Prayer Book Fellowship

January and February 2011 : from the Calendar

2010-06-04T01:51:00.000-07:00

January
Sun 2nd 2nd Sunday after Christmas
Thurs 6th The Epiphany (The BCP Communion celebrates the story of the Magi but the Baptism of our Lord at Matins.)
Sun 9th 1st Sunday after the Epiphany
Thurs 13th S.Hilary's Day
Sun 16th 2nd Sunday after the Epiphany
Sun 23rd 3rd Sunday after the Epiphany
Tues 25th Conversion of S.Paul
Sun 30th 4th Sunday after the Epiphany : King Charles the Martyr

February

Wed 2nd Presentation of our Lord in the Temple - Candlemas Day
Sun 6th 5th Sunday after the Epiphany : The Accession of HM Queen Elizabeth II
Sun 13th 6th Sunday after the Epiphany
Mon 14th S.Valentine's Day
Sun 20th Septuagesima - the Third Sunday before Lent
Thurs 24th S.Matthias's Day
Sun 27th Sexagesima - the Second Sunday before Lent

Bishop Tom Frame and the BCP : 1st June, 2010

2010-05-31T23:42:00.001-07:00

The Rt Revd Professor Tom Frame, Director of S.Mark's National Theological Centre, Canberra was guest speaker at a recent Dinner of the NSW Branch of the Prayer Book Society. His address is available from the Revd John Bunyan (jrbpilgrim@bocnet.com.au) - who would agree with much in it - except for Bishop Frame's opposition to Establishment.

(By contrast, Dr Ian Bradley of the University of St Andrews, in his latest, very readable book (Grace, Order, Openness, Diversity : Reclaiming Liberal Theology, commends both the Establishment and constitutional monarchy.)

Prayer Books go to gaol in England : 1st June

2010-05-31T23:16:00.000-07:00

The Prayer Book Society in England like the PBS in New South Wales provides Books of Common Prayer as gifts to ordinands. The English society, however, is now also providing Prayer Books for prisoners in gaols. The Bishop of Liverpool, the Rt Revd James Jones, Bishop to prisons, said he was delighted to learn of this initiative. Over 100 Prayer Books have already been shipped to prison chaplains all over England. A specially prepared guide to the use of the Prayer Book in daily devotion is also being sent out.

The Revd Alison Adams, co-ordinating chaplain at Leicester has welcomed the gifts. At Peterborough, Chaplain Tim Harling commented "I would love to introduce the prayer book to people who have never experienced (its) beauty and language". "I have often thought it might allow prisoners to appreciate the 'Otherness' and special place faith can have in their lives."

Bishop James, an eirenic and impressive Evangelical leader, has said that "I hope prisoners will find comfort in the 'comfortable words' of the Book of Common Prayer and discover for themselves 'that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners'."

Coming Events - to be updated early in 2011

2010-03-21T12:50:00.000-07:00

THIS SITE IS TO BE REVISED, AND REDUCED IN SIZE,
TO CONCENTRATE ON PRAYER BOOK SOCIETY AND OTHER SPECIAL EVENTS IN SYDNEY
John Bunyan bunyanj@tpg.com.au
PO Box N109, Campbelltown North, NSW, 2560, Australia

See also ChurchofAustralia.blogspot.com

New Books by John Bunyan May 2010

2009-04-10T01:28:00.001-07:00

A SYDNEY ANGLICAN'S SEVENTY FIVE SONNETS $10 (plus $2 p & p)
- poems of faith and doubt, mostly written in the first 3 months of 2010. Just published in a short run of signed and numbered copies. 52 pp. Colour photograph of the sanctuary and altar of S.Peter's Parish Church, Campbelltown, N.S.W.

BCP @ 09 : ce.au : A BROAD-CHURCH COMMUNION PRAYER-BOOK with 15 Psalms and 59 Hymns - catholic and evangelical, anglican and unitarian -
a 2 part, 2 volume book, one with the revised service and the remarkable collection of hymns old and new, and the other with a commentary and defence $15 (plus $2 p & p).
Only a small number remain. Please make out cheques to John Bunyan.

IN HEART AND MIND : Psalms restoring

This has just 97 psalms or portions of psalms, from the beautiful Coverdale Psalter, unchanged but with unobtrusive annotations, and arranged for saying or singing over the days of the month.
$13 (plus $2 p & p).

JUBILEE JUNCTION 09 : 10
50 songs written by and 50 stories chosen by J.B.
The stories are well-known and little known stories from the Bible, in the fine language of the AV (or occasionally the RSV or NRSV). The hymns include many of J.B.'s earlier hymns but now considerably revised, and some new hymns - eg one for an Australian spring time festival of the Holy Cross, and one about grace in the sense of courtesy and good manners etc !
A nice gift. 100 signed and numbered copies. $17 (plus $2 p & p).

A DAY FOR THE DROVER : Macquarie's Morning Prayer
This was launched at the Choral Matins at S.Peter's, Campbelltown - 11.15 am on Sat.May 2nd, when the Address will be given by H.E. Professor Marie Basher, AC CVO, the Governor of New South Wales.

