Bücher veröffentlicht von SCM Press

Amidst a world of seemingly endless movement and change many of us feel a longing to be rooted. It is this instinct that has led many to value the parish system, and to question the place of new churches, be they fresh expressions or church plants. This book is about the instinct to form churches that are of and for a particular place, and what this might mean in a world where place is contested, interconnected, and ever-changing. Above all it is an attempt to move the conversation beyond the binary choices of parish or non, new or inherited. It offers a powerful and persuasive vision for a Church that is national only by being local; a vision that can only be realised as churches continually become present to their places.

Why does bad theology happen to good people?Is it even possible for theology to go "bad"? On the one hand, the answer ought to be 'no'. It comes from God, so how can it be bad? Yet theology is predominately human construct, and as a result, humans can influence their theological conclusions with their own desires and beliefs. The result, more often than we care to admit, is 'bad theology'.Drawing on a careful definition of 'bad theology' as theology which denies human flourishing, avoids self-reflection and doesn't seek justice and equality, Leah Robinson offers a series of penetrating case studies which show what bad theology can look like when put into action. As we look at how theology can be bad, she argues, we might begin to understand how it might be better.

(Un)Certain: A Collective Memoir of Deconstructing Faith uncovers the courage and vulnerability of over 150 individuals from around the world as they navigate through their unravelling beliefs. Olivia Jackson weaves together stories of deeply committed believers who reached a breaking point with the Christian certainties and doctrines they once held dear. Exploring tales of abuse, exclusionary or harsh theologies, and a slow crumbling of conviction as interviewees share their journey towards a carefully considered expansion of faith, the book offers a glimpse into the nuanced and diverse experiences of those who reached the end of the road and dared to keep walking.

Jonah's radical and enigmatic nature calls for deeper exploration and engagement. Given its brevity, it is also an ideal text for multiple readings from a range of perspectives that complement, build upon, or challenge and critique each other. In Jonah's Story, Our Challenge, each chapter brings a different hermeneutical tool to the text, to demonstrate the wealth of fresh readings and new vistas which can open up, and the rich resources for ministry which can come from these multiple readings.

What might it mean us to be formed as disciples not only by the church but also by the world? In Political Formation: Being Formed by the Spirit in Church and World, Jenny Leith argues that ethical and political formation of Christians takes place through the work of the Spirit both in the church and in civic life, and the church, too, has something to learn from wider political practices and movements. This account of formation places centre stage a reckoning with the forms of exclusion and marginalisation that mar the church, and yields an understanding of the church as not only ethically formative but also in constant need of being formed itself.Offering a fresh vision for ecclesiology, which grapples with the ethical failings of the church and takes seriously the need for the church to keep on recognising and repenting of its sins, the book offers a major new contribution to discussions around Christian formation and the relationship between discipleship and ethics.

Feminist practical theology has emerged in the gap between wider feminist and wider practical theology. It celebrates distinctive concerns, arguments, emphases, and questions - unafraid to re-form practical theology in shape and substance, and to guide feminist theology towards the silences and stories of human lives that some professional theologies (including those shaped by feminist commitments) sometimes overlooks. Feminist practical theology is bold in exploration of doctrinal themes in poetic and prayerful modes, characteristically collaborative and in search of alliances with other advocacy perspectives.In the UK, such commitments have been exemplified by Nicola Slee, whom this volume honours. Chapters invite readers into wide ranging conversations that flow from young women's experiences at university, poetic practice as theology, queer priesthood, theologies of critical masculinities, women presiding in worship, Black and decolonial theologies adjacent to feminist convictions, confrontations with sexual violence, rest and rewilding, and a post-menopausal Mary. Contributors are: Al Barrett, Gavin D'Costa, Deborah Kahn-Harris, Michael N. Jagessar, Sharon Jagger, Rachel Mann, Jenny Morgans, Eleanor Nesbitt, Karen O'Donnell, Mark Pryce, Anthony G. Reddie, Ruth Shelton, Anne Phillips and Alison Wooley.

