Kirjahaku

"Straw for the Bricks" explores theological reflection as a tool for ministerial training and development. The book offers a new resource for theological conversation at the beginning of the 21st century: it breaks new ground in exploring how a model of conversation can be used to lay a foundation for learning which provides a new architecture for both academic curriculum and personal formation. In addition, this book offers a practical guide to good practice supported by the lived experience of educators from All Saints Centre for Mission and Ministry working across several disciplines. No other such detailed practical guide is currently in print. This will become an important resource for those within theological education institutions, adult theological educators; those with responsibility for continuing ministerial development, mentoring and discipleship; and any lay person who seeks to live a life of faith in conversation with culture and the Judaeo-Christian tradition.

Is the process of ‘formation’ or ministerial education in the Church of England, UK Baptist churches and other mainstream Christian denominations in the UK an exercise in power that needs to be resisted if marginalised voices are to be heard? May She Speak in the Name of the Father examines how women’s voices and experiences can be silenced and discredited during training, particularly in relation to preaching, examining first the context and culture of formation, particularly in the Church of England, then approaches to homiletics and show how widely accepted approaches act to silence women’s voices. Liz Shercliff goes well beyond a critique of institutions and practices by offering practical suggestions for inclusive pedagogical approaches. Based on years of experience and conversation with women training for Anglican ministry, and a lively commitment to embodied preaching Shercliff has produced a grounded and inspiring piece of work that is essential reading for all involved in preaching and ministerial education. This volume is an important contribution to homiletics, theological education and ministerial training.

Should women who preach, preach as women? Preaching Women argues that far from being a gender-neutral space, the pulpit is a critical place in which a gender imbalance can begin to be redressed. There is a vital need for women preachers to speak out of their experience of living as women in today’s culture and church Filling a glaring gap in the literature around homiletics, Filling a glaring gap in the literature around homiletics, Preaching Women considers reasons why women preachers should preach from their experiences as women, what women bring to preaching that is missing without us, and how women preachers can go about the task of biblical preaching. With a foreword by Libby Lane.

Good preaching depends on being attentive – to God, to the Bible, to the congregation, to the context, to what influences and shapes the preacher. This practical, confidence-building guide is for all who want to develop their preaching by homing in on that which points to God in the now. Encouraging preachers in the ways that will make authentic connections with others, it demonstrates that preaching in today’s culture requires preachers to ‘show up and be present, in person’ rather than speak 'in role' or act as religious spokespersons who take no responsibility for their message. Based on the authors’ own training of ordinands, it offers: • Insights on how to develop the habit of noticing God in the world; • Strategies for opening up and finding fresh meaning in familiar Bible texts; • Ways of understanding what influences your congregation and your own theology; • Sample sermons that embody these principles.

The story of the Bible us most often told as the story of men, from patriarchs to prophets, kings, disciples and apostles. But women are there, sometimes in the background, sometimes striding powerfully onto the stage. Their stories are frequently moving, prophetic and often good news. Sometimes they experience appalling violence and abuse, which needs to be named. In some examples, their behaviour is less than appealing and power is misused – which needs acknowledgement and exploration. In this volume, Bruce and Shercliff continue to explore the stories of the women of the bible, offering exegesis and comment, enabling preachers, and readers with a more general interest, to encounter and appreciate more of the female characters in scripture. Again, they seek to inspire imaginative approaches in preachers, combining commentary and homiletic textbook

The story of the Bible is most often told as the story of men, from patriarchs to prophets, kings, disciples, and apostles. But women are there, sometimes in the background, sometimes striding powerfully onto the stage. Their story is moving, prophetic and good news for the congregations to whom we preach. Out of the Shadows seeks to enable preachers to see these often marginal characters in a new light, offering ideas about how to communicate their stories with power, resonance and punch.