A study of William Robertson Nicoll, a non-conformist individual who had considerable influence in the late 19th Century. Originally a minister, he was considered a great leader and was also a theological conservative, and therefore committed to maintaining the orthodox stance of the Christian Churches, but at the same time, he encouraged many of the new ideas, which he felt would prove a useful and hopeful benefit for the Church. Due to health issues he was later forced to retire his position and focused on work as an editor and journalist, bringing with him the same sense of leadership for which he'd previously been known. The debate over his legacy continues and is addressed within this study using previously unstudied information on Nicoll's life.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I've Loved, a fascinating look at the world of Christian women celebrities Since the 1970s, an important new figure has appeared on the center stage of American evangelicalism-the celebrity preacher's wife. Although most evangelical traditions bar women from ordained ministry, many women have carved out unofficial positions of power in their husbands' spiritual empires or their own ministries. The biggest stars-such as Beth Moore, Joyce Meyer, and Victoria Osteen-write bestselling books, grab high ratings on Christian television, and even preach. In this engaging book, Kate Bowler offers a sympathetic and revealing portrait of megachurch women celebrities, showing how they must balance the demands of celebrity culture and conservative, male-dominated faiths.

An expert practitioner answers to questions about the burgeoning organic church movement

Neil Cole's best-selling book "Organic Church" described the fastest growing segment of contemporary Christianity-the so-called organic church. Now in this next-step book, he answers questions about how to deal with theological and organizational issues that come up. He talks about issues such has what to do with finances, children, heresy, leader training, and rituals and ordinances. Without the top-down structure of a denomination, even people who are proponents of this small, house-church model worry that they are not doing it right. Offers an important resource for anyone involved with or thinking of starting an organic or house churchAddresses practical issues of theology, rituals, doctrinal heresy, how to handle children, finances, and other important questionsWritten by an acknowledged expert who is now and has been for over twenty years an organic church planter and practitionerA new Leadership Network title and follow-up to "Organic Church "

"Church 3.0" offers solid information about organic churches based on Cole's extensive experience in starting, nurturing, and mentoring in the organic church movement.

You can serve God and his people for a lifetime and do it with passion and joy. You do not have to become another casualty in the growing number of leaders who have compromised their integrity, character, and ministry because they failed to lead an examined and accountable life. The road forward is clearly marked. Leaders must make a decision to humbly and consistently examine their inner lives and identify areas of needed change and growth. Also, wise leaders commit to listen to the voices of those who will love them enough to speak the truth and point out problems and potential pitfalls. Kevin Harney writes, "The vision of this book is to assist leaders as they discover the health, wisdom, and joy of living an examined life. It is also to give practical tools for self-examination." Sharing stories and wisdom from his years in ministry, Harney shows you how to maintain the most powerful tool in your leadership toolbox: YOU. Your heart, so you can love well. Your mind, so you can continue to learn and grow. Your ears, your eyes, your mouth ... consider this your essential guide to conducting your own complete interior health exam, so you can spot and fix any problems, preserve the things that matter most, and grow as a source of vision, strength, and hope to others.

'If the English people were to be set a test to justify their history and civilization by the example of one man, then it is Sir Thomas More whom they would perhaps choose.' So commented The Times in 1978 on the 500th anniversary of More's birth. Twenty-two years later, Pope John Paul II proclaimed Thomas More the patron saint of politicians and people in public life, on the basis of his 'constant fidelity to legitimate authority and . . . his intention to serve not power but the supreme ideal of justice'. In this fresh assessment of More's life and legacy, John Guy considers the factors that have given rise to such claims concerning More's significance. Who was the real Thomas More? Was he the saintly, self-possessed hero of conscience of Robert Bolt's A Man for All Seasons or was he the fanatical, heretic-hunting torturer of Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall? Which of these images of More has the greater historical veracity? And why does this man continue to fascinate, inspire and provoke us today?

