An invaluable one-stop reference point for a wide range of biblical and ecclesiastical terms. Includes simple definitions for words frequently used in relation to church buildings, their contents, and in many aspects of church organization and worship. Revised and expanded to include the many changes brought about by Common Worship.

The Anglican answer to this question is clearly given in this unrivalled short guide to the origins, structure, ministry and values of the Churches of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Paul Avis explains and clarifies the history and theology involved. The reader is introduced to the concepts in a structured way, making the book clear to those who may be coming to these issues for the first time. It will also form an invaluable aide-memoire and reference tool for the specialist, presenting a clear outline of the structure, form, function, disposition and beliefs of the Church. Concise and informative, this is an ideal handbook and textbook.

In 1974 the Church of England published a groundbreaking report on euthanasia. Considered by many Christians to be one of the key texts on the subject, it has now been revised and updated with important new additions and commentaries. On Dying Well investigates moral, theological, clinical and legal arguments for and against voluntary euthanasia. It presents arguments on both sides and considers real cases, thereby locating the issues in their clinical context. The report is both intellectually robust and sensitive to the realities of death. On Dying Well is, therefore, as much a contribution to the debate on euthanasia today as it was 25 years ago. The report, while recognising that there may be exceptional cases demanding special decisions, nevertheless concludes that the case for legalising voluntary euthanasia is not one that can be supported. The conclusions are satisfactory because they emerge from careful examination of the issues and reasoned arguments. Anyone who is concerned about euthanasia, or who would like to deepen their own reflections on the subject, should read On Dying Well.

An engaging portrait of one of the most influential and greatly-loved bishops of the Church of England in the twentieth century. He was a Franciscan scholar of world renown, a quintessential Anglican and untiring ecumenist.

This book represents a continuation of study, debate, and conversation, particularly within the Episcopal Church in the U.S., concerning the authority and function of the Bible in the church. The content of the debate and conversation, however, will be of interest and benefit also to members of other church bodies. A helpful study guide appears at the beginning of the book to assist individuals and group to work through the various contributions and to draw their own conclusions regarding the Bible's role in today's church. The literal and plain sense of the scriptures, the matter in which the Bible is to be regarded as incarnate in history and human limitations, and the degree to which it is subject to historical conditions-these and a host of other critical issues provide the focus of the book. Special attention is directed to the issue of the growing biblical illiteracy in society, leading one of the contributors to warn that "biblical illiteracy is the precursor to spiritual death and communal dissolution." The main chapters include" "The 'Official position' of the Episcopal Church on the Authority of Scripture: Historical Development and Ecumenical Comparison" (J. Robert Wright); "Holy Book, Holy People: A Study of the Authority and Use of the Bible" (Charles P. Price); "'For Freedom Christ Has Set You Free': The Interpretation and Authority of Scripture in Contemporary Theologies of Liberation" (Ellen K. Wondra); "Reading the Bible as the Word of God" (Stephen F. Noll); "The Scriptures in the Life of the Church" (Richard A. Norris, Jr.). The editor, Frederick Houk Borsch, is Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles.

Mullings and Musings is a collection of 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. 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, currently reside outside Clarksville, Tennessee.

When change in the Anglican Church is controversial, such as the ordination of women, those on both sides of the debate appear to reason and tradition to strengthen their argument. This important study explores the limits of that tradition.

Wise and informed commentary on the lectionary readings for the principal service in Year C. The authors represent a wide spectrum of theology but their shared concern for excellence in preaching have combined to produce an inspirational volume.

Calling All God's People offers a theological starting point to reflect on your calling and the calling of all God's people. It shows that whoever we are, whether young or old, wherever we are from, we are all invited to join in with God's life-affirming and transforming work. Calling All God's People explores three key themes from the Christian tradition - calling, discipleship and ministry - and includes real-life stories to help you imagine what calling looks like for different people in different contexts, as well as questions to ponder individually or in groups. It aims to broaden your imagination and help you ask how God might involve you in a transforming vision for the whole of life.

Covers the story of "The Nine O'Clock Services" which received heavy publicity in 1995, following the exposure of scandals and abuses at the hands of the leader, Chris Brain. This book follows the development of the church and draws comparisons with other alternative churches.

