A New Lease of Life?
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Face to Face:
Face to Face:
Author Samuel Wells
Publisher Canterbury Press £12.99 2019
Format pbk
ISBN 9781501899010
Subtitled ‘Meeting Christ in friend and stranger’, this is a candid book about ministry written, says the author, as an encouragement to clergy and to all who minister. The introduction is an essay about the development of pastoral skills, and this is followed by 21 encounters, some actual, some fictionalised, which draw out the roles undertaken during pastoral ministry. The reflective writing about these meetings makes the reader notice when the author is being judgemental, beating himself up needlessly or even performing to the gallery! It is an honest read which forces you to think about how you might respond in similar situations. However, the book assumes throughout that it is addressing only those ordained to the priesthood, and this may limit its appeal to Readers. I found it thought-provoking since the stance of being a lay minister would be side by side with the laity rather than face to face. It is therefore valuable in considering the differences in how laity minister to laity.
JOHN GRIFFITHS
Pastoral, Ministry
Kingdom Come
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Building Bridges Not Walls
Building Bridges
Not Walls
Author Peter Bold
Publisher Sacristy £12.99
Format pbk
ISBN 9781789590944
As a former industrial chemist I was intrigued by the sub-title, ‘An Engineer’s Guide to Theology’. This is partly a memoir of the author’s progress from being an engineer and a conservative Evangelical to being a rather broader-minded ordained incumbent; and then a deliberately simple setting out of how that has shaped his understanding of theology: ‘My complete or systematic theology in 60,000 words.’ It covers many of the difficult questions that trying to live out the gospel throws up. From my experience at Reader meetings, there is a higher proportion of engineers and scientists in lay ministry than in ordained ministry, and this should appeal to them, of whatever churchmanship; and also to young but mature enquirers they meet. The author has a chapter on ‘Truth, Global Warming, Post-modernism and Politics’ which may date but is currently powerful. The closing chapter ‘My Journey and Hope for the Church’ is a great summary.
IAN WELLS
Vocation, Ministry
The Diaconate in Ecumenical Perspective
The Diaconate in Ecumenical Perspective
Author D. Michael Jackson (ed.)
Publisher Sacristy £19.99
Format pbk
ISBN 9781789590357
This volume resulted from a 2011 ecumenical conference on the diaconate at the University of Regina, Canada, and includes chapters on the theology of the diaconate, the transitional diaconate, women deacons, ecumenical perspectives on the diaconate, the prophetic and liturgical roles of deacons and diaconal formation. The book’s broad ecumenical range makes it unusual, with contributions from the Anglican, Roman Catholic, Ukrainian Catholic, Lutheran and Methodist traditions; in addition, authors address the diaconate in the Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches. The 19 chapters are succinct, but make a compelling case for ecumenical engagement on a ministry shared between the Churches but often interpreted in very different ways. Nevertheless, a common thread running through many chapters is the importance of John Collins’ theology of diakonia as more than just service. The chapter on the survival of women deacons in the eastern Churches, in particular, illuminates an often overlooked and forgotten history. A weakness of the book, which will undoubtedly diminish its academic impact, is the regrettable absence of detailed references for most chapters, a bibliography and an analytical index.
FRANCIS YOUNG
Ecumenism, Ministry
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