"[ArchbishopDesmond Tutu’s] unofficial legacy will be his life and the story of how thistiny pastor with a huge laugh from South Africa became our globalguardian." —Time magazine
 
Biographer John Allen collects the ArchbishopDesmond Tutu's most profound, controversial, and historic words in thisinspiring anthology of speeches, interviews, and sermons that have rocked theworld. An unforgettable look at the South African pastor’s deeply rootedempathy and penetrating wisdom, God IsNot a Christian is perfect for anyone moved by of Martin Luther King Jr.’s“I Have a Dream” speech or Nelson Mandela’s stirring autobiography Conversations with Myself, brilliantlyconnecting readers with the courageous and much-needed moral vision thatcontinues to change countless lives around the globe.

Peter Ackroyd's The Life of Thomas More is a masterful reconstruction of the life and imagination of one of the most remarkable figures of history. Thomas More (1478-1535) was a renowned statesman; the author of a political fantasy that  gave a name to a literary genre and a worldview (Utopia); and, most famously, a Catholic martyr and saint.

Born into the professional classes, Thomas More applied his formidable intellect and well-placed connections to become the most powerful man in England, second only to the king. As much a work of history as a biography, The Life of Thomas More gives an unmatched portrait of the everyday, religious, and intellectual life of the early sixteenth century. In Ackroyd's hands, this renowned "man for all seasons" emerges in the fullness of his complex humanity; we see the unexpected side of his character--such as his preference for bawdy humor--as well as his indisputable moral courage.

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.

From birthday cakes and anniversary dinners to summer vacations at the beach, each family has its own ways of marking the days and seasons of its life. For the Christian family—especially Episcopalians—it’s no different. With an array of colors and an assortment of rich traditions, Episcopalians move through the Church year, marking the days and seasons that tell the story of Christ in our lives—in history and today. This book—written for newcomers to the Episcopal Church as well as lifelong members—takes readers by the hand and leads them through the Church year, from the first Sunday of Advent through the last Sunday of Pentecost, answering questions like “Why do we use purple in Lent?” and “What does Maundy Thursday mean?” In an easy-to-read conversational style, Welcome to the Church Year introduces readers to the traditions of the Church seasons and explains why we do what we do. But it does more than offer interesting trivia about church vestments and pageantry. Its insights can help readers participate in the liturgies of the Church year in a deeper, more meaningful way.

When St. Benedict formed his first small community of monks at Monte Cassino on the hilltop, Italy--and much of Europe--was ravaged by war. The Roman Empire was breaking apart, and politics, cultural life, and even the Church, were all in disarray. In the midst of these tumultuous times, Benedict offered his followers a “little rule,” a guide about the size of a checkbook, that showed his monks the way to peace as they learned to prefer Christ above all things. Though it was written nearly 1500 years ago, the Rule of Benedict still offers the practical tools for living a Christ-centered today. Here in St. Benedict’s Toolbox, readers will find a primer on how to use these tools in their own tumultuous lives. Each chapter examines one aspect of the Rule, from ways of praying to ways of embracing humility, and offers suggestions for prayer, reflection, journaling, and action. As they learn to use Benedict’s tools, readers will discover the power--and the timeliness--of this ancient way of life.

This Volume presents for the first time a complete introduction to Mandaeanism, a fascinating branch of Gnosticism that has survived to the present day. In an engaging style that mirrors the interesting nature of his subject, Edmondo Lupieri portrays the traditional way of life of the Mandaeans, still found living in Iraq and Iran, and introduces readers to the world of Mandaean ideas. Lupieri reconstructs the history of the interaction between Mandaeanism and the Western world, beginning with Ricoldo da Montecroce, a thirteenth-century Italian monk who is the first known European to write about the Mandaeans, and continuing on to recent scholarship. He also offers a critical analysis of the Mandaean written and oral traditions concerning their origin, history, and self-understanding -- including their view that they are the only ones on earth who possess the true and oldest faith. This book is made even more valuable with the inclusion of an extensive anthology of translated Mandaean texts, complete with notes. This gathering of writings presents the spiritual world of Mandaeanism with fragments of mythical-theological texts and pages of ethical and historical meditations. Special attention is given in the notes to the contraposition against other religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and other minor groups) and to the ideas Mandaeans have of biblical and historical figures. Expertly researched, engagingly written, and enhanced with pictures of Mandaean art, this volume will interest a wide range of readers.

