In contrast to its original name, Ecclesia Reformata, ecclesiology did not develop into a major theme within the Reformed tradition. Notwithstanding the undeniable schismatic tendency and the ecclesial embarrassment about disunity, the unity of the church did not rise to prominence as a theological topic. This volume challenges this traditional low-key attitude towards the unity of the church. It investigates theological aspects that contributed to a weak sensus unitatis, and explores approaches that remedy the disease of division. It discusses the role played by scripture, the sacraments, confessions, and discipline; it searches for the best theological practices within other Christian traditions; it links the unity of the church to the unity of God and reformulates the nature of the church.

Originally published in 1966, this was the first of Muhammad ‘Abduh’s works to be translated into English. Risālat al Tauhid represents the most popular of his discussion of Islamic thought and belief. ‘Abduh is still quoted and revered as the father of 20th Century Muslim thinking in the Arab world and his mind, here accessible, constituted both courageous and strenuous leadership in his day. All the concerns and claims of successive exponents of duty and meaning of the mosque in the modern world may be sensed in these pages. The world and Islam have moved on since ‘Abduh’s lifetime, but he remains a source for the historian of contemporary movements and a valuable index to the self-awareness of Arab Islam.

What do we need to learn and receive from the other to help us address challenges or wounds in our own tradition? That is the key question asked in what has come to be known as ‘receptive ecumenism’. And nowhere is this question more pressing and pertinent than in women’s experiences within the church. Based on qualitative research from five focus groups, 'For the Good of the Church' expose the difficulties women face when they work in a church – sexism, unfulfilled vocation, and abuse of power and privilege, as well as the wide range of gifts and skills which women bring in light of these. The second part of the book continues to draw on the particular wounds and gifts, which arise in the focus groups. Specific case studies are used to identify gifts of theology, practice, experience, vocation and power. Against negative prognoses of an ‘ecumenical winter’, Gabrielle Thomas reveals how radically different theological and ecclesiological perspectives can be a space for learning and receiving gifts for the well-being of the whole Church.

No period of history was more formative for the development of Christianity than the patristic age, when church leaders, monks, and laity established the standard features of Christianity as we know it today. Combining historical and theological analysis, Christopher Beeley presents a detailed and far-reaching account of how key theologians and church councils understood the most central element of their faith, the identity and significance of Jesus Christ. Focusing particularly on the question of how Christ can be both human and divine and reassessing both officially orthodox and heretical figures, Beeley traces how an authoritative theological tradition was constructed. His book holds major implications for contemporary theology, church history, and ecumenical discussions, and it is bound to revolutionize the way in which patristic tradition is understood.

Unity and Diversity in the New Testament is a classic investigation into the canon of the New Testament, and Christianity's origins. It looks in detail at what were the various emphases in the gospel proclaimed by Jesus, Luke, Paul and John. It also examines primitive Christianity's preaching and teaching, confessional formulae, oral traditions, organisation and worship, concepts of ministry and community, and ritual acts. In the second half of the book, the author maps out the scope of the diversity he found in the first half's investigation.