Bøger udgivet af Canterbury Press Norwich

For the countless numbers of people who have come to faith through the Alpha course, here is a beginner's guide to spiritual formation and exploration of the next stages of the Christian journey. This attractively illustrated book draws on the riches of the biblical and Christian traditions to offer a complete personal guide to spiritual growth. Following the seasons of the Christian year, it asks 'the big questions' that arise on any journey of faith: Advent - Beginnings: why are we here? Christmas - how is God involved in the world? Lent - why do some people suffer while others prosper? Good Friday - why are we afraid of death? Easter - is there more to life? And Pentecost - where is the power for living? With biblical reflections and practical ideas for spiritual nourishment throughout, this is an ideal guide to living the Christian life.

Walter Frere (1863-1938) was one of the leading Anglo-Catholic figures of his day and one of the Church of England's most notable liturgists. A monk and accomplished musician, he was the first to compile a book of collects and readings for saints' days - the prototype of Exciting Holiness. His liturgical influence extended throughout the Anglican Communion. He was Bishop of Truro and then became one of the founders of the Community of the Resurrection, Mirfield - today a thriving monastic community and theological college. He twice served as its Superior. This set of essays assesses his legacy, his wide ranging contribution to church life and his continuing influence. It constitutes the first critical study of his work and will be of interest to students of liturgy, church music and the Church of England in the 20th century, as well as to the many friends and associates of the Community and priests who trained at Mirfield. Contributors include Geoffrey Rowell, Bishop of Europe; Canon Alan Wilkinson; George Guiver, Superior of the Community of the Resurrection, Peter Alan, Vice-principal of the College of the Resurrection, and others.

The long-awaited and timely new book from a highly regarded evangelical writer explores Christian identity in all its fullness - being and living in a way that holds together the gospel with the life of the church and the life of the Spirit.With the tendency for evangelical Christians to focus primarily on the gospel and catholic Christians to emphasise the importance of church, these traditions have sometimes been unnecessarily forced apart. This bridge-building book explores the notion that biblical gospel, catholic church and powerful Spirit are the fundamental realities of Christian existence that all need to experience together.In different ways, each chapter of "Holding Together" attempts to hold the gospel together with the church, and to hold the gospel and the church together with the Spirit as it explores different approaches to key areas of doctrine and practice: Scripture and tradition; Justification; Church; Mary; Worship; Baptism and Eucharist; and Mission. Here, often sharply contrasting positions in evangelical and catholic theology face each other so that they can listen to each other in the Spirit and discover their fundamental complementarity.Its vision of a catholic evangelicalism in the Spirit is theologically exciting and spiritually compelling.

A companion to the popular Creative Church Leadership, this co-publication with "MODEM" focuses on the practical skills necessary for dynamic leadership in the local church. A wide range of experienced church leaders and management gurus reflect on key components of successful contemporary church leadership including: part one which discusses people, leading a team, choosing and mentoring assistants, leading lay ministers and volunteers, how to delegate, how to resolve conflict; part two which describes organisation, leading churches of different sizes, leading multiple congregations, relating to the local community, initiating and completing projects, how to chair meetings; and, part three which discusses up close and personal, what kind of a leader are you, getting your work/life balance right, thinking strategically, preaching with a purpose, and much more.

Jane Austen - novelist, forthright letter writer, daughter and sister of Anglican clergy - had a rarely-matched insight into human character. Like Lent itself, she exposes frailty, caprice and pomposity without losing a profound and compassionate understanding of human nature. Her life was profoundly shaped by the church and Christian spirituality, making her writings an ideal accompaniment for the 40 days of Lent.Rachel Mann introduces Jane Austen, her world and her ideas, and, for each day of Lent, offers commentary on a short excerpt from her writing to explore how her faith can illuminate ours. She brings Jane's novels into conversation with biblical and spiritual ideas and also with today's questions about class, sexuality and race. Themes explored include: The Triumph of Love, Learning Wisdom, Seeing Beyond the Surface to the Truth, Knowing Where Your Treasure Lies, The Temptation to be Prideful and Prejudiced, The Pomposity of Religion, Privilege and its Limitations, Duty and Good Manners, and much more.

In fifty pithy and engaging daily reflections from Ash Wednesday to Easter and beyond, Rob Marshall leads us on a pilgrim journey to the Mountain of the Transfiguration.The story of Jesus displaying the overwhelming glory of God to three chosen disciples is one of the most potent yet mysterious stories in the gospels, and a prelude to all that will occur in Jerusalem. Popular broadcaster Rob Marshall explores the many layers of the Transfiguration and relates them to ordinary human experiences - journeying, prayer, revelation, tiredness, sleep, fear, doubt, waiting, questioning, listening, suffering, vision and much more. Mountaintop encounters with the divine are transformative, but like the disciples we are not meant to stay there. Instead, we return to the realities of daily life, changed forever by glimpsing the glory of the God. Transfiguration will help you take the power of divine revelation into your ordinary daily Christian life.

