Hymns Ancient & Modern Ltd – förlag

Talking about God in Practice details the challenges and complexities of real theological conversations with practitioners, whilst providing an example of appropriate process, and a model of theological understanding by which to negotiate these complexities fruitfully.

While in recent years much attention among theologians has been focused on the city and on what makes a good city, much of (church) life in Britain takes place in the context of rural communities. In the context of their daily work, clergy find themselves confronted with complex ethical, political and social issues. "Church and Countryside" maps out a rural theology that addresses some of the concerns faced by Britain''s rural population and those who minister to them. While other books in this field focus on practical (mission-orientated) aspects of ministry in the countryside, Tim Gibson offers a discussion of some of the relevant issues from the point of view of Christian ethics. An accessibly written and thoroughly researched piece of contextual theology that should become core reading for mission and ministry courses in theological colleges and ministry training courses.

A challenging controversial discussion of the current state of the debate about Christianity and other world faiths.

John For Today, like the author''s earlier best-selling book Paul for Today, combines fresh accessible scholarship with an exploration of the gospel''s significance for the contemporary Church and wider world. The Gospel''s historical origins, distinctive features and literary patterns are all helpfully illuminated, including John''s similarities with and differences from the other Gospels and the much-debated question of the Gospel''s real author. Recent criticisms of the Gospel, such as its exclusiveness, alleged anti-semitism and predominantly male characters and language are also examined, together with its relevance for a turbulent world in which religion has become a deeply ambivalent phenomenon. The book seeks to be faithful to the gospel of John in the central position it accords to Jesus, whilst also relating this controversial gospel to the Christian orthodoxy of later centuries.It is a book written for the non-specialist reader, and ''for such a time as this''.

The Eucharist is the central act of Christian worship. In this book Martin Stringer brings together some of the scholarship associated with the sociological analysis of biblical texts into conversation with liturgists and historians of the first century. He begins his analysis of the Eucharist and other early Christian meals from a detailed discussion of Paul''s first letter to the Corinthians, the most studied text in the sociological tradition of biblical scholarship. He proposes that the meal portrayed in chapter 11 of that letter is more likely to have been an annual event rather than a weekly one. He considers other texts, both biblical and those from the first hundred and fifty years or so of Christian history and shows that the Eucharist, that is a ritual event consisting of the sharing of bread and wine, which are associated by the community with the body and blood of Jesus, is most likely to have been an invention of the Asian or Roman church in around 100-110 CE. Martin D. Stringer is Professor of Liturgical and Congregational Studies in the Department of Theology and Religion in Birmingham. His main book so far is A Sociological History of Christian Worship (CUP 2005).

For almost a century British understanding of the life of Christ was dominated by one particular way of interpreting the incarnation: as a kenosis or ''self-emptying'' that involved real change in God. In this controversial and ground-breaking work David Brown argues that the sharp decline in the popularity of such ideas in more recent years is undeserved. There is in fact a rich strain of creative thinking in its original advocates that needs to be re-assessed, not least in the light of the wider intellectual challenges of time to which they were responding. But, going further than this, Brown also attempts a defence of his own. Even if readers disagree with the author''s conclusions, they are likely to be impressed by the range of issues considered in pursuit of a fully human incarnate Christ.

Sociology of Religion is an increasingly popular component of courses in religious studies at undergraduate level. While most textbooks on the Sociology of Religion are written from a sociological background, this new student-friendly textbook aims to introduce the field and the subjects studied by sociologists of religion to students with a background in theology and religious studies.

In Alive to the Word Stephen Wright offers a constructive introduction to preaching as an existing and varied practice throughout the church on which it is important to continue to reflect theologically, so that it is executed with developing spirituality, understanding and skill.Alive to the Word includes discussion of the full range of key components in the understanding and practice of preaching - from its basic theological rationale right through to the dynamics of live communication and its aftermath.The books begins by reflecting on the nature and the context of preaching, not least in a communications culture and moves on to setting a constructive agenda for the development of preaching as a core practice of the Christian church for the preacher, the congregation and the wider church.

