Product Description

At a time of uncertainty for the Church, this robust challenge to an outmoded style of ministry offers realistic encouragement for the future. The book's deliberately provocative title echoes: If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him; its thesis is that the shadow of George Herbert's parish ministry lingers still in the Church of England, placing an impossible burden of unreasonable expectations upon today's parish clergy. The author sets out realistically to assess the context of Herbert's life and to explore the difficulties of parish life today; he concludes by outlining a more sustainable pattern for the future. This is a book of the long view. In looking at the status and role of parish clergy it draws on the work of historians, social anthropologists, psychologists and theologians and presents their ideas in a readable and passionate style. It is neither a jeremiad nor pollyanna-ish in its analysis or its prescriptions, but rather sees the future strength of the parochial clergy to be found in a recovery of historic, renewed understandings of priestly ministry. In a climate of such uncertainty for the future of the church, it will be an encouragement for priest and people, and welcomed by both.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #76067 in Books
• Published on: 2009-06-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 248 pages

About the Author
Justin Lewis-Anthony is Rector of St Stephen's Church in the city and diocese of Canterbury and was formerly Precentor of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. He has lectured, and led retreats, on film, popular culture and theology. He is a convenor for Affirming Catholicism and the author of Circles of Thorns (Continuum) and the popular blog

Customer Reviews

"If you meet George Herbert, follow him"
A passionate argument on a subject of considerable interest to the serving clergy of the church of england. The author argues that the pastoral ideal embodied in the saintly George Herbert was never a reality, whether in Herbert's own life, his own lifetime, or ever since. If this model then only succeeds in making c of e clergy feel inadequate, can a better be offered? Attempting to answer this question forms the second, rather denser part of his book.

The basic premise, however, might be examined more accurately and sympathetically. Even though it is demonstrably the case that George Herbert's Bemerton ministry lasted but three years - during which time he had the assistance of curates to a degree unimaginable today - nonetheless the ideal it is supposed to enshrine goes back at least as far as Chaucer's "powr parson" and is embraced as enthusiastically by clerical writers as diverse as Richard Baxter in his "Reformed Pastor" and the legendary Canon Peter Green.

I don't doubt that those who share the author's highly articulate theological background will find much to interest and possibly inspire in the attempt to replace the image of pastoral ministry encapsulated in "Herbertism". On the other hand, the virtue of Herbert as an icon is that it is straightforward to the meanest intellect - however unattainable in practice. A guiding star is there, not because we should ever reach out and grasp it, but so that it might shed light for our stumbling feet to tread more faithfully...