“Unlike liturgical manuals of the past, which were intended specifically for the use of the clergy, this book is directed to a wider audience-to members of parish worship committees, priests, organists and directors of music, lectors, deacons, cantors and other singers, bishops, altar guild members, acolytes-in short, to all who bear responsability for the planning and conduct of public worship.”-from the PrefaceSo begins Howard Galley's classic guide to the Eucharistic litu...

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 the greatest impact. Girard’s understanding of mimetic rivalry and conflict and of scapegoating are seen by many to be the key to a completely new understanding of Christianity.Girard’s name evokes curiosity and – often – strong feelings amongst devotees and sceptics. Discovering Girard is the first b...

Often spirituality today is isolated from church teaching and doctrine, as in Joseph Campbell's treatment of myth and the many forms of New Age theologies, but doctrine apart from the life of prayer is abstract and sterile. In Spiritual Theology Allen turns to the great teachers of the past-the church fathers, 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 discipline...

In this newly updated and revised introduction to the permanent diaconate, Plater includes a history of deacons in the early church, a survey of deacons from the Reformation to the present, stories of modern diaconal ministries, including first-hand accounts, and a discussion of the formation, training, and deployment of deacons. This book is a basic, essential text for discernment committees and commissions on ministry, and a comprehensive look at a vital ministry in the church today.

Seventy million assorted individuals comprise a church family that is renowned for its rich diversity. Christians of all shades of belief together make up the Anglican Communion, a fellowship of churches that extends around the world and includes the Episcopal Church in the United States. At its best, the spirit of openness that marks this fellowship is a sign of openness to the Holy Spirit. Few Anglicans would presume to have “arrived” spiritually, and the door is always open to all who a...

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 ...

Probing the depths of science and faith, scientist Chet Raymo investigates the mysteries of human spirituality and meaning contained in astronomy. Ranging through the stars and the myths humans have told about them for millennia, Raymo delves into “a pilgrimage in quest of the soul of the night.”Chet Raymo's elegant essays link the mysterious phenomena of the night sky with the human mind and spirit, as he ranges through the realms of mythology, literature, religion, history, and a...

In this exploration of the foundations of Anglican worship, Louis Weil invites the laity to claim their true baptismal role and serve alongside the ordained as ministers and celebrants of the liturgy. He explains how the contribution of the people of God has steadily diminished over the centuries and why it is necessary to reclaim it today in the midst of Anglicanism's increasing multiculturalism. Since Anglicans are no longer primarily English-speakers worshiping in Gothic cathedrals, Wei...

The Thirty Nine Articles are key part of the Anglican theological tradition. Since 1571 they have shaped the way in which Anglicans have understood and proclaimed the Christian faith and the way in which they have related to Christians of other traditions. Today, however, the Articles are not well understood.Our Inheritance of Faith addresses this problem. It begins by providing a clear and comprehensive introduction to the development of the Articles and their subsequent history w...

The third in Cowley's Cloister Book series, Sabbath Keeping is a collection of ten meditations, each exploring a different aspect of keeping the sabbath and ending with a prayer. Since it is a difficult art in a society that does not value rest, Schaper encourages small acts of sabbath keeping that initially focus on physical and mental renewal but soon broaden to questions of justice and power.She begins with a chapter called “What is Sabbath?” and goes to the Bible for definition...

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.

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, enco...