This study of recruitment to the ministry of the Church of England in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries overturns many long-standing assumptions about the education and backgrounds of the clergy in late HanoverianEngland and Wales. This study of recruitment to the ministry of the Church of England in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries overturns many long-standing assumptions about the education and backgrounds of the clergy in late HanoverianEngland and Wales. It offers insights into the nature and development of the profession generally and into the role that individual bishops played in shaping the staffing of their dioceses. In its exploration of how it was possible for boys of relatively humble social origins to be promoted into the pulpits of the established Church, it throws light on mechanisms of social mobility and shows how aspirant clergy went about fashioning a credible social andprofessional identity. By examining how would be clergymen were educated and professionally formed, the book shows that, alongside the well-known route through the universities, there was an alternative route via specialist grammar schools. Prospective ordinands might also seek out clerical tutors to help them to study for the academic parts of ordination exams and to prepare for the spiritual and pastoral aspects of their role. These alternativemethods of ordination preparation were sometimes under the cognizance of bishops, and occasionally under their control, but they were generally authored by parish clergy and were small-scale, self-supporting, bottom-up solutions to the needs of upcoming generations of clergy. This book has much to interest historians of religion, culture, class and education, and illustrates how in-depth prosopographical study can offer fresh perspectives. SARA SLINN is Research Fellow at the School of History & Heritage, University of Lincoln.

This book is about the life and thought of Origen (c.185-254 A.D.), the most important Greek-speaking Christian theologian and Biblical scholar in antiquity. His writings included works on the text of the Bible, commentaries and sermons on most of the books of the Bible, a major defense of the Christian faith against a philosophical skeptic, and the first attempt at writing systematic theology ever made. Ronald E. Heine presents Origen's work in the context of the two urban centers where he lived-Alexandria in Egypt, and Caesarea in Palestine. Heine argues that these urban contexts and their communities of faith had a discernable impact on Origen's intellectual work.
The study begins with a description of Roman Alexandria where Origen spent the first forty-six years of his life. The thought of the Alexandrian Christian community in which Origen was born and in whose service he produced his first written works is examined from the limited resources that have survived. The remains of Origen's writings produced in Alexandria provide information about his early theological views as well as the circumstances of his life in Alexandria. Heine discusses the issues of the canon and text of the Bible used by Origen and the Alexandrian Christian community and the special work called the Hexapla which he produced on the text of the Septuagint.
Origen's later life in Caesarea was shaped by pastoral as well as teaching duties. These responsibilities put him in contact with the city's large Jewish population. Heine argues that the focus of Origen's thought shifts in this period from his earlier Alexandrian occupation with Gnostic issues to the complex questions concerning the relationship between church and synagogue and the ultimate fate of the Jews. In his final years it appears that Origen was rethinking some of the views he had espoused in his earlier work.

Edition of the register of a late-medieval bishop's register sheds fascinating light on life at the time. Edward Story, fellow of Pembroke Hall, Cambridge, and later master of Michaelhouse, was also, in two terms as chancellor, a university administrator. But it was as a royal servant that he rose to eminence from about 1460 to servesucceeding monarchs with the impartial efficiency of a career civil servant. Bishop of Carlisle from 1468, he was translated in 1478 to Chichester, which, although conterminous with the county of Sussex, contained several exempt jurisdictions, notably the archbishop of Canterbury's deanery of South Malling. The register begins with Story's primary visitation of his diocese.The full record reveals both the shortcomings of the cathedral chapter and of those religious houses subject to episcopal jurisdiction. Besides purely diocesan matters such as ordinations, collations and institutions, clerical indiscipline and the exercise of his judicial authority, the extraordinary actionsrequired of the bishop are reflected not only in reports of local suspicions of heresy, but also in matters of national importance such as summonses to convocation, clerical taxation, natural disasters such as plague, and external threats to the kingdom. The documents are presented here in translation with full notes and introduction. Janet Stevenson, formerly an assistant editor of the Victoria History of Wiltshire, has edited The Edington Cartulary (Wiltshire Record Society, 42, 1987) and The Durford Cartulary (Sussex Record Society, 90, 2006).

