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This book provides a commentary on the message of Messiah. Handel’s great oratorio gives a marvellous portrayal of the Person and Work of Jesus Christ: the anticipation of his coming, his birth, his ministry, his sufferings and death, his resurrection and his ascension – plus also the proclamation of the Gospel to the world, and Christian assurance of resurrection life beyond death. The main focus of this study is the selection of Bible verses that make up the work, compiled by the librettist Charles Jennens. At the same time there is also a certain amount of comment on the music, showing how Handel’s distinctive skill contributes towards clearly expressing the message. The aim of the book is that readers may deepen their understanding of the Bible passages included in the work and enjoy Handel’s Messiah all the more – and as a result know Christ better.

Synods are gatherings of church officers that convene for the purpose of deliberating what church policy should be. Their agenda may include resolving disputes that have arisen as well, as making plans for the future development of the life of the church. They are typically representative bodies, though who they represent varies from time to time and from church to church. They have been held from the very earliest days of Christianity, and for many centuries they were understood to be assemblies of bishops. That is still the case in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches, but Anglican practice is much broader in scope, including clergy and laity as well. Modern synods also meet on a regular basis and operate according to a fixed constitution. They share some features in common with those of other times and places, but they are not direct descendants of any particular ancient tradition. There is no form of Anglican synodical government beyond the level of the national church, a fact that has become increasingly problematic in the worldwide Anglican Communion. Reform of the national synodical structure and the development of an effective form of synodical government that will be regarded as authoritative by the entire Communion are the greatest challenges we face today and it is these that this essay seeks to address.

The secular world is well aware of the problems of stress. Of recent decades a great deal of attention and research has been devoted to understanding what those who cope well with stress actually do; and, as a result, how to help others learn to do the same things. The psychological construct that has been developed to describe what secular researchers are looking for is ‘resilience’. What the literature reveals, however, is that our created natures thrive on spiritual values. What fosters resilience, the qualities and strategies that resilient people demonstrate, are things like religion, altruism and belief in the good. Sometimes these ideas can sit oddly with the naturalistic, pluralistic framework of secular socio-scientific research. However, within a Christian framework. It should not be surprising that what works is just that sort of lifestyle that God created us to have. Nothing will make Christian ministry easy in this fallen world, dealing with the sinful people that we all are. However we are blessed with resources that perhaps we take too lightly, and could be paying more attention to. We have a gracious God who has revealed truths about the world that make a difference to us – how we feel and how we cope, as well as how we believe and act. Most of all, unlike the secular world, we have a real hope that makes positive thinking entirely rational.Kirsty Birkett is Latimer Research Fellow at Oak Hill College, where she is responsible for Learning Architecture and Educational Development, and  teaches Ethics, Philosophy and Church History. Her many publications cover the whole area of relationships between science and religion. She has also written on psychology, feminism and the family for both a popular and academic audience.

Plural eldership and Anglican polity have long been held to be incompatible. Anglicans have inherited a sole presybterate as the normal pattern for congregational leadership, yet faithfulness to the patterns of leadership described in the New Testament lead evangelicals to look for ways to share ministry and leadership locally. The ‘one-man band’ model of ministry is simply not biblical. It is also not psychologically sustainable in the face of the growing demands of pastoral leadership. Plural leadership is desirable, but how can it be reconciled to Anglican polity?This study explores the biblical and historical background to locally shared pastoral leadership within an Anglican context. It goes on to describe the experience of nine UK Anglican pastors who have established a pastoral leadership team that functions as a plural eldership. Practical lessons are drawn for today’s church, with a particular focus on how this model enhances the church’s ministry of making disciples.

The concept of deification, or union with God, is a distinctive mark of Orthodoxy and has a central role within the Eastern theological framework. Since among Western Protestants there has been a recent renewal of interest in Orthodoxy, it is not surprising that scholars are trying not just to rediscover deification, but also to identify deification in Western theology.In contrast, with regards to salvation, the Western Church has focused on the cross, and since the Reformation, more specifically on justification by faith. Although within this theological framework the doctrine of union with Christ is considered essential for gaining salvation, it has often been neglected or not taught in its full dimensions.This study examines these two key concepts in the Orthodox and Reformed traditions. Their comparison is worthwhile as it illuminates their weaknesses and strengths, which leads towards practical application for the teaching in Reformed churches as well as for dialogue with Orthodox Christians.Slavko E┼╛denci grew up in Serbia as an atheist. He became a Christian during the civil war. He studied for an MTh in Theology and World Missions at Oak Hill College, London. Slavko now works with the Baptist church in Belgrade, Serbia. He is married to Alison and they have a son.

The year 2014 will mark 200 years of Christian Mission in New Zealand. The mission began among Northern Maori of the Bay of Islands in 1814 with three 'settler' missionaries and their families. But it was not until 1825 that the first Christian convert was baptised, with the mission only finally flourishing in the 1830s. The role that the missionaries themselves played in bringing about the remarkable success of the New Zealand mission is often down-played by contemporary historians who tend to view their endeavours as simplistic or coercive. During this early period, the mission was directed by Samuel Marsden (Senior Chaplain to the penal colony in New South Wales) but from the mid 1820s a change in direction was initiated by Henry Williams, the leader of the local missionary committee in the Bay of Islands.This study identifies and explores the tension between the strategies adopted by Marsden and Williams and the implications of each for the conduct of the mission. What is revealed is an account of great tenacity in the face of many set-backs and an over-whelming confi dence that, under the providence of God, the Christian Gospel could indeed take root in the land of Aotearoa, New Zealand.Malcolm Falloon is the vicar of St Aidan's, Bryndwr, an Anglican parish within the Christchurch Diocese, New Zealand. He also serves as the Honorary Warden of the Latimer Fellowship of New Zealand, a fellowship of evangelical Anglicans established in 1946.

No issue is more important, more difficult, more controversial, or more divisive for Christian theology and practice today than that of other faiths.The subject raises large theological questions about the nature of other faiths and Christian participation in the worship of other faiths. The issue of the nature and practices of other faiths is of real relevance in the West given the presence of large other faith communities in the UK.This study examines these questions by focusing on Paul's discussion of other faiths in Corinth in 1 Corinthians 8-10. It presents a fresh look at Paul's view of the worship of other faiths. It sheds light on the theological and pastoral issues raised by 1 Corinthians 8-10, and, in particular, engages with the debate on inclusivism, and offers pastoral case studies.Rohintan Mody comes from an Indian Zoroastrian background to Christianity and is the Associate Vicar of Christ Church, Virginia Water. His PhD in New Testament from the University of Aberdeen discusses The Relationship between Powers of Evil in 1 Corinthians 8:4-5 and 10:18-22 in the Context of the Pauline Corpus and Early Judaism.