We know all too well the cruelties, hurts, and hatreds that poison life on our planet. But my daughter and I have come together to write this book because we know that the catalogue of injuries that we can and do inflict on one another is not the whole story of humanity, not by a long measure. We are indeed made for something more. We are made for goodness.
—from Made for Goodness

Over the years the same questions get asked of Desmond Tutu, the archbishop, Nobel Peace Prize winner, and veteran of the moral movement that ended apartheid in South Africa: "How can you be so hopeful after witnessing so much evil?" "Why are you so sure goodness will triumph in the end?" This book is his answer.

Now, more than any other time in history, our world needs this message: that we are made for goodness and it is up to us to live up to our destiny.

We recognize Archbishop Tutu from the headlines as an inspirational figure who has witnessed some of the world's most sinister moments and chosen to be an ambassador of reconciliation amid political, diplomatic, and natural disasters. Now, we get a glimpse into his personal spirituality—and a better understanding of the man behind a lifetime of good works. In this intimate and personal sharing of his heart, written with his daughter, Episcopal priest Mpho Tutu, Tutu engages his reader with touching stories from his own life, as well as grisly memories from his work in the darkest corners of the world. There, amid the darkness, he calls us to hope, to joy, and to claim the goodness that we were made for. Tutu invites us to take on the disciplines of goodness, the practices that are key to finding fulfillment, meaning, and happiness for our lives.

Thomas Cranmer's Prayer Book of 1549 is a foundational document of the Anglican Church and a priceless part of English-speaking Christianity. Cranmer's unique gift of blending theological substance with simple, humble, and moving clarity has made the Collects (prayers) essential not only to the English liturgy but also to the pastoral tradition of the church: these prayers still remain a deep source of inspiration for Christians enmeshed in the everyday trials and testings of life.

Published on the occasion of the 450th anniversary of the Book of Common Prayer, The Collects of Thomas Cranmer presents this spiritually rich material in its original form and order. Compiled and presented for devotional use by C. Frederick Barbee and Paul F. M. Zahl, Cranmer's Collects are each followed by succinct commentary on their historical context and an insightful meditation crafted with contemporary Christians in mind.

Including a significant introduction to Cranmer and his work by C. FitzSimons Allison, this beautifully produced volume opens afresh Cranmer's classic devotional treasure to modern believers from all communions.

An essential handbook for bedside ministry, and for providing meaningful and enriching comfort to the sick and dying.
 
Bringing comfort and concern to the seriously ill or injured is a challenge for lay people and clergy alike. In this practical guide, Neville Kirkwood shares wisdom gained from years of experience as a hospital chaplain–on the art of hospital visitation. This classic handbook, now updated, contains all the tools needed to address a variety of concerns:
 
* Considering the privacy of the patient, and of friends and relatives
* Realizing the time and place for prayer
* Avoiding the pitfalls of bedside ministry
* Imparting feelings of empathy and awareness
* Handling depression, suffering, and despair
* Understanding the non-verbal communications of the patient
* Accepting when your services are not welcome
* Acknowledging your own motivations
 
Featuring additional sections addressed to clergy and trained lay pastoral workers, as well as those designed for lay volunteers, as well as a variety of exercises and prayers for specific circumstances, this is a “must-have resource for all who work with the sick and dying” (South Dakota Church News).