Read the inspiring tales that gave birth to fifty of today's most beloved worship songs.

Fundraising can be one of the most stressful parts of ministry. Budget needs are daunting, prospects seem limited, and the cycle is unending. How do we get off of the treadmill of crisis-driven fundraising to more sustainable ministry funding? Professional fundraiser Brad Layland revolutionizes fundraising and transforms it into a relational process where donors truly become partners in ministry. With decades of expertise in leading multimillion-dollar capital campaigns and working with major donors, he offers a more strategic and personalized yet less labor-intensive approach. Practical insights include ten essential elements of a case and four key steps that lead up to making an ask. Ultimately, fundraising is best done in community, and this book will help you develop a community of people who enjoy giving and want your organization to succeed. Fundraising can become a life-giving, energizing experience of developing partners who fuel your ministry's vision. Discover how you can become fully funded and accomplish the work that God has given you to do.

"An intimate, revealing and sometimes wrenching family memoir of the journalist and social advocate who is now being considered for canonization" (The New York Times), told with illuminating detail by her granddaughter. Dorothy Day (1897-1980) was a prominent Catholic, writer, social activist, and co-founder of a movement dedicated to serving the poorest of the poor. Her life has been documented through her own writings as well as the work of historians, theologians, and academics. What has been missing until now is a more personal account from the point of view of someone who knew her well. Dorothy Day: The World Will Be Saved by Beauty is a frank and reflective, heartfelt and humorous portrayal written by her granddaughter, Kate Hennessy. Dorothy Day, writes Hennessy, is an unusual candidate for sainthood. Before her conversion, she lived what she called a "disorderly life," during which she had an abortion and then gave birth to a child out of wedlock. After her conversion, she was both an obedient servant and a rigorous challenger of the Church. She was a prolific writer whose books are still in print and widely read. Although compassionate, Hennessy shows Day to be driven, dogmatic, loving, as well as judgmental, in particular with her only daughter, Tamar. She was also full of humor and laughter and could light up any room she entered. An undisputed radical heroine, called "a saint for the occupy era" by The New Yorker, Day's story unfolds against a backdrop of New York City from the 1910s to the 1980s and world events spanning from World War I to Vietnam. This thoroughly researched and intimate biography provides a valuable and nuanced portrait of an undersung and provocative American woman. "Frankly," says actor and activist Martin Sheen, "it is a must-read."

Are you equipped to reach perfection? God has called his people to a powerful way of living. We are meant to be fully alive in the authority God has ordained. Perfection is a clarion call to God-empowered righteousness, to remember who we are in Christ Jesus, and to evaluate God's expectations for those who claim to be born again in Him. The church can no longer afford to ignore the gospel that empowers it to be both relevant and powerful. It must purvey unsullied the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit and become the solution to the world's ills that God intended and predestined it to be. Pastor Richard Kuehn clearly outlines the problem of man's sinful nature, the carnal state of rebellion against God, and indifference to the well-being of others, which continue to be the source of all interpersonal and international maliciousness.

Although man has tried many philosophies, psychologies, governments, religions, laws, and organizations, none has provided a lasting peace or a framework for harmonious multi-cultural living. Perfection provides a framework for fulfilling God's righteousness in us and walking as Jesus walked. Discover God's full plan for man's reformation, conformation, and transformation and comprehend the depths and the beauty of His plan to bring His kingdom to pass on earth as it is in heaven.