This book, a fascinating anthology, brings together the two themes of that service, the 450th anniversary of the 1559 Book of Common Prayer and the 200th anniversary of the Appointment in the UK of Lachlan Macquarie as Governor.

It includes at the front, BCP Morning and Evening Prayer but with variations for those who would like to use them, and at the back 50 hymns (not J.B.'s) appropriate for Matins and Evensong, and in between a variety of articles of more specialised interest on the Prayer Book, the Prayer Book Society, and Lachlan and Elizabeth Macquarie. $17 (p & p $2)

22 new recommended books : Jan 14th 2009

2009-01-11T23:16:00.000-08:00

Now in the Colenso Library :

BIBLE, THEOLOGY, BIOGRAPHY, AND EVANGELISM

Robert Harrison, John Walker : A Man for the 21st Century - story of a great Bishop of Washington.

Ben Witherington III : What have they done with Jesus ? - one of the best moderate conservative authors whom liberal Christians should read - and question !

Rupert Shortt, Rowan's Rule : The Biography of the Archbishop

Dave Tomlinson, Re-enchanting Christianity, by the author of The Post-Evangelical

Julie Galambush, The Reluctant Parting : How the New Testament's Jewish Writers Created a Christian book - by a former Baptist minister and scholar who has converted to her father's Jewish faith

Roger Haight SJ, The Future of Christology, by the author of the larger work, Jesus : Symbol of God, no longer allowed to teach Protestants let alone Roman Catholics

Leslie J.Francis and Philip Richter, Gone for Good ? : Church-Leaving and Returning in the 21st Century

Louise Nelstrop and Martyn Percy, Evaluating Fresh Expressions

Bp John Colenso, Natal Sermons, 2nd series, 1868 - at last re-printed !

Keith Ward, The Big Questions in Science and Religion - by outstanding scholar

David Hay, Something There : The Biology of the Human Spirit

HISTORY, DEVOTION, ARCHITECTURE, CHURCH AND SOCIETY

Timothy Radcliffe O.P., Why Go To Church ? : The Drama of the Eucharist

Diarmaid MacCulloch, The Later Reformation in England, 1547-1603

Hugh Trevor-Roper, The Invention of Scotland : Myth and History

William O'Connor and William J.Lines, Overloading Australia : How governments and media dither and deny on population'

David Stancliffe, The Lion Companion to Church Architecture - delightful !

Sarah Brown and Peter de Figueiredo, Religion and Place : Liverpool's historic places of worship - well illustrated and comprehensive coverage of the churches and the two cathedrals of England's Liverpool

Moyra Dooley, No Place for God : The Denial of the Transcendent in Modern Church Architecture

Clive Dewey, The Passing of Barchester - interesting study of one major aspect of the 19th century Church of England

Paul Avis, The Identity of Anglicanism - revised

Kenneth Stevenson, ed., A Fallible Church

Stephen Games, ed., Tennis Whites and Teacakes - some of John Betjeman's work in short bites, a nice gift

About this web-site, December, 2010

2008-10-19T17:15:00.001-07:00

This site is not intended for "blogging" or conversation.
It provides information, ideas, and occasional comment.

Items on the site are regularly up-dated
including most of those in the "archives",
eg archive for March 2006 has latest additions to a list of BCP services
that is steadily being developed. It is hoped to bring the site up to date early in 2011.

This site was established originally for the Prayer Book Fellowship
but its scope has been widened to cover a variety of matters, especially from a
"broad church" Sydney Anglican viewpoint.

The Prayer Book Fellowship provides a library and book
depot, and resources related to the 1662 Book of Common Prayer
and worship generally, and encourages support for the
Prayer Book Society in New South Wales, Victoria, and the UK.

John Bunyan can be contacted at -
"Colenso Corner", PO Box N109, Campbelltown North, NSW, 2560,
bunyanj@tpg.com.au or (02) 46.272.586.

Science and Religion books : updated 25th August 2008

2008-01-14T16:25:00.000-08:00

The following have been added to the Bishop Colenso Library and may be borrowed . They deal with the most fundamental questions facing us today, regarding God and our world - although the second listed is the story of a priest and scientist.

Nicholas Saunders, Divine Action and Modern Science, Cambridge - by one learned in both physics and theology

Keith Ward, The Big Questions of Science and Religion, Alban Books - a solid work demanding solid thinking.