While many of us are familiar with such famous words as, "Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here. . ." or "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust," we may not know that they originated with The Book of Common Prayer, which first appeared in 1549. Like the words of the King James Bible and Shakespeare, the language of this prayer book has saturated English culture and letters. Here Alan Jacobs tells its story. Jacobs shows how The Book of Common Prayer--from its beginnings as a means of social and political control in the England of Henry VIII to its worldwide presence today--became a venerable work whose cadences express the heart of religious life for many.

The book's chief maker, Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, created it as the authoritative manual of Christian worship throughout England. But as Jacobs recounts, the book has had a variable and dramatic career in the complicated history of English church politics, and has been the focus of celebrations, protests, and even jail terms. As time passed, new forms of the book were made to suit the many English-speaking nations: first in Scotland, then in the new United States, and eventually wherever the British Empire extended its arm. Over time, Cranmer's book was adapted for different preferences and purposes. Jacobs vividly demonstrates how one book became many--and how it has shaped the devotional lives of men and women across the globe.

With clarity, wisdom, and wit, Brian Taylor offers a fresh look at contemplative prayer as the pathway to genuine healing and spiritual transformation. Taylor gives practical, how-to advice for those with a serious interest in contemplative prayer, and also explores its roots in the faith and traditions of the church.

This book is itself the fruit of years of contemplative practice, and whether you are new to this form of prayer or an experienced practitioner, Taylor's insight, encouragement, and guidance will enhance and strengthen your efforts to draw nearer to the heart of God in prayer, and in doing so, become more fully conformed to the image of Christ.

“Really wonderful; an elegantly written initiation into the mimetic theory. I am lucky to have interpreters who understand what I want to say and who can write so well.”
—René Girard

The work of René Girard is hugely influential in literature and cultural studies. But it is in understanding the relationship between religion and violence that his theory has created its greatest impact. Girard's understanding of mimetic rivalry and conflict and of scapegoating is seen by many to be the key to a completely new understanding of Christianity.

Girard's name evokes curiosity and—often—strong feelings among devotees and skeptics. Discovering Girard is the first book to present Girard's work to a wider audience. It explains and appraises Girard's mimetic theory, shows its impact on theology and other disciplines, and manages to convey the excitement that a discovery of Girard's ideas often generates in readers.

In this second book in her series on Benedictine spirituality, Norvene Vest brings the insights of Benedict's Rule to the world of work. A gifted interpreter of Benedict's wisdom, Vest examines with empathy and clarity the plight of men and women who wish for their work to be life-giving, a service to others, and the place where they can experience the presence of God.

Vest brings Benedict's perspective to three areas of work discontent today: the stress of performance, overproduction, and acquisitiveness. To these she opposes three Benedictine principles: vocation, or being called to what we do; stewardship, or taking care of what we are given; and obedience, or serving one another. Her emphasis is on the words of Benedict's primary text and its application for people today.

Each chapter concludes with extensive spiritual exercises and food for thought.

In this thoughtful and timely book, Bishop Alexander explores his journey through the theological, scriptural, and pastoral aspects of the questions surrounding homosexuality and the Christian faith. Writing in the weeks after the General Convention of the Episcopal Church approved the appointment of the church's first openly gay bishop, Bishop Alexander offers a personal view of his changing outlook—from exclusion to acceptance—on this important issue. He also offers thought-provoking perspectives on scripture and tradition. This Far by Grace will prove a vital resource for discussion and reflection by individuals, parishes, and dioceses.

Although Christians form a significant proportion of the Palestinian Arab minority in Israel, very little research has, until now, been undertaken to examine their complicated position within Israel. This book demonstrates the limits of analyses which characterise state-minority relations in Israel in terms of a so-called Jewish-Muslim conflict, and of studies which portray Palestinian Christians as part of a wider exclusively religious-based transnational Christian community.

