The noted preacher and spiritual writer Michael Mayne wrote extensively about Anglicanism's distinctive theology and ethos, and how it could help the church speak to contemporary society. This collection of his unpublished writings and lectures offers a vintage distillation of his wisdom and pastoral understanding that remains extraordinarily relevant. Michael Mayne's wisdom calls the church back to its deepest spiritual identity and purpose, exploring: * The nature of moderation and tolerance; * The influence of daily prayer; * What happens when Anglicans disagree; * Unity in Christ despite diversity in practice; * Learning from controversies.

Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556) was the first Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, the author of the Book of Common Prayer, and a central figure in the English Protestant Reformation. Few theologians have led such an eventful life: Cranmer helped Henry VIII break with the pope, pressed his vision of the Reformation through the reign of Edward VI, was forced to recant under Queen Mary, and then dramatically withdrew his recantations before being burned alive. This gripping biography by Leslie Williams narrates Cranmer's life from the beginning, through his education and history with the monarchy, to his ecclesiastical trials and eventual martyrdom. She portrays Cranmer's ongoing struggle to reconcile his two central beliefs - loyalty to the crown and loyalty to the Reformation faith - as she tells his fascinating life story.

In this compelling memoir Anthony Harvey traces the three ways he has felt drawn throughout his life - to a ministry in the Anglican priesthood, to a profession in theological scholarship, and to his marriage and family. Harvey recounts his clergy training in Canterbury, his time as canon of Westminster Abbey, his teaching and research at the University of Oxford, and his many exciting travels. He also candidly discusses the challenges presented by his marriage to an artist and writer whose spells of mental illness, along with the premature death of their daughter, placed great strain on both his family life and his public responsibilities. Throughout the book Harvey authentically narrates his inner tensions and conflicts, his own spiritual questioning, and his propensity toward a Christian stoicism. From the foreword: "This moving and unpretentious memoir charts a journey of education in faith, not least through times of deep challenge in personal life. It shows us a scholar always willing to put the resources of his remarkable learning at the disposal of the Christian community. . . . It has the capacity to rekindle faith in the theological vocation in the fullest sense of the word `theological' and to renew a confidence in the possibility of interweaving human honesty and Christian depth." - Rowan Williams TENT

Archbishop Michael Ramsey's archiepiscopate from 1961 to 1974 saw profound renegotiations of the relationship of the Church of England with its own flock, with the nation more widely, with the Anglican church worldwide, and with the other Christian churches. Drawing from unique source material in the Lambeth Palace Library archives and reproducing many original writings of Ramsey for the first time, this book explores key questions which surround Ramsey's tenure. How did Ramsey react to the rapid hollowing-out of the regular constituency of the church whilst at the same time seeing sweeping changes in the manner in which the church tried to minister to those members? What was his role in the widening of the church's global vision, and the growing porousness of its borders with other denominations? And how did the nature of the role of archbishop as figurehead change in this period?

How has the Church responded to the challenge to combat institutional racism? What efforts are being made to bring about positive and sustained changes in the structures? To what extent are the issues being addressed by church schools, clergy and parishes? How are theological colleges and courses responding to the importance of preparing and training ordinands for leadership in multi-cultural, multi-ethnic and multi-faith Britain? What is the Church doing to encourage a more culturally diverse lay and ordained leadership? These are some of the questions that have challenged the Church of England in its struggle to understand racism and the way it is used by institutions, maybe unwittingly, to disadvantage minority ethnic people. The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry Report acted as a catalyst and forced the Church to take a fresh look at itself with respect to its record in combating institutional racism. This book gives new insights into the Church of England's response to race issues and presents a fascinating view of the Church at the start of the twenty-first century. It highlights examples of good practice and demonstrates the progress that has been made since the publication in 1991 of Seeds of Hope, a seminal report of a survey on combating racism in the Church of England. An Amazing Journey is written from the perspective of Glynne Gordon Carter who served the Archbishops' Council's Committee for Minority Ethnic Anglican Concerns (the former Black Anglican Concerns Committee) as Secretary from 1987 to 2001.

English author and philosopher, Bishop Thomas Burgess lived from 1756 to 1837. His early career was concerned with advocating for the emancipation of slaves and evangelistic work among the poor. In 1803, he was appointed Bishop of St David's where he remained for the next twenty years, and in that position he founded and liberally endowed St. David's College, now the University of Wales, Lampeter. This book gathers together essays that use Bishop Burgess' life as a starting point to uncover the links between the academic, religious and social cultures of Britain, Europe and North America in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The essays in the volume comprise papers read at two conferences in 2003 and the St David's Day lecture delivered at Lampeter in 2004.

Many of the controversial religious debates of our day grow out of disagreements about how to interpret scripture correctly. Is it a historical or theological text? How do we address the apparent contradictions? In "Anglican Approaches to Scripture," the sequel to ATB Book of the Year "Christian Hope and Christian Life," Greer shows the multi-layered Anglican tradition of what scripture is and how it is to be interpreted.

