Grasping the Heel of Heaven honours the immense legacy to the church of Michael Perham. A skilled and imaginative liturgist, a passionate advocate of women's ministry, an inspirational dean and bishop, a wise and patient administrator, he was above all a faithful priest who loved the Church as the body of Christ. In all his ministry he sought to nourish that body by encouraging its worship and prayer and shaping its governance in the light of gospel ideals. In this volume, friends and colleagues bring their own expertise to reflect on some of the topics and themes that were most important to him, including: * Being transported and transformed by liturgy * The making of Common Worship * The full inclusion of the ministry of women * How structures and decision-making express an understanding of God * Unity despite differences in and through God * The gospel as good news for all Together, the contributors reflect the numerous ways that Michael Perham saw heaven touching earth and earth glimpsing heaven.

This title presents a fresh look at the issue of establishment of the Church of England in an ecumenical, multi-cultural and secular context. This book offers a definitive account of the recent history and theology of the establishment of the Church of England. Written in an accessible style and at the same time rooted in serious scholarship, it offers a range of views and opinions as well as an awareness of contemporary political and social problems. It asks a number of penetrating questions, including the key issue of the extent to which churches, and particularly the Church of England, can be protected from equality legislation, while at the same time expecting to have special political and social privileges. This issue relates to the thorny problems of the reform of the House of Lords, and even to the future of the Monarchy. While there is no effort to impose a particular agenda or solution, the book is nevertheless often provocative and suggests a number of ways forward for establishment. It is intended as a lively contribution to an often-overlooked debate, which has nevertheless become increasingly important in the multi-cultural context of contemporary Britain. "Affirming Catholicism" is a progressive movement in the Anglican Church, drawing inspiration and hope from the Catholic tradition, confident that it will bear the gifts of the past into the future. The books in this series aim to make the Catholic element within Anglicanism once more a positive force for the Gospel, and a model for effective mission today.

Anger is one of our most dynamic and forceful emotions moving us very powerfully. Emotions are not good or bad; they are simply part of life. What we choose to do with these emotions indicates whether they become positive or negative. If angry feelings are suppressed they may never become recognized or named. This could lead to mental health problems. Anger turned inwards is the cause of many relationship problems. Anger may trigger anxiety. Anxiety may in turn produce anger. Just because you are angry does not necessarily imply that you have a problem. Anger is after all, part of a natural response that aids in our survival and helps us to protect others. Anger, can therefore give one the courage to protect our loved ones; it may warn others not to take advantage of us and in some instances confirm our own individuality. Anger can also be a healthy emotion, as it can lead us to take appropriate action. Anger can also help us to make right the wrongs in our lives and to face up to our personal issues. Facing up to your anger can also lead to the contribution of positive self-esteem and enhanced feelings of self-worth. Anger does not always lead to devastating circumstances. However, left untreated, it can lead to psychological problems or can actually exacerbate existing ones. As medical intervention can be an effective antidote for infectious diseases, similarly applying anger management strategies can be an effective antidote to dysfunctional anger and recurring resentments. Serious physical wounds need serious medicine and require the skill of a physician to detect the source of the problem. Serious deep-rooted anger also requires the attention and skill of a health care professional.

Anger is one of our most dynamic and forceful emotions moving us very powerfully. Emotions are not good or bad; they are simply part of life. What we choose to do with these emotions indicates whether they become positive or negative. If angry feelings are suppressed they may never become recognized or named. This could lead to mental health problems. Anger turned inwards is the cause of many relationship problems. Anger may trigger anxiety. Anxiety may in turn produce anger. Just because you are angry does not necessarily imply that you have a problem. Anger is after all, part of a natural response that aids in our survival and helps us to protect others. Anger, can therefore give one the courage to protect our loved ones; it may warn others not to take advantage of us and in some instances confirm our own individuality. Anger can also be a healthy emotion, as it can lead us to take appropriate action. Anger can also help us to make right the wrongs in our lives and to face up to our personal issues. Facing up to your anger can also lead to the contribution of positive self-esteem and enhanced feelings of self-worth. Anger does not always lead to devastating circumstances. However, left untreated, it can lead to psychological problems or can actually exacerbate existing ones. As medical intervention can be an effective antidote for infectious diseases, similarly applying anger management strategies can be an effective antidote to dysfunctional anger and recurring resentments. Serious physical wounds need serious medicine and require the skill of a physician to detect the source of the problem. Serious deep-rooted anger also requires the attention and skill of a health care professional.