This book locates its analysis of Palestinian Christians within a broader understanding of Israel as a Jewish ethnocratic state. It describes the main characteristics of the Palestinian Christian community in Israel and examines a number of problematic assumptions which have been made about them and their relationship to the state. Finally, it examines a number of intra-communal conflicts which have taken place in recent years between Christians and Muslims, and between Christians and Druze, and probes the role which the state and various state attitudes have played in influencing or determining those conflicts and, as a result, the general status of Palestinian Christians in Israel today.

The Church of England and the First World War (first published in 1978) explores in depth the role of the church during the tragic circumstances of the First World War using biographies, newspapers, magazines, letters, poetry and other sources in a balanced evaluation.

The myth that the war was fought by ‘lions led by donkeys’ powerfully endures turning heroes into victims. Alan Wilkinson demonstrates the sheer horror, moral ambiguity, and the interaction between religion, the church and war with a scholarly, and yet poetic, hand. The author creates a vivid image of the church and society, includes views of the Free Churches and Roman Catholics, portrays the pastoral problems and challenges to faith presented by war, and the pressures for reform of church and society.

The Church of England and the First World War is written with compelling compassion and great historical understanding, making the book hard to put down. This expert and classic study will grip the religious and secular alike, the general reader or the student.

Christians of all denominations are looking today to the ancient discipline of a rule of life to strengthen their sense of living in Christ and participating in a wider community. For the first time the brothers of the Society of Saint John the Evangelist are making their rule—completely rewritten and revised—available to the church at large.

The book is composed of 49 short chapters that develop classical monastic themes of hospitality, poverty, celibacy, and obedience, exploring what these might mean to men and women living at the end of the millennium. And because this is a modern rule, it provides guidance and reflection in less traditional areas, too—leadership, conflict, the use and abuse of authority, work, the need for rest and silence, vocation, and fellowship with the poor. Therefore it has much to teach Christians in other kinds of communities, including the family, the parish, and the workplace.

Concluding chapters give suggestions for meditating on the Rule and for its use as an aid to discernment and spiritual growth for prayer groups and parish life committees.

Deffenbaugh calls us to “live in a reciprocal relationship” with our biotic communities-the plants, animals, and other non-human cultures that share our particular places in the world. By rerooting our global lifestyles in the ecological knowledge of our homes, we may truly begin to mend the health of our planet. Deffenbaugh marries Christian theology and spiritual disciplines with Native American mythology and the practice of organic gardening to deepen our engagement with the places in which we live.

In No Moment Too Small, Vest focuses on three of the foundations of the Benedictine way: silence, the exploration of Scripture and other spiritual writings (lectio divina), and the hours of prayer. These essentials of Benedict's sixth-century rule of life offer a practical framework for spiritual growth in our own day, a path to God through the events and people of ordinary lives.

In her discussion of lectio-on-life, for example, Vest provides insight on the reading of our lives as the “text” in which we find God's Word written in the ordinary events of daily life. Exercises for individuals or groups follow each chapter on silence, prayer, and holy reading. Excellent for Lenten study groups as well as ongoing prayer or Bible study groups.

For most people in England today, the church is simply the empty building at the end of the road, visited for the first time, if at all, when dead. It offers its sacraments to a population that lives without rites of passage, and which regards the National Health Service rather than the National Church as its true spiritual guardian. In Our Church, Scruton argues that the Anglican Church is the forlorn trustee of an architectural and artistic inheritance that remains one of the treasures of European civilization. He contends that it is a still point in the center of English culture and that its defining texts, the King James Bible and the Book of Common Prayer are the sources from which much of our national identity derives. At once an elegy to a vanishing world and a clarion call to recognize Anglicanism's continuing relevance, Our Church is a graceful and persuasive book.

For John Newton, one of Christendom's greatest hymn writers and writer of "Amazing Grace," God's matchless grace was intensely personal. Saved from a life of slave trading, John Newton was fully aware of the "depths from which he was pulled."

