- Priests & People

October 2001

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this Issue

Yearning for truth

The Assistant Editor

Nicholas Lash

It is incumbent on all Christians to try to make their faith intelligible. Nicholas Lash, Emeritus Norris Hulse Professor at Cambridge University, shows here how theology, as a wisdom, helps them to do this. He concludes those who refuse to do theology to read, think, discuss simply do not, in fact, care about the truth of Christianity

Click here to read this article

Why study theology?

Margaret Atkins

Margaret Atkins explains how she turned to theology to escape the narrow restrains of her secular study. Shw now teaches theology at Trinity and All Saints College in Leeds and here describes the kind of students who enrol and how theology should be taught. She ends with a health warning: 'Once theology has got under your skin in this way, it is there to stay.'

Satisfying the thirst for God

Sean Connoly

Sean Connoly is a priest of the Diocese of East Anglia now doing graduate studies in Oxford. Here he explains how his own conversion gave him a thirst for God and a need to articulate his faith. He offers some practical suggestions for parish ministry, for 'If we make the theological formation of the laity a priority I think we will be surprised just how thirsty people really are to grow in their understanding of Scripture and Tradition'.

Only connect

Dermot Power

When the theology of 'book learning' connects 'with culture and with the reality of people's lives and experience... it stays faithful both to its tradition and to the present... it keeps us alive!' To Dermot Power, a priest of the Westminster Diocese, currently chaplain to St Mary's School, Ascot, there are theologians who embody this methodology and he explains how their work is liberative.

Priesthood: dying and rising

Anthony L. Wilcox

In the chairman's opening address to this year's National Conference of Priests* Anthony Wilcox, parish priest of the Sacred Heart, Henley-on-Thames, urged closer friendship and co-operation between brother priests to meet the serious challenges of the secular world. 'We today can only survive as a brotherhood of priests if we invest our time in each other.'

Preaching and teaching the world

Terry Tastard

Terry Tastard, who is parish priest of St Mary and St Joseph, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, offers his reflections on the lectionary readings for the Sundays and Holy Days in the month of November

Pastoralia: A font for Boxmoor

Joe Norton

At a time when many parishes begin to prepare their catechumens for baptism next Easter, it may be opportune to consider how the adult baptisms themselves will be conducted. This article describes how parishioners in Boxmoor, Hertfordshire, went about the task of constructing a font for adult baptisms during the Easter Vigil liturgy.

Theology as prayer and play

Tina Beattie

Tina Beattie began her theological studies at Bristol University while she was bringing up four children. Here she describes what theology means to her and explains that 'while I enjoy academic research and debate I prefer to write for "ordinary" people rather than theologians'

Books

REVIEWED BY KEVIN MCDONALD

The Meeting of Religions and the Trinity
Gavin D'Costa
Orbis Books, £
Tablet Bookshop Price: £ Tel: 01420 592 974

REVIEWED BY MICHAEL P. HORNSBY-SMITH

Catholics: Britain's largest minority
Dennis Sewell
Viking, £20
Tablet Bookshop Price: £ Tel: 01420 592 974

REVIEWED BY MICHAEL P. HORNSBY-SMITH

The McDonaldization of the church: spirituality, creativity, and the future of church
John Drane
Darton, Longman and Todd, £9.95
Tablet Bookshop Price: £ Tel: 01420 592 974

REVIEWED BY DAVID J. ROBERTS

Soil for the Seed
Jim Gallagher SDB
McCrimmon Publishing Co. Ltd., £
Tablet Bookshop Price: £ Tel: 01420 592 974

Postscript
On scorn
Lucy Beckett


October 2001


CONTENTS October 2001 Click here to buy this Issue Yearning for truth The Assistant Editor On learning to be wise Nicholas Lash It is incumbent on all Christians to try to make their faith intelligible. Nicholas Lash, Emeritus Norris Hulse Professor at Cambridge University, shows here how theology, as a wisdom, helps them to do this. He concludes those who refuse to do theology to read, think, discuss simply do not, in fact, care about the truth of Christianity Click here to read this article Why study theology? Margaret Atkins Margaret Atkins explains how she turned to theology to escape the narrow restrains of her secular study. Shw now teaches theology at Trinity and All Saints College in Leeds and here describes the kind of students who enrol and how theology should be taught. She ends with a health warning: 'Once theology has got under your skin in this way, it is there to stay.' Satisfying the thirst for God Sean Connoly Sean Connoly is a priest of the Diocese of East Anglia now doing graduate studies in Oxford. Here he explains how his own conversion gave him a thirst for God and a need to articulate his faith. He offers some practical suggestions for parish ministry, for 'If we make the theological formation of the laity a priority I think we will be surprised just how thirsty people really are to grow in their understanding of Scripture and Tradition'. Only connect Dermot Power When the theology of 'book learning' connects 'with culture and with the reality of people's lives and experience... it stays faithful both to its tradition and to the present... it keeps us alive!' To Dermot Power, a priest of the Westminster Diocese, currently chaplain to St Mary's School, Ascot, there are theologians who embody this methodology and he explains how their work is liberative. Priesthood: dying and rising Anthony L. Wilcox In the chairman's opening address to this year's National Conference of Priests* Anthony Wilcox, parish priest of the Sacred Heart, Henley-on-Thames, urged closer friendship and co-operation between brother priests to meet the serious challenges of the secular world. 'We today can only survive as a brotherhood of priests if we invest our time in each other.' Preaching and teaching the world Terry Tastard Terry Tastard, who is parish priest of St Mary and St Joseph, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, offers his reflections on the lectionary readings for the Sundays and Holy Days in the month of November Pastoralia: A font for Boxmoor Joe Norton At a time when many parishes begin to prepare their catechumens for baptism next Easter, it may be opportune to consider how the adult baptisms themselves will be conducted. This article describes how parishioners in Boxmoor, Hertfordshire, went about the task of constructing a font for adult baptisms during the Easter Vigil liturgy. Theology as prayer and play Tina Beattie Tina Beattie began her theological studies at Bristol University while she was bringing up four children. Here she describes what theology means to her and explains that 'while I enjoy academic research and debate I prefer to write for "ordinary" people rather than theologians' Books REVIEWED BY KEVIN MCDONALD The Meeting of Religions and the Trinity Gavin D'Costa Orbis Books, £ Tablet Bookshop Price: £ Tel: 01420 592 974 REVIEWED BY MICHAEL P. HORNSBY-SMITH Catholics: Britain's largest minority Dennis Sewell Viking, £20 Tablet Bookshop Price: £ Tel: 01420 592 974 REVIEWED BY MICHAEL P. HORNSBY-SMITH The McDonaldization of the church: spirituality, creativity, and the future of church John Drane Darton, Longman and Todd, £9.95 Tablet Bookshop Price: £ Tel: 01420 592 974 REVIEWED BY DAVID J. ROBERTS Soil for the Seed Jim Gallagher SDB McCrimmon Publishing Co. Ltd., £ Tablet Bookshop Price: £ Tel: 01420 592 974 Postscript On scorn Lucy Beckett

CONTENTS

October 2001

Books