County Durham is a place where England’s story unfolds in striking landscapes and remarkable landmarks. At its heart lies the world‑famous Durham Cathedral and Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that dominates the skyline and anchors a city rich in character. Beyond the historic centre, the county opens out into a diverse and rewarding destination, where rolling countryside, heather‑clad moorland, and a dramatic North Sea coastline invite exploration.This guide journeys through t...

Northumberland, one of the most sparsely-populated counties in England, with unique features like the Holy Island of Lindisfarne and Hadrian’s Wall, was also a crucible of European civilization and remains a treasury of culture. Giving birth to railways worldwide through George Stephenson, it saw the beginnings of hydraulics, hydro-electricity and turbines and, with Joseph Swan, witnessed the earliest light from electric incandescent lamps; it was a laboratory of invention.Northumb...

A guide to over 60 of Britain's most notable abbeys and monasteries.Taking you on a journey that has inspired pilgrims and visitors for centuries, Abbeys and Priories of Britain is the perfect introduction to some of the country's oldest and most beautiful religious centres.The guide will take you from the wilds of the Isle of Iona in Scotland and Iona Abbey to Tintern Abbey in the beautiful Wye Valley in Wales, to the pomp and circumstance of Wes...

Rudyard Kipling’s poem, Eddi’s Service, from which this book takes its title, is a set of verses put into the mouth of Eddius Stephanus, St Wilfrid’s earliest biographer. Set in the tiny chapel at Manhood End, close to Selsey Bill, it tells of a dedicated priest persevering with a midnight celebration despite appalling weather, and with just a donkey and bullock as his companions. Reflecting the challenges of the seventh-century missions to Britain and Ireland, it captures somethi...

Since its earliest days, Christians have travelled as pilgrims to religious sites and holy places. In recent years pilgrimages to major and minor places associated with the Christian faith have become increasingly popular.Pilgrims explores the meaning of pilgrimage as part of the Church’s tradition and also in the lives of individual Christians. Each chapter focuses on a particular place of pilgrimage within Britain and Ireland, such as Canterbury, Lindisfarne and Kildare,...

Liturgy forms both individuals and the community in the faith and life of the Christian gospel. Animating Liturgy invites you to consider the liturgical offering which stands at the heart of the Christian faith. It brings together essays by liturgist Stephen Platten which take us in three main directions:the sacraments, their history and their celebrationliturgical history, study and practicegeneral theological, practical and ethical aspects of li...

Cathedrals today face a paradox: on the one hand they represent one of the biggest success stories and mission opportunities of the present-day church; on the other they face seemingly insurmountable financial difficulties, and are largely left by the church and government to fend for themselves.Many—both within and outside the church—argue that cathedrals are an irrelevance. But cathedrals are one area of the church’s life where increasingly the unchurched and the half-believer en...

For centuries the great religious buildings of Great Britain have inspired and fascinated pilgrims and visitors from around the world. The beauty and diversity of British ecclesiastical architecture is superbly captured in this guide to over 60 of Britain's finest cathedrals.This definitive guide contains over 130 magnificent colour photographs that capture the enduring appeal of these great monuments to the Christian tradition.Extended entries are included on Durham Cathed...

When Barack Obama praised the writings of philosopher theologian Reinhold Niebuhr in the run up to the 2008 US Presidential Elections, he joined a long line of top politicians who closely engaged with Niebuhr's ideas, including Tony Benn, Jimmy Carter, Martin Luther King Jr. and Dennis Healey. Beginning with his early ministry amongst industrial workers in early twentieth century Detroit, Niebuhr displayed a passionate commitment to social justice that infused his life's work. Rigorously c...

Explore the history of original sin—and how it shapes our view of human nature—in “one of the best books on the history of the evolution of Christianity and its ideology” (Washington Book Review).Original sin is the Western world’s creation story.According to the Christian doctrine of original sin, humans are born inherently bad, and only through God’s grace can they achieve salvation. In this captivating and controversial book, acclaimed ...

Religion is increasingly seen as a dangerous source of violence in the world, breeding a fear of faith in a very vocal group of critics. Most Christians are blissfully unaware of the litany of allegations being brought against religion, including that it is the cause of intolerance, imperialism, irrationality, bigotry, and war, to name a few. But ignorance is not the answer.In Why People Don't Believe, Paul Chamberlain strives to represent the concerns and challenges raise...

What is Anglicanism? How is it different from other forms of Christianity, and how did it come to have so many different versions throughout the world? Although originally united by location and a common belief, Anglicanism has gradually lost its pre-eminence as the English state church due to increasing pluralisation and secularisation. While there are distinctive themes and emphases which emerge from its early history and theology, there is little sense of unity in Anglicanism today. In ...