Ambition: What Jesus Said About Power, Success and Counting Stuff

'Be encouraged by Bishop Emma's advice and inspired by her wisdom and humour.' JUSTIN WELBY, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY

Counting things is very much on the table at the moment. But what is the theology around notions of ambition and success? Why do they sit so uncomfortably in a Christian context? After all, growth is not the preserve of big business when viewed through the lens of the story of God and his people. So, we need to ask, what is right about ambition for the Christian leader? And what were Jesus' views?

Inevitably (because everything interesting is paradoxical), success and failure are close bedfellows. The single most successful event in the history of humankind - the victory of love over sin and death - looked very much like one man, naked, shamed and abandoned by most of his followers, hanging on a cross.

If we keep a vision of the Kingdom of God at the centre of all we do, we cannot go far wrong. This lively and liberating book includes a brilliant take on Jesus' teaching in 'The Beatitudes for Ambitious Leaders'. Here Emma Ineson describes key spiritual dispositions that will enable us - whether in the church or living out our vocation elsewhere - to do just that.

The Revd Dr Emma Ineson is Bishop of Penrith. She was formerly Principal of Trinity College, Bristol, where she taught practical theology and spirituality, and Chaplain at the Lee Abbey community. These roles have helped her understand and appreciate the breadth and depth of the Church and, being married to a vicar, she has seen first-hand both the joys and challenges of parish ministry on the ground. Emma has been a member of General Synod, the Church of England Evangelical Council, and the Faith and Order Commission. She is on the 2020 Lambeth Conference Design Group and Chairs the CPAS Council of Reference.