Search

In The Christian Society, one of the great Christian commentators of the twentieth century describes how the Church came to be a society. The past relationship between the missionary church and the pagan cultures it replaced is discussed alongside more recent delicate ecumenical relationships and the ongoing conflict between the church and atheism. Stephen Neill's perceptiveness as a historian is shown in his masterful summary of the church's story from the days of Jesus to his own time. Meanwhile, his experience as a missionary and ecumenist comes to the fore as he demonstrates how the unity of the church is integral to its place in modern society, and its power to create a society. Throughout, his approach is empirical, and he considers 'all who have claimed the Christian name, without making preliminary judgements as to their orthodoxy or their standing within the general body of Christian people.' The result is a comprehensive depiction of Christianity as a social phenomenon that is as relevant today as when it was written.

Is it possible to find in the New Testament a single coherent theology? In Jesus Through Many Eyes, Stephen Neill makes the case convincingly for a unified faith underlying the many traditions and interpretations of Jesus within scripture, which can be summed up in the words Resurrection-Spirit-Reconciliation. First published in 1976, his exposition remains relevant to general readers and specialist scholars alike. Neill provides detailed explanations of more obscure concepts and references, along with comprehensive notes and bibliographies to each chapter, making this an ideal introductory textbook. Meanwhile, those familiar with his arguments will benefit from new insights and interpretations.

Stephen Neill describes the religions of the world which compete with Christianity and shows why Christianity alone can satisfy humanity's search for meaning. 304 pages, paper

"The Ecumenical Movement in its modern form came into being in 1919. In 1920 Bishop Headlam delivered his great series of Bampton Lectures on The Doctrine of the Church and Reunion. In 1942 Stephen Neill made his debut on the ecumenical stage as one of the youngest members of the Conference on Politics, Economics and Citizenship held in Birmingham in that year. For the next forty years he was almost ceaselessly engaged in ecumenical work, as member of the Joint Committee on Church Union in South India; as member of the great missionary conferences of Tambaram 1938, and Whitby 1947, as Associate General Secretary of the World Council of Churches, as joint editor of the History of the Ecumenical movement, 1517-1948, as adviser on schemes of Church Union in many parts of the world. It has become clear over the years that the ecumenical movement involves the churches concerned in it not only in practical co-operation but in profound rethinking of the basic concepts of theology. Appointment as Bampton Lecturer for the year 1964 gave Bishop Neill the opportunity to rethink his own ecumenical position in the light of these forty years of experience, to indicate some of the changes in theological climate that have been brought about by ecumenical progress, and to suggest the directions in which he thinks that further thought and study are needed. Only in the last chapter does he come to show such practical questions as 'where are we now?', and 'where do we go from here?'." -Publisher