In Intimate Diversity Paul Smith explores theological implications of interreligious marriage. Taking a practical theology approach which begins with lived experience and works through a pastoral cycle involving interpretation, normative discussion and a pragmatic outcome, the book challenges the Church of England (or other denominations) fulfil three tasks: theological, pastoral and missional. Paul Smith accepts the reality of marriage that involves couples from different religious traditions and proposes ways of justifying such marriage based on normative Christian traditions. He takes a broadly missional approach, advocating the positive role that the Church of England can play in fostering good interreligious relations in society whilst offering sympathetic pastoral support of couples who marry across religious divides.

This study is a sequel to A History of the Episcopal Church in Liberia 18211-1980 (1992). It is a narrative shaped by contexts-context of the Episcopal Church and its Christian witness through the episcopacies of Diocesan Bishops George Daniel Browne, Edward Wea Neufville II, and Jonathan B. B. Hart; the context of a modernizing Liberia plunged into unprecedented political violence by a military coup d'etat in 1980 and a devastating civil war that ensued and consumed the country for some 14 years; and the context of shifting external ties with the American Church, the Liberian Episcopal community in the United States, and the Church of the Anglican Province of West Africa. D. Elwood Dunn examines what the church's contemporary history uncovers about Liberia's social history as it juxtaposes national identity issues with religious syncretism (a mixture of African traditional religions, Islam, some elements of Christianity, and basic human secularism) and suggests challenges for the Episcopal Church's Christian witness going forward. All of this is done in four concise chapters successively addressing the episcopate of Bishop Browne, a critical interregnum period between Browne and his successor, Bishop Neufville, the episcopate of Neufville, and initiating the episcopate of incumbent Bishop Hart. This is followed by a general conclusion and assessment of the church's work. The study ends with an epilogue on the Episcopal Church that was, the Church that is, and the Church of the future.

The Living Ministry project is a ten-year programme by the Church of England to better understand what enables clergy - stipendiary, self-supporting and chaplains - to flourish, both in terms of personal wellbeing and effectiveness in their role. This booklet is the result of inviting clergy to reflect on their vocation and ministry experience in five areas: * Calling to priesthood * Institutional identity * Shape of ministry * Places and posts * Tasks of ministry Drawing on this research, How Clergy Thrive offers significant insights into the factors that allow priestly ministry to flourish, the pressures and challenges that hinder it, and the training programmes that will be needed for the future. It gives an accurate portrayal of lived clergy experience in the Church of England today that will be essential reading for all involved in clergy selection,training and support, and will give priests invaluable insights into the dynamics of their work.

The SCM Studyguide to Anglicanism offers a comprehensive introduction to the many different facets of Anglicanism. Aimed at students preparing for ministry, it presumes no prior knowledge of the subject and offers helpful overviews of Anglican history, liturgy, theology, Canon Law, mission and global Anglicanism. As well as offering updated and improved lists of further reading, this second edition brings a greater emphasis on worldwide expressions of Anglicanism, with more examples taken from Asian and African contexts, and a brand new section which considers the rise of the global communion alongside issues of inculturation and indigenisation.

What do we need to learn and receive from the other to help us address challenges or wounds in our own tradition? That is the key question asked in what has come to be known as 'receptive ecumenism'. And nowhere is this question more pressing and pertinent than in women's experiences within the church. Based on qualitative research from five focus groups, 'For the Good of the Church' expose the difficulties women face when they work in a church - sexism, unfulfilled vocation, and abuse of power and privilege, as well as the wide range of gifts and skills which women bring in light of these. The second part of the book continues to draw on the particular wounds and gifts, which arise in the focus groups. Specific case studies are used to identify gifts of theology, practice, experience, vocation and power. Against negative prognoses of an 'ecumenical winter', Gabrielle Thomas reveals how radically different theological and ecclesiological perspectives can be a space for learning and receiving gifts for the well-being of the whole Church.