The SCM Reader Christian Doctrine is a volume of selected readings from the whole period of Christian history. The book''s nine chapters cover each of the main Christian doctrines. Each chapter begins with a short introduction written by one of the editors. The aim of the book is to give an overview of the discussions which have taken place in Christian theology in relation to particular doctrines. Each chapter will cover the formulation of doctrine, challenges and developments. This book is primarily aimed at undergraduate students although it will also be of interest to anyone who is interested in learning more about Christian doctrine and theology. It is ideal for introductory courses in Christian doctrine at university level or as wider reading for courses focusing on particular Christian doctrines.

This text is a comprehensive introduction to mission and ministry in the contemporary Church which enables students to prepare for ministry in a changing church within a changing world.

Queer theology is a significant new development and central to much current teaching and thinking about gender, sexuality and the body. Controversies in Queer Theology provides an overview of the main areas of difference and debate in queer theologies, engaging with and critiquing all the major writers working in this area. Susannah Cornwall shows how this field is still in flux and the highlights implications for employing queer methodologies across theological work.

Kenneth Stevenson is one of the UK''s leading liturgical scholars with an international reputation. Much of his work is in the borderlands of theology, worship and history. The essays in this book are worked examples of the importance of interpretation and liturgy, particularly in the light of the growing impact in recent years of reception-history, and how this interacts not only with biblical scholarship but with worship and doctrine as well. Interpretation and Liturgy is a big subject, and one that is unlikely ever to go away. It is part of the twofold movement of divine initiative and human aspiration - or to put it yet more directly, what some would immediately call the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, others would call the religious imagination, and others again would call both.

The Thirty-Nine Articles, together with the Book of Common Prayer, form the foundation of Anglican theology. Yet there are very few extended treatments of them. Oliver O''Donovan relates the Articles to the exhilarating and troubled century in which they took shape. He also shows how the distinctive insights and values of a past age relate to the demands of today''s world. ''What I propose in this case - is not to talk solely about the Articles, but to talk about God, mankind (sic!), and redemption, the central matters of the Christian faith, and to take the Tudor authors with me as companions in discussion. Two voices will be speaking - each raising the questions that Christian faith in his time forces upon him.'' Here is a new edition of his book on one of the key texts of Anglican identity by one of the UK''s leading theologians. The book has been out of print for some time and there have been repeated calls for a new edition with a new introduction which engages with more recent developments and offers the text to a new generation.

This book presents three different, influential and representative theological approaches towards the world religions. Students are not only introduced to the field, but get three passionate and intelligent ''takes'' on what is at stake. By means of a response to each of the primary essays, the authors are put into interaction with each other, and are also engaged with the most contemporary scholarship in the field of theology of religions.This sustained and high level critical interaction between the authors provides a feature that is not to be found in any other current work in theology of religions. The three views represent: conservative Roman Catholic Christianity (D''Costa), Reformed evangelical Christianity (Strange) and liberationist liberal Christianity (Knitter). This book will therefore appeal to a very wide theological market from all sections of the theological spectrum.

Marcella Althaus-Reid was one of the most fascinating and controversial theologians of the twentieth and early twenty-first century. Her strong personality and her iconoclastic work inspired a whole generation of theologians in the UK and worldwide. Marcella''s creative life was cut short by her death from cancer in 2009. Yet she lives on, not least in those who have been inspired by her work and continue to engage with it. "Dancing Theology in Fetish Boots" draws together a number of world-class scholars and others who engage with the main themes of Marcella''s work and show how the critical and controversial conversations which Marcella has begun can and do continue. It is therefore far more than a Festschrift, but a celebration of an intellectual life Marcella-style.

