Product Description
The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Bible; Religion / Christianity / Anglican; Religion / Biblical Criticism ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

An Anglican Classic
This is one of the first apologies for the raison d'etre of the Church of England and why it is neither Roman Catholic nor Reformed in the way the Protestant churches on the continent were. Jewel came after Cranmer, but before Hooker and should be considered one of the architects of Anglicanism even as he envisioned a Reformed Catholic Church of England. This is also where Jewel threw down the gauntlet and claimed he would convert to Roman Catholicism if it could proven that any number of medieval Catholic "novelties" such as private masses for the dead could be shown from the first six hundred years of the ancient Christian church.
Jewel was a learned man and published much. He is very comfortable with his use of the early church fathers in defense of the Church of England, but very often the fathers are used as weapons to highlight how much "innovation" had crept into the Church of Rome during the middle ages. Jewel himself was something of a disciple of the Zurich Reformer Heinrich Bullinger. Nevertheless Jewel's "Apology" became an instant classic and was placed alongside the Bible in every English church.

An argument for orthodox Christian religion
John Jewel wrote his Apology in the mid 16th Century in support of the nascent Church of England.In it, he deftly expresses that the foundation for the Church of England as a separate entity from the Roman Catholic Religion is not a novelty but is found in the Scriptures, in the writings of the church Fathers and in the early Church and even Jewish tradition.

For Jewel, he and the Church of England were remaining faithful to the faith handed down from Jesus, the apostles and church Fathers.It was the Roman Catholics and not the Reformational Christians that had rebelled and turned from the true faith.Jewel and others saw themselves as returning to the ancient faith based on Scripture.

He makes this solid case in his Apology by rarely making a point without referencing Scripture or a Christian Father or both.In that sense, this book serves as a Biblical Study and church history lesson.He also is adamant in attacking the practices of the Roman Catholic leaders and doctrines of religion that he saw as anathema to the gospel.These include the exaltation of the Pope, private masses, masses said in Latin, purgatory, indulgences and attacks on Protestants.His criticisms are targeted and are not necessarily anti-Roman Catholic; in fact, Jewel pleads for a blessed Christian relationship between the Roman Catholics and Protestants rather than animosity.

The case is made for the Protestant church then and Christians at anytime to separate themselves from the established religion when it represents doctrines of man in conflict with the ancient faith received from Christ and the apostles.

Jewel pulls no punches and is at times antagonistic.The writing is stimulating and enjoyable, while it is always enlightening. I think that Anglicans today would especially appreciate this book.

The copy I read was edited by John Booty and included helpful references. I do not know if all versions will include them or not; either way, the original text is excellent.

Shakespeare On Spirituality: Life-Changing Wisdom from Shakespeare's Plays ... Read more

Product Description
The architecture and decoration of Catholic churches and their importance as part of our heritage has gone largely undiscovered and unappreciated. This book is a celebration of 100 Catholic churches in England and Wales, with lively and informative text and stunning photography specially commissioned for the book. Each chapter is devoted to a milestone in the history of the Catholic Church since the Reformation, with a short, informative introduction followed by a description of each church complementing Alex Ramsay's photographs.The churches vary enormously in their scale, date and location. The small, now unconsecrated, 14th-century chapel at Rotherwas near Hereford survived centuries of official persecution and more informal terror from local anti-Catholics. The 19th-century church of St Everilda in Yorkshire was built after Catholic Emancipation, but although off the beaten track in the park of a big house it still hid its interior magnificence behind non-committal, blank walls. The Gothic churches of architect Joseph Hansom strike wonder into the hearts of their visitors: at Manchester's Holy Name he contrived a space of breath-taking vastness - architecture designed to shock and awe. Early-20th-century church architects adopted a lighter - and in some cases extraordinary - approach that gave Rochdale a church with a Byzantine dome and a wall of sumptuous mosaics. All these are important, architecturally, decoratively, historically and socially, and each has an additional powerful and poignant dimension because of their remarkable stories. ... Read more