John Polkinghorne, From Physics to Priest : An Autobiography, - by one of the best known contemporary Church of England priests and Templeton Award winner. SPCK

John C.Lennos, God's Undertaker : Has Science Buried God ? - a very important new study by the Reader in Mathematics at Oxford and Fellow in Mathematics and the Philosophy of Science at Green College, Lion Books
Charles Birch, Science and Soul, UNSW Press
Jeremy Campbell, The Many Faces of God : Science's 400-Year Quest for Images of the Divine, Norton
Francis S.Collins, The Language of God : A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief, Free Press/Pocket Books
Philip Clayton & Arthur Peacocke, eds, In Whom We Live and Move and Have Our Being : Panentheistic Reflections on God's Presence in a Scientific World, Eerdmans,
John Cornwell, Darwin's Angel (an answer to Dawkins), Profile Books,
Hans Kung, The Beginning of All Things : Science and Religion, Eerdmans
Nigel Leaves, The God Problem : Alternatives to Fundamentalism, Polebridge House
James R.Lucas, Knowing the Unknowable God : How Faith Thrives on Divine Mystery, Water Brook
Elizabeth Lloyd Mayer, Extraordinary Knowing : Science, Skepticism, and the Inexplicable Powers of the Human Mind, Bantam
Alister McGrath, The Dawkins Delusion, SPCK
Alister McGrath, The Re-Enchantment of Nature : Science, Religion and the Human Sense of Wonder, Hodder & Stoughton
Arthur Peacocke, All That Is : A Naturalistic Faith for the Twenty-First Century, ed., by Philip Clayton (Dr Peacocke having recently died), Fortress Press
Arthur Peacocke, From DNA to Dean : Reflections and Explorations of a Priest-Scientist, Canterbury Press
Arthur Peacocke, Paths from Science Towards God : The End of all our Exploring, Oneworld
Arthur Peacocke, Theology for a Scientific Age, Basil Blackwell
John Polkinghorne, Scientists as Theologians (comparing Ian Barbour, Arthur Peacocke and John Polkinghorne himself), SPCK
Gerald L.Schroeder, The Hidden Face of God : How Science Reveals the Ultimate Truth, The Free Press
M.K.Vernon, Science, Religion and the Meaning of Life (a defence of agnostism), Palgrave,
Keith Ward, Is Religion Dangerous ? Lion
Peter Ward & Donald Brownless, The Life and Death of Planet Earth : How the new science of astrobiology charts the ultimate fate of our world, Piatkus - a major challenge to theology !
Larry Witham, The Measure of God : Our Century-Long Struggle to Reconcile Science and Religion : The Story of the Gifford Lectures, HarperSanFrancisco
Philip Yancey, Reaching for the Invisible God : what can we expect to find ? Harper Collins

New Books : June 2010

2006-09-22T23:59:00.000-07:00

Large numbers of books are regularly added
to the Bishop John Colenso Library at
Campbelltown. Most can be freely borrowed.

FOR MOST RECENT BOOKS, see churchofaustralia.blogspot.com

SEE SEPARATE SECTION FOR BOOKS BOUGHT OR ORDERED
EARLY IN OCTOBER 2008. Earlier books are listed below.

Paul Avis, THE IDENTITY OF ANGLICANISM : Essentials of Anglican Ecclesiology - some will not agree with everything here but there are many valuable insights and ideas

Kenneth Stevenson, ed., A FALLIBLE CHURCH : Lambeth Essays (contributors include David Stancliffe and Mark Chapman)

Mary Reath, ROME AND CANTERBURY : The Elusive Search for Unity, with forewords by the late Revd Dr John Macquarrie, RC Archbishop Bathersby, and Bishop Peter Carnley

Aidan Nichols O.P., The Realm : An Unfashionable Essay on the Conversion of England - unfashionable ? certainly rather controversial, by a Roman Catholic calling for a profound change in English culture - comprehensive and worth reading

Marcus J.Bord, THE HEART OF CHRISTIANITY : Discovering A Life of Faith
- written by well-known former Lutheran, now Episcopalian, this is "progressive
Christianity" at its best ; one may not agree with everything in this book (one would
like more on the historic Jesus), and some parts may not "speak" to everyone,
yet it is much of value, for this commentator, for example, its simple analysis
of the ways in which the early Christians understood the death of Jesus, or
what it says on Sin and Salvation : transforming the heart.

John Pridmore, The Inner-City of God : The diary of an East End parson
- a delightful and sobering book, sad at times and often very funny
and highly recommended, not least for church bureaucrats

Sir Cliff Richard & Brian Sibley, 50 Favourite Bible Stories -
children's book plus CDs, typically fine Lion Book publication
(Cliff Richard : the bachelor boy, by Steve Turner, has just been published.)

John Polkinghorne, From Physicist to Priest, an Autobiography
(of a distinguished scientist and theologian)

W.M.Jacob, The Clerical Profession in the Long 18th Century

Paul Collins, Believers : Does Australian Catholicism have a Future ;
by well-known Roman Catholic author and former priest

Kenneth Fincham & Nicholas Tyacke, ALTARS RESTORED (ie in Jacobean and Caroline days in England)

Peter Hinchliff, Frederick Temple : Archbishop of Canterbury
the standard life- added to more than 350 biographies in the library

The Faith of the One God, an important facsimile reprint of the works published by London layman, businesman, philanthropist, and unitarian Anglican, Thomas Firmin, including the works of John Bidle, gaoled for his beliefs (and who died in gaol), and the "Unitarian tracts" attributed to the unitarian Rector, Stephen Nye, &c.

