Books published by James Clarke & Co Ltd

A biographical study of the great German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, drawing upon primary sources to analyse the role of the women in his life and his struggles with his sexuality.

Presents an absorbing study of Knighton-Hammond's life and work, bringing the achievements of this artist to a wider readership, and establishing his name among the major British painters of the 20th century. This book also includes reproductions of many of his best works.

A comprehensive survey of the life and work of the Victorian architect who pioneered the vernacular revival. The book includes a complete catalogue and illustrations, including photographs and plans.

A first, full-length study of the life and work of a leading domestic architect of the Victorian era, illustrated with original pictures, plans and photographs, and containing a full catalogue raisonne of all Salvin's work.

Another collection of beautifully illustrated prayers, including short passages from the Psalms.

A useful guide for the collector of antique sweetmeat and jelly glasses, written and illustrated by an expert in the field.

Meditations on the opportunity that the evening offers for reflection.

Combining insight and scholarship, this series of sermons and meditations on the Lord's Prayer offers the promise of seeing the world in a new way, through the power of prayer.

Extensively illustrated, this is an absorbing and insightful study of the life and work of John Tenniel, the Victorian political cartoonist who illustrated Lewis Carroll's 'Alice' books.

Combining scientific understanding and Christian insight, this is a comprehensive and magisterial discussion of the theology of sexual ethics, ranging from sexual relationships and gender equality to birth control and artificial insemination.

A biography of Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh, based on published and unpublished materials, interviews with surviving contemporaries and the author's own experience as a pupil of Russian emigres, of life in the Soviet Union and of the Russian Patriarchal Church in London.

An introduction to the thought and writings of the Franciscan theologian St Bonaventure, through his insightful commentary on the Gospel of St Luke.

A selection of essays, memoires and poems celebrating the life and thought of the Anglican priest and theologian Donald Allchin, including his wide-ranging ecumenical work and his passion for Wales and for the monastic tradition.

The question of divine agency in the world remains one important unresolved underlying obstacle in the dialogue between theology and science. Modern notions of divine agency are shown to have developed out of the interaction of three factors in early modernity. Two are well known: late medieval perfect-being theology and the early modern application of the notion of the two books of God's revelation to the understanding of the natural order. It is argued the third is the early modern appropriation of the Augustinian doctrine of inspiration. This assumes the soul's existence and a particular description of divine agency in humans, which became more generally applied to divine agency in nature. Whereas Newton explicitly draws the parallel between divine agency in humans and that in nature, Darwin rejects its supposed perfection and Huxley raises serious questions regarding the traditional understanding of the soul. This book offers an alternative incarnational description of divine agency, freeing consideration of divine agency from being dependent on resolving the complex issues of perfect-being theology and the existence of the soul. In conversation with Barth's pneumatology, this proposal is shown to remain theologically coherent and plausible while resolving or avoiding a range of known difficulties in the science-theology dialogue.

There is growing interest in the relationship between the arts and Christian faith. Much has been written about the arts and theology and the place of the arts in church life. Not as much has been written, however, about how the arts might actually advance spiritual formation in terms of the cumulative effect of religious experience and intentional practices. This book provides a modest step forward in that conversation, a conversation between theological aesthetics and practical theology. Understanding aesthetics as 'the realm of sense perception' and spiritual formation as 'growing capacities to participate in God's purposes', James McCullough suggests how these dynamics can mutually enhance each other, with the arts as an effective catalyst for this relationship. McCullough proposes an analysis of artistic communication and explores exciting examples from music, poetry, and painting, which render theoretical proposals in concrete terms. This book will engage both those new to the arts and those already deeply familiar with them.

As the acknowledged founder and philosopher of the Parents’ National Educational Union (PNEU), Charlotte Mason (1842–1923) was revered by her followers as a saintly Madonna figure. She died in 1923 at the peak of her fame, having achieved mythic status as the Principal of her House of Education and wide recognition after the introduction of her liberal educational programmes into state schools. Yet her early life and heritage remained shrouded in mystery. Drawing upon insubstantiated sources, the official biography released in 1960 confused rather than illuminated Charlotte’s background, contributing to several enduring misapprehensions.In her new and definitive biography, Margaret Coombs draws on years of research to reveal for the first time the hidden backdrop to Charlotte Mason’s life, tracing the lives of her previously undiscovered Quaker ancestors to offer a better understanding of the roots of her personality and ideas. Coombs charts her rise from humble beginnings as an orphaned pupil-teacher to great heights as a lady of culture venerated within prestigious PNEU circles, illustrating how with determination she surmounted rigid Victorian class divisions to achieve her educational vision. A thorough analysis of Charlotte Mason’s educational influences and key friendships challenges longstanding notions about the roots of her philosophy, offering a more realistic picture of her life and work than ever accomplished before.With a growing following in the USA and Australia, Charlotte Mason’s ideas have a clear relevance to the continuing educational debate today. Admirers of her philosophy and scholars of the history of education will find much to enthral and instruct them in these pages.