In this autobiography, revised and updated for today's readers by Dennis Hillman, Newton relates the events that led him from unimaginable sin and spiritual bondage to a life of ministry and renewal--transformed by God's amazing and inexhaustible grace.

Discover the timeless story of John Newton's conversion and the true meaning of the familiar words, "Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found; was blind, but now I see."

Although God is at the center of the process of spiritual direction, the more readily visible participants are human beings. Like all other people, directors and directees are subject to relationship dynamics. Trustworthy Connections identifies some issues and challenges that can arise in spiritual direction relationships and offers resources for further consideration and reflection. The topics and examples are focused on traditional one–to–one, face–to–face spiritual direction, although some are also relevant to group direction and direction by correspondence. Trustworthy Connections is designed for use as a reference and a springboard for discussion for spiritual directors and anyone else who is interested in spiritual direction. Like the process of spiritual direction itself, this book is about asking questions, discussing ideas, and suggesting alternatives rather than giving advice or getting answers.

A special occasion merits a memorable gift, and this prayer book is just right for marking such an event. The Deluxe Gift Edition's bindings combine two types of soft-to-the-touch Vivella: one pattern wraps around the book's spine and back cover, while a contrasting pattern is on the front. The result is a stylish package that is sure to be treasured by its recipient. Includes a ribbon marker, Family Record section and attractive gift box.

The words you use are tools of communication. However, it’s the way you use them that has the real power.

When you have an optimistic frame of mind, you’re far more likely to recognize opportunities when they arise.

The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. For as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.

The way you use and choose words defines who you are. Words have power. God created the world with words.

The Bible plainly says, we shall decree a thing and it shall be established.

Are you ready to harness the real power of spoken words?

 

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In three meditations John Claypool speaks eloquently of the wounds all of us carry through life—the wounds of grievance, guilt, and grief—and how they can be healed. The wound of grievance comes from our suffering at the hands of others, we are pierced by guilt when we inflict pain in return, and we suffer grief when we are hurt by loss. By anecdote and personal example, Claypool helps us see that all these wounds can eventually be healed through the gifts of insight, forgiveness, and gratitude.

With the help of scripture and Claypool's own pastoral wisdom, Mending the Heart is a powerful tool for reflection. Each meditation begins with verses from the psalms and ends with a prayer. This book is a wise resource for pastors and caregivers, especially in times of crisis and bereavement, but its simplicity and insight also make it a good guide to prayer and discernment as well as a fine gift book.

Mending the Heart is the fourth in our series of Cloister Books: smaller format, gift edition books designed for meditative and devotional reading.

Many are longing for historical connectedness and for theology that is "not tied to the whims of contemporary culture, but to apostolic-era understandings of Christian faith and practice." They also yearn for rhythms and routines that build spiritual health. Still others are responding to a call to participate in worship rather than merely sitting back and looking at a stage. Liturgy offers all of this and more. In this book Todd Hunter chronicles his journey from the Jesus People movement and national leadership in the Vineyard to eventually becoming an Anglican Bishop. Along the way he explains why an evangelical Christian might be drawn to the liturgical way. Curious about the meaning of liturgy? Come and discover what may be waiting for you there.

Get Up Off Your Knees is a thoughtful and provocative collection of sermons by a group of preachers from across the international church spectrum who have been moved to theological reflection on the art and work of U2. This book will appeal to fans of U2, students of homiletics, and everyone interested in the intersection of art, popular culture, and religion.

For many people the Bible is strange and unfamiliar territory, impossible to navigate without a certain kind of knowledge and skill. Roger Ferlo leads his readers through the practical difficulties of reading the Bible, offering advice that is true to the way Anglicans have read Scripture from the time of Tyndale and Cranmer.

