus on the Formularies of the Church of England and the elements of the different services within the Prayer Book is to highlight what those services teach about the Christian faith and to demonstrate how they are also designed to shape the practice of that faith. As well as providing an account of the origins of the Prayer Book services, these booklets are designed to offer practical guidance on how such services may be used in Christian ministry nowadays. In this study of the daily collects and readings in the Book of Common Prayer, Benjamin Sargent opens up the rationale of the lectionary.

Published early in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and only five years after the death of the Roman Catholic Queen Mary I of England, Foxe's Book of Martyrs was an affirmation of the Protestant Reformation in England during a period of religious conflict between Catholics and Protestants. Because the English monarch was the temporal head of the Church of England, a change in ruler could change the legal status of religious practice. Adherents of the rejected faith risked persecution by the State, and during the reign of Mary I, non-Catholics were publicly burned at the stake. Foxe's account of these martyrdoms contributed significantly to a nationalistic repudiation of the Roman Catholic Church and asserted a historical justification intended to establish the Church of England as a continuation of the true Christian church rather than a modern innovation. The First Part covered early Christian martyrs, a brief history of the medieval church, including the Inquisitions, and a history of the Wycliffite or Lollard movement. The Second Part of the work dealt with the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI, during which the dispute with Rome led to separation of the English Church from papal authority, a new foundation for the Church of England, and the issuance of the Book of Common Prayer. The Third Part treated the reign of Queen Mary and the Marian Persecutions, in part instigated by Edmund Bonner, Bishop of London.

Mullings and Musings II is a compilation of over ninety essays, each originally written by Charlotte Marshall for the monthly church newsletter published by Trinity Episcopal Church of Clarksville, Tennessee. The essays, often humorous, collectively tell the story of growing up in rural Tennessee in the 1930s during the Great Depression, the trials and tribulations of marriage and raising children, and growing old with the inevitable loss of dear friends. Mullings and Musings II continues the tradition of story-telling from the original Mullings and Musing (ISBN 0970641702) published in 1997. Charlotte Marshall was born in 1923 at Kirkwood, a rural community in Montgomery County, Tennessee. She graduated from Austin Peay State University. She and her husband, Jack, of 64 years, currently reside outside Clarksville, Tennessee.

The Beauty of Holiness: The Caroline Divines and Their Writings offers an expansive and detailed portrait of the continued maturation of Anglican theology and devotion in the central half of the seventeenth century. The Caroline Divines have long been hailed as the patrons of an Anglican 'golden age'. Their emphasis upon liturgical renewal and development, like their emphases upon learning and piety, have had a pervasive influence on the Anglican ethos that extends down to our own day. The Beauty of Holiness includes selections from key figures such as Lancelot Andrewes, John Cosin, and Jeremy Taylor, but also expands the canon of Caroline divinity to include lay writings, some of which were published posthumously. Traditional topics such as sacramental theology and private devotion are complimented by readings on poetry as a spiritual discipline, natural theology, and the importance of family prayers. Chapters survey diverse facets of Anglican orthodoxy such as liturgical practice, the cult of King Charles the Martyr, and defenses of the celebration of Christmas, while an introductory essay sets these developments within the historical context. The Beauty of Holiness thus functions as both an introduction to the Anglican past and a catechism for the Anglican present.

The celebration of the 350th anniversary of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer has helped to stimulate a renewed interest in its teaching and fundamental contribution to Anglican identity. Archbishop Cranmer and others involved in the English Reformation knew well that the content and shape of the services set out in the Prayer Book were vital ways of teaching congregations biblical truth and the principles of the Christian gospel. Thus the aim of this series of booklets which focus on the Formularies of the Church of England and the elements of the different services within the Prayer Book is to highlight what those services teach about the Christian faith and to demonstrate how they are also designed to shape the practice of that faith. As well as providing an account of the origins of the Prayer Book services, these booklets are designed to offer practical guidance on how such services may be used in Christian ministry nowadays. In this exposition of the services of Morning and Evening Prayer in the Book of Common Prayer, Mark Burkill reveals how the focus of the daily offices is to build up God's people by immersing them in the Scriptures.

Evelyn Underhill (1875-1941) had wide influence through her work on Christian mysticism, especially by her continual insistence that the mystical experience is not esoteric, but open to any sincere believer. Resisting the growth of popular unfocussed mysticism in the early part of the twentieth century, she used her great historical scholarship to expound the work of past thinkers and show its relevance to the contemporary world. She was a prolific writer on many other subjects, including liturgy, prayer and individual spiritual formation, and was also a novelist and a poet. She was much in demand as a retreat conductor and spiritual director, and she lectured at universities and church congresses. She contributed to various journals, and in her later years gave broadcast talks. She was acknowledged as one of the leading Anglo-Catholic thinkers of her time, and her reputation has grown in recent years; there is a flourishing Evelyn Underhill Society. Despite her formidable learning and intellect, she had sympathy and practical advice for individuals, and had a delightful sense of humour which often enlivened her profound advice with homely analogies. In both her published works and her private letters, her teaching was always directed against personal anxiety and introspection, and towards concentration on a closer union with God. She maintained and promulgated calm and commonsense through a lifetime which saw much social and religious unrest. In the Second World War she strongly advocated Christian pacifism. In this volume, extracts from some of her many writings are set out by their main themes, from general mysticism to personal letters, with extracts also from her fiction and poetry. There is a biographical and critical introduction, relating and giving perspective to her life and work. Raymond Chapman is Emeritus Professor of English in the University of London, and an Anglican priest He is a Vice-President of the Prayer Book Society and of the Anglican Association. He has edited previous volumes in the Canterbury Studies in Spiritual Theology and published a number of other critical and devotional works including Leading Intercessions, A Pastoral Prayer Book, and Stations of the Nativity, Cross and Resurrection

The recent celebration of the 350th anniversary of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer has helped to stimulate a renewed interest in its teaching and fundamental contribution to Anglican identity. Archbishop Cranmer and others involved in the English Reformation knew well that the content and shape of the services set out in the Prayer Book were vital ways of teaching congregations biblical truth and the principles of the Christian gospel. Thus the aim of this series of booklets which focus on the Formularies of the Church of England and the elements of the different services within the Prayer Book is to highlight what those services teach about the Christian faith and to demonstrate how they are also designed to shape the practice of that faith. As well as providing an account of the origins of the Prayer Book services, these booklets are designed to offer practical guidance on how such services may be used in Christian ministry nowadays. In this overview of the Book of Common Prayer, Peter Adam brings us back again and again to its emphasis on the 'very pure word of God', setting the gold standard and hallmark of all our liturgy. Peter Adam served as Vicar of St Jude's Carlton, and as Principal of Ridley College in Melbourne Australia. He is currently Vicar Emeritus of St Jude's, and Canon of St Paul's Cathedral Melbourne.

In order to ensure correct teaching in an era wherein many divergent perspectives were both common and tolerated, the Book of Homilies was a staple in English worship in both the interregnum and the reign of Elizabeth the First (Queen Mary suppressed Cromwell's version and issued one of her own, not included in the current volume). A second book of homilies book was issued in 1563. Both books are included in this historic volume, an essential asset in the library of any scholar of this period. Although some modern folk consider the type of the period difficult to read, it is easily readable with just a little effort, and gives the reader a sense of how these works appeared to those who actually used them. History becomes present to us, through more than just the word. Other facsimile editions have been prohibitively priced. The Apocryphile Press is pleased to present this affordable, essential volume as part of our Anglican Heritage Series.

This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.

This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone

This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!

This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!