an essay in historical anthropology

Ralph Josselin, vicar of Earls Colne in Essex from 1641 to his death in 1683, kept for almost forty years a remarkably detailed account of his life—his mental and emotional world as well as his activities. Few diaries from this period afford such a rounded picture of a family from so many aspects. Alan Macfarlane, a historian and lecturer in social anthropology at Cambridge University, explores through the diary Josselin's life as farmer, businessman, Puritan clergyman, neighbor, husband, and father, providing a unique view of a seventeenth-century life from the inside.

"The great merit of Macfarlane's book is that it poses questions; it teaches historians to look very much more closely, and in new ways, at familiar evidence; it brings familiar relationships into the centre of scrutiny; and it offers, in a significant way, the unit of one man's life, and one man's economic fortunes, as a focus of study." —E.P. Thompson, Midland History

"Alan Macfarlane [is] a yound historian who has already deepened out understanding of seventeenth-century English society." —Christopher Hill, Renaissance Quarterly

"Ralph Josselin's diary when subjected to Macfarlane's anthropological tools provides major insights into the life of a yeoman-priest, his community, and the vision peculiar to that lost world." —John J. Waters, New England Quarterly

"Historians . . . will find this book valuable as well as enormously enjoyable." —D. H. Pennington, American Historical Review

"By any standards, however exacting, this is a remarkable addition to seventeenth-century studies. . . . . A crisply written and penetrating study of a man's mind, circustances, and environment. . . . This is social history with the politics—and all the rest of the blood, sweat, and tears—very much left in, as it should be, but all too rarely is." —Times Literary Supplement

Originating in 1867 under the presidency of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lambeth Conference has proactively shaped the modern world by influencing areas as diverse as the ecumenical movement, post-war international relations, and the spiritual lives of hundreds of millions. A team of distinguished scholars from around the world now detail the historical legacy, theological meaning, and pastoral purpose of the Anglican Communion's decennial councils. The next Lambeth Conference will be crucial for the Anglican Communion, which is currently afflicted by destructive tensions over matters long central to Christian identity, such as the nature of holy orders, the definition of sexual morality, and the scope of ecclesial authority. Whether in supplication or celebration, both nurtured by diverse cultural contexts and furthered by the scope of ecumenical horizons, these essays break new ground. The Lambeth Conference is a faithful testament to generations past, and a spur to the ongoing restoration of Anglican theology and devotion in the present.

C. S. Lewis was one of the twentieth century's foremost Christian authors - at once a scholar, a teacher, a social critic, an amateur yet profound theologian, and an apologist. This study of his writings provides a perceptive and illuminating guide to readers who may be unacquainted with Lewis; a help to those wishing to understand him better; and an evaluation for those who want a survey of his works as a whole. Clyde S. Kilby examines Lewis's Christian works one by one, compares them with each other and with books by other authors, and discovers and elucidates the themes that recur throughout the main body of Lewis's writings.

The Book of Waking Up invites you to wake to your coping mechanisms, find the why behind your pain, and walk into the Divine Love of God. The inevitable pain of life gives us many reasons to check out--and many ways to do it. Alcohol, entertainment, pills, shopping, porn, chasing success, cashing checks, and collecting social media "likes"--these and so many other things anesthetize us from the wounds of everyday living. As Seth Haines wrote in his award-winning book, Coming Clean, "We're all drunk on something." In his compelling follow-up, The Book of Waking Up, Seth invites you into the story of healing. He invites you to see your coping mechanisms for what they are--lesser lovers, which cannot bring the peace, freedom, and wholeness you crave. Through guided reflections, sustainable soul practices, and stories from Seth's life and others, The Book of Waking Up points you toward the Divine Love of God that has the power to transform your life. As Seth writes, "Addiction is misplaced adoration." Now, join him on a journey toward the only Love worth adoring, the only Love that cures a soul. Join him on the journey to waking up.