This is an introduction to the thought of one of the most fascinating theologians and at the same time most controversial church leaders of our time. In contemporary theology, the work of Rowan Williams is virtually without parallel for its extraordinary diversity and complexity. His writings span the genres of poetry, history, literary criticism, spirituality, theology, ethics, and philosophy - yet this diverse body of work is apparently not unified by any overarching system or agenda. Indeed, one of the hallmarks of Williams' thought is a vigorous refusal of completeness and systematic closure. Nevertheless, this book will argue that the complex body of Williams' work is held together by a specific theological construal both of Christian language and of the church's founding event.

Priestly ministry in the Church of England needs a radical rethink...George Herbert died in 1633. His legacy continues. His poems are read and sung, and his parish ministry remains the model for the Church of England's understanding of how and where and why its priests should minister. But there is a problem. The memory of Herbert celebrated by the Church is an inaccurate one, and, in its inaccuracy, is unfair on Herbert himself and his successors in the ordained ministry. This is a book of the long view. It sets out to assess realistically the context of Herbert's life and to explore the difficulties of parish life today. By examining the status and role of parish clergy since Herbert's time and today, it draws on the work of historians, social anthropologists, psychologists and theologians, and presents their ideas in a readable and passionate style. It argues that the future strength of parochial ministry will be found in a recovery of historic, renewed understandings of priestly ministry, and concludes by outlining more sustainable patterns of practice for the future.In a climate of uncertainty for the future of the church, it will be an encouragement for priest and people, and welcomed by both. >

The Anglican church has been no stranger to controversy during its history but the debates raging at the moment are among the hottest it has known. This book asks some prominent Anglicans why they are still in the church and what they love about it. Representing Anglicanism in all its range and diversity, the contributors are positive about the church and their place in it, and show appreciation, rather than resentment, of a Church that is broad enough to contain those of opposing views. This is a personal, partial and affectionate (though by no means uncritical) glimpse of the Anglican Church.

Bringing together the authors's experience of working in Europe, the United States, and Australia, this book includes the latest rites for welcoming adults into church membership, together with a detailed account of the Adult Catechumenate and the way in which adults may make a journey into faith, making commitment at the right time on the way and following through into discipleship.

The relationship between the Syrian Orthodox Church in the Ottoman Empire and the Church of England developed substantially between 1895 and 1914, as contacts between them grew. As the character of this emerging relationship changed, it contributed to the formation of both churches' own 'narratives of identity'. The wider context in which this took place was a period of instability in the international order, particularly within the Ottoman Empire, culminating in the outbreak of the First World War, effectively bringing this phase of sustained contact to an end. Narratives of Identity makes use of Syriac, Garshuni, and Arabic primary sources from Syrian Orthodox archives in Turkey and Syria, alongside Ottoman documents from the Basbakanlik Osmanli Arsivi, Istanbul, and a range of English archival sources. The preconceptions of both Churches are analysed, using a philosophical framework provided by the work of Paul Ricoeur, especially his concepts of significant memory (anamnesis), translation, and the search for mutual recognition. Anamnesis and translation were extensively employed in the formation of 'narratives of identity' that needed to be understood by both Churches. The identity claims of the Tractarian section of the Church of England and of the Ottoman Syrian Orthodox Church are examined using this framework. The detailed content of the theological dialogue between them, is then examined, and placed in the context of the rapidly changing demography of eastern Anatolia, the Syrian Orthodox 'heartland'. The late Ottoman state was characterised by an increased instability for all its non-Muslim minorities, which contributed to the perceived threats to Ottoman Syrian Orthodoxy, both from within and without. Finally, a new teleological framework is proposed in order to better understand these exchanges, taking seriously the amamnetic insights of the narratives of identity of both the Syrian Orthodox Church and the Church of England from 1895 to 1914.

Adrian Empey: The medieval parish: a school for laity Colm Lennon: The formation of a lay community in the Church of Ireland, 1580-1647 T.C. Barnard: Piety 'too masculine, too much governed by right reason'? Lay people and the Church of Ireland, 1647-1780 Patrick Comerford: A silent laity in the days of a silken prelacy and a slumbering priesthood? Lay people, 1780-1830 W.G. Neely: Reform and reorganisation: the laity and the Irish church, 1830-1870 Kenneth Milne: the laity in the twentieth century David Hayton: The development and limitations of Protestant ascendancy: the Church of Ireland laity in public life, 1660-1740 Jacqueline Hill: The Church of Ireland laity and the public sphere, 1740- 1869 Martin Maguire: 'Our people': the Church of Ireland laity and the language of community in Dublin since Disestablishment Raymond Gillespie: Lay spirituality and worship, 1558-1800 John Paterson: Lay spirituality and worship, 1800-1900 Stephen McBride: The laity in the church: church building, 1000-2000

St. Paul's is Halifax's oldest building, its first place of worship, and remains central to the civic life of the city after more than 250 years on the Grand Parade.
St. Paul's figures prominently in the city's long relationship with the British royal family, and has played an important role in key events in Halifax history, from the town's founding to the sinking of the "Titanic," the 1917 Explosion, and the immense tragedies of two world wars. Through it all the church has served as a place of worship and a source of outreach into the broader community. The building itself is fascinating, with many fine architectural features and beautiful furnishings. All these elements of St. Paul's history are explored in this book.
Illustrated with a wide selection of historical and modern visuals--many in full colour--"St. Paul's in the Grand Parade" is a vivid reflection on one of the country's most historic places of worship.