Ferlo explains why the Bible looks the way it does, the theology that lies behind the many different versions and translations, how to deal with the notes and cross-references, and the practical tools needed for studying the Bible. Above all he teaches the importance of approaching the Bible with respect—a book with a long history, complex traditions, and diverse authorship, which must be read on its own terms. Ferlo identifies the ground rules of reading Scripture for Anglicans, noting the particular ways Anglicans have read the Bible for revelation, insight, and ethical directives, and suggesting that Scripture itself contains many clues for unlocking its own mysteries.

Church education programs for children often substitute children's Bibles for Holy Scripture and simple moralism for imagination. Gretchen Wolff Pritchard shows how to offer the gospel imaginatively to children, with practical ideas on children's worship, liturgy, drama, pastoral care, and study of the Bible. The final chapter includes an exhaustive annotated bibliography of children's books for the parish library, and resources for parents and teachers.

In this newly revised and expanded edition of a contemporary classic, Edward Sellner mines the deep wisdom of many traditions—from Celtic to Minnesotan, from Joan of Arc to C.S. Lewis—and demonstrates how relationships of mentoring, rooted and grounded in the love of Christ, can forge fast friendship, heal wounds from the past, and bring about the Reign of God.

Sellner speaks from firsthand knowledge and experience of mentoring—the practice of direction, counsel, and formation which has enjoyed an enormous resurgence in our time in arenas as disparate as business, the recovery movement, and spiritual direction. This timely book is itself an opportunity to engage with a wise and seasoned elder.

His reflections on some of the ways we might answer these questions in the church today became the twelve short chapters of this book. Here scripture scholar and Anglican priest Christopher Bryan looks at the nature of the Bible's authority and inspiration and how the Bible can inform our decision-making today. He explores common questions about scripture, such as: What do we mean when we say that the scriptures are revelatory, that they are inspired, that they are the Word of God? How do we define the Bible's authority for the past and the future? What does a church that takes the Bible's authority seriously actually look like? How does it read, study, and pray with the Bible?

And God Spoke offers essential guidelines for everyone who wonders about the authority of the Bible, and who wants to read it with attentiveness and understanding.

In the middle of the turbulent 1960s Malcolm Boyd's Are You Running With Me, Jesus? appeared on the scene and broke the mold from which devotional texts had previously been made. Boyd's prayers engaged traditional Christian themes with a decidedly contemporary voice—honest, direct, insightful—while at the same time taking on issues of everyday concern: personal freedom, racial justice, sexuality. Billed by its original publisher as a collection of “prayers for all of us today who are finding it harder and harder to pray,” this landmark book has influenced generations of Christians and seekers. This fortieth anniversary edition promises to celebrate its impact and make it available to further generations.

The history of the oldest parish church in the Toronto area is also the history of North Toronto and a changing culture.

The War of 1812 was barely over when the people of York Mills felled the trees that would become the first St. John’s Anglican Church. Built in 1816 on land donated by pioneer settlers Joseph and Catherine Shepard, the little log church was the first outpost of St. James Church in the Town of York and the first parish church in what would one day become the City of Toronto. The brick church that stands there today, high on the land overlooking Hogg’s Hollow, was completed in 1844. Though enlarged and improved over the years, it continues to serve as a welcoming place of worship and a valuable repository of Canadian history.

Malcolm Johnson has been an Anglican priest for fifty years working in the East End and in the City of London. Openly gay for most of this time, he has never been far from controversy. As rector of St Botolph Aldgate he was particularly involved with homelessness, HIV/AIDS and education. Because of his counselling and campaigning work for the LGBT community Rabbi Lionel Blue has described him as the Pink Bishop. Diary of a Gay Priest is full of anecdotes and amusing stories. His 44-year relationship with Robert has given him stability and security, but he considers the Church to still be a dangerous place for a gay priest. He remains in it by his eyelashes.