Anglicanism is one of the largest and most widely dispersed of all religious traditions. How it reached this status is replete with irony and with conflict. The origins of Anglicanism lie in the Church of England, still its largest branch and arguably its defining center. But the majority of Anglicans now reside in sub-Saharan Africa and do not speak English as their primary language. Given Anglicanism's roots, and its integration into British colonialism, the expansion of this branch of Christianity seems puzzling. Moreover, intramural Anglican conflict, from the end of colonialism onward, seemingly has torn the fabric of Anglican life. It seems problematic that this tradition, and the church bodies that represent it, will remain intact. By looking at the Church through the lens of the biblical theme of promise, this book seeks to offer neither lament for a tattered tradition nor facile hope for an expanding one. It considers the key phases of Anglican history, each defined by clear intentions, from securing English national life, to mission, to finding contextual roots in various locales. Whilst not denying that the ongoing contestation about the proper shape of Anglican faith and practice has become central, the book highlights the emergence of fresh consensus among Anglicans, centered on grassroots initiative and innovation, creating informal patterns of collaboration that can transcend context and overlook divergence.

"Straw for the Bricks" explores theological reflection as a tool for ministerial training and development. The book offers a new resource for theological conversation at the beginning of the 21st century: it breaks new ground in exploring how a model of conversation can be used to lay a foundation for learning which provides a new architecture for both academic curriculum and personal formation. In addition, this book offers a practical guide to good practice supported by the lived experience of educators from All Saints Centre for Mission and Ministry working across several disciplines. No other such detailed practical guide is currently in print. This will become an important resource for those within theological education institutions, adult theological educators; those with responsibility for continuing ministerial development, mentoring and discipleship; and any lay person who seeks to live a life of faith in conversation with culture and the Judaeo-Christian tradition.

The Recent Past From a Southern Standpoint: Reminiscences of a Grandfather

The Recent Past From a Southern Standpoint: Reminiscences of a Grandfather Authored by Richard H. Wilmer

Exorcism is more widespread in contemporary England than perhaps at any other time in history. The Anglican Church is by no means the main provider of this ritual, which predominantly takes place in independent churches. However, every one of the Church of England dioceses in the country now designates at least one member of its clergy to advise on casting out demons. Such `deliverance ministry' is in theory made available to all those parishioners who desire it. Yet, as Francis Young reveals, present-day exorcism in Anglicanism is an unlikely historical anomaly. It sprang into existence in the 1970s within a church that earlier on had spent whole centuries condemning the expulsion of evil spirits as either Catholic superstition or evangelical excess. This book for the first time tells the full story of the Anglican Church's approach to demonology and the exorcist's ritual since the Reformation in the sixteenth century. The author explains how and why how such a remarkable transformation in the Church's attitude to the rite of exorcism took place, while also setting his subject against the canvas of the wider history of ideas.

The Oxford History of Anglicanism is a major new and unprecedented international study of the identity and historical influence of one of the world's largest versions of Christianity. This global study of Anglicanism from the sixteenth century looks at how was Anglican identity constructed and contested at various periods since the sixteenth century; and what was its historical influence during the past six centuries. It explores not just the ecclesiastical and theological aspects of global Anglicanism, but also the political, social, economic, and cultural influences of this form of Christianity that has been historically significant in western culture, and a burgeoning force in non-western societies today. The chapters are written by international exports in their various historical fields which includes the most recent research in their areas, as well as original research. The series forms an invaluable reference for both scholars and interested non-specialists. Volume two of The Oxford History of Anglicanism explores the period between 1662 and 1829 when its defining features were arguably its establishment status, which gave the Church of England a political and social position greater than before or since. The contributors explore the consequences for the Anglican Church of its establishment position and the effects of being the established Church of an emerging global power. The volume examines the ways in which the Anglican Church engaged with Evangelicalism and the Enlightenment; outlines the constitutional position and main challenges and opportunities facing the Church; considers the Anglican Church in the regions and parts of the growing British Empire; and includes a number of thematic chapters assessing continuity and change.

God's Church in the World: The Gift of Catholic Mission presents a confident and joyful assertion of the Catholic character of Christian mission and its sacramental nature, exploring the transforming role the Catholic tradition can play in evangelism. A range of outstanding contributors explore the gifts that the Catholic tradition - formed by a conviction that the presence of Christ in the Eucharist intensifies and motivates an awareness of the sacramental presence of Christ in the world - can bring to the church's engagement with the world. Chapters include: * Mission and the Life of Prayer * Mission and the Sacraments * Catholic Mission in Practice * The Virgin Mary and Mission * Vocation and Mission * The Sacraments as Converting Ordinances * Social Justice and Growth in Anglo-Catholic Churches * Reflections on Scripture and Catholic Mission * Catholic Mission: Historical Perspectives The contributors represent the breadth of Catholic traditions and identities in the Church of England today.