Burghersh revealed as conscientious diocesan; new light on his involvement in invasion of Isabella and Mortimer in 1326. Henry Burghersh, bishop of Lincoln from 1320 until 1340, has not been treated kindly by historians. The largely hostile view expressed by early fourteenth-century chroniclers gives us a portrait of a man promoted to the office ofbishop solely as a result of family influence and royal intervention, but who subsequently betrayed the monarch who had favoured him, lending support to the rebellion of Thomas of Lancaster in 1322 and plotting with Queen Isabellato overthrow her husband. This edition of Burghersh's episcopal register reveals a different character. The bishop emerges as a conscientious diocesan and an administrator of considerable ability, while the evidence of his itinerary throws new light on the question of his involvement in the invasion of Isabella and Mortimer in 1326. The volume includes the first part of Burghersh's institution register, comprising admissions of clergy to parochial benefices, appointments of heads of religious houses, and ordinations of vicarages and chantries in the archdeaconries Northampton, Oxford, Bedford, Buckingham and Huntingdon. Dr NICHOLAS BENNETT is Vice-Chancellor and Librarian of Lincoln Cathedral.

This new collection by Nelson Minnich deals with the general councils of the Catholic Reformation in the late medieval and early modern periods. The volume opens with overviews of the various editions of and current scholarship on these general councils. Three studies then give special attention to the role of theologians in these councils: their changing legal status (consultative or deliberative voting rights) and their individual roles and those of the various theological schools in drafting the decrees. Another article examines the legal status of theologians accused of heresy and schism. Two examine the contest between the councils of Pisa-Milan-Asti-Lyon and Lateran V for legitimacy, studying in particular the contrasting image of Julius II (suspended for contumacy by Pisa but the strong leader of Lateran V) and the role ceremonies played in securing legitimacy. Last, there are three studies devoted to the Council of Trent: the status of the Protestants who came to the council, its debates on the priesthood of all believers, and the influence of Lateran V on its procedures, debates, and decrees.

A radical reassessment of the role of Mary the mother of Jesus and other women in the early Church Despite the commonly held assumption that the Bible says little about the mother of Jesus, there are many indications that Mary preceded and inspired her son in fostering the emergence of a new faith community. In the Gospel of John, Mary instigates Jesus' first miracle, and in all four gospels she is present at the crucifixion, suggesting hers was a place of unparalleled importance in the Christian story. Setting aside presuppositions based on doctrine, Chris Maunder returns to the New Testament to answer the question 'Who was Mary?' He re-examines the virgin conception of Jesus, Mary's contribution to Jesus' ministry, and her central role in the events of the crucifixion and the resurrection. In so doing, Maunder casts a thought-provoking new light on Mary and the women, including Mary Magdalene, who stood alongside her.

This book provides the first comprehensive analysis of the career of Fryderyk Jagiellon (1468-1503) arguably the most powerful churchman in medieval or early modern Central Europe. Royal prince, bishop of KrakA(3)w, Polish primate, cardinal, regent and brother to the rulers of Hungary, Poland, Bohemia and Lithuania, Fryderyk was a leading dynastic politician, diplomat, ecclesiastic and cultural patron, and a pivotal figure in three Polish royal governments. Whereas Polish historians have traditionally cast Fryderyk as a miscreant and national embarrassment, this study argues that he is in fact a figure of fundamental importance for our understanding of church and monarchy in the Renaissance, who can enhance our grasp of the period in a variety of ways. Jagiellon's career constitutes an ambitious state-building programme - executed in the three spheres of government, ecclesiastical governance and cultural patronage - which reveals the multi-dimensional ways in which Renaissance monarchies might exploit the local church to their own ends. This book also offers a rare English language insight into the development of the Reformation in central Europe, and an analysis of the reigns of Kazimierz IV (1447-92), Jan Olbracht (1492-1501), Aleksander (1501-6), Poland's evolving constitution, her foreign policy, Jagiellonian dynastic strategy and, above all, the tripartite relationship between church, Crown and state.

An Eternity 1988 Book of the Year There are millions of opportunities for the gospel. With half of the world's five billion people in cities, there is almost no end to the exciting challenges that await us. Ray Bakke has been there. For over twenty years he and his family have worked with and love the people of today's cities, bringing a message of faith and hope. He knows how the city works and how it can be used to the advantage of the gospel. He knows how people hurt too, and he knows how Christianity can heal and make whole. Now he offers us the basic building blocks we need to live this young, rootless, mobile, media-tuned population. Here is practical, time-tested wisdom on what the church can and is doing in worship, work and witness. Bakke's biblical perspective is enriched by years of study and worldwide travel. He believes the church can and must train people to live with and minister to the hurting rich and the hurting poor of the city. The opportunities are our for the taking.