A collection of essays that re-examine Walter Bauer's thesis on the emergence of Christian orthodoxy from multiple competing Christianities in the light of more recent historical scholarship.

Liminal Reality and Transformational Power explores, draws together, and integrates the many facets of liminality, and informs our understanding of liminal phenomena in the world. Through anthropology, sociology, theology, neurology and psychology, Carson correlates exterior transitions with their corresponding intra-psychic movements and points toward useful methods that contribute to personal and social transformation. In this revised edition, Carson has recognised the resurgence of liminality, and addresses the social transitions that are prevalent today in communities around the world. He examines the identity of the 'liminal' person and highlights the role of ritual leaders and religious professionals as they guide people through liminal time and space. Carson's work greatly contributes to an expanded understanding of the complex dimensions of religious leadership and provides useful insight into our intra-psychic processes during the significant transitional stages in life.

An important analysis of Scottish theologian T.F. Torrance's understanding of the teachings of the Church Fathers and how they intersect with the Reformed tradition.

A critical study of three major errors that have crept into theological thinking in the wake of the Englightenment, offering an alternative understanding rooted in scripture and the insights of Thomas Aquinas and Karl Barth.

A fertile study of convergences in early monastic and ascetic thought in Ireland and Byzantine Greece, revealing theological insights into ecclesiology and the nature of the Trinity.

The story and impact, in the context of peace movement history, of Christian pacifists and conscientious objectors in the First World War, with emphasis on the unlikely and potentially subversive contribution of members of the Established Church.

Written by a leading authority on Tyndale's theology, this study of the role of Christ's blood sacrifice in Tyndale's thought emphasises the distinctiveness and originality of the great English Reformer.

A rigorous exploration of the scientific background to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, ranging from the geological processes underlying the catastrophe to the ancient economics of the Dead Sea region.

"On the road up to the University, the gleaming new purpose-built Leeds Polytechnic awaited the arrival of the students and staff of the art college. All the latest facilities were in place. The only thing missing was any concept of what to expect." 'Creative License' describes what happened next and the continuum leading up to this moment. In this ground-breaking study, James Charnley reveals the personalities and events that ignited an explosion of radical creativity such that a contemporary observer, Patrick Heron, could describe Leeds College of Art as "an unprecedented inventive powerhouse on the national scene". Between 1963 and 1973, Leeds College of Art and Leeds Polytechnic were at the forefront of an experiment in art and education where "all that was forbidden was to be dull". With Jeff Nuttall, Robin Page, George Brecht, Patrick Hughes and John Fox on the staff, students pushed the freedom and facilities offered further than anything before or since.'Creative License' captures the rebellious trajectory of the 1960s, the emergence of the counter-culture, dissent and later disillusionment. This is a case study of an era when art colleges were well funded and well free and, at Leeds, had a mission to progress the avant-garde project to the next level. Perhaps only now can the consequences of this experiment be assessed and its achievements recognised, and James Charnley sets out to do just that.

Synergetics can be defined as the exploratory strategy of starting with the whole. It was in the 1940s that Buckminster Fuller developed a series of spherical models which embodied the synergetic theory within geometry. This study of Fuller's sacred geometry describes with vigour and in detail how his spherical figures relate both to Nature and to the tenets of synergetics. <CR><CR> The author assesses the legacy of Fuller, a scientist-artist-engineer extraordinaire whose visions were inspired by the American Dream, and portrays with enthusiasm and sympathy the creative and individual science of a man whose character was as multifaceted as the domes he created. Discover the theory behind the idea that the straight lines and boxes of science and maths are inadequate for representing Nature's spherical and cyclical patterns of growth. The ways in which Fuller's synergetics can be seen in the ancient iconographies of the past are also revealed with fresh insight. In addition, Eastham looks to the future artistic applications of Fuller's 'wholes', with the aim of inspiring the reader to think outside of the box themselves. "We sought for years to bring out a brief alternative geometry textbook. [...] It's not easy to produce a round thing in a square world... " Extract from the Introduction

This masterly work aims to restore the literature of the Bible to a general readership, combining insightful commentary with extracts from the Old Testament chosen for their artistic and dramatic interest.

An illuminating examination of writer and lay theologian Dorothy L. Sayers' Trinitarian understanding of human creativity, and how it offers a theologically authentic basis for a socially-committed Christian life.