Daily encounters with danger and death lead to greater faith

As the minister of St George's Anglican Church, Baghdad, Andrew White encounters daily tragedy, yet he remains a man of profound faith. Under constant threat of death, shadowed by bodyguards, he builds and encourages and loves and consoles his beleaguered congregation.

In this candid book he squarely answers the questions that his circumstances force into the open. What happened to his faith, for example, when a young girl in his congregation died, after much hope and prayer? He is trusted by all sides in this tormented region, and has met the best and worst: articulate, agreeable imams and rabbis; Christian venality and dishonesty. What has kept him willing to see the best?

Every time he returns to Iraq, he may be saying goodbye to his family for the last time. What do they think? He suffers from MS. How does he remain cheerful despite his physical weakness, and its progression? What does he say to God, alone in his study, late at night? He has been caught up in momentous events. Can he see the hand of God? Looking ahead, can he be optimistic about the future? Where are his sources of spiritual energy? He solicits prayer: why?

Combines the Common Worship Lectionary and the Book of Common Prayer Lectionary in one volume

This history celebrates the Catholic League, an ecumenical society founded in 1913 to promote the unity of Christians and to encourage the journey of all towards the visible unity of the whole Church. It was founded by Anglicans who believed passionately that the future of their Church lay in the reunion of all Christians in a common Catholic and Apostolic faith in restored full communion with the Successor of Peter in the see of Rome. Today, its members include Anglicans, Roman Catholics, Orthodox, Eastern Catholic, Free Church Christians who work together in pursuit of the League's four objectives: - The promotion of fellowship among those who profess the Catholic faith; - The union of all Christians with the Apostolic See of Rome; - The spread of the Catholic faith; - The deepening of the spiritual life.

The Society of St John the Evangelist, otherwise known as the Cowley Fathers, was the first men's religious order to be founded in the Church of England since the Reformation, as a result of the spread and influence of the Oxford Movement and its Anglo-Catholic spirituality in the 19th century. Established in Oxford in 1866, its charismatic founder, Richard Meux Benson worked closely with American priests and just four years later a congregation was founded in Massachusetts that flourishes to this day. The charism of the order embraced high regard of theology with practical service, fostered by an emphasis on prayer and personal holiness. Cowley, a poor and rapidly expanding village on the outskirts of Oxford, provided ample opportunity for service. At its height, the English congregation had houses in Oxford (now St Stephen's House) and Westminster where figures such as C S Lewis sought spiritual direction. Now no longer operating as a community in Britain, this definitive and comprehensive history records its significant contribution to Anglicanism then and now.

Paul Avis charts a pathway of theological integrity through the serious challenges facing the Anglican Communion in the first quarter of the 21st century. He asks whether there is a special calling for Anglicanism as an expression of the Christian Church and expounds the Anglican theological tradition to shed light on current controversies. He argues in conclusion that Anglicanism is called, like all the churches, to reflect the nature of the Church that we confess in the Creed to be one, holy, catholic and apostolic. The book provides a clear view of the way that the Anglican tradition holds together aspects of the church that in other traditions are sometimes allowed to drift apart, as the Anglican understanding of the Church reveals itself to be catholic and reformed, episcopal and synodical, universal and local, biblical and reasonable, traditional and open to fresh insight. Avis combines accessible scholarly analysis with constructive arguments that will bring fresh hope and vision to Anglicans around the world.