The Archbishops' Commission on the Organisation of the Church of England has carried out a more comprehensive review of the national institutions of the Church than has ever before been undertaken. Its recommendations are far-reaching and, if implemented, would radically change the ways in which the Church of England operates. This would involve a redefinition of how episcopal leadership and synodical governance can work most effectively together in resolving policy and resource issues at the national level, a change of working culture, and much closer integration at the national level and with dioceses. The report sets out clearly the theological principles which led the Commission to its conclusions, describes briefly the existing central structures and goes on to outline the proposals for a new National Council for the Church of England.

Transforming Priesthood offers a major theological reappraisal of the present and future role of the parish priest in Britain. Although written primarily with Anglicans in mind, the book is full if insights for partner churches - especially for those in which professional ministers and lay people recognize the need to collaborate effectively in carrying forward the mission and ministry of the whole Church. 'At last, here we have a practical, imaginative, and intelligent vision of priesthood for today's Church of England and beyond it. Dr Greenwood is widely experienced in parish ministry as well as at diocesan level and in academic theology. He is both realistic and theologically perceptive about contemporary England and its churches. His analyses are convincing; he is in touch with the livliest developments at local level and in theological thinking; and at the heart of his prescription is a relevant and passionate affirmation of the Trinitarian God. The result is a book that should not only stimulate debate of the right kind at a time of momentous change in all churches, it should also help to nurture Christian vocations, both as laity and parish priests.' David F Ford, Regius Professor of Divinity, University of Cambridge.

American Episcopalians have long prided themselves on their love of consensus and their position as the church of American elites. They have, in the process, often forgotten that during the nineteenth century their church was racked by a divisive struggle that threatened to tear apart the very fabric of the Episcopal Church. On one side of this struggle was a powerful and aggressive Evangelical party who hoped to make the Episcopal Church into the democratic head of "the sisterhood of Evangelical Churches" in America; on the other side was the Oxford Movement, equally powerful and aggressive but committed to a range of Romantic principles which celebrated disillusion and disgust with evangelicalism and democracy alike. The resulting conflict--over theology, liturgy, and, above all, culture--led to the schism of 1873, in which many Evangelicals left the church to form the Reformed Episcopal Church. For the Union of Evangelical Christendom tells this largely forgotten story using the case of the Reformed Episcopalians to open up the ironic anatomy of American religion at the turn of the century.

Today, as the Episcopal Church once again finds itself enmeshed in cultural and religious crisis, the remembrance of a similar crisis a century ago brings an eerily prophetic ring to this remarkable work of cultural and religious history.

Many denominations have faced serious identity crisis in recent years. Who are we? We do we exist? What is our mission given the radical political, social, and economic changes that have occurred in this century? What does it mean to be church in a pluralistic, postmodern world? In an effort to answer these and related questions, denominations have rediscovered their origins and redefined themselves and their mission in ways that are consistent with their history. Additional research into denominational histories and the rewriting of these histories has been of significant import in helping today's churches relate to their times. David L. Holmes has produced a relatively concise, highly literary 400-year history of the Episcopal Church, its successes and its failures. He has clearly tied this history to the Anglican Reformation that emerged from Henry VIII's break with Roman Catholicism (an appendix on the annulment of Henry VIII has been included for those who may be unfamiliar with what precipitated the crisis between Henry and the Roman Church). This book, then, provides a readable and accurate account of the beginnings of the Anglican Church in America at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607, to the establishment of the Protestant Episcopal Church in America after the War of Independence, to the present day. Although only sixth in terms of numbers in the United States, David Holmes concludes, the denomination that first appeared in the colonies as the Church of England 400 years ago has become substantially Americanized. It may be second to none in the nation in terms of power and influence. All who are interested in American church history and in the influence of the Episcopal Church on American history will find David Holmes's account fascinating and helpful. David L. Holmes is Professor of American Religion and Church History at the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia.

