This is an essential introductory to liturgy for both ordinands and trainee lay readers - indeed for anyone who finds themselves having to plan or lead public worship. Well-known worship writer and speaker Mark Earey has written this book both for lovers and loathers of liturgical worship - and for those who want to discover it for the first time. This updated and enlarged second edition now includes:* How liturgy works as ritual;* The use of liturgy in different traditions; * The shape of th...

This Very Short Introduction to hermeneutics demonstrates the central role of interpretation in our daily lives. By considering the historic developments in hermeneutic theory as well as its contemporary relevance, Zimmermann explains how humans continue to draw knowledge from the world around them.

This lively, engaging introduction to the New Testament is critical yet faith-friendly, lavishly illustrated, and accompanied by a variety of pedagogical aids, including sidebars, maps, tables, charts, diagrams, and suggestions for further reading. The full-color interior features art from around the world that illustrates the New Testament's impact on history and culture. The first edition has been well received (over 60,000 copies sold).

This new edition has been thoroughly revised in respo...

One of the best ways of introducing theology is through direct student engagement with the most exciting works of contemporary religious reflection. We can learn to think theologically from the giants. Gregory Higgins' work, a fresh edition of his earlier The Tapestry of Christian Theology, does just that. Loosely arranging his work around ten key biblical themes, Higgins catches the spirit and verve of ten contemporary theologians. In successive chapters he introduces these important thinker...

For some of us, the apostle Paul is intimidating, like a distant and difficult uncle. Maybe not someone you'd like to hang out with at a coffee shop on a rainy day. He'd make a scene, evangelize the barista, and arouse looks across the room.

For a mid-morning latte, we'd prefer Jesus over Paul. But Paul is actually the guy who-from Ephesus to Athens-was the talk of the marketplace, the raconteur of the Parthenon. He knew everyone, founded emerging churches, loved the difficult people, and hel...

This accessible guide to the Gospel and Letters of John introduces readers to key issues arising from historical, literary, and theological approaches to the Johannine literature, also discussing the methodological rationale underlying each of these approaches. After introducing the reader to the development of the narrative structure of the book, the message (theology) is discussed in detail, with the aim of introducing the reader to the interrelatedness of the multiple theological ideas in ...

How can we reconcile the ideal church described by theology with the broken church that we see in the world? In this book Joseph Small argues that the church's true identity is known somewhere in the tension between the two.

Small revisits familiar ecclesiological concepts--people of God, the body of Christ, the communion of the Holy Spirit--but rather than focusing on theological abstractions or worldly cynicism, he carefully evaluates the church in its scriptural, historical, theological, ...

In this accessible book, Anthony Thiselton introduces the apostle Paul, sometimes described as the founder of Christianity, to students and the general reader.