This book is a collection of essays by leading theologians and church leaders on the implications of the proposed Anglican Covenant, which has been offered as a solution to the recent crises facing worldwide Anglicanism. At the Anglican Primates' meeting in February 2007, a draft Covenant was commended for study by the constituent churches of the Anglican Communion. This book presents a sober and dispassionate discussion of the theology and politics behind the Covenant. The writers represent a number of different theological traditions and disciplines within and beyond Anglicanism. What unites them is a desire to understand other opinions and to listen to different views. The contributors include theological educators, church historians, ethicists, biblical scholars, and canonists from different parts of the Anglican Communion and from ecumenical partners. While the book aims to be dispassionate and to stand apart from the rhetoric of ecclesiastical parties, it also offers original and thought-provoking discussions based on detailed and thorough scholarship. Affirming Catholicism is a progressive movement in the Anglican Church, drawing inspiration and hope from the Catholic tradition, confident that it will bear the gifts of the past into the future. The books in this series aim to make the Catholic element within Anglicanism once more a positive force for the Gospel, and a model for effective mission today.

This is a compelling case study of a distinctive theological theme - the eschatological interpetation of the historical Jesus in Edwardian England - as an attempt to add greater precision to the history of theology in a neglected period. Looking at the impact of Adolf Harnack, Alfred Loisy, Albert Schweitzer and Johannes Weiss on biblical studies and theology before the First World War, Chapman argues that the future course of theology, in which eschatology played such a crucial role, was already mapped at this time. Assessing the work of William Sanday F.C. Burkitt and George Tyrrell, Chapman looks at the theological diplomacy between Britain, France and Germany and uncovers a cultural crisis that made eschatology such an appealing idea.>

What is Anglicanism? How is it different from other forms of Christianity, and how did it come to have so many different versions throughout the world? Although originally united by location and a common belief, Anglicanism has gradually lost its pre-eminence as the English state church due to increasing pluralisation and secularisation. While there are distinctive themes and emphases which emerge from its early history and theology, there is little sense of unity in Anglicanism today. In Anglicanism: A Very Short Introduction, Mark Chapman highlights the diversity of contemporary Anglicanism by exploring its fascinating history, theology, and structures. Putting the history and development of the religion into context, Chapman reveals what it is that holds Anglicanism together despite the recent crises that threaten to tear it apart. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

BBC sports presenter Mark Chapman is no longer in his physical prime. There is an argument to suggest he has never been in his physical prime. Now in his forties, he is facing a world of knee replacements and ever-expanding waistlines, whilst his children are thriving. There is huge pride that they are doing so well, mixed with a fair amount of jealousy that actually they are better at a wide range of sport than he ever was. He is passionate about sport and it has played a huge part in his life. His parents encouraged him from a very early age and he wants to pass the baton on to his son and daughters. Although there is every chance he might drop it and have a massive strop instead. He is also very aware of the huge changes in sport today compared to when he was growing up; and he is determined that his own attitude to his son and daughters' sport - be it football, netball, cricket or gymnastics - will be exactly the same. And he wants to shine a light on grass roots sports - the incredible and largely unsung contribution that volunteers make in the sporting commnity, without whom - for example - no professional footballer would be in the game today. Funny, touching, passionate about sport and parenthood, Mark Chapman paints sport as a touchstone for everything important: growing up, becoming a parent, enjoying family time, getting old, learning how to win (and how to lose gracefully), the legacy we all hope to leave our children; in short, life and all that goes into it.

This is a collection of essays by leading theologians and church leaders on the past, present and future of Anglican theology in the context of the Lambeth Conference of 2008. This book is a collection of essays by leading theologians and church leaders on the past, present and future of Anglican theology in the context of the Lambeth Conference of 2008. The principal theological strands of the classical Anglican tradition (Scripture, Tradition and Reason) are assessed in original and creative ways which will promote further thought and encourage open debate within the Church of England and Anglicanism more broadly. Each of the essays focuses on how the inheritance of the past and present can be appropriated into the future - instead of being marred by the deep pessimism which permeates so much of Anglicanism - particularly in the increasingly inward looking and often bitter Anglo-Catholic tradition - all the essays offer hopeful and constructive insights for a vibrant catholic form of Christianity within Anglicanism which understands the church as a place of dialogue, encounter and renewal. Instead of division, the emphasis is on conversation, dialogue and unity. The Book is divided into two parts. The three essays in part one re-assess the sources of doctrine in Anglicanism in novel ways, all in dialogue with history, as well as with the theologies of other churches, and the experience in other religions. A conversation is promoted which continues through the chapters in Part Two, which engage in their different - and often exciting ways - with the ecumenical setting of theology, Anglo-Catholicism and the future, and the effects of the recent Lambeth Conference on the resolution of conflict and peacemaking across the Anglican Communion. Affirming Catholicism is a progressive movement in the Anglican Church, drawing inspiration and hope from the Catholic tradition, confident that it will bear the gifts of the past into the future. The books in this series aim to make the Catholic element within Anglicanism once more a positive force for the Gospel, and a model for effective mission today.