Product Description
"Church Music and Protestantism in Post-Reformation England" breaks new ground in the religious history of Elizabethan England, through a closely focused study of the relationship between the practice of religious music and the complex process of Protestant identity formation. Hearing was of vital importance in the early modern period, and music was one of the most prominent, powerful and emotive elements of religious worship. But in large part, traditional historical narratives of the English Reformation have been distinctly tone deaf. Recent scholarship has begun to take increasing notice of some elements of Reformed musical practice, such as the congregational singing of psalms in meter. This book marks a significant advance in that area, combining an understanding of theory as expressed in contemporary religious and musical discourse, with a detailed study of the practice of church music in key sites of religious worship. Divided into three sections - 'Discourses', 'Sites', and 'Identities' - the book begins with an exploration of the classical and religious discourses which underpinned sixteenth-century understandings of music, and its use in religious worship.It then moves on to an investigation of the actual practice of Church music in parish and cathedral churches, before shifting its attention to the people of Elizabethan England, and the ways in which music both served and shaped the difficult process of Protestantisation. Through an exploration of these issues, and by reintegrating music back into the Elizabethan church, we gain an expanded and enriched understanding of the complex evolution of religious identities, and of what it actually meant to be Protestant in post-Reformation England. ... Read more

Product Description
This revisionist account seeks to redress the harsh judgments on the Hanoverian Church by Victorian and later historians. The Church's involvement in politics is explained and vindicated. ... Read more

Product Description
The book has no illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from the publisher's website (GeneralBooksClub.com). You can also preview excerpts of the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Original Publisher: Boston : Congregational Board of Publication; Publication date: 1860; Subjects: Congregationalism; Congregational churches; ... Read more

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Queen Victoria was both Supreme Head of the Church of England and an ardent playgoer. At the beginning of her reign considerable antagonism existed between the Church and the theater, but by the end the reconciliation was almost complete. This book explores the process in terms of trends in religious thought (the Oxford Movement and Christian-Socialism), other contemporary developments such as urbanization, education and women's emancipation and the principal protagonists: clergymen, dramatists, actors and actresses. ... Read more

Product Description
This book studies the way the central act of Christian worship (variously known as the Eucharist, the Lord's Supper, the Holy Communion, and the Mass) has been treated in the thought and practice of the Evangelical tradition in the Church of England.Evangelicals are not associated with an emphasis on the Eucharist, and Dr. Cocksworth's study is important and potentially very influential because it demonstrates that--at its times of strength--the Evangelical tradition has held the Eucharist in the highest regard. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A neglected, yet important topic
As you can see from the table of contents the author traces English eucharistic thought from the Reformation through the Puritans and on to the Evangelical revivals of the 1700s and on to the most significant Evangelical divines of the 1800s such as Ryle. But the author moves on to discuss the Evangelical response to Tractarianism, modern ecumenism and the influence of the Charismatic movement on the Church of England. It is helpful to note that none other than John Wesley celebrated Holy communion five times a week and that George Whitefield too longed to partake of it, sometimes twice on one day. Scholars have concluded that the Wesleyan revivals were also a revival of the eucharist and some 250 hymns were written on the blessings and benefits of the Lord's Supper. When Evangelicals werent reacting to High Churchmanship or fending off Anglo-Catholicism we see that they too have held a high view of the eucharist despite the potential problems that might arise when one holds an even higher view of justification by faith. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Packs in color drawings with specific details key to daily Victorian England life and experiences
Virginia Schomp's LIFE IN VICTORIAN ENGLAND series provides some eighty pages of facts specific to a period and piece of Victorian history. VICTORIA AND HER COURT, THE COUNTRYSIDE, THE CITY, and THE CHURCH each pack in color drawings with specific details key to daily Victorian England life and experiences.
... Read more

Product Description
The Eucharist, writes Timothy Radcliffe, is a three part drama, forming us in faith, hope and love. In this book he examines what it means to celebrate the Eucharist. Other people experience it as boring and pointless. Listening to the readings, the homily and the creed all take us through the crises and challenges of faith. From the offertory through to the end of the Eucharistic prayer we are caught up in the hope that was Christ's, faced with Good Friday. From the Our Father until we are sent on our way, especially in receiving communion, we are formed as people who are capable of love. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Theological inaccuracies
Radcliffe is an excellent writer, but his book is tarnished by some glaring theological errors, the most serious of which is that Christ's death made satisfaction, not to God, but to our own sinful bloodthirstiness as human beings (pg 120-122). This is so ludicrous that it goes even beyond the past errors of Irenaeus and Origen, who posited that Christ's death paid a ransom owed to Satan himself. Doctrine naturally develops and solidifies over time, and the magisterium of the Church recognized this as error and rejected this aspect of atonement theology about a thousand years ago. It's a shame Radcliffe's theology is stuck in the middle ages.