Open for Youth : The Church, the Visitor and the Gospel, by Paul Bond
- every church will find something useful here in a book which should
encourage churches to greatly lift their game in regard to visitors.

I Desire Justice : Daily Reflections from Ash Wednesday to Easter Day
- mostly written (very intelligently and helpfully) by students of
the Evangelical (but very Anglican) Ridley Hall, Cambridge -
an encouraging sign of some promising ordinands for the future Church.

Walter Brueggemann, Mandate to Difference : An Invitation to the Contemporary
Church - a collection of profound and original addresses by this great
Old Testament scholar

Leslie Francis & Philip Richter, GONE FOR GOOD ? Church-Leaving and Returning in the 21st Century - research relevant for Australia as for England, better than uneducated guesses!

Geza Vermes, THE RESURRECTION : History & Myth, follows this Jewish scholar's earlier short works on the Nativity and the Passion. (He was for a time a Roman Catholic priest.) This really add nothing new but his earlier works are important, especially those on the Dead Sea Scrolls, and especially on the Jewish Jesus and the development of the Gospels.

Tim Dowley, THE CHRISTIANS : AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY
- a typically fine production from Lion, a general introduction,
well-illustrated (though not a great deal about Anglicans!)

Richard Turnbull, ANGLICAN AND EVANGELICAL ? - by the principal of the very troubled Wycliffe Hall, a book deserving the very adverse review it received recently in the Tablet. One would buy or borrow instead far better Evangelical Anglican writing in :

Peter G.Bolt & Mark D.Thompson, ed., DONALD ROBINSON : COLLECTED WORKS.
So far the Library has Volumes 1 and 2 which should be read by every parson and every Anglican leader in Sydney Diocese and elsewhere) : beautifully produced, and more important, beautifully written by the former Archbishop of Sydney. Vol 3 is also available - with a collection of appreciations by various scholars. Other volumes of Bishop Robinson's work (addresses, articles, papers &c) are planned.

Moyra Dooley, NO PLACE FOR GOD : The Denial of the Transcendent in Modern Church Architecture - very timely (though too late in too many cases!)

The 1865 edition of the Book of Common Prayer of King's Chapel Boston (new facsimile)- the Colenso Library has original copies of all the many versions except the first two.

R.S.Sugirtharajah, THE BIBLE AND EMPIRE : Postcolonial Exploration (including a chapter on James Long of Bengal and Bishop Colenso of Natal, noting the neglect of his very important 4 volumes of Natal Sermons, greatly in need of re-publishing)

G.M.Ditchfield, THE LETTERS OF THEOPHILUS LINDSEY, I, 1747-1788, Lindsey being a priest who left the Church of England to found what became England's first unitarian Christian Church with its revised version of the Book of Common Prayer

Samuel Clarke, The Scripture Doctrine of the Trinity, &c - a large facsimile edition of a rare 18th century work by an eminent but unorthodox (Arian) theologian of the Church of England

William Sykes, ed., THE CANTERBURY BOOK OF SPIRITUAL QUOTATIONS,
2007, a very large anthology and probably the best for a very long time

Simon Jones, ed., THE SACRAMENTAL LIFE : Gregory Dix and his Writings
- a selection of extracts from books and articles by this notable Anglican Benedictine
and liturgical scholars, very readable, sometimes dated, evidence for an
scholarly, conservative Anglo-Catholicism now very hard to find.

David M.Chapman, BORN IN SONG : Methodist Worship in Britain,
Church in the Market Place Publications, 2006 - comprehensive

Alan Bartless, A PASSIONATE BALANCE : The Anglican Tradition,
DLT 2007 - well worth reading yet some of the author's opinions and
occasionally his style will irritate some.

Tom Frame, ANGLICANS IN AUSTRALIA, UNSW Press, 2007,
by the young bishop who now heads S.Mark's, Canberra, and
as one might expect, a very important book for anyone concerned for
the Church of Australia.

David L.Edwards, YES : A POSITIVE FAITH, DLT, 2006
This will be the last of more than 20 books from a priest
who has served the Church so well. Highly recommended.

Alan Langdon, MINISTRY WITH SENIORS, 2007
available from Youthworks, St Andrew's House, Sydney -
a small guide that every bishop and priest and keen
parishioner should read.

Peter J.Gomes, STRENGTH FOR THE JOURNEY :
Biblical Wisdom for Daily Living - HarperSanFrancisco, 2003,
more sermons from the great preacher, minister of
Harvard Memorial Chapel & author of The Good Book

Kelvin Randall, EVANGELICALS ETCETERA : Conflict and Conviction in the Church of England's Parties, Ashgate 2005 - a good clear analysis

John Marks Templeton, DISCOVERING THE LAWS OF LIFE
Continuum, 1994 - Forward by Norman Vincent Peale -
a very positive collection of sane daily readings by
this notable benefactor

Robert Alter, THE BOOK OF PSALMS :
A Translation with a Commentary. WW Norton, 2007
Commentary is brief but very reliable ; translation is outstanding.
Like his earlier "Five Books of Moses" this will no doubt
be published later in paperback.