Five historic ministersfive formative career pathswhich path are you on? According to Daniel Levinson's developmental theory, each person's professional career path forms at the same time in their life, in their 20s and 30s. Young Clergy: A Biographical and Developmental Study applies Levinson's study to ministerial practice, mapping the career patterns of five historical ministers during that time period in each life. The author clearly presents deep psychological insightssupported by solid biographical information on each minister's actions and reactions to challengesillustrating how the theory holds relevance for young professional clergy even today. Young Clergy: A Biographical and Developmental Study reviews each minister's Novice Phase, where the major tasks of forming a dream, forming mentor relationships, and forming an occupation are presentedand stringently supported by concrete biographical events. The book then shows how this phase leads each from their early adult transition through their entrance into the adult world, and then on to the life-altering events in the Age 25 Shift and the Age 30 Transition. From there the text reveals the formative Settling Down Period through events that unfold between the ages of 33-40. The author discusses how this period determines the subsequent course of each one's career and, more importantly, shapes each one's attitudes, values, and convictions of a life as a minister. Using fascinating biographical information from multiple sources, the author builds a well-reasoned case that no matter how long ago these important men lived, their career patterns and lives hold a wealth of insightful information to help you maximize strengths and minimize liabilities in your own career and life today. Young Clergy: A Biographical and Developmental Study closely examines these five historical figure's biographies, and reviews each applicable theoretical career path: Phillips Brooksadvancement within a stable life structure Jonathan Edwardsdecline or failure within a stable structure John Henry Newmanbreaking outtrying for a new structure John Wesleyadvancement produces change in life structure Orestes Brownsonunstable life structure Young Clergy: A Biographical and Developmental Study is an in-depth historical and psychological exploration of the lives of ministers and their relevance for present day clergy, perfect for professors, seminary deans of students, field education directors and their staffs, hospital chaplains involved in vocation issues, young pastors and their pastoral supervisors, and teachers of church history.

Lead Like It Matters to God by Richard Stearns is about how the values Christian leaders embrace are more important than the success they achieve. This eight-session companion study guide explores seventeen values that will transform your leadership. Following the structure of review, reflect, and practice, this dynamic guide also provides discussion starters for groups to have honest conversations about how values-driven leadership not only improves their witness for Christ but also influences culture and creates healthy workplaces where people and teams flourish. Take a look at the seventeen leadership values you will explore in this study guide: Surrender Sacrifice Trust Excellence Love Humility Integrity Vision Courage Generosity Forgiveness Self-Awareness Balance Humor Encouragement Perseverance Listening

This latest collection of studies by James Brundage deals with the emergence of the profession of canon law and with aspects of its practice in the period from the 12th to the 14th centuries. Substantial numbers of lawyers systematically trained in canon law first appeared in Western Europe during the second half of the 12th, century and in the 13th they began to dominate the hierarchy of the Western church. By 1250 canon law had grown into something more than a profitable occupation: it had become a recognizable profession in the strict meaning of the term as it is still used today. University law faculties trained aspiring canonists in the mysteries of their craft and put them through intellectually demanding exercises that terminated in a formal examination before they received their degrees. Judges in church courts formally admitted them to practice after verifying their educational qualifications and administered prescribed rules of conduct. Particular topics are the canonists' system of legal ethics, the education and training of canon lawyers in university law faculties, and some fundamental features of the professional practice of canon law, both in medieval Europe and in the crusading states of the Levant.

Running through the papers collected here is the concern to try and understand the reasons which people thought they had for acting in a certain way, and - not always the same thing - the reasons which they expressed for what they were doing. The book's first section focuses on the theories of government in the late medieval Church, especially the ideas of conciliarism; the second is concerned with the study of medieval guild and city organisation and politics, looking at the communal movement and at the impact of Christianity on the development of republican ideas. In the papers in the final part, Professor Black takes a comparative approach, setting the political thought and traditions of the Islamic world, in particular, alongside those of Western Europe as part of an attempt to understand the origins of the modern state: to know why this emerged in Europe, he argues, it is necessary to ask why it did not develop elsewhere and it is intellectual and cultural factors which provide the most obvious differentiating features.