The back page column of the Church Times, famously occupied for many years by Ronald Blythe, continues to be a breath of fresh air in the hands of poet and priest Malcolm Guite. His acute observations of the local, the everyday, moments of conversation and life's simple pleasures are doorways into a bigger reality of a world suffused with the meaning and beauty that lies beneath surface appearances. His lucid, perceptive and imaginative musings follow a similar pattern to the sonnets for which he is so renowned. In his own words, he treats these 500 word essays 'a little in the spirit of the sonnet, with a sense of development, of a 'turn' or volta part way through, and a sense that the end revisits and re-reads the opening'.These draw together everyday events and encounters, landscape, journeys, poetry, stories, memory and a sense of the sacred, and fuses them to create richly satisfying portraits of the familiar that at the same time opens the way to an enchanted world.

See the Biblical story in an unusual light - from the perspective of a devil who took up arms against heaven under the leadership of Satan. With eternity to ponder why God emerged triumphant from the struggle, this rebel angel has turned to the Bible, the record of God's dealings with 'the humans' to find out why his side was defeated.In twelve chapters, he considers a dozen of God's significant encounters with humanity - each take placing on a mountain top. From Mount Ararat where Noah's ark pitched up, to the Mount of Ascension where Jesus returns to heaven, each reveals an aspect of God's inexplicable and unfathomable love for humans. Beneath their conversational and sardonic surface style, these infernal reflections engage deeply with the reality of a loving God who is made visible and vulnerable in Christ. The Infernal Word began as a series of addresses preached on Good Friday in Canterbury Cathedral. They make ideal seasonal reading for anyone who wishes to explore the story of salvation - although perhaps not if you are a devil.

January 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of the start of the Fresh Expressions movement which spread internationally and denominationally from its origins in the Church of England. Graham Cray was its first National Leader. Countless new forms of church have emerged through Fresh Expressions, the Church Army, New Wine, and various pioneer network. On Mission with Jesus offers a theological understanding of the missional nature of the church, which will undergird and inform local practice and assist ministerial and pioneer training. Its central argument is that the Church's inherited understanding of itself imprisons the imagination of local congregations and in ten chapters, Graham Cray seeks to establish a new self-understanding for local congregations: 1. Updating Default Settings 2. Sharing in the Mission of God3. Making Disciples 4. Following the Spirit5. Shaping the Church 6. Anticipating the Future7. Joining the family Business 8. Being a Pilgrim People9. Recognising Jesus in the Church 10. Becoming a Jesus on Mission-Shaped Church

This new poetry collection from Scottish poet Kenneth Steven captures small moments of revelation or epiphanies, which come unexpectedly as gifts amid the ordinary. An uncleared breakfast table, the sight of someone working outdoors, an old photograph, and the features and sounds of the Scottish landscapes that so inspire his work, all become, in the poet's words, portals to a greater reality: 'the small moments that make up the whole story. This is the sudden going through the door into the bigger world.' Many of them are written in the sonnet form, whose brevity and economy of expression mirror the essence of this book, and whose very form turns from the ordinary to the extraordinary in a moment.

Many of us never get beyond an immature understanding of prayer, using it chiefly as a means of reminding God what we'd like, or as a panic button in an emergency. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with this, but it doesn't begin to scratch the surface of what the poet George Herbert described as 'a land of spices' to be explored. Here, writers from across the Christian centuries share their timeless insights into prayer. Grouped into seven sections of: Awareness; Exploration; Passion; Pain, Patience; Companionship; and, Abandonment. It richly illustrates Dorothy Soelle's maxim that prayer is indeed a 'language of love'. The writers include Thomas Merton, Dostoevsky, RS Thomas, Rowan Williams, Augustine, Basil Hume, Paul Tillich, Julian of Norwich and many more.

Sets forth some theories based on something that has actually happened to someone in a church somewhere.

Symbols of Plenty is the tenth published collection of verse by Ruth Bidgood, one of today's leading Anglo-Welsh poets. It includes her celebratory Hymn to Sant Ffraid, or St Brigid as she is more widely known, which was originally commissioned for broadcast by BBC Radio Wales. Published here in its entirety for the first time, it brings into view a whole new dimension of her work. Weaving together the complex strands of myth and legend that surround this sixth century saint, it is an insightful and articulate statement of Celtic faith and belief. Five poetic sequences follow, chains of short poems focusing on themes that are central to Ruth Bidgood's writing - landscape, the myriad small events of everyday experience, the renewing power of memory in both private and public life.