In the twenty-first century there are an increasing number of books in different fields that are evaluating critically aspects of life in the previous century. The Religious History of British people in this period is a significant part of that story. A Distinctive People will evaluate aspects of the history of one of the Christian denominations in Scotland looking at major themes such as Baptist attitudes to war and pacifism, the influence of the charismatic movement and their involvement in social action, their contribution to ecumenical relations in Scotland and relationships with fellow Baptists in other countries, together with the theological influences on Baptists, and a chapter on home mission. COMMENDATION "This thoroughly researched and engagingly written set of essays will be of keen interest, not to just to Scottish Baptists eager to know about their recent past, but also to all those concerned with the changing place of Christian belief and practice in twentieth-century Scottish society." - Brian Stanley, the University of Edinburgh, UK

This detailed study by Jutta Sperber shows how the magisterium of the Roman-Catholic Church, the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and various parts of the Muslim world from Saudi Arabia to Iran have been engaged in Christian-Muslim dialogues. The mainly anthropological topics range from tolerance and human dignity, the position of women and children, media and education, to mission, resources and nationalism. They paint an interesting picture of the position of Man before God and the world in both Christianity and Islam.

John Milbank's theology has shaped much modern political thinking both within and without the Church. In Before and Beyond the 'Big Society', Joseph Forde presents the first study devoted exclusively to John Milbank's theology of welfare, and how it has influenced policy in the Church of England since 2008. By examining the favourable response the Church gave to the 'Big Society' project in 2010-12, Forde shows that Milbank's Blue Socialist fingerprint increasingly dominates Church policy. This theology has not evolved in a vacuum, however, and Forde expertly places it in its historical and theoretical context. He offers a detailed critical discussion of Milbank's own critique of what has been the mainstream (Temple) Anglican theology of welfare in the Church of England since the 1940s, and a fresh contribution to the assessment of Anglican social theology. Finally, he demonstrates how Milbank's ideas have been furthered by other influential Anglicans. It is this influence that will carry the greatest implications for the Church of England's policy on welfare in future, making this study relevant to all who care about its contribution to the provision of welfare.

Martin Luther considered the reading of God's word to be his primary task as a theologian, a pastor, and a Christian. Though he is often portrayed as reading the Bible with a bare approach of sola Scriptura-without any concern for previous generations' interpretation-the truth is more complicated. In this New Explorations in Theology (NET) volume, Reformation scholar Todd R. Hains shows that Luther read the Bible according to the rule of faith, which is contained in the church's ancient catechism of the Ten Commandments, the Lord's Prayer, and the Apostles' Creed. Hains carefully examines Luther's sermons to show how Luther taught the rule of faith as the guard and guide of Bible reading. This study will helpfully complicate your view of Luther and bring clarity to your own reading of God's Word. Featuring new monographs with cutting-edge research, New Explorations in Theology provides a platform for constructive, creative work in the areas of systematic, historical, philosophical, biblical, and practical theology.

For contemporary Western readers, it can be easy to miss or misread cultural nuances in the New Testament. To hear the text correctly we must be attuned to its original context. As David deSilva demonstrates, keys to interpretation are found in paying attention to four essential cultural themes: honor and shame, patronage and reciprocity, kinship and family, and purity and pollution. Through our understanding of honor and shame in the Mediterranean world, we gain new appreciation for how early Christians sustained commitment to a distinctive Christian identity and practice. By examining the protocols of patronage and reciprocity, we grasp more firmly the connections between God's grace and our response. In exploring kinship and household relations, we grasp more fully the ethos of the early Christian communities as a new family brought together by God. And by investigating the notions of purity and pollution along with their associated practices, we realize how the ancient map of society and the world was revised by the power of the gospel. This new edition is thoroughly revised and expanded with up-to-date scholarship. A milestone work in the study of New Testament cultural backgrounds, Honor, Patronage, Kinship, and Purity offers a deeper appreciation of the New Testament, the gospel, and Christian discipleship.

From the UK Church's complicity in the transatlantic slave trade to the whitewashing of Christianity throughout history, the Church has a lot to answer for when it comes to race relations. Christianity has been dubbed the white man's religion, yet the Bible speaks of an impartial God and shows us a diverse body of believers. It's time for the Church to start talking about race. Ben Lindsay offers eye-opening insights into the black religious experience, challenging the status quo in white majority churches. Filled with examples from real-life stories, including his own, and insightful questions, this book offers a comprehensive analysis of race relations in the Church in the UK and shows us how we can work together to create a truly inclusive church community.