Israel Finkelstein & Neil Asher Silberman, DAVID AND SOLOMON :
In Search of the Bible's Sacred Kings
and the Roots of the Western Tradition,
Free Press, 2006 - an authoritative study, based on archaeology, of
the origins and development of Old Testament stories that, however,
"unhistorical", remain of deep value and significance.

Eric James, THE VOICE OF THIS CALLING, Continuum, 2005 -
more excellent sermons including one for a Gallipoli Memorial Service

Nicholas Lash, SEEING IN THE DARK, DLT 2005
noted RC scholar preaching in noted C.of E. chapels !

Karen Armstrong, ON THE BIBLE, Allen & Unwin, 2007
- one of quite a number of books of this kind, worth reading

Bishop Geoffrey Robinson, CONFRONTING POWER AND SEX
IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH : RECLAIMING THE SPIRIT OF JESUS
-retired Sydney RC bishop, his book already a best seller
(in the Anglican Diocese, any criticism is damned as "disloyal" ! ) ;
much here is relevant not only to our Church of Australia but
to the problems at present being faced by the Anglican Communion.

Timothy Dudley-Smith, JOHN STOTT : THE MAKING OF A LEADER,
IVP 1999. Dr Stott in his final public address (at Keswick this year)
said that in the end all that counts is a Christ-like character - which is
a challenge to us as individuals but also, one suggests, to the Church

William Hague, WILLIAM WILBERFORCE :
The Life of the Great Anti-Slavery Campaigner
Harper Press, 25 pounds (probably cheaper from abebooks)
reviewed very favourably in the Church Times of July 27th

Reginald Box SSF, MAKING MUSIC TO OUR GOD :
How We Sing the Psalms SPCK 1996 - a very good study

Margaret Thornton, I HEARD HIM CALL :
The Story of Neville Langford-Smith, Acorn Press, 2007
The author was a CMS missionary in Kenya for 31 years and
among other things secretary to the Bishop of Nakuru

Ian Robinson, WHO KILLED THE BIBLE :
last words on translating the Holy Scriptures, Edgeways, 2006
- a well known English scholar is highly critical of modern translations
seen as untrue to the originals, and shows how the AV can be truer.
Chapter 2 is difficult but all that follows is of much interest.

Arthur Kirsch, AUDEN AND CHRISTIANITY, Yale Univ.Press, 2005 -
a highly praised, authoritative study

Harold G.Koenig, SPIRITUALITY IN PATIENT CARE,
Templeton Foundation, 2007, revised & expanded 2nd edition-
by professor of psychiatry & behavioural sciences, and
associate professor of medicine at Duke University -
recommended for physicians, nurses, medical students, chaplains
but a solid read.

Alister & Joanna McGrath, THE DAWKINS DELUSION :
Atheist fundamentalism and the denial of the divine,
SPCK 2007, a short (78pp) but useful response to
"The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins.

Larry Witham, THE MEASURE OF GOD :
Our Century-Long Struggle to Reconcile Science and Religion :
The Story of the Gifford Lectures, Harper San Francisco, 2005

Joseph A.Fitzmeyer, SJ, THE ONE WHO IS TO COME, Eerdmans, 2007 -
a detailed study of the idea of "messiah" in Jewish and Christian works

Robert Morgan, ed., IN SEARCH OF HUMANITY AND DEITY :
A Celebration of John Macquarrie's Theology, SCM 2006
-an important collection of essays about one of our Church's
greatest modern theologians

Mrs Horace Porter, MARY SUMNER : HER LIFE AND WORK
MU 1950 - among other things this proved Mrs Sumner died on
August 11th (the feast of S.Clare) not on August 9th as in
many modern calendars

Clive Pearson, Allan Davidson, Peter Lineham,
SCHOLARSHIP AND FIERCE SINCERITY ;
HENRY MAJOR : THE FACE OF ANGLICAN MODERNISM,
Polygraphia, NZ, 2006 - a fine account of a leading liberal
who grew up in New Zealand

Mark Mortimer, LATINISED HYMNS, Newton Publishing, 2005
-more than 300 new Latin versions of well-known hymns !
Rather eccentric scholarship survives in the C.of E.