The History and Politics of Latin American Theology explores the contribution of major Latin American theologians to contemporary politics. Within the Latin American context, there has been a rediscovery of a fluid and sometimes contradictory relationship between the practice of religion and the practice of politics. Those with religious belief, living in that context, were forced to respond to a crisis in politics, whereby their own beliefs, practices, and a wayof life were pushed to the limit by human rights violations and absolutist forms of government. Responses varied widely - from the confrontation against the state in Chile to the dissenting silence in Argentina.The first volume deals with the complex roots of liberation and the issue of theological generations and the second volume explores the progression of Latin American theologians through their involvement in social movements and the relation between the Church and civil society, as society has changed and the Christian Church becomes less central within that society. This third volumeexplores issues related to the periphery where liberation theology has always found its niche and inspiration. Instead of dealing with individual theologians it returns to some of the unfinished theological themes of Latin American theology that are central to the ongoing development of Latin American theology for the twenty-first century. Those themes include: a biblical interpretationof the Gospel text at the periphery, models of centre/periphery, inter-faith dialogue with other religions and with Latin American Pentecostalism, poverty and consumerism, contemporary political activism and theological advocacy.Mario I. Aguilar was born in Chile and is Professor of Religion and Politics, and Director of the Centre for the Study of Religion and Politics, at the University of St Andrews, Scotland. He has published extensively on the history, theology and role of churches in Latin America and Africa as well as on the contribution of the social sciences to theology and biblical studies. This is the third and final of his three volumes on the History and Politics of Latin American Theology, for SCM Press.

The Church of England finds itself colliding with society at large on regular occasion. Has the time come, therefore, where the advantages of being the established church are at last outweighed by the disadvantages? Is there a case for disestablishment, and if so, what might a fresh vision of the church's relationship with wider society be?Separating the question of establishment, from the question of presence in the community, Chaplin argues that the time has come for the ending of privileged constitutional ties between the Church of England the British state.Rather than offering a smaller place for the Church of England within society, he suggests, such a separation would in fact enhance its ability to maintain an embedded presence in local parishes, and allow it the room to speak out about the deeper, bigger challenges which face society today.

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.

As those coming forward for ministerial training change and diversify, is the way we learn theology changing too? Integrity within our training institutions has often been assumed and granted to white, male, or those from the middle or upper classes. This has come at the expense of the faith truths, beliefs and perspectives offered by women, people of colour, indigenous theologies and the working classes, whose testimonies have often been ignored or marginalised by the dominant discourses that have been deemed more trustworthy as a consequence of the way in which imperialism has enabled knowledge and religion to be constructed and controlled. Yet theological education also has a potential to challenge these norms. It holds the potential to challenge oppressive cultures, theologies and pedagogies. Relying on feminist, black, indecent, and postcolonial theologies, Trust in Theological Education will deconstruct dominant models of theological education, by incorporating ethnographic research, alongside educational theory, liberation theology and radical exegesis'. It will demonstrate theological educations potential to change, and be transformed in order to enable those who have been excluded and marginalised to become speaking subjects and agents for systemic change.

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.

Stark, moving but with glimmers of humour amongst the wreckage, The Hardest Part asks perhaps the hardest question of all when faced with the horrors of the 1st World War - where was God to be found in the carnage of the western front? Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy's answer, that through the cross God shares in human suffering rather than being a 'passionate potentate' looking down unmoved by death, injury and destruction on an immense scale, was, and still is, revolutionary. Marking the centenary both of the end of the First World War and the original publication of The Hardest Part, this new critical edition contains a contextual introduction, a brief biography of Studdert Kennedy, annotated bibliography and the full text of the first edition of the book, with explanatory notes.

Generous Ecclesiology seeks to present a positive theological response to the issues raised by Mission-Shaped Church and For the Parish. The former reminds us that the church is to engage in creative and imaginative ways with our missionary calling. The latter affirms the place of inherited patterns and structures which cannot simply be discarded. Alert to the danger that discussion about tradition and innovation can become polarized; the editors recognize that living in relation to a generous God shapes our ecclesiology. This vocation is formed by a double constitution of worship and mission. This vocation is for the sake of the Kingdom of God. Generous Ecclesiology takes as its basis the uniqueness of the church's calling in God's world, a world embraced by the generosity of his love. This collection is a contribution to an ongoing conversation; to this end, it engages with a rich range of dialogue partners, historically, ecumenically and culturally as well as theologically. It seeks to offer a rigorous theological resource - inspiring us to drink deeply of the wells of our tradition and inherited patterns. Whether implicitly or explicitly, these essays reflect on or are shaped by the ordinary concerns, challenges and opportunities of ministry.