At a time if division and crisis in the Church of England, its identity and mission have come into question as never before. Its own members, but also the wider community of Christians in both East and West, need to understand its history and the reasons for its present crisis, as well as the distinctive contribution it can make to the Great Church of the future. Aidan Nichols provides a clear summary and analysis of the history of the Church of England by way of a sensitive appraisal of its rich theological tradition. This also gives the reader a firm grasp of the context of the issues currently being discussed by the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission. Aidan Nichols, O.P. is a member of the Dominican community at Blackfriars, Cambridge. He is the author is Rome and the Eastern Churches, The Shape of Catholic Theology and many other books.

Despite the importance of Evangelism, the history of the Evangelicals in the Church of England has been the subject of no extensive study since G.R. Balleine's classic work of 1908. Incorporating subsequent research, and bringing to bear the most modern scholarly disciplines, Dr Hylson Smith has now provided an up-to-date, comprehensive and perceptive account of the Evangelical movement from the time of the Wesleys and Whitefield to the present day. Kenneth Hylson-Smith has doctoral degrees from Leicester and London. He is Bursar and Fellow of St. Cross College, Oxford.

The history of the Methodist attempt to evangelize Native Americans is riddled with spectacular failures as well as dramatic successes. In this balanced yet forthright account, Homer Noley helps you gain new insights and a richer understanding of Methodist missionary activities with native Americans from the 1600s to today."

WHY TAYLOR TODAY? Jeremy Taylor is more than a famous figure from the Anglican past for much of what he created theologically remains an ingredient in Anglicanism today. Seen against the background of his own times, he stands out in a period rich in theological ability. Seen from the angle of our times, Taylor commands our attention as a precursor. His Real Presence and Spiritual (1654) anticipates aspects of eucharistic theology in the Lima Report (1982) and in the Final Report (1982) or ARCIC I. His moral theology forms the context for his sacramental theology and forestalls much of the development characteristic of the twentieth-century revolution in that subject. He has moreover the curious capacity of appearing to make himself at times our contemporary. A man of paradox, both Laudon and liberal, steeped in the great tradition yet: on occasion strangely modern, he persistently defies easy classification. He is a theologian of affiliations but of no party, holding 'the faith once 'for all delivered' but expounding it with originality, and individuality. Taylor always remains his own man. Deeply and widely learned and enormously productive even throughout the years of national turmoil and amid personal losses, he can be exciting in his handling of themes expressed in that style which has, ensured for him a place in English literature. This book attempts an evaluation of his eucharistic theology - not hitherto examined in depth - which is firmly sited by Taylor within his overall picture of the Christian life.

This historic report, first published in 1985, was released four years after Lord Scarman's report on the Brixton disorders, and at a time of continuing urban unrest, yet is still of great relevance today. Faith in the City asks what future is there for our inner cities and housing estates, and considers how should the Church of England, and other bodies, including government should respond. This was the brief given by the Archbishop of Canterbury to a distinguished 18-member Commission drawn from a wide range of backgrounds. After two years of taking evidence and visiting the major cities where economic, physical and social conditions are at their most acute and depressing, the Commission's report paints a disturbing picture. The report makes recommendations to the Church about its place and responsibilities in the urban priority areas. Important recommendations are also made about public policy issues: unemployment, housing, social and community work, education, policing, and urban policy. In its call for action on a broad front, the Commission argues that Church and State must have faith in the city. There needs to be a clear commitment - and a positive response - by the nation as a whole.

For almost 200 years, the city of Birmingham has been a key location for the training of clergy. From 1828 Anglican clergy studied at the Queen's College and in 1881 the Methodist Church developed their own training facility at Handsworth College. In this book, Andrew Chandler tells the tale of these two colleges. This is a history not simply of the creation and evolution of these two religious institutions, but a study full of significance for the wider history of Christianity in British society across the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The foundation of both colleges occurred in a confident age of civic progress and reform and their subsequent histories reveal much that was at work in the experience of the British churches at large. They were at first expressions of denominational identity and a determination to educate a class of clergy. In time they found themselves negotiating new prospects within the ecumenical currents of a later age and the deepening realities of secularization. In 1970 they united. This is a book which blends local, national and international dimensions and also shows how the two theological colleges came to embrace all kinds of intellectual, cultural, social and political history in a period of restless change.