Throughout English history bishops have had a prominent role in both Church and State. They have been involved in the making and unmaking of monarchs; have played a leading part in national and local government; have sought to uphold spiritual values (though often enough have fallen victim to pride, ambition and avarice); have rarely been universally admired; yet seem certain to remain a part of the English establishment. The last two centuries have nonetheless seen radical changes in the role of bishops, corresponding to equally radical changes in church and society. At the same time the Episcopal bench has been occupied by a colourful assembly of courtiers, aristocrats, scholars, headmasters, social reformers, controversialists, heretics and some godly pastors. In this lively and entertaining volume, Beeson describes many of the greatest and most engaging among them. With a wealth of amusing detail and anecdote, as well as the essential facts, he brings the bishops alive, and considers their significance in the social and ecclesiastical history of their times. Beeson ends by asking why such able and interesting bishops are now in short supply and wonders whether the hectically busy managerial role assumed by the bishops of the new millennium represents a betrayal of the Episcopal office and a consequent weakening of the Church's witness in an increasingly secularized society. Looking not far ahead, the likely impact of women bishops is also discussed.
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Editorial Reviews
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'Any reader interested in the Church of England will be fascinated by Trevor Beeson's latest book. He gathers a procession of unconventional bishops from the last two hundred years, and his radical message about the Church's mission now is in their tradition of creative courage.' David L Edwards
About the Author
Trevor Beeson was a Canon of Westminster Abbey for nearly eleven years and for five of these was also Rector of St Margaret's Westminster and Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons. His many books include A Dean's Diary: Winchester 1987-1996, Rebels and Reformers, Window on Westminster and A Vision of Hope.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
A Perspective On Various English Bishops,
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This review is from: The Bishops (Paperback)
Trevor Beeson writes with scholarship and cccasional wit about many Anglican bishops of the 19th and 20th Centuries. The reader gets to know of the inter-relatIonships between the bishops and the Archbishop of York and the Archbishop of Canterbury. As an avowed Anglophile, I found the book fascinating. Those uninterested in the Church Of England should steer clear of the book.
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