Overview

Priestly ministry in the Church of England needs a radical rethink... George Herbert died in 1633. His legacy continues. His poems are read and sung, and his parish ministry remains the model for the Church of England's understanding of how and where and why its priests should minister. But there is a problem. The memory of Herbert celebrated by the Church is an inaccurate one, and, in its inaccuracy, is unfair on Herbert himself and his successors in the ordained ministry. This is a book of the long view. It sets out to assess realistically the context of Herbert's life and to explore the difficulties of parish life today. By examining the status and role of parish clergy since Herbert's time and today, it draws on the work of historians, social anthropologists, psychologists and theologians, and presents their ideas in a readable and passionate style. It argues that the future strength of parochial ministry will be found in a recovery of historic, renewed understandings of priestly ministry, and concludes by outlining more sustainable patterns of practice for the future. In a climate of uncertainty for the future of the church, it will be an encouragement for priest and people, and welcomed by both.

Full Product Details

Author:   The Revd Justin Lewis-Anthony
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint:   Mowbray
Dimensions:   Width: 13.80cm , Height: 2.00cm , Length: 21.60cm
Weight:   0.340kg
ISBN:  

9781906286170

ISBN 10:   1906286175
Pages:   256
Publication Date:   01 June 2009
Audience:   General/trade ,  Professional and scholarly ,  General ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.
Language:   English

Table of Contents

"The book is written in three sections: the first part, Death to Herbertism, examines the history and structure of the false pattern (which the author has christened 'Herbertism'): 1    Lin-Chi, the Curate and the Anglican Divine 2    ""... how many live so unlike him now... ""  3    ""The only thing I don't run""  4    The Cult of Nice 5    ""A little soft around the edges"" After such a grim account, the second section of the book, Herbertism Habilitated, begins to draw out a new conceptual framework for ministry, based upon a lecture given by the Archbishop of Canterbury in 2004. The Archbishop suggested three biblical images, which are here developed: Witness, Watchman and Weaver. 6    +ABC and the 3 Ws 7    Witness 8    Watchman 9    Weaver 10   The KGH method The final section of the book, The 'KGH' Method, becomes practical. The working out of the 3Ws requires a clear-sighted view of what is reasonable and unreasonable in parish ministry. The method is divided into five different pillars: Rule, Role, Responsibility, Reckoning and Reconciling."

Reviews

...a well-informed account of Herbert in context...good to be reintroduced to the giants...full of good material...enjoys an attractive, opinionated style...has a gift for sharp anecdotes...presents a helpful range of authorities... Church Times, September 2009 What kept me reading was the skilful way in which the author used the writings of such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Michael Ramsey, Vincent Donovan and others to make his case. Baptist Times, September 2009 Justin Lewis-Anthony plumbs a plethora of sources...and deploys anecdotal evidence to pleasing effect. www.portsmouthcathedral.org.uk/documents/Sep09Newsletter.pdf Catholic Herald

-What kept me reading was the skilful way in which the author used the writings of such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Michael Ramsey, Vincent Donovan and others to make his case.- Baptist Times, September 2009

'A very sympathetic [view] of Herbert's life and an appreciation of his verse. He also follows this with a a solid history of the clergy in the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries' Parson & Parish, Summer 2010

A witty, well-intentioned book. Behind its conclusions there are sophisticated analyses of any number of theological and sociological ideas --Sanford Lakoff The Catholic Herald

What kept me reading was the skilful way in which the author used the writings of such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Michael Ramsey, Vincent Donovan and others to make his case. Baptist Times, September 2009 ...a well-informed account of Herbert in context...good to be reintroduced to the giants...full of good material...enjoys an attractive, opinionated style...has a gift for sharp anecdotes...presents a helpful range of authorities... Church Times, September 2009 Justin Lewis-Anthony plumbs a plethora of sources...and deploys anecdotal evidence to pleasing effect. www.portsmouthcathedral.org.uk/documents/Sep09Newsletter.pdf Catholic Herald

Author Information

Justin Lewis-Anthony is Rector of St Stephen's Church, Canterbury, and Associate Lecturer in the European Cultures and Languages Section of the University of Kent at Canterbury. Formerly Precentor of Christ Church, Oxford, he has lectured, and led retreats, on film, popular culture and theology, and pastoralia in Canterbury, Oxford, Salisbury, London, Exeter, Chelmsford, St Albans, St Deiniol's Library, and North America. He is the author of Circles of Thorns and If You Meet George Herbert on the Road, Kill Him (both published by Continuum).

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