The Gospel, Sexual Abuse and the Church has been written by the Faith and Order Commission of the Church of England in response to a request from the lead bishop for safeguarding for theological material that complements the work of the National Safeguarding Team on policy and training. It has been approved for publication and commended for study by the House of Bishops. The Gospel, Sexual Abuse and the Church is intended to be used by those with responsibility for teaching and preaching in the Church of England, including clergy and licensed lay ministers, and those with specific responsibilities for safeguarding training. The three main sections provide material that can be used for training sessions and study days, with groups such as a PCC or Church Council, a ministry team, or a discussion group. Each section includes suggested quotations for reflection, discussion questions and a 'Bible focus'. 'Safeguarding raises significant theological questions for Christians: questions about humanity, sin, grace, forgiveness, reconciliation and the church. Making space for grappling with the issues that arise here is essential if the church is going to be able to speak about God and about the gospel both when it is seeking to do safeguarding well and when it is reacting to situations where something has gone badly wrong.' - From the Preface by The Right Revd Dr Christopher Cocksworth, Chair of the Faith and Order Commission

Andrew White is something of a legend: a man of great charm and energy, whose personal suffering has not deflected him from his important ministry of reconciliation. Andrew grew up in London, the son of strongly religious parents: by the age of five he could repeat the five points of Calvinism. As a child and young man he was frequently ill, but his considerable intelligence meant that his studies did not suffer. He set his heart on becoming an anaesthetist, an ambition he achieved, only to be redirected by God to Anglican ministry. Since ordination he has had a considerable role in the work of reconciliation, both between Christian and Jew and between Shi'ite and Sunni Muslim. Often in danger, and always in pain, he has nevertheless been able to mediate between opposing extremes. A man of God, he is trusted by those who trust very few.

For Such a Time as This takes a radical look at the ministry of Deacons in the Church. It brings biblical, theological and ecumenical perspectives to bear on a ministry that many believe has not yet realised its full potential. Diakonia is reinterpreted in the light of recent biblical research as fundamental commissioning for ministry - one that expresses the essential nature of the whole Church and underlies all ordained ministry. Deacons are seen as go-between or link persons in the mission space between the Churchs liturgy and the needy world. This report of a Working Party of the House of Bishops, set up by the General Synod, also comments on the implications for lay ministry and proposes a concrete job description or ministerial profile for a renewed diaconate, one that is not merely transitional to the priesthood. The Report argues that the Diaconate comes into its own at times of social change and cultural crisis and that the time is now right to renew the diaconate for the sake of mission.

Thomas Cranmer, the architect of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, was the archbishop of Canterbury who guided England through the early Reformation-and Henry VIII through the minefields of divorce. This is the first major biography of him for more than three decades, and the first for a century to exploit rich new manuscript sources in Britain and elsewhere. Diarmaid MacCulloch, one of the foremost scholars of the English Reformation, traces Cranmer from his east-Midland roots through his twenty-year career as a conventionally conservative Cambridge don. He shows how Cranmer was recruited to the coterie around Henry VIII that was trying to annul the royal marriage to Catherine, and how new connections led him to embrace the evangelical faith of the European Reformation and, ultimately, to become archbishop of Canterbury. By then a major English statesman, living the life of a medieval prince-bishop, Cranmer guided the church through the king's vacillations and finalized two successive versions of the English prayer book. MacCulloch skillfully reconstructs the crises Cranmer negotiated, from his compromising association with three of Henry's divorces, the plot by religious conservatives to oust him, and his role in the attempt to establish Lady Jane Grey as queen to the vengeance of the Catholic Mary Tudor. In jail after Mary's accession, Cranmer nearly repudiated his achievements, but he found the courage to turn the day of his death into a dramatic demonstration of his Protestant faith. From this vivid account Cranmer emerges a more sharply focused figure than before, more conservative early in his career than admirers have allowed, more evangelical than Anglicanism would later find comfortable. A hesitant hero with a tangled life story, his imperishable legacy is his contribution in the prayer book to the shape and structure of English speech and through this to the molding of an international language and the theology it expressed.

This is a work of considerable strategic importance for the ecumenical movement and for the Anglican Communion. It describes and interprets Anglican understanding of the Christian Church, from the Reformation to the present day.This book presents the development of Anglican identity and ecclesiology in its historical context, focusing particularly on Anglican engagement with the Roman Catholic and Protestant traditions. The book also provides substantial accounts of the major Anglican theologians, from Richard Hooker to modern writers.In this new and expanded edition, Paul Avis includes discussions of the influence of evangelical theology and reflects on the integrity of Anglicanism for the future.