How did the present authority structures within the Church come into existence? How, if at all, can we justify their existence? What form of authority should exist in the Church? These and other related questions exercise the minds of many Christians in these days when the very notion of authority is questioned, but debate about them is perhaps nowhere more lively than within the ranks of Roman Catholicism. This book offers an important contribution to such debate within that church. Leading Catholic theologians from both sides of the Atlantic take up the key issues: analysing the concept of authority and governance; examining the history of authority within the Roman Catholic church; discussing who should have a say in future developments; exploring ecumenical dimensions, with particular reference to Anglicanism and the Orthodox churches; and suggesting the kind of reforms that might be prudent, as well as ways in which such reforms might be brought about. The book will prove of interest to many Roman Catholics, but given the ecumenical impact of many of the issues explored, it is likely to exert a wide appeal far beyond the confines of that church.

This book presents a comparative study of church order in the East and West of the Christian world. It deals with the development of canon law from the 6th century, the time of Dionysius Exiguus and John Scholastikos, up to the period of Balsamon and Gratian. While the focus is upon Rome and Constantinople, the author includes in his discussion the churches under Islamic rule, in Syria and Persia, and describes the beginnings of Slavonic canon law in Moravia. The issues of church government, the discipline of the clergy (married or celibate), and the question of divorce and re-marriage are key themes. By illustrating how these were faced in the canon law of the Christian churches of late antiquity and the earlier Middle Ages, the book highlights questions of unity and diversity within the Christian tradition.

Leadership leads to vulnerability that requires the security of relationships to endure. Tempered Resilience: How Leaders Are Formed in the Crucible of Change is about forming resilience so leaders can lead through the resistance that always accompanies change. Tod Bolsinger, an organizational and pastoral leader, writes that experiencing resistance leaves us feeling "exposed, unsure, and often discouraged." Honest and supportive relationships are key to flourishing in these moments of vulnerability. Thus the sessions in this guide are designed to lead to honest conversations for self-discovery as well as offering practices that leaders and their teams can take on together. Following the structure of review, reflect, relate, and practice, this guide for both individuals and groups will help you to forge the kind of tempered and resilient leadership that the times demand.

From the author of The Tech-Wise Family 'A fascinating and eye-opening book' - Tom Holland, author of Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind Our greatest need is to be recognised - to be seen, loved, and embedded in rich relationships with the people around us. But for the last century, we've displaced that need with the ease of technology. We've dreamed of power that doesn't require relationship (what the premodern world called magic) and abundance that doesn't require dependence (what Jesus called Mammon). Yet even before a pandemic disrupted that quest, we felt threatened and strangely out of place: lonely, anxious, bored amid endless options, oddly disconnected amid infinite connections. In The Life We're Looking For, bestselling author and cultural critic Andy Crouch reveals how we traded lives of rich relationship for a world of impersonal power - and how each of us can fight back. From the generosity of early Christians to the efforts of entrepreneurs working to create more humane technology, Crouch shows how we can restore true community and put people first in a world dominated by money, power and devices. There is a way out of our impersonal world, into a world where knowing and being known is the heartbeat of our days, our households, and our economies. Where our human vulnerabilities are seen not as something to be escaped but the actual key to our becoming who were made to be together. Where technology serves us rather than masters us - and helps us become more human, not less.

A must for every Catholic bookshelf, this fresh and inspiring book distils the essential thoughts of Pope John Paul II on matters of belief and conscience into one volume. Throughout his more than two decades as the leader of the world's Catholics, John Paul II has spoken both officially and informally on all aspects of life in the modern world. Whether defining the Church's teachings or passionately espousing the basic human rights of all people, he has always eloquently and clearly stated his hopes for the Church and the world. Collected from his encyclicals, speeches, homilies, and statements to fellow bishops, this book includes the pontiff's thoughts at the beginning of the third millennium of Christianity.

Christianity Today Book Award What does it take to be a church planter or other ministry entrepreneur? Most leaders start out with passion, a sense of calling, and a focus on building ministry skills. Such things might get some results, but they are not enough to sustain a healthy ministry-or a healthy life. Beyond the vocational capacities every church planter needs, there's a range of capabilities more difficult to measure but even more essential: what veteran church planter Tim Morey calls spiritual competencies. Morey provides here a practical guide to spiritual formation geared to the unique needs of church planters. He helps readers answer the questions, What are the spiritual capabilities that I as a church planter need to develop? How might I lean into the work Jesus is doing in these vital areas? Spiritual competencies have to do not just with behaviors but also with the motivations, agendas, and scripts that drive behaviors. Morey explores how church planters can become people who invest in their own physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual health accept limits and share responsibilities can be trusted with power are able to stay resilient and grow through difficulties can minister without being noticed find a sustainable pace that helps them avoid burnout The health of a church or any ministry organization is directly linked to the health of its leaders. Church planters may be used to improvising, but when it comes to their spiritual lives, they can't afford to just wing it. Featuring real-life stories from leaders, suggested practices, and discussion questions in each chapter, this book will equip individuals and teams (and those who coach them) to commit to an intentional plan for spiritual formation-for the good of their churches, their relationships, and their own lives as disciples of Jesus.

