Good Disagreement?
Grace and truth in a divided church
Andrew Atherstone Andrew Goddard
9780745968353
240 pages
SPCK Group
Overview
At every level of church life from the local congregation to worldwide denominations, Christians can find themselves in turmoil and divided over a range of important issues. Many conclude that harmony is not achievable, and never will be. Can we, as Archbishop Justin Welby has asked, transform 'bad disagreement' into 'good disagreement'? What would that look like in practice? This book is designed to help readers unpack the idea of 'good disagreement' and apply it to their own church situations. It doesn't enter into specific contentious debates, but instead considers issues such as reconciliation, division, discipline, peacemaking, mediation and mission. It asks what needs to happen for those from differing viewpoints to both listen and be heard, and does not shy away from hard questions about unity in the gospel and the church's public witness. The book draws lessons from the New Testament, church history, and contemporary experience, with chapters from a dozen theologians and practitioners. They are editors Andrew Atherstone and Andrew Goddard, Tory Baucum, Martin Davie, Lis Goddard, Clare Hendry, Toby Howarth, Ashley Null, Ian Paul, Stephen Ruttle, Michael B. Thompson, and Tom Wright.Author Bio
Andrew Goddard is a well-known speaker and writer on Christian Ethics. He has recently been appointed Associate Director of the Kirby Laing Institute for Christian Ethics (KLICE), based at Tyndale House in Cambridge.The Institute is part of the Public Leadership Programme of the Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship (UCCF) and aims to provide resouces for academics, Christian professionals and church leaders.
He is also editor of the Anglican theological journal Anvil, a fellow of the Anglican Communion Institute (working to support Anglican orthodoxy withinthe Anglican Communion), and a member of the Church of England's Faith and Order Advisory Group. He is also a member of the Leadership Team of Fulcrum (renewing the Evangelical centre within the Church of England), the Board of Directors of the International Jacques Ellul Society and theEthics Group of Grove Books.
In November 2012 he was installed as an Honorary Canon of Winchester Cathedral in recognition of his services tothe Anglican Communion.
He is married to Lis, who is also ordained, andthey have two children. They are based in London where Lis has a parishpost. Andrew taught full time in Trinity until the end of the 2009-10 academic year; he continues to teach part time and to supervise reasearchstudents.