Where You Go, I Shall is a book that was born of experience and need. The authors, two of whom are widows and the third an Episcopal priest, were participants in a monthly support group for widows and discovered that many of the Bible's remarkable women—Mary, Ruth, Naomi, Abigail, Anna, Tamar, Judith, and some who are unnamed—are widows. In this book, they tell and reflect upon the biblical stories, offering background for greater understanding, and the two authors who are themselves widows also reflect upon aspects of their own widowhood that relate to the biblical story. The result is a book that will provide understanding and comfort not only for widows but for all who love, care for, and minister to individuals who have been widowed.

“Who is this Jesus, who wanders onto center stage in this earliest of the Christian Gospels?”

Richard Giles responds to this question with a 40-day meditation and commentary of the Gospel of Mark. Brimming with insight and Giles's signature wit, Mark My Word reviews the events and teachings related in the Gospel, and provides a twenty-first-century lens through which to understand it. Each daily reading is followed by reflection questions and a closing prayer, making Mark My Word perfect for individual devotional use and group reading.

In these essays on the dialogue between science and Christian faith, Barbara Brown Taylor describes her journey as a preacher learning what the insights of quantum physics, the new biology, and chaos theory can teach a person of faith. She seeks to discover why scientists sound like poets and why physicists use the language of imagination, ambiguity, and mystery also found in scripture.

In explaining why the church should care about the new insights of science, Taylor suggests ways we might close the gap between spirit and matter, between the sacred and the secular. We live in the midst of a “web of creation” where nothing is without consequence and where all things coexist, even in such a way that each of us changes the world, whether we know it or not. In this luminous web faith and science join on a single path, seeking to learn the same truths about life in the universe. “For a moment,” Taylor writes, “we see through a glass darkly. We live in the illusion that we are all separate ‘I ams.' When the fog finally clears, we shall know there is only One.”

Originally published at the beginning of the eighteenth-century Enlightenment, a time when rationalist criticism of religious belief was perhas at its peak, William Law's A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life succeeded in inspiring the most cynical men of the age with its arguments in favor of a spiritual life. More than simply articulating a set of rules to live by, Law's book examines what it means to lead a Christian life and criticizes the perversion of Christian tenents by the Establishment—whether secular or spiritual—whose real aim is temporal power. With a perface by the Reverend William Sloane Coffin, Jr., whose own direct engagement in social causes still finds inspiration in Law's argument, A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life is a book that can still speak to our time.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

In this authoritative volume, thirty-one of the world's leading Anglican scholars present the first sustained and thorough account of the history and ethos of the Churches of the Anglican Communion from the Anglican reform of the sixteenth century to its global witness today. Thoroughly revised, augmented, and updated, this new edition of The Study of Anglicanism offers a comprehensive interpretation of the character of Anglicanism-including its history, theology, worship, standards and practices, and its future prospects worldwide. A fascinating and unique work, it remains the one indispensable key to this rich and pluriform heritage for both the general reader and the student.

The most in-depth and scholarly panorama of Western spirituality ever attempted!

In one series, the original writings of the universally acknowledged teachers of the Catholic, Protestant, Eastern Orthodox, Jewish, Islamic and Native American traditions have been critically selected, translated and introduced by internationally recognized scholars and spiritual leaders.

The texts are first-rate, and the introductions are informative and reliable. The books will be a welcome addition to the bookshelf of every literate religious persons". -- The Christian Century

The author turns to the great teachers of the past—Augustine, Maximus the Confessor, Bonaventure, Hugh of St. Victor, Calvin and Luther, George Herbert—to recover a spirituality that is rich with the doctrines and disciplines of theology.

Christianity: The Basics is a compelling introduction to both the central pillars of the Christian faith and the rich and varied history of this most global of global religions. This book traces the development of Christianity through an exploration of some of the key beliefs, practices and emotions which have been recurrent symbols through the centuries: Christ, the kingdom of heaven and sin Baptism, Eucharist and prayer Joy, divine union and self denial

Encompassing the major epochs of Christian history and examining the unity and divisions created by these symbols, Christianity: The Basics is both a concise and comprehensive introduction to the Christian tradition.