In John 17: 20-21 Jesus prayed, "My prayer for all of them is that they will be one, just as you and I are one, Father--that just as you are in me and I am in you, so they will be in us, and the world will believe you sent me." (NLT) The Christian church continues to find points of contingency by which they justify their divisions. Many do not realize that it is not the Spirit of God under which they operate, but a subtle counterfeit named Religion. The Spirit of Religion has been the greatest opposition of the Christian Church since its inception. It was the "religious" leaders of Jesus' day who were influenced by this spirit and continually sought to discredit Christ and his teachings. Those who were bound by this spirit sought to silence Christ, and eventually found cause to kill Him. This same spirit at work today continues to cause division, among Christians as well as between Christians and non-Christians. This book has been written to expose the evil influence that Satan has had upon the Christian church under the guise of religion and to release those who have been bound by religions chains by establishing a true relationship with God. Issues addressed in this book include: What is the Spirit of Religion? What is the difference between church doctrine and sin? Why do Christians judge? What does it mean to "be ye separate?" What does the Bible say about those who are Tattooed or Pierced? What is the difference between having a religion and experiencing a relationship with God? ..and much more.

This volume is an examination of the debate over clerical marriage in Reformation polemic, and of its impact on the English clergy in the second half of the sixteenth century. Clerical celibacy was more than an abstract theological concept; it was a central image of mediaeval Catholicism which was shattered by the doctrinal iconoclasm of Protestant reformers. This study sets the debate over clerical marriage within the context of the key debates of the Reformation, offering insights into the nature of the reformers' attempts to break with the Catholic past, and illustrating the relationship between English polemicists and their continental counterparts. The debate was not without practical consequences, and the author sets this study of polemical arguments alongside an analysis of the response of clergy in several English dioceses to the legalisation of clerical marriage in 1549. Conclusions are based upon the evidence of wills, visitation records, and the proceedings of the ecclesiastical courts. Despite the printed rhetoric, dogmatic certainties were often beyond the reach of the majority, and the author's conclusions highlight the chasm which could exist between polemical ideal and practical reality during the turmoil of the Reformation.

The essays in this volume centre upon the epoch-making papacy of Gregory VII (1073-85), and complement the author's major study of the pope. They look at the formation and expression of Gregory's ideas, notably in relation to simony and clerical chastity, and emphasise his religious motivation; attention is also given to the impact of his pontificate on the Anglo-Norman lands and Scandinavia. The book further includes extended discussion of the contrasting figure of Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury (1070-89), and of the complex question of the interaction between him and Pope Gregory.

The theology of sacred or clerical orders of the Latin Church in the high and later Middle Ages developed from an amalgam of texts written from late patristic antiquity through to the early 12th century. Such texts, many studied and edited here, include letters, tracts, sermons, liturgical commentaries, ordination instructions, and canon law pieces. Within these texts multiple topics might be considered, such as the Old and New Testament origins of each of the clerical grades, their number and hierarchical ranking, the duties, dress and moral conduct of a cleric, and ordination ritual. Particularly striking are the multiple duties assigned each grade and their modification in various parts of the Western Church. Many of these texts found their way not only into more formal theological treatments of sacred orders, but also into ordination rites. Probably the most public and visible duty of a cleric was his function as a eucharistic officer, and one essay in this collection deals with perhaps the most famous early medieval depiction of this clerical ritual on the ivory covers of the 9th-century Drogo Sacramentary.

Too often people's understanding of and engagement with 'church' is reduced to corporate worship, when it is so much more. George Lings identifies seven characteristic elements in Christian communities through the ages, which when held in balance enable a richer expression of discipleship, mission and community. In the monastic tradition these elements have distinctive locations: cell (being alone with God), chapel (corporate public worship), chapter (making decisions), cloister (planned and surprising meetings), garden (the place of work), refectory (food and hospitality) and scriptorium (study and passing on knowledge). Through this lens George Lings explores how these seven elements relate to our individual and communal walk with God, hold good for church and family life, and appear in wider society.