Very important
I find this book very important in that it deals with a delicate matter in a profound and practical way.

A superb meditation on the meaning of communion- great Lent book
I read this book with great interest. It is a super book that brings out clearly the meaning of the parts of the communion service. It is a perfect study book for Lent- you will understand Easter far more deeply after reading it.

I did not find it easy reading, but that may mean I was assimilating new material as I was reading. It is an easy paced book, and is well suited to being read in small portions over...well 40 days would be about right. I ended up with an impression that the author would be very likeable, and that I would enjoy hearing him preach. I learned a lot from reading him.

I can recommend this book to Christians who want to deepen their understanding of the communion service, and our community. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (24)

Read This as Only an Overview
My wife, who's Protestant, and I, Roman Catholic, are looking at the Episcopal Church as possible common ground.In that spirit, we purchased "Welcome to the Episcopal Church."In 133 pages, Webber attempts to cover history, worship, the Bible, theology, spirituality, and the Church.It's waaay too much to cover in that small space.Worse, Webber attempts to be as welcoming and inclusive as he can, in the process saying little with real content.Some parts (history) are flatly incorrect, or, to be generous, inaccurate.Other parts (theology) are a genuine muddle.This book will be on the 10-cent table in our next yard sale.

Episcopal Basics
The book is dated e.g. the history of the Episcopal Church concludes with Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold.However, it is a good tool to help educate people about the Episcopal Church. Informative and provokes discussion.

Excellent introduction into Episcopal history and tradition
I read this book in two days - it's short, and well written in a conversational manner.I was looking for an intro into the Episcopal tradition and this book delivered.However, the book is dated as it references the controversy of ordaining women for priesthood, with no foreshadowing or comment on the current controversy of ordaining practicing gay men and women.The author seemed to spend a lot of time distinguishing the Episcopal liturgy from the Roman Catholic liturgy with little comparison to other Christian traditions.In summary, "Welcome to the Episcopal Church" was like getting some personal insight from an insider, but it is not a "how to" manual or exhaustive discourse on Episcopal theology.

Wonderful, Inspirational, Clear, and Concise
I would recommend this book for any one considering the Episcopal Faith, or for any Episcopalian. An informative and easy read.

Great Introduction
I am a new member of the Episcopal Church and I have been reading and studying quite a lot about the church and it's history and teachings.This book was an excellent introduction to the Episcopal Church and it was very helpful to me, a new member.This isn't a very big book but it is quite informative.I think anyone interested in the Episcopal Church would do well to read this. ... Read more

Product Description
This is the first comprehensive historical treatment of the Latin liturgy in medieval England. Richard Pfaff constructs a history of the worship carried out in churches - cathedral, monastic, or parish - primarily through the surviving manuscripts of service books, and sets this within the context of the wider political, ecclesiastical, and cultural history of the period. The main focus is on the mass and daily office, treated both chronologically and by type, the liturgies of each religious order and each secular 'use' being studied individually. Furthermore, hagiographical and historiographical themes - respectively, which saints are prominent in a given witness and how the labors of scholars over the last century and a half have both furthered and, in some cases, impeded our understandings - are explored throughout. The book thus provides both a narrative account and a reference tool of permanent value. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The need for more books which deal with the anglican perspective
This is an essential work for anyone seeking to explore Anglican history as opposed to making up Anglican history. However, I would like to see a work which deals more with Richard Hooker and the extinct to which early Greek thought plays into his Anglican theology.I believe such a contemporary work would be extremely helpful in moving Anglicanism through the mine-fields of twenty-first century social change. ( I have written such a work in the form of a PhD dissertation and would love the opportunity to make this work available to your audience.)Gene McDowell ... Read more