This book offers a sustained reflection by leading Roman Catholic and Anglican writers on Mary's great song of praise and transformation, the "Magnificat", in the context of contemporary struggles across the world and global inequalities. The different contributors relate the story of Mary to issues of international justice, regarding this as one of the key themes of mission and evangelism. In his sparkling essay on the implications of Mary's 'making space' for God, James Alison challenges the reader to 'make space' for an inclusive God.From their very different perspectives, Linda Hogan, Margaret Magdalen and Mongezi Guma go on to address the issue of justice and what it means to be human in the light of Mary's story. Mark Chapman takes up the problem of Christian politics, and how easy it is for Christians to become overly-fixated on church affairs at the expense of the suffering world. Similarly, Michael Doe sees the contemporary Anglican struggles about issues in human sexuality as a distraction from far more pressing matters, challenging the Anglican Communion to learn from the many examples of new life across the globe. In a lively piece, Joe Cassidy challenges Christians to think again about the universality of Christian ethics. Finally, Stephen Cottrell offers a vision of a world turned upside down and presents a call for a renewed sense of mission to combat the inherent destructiveness of so much recent political thinking.Affirming Catholicism is a progressive movement in the Anglican Church, drawing inspiration and hope from the Catholic tradition, confident that it will bear the gifts of the past into the future. The books in this series aim to make the Catholic element within Anglicanism once more a positive force for the Gospel, and a model for effective mission today.

This is an introduction for students and lay readers on the Anglican tradition of doing theology. This book seeks to explain the ways in which Anglicans have sought to practise theology in their various contexts. It is a clear, insightful, and reliable guide which avoids technical jargon and roots its discussions in concrete examples. The book is primarily a work of historical theology, which engages deeply with key texts and writers from across the tradition (e.g. Cranmer, Jewel, Hooker, Taylor, Butler, Simeon, Pusey, Huntington, Temple, Ramsey, and many others). As well as being suitable for seminary courses, it will be of particular interest to study groups in parishes and churches, as well as to individuals who seek to gain a deeper insight into the traditions of Anglicanism. While it adopts a broad and unpartisan approach, it will also be provocative and lively. "Doing Theology" introduces the major Christian traditions and their way of theological reflection. The volumes focus on the origins of a particular theological tradition, its foundations, key concepts, eminent thinkers and historical development. The series is aimed readers who want to learn more about their own theological heritage and identity: theology undergraduates, students in ministerial training and church study groups.

This is a discussion of the ethical implications of German liberal theology in the early years of the 20th century. It avoids pejorative interpretative categories (such as "culture protestantism"), seeking instead to understand the period on its own terms. The leading figure, Ernst Troeltsch (1865-1923), is treated as a "public theologian", engaging at many different levels with his social and political context and trying to ensure that religion could continue to shape the future course of history. To understand his context he made use of the tools of the emergent discipline of sociology and also entered into dialogue with philosophers and historians. Troeltsch's public theology is contrasted with other liberal models of theology, particularly those of the New Testament scholar Wilhelm Bousset and the systematic theologian Wilhelm Herrmann, who were far more reluctant to engage seriously with their context and as a result isolated religion from its wider social and intellectual setting.

This book assesses the German liberal theological tradition in the early years of the twentieth century, concentrating in particular on the work of Ernst Troeltsch. It locates theology in its social and political context, and seeks to understand the period on its own terms and not through the distorting lens of the First World War.

This book is a collection of closely-related yet distinct chapters, each of which presents an account of particular thinkers, themes or debates in their historical context and in the light of today's concerns. The book is divided into three parts: Part One, Bishops and Authority; Part Two, Pluralism, Politics and History; and Part Three, Believing and Discipleship. It presents the fruit of a long period of theological research into different historical periods, but with a distinct focus on theology in the early twentieth century. Although each chapter can be read as history of theology, and each addresses historical debates in their own terms, at the same time each is concerned to relate historical issues to contemporary problems faced by the Anglican Communion and the Church of England today.