In this volume of The New Church's Teaching Series, Mark McIntosh introduces the great mysteries of the Christian faith: the doctrines of creation, revelation, incarnation, salvation, and eschatology, which are all held together by the doctrine of the Trinity. To explain these beliefs for Christians today, particularly the Trinity, McIntosh begins with what we know: the language of relationship and mutuality, of friendship and family ties.

The central theme of the book is our relationship with Jesus and our relationship with our neighbor, for such mutuality lies at the heart of every doctrine. McIntosh's starting point is the fact that every one of us is a theologian, for we are all drawn to approach the mysteries of faith with attention and love. By drawing on our common experiences as members of a community of faith, particularly through the sacraments of baptism and eucharist, he helps us to explore these mysteries for ourselves and to see how we might live them in our daily lives.

As with each book in The New Church's Teaching Series, recommended resources for further reading and questions for discussion are included.

“Reading of God's silence in the Bible gives me courage to explore the practice of restraint in preaching—not as a deliberate withholding of God's word nor, I hope, as a rationale for my own reticence, but as a sober reaching for more reverence in the act of public speaking about God.”

In these 1997 Lyman Beecher Lectures in Preaching delivered at Yale Divinity School, Barbara Brown Taylor focuses on the task of those who preach and those who hear sermons in a world where people thirst for a word from God. How may we approach this seemingly silent God with due respect, proclaiming the Word without violating the silence, by speaking with restraint?

Her first chapter examines the late twentieth-century language with which we talk about God in theology and speak to God in prayer. The second chapter addresses the question of God's communication in Scripture and how the “voice of God” was heard less and less in the land as the centuries progressed. Finally, Taylor explores what the silence of God means for Christians and how we may exercise “homiletical restraint” in speaking of the divine.

This exploration of T. S. Eliot's last major poem, Four Quartets, examines the poem's potential to transform readers' faith journeys. Kramer shows that the power of Four Quartets is its ability to create a dynamic interaction between the poem and the reader that promotes a genuine connection with the natural world, with others, and with the Divine.

In the overlooked moments and routines of our day, we can become aware of God's presence in surprising ways. How do we embrace the sacred in the ordinary and the ordinary in the sacred? Framed around one ordinary day, this book explores daily life through the lens of liturgy, small practices, and habits that form us. Each chapter looks at something—making the bed, brushing her teeth, losing her keys—that the author does every day. Drawing from the diversity of her life as a campus minister, Anglican priest, friend, wife, and mother, Tish Harrison Warren opens up a practical theology of the everyday. Each activity is related to a spiritual practice as well as an aspect of our Sunday worship. Come and discover the holiness of your every day.

Gregory of Nazianzus, a 4th-century bishop of Constantinople, receives relatively little attention from modern Western scholars, yet he is one of the most influential theologians in the history of Christian doctrine. As an advocate for the conceptual understanding of the Trinity, Gregory set precedents for the way his fellow and future Christians would perceive and worship God. Christopher A. Beeley presents the first comprehensive study in modern Western scholarship of Gregory's doctrine of the Trinity in the full range of his theological and practical vision of the Christian life.

The world has changed, but will the church keep up? This seminal report from the Church of England evaluates the changing religious landscape and introduces exciting new forms of church that speak directly to their diverse mission contexts. The Archbishop of Canterbury's Council on Mission and Public Affairs collaborated to research and produce the Mission-Shaped Church report in 2004, and Seabury Books is the new North American Publisher.

In this new edition of her earliest collection of sermons Barbara Brown Taylor brings her down-to-earth wisdom and keen perspective to the Bible readings of the lectionary cycle. Originally preached for the congregation of All Saints' Episcopal Church in downtown Atlanta, the topics of these sermons range from conversations with Abraham and Moses in the texts of the Hebrew scriptures to our awareness of the communion of saints and how to recognize a miracle when one comes our way.