Why Bishops? What's so special about Bishops? What are Bishops called to and how best can they do it? This book is the single resource of answers to all the questions one could conceivably have about
Through an in-depth engagement with social theorist Pierre Bourdieu, this book explicates the relationship between theology and its social context, articulating a vision for the church's involvement w
The Second Vatican Council was the most important event in the Roman Catholic Church in the twentieth century. In line with Pope John XXIII's desire for aggiornamento it searched for ways to enable th
Ours is an anti-polity age, perhaps more than any other time in the history of the church. Yet polity remains as important now as it was in the New Testament.What then is a right or biblical polity? T
Concern about church growth and decline is widespread and contentious, yet theological reflection on church growth is scarce. Reflecting on the Bible, dogmatic theology and church history, this book s
At various times over the past millennium bishops of Rome have claimed a universal primacy of jurisdiction over all Christians and a superiority over civil authority. Reactions to these claims have sh
Catholic ecclesiology stands at the threshold of a new moment in the reception of the Second Vatican Council. The election of Pope Francis—coinciding with the fiftieth anniversary of the council—has i
Pope John XXIII prayed that the Second Vatican Council would prove to be a new Pentecost. The articles gathered here appeared originally in a series solicited by and published inTheological Studies (S
Pope Francis: The Last Pope? reveals the possible reasons for the choice of historical abdication of Benedict XVI and traces the process that led to the election of Cardinal Bergoglio: the Pope who ma
This book is an invitation to reflect on how a minority culture emerged from within «Third World» liberation movements. It considers not only the historical and cultural journey between Ethiopia and J
This is an exploration of communion ecclesiology and how, in its current status as the dominant way of thinking about and practising 'church,' it must engage more deeply with views about God's future,
John Wesley taught his followers to ask questions. New Christians were placed in small classes where they were queried weekly about their progress in the Christian journey: how it is with your soul, a
"The Mystical Body of Christ" captures the theological precision and communicative genius of Fulton J. Sheen (1895-1979), whose radio and television broadcasts, including "L
Unlike monks and nuns, clergy have hitherto been sidelined in accounts of the Middle Ages, but they played an important role in medieval society. This first broad-ranging study in English of the secular clergy examines how ordination provided a framework for clerical life cycles and outlines the influence exerted on secular clergy by monastic ideals before tracing typical career paths for clerics. Concentrating on northern France, England and Germany in the period c.800–c.1200, Julia Barrow explores how entry into the clergy usually occurred in childhood, with parents making decisions for their sons, although other relatives, chiefly clerical uncles, were also influential. By comparing two main types of family structure, Barrow supplies an explanation of why Gregorian reformers faced little serious opposition in demanding an end to clerical marriage in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Changes in educational provision c.1100 also help to explain growing social and geographical mobili