Product Description
The Book of Common Prayer is one of the most important and influential books in English history, but it has received relatively little attention from literary scholars. This study seeks to remedy this by attending to the prayerbook's importance in England's political, intellectual, religious, and literary history. The first half of the book presents extensive analyses of the Book of Common Prayer's involvement in early modern discourses of nationalism and individualism, and argues that the liturgy sought to engage and textually reconcile these potentially competing cultural impulses. In its second half, Liturgy and Literature traces these tensions in subsequent works by four major authors - Sidney, Shakespeare, Milton, and Hobbes - and contends that they operate within the dialectical parameters laid out in the prayerbook decades earlier. Rosendale's analyses are supplemented by a brief history of the Book of Common Prayer, and by an appendix which discusses its contents. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Product never arrived
Hm, first thing from Amazon not to arrive. Am hoping it will show up one of these days. I know the item itself is a five star item and a very good history, but haven't had a chance to read the whole thing, just exerpts during a recent class.

A Well written, balanced and measured brief history
David Holmes' "A Brief History of the Episcopal Church" provides a well written account of the church begining with its roots in the English Reformation and continuing on to the 1990's.He write a comprehensive history touching on the highlights without ever getting bogged down in uninteresting details.Although at times, I wish he had gone deeper, but this is a "brief" history.In keeping it brief, I think he is judicious and prudent with the material.

He successfully manages to follow the course and events of the church, shall profiles with key characters, discuss tensions and conflicts and describe some theology...all while keeping it brief.

I think any readers will find that this book carries out its mission well and gives an erudite, intriguing history of the Episcopal Church.If only an author could briefly tell us where it is going in the future.

A Brief History of the Episcopal Church
I enjoyed reading this book by David L. Holmes. He goes into great detail about the Episcopal religion, and its history from the Anglican Reformation to the present. He not only tells when some Anglican traditions started but what other religions were doing during the same time frame. This book has given me a real hunger for doing more research on the Episcopal Faith

Fair and Caring History Gives Context to Modern Church
Dr. David Holmes's Brief History is important reading for anyoneinterested in the Episcopal Church, being engaging in its style and tone,comprehensive in its coverage, and useful in its bibliography.Dr. Holmeshelped me, an Episcopalian of 30 years, make fair and caring sense of themany currents of religious thought that I first learned about in the late1960s, and to place them into their historical and theological contextsboth within and outside the Episcopal Church.Those currents too oftendivide and discourage rather than unite and uplift us, and we Episcopalianscould argue a lot less (even about liturgy and music!), or at least arguewith more community, if we learned the historical facts and the gentlysuggested lessons that this book can teach us.We also might come awayfeeling more kinship, not only with other Episcopalians whose views we maynot share, but also with other denominations, with whom we share more thanmany of us (including this reviewer) probably know.

A "brief history" that will appeal to many
Good history pairs accurate facts with clear analysis.Great history addsfresh ideas, compelling personal accounts, and a genuine passion for thesubject matter.In this engaging book on the Episcopal church, DavidHolmes has written history of the best kind.

As a professor at theCollege of William and Mary, Holmes commands knowledge of both churchdevelopment and European and American history.Yet his simple, directlanguage makes complex topics clear to readers unfamiliar with churchhistory or religious studies in general.His research also makes Episcopalhistory relevant to a wide range of audiences.

In a chapter entitled "TheGrowth of the Episcopal Church," Holmes chronicles the church'spost-Colonial development.The diversity in this section shines.Withfascinating detail, the author describes Anglican attempts to evangelizeNative Americans, touches on foreign missions, and writes about the effectof immigration on the church.

Holmes also deals deftly with the role ofAfrican-Americans in the church, beginning with the baptism of anAfrican-American family at Jamestown in 1623.He objectively describes thechurch's response to slavery and the Civil War, and explains the subsequentdisaffection of many African-Americans from the denomination.

Finally,Holmes brilliantly chronicles the little-known role of women in areas suchas missionary work and the social gospel movement.The book tells thestories of several women affected by the national debate over women'sordination in the 1960's and 1970's.

Even without the detailed and livelyhistory that comprises its six main chapters, Holmes's book would be worthreading for its fascinating appendix, which chronicles Henry VIII's questfor an annulment from Catherine of Aragon.In an exceedinglywell-researched account, Holmes balances historical detail with humaninterest drama that will captivate readers of all levels.

With livelyprose and compelling analysis, this "brief history" will be a delight forscholars, laity, and history buffs alike. ... Read more