If you meet George Herbert on the road, kill him: Radically Re-Thinking Priestly Ministry

Lewis-Anthony, Justin

ISBN 10: 1906286175 / ISBN 13: 9781906286170

Published by Mowbray, 2009

About this Item

Seller Inventory # E-9781906286170-2-2

Bibliographic Details

• Title: If you meet George Herbert on the road, kill him: Radically Re-Thinking Priestly Ministry
• Publisher: Mowbray
• Publication Date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1906286175
• ISBN 13: 9781906286170
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: Very good

About this title

Synopsis

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.

About the Author

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).