In 2001 Stanley Hauerwas was voted ''America''s best theologian'' by "Time Magazine". Here are Hauerwas'' long-awaited memoirs. A loving, hard-working, godly couple has long been denied a family of their own. Finally, the wife makes a deal with God: if he blesses her with a child, she will dedicate that child to God''s service. The result of that prayer was the birth of an influential - some say prophetic - voice. Surprisingly, this is not the biblical story of Samuel but the account of Stanley Hauerwas, one of today''s leading theologians in the church and the academy. The story of Hauerwas'' journey into Christian discipleship is captivating and inspiring. With genuine humility, he describes his intellectual struggles with faith, how he has dealt with the reality of marriage to a mentally ill partner, and the gift of friendships that have influenced his character. Throughout the narrative shines Hauerwas'' conviction that the tale of his life is worth telling only because of the greater Christian story providing foundation and direction for his own.

Bioethical issues are rarely out of view in Western societies. New developments in areas such as human embryology continually raise new ethical questions, while more familiar issues frequently reappear in public debate. These are issues of central concern for Christians and for a wider public, because they raise questions about the value of life, the meaning of suffering and death and humanity’s place in the natural world.

In Baptism in the Holy Spirit James Dunn argues that water baptism is only one element in the New Testament pattern of conversion and initiation. The gift of the Spirit, he believes, is the central element. For the writers of the New Testament only those who had received the Holy Spirit could be called Christians. For them, the reception of the Spirit was a very definite and often very dramatic experience - the decisive and climactic experience in conversion-initiation - to which Christians were usually recalled when reminded of their Christian faith and experience.James Dunn uncovers the place of the gift of the Holy Spirit in the total complex event of becoming a Christian.

There is a lively debate about the mission of the local church and an interest in doing new things or doing things differently. However, when church leaders start to work out the implications of change, they immediately come across real issues such as the time, money and buildings needed and how to make decisions that will change things, yet keep most people on board. "Resourcing Mission" offers the missing link between missiological thinking and the practical theological thinking about the task of mobilising local churches. Helen Cameron discusses questions such as the use of available time and money, different models of income, different models of leadership, the use of buildings, changing patterns of risk and regulation and approaches to decision making. "Resourcing Mission" shows how practical theology and mission and ministry need to work together and draw on each other''s resources to strengthen the work of the church.

The SCM Core Text "Theological Ethics" is intended for those studying Christian ethics at upper undergraduate level. The book offers a discussion of Christian moral thought in a variety of key areas. Many discussions of ethics start by considering particular issues. By contrast, this book gives a presentation of the patterns and traditions of thought that lie behind some of these discussions, in the hope that this will enable particular issues to be fully understood. The book begins by asking ''What is Theological Ethics?'' and proceeds to introducing different approaches to Ethics, Ethics in the Catholic and Protestant traditions and subjects such as Sin, Grace and Free Will (Augustine), Natural Law and the Human Good (Thomas Aquinas), Virtue, Conscience and Love. Everyone studying theology, whether in a ministerial or a university context, has to study Ethics and this is an accessible and student-friendly textbook on the subject.

Created as a companion guide to a Patristics textbook, From Nicaea to Chalcedon surveys a variety of writings to have occurred during one of the most significant periods in the formation of the Church, from 265-466. It does not aim to cover the subject as a textbook would, but aims to delve deeper into some of the characters who were involved with the Church or the Councils during this period. Beginning with Eusebius of Caesarea and the first council of the Church at Nicaea, and ending with Theodoret of Cyrrhus, who is thought to have changed his view of Christology after the watershed Council of Chalcedon, this unique text surveys some of the most influential characters to have shaped Church history and the formation of doctrine. Surveying a mixture of significant literary figures, laymen, bishops and heretics this book presents biographical, literary-critical and theological information about each. They are chosen either because they are important to the history of doctrine, or because new material about them has thrown light upon their work, or because they will broaden the reader''s understanding of the culture and history of the period or of live issues in the church at the time. Structured in five parts, each part deals with a period of time and a sequence of characters, so the book is easily followed in chronological order. Added to this, is the double bibliography, which in this edition is fully updated. Bibliography A details those texts in English of the original texts of antiquity, whilst Bibliography B provides details of publications in English, French and German which have appeared since 1960-2004 on or about the characters discussed in the body of the text.