Peter G.Bolt, THOMAS MOORE OF LIVERPOOL ;
One of our Oldest Colonists : Essays & Addresses to
Celebrate 150 years of Moore College,
Bolt Publishing, 2007 - good scholarship and recommended

Brian Porter, FRANK WOODS : Archbishop of Melbourne 1957-77
Trinity College, Melbourne, 2007
A comprehensive, honest, encouraging account of a great Australian bishop

A bunch of 4 fairly radical books

Michael Ingham (Bishop of New Westminster), MANSIONS OF THE SPIRIT :
THE GOSPEL IN A MULTI-FAITH WORLD - a better buy (or borrowing),
commended by Hans Kung, the late Abp Runcie, Rabbi Plaut, & the Dalai Lama!
(Anglican Book Centre, Toronto, 1997)

Richard Holloway, How To Read THE BIBLE - the best of the recent books by the former Bishop of Edinburgh, short, helpful, thought-provoking (after a bit of a slow start). (Granta Books, 2006)

Bart D.Ehrman, PETER, PAUL, AND MARY MAGDALENE : The Followers of Jesus
in History and Legend - a interesting but not ground-breaking work but with an explanation of S.Paul's understanding of Jesus which is the first I have come across that I can understand !
(Oxford University Press, 2006)

Mark Vernon, SCIENCE, RELIGION AND THE MEANING OF LIFE, by a former Anglican priest, a defence of a positive and even Christian agnosticism ; a very thoughtful, finely written, and accessible work of philosophy (Palgrave Macmillan 2007)
_______

Note on the Evangelical side, Alister McGrath, Atheist Fundamentalism
and the Denial of the Divine, Redemptorist Publications,
and on the moderate centre, the Pauline Press book on the Pastoral Epistles by our own Sydney priest and scholar, Dr Mark Harding, which may become the standard commentary.
_________________________
Graham Parry, THE ARTS OF THE ANGLICAN
COUNTER-REFORMATION : GLORY,LAUD AND HONOUR
Boydell, 2006 (forgive the small pun in the title)
This excellent books deals with the classical High Church period in
the history of the Church of England - worship, ceremonies,
churches, chapels, furnishings, devotional prose and poetry,
church music &c. Black and white illustrations.

Alan Mould, THE ENGLISH CHORISTER : A History
a story that will be interesting to all choristers and
other singers in church ; black & white illustrations

Bp John Selby Spong, Jesus for the Non-Religious
This is NOT recommended. Nothing very new,
unnecessarily negative, and not really engaging with NT scholarship

Eric Metaxas, AMAZING GRACE : William Wilberforce
and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery
- described by many as "sparkling", accompanying the
film "Amazing Grace" and one of a number of new books this
relating to Britain's ending of slave trading :
a fine tribute to a great Evangelical.

Colin Craston, EVANGELICAL AND EVOLVING
- an account of Anglican Christianity as seen by a leading
"open" Evangelical and former Chairman of the
Anglican Consultative Council

Gary Best, CHARLES WESLEY
- the first major biography since the 19th century,
300 years after the birth of this great Anglican

Giles Fraser, CHRISTIANITY WITH ATTITUDE
- "occasional" contributions to newspapers, including the
Church Times, and to the BBC's "Thought for the Day",
always readable but perhaps not worth making into a book.

Stuart Piggin, ed., SHAPING THE GOOD SOCIETY
IN AUSTRALIA : Papers read at the first Australia's
Christian Heritage National Forum at Parliament House,
Canberra in August 2006. One of the best chapters is
one by Dr Piggin telling the story of some Australian
Christians - including Joseph Furphy, R.M.Williams,
a brave but little known chaplain and corporal,
and Flo Trotter and other nursing POWs.

Donald Kraus, CHOOSING A BIBLE - for Worship,
Teaching, Study, Preaching, and Prayer
balanced and reliable

Ian Bradley, BELIEVING IN BRITAIN :
The Spiritual Identity of Britishness
- like all of Bradley's many books, very readable,
relevant in this year commemorating the Union,
the author half English and half Scot.
Imaginative, not politically correct, provocative,
and, among other things, supportive of
Establishment, and of sane, middle of the road
broadchurchmanship in the Churches of England and Scotland

David Hay, SOMETHING THERE : THE BIOLOGY OF
THE HUMAN SPIRIT, a recommended study of
religious experience by scientist, Christian, former
colleague of biologist, the late Sir Alister Hardy

James P.Mackey, CHRISTIANITY AND CREATION,
a major work by a distinguished but radical RC theologian

James Livingston, RELIGIOUS THOUGHT IN
THE VICTORIAN AGE - a fresh study

Jimmy Carter, PALESTINE : PEACE NOT APARTHEID
A (controversial) plea for justice for the Palestinian people by
the great Christian American president

Marianne Dorman, LANCELOT ANDREWES :
Mentor of Reformed Catholicism in the
Post-Reformation English Church : reliable

A MIXED BAG -

Christopher Dobb, Freddy Temple : A Portrait
(nephew of the Abp - long but quite interesting)
Hyam Maccoby, Antisemitism and Modernity
Sydney Carter, Rock of Doubt (a welcome re-print)
Timothy Radcliffe, What is the Point of Being a Christian
William Gibson, The Church of England 1688-1832
A.H.Pearson, translator, The Sarum Missal (re-print)
Eric Kemp, Shy but not retiring (ex Bp of Chichester)
Richard Chartres, Tree of Knowledge Tree of Life
Geoffrey Rowell, In this Sign Conquer (Society of the Holy Cross)
Colin Buchanan, Historical Dictionary of Anglicanism
(a large, expensive one author book - too many errors!)
Robert Ellsberg, Blessed Among Women
Trevor Beeson, The Canons