Anglican Evangelicals are at a critical time. The furore over Jeffrey John and Gene Robinson, blessings for same sex couples in Canada, and now the prospect of women bishops has prompted breakaway churches to spring up, threatening the entire Anglican Communion. Bishops from Nigeria, Sydney, the Global South and other conservative areas seems to say, 'If you don't agree with us, you are not in Communion.' Yet most evangelicals are uncomfortable with such extremism. Emotional reaction cannot take over from Scripture and theology and dictate the agenda, as it appears to be doing in parts of the world. In this important and timely book, a leading evangelical articulates the views of many open evangelicals about key issues of the moment: interpreting Scripture; authority; belonging to the Church; the ministry; sexuality cohabitation; divorce and remarriage; and more. He argues for biblical humility and compassion as with others we explore theological diversity.

Until forty years ago, Anglicans and Catholics, wherever they co-existed, viewed each other in a way that was determined by centuries of separation. Although there had been various attempts at building bridges, such as the Anglican Papalist movement and the Malines Conversations, it was not until the 1960s, in the wake of the groundbreaking Second Vatican Council, that the ice began to thaw. The seeds sown by such early pioneers of unity such as Gregory Dix, William Temple, and Yves Congar began to bear fruit as the Anglican Centre in Rome was opened and the Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) was created.

It is all too easy to lose sight of the fact that Christianity is primarily about hope and joy, springing from 'the God of hope' (Romans 15.13). Here is a varied and compelling worship anthology, that is realistic about human weakness and its effects in the world today, but that rejoices in signs of hope springing up everywhere and reminds us of our calling to be bearers of hope. Prayers, liturgies and readings that are ready to use focus on - hope in the Bible - hope and faith in action together - hope as a response to hopelessness - false hopes and where we can safely place our trust - our hope for eternity Consisting of brand new material from writers around the world, here are inspiring examples of hope springing eternal even from the most unexpected places.

In The Vanishing Song, trans Christian poet Jay Hulme goes in search of what is all but lost in contemporary faith, the 'beautiful and holy and wild' way of the saints, and the alluring, perplexing mystery of the places they chose for themselves - forests, caves, rocky outcrops in the sea. Revelling in the untamed nature of creation and the holiness that is to be found there, these poems celebrate and summon the spirit of those who did unhinged things for God, in order that we might recover a sense of uncontrollable wonder and the danger of the divine as well as its beauty. The Vanishing Song is a call of the wild to faith that is adventurous and unafraid.

As one of today's outstanding preachers, Samuel Wells understands the importance of proclamation in the life of the church and in the public sphere. In this practical and inspiration manual, he considers the essentials of preaching in a wide range of contexts: Preaching on the Times: preaching about politics, the planet, economics, justice and truth; Preaching on the Seasons: preaching at Christmas, Easter, Ascension, Harvest and All Saints;Preaching Texts: preaching on Old Testament Narratives, on Old Testament Poetry on the Gospels, on the Parables, and on Paul; Preaching Contexts: preaching at baptisms, weddings, funerals, after a tragedy, and preaching at short notice without a text. Each section considers styles of preaching, what the occasion demands, practical advice for preparing, two sample sermons and a list of dos and don'ts.

Confident and capable leaders recognise what has shaped them. They have an understanding of their past, and are continually learning from the life journeys of themselves and others. They are fully engaged in the present, and have a positive, open and realistic mindset towards the future. Shaping Your Future Leadership will help you understand what has shaped you as a leader and how to best develop your next phase of leadership. Its seven focused sections consider how we are: · Shaped by family, schooling and background · Formed by life choices · Moulded by responsibilities · Fired by leading others · Influenced by our emotions · Energized by what we find as lifegiving · Guided as we look to the future Shaping Your Future Leadership will help you draw from the past in order to move decisively into the future.

Christmas and Easter, Advent and Lent, each focus on the central beliefs of Christian faith - that in the Incarnation, God comes among us, and that in the Resurrection, death is defeated and creation is renewed. In this collection of seasonal reflections, Samuel Wells unpacks the substance of these key Christian doctrines, and explores their practical implications for living as Christians in the world:- Laid in a Manger: Reflections on the Nativity - The Word was Made Flesh: Reflections on Christmas - The Image of the Invisible God: Reflections on the Incarnation - Early on the First Day of the Week: Reflections on Easter Morning - I have Seen the Lord: Reflections on the Risen Christ An ideal resource for leading seasonal services or preaching at key festivals, this collection will keep giving from Advent Sunday to Easter Day.

Evangelism is a contentious word, conjuring up all sorts of assumptions. It can create suspicion or imply tribalism, or can be seen as a desperate response to falling numbers. For some the term has become irredeemably polluted. But what if we recovered an authentic understanding of evangelism as good news that enables people to know that they are drenched in the love and grace of God? And how do we do that? This is a book for everyone who wants to share the gospel but who cannot relate to what evangelism has become. Its title is taken from Saint-Exupery, 'If you want to build a ship, don't drum up the people to gather wood, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.' Drawing on writers like Bonhoeffer, Newbigin and Pope Francis' landmark Euangelii Gaudium, Chris Russell aims to redeem evangelism from its present predicament. He sets it in a deeper and richer theological context, asks how the church and individual Christians can communicate the love of God in language and action, and explores how the good news is received.

With pressure on budgets and soaring energy costs, this small book will be worth its weight in gold to every local church. It offers expert advice that will equip non-professionals to make informed decisions on making their church buildings more sustainable, understand sustainability technologies, help navigate changing permission processes and thus save time and money - and serve the Anglican mark of mission to care for creation. Nigel Walter demystifies the topic of sustainability and provides a wealth of practical advice and quick-wins. He includes guidance on: - developing a plan that suits your church; - improving your maintenance practices; - alternative ways to heat your church; - where and how to get professional help ; - navigating the new permission processes. A helpful appendix lists numerous sources of further advice and guidance. Comprehensive in scope, authoritative in content, practical in outlook and written in lively, accessible language, no church should be without a copy of this essential guide.

All disciples of Jesus Christ are called to care for one another whether they have a formal role or not, and exercise pastoral care by listening, encouraging, comforting, offering practical help, praying. In times of crisis and in everyday life, good pastoral care people feel known and loved by God, and valued in the church. This short, yet comprehensive guide lays a biblical foundation for good pastoral care, offers a theological approach to understanding people, considers the particular needs of the sick, children and families, and those in difficult circumstances, and outlines the boundaries within which all can be safe. Throughout, examples and questions for reflection will deepen understanding and enrich practice.

The Nazareth Community, based at London's St Martin in the Fields, is a contemplative community patterned on monastic life for people from all walks of life. Its rule has seven guiding spiritual principles: Silence, Service, Scripture, Sacrament, Sharing, Sabbath Time and Staying. Founded by Richard Carter in 2018, it now draws members from across the country and from overseas. Letters are a classic genre of spiritual writing and Richard has written a monthly spiritual letter to the Community since its inception. Collected here, his letters aim to encourage readers to live out a simple rule of life, to reflect, pray and live with compassion despite the challenges of modern life. Rich in biblical reflection, poetic meditation and practical guidance for living in demanding times, Letters from Nazareth abounds in simple yet profound wisdom for our world today.

The Eucharist is common Sunday fare in most Anglican churches, and the point in ritual where God and humanity most closely meet. It nourishes the soul, deepens and extends community, reaches deeper than any other Christian practice. But collective worship has been in steep decline and Eucharistic practice has been further disrupted by the pandemic.In The Eucharist in Four Dimensions, Jessica Martin considers the place of the Eucharist today using four approaches:· The Point of the Eucharist - its essence, story and what it is for in contemporary culture; the divine value it gives to the weak and the broken;· Flat Eucharist - the meaning of the Eucharist in a world of written liturgy and screened worship;· The Eucharist as event - the role of physical gathering and communal eating in the Eucharistic drama of communal feast; how this works when we are physically absent;· The Eucharist in time - how memory brings together Jesus's past physical present with the meetings and partings of our own lives.This is an essential guide to the Eucharist for all ministering in a world of streamed services and remote worship.

Church Beyond Walls tells inspiring, informative and occasionally funny stories of how a group of people took Christian spirituality outside of church buildings to engage a world increasingly uninterested in religion, God and faith. From imaginative and wide-ranging experiments, it draws out principles to inspire local churches to express their faith in their communities, and it shares liturgical and other resources developed for these occasions. Based in Brighton and known as BEYOND, for over ten years this group of dreamers, artists and provocateurs have experimented with public art, created light shows and walking meditations, partnered with retailers to create spiritual shop window trails, celebrated the festivals of the church in secular spaces, used folk traditions and more to introduce people to the Christian faith. Their goal and the aim of this book is to help local churches create opportunities for epiphanies: moments when the divine can break into human experience.

Death remains a difficult topic to address openly, left to professionals in hospitals and hospices. Talking About Death aims to equip ministers and pastoral carers to enable individuals and families to say and do the important things on their minds. It includes: Learning How To Die: How the medicalisation of death has affected thinking around death; the role of Christian faith.Talking about death positively: exploring the string feelings around death; how theories of loss can be helpful.Christian Approaches to Talking About Death and DyingSocietal Attitudes To Talking About Death And DyingWhat is to be gained by talking about death and DyingPractical examples and stories Contemplating our own death - resources for end of life conversations

Richard Bauckham is one of today's most outstanding and internationally recognised biblical scholars and theologians. Tumbling Into Light collects together his poetry, including an extended sequence on the seasons and feasts of the church year, plus many other poems on biblical themes.