The SCM Core Text: Christian Doctrine offers an up-to-date, accessible introduction to one of the core subjects of theology. Written for second and third-year university students, it shows that Christian Doctrine is not a series of impossible claims to be clung to with blind faith. Mike Higton argues that it is, rather, a set of claims that emerge in the midst of Christian life, as Christian communities try to make enough sense of their lives and of their world to allow them to carry on. Christian communities have made sense of their own life, and the life of the wider world in which they are set, as life created by God to share in God''s own life. They have seen themselves and their world as laid hold of God''s life in Jesus of Nazareth, and as having the Spirit of God''s own life actively at work within them. This book explores these and other central Christian doctrines, and in each case, shows how the doctrine makes sense, and how it is woven into Christian life. It will help readers to see what sense it might make to say the things that Christian doctrine says, and how that doctrine might affect the way that one looks at everything: the natural world, gossip, culture, speaking in tongues, politics, dieting, human freedom, love, High Noon, justice, computers, racism, the novels of Jane Austin, parenthood, death and fashion.

SCM Study Guide: New Testament Books, together with its companion volume on "New Testament Interpretation", offers an up-to-date, accessible introduction to this fast-changing area of theological study. Aimed at level one students, it encourages interaction with the New Testament texts and provides pointers for further reading and learning. The book describes the world out of which the New Testament came, and what can be known of the key figures of Jesus and Paul, before discussing the 27 books in turn. At every stage, attention is paid to the range of questions New Testament interpretation raises - historical, literary, theological - with worked examples from specific passages. Topics of particular interest include: What can be known about Jesus? Why are there four gospels? What is the Legacy of Paul? Does Revelation predict the End of the World?

This undergraduate text provides an introduction to the Old Testament covering all the core topics provided on a typical level one course. Features include: boxed explanations of difficult concepts, bullet pointed notes to remember, shaded areas of text highlighting areas for reflection, questions at the end of each chapter, web links and more.

Following the same topics as the "Methods" volume, this reader is aimed at postgraduates and academics interested in the expanding volume of work and research surrounding theological reflection. Brought together in this second volume are materials relating to the same topics and dealt with by the same divisions, descriptions and features. The identified models being The Living Human Document, Constructive Narrative Theology, Canonical Narrative Theology, Corporate Theological Reflection, The Correlative Method, Performative or Praxis Theological Reflection and Theology in the Vernacular, or local theologies. Volume one described and identified the various models whilst this new second volume fleshes out these descriptions by allowing the reader access to a variety of sources and examples of writings within these models.

This is a superbly entertaining overview of the Church of England over the last fifty years. The image of Sung Evensong may seem timeless, but the patterns of Anglican worship have changed continuously. Beginning with the great Victorian modernisers who stamped their taste on music as much as church buildings, we are taken on a memorable and entertaining musical tour that takes in: the impact of the Wesleys, the publication of "Hymns Ancient & Modern", the great organ builders, Willis and Walker, Vaughan Williams and the "English Hymnal", the Royal School of Church Music, The hymn writing explosion and the electronic age. All this and more presented here in Trevor''s inimitable and sharply observant style.

How does empire mould human subjectivity, for instance, and how does it affect the understanding of humans within the whole of creation? This title analyzes the global empire in its political and economic dimensions, in its symbolic constructions of power, and in its general assumptions often taken for granted.

An undergraduate textbook for use on modules introducing the New Testament. It argues that the New Testament reflects four streams of apostolic tradition, reflected in the 4 gospels. It includes bibliographies at the end of each section to guide the reader to the most relevant areas for further research in any given subject area.

Geoffrey Harris seeks to reconcile Paul the thinker and Paul the man of action. This student-friendly textbook provides clear information about research and writing on Paul in recent years, and shows how Paul''s early life held important strands of thought which informed his later theology. Paul''s conversion and his reflection upon its meaning led him to develop a ''resurrection theology'' from which much else followed on. The life setting of Paul''s churches and his mission strategy brings out many lessons and principles for church life and mission today.