Jim Wallis, THE CALL TO CONVERSION,
new, revised edition of this small challenging book by
prophetic evangelical author of GOD'S POLITICS
HarperSanFranciso

*
Gordon Oliver, HOLY BIBLE, HUMAN BIBLE
- a thoughtful, helpful book bridging the gap between
evangelicals and critical scholarship
DLT

*
Caroline Chartres, ed., WHY I AM STILL AN ANGLICAN
- a delightful book, with contributors including
John Stott, P.D.James, Lucy Winkett and Rupert Sheldrake !
Continuum

*

Lynda Barley,
CHRISTIAN ROOTS, CONTEMPORARY SPIRITUALITY
a practical book for parsons and all concerned with mission.
The author is Head of Research and Statistics for the C of E,
but her work sparkles! Church House Publishing

*

Martyn Percy & Ian Markham,
WHY LIBERAL CHURCHES ARE GROWING

-rather, which ones are growing and why :
(eg those with the right clergy - committed, passionate,
generous and open to conservatives,
deeply devout, welcoming, and those with the right theology
- committed to justice, engaged, not lax and undemanding,
not - like eg Don Cupitt -impoverished) T & T Clark

*

Mike Booker & Mark Ireland,
EVANGELISM - WHICH WAY NOW ? :
An evaluation of Alpha, Emmaus, Cell church and
other contemporary strategies for evangelism.
Forward : David Hope Church House Publishing

*

Simon Barrow & Jonathan Bartley, ed.,
CONSUMING PASSION : Why the killing of Jesus
really matters. DLT

The (evangelical) c0ntributors opposed to the idea of
a "substitutionary atonement" include J.Denny Weaver,
author of THE NON-VIOLENT ATONEMENT
Eerdmans and Steve Chalke who is co-author
with Alan Mann of THE LOST MESSAGE OF JESUS
commended by Bishop Tom Wright. Zondervan

FOR BOOKS BEING BOUGHT IN AUSTRALIA,
THE RIDLEY COLLEGE BOOKSHIP in Melbourne is recommended
and also the bookshops at S.Peter's, Eastern Hill, Melbourne
and the small bookshop at S.James's, King Street, Sydney.
Church House Bookshop is a recommended English bookseller
(now owned by the charity, Hymns Ancient and Modern).
For new copies of the Book of Common Prayer and the
(1944) Shorter Prayer Book, published by Cambridge,
contact John Bunyan.

Web Sites of Interest : latest update 12th April 2008

2006-09-15T16:07:00.000-07:00

http://www.anglicansonline.org/ Anglicans Online
probably the best Anglican site in the world, sane and sensible,
and with a vast number of links to almost everything
an Anglican or Episcopalian one would want.
It is free & is updated weekly, by late Monday afternoon here in Australia.
One of its many useful links is to Project Canterbury
which provides online many interesting
Anglican sermons, documents and even books.

The Scottish Prayer Book Society now has its own web-site :
http://www.scottish-prayer-book.co.uk/

For the full range of PBS books, cds, and other goods -
http://www.pbstrading.co.uk/

http://www.thinking/Anglicans - daily updates of Anglican news
from UK and international papers : invaluable

www.prayerbook.org.uk /
The Prayer Book Society in England

http://www.prayerbook.org.au/
Victorian branch of the PBS in Australia

http://www.prayerbook.ca/
The Prayer Book Society in Canada

http://www.prayerbook.com.au/
New South Wales branch of the PBS

http://www.pbsusa.org/
The Prayer Book Society in the USA -
unlike its sister societies, this PBS is much
involved with controversies that concern
"traditional" Episcopalians at present

http://www.jacobean.com.au/
The Jacobean Singers, derived from the original choir of
S.James's, King Street, Sydney
and based at All Saints', Woollahra

Catholica Australia (liberal RC), Sojourners (socially concerned Evangelical),
Modern Churchpeople's Union, Ekklesia (socially concerned Evangelical)

www.anglicanaidabroad.com.au /
Through the Missionaries of St Andrew,
Anglican Aid Abroad raises tens of thousands of dollars
to assist a wide range of Anglican mission work in Africa,

http://www.marketplaceonline.com.au/
the new online presence of the national independent
Australian Anglican "Market Place"

EMAIL address : for the St James' Institute, Sydney -
institute@sjks.org.au - for all details of the extensive annual programme
the Pacific, &c, with volunteers administering the agency.

BCP Services, updated 13th May,

2006-03-26T21:26:00.000-08:00

SOME BCP SERVICES :
The list continues to grow ! (please advise us of additions or corrections)

They include Choral Evensongs in Sydney -

2nd Sunday, 4 pm, S.John's, Darlinghurst

4th Sunday, 6 pm, S.Alban's, Epping

last Sunday of the month, 3 pm, S.James's, King Street, Sydney
1st Sunday, 7 pm, simple sung Evensong, S.Peter's Campbelltown

Every Sunday, 6.30 pm, Choral Evensong (& "Benediction"), Christ Church S.Laurence

quarterly sung Evensongs, S.Peter's, Hornsby (5th Sun) and S.Swithun's, Pymble :
contact parish for further details.

