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Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Christianity > Protestantism & Protestant Churches > Anglican & Episcopalian Churches > General
The Church of England Yearbook is a vital resource for anyone
interested in finding out information on the local and national
structures of the Church of England, Anglican Provinces around the
world, and Christian organisations in the UK. Filled with essential
facts, figures and contact details, the 2019 edition contains: *
names and addresses of staff in the 44 dioceses of the Church of
England; * an outline of the national structures of the Church of
England, including the Archbishops' Council; * addresses,
objectives and activities of organizations linked to the Church; *
essential information about the Churches and Provinces in the
worldwide Anglican Communion; * details of ecumenical organizations
linked with the Anglican Church; * a Who's Who directory of General
Synod members and other senior clergy, lay people and senior staff.
Barbara Brown Taylor is one of America's most renowned and beloved
spiritual writers and author of the acclaimed An Altar in the
World. Here she reflects on keeping faith and the relentless
demands that characterise life for so many today. In this moving
and memorable book she writes of her life and work as a priest and
the burden of being one of the most celebrated preachers in
America. She recalls with grace and wit what led her to priestly
ministry, the privilege of exploring the mysteries of God with
others, her growing fame, the crisis it provoked and the unexpected
blessings that followed. Having been part of a team in a large
urban church for ten years, she sought a parish of her own and it
was love at first sight when she was invited to view a small rural
parish in Georgia. Little did she imagine that here Jesus's words
about losing one's life in order to find it would have such impact.
She tells of the rapid growth of the church, the crowds who
travelled miles to hear her preach, the tensions that arose - and
the call to lay it all aside in order to rediscover the authentic
heart of her faith.
John Foxe's ground-breaking chronicle of Christian saints and
martyrs put to death over centuries remains a landmark text of
religious history. The persecution of Christians was for centuries
a fact of living in Europe. Adherence to the faith was a great
personal risk, with the Roman Empire leading the first of such
persecutions against early Christian believers. Many were
crucified, put to the sword, or burned alive - gruesome forms of
death designed to terrify and discourage others from following the
same beliefs. Appearing in 1563, Foxe's chronicle of Christian
suffering proved a great success among Protestants. It gave
literate Christians the ability to discover and read about brave
believers who died for expressing their religion, much as did Jesus
Christ. Perhaps in foretelling, the final chapter of the book
focuses upon the earliest Christian missions abroad: these, to the
Americas, Asia and other locales, would indeed see many more
martyrs put to death by the local populations.
Christopher Craig Brittain offers a wide-ranging examination of
specific events within The Episcopal Church (TEC) by drawing upon
an analysis of theological debates within the church, field
interviews in church congregations, and sociological literature on
church conflict. The discussion demonstrates that interpretations
describing the situation in TEC as a Culture War between Liberals
and Conservatives are deeply flawed. Moreover, the book shows that
the splits that are occurring within the national church are not so
much schisms in the technical sociological sense, but are more
accurately described as a familial divorce, with all the ongoing
messy entwinement that this term evokes. The interpretation of the
dispute offered by the book also counters prominent accounts
offered by leaders within The Episcopal Church. The Presiding
Bishop, Katharine Jefferts-Schori, has portrayed some opponents of
her theological positions and her approach to ethical issues as
being 'fundamentalist', while other 'Progressives' liken their
opponents to the Tea Party movement.
The two key questions often levelled at fresh expressions are 'What
is Church?' and 'How on earth can a fresh expression be evaluated?'
In "Out of Nothing", Andrew Dunlop offers an account of his journey
in starting a fresh expression, and along the way proposes an
alternative theological foundation for evaluation - the
Cross-Shaped approach. Dunlop proposes a theological foundation
which goes to the heart of God's action in the world. Both
accessible and critically engaged, the book will provide an
important resource for both pioneers and for those studying pioneer
ministry.
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