OTHER PRAYER BOOK SERVICES

S.John's, Gordon on Sundays
8am Holy Communion every Sunday (Choral, 1st Sunday)
Thursday, 10 am Holy Communion & healing service

S.Mary's, Waverley on Sundays
8am Holy Communion every Sunday
9.30 am Choral Communion (Merbecke), 5th Sunday (for this- check with parish)

S.John's, Balmain on Sundays
7.30 am Holy Communion

S.Martin's, Killara on Sundays
8am Holy Communion

All Saints', Woollahra on Sundays
8.30 am Holy Communion (based partklyon BCP)

S.James's, Turramurra on Sundays
7.45 am Holy Communion

S.Peter's, Hornsby
1st Sunday, 8am Holy Communion
1st Wednesday (in school terms) Holy Communion

S.Mark's, Darling Point on Sundays
8am Holy Communion (choral service most Sundays)

Holy Trinity, Bundanoon
1st Sunday 9 am, Holy Communion

All Saints', Sutton Forest,
4th Sunday, 2.30 pm, Evensong

S.Paul's, Burwood
Wednesdays 9.30 am, Holy Communion

S.Andrew's, Cronulla
1st Wednesday, 10.30 am, Holy Communion

S.David's, Llandilo (a community church building) :
3rd Sunday 2 pm Evensong (said)
4th Sunday 8am Holy Communion

S.John the Baptist's, Canberra
7 am every Sunday, Holy Communion
11.15 am 2nd & 4th Sundays, Choral Mattins,
11.15 am other Sundays, Choral Communion
(though with 3 year Lectionary readings)
6.30 pm 3rd Sunday, Choral Evensong)

S.Peter's, Southport, Q
7 am every Sunday, Choral Eucharist

Holy Trinity, Morningside, Q
8am every Sunday, Holy Communion

S.Peter's Cathedral, Adelaide
8am every Sunday, Holy Communion
10am Wednesday, Holy Communion
2nd & 4th Sundays, 6.30 pm Choral Evensong

S.George's Cathedral, Perth
8am every Sunday, Holy Communion

S.David's, Burnside (Adelaide Diocese)
8am every Sunday, Holy Communion
5pm, 2nd Sunday, Evensong

S.Paul's Cathedral, Bendigo
8 am 1st, 3rd, 5th Sundays, Holy Communion
(also on Thursdays)

S.Saviour's Cathedral, Goulburn
8 am, 1st Sunday, Holy Communion

Christ Church Cathedral, Newcastle
7 am every Sunday, Holy Communion ;

All Saints' Cathedral, Bathurst
Thursday, 8am Holy Communion

S.George's, Battery Point, Hobart
1st & 3rd Sundays, 8am Holy Communion

S.David's Cathedral, Hobart
Thursdays, 10.30 am Holy Communion
4th Sunday Choral Evensong
(5pm ; 7pm in daylight saving time)

A list of BCP services elsewhere has begun :
(for Canada, the 1962 BCP)

S.Mark's Remuera (first entry for NZ - others to follow)
8am 1st Sun, Holy Communion
5pm 3rd Sun, Choral Evensong
Every Wed, 10 am, Holy Communion

Halifax, Nova Scotia
All Saints' Cathedral : 8am HC every Sun; 4th Sun Choral Evensong

S.George's, Halifax (the "Round Church")- all services BCP
Matins & Evensong 7 days a week, plus Sunday Choral Communion

S.Paul's historic church, Halifax, 11am HC (or Matins)

Parish Churches that have BCP services only include those of
Lunenburg, Saint John NB, and St Andrews NB and
especially S.George's, Halifax, (the beautiful "Round Church')
which has Matins and Evensong SEVEN days a week,
plus Sunday Choral Communion and Compline.

Charlottetown Cathedral
All services BCP : 8am, 10/10.30am, 5pm
Also HC Tues 7.30, Wed to Sat 10am,
plus daily Matins and Evensong

Victoria Cathedral 8am, 11am (Choral Matins & HC), 4pm

Toronto Cathedral 8am, 11 am, 4.30 pm

Trinity Church, the main church of Saint John, NB, all services BCP

Fredericton Cathedral 8am, 10am HC (2nd Sun: MP), 4pm

St Johns Cathedral NFL 8am, 11am and 6.30 pm (all servioces BCP)

Vancouver Cathedral 8am

The UK Prayer Book Society web site has
extensive lists of English churches with many BCP services noted, including
Choral Matins, eg at S.Paul's Cathedral every Sunday (except July), S.Giles'-in-the-Fields,
the Temple Church, the Chapel Royal (except